One more sleep...

Updates from our home away from home starting this Thursday! YAY Nola!

A nice way to start the week...

Jazz.FM91 has announced their Top 10 Canadian Jazz releases for 2015. 

I'm thrilled to see two projects that I contributed photography to (Oscar, With Love and Movin' Forward) ranked at #1 and #2, respectively.
Congratulations to Kelly Peterson / Oscar Peterson Music and Robi Botos on this honour. It is certainly well deserved!

I'm currently working on updating my studio website with a new look for 2016, so stay tuned for news on that! :)

Lenny take New York City

After we'd been in New York for two days Lenny turned to me and said, "MOM! Let's pretend we're New Yorkers! We can talk about how boring Toronto is*!"

*Don't worry, Toronto, when we got home she announced that her home felt "fresh and new to her".

My kid took to New York (or as she would say You Nork) like a fish to water.

We'd all be here all day if I got into too much detail about this trip (and if you follow me on social media you saw it all happen in real time) but I feel the need to record a few moments for posterity. It was one of the best trips I've ever taken and it served as a reminder of the joy that friendship, travel and music can bring.

Our dear friend and gracious host Céline made sure that Len's first time in the big apple was full of magic. Our first night in the city we were treated like VIPs at Birdland.  The kiddo had such a blast that first night (jazz! showtunes! personal attention! buttered noodles!) that we went back several times during our stay. Each visit was more magical than the next. Birdland is now one of her favourite places on the planet!

^^^ Lenny gets up close and personal with the best and the brightest (and nicest) in NYC at Birdland. L - R, Christine Ebersole, Billy Stritch, Jim Caruso and Kenny Ascher.  Special thanks to Gianni Valenti, owner of Birdland, for taking Lenny under his wing. Seriously, these are some of the greatest memories ever, right here.

We saw the sights, including Barnum's Bones (DINOS!!!) and Lenny did a lot of "nature sketching" in Central Park.

I'd say seeing Stevie Wonder close out his Songs in the Key of Life tour at Madison Square Garden is a great "first concert" wouldn't you?  She was out of her seat dancing and asleep by intermission. So it was kind of perfect.

By the end of the trip, Lenny was convinced that she was, in fact, Eloise. Not one to discourage this kind of thinking, we had to come home with a full Eloise costume, naturally.  A few more updates from the trip to come...

New Orleans: through the fog

Our first week back in New Orleans has been foggy and rainy.  It sounds silly, but my favourite thing about being here is just being here.  I've been inspired to get out and take some pictures again.  I'm finding myself drawn to bits of shine.  I've been embracing a muted colour palate and I've loved hunting for unique signage and fonts.

When 10 months away feels like 10 months too many.

It took 16 hours longer than we expected, and a surprise sleepover in Washington, but this week we went from one extreme to the other.  

Oh, New Orleans. It's so good to be back.

Just a few of my favourite sights from our first few hours back.

2014 Toronto Jazz Festival

It's been a whirlwind couple of weeks with some great music in Toronto.  I was thrilled to once again be able to cover the festival for Torontoist and work as an official staff photographer.  Here are my some of my favourite moments from this year's festival.

Gregory Porter.  Sublime!  He was mesmerizing, especially with the great tune, On my Way to Harlem.  It's gratifying to see a singer who is both an incredible musician and someone who has an understanding of "showmanship".  His command of the audience was singular.

The Dirty Dozen Brass Band.  Any time there's a Sousaphone, I'm happy.

The inimitable Dave Holland with his band PRISM featuring Kevin Eubanks on Guitar and my favourite drummer, Eric Harland.  Would love to seem him play in a more traditional trio setting again some day, or backing a horn player again (like he did with Terence Blanchard).  That said, these guys killed it.

Toronto's own Pat Labarbera at the Rex Hotel.  A reminder that there is world class music here all year round.  Standing room only, duh.

On the final night of the fest I was treated to an amazing performance by the Oliver Jones Trio.  Jim Doxas is a fantastic young drummer and Oliver?  Well, he's Oliver.  Perfection.  His rendition of Oscar Peterson's When Summer Comes and his Gershwin medley may or may not have driven me (and a certain sister) to tears.  The evening was only more magical because we were celebrating the birthday of my wonderful friend Céline.  It was great way to wind down the festival.

Last, but not least, the Robeau and his trio gave a wonderful performance at Snell Hall.  They sounded so great.  I couldn't be more proud.  It was so fun to watch Lenny dancing to her favourite songs.

Till next year Jazz Fest!

My Favourite Hipstamatic Prints

I'm constantly taking photos with my iPhone camera of Lenny and the ins and outs of our daily life.  I'm constantly taking photos with my Nikon DSLR for work.  When I want to play, I use Hipstamatic.  

I feel like Hipstamatic is one of the coolest photography apps out there...and really the original.  I also think that a lot of us stopped playing with it once Instagram hit because Instagram offers a cool look with the ease of sharing, is super fast and interactive.  All things that Hipstamatic does not offer.  What Hipstamatic does offer, however, is what basically feels like an analogue camera, with loads of different film and lens options for $1.99.  It's not the same as going completely blind and shooting with my Diana Mini but it's pretty darn close.  I love choosing the "right" film for the situation and weirdly, I love that you have to wait for the prints to "develop" even though it's just for a few seconds.  If I suspend disbelief long enough, I can feel like I've got a real camera in my pocket.

I recently joined the Hipstamatic Oggli community.  We'll see how that goes.  It seems unique in the way they're emphasizing curating images as well as sharing them.  Once again, it seems to me that they're doing something unique in the space.

Like I said, when I want to play, I use Hipstamatic.  Here are some of my favourites.

Lens: Jimmy / Film: Ina's 1969 / Flash: Off

When I'm shooting with Hipstamatic, I have a thing for shadows.

Lens:  Buckhorst HI / Film: Kodot XGrizzled / Flash: Off

Lens: Jane / Film: Ina's 1969 / Flash: Off

Lens: Jane / Film: Ina's 1982 / Flash: Off

Lens: Jane / Film: Ina's 1969 / Flash: Off

Lens: John S. / Film: Ina's 1982 / Flash: Off

Lens: Kaimall Mark II / Film: Kodot XGrizzled / Flash: Off

Lens: Kaimall Mark II / Film: Kodot XGrizzled / Flash: Off

Lens: Jimmy / Film: Blanko / Flash: Off

I love the way Hipstamatic captures our trips to the Beach. 

Lens: Jane / Film: Ina's 1982 / Flash: Off

Lens: Jane / Film: Ina's 1982 / Flash: Off

Lens: Jane / Film: Ina's 1982 / Flash: Off

Last but not least, my beautiful friend and fellow blogger Desiree and her new daughter Eloise. 

Lens: Jane / Film: Ina's 1982 / Flash: Off

Aren't they just the most wonderful?

Looking forward to playing more with Hipstamatic this Spring and also, going truly analogue again and exploring portraiture with my Diana Mini film camera.  It should be an adventure!

Favourite Images of 2013

Click here to watch.

Hi everyone! As we embark on another great year, I wanted to take a moment to share my favourite images from 2013. You'll see many pictures of my wonderful clients at Tracey Nolan Studios as well as a few personal ones. 

The song, "Little Leo", was written and performed by the Robeau. To learn more about his upcoming album (for which I was very happy to provide the photography) check out the Songs My Daughter Knows Facebook page here.

Can't wait to see what 2014 brings!