Saskatoon Photographer

02.27.12

Changes

Wow, what a year 2012 is shaping up to be so far. We just got back on Friday from our trip to Africa -it was an amazing adventure, I will be blogging about it over here throughout the next few weeks, and boy, do I have a lot of photos to share!

2012 is also bringing with it some pretty major changes. One such change being that as of right now, Chantel Klassen Photography is no more. God put it on my heart months ago that this business was something that I needed to let go of and it has taken me until now to finally listen to Him.

As a result I will no longer be taking weddings or portrait sessions. I may be planning on doing a couple of sessions a year where the money will be donated to a certain organization (probably one that deals with orphans is someway) -I still have to mull this over more, but if it is something you are interested in I will announce it here if I end up doing it.

I want to thank everyone for their support over the last 4 years, I have enjoyed meeting so many wonderful people!

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Jessie Louise - Chantel! I know this is a really hard decision to make, but I so respect you for following the Lord’s leading. May He wildly bless you in this!

Jennifer Blair - WOW. What a big step of faith! I know God has big plans for you!

Jocelyn - that’s too bad to hear but i hope that you’ve found something else to full fill your creative knack and happiness. can’t wait to see your adventure across the pond. all the best to you. xo

Kristin - i am so happy for you chantel. where He leads you, you cannot fail. the photography world will miss you, but i am so glad you are making the changes you need to!

Shelen - I know you will be amazing at whatever you choose to do – many blessings!

Vanessa - hey my dear! follow your heart because he speaks through it. I hope to hear from you again in the future and know you are following the path you were meant to lead. I am so glad to have met you through photography and wish you all the best!

I’ve got moves like Jonah » a harvest of blessing - [...] Today I announced this. [...]

12.23.11

Merry Christmas!

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
{Isaiah 9:6 }

Merry Christmas!

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jennifer blair - You have such a sweet family! I hope your Christmas was blessed!

Andria Lavine - Happy New Year, Chantel! I’ve been away from OSP for a while and had you on my mind so wanted to say “Hi”… Wishing you all the best in the 2012!

12.19.11

inspira{shown}

Last year super talented and insanely beautiful Seattle, Washington photographer, Andria Lindquist, started a photo project so great I hope it becomes a movement.
She named it inspira{shown}.

It is all about using photography to tell someone’s story. Our stories are something I have been thinking about a lot this past year. We all have them, some chapters have been completed and some are just beginning. I would love to share these stories with the world.

Stories of those who have beaten the odds, achieved a dream, followed the will of God, traveled the road less taken . . .

Is there someone you know who has an inspiring story? Then I would love for you to nominate them for a free photo session!

What you’ve got to do:
1) Choose an inspiring person to nominate (but don’t tell them -it’s a secret)
2) Tell me their story and why they inspire you and others
3) Be sure to include their contact information, phone and email so I can get a hold of them
4) Send all the information to: hello@chantelklassen.com

I am hoping to have this as a monthly or bi-monthly project so let the nominations begin!

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11.29.11

reasons you need a dslr camera

Are you one of those people that still aren’t on the dSLR band wagon? Today we are going to talk about 7 reasons you need to have one (if you need to convince the husband he should buy you one for Christmas you can use these in your plea).
I realize that point-and-shoot and even phone cameras are getting better and better every day but they still do not compare to the photos you can get with a dSLR.

one // manual mode
When any camera is used in automatic mode the camera is getting the photo is wants to get, not necessarily the photo that you were wanting. While learning manual mode can be overwhelming there are many classes you can take to learn how to do this, some are online and some are classes.
I teach a workshop on this and as well as sell a guide that you can use to learn manual mode from the comfort of your home, if you are interested you can purchase it here.

two // speed
You’ve probably noticed with your point-and-shoot camera that you will push the shutter and it takes a few seconds before the actual photo is taken, and if you were trying to photograph children they are long gone by the time the shutter closes. With a dSLR you will get a much quicker response time.

three // different lenses
You have the option of buying different lenses which can give you all sorts of different looks in your photos.

four // quality
I really don’t think I have to expand on this one.

five // depth of field
Everyone always loves the “blurry background”, that is something that you can achieve so easily when shooting with a dSLR, and it really adds to the photos.

Saskatoon Child Photographer, Saskatoon Kid Photographer

six // instant start-up
Most dSLR’s have an almost instant start up time, other cameras often take a few seconds to start up and by that time you may have missed your shot.

seven // continuous shooting
Lots of photos in a short amount of time.

Those are just a few of my favorite things about my dSLR!

To view previous tips & tricks click on this button:

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Denae - I totally agree! maybe I will have to fundraise for us to get one of these! lol Thanks for sharing!

rich - all of these are so true! love the tips you’re giving out!

11.22.11

How to Get Neat Photos of Your Christmas Tree

Christmas trees are so fun to photograph, here are a couple of tips and things you can try.

one // don’t use flash
I’m not even going to expand on this one, just trust me on this.

two // turn off most or all of the lights
You want the tree to be the source of the light.

My settings for the photo below were:
f/1.8 | 1/25 | ISO 1000

three // use a slow shutter speed
I love the way it makes the lights glow.

four // use a tripod or other object to set camera on
This will help reduce camera shake and the resulting blur.

five // play with bokeh
Just because it’s fun. To do this in the photos below I took my lens off of automatic focus and manually did it so it was blurry.

To see past tips and tricks articles, click on the button below:

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11.21.11

Josh, Angelina, Sophie, Seth & Addy

I love doing annual photo sessions for families, it is a lot of fun to see how much everyone has changed through the course of one year.
Sophie has grown up and reminds me so much of her mom. Seth is a boy filled with character, I love his smirky smile and his Batman costume. Addy is walking and still attached to her blanket.
If you want to check out their session from last year you can see it here.

Here are some of their images from this year:

Saskatoon Family Photographer, Saskatoon Child Photographer

And if you haven’t had a chance to check out their video yet you can see it here.

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11.17.11

embrace the camera | one

I find I have so many photos of Raeca or Jared and Raeca but hardly any photos of Rae and I together (it doesn’t help that I don’t enjoy being in front of the camera).
I’ve decided to start making a point of getting photos of the two of us together because I think Rae will appreciate it when she is older (and I will too).

I took this photo a few weeks ago and kept forgetting to post it. I miss the lack of snow.