Welcome

Hello, and welcome to the online journal for Julie Tauro Photography (that would be me!!). I am a portrait photographer based in Kitchener Waterloo, Ontario. These days, I spend most of my time photographing babies, children, teens and families. I am so lucky to be able to spend my days doing this work. I love it!

While I am not the best at keeping a regular journal (despite all my efforts to schedule writing and sharing time), this is the place that I will share new images, ideas, promotions, and maybe some random thoughts (likely to be very rambling in nature, the kind that make you wonder, "what the heck is she talking about").

I hope you will come back often and leave me a comment or two! I love hearing from you!

Cheers...

The holiday schedule

Well, I did promise some fall pics…but to be honest, that just ain’t going to happen. You know you are over-extended when you are driving your kids to a skating lesson, and halfway there, you pause and have to ask them “where were we going again?”. That may or may not have happened to me just last night

(okay, that DID happen to me last night! LOL! My almost-8-year old smart-aleck said I was getting just like my grandmother. And that same whipper-snipper happily talked about it again this morning…nice…doesn’t she realize Santa is watching!!  Be kind to your mother or you just might find some COAL in your stocking this year! Sheesh!)

I will be back at it on Tuesday, January 13, 2009, and will answer any questions or enquiries at that time.

I wish you and your family the most wonderful of holiday seasons!

Yes, I am still around

Just barely though…the holiday order rush is almost finished (many orders are rolling in this week, and a few more early next week), and then I will have a moment or two to breath. I will share a few faves from the fall season (and there were so many great kids this year…such fun!).

My kids are BUGGING me to get this house decorated (haven’t even had time to do that yet - thank goodness for online shopping because at least my Christmas gifts are almost all completed).

‘Tis the season!

Happy Halloween

 Yeah, I know a day late…but I couldn’t get access to my computer last night -I was too busy guarding the front door against invaders!

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(now, off to eat some candy….I mean, to see if the kids are around to eat their candy…I would “never” eat the candy myself…really just want to make sure THEY have some candy, not me, not at all…really…)

Modelling session 4 - the add-on

As I mentioned, my daughter finally agreed to go out for a portrait session. I had hoped to do this in the summer, to take some great images of her in her grad dress (which might just be the first dress I would photograph her in since she was 2 and I had total control over what she wore everyday!!). But these work for me too…

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Modelling session 3

Oh, poor neglected blog…don’t worry, the snow will soon fly, the fall portrait season will conclude, and you and I will sit down with a glass of wine and share some stories.

 In the meantime, here is the almost final in the model series I did during my September renovation-procrastination modelling sessions (I say “almost” because once my daughter saw these sessions, she finally agreed to set aside a night from her very busy social calendar to do a session as well!! So I will share those…soon my blog, soon…) 

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Modelling session 2

Here is the second in my break-from-painting modelling sessions in September.  I wanted to note that the girls who participated in these sessions are not “models” by profession in any way. I totally think they did an amazing job!!

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To all the Canadians…I wish you a happy Thanksgiving! (yes, I do plan to eat more than my fair share of turkey and stuffing!)

Modelling session 1

Back in early/mid September, I was in the midst of renovations (up to my armpits in paint, dust, clutter and so forth…not such a pretty sight!). So I decided I needed to do a few photo sessions on the side, to break up the monotony of it all. And since I don’t often have a chance to photograph kids in their teens years, I took it upon myself to find a couple of willing subjects and had a blast pretending to be Nigel Barker (although he is much sexier than I, and I totally forgot to use a British accent!).

This is a fabulous age to work with (and not even once did I have to sing “wheels on the bus” or dangle some stuffed toy precariously on my head - not that those things aren’t fun too).

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And yes, I did happen to take some smiling ones too!

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Autumn Princess

So it all began with a shopping trip to Winners. Yes, I LOVE that store - it can be feast or famine sometimes, but when they have stuff, they have GREAT stuff. So I am there, browsing in the kids area and notice that they have the Halloween costumes, and really nice ones. Particularily there were some terrific princess dresses - not cheap shiny ones, but actual dresses. Gorgeous colours and only $30! I have to get one and have my youngest model as a princess.

Well, I get the thing home and she takes one look at it and says “there is no bleeping way I am wearing that” (note: the “bleeping” was only in her tone of voice - if she was 16 I have no doubt that “bleeping” would have be a completely different word and it would not have just been in the tone of voice!). She is NOT into princesses, pink, girlie things in general these days (that stuff is so last spring!)

So now what…I need a girl to be a princess or I have to take the dress back (and I totally don’t WANT to take the dress back). A few days later, I am at a BBQ, having a nice glass of wine, and a girl comes up to her mom sitting beside me and I go “BINGO” (in my head - outloud I said “how old are you and do you want to model a princess dress for me?” - asking the 9 year old instead of her mom first - yeah, maybe it was my second or third glass!).

We head out to my new favourite location (ETA: on a different day, not after three glasses of wine! Just want to make that clear…) It is a bit of a drive and a bit of a walk, but definitely worth it!. And this lovely princess did a great job for me!

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Kudos!

From reading my last blog entry, it just might appear to some that I never actually returned from my vacation (and alas, it certainly was not long enough!). Just so you know…I did not get lost coming home from the beach (but you have to admit, that would have been totally fun!). But I did return, and since then, have been completely distracted by the studio renovation (what the heck…who wants to be renovating in the summer! Should have done it in the spring), and so have been very very remiss about keeping current online.

During the last month or so, lots of things have been happening around the place…new floors, new walls, lots of new canvas’ (including a fab 60×30 canvas of my kids) and prints on the walls, some new props and backdrops - this winter we will be cooking with gas in there…(yes, that is one of my quaint country expressions…cute huh?). I am really excited (I will post a few pics once I get organized)! But of course, we have these last few weeks of incredible fall weather to get in some great outdoor portraits too.

Also I have a couple of clients that have been doing some interesting things and I want to send out some kudos to them.

Years ago, I met this woman at a local playgroup actually (if you are interested, it is the Early Years Centre in Kitchener (here is the link http://www.ourplacekw.ca/ ). She has recently opened a brand new venture in New Hamburg called The Spark Centre (here is her website http://www.thesparkcentre.com/ ).  From the home page…”The Spark Centre offers unique programs for all ages that fuel one’s LifeSpark, along with services that support personal growth and wellness. Adults and children come to:

  • explore & develop creativity
  • learn to better manage stress
  • improve health
  • connect with like-minded, supportive people”

I wish The Spark Centre every success (and I am looking forward to heading out for some great programs as well!)

Another group of clients (along with many of their friends) once again participated in The Weekend to End Breast Cancer walk this year. As a group they have trained together and supported each other in their efforts to contribute to this fantastic event. They were tremendously successful in their fundraising this year. If you would like to read more about their group, the website is http://www.laurelwoodladies.com/Home.html (and I am sure they would welcome any last minute donations!). Congratulations ladies!! And THANK YOU!

And just to share some images (afterall…photography blog…). This is my youngest. I have been planning a shoot for her at this location for a couple months. I had orginally wanted to photograph her in a dress I bought for her to wear to a wedding earlier this year. But as I kept having to push my plans in the future (mostly because of busy schedules and bad weather days), that darned dress doesn’t fit anymore (all three kids were weed-like in growth this summer, thus necessitating a very expensive back to school shopping season for us). So I finally found something I loved and it all came together last night (and all she required in payment was a new Webkinz…yes, I have to bribe my kids to pose for me these days…yes, my kids are uncooperative too!)

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A very special project for me…very dear to my heart

Over the next couple weeks, I will be busy on a very special project. I am sooo excited, so I thought I would give you some visual clues as to what exactly I will be up to…

 First, I will be wearing alittle of this…

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(admittedly - that is the kids block- I left mine in the car hubbie is driving today - but you get the point).

Then I will be tending this…

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And eating lots of this (yum, Ceasar salad from the garden!)…

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After which I will drink alittle this (or alot…depends how hot it is!)…

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Then maybe lay in this…

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During which I will listen to alot of this…(that’s John Mayer’s new live album, which is super cool!)…

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and maybe do some of this…

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 I will definitely do LOTS of this…(steak and shrimp fresh from the farmer’s market in the background, Robert Mondavi cabernet sauvignon, the good stuff, in the foreground)…

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But only after we watch lots of this…

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Finally, I will CONQUER this (ssshhhh…don’t tell this kids yet - they don’t know I bought this today! I even took this shot in secret in the pool shed LOL!)…

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So as you can see I will be very very busy on this project and will not be able to answer email or calls until August 19th. At that point I will reconnect and catch-up with everyone.

With the upcoming fall season (the busiest of the portrait seasons), there will be some exciting new things going on after I get back from this project (which of course is my vacation - I guess calling it a “project” isn’t so funny now that we all know what I am talking about).

 I will be closing down for two weeks in September to put the finishing touches on my new studio (I ordered all my new display pieces yesterday and I can’t wait for them to arrive! And my new floors should be installed once I get back from holidays. Ya hooooo!).

There will be a couple new offerings and session types. There will also be a few changes to the pricelist (mostly simplify things a bit - that darned price sheet is like 10 pages long and I can’t keep it straight anymore!) So a few things will be dropped from the list, and a few new (but way cooler) things will be added. So much to come - watch the blog in late August for all the 411 (yeah, I’m cool like that, saying “411″!)

Christmas session and ordering deadlines will also be published once I get back, so start looking at your September/October/November calendar if you are thinking of booking a session (they do fill fast, so be sure to get in touch right away).

That’s it for now…gotta run and get appropriately attired for the project/vacation (aka bathing suit, flip flops and sunglasses). Wish me the best of luck!