Masquerade Birthday Photobooth

To end March I had the awesome privilege of photographing a wonderful woman's milestone Birthday. The theme was masquerade and the more we chatted about the big celebration the more Susan fell in love with the thought of Damask accents. By the time I got there to set up on the day of, the house was filled with damask in every room and it reminded me of home (but of course more beautiful)
Here were a couple favourites from her Birthday PhotoBooth

If you have been photographed in our choice of 2 walls or countless customizable photobooths and loved the service, please take 2 seconds to vote for a new award we were nominated for at the Wedding Industry Experts Awards.

http://www.weddingindustryexperts.com/votes/izZ1xy208.html

Thanks for your support!


Special thanks to Dahlia Event Productions.
The delicious cake and cookies were by the Natural Food Pantry's gluten and nut free bakery.

"Hi Melanie, Thanks sooo much for a great Photobooth. We had a venetian ball of fun with your props.
Love the sneak peak….all the photos are awesome! Especially the one of you and I.
Thanks again for making a special birthday magical." - Susan

Wedding Industry Awards are Back!

The Wedding Industry Experts Awards are back and I'm thrilled to be nominated for not 1, but 3 categories this year: Best Photographer Ottawa, Best Studio Ottawa and Best Photobooth!

If you love my work and want to let me know it, please visit one or all of the links below. It takes just 2 seconds to click "vote" and you can do it every 24 hours.

Best Photography Studio, Ottawa
 

Best Photobooths, Ottawa

                            Best Photographer, Ottawa 

Contest begins April 16th in the morning and closes one week later on the 23rd. 

Now some people are saying that viewer's choice awards aren't really awards because a panel  of your talented fellow industry professionals don't award you but honestly I think it's even better that my clients actively go out of their way to vote for me each day to tell me how much my service meant to them.

And I couldn't be more flattered by being nominated and last year, winning 4 awards. Being a small business owner, a 1 person studio, your own marketer, business consultant, media spokesperson, photographer,  editor, etc. is draining and it's these small rewards that make it all worth doing each and everyday until I'm about 79, then I'm quitting because that is too old for this young (wo)man's game.

 

Girls Night Out: May 31st, 2013 Algonquin College

Last year I had the pleasure of photographing all the wild and crazy, amazing women in my Photobooth at the 2nd Annual Spring Bling Fashion Fling hosted by the Queensway Carleton Hospital Foundation. This year unfortunately that event isn't happening but the bigger and even better 'Girls Night Out' event will be a huge success and I'm thrilled to be a part of it by participating in the silent auction and lootbags! 

7th Annual Girls Night Out

Friday, May 31, 2013
Algonquin College, 1385 Woodroffe Avenue
Doors open at 5:30 p.m.
Fabulous dinner, drinks, music, dancing, firefighters, entertainer extraordinaire George Thomas, great live and silent auction items & many more surprises. Gather your BFF’s and get your tickets now. This event always sells out!
Tickets: $70Proceeds will benefit the programs and services that Friends of Hospice provide without charge Girls just wanna have fun! You can purchase tickets by calling: 613-591-6002 ext. 27 Or By visiting one of our ticket outlets:
Act II, 417 Hazeldean Rd, Kanata, 613-831-8386
Scotiabank-Bridlewood, 701 Eagleson Rd., Kanata 613-591-7545
Scotiabank-Centrum, 800 Campeau Dr., Kanata, 613-590-2020
Scotiabank-Stittsville, 1271 Stittsville Main St., 613-831-3115
Scotiabank-Richmond, 3438 McBean St., Richmond, 613-838-2410
Three Wild Women, 263 Richmond Rd., Westboro, 613-728-1400

Buy tickets online at: http://www.friendsofhospiceottawa.ca/gno2013.html

Look for my awesome canvas and photoshoot package in the silent auction, all for a wonderful cause!

Thanks for a wonderful 2012!

I know I'm 8 days late on the Happy New Year but here it is.
Happy New Year! I've recovered from Christmas and Ukrainian Christmas (yesterday) and now I mean business :)

I just wanted to thank everyone who I got to see again, got to meet and photograph in 2012. It was a great and extremely busy year and I'm blessed to do what I love. I know sometimes I complain because I'm exhausted during wedding season (which is like 8 months of the year around here) or I don't get to go out often but I try to never lose sight of the fact I'm doing what I love and it is amazing to see families and couples displaying the artwork we created together which makes every edit, every phone call and email and every trip to the lab worth it!

In 2012 I was fortunate enough to be a part of the following fundraisers as well and am really proud that I could participate in these events and that so many funds were raised for charity.


I started off the year preparing to Co Host the Team Diabetes Dress Sale and mini wedding show - which we aided in a huge fundraising effort for the Canadian Diabetes Association.
http://www.diabetes.ca/


The Queensway Carelton Hospital Foundation hosted the 2nd annual, Spring Bling Fashion Fling Event at 6400 Celebration Centre in Stittsville, which is close by to the studio so I jumped on the chance to see a bunch of women living it up in support of a good cause.
They raised even more money than last year and had a fun keepsake in the Wonderwall Photobooth (with their mascot - Lady Bling) I donated my services for the evening in April.

Next was just a simple framed scenery donation for a yearly Light the night event one of my amazing Bride's hosts for The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's event, Light the Night walk.
http://www.lightthenight.org/
This is the type of thing that goes to show if everyone makes an effort we can do so much!



I was asked to participate in the Angels In Action in support of Ovarian Cancer Research and I had to do a beautiful canvas and session as this is a cause that doesn't receive a ton of support.
angelsinaction.ca
I received this letter which is going for plaque mount tomorrow,
"...With the help of our guests, concerned supporters and generous sponsors like yourself Angels in Action raised nearly $25'000 for ovarian cancer research and patient support in 2012..."

And to finish off the year we had a gift basket sale where all the left overs went to the Kanata Resource Centre and The Olivia Act which passes on the gift of a photo session to a very deserving family (Photos to come in February when the shoot has happened)

Hopefully 2013 I will be as fortunate to participate and continue to help raise funds for worthy causes.

Ottawa BeautiControl Holiday Basket Sale

What do baskets have to do with photography you may be thinking? Well not very much, however each year I pick 3-5 charity events to become involved in and to complete this crazy year I am doing a basket sale.

This Sunday December 9th I'm hosting a BeautiControl basket and loose product sale for someone dear to me who is no longer able to do the Spa/BeautiControl thing because of an autoimmune disease.
 
All the products are 75% off (some are only $5) and I've made up several baskets with these products and her handmade jewellery, and some with Melanie Shields Photography gift certificates too!

Please feel free to stop by on Sunday the 9th of December between 11 and 2:30pm.
There will be door prizes, just for dropping by and it should be a fun, relaxing and inexpensive way to get started on your holiday shopping.
 

Email me at info @ melanieshieldsphotography . com for any further details and hope to see you there. Everything must be sold, whatever is left over will be donated to the Ottawa battered women's shelter.

Ottawa Holiday Photo Contest

This year Melanie Shields Photography is celebrating the holidays with a chance to win a Portrait session (This can be for your family, for your pets, you name it!) The session will take place either in studio or on location in the Ottawa area.

How to enter? 
Submit your cutest, funniest or worst holiday photo for a chance to win a 45 minute in studio or on location session with Melanie Shields Photography, your Ottawa portrait and wedding photographer.
Enter on our facebook page here
Points are accumulated by votes from you, your family and friends. If it is an image I've taken you will also get an additional vote.
Files uploaded must be under 3mbs in size.

What is included?
Session includes 45 minutes in studio
1-11x14 and 2-5x7s, value of $170 a la carte

Because the contest is closing December 15th, you can keep the session for yourself or give it to someone as a gift!

Submissions and voting close Monday December 15th, 2012 at noon EST
no cash value. one entry per person
Chances of winning will depend on how many votes your image gets.

Good luck to everyone who enters!

5 Reasons Not to Use Groupon Marketing for Your Photography Business: An Ottawa Photographer's perspective

To all my blog followers, sorry for the delay in my postings. This Summer and Fall wedding and portait season has been a crazy one and I will try harder to update you on what I've been up to.

Here is some big news, I have teamed up with PhotoMint, an incredible online resource for Photographers to help with every aspect of photography businesses from shooting to business marketing. I will be writing articles based on my past and present experiences in the almost 10 years I have been a photographer!

My first, and maybe controversial (in the photography world) article is called

5 Reasons Not to Use Groupon Marketing for Your Photography Business

Based on what I have seen, even in my experience on the other side of the Groupon as a consumer, a lot of businesses are forced to shut down due to over selling and under cutting profits of their vouchers. Ofcourse there will always be a company who will flourish from running a group buying deal but I see all too many companies running several group buying offers which leads me to believe that their voucher purchasers did not become repeat clients.

Article:
Group buying sites became increasingly popular about two years ago and starting multiplying rapidly making the allure of quick money and promise of new paying customers who want your service appealing to small and large businesses. They guarantee paying customers who have purchased your gift voucher, but here is why this doesn’t work for photographers. Although it may have seemed like a good idea when group buying sites such as Groupon, LivingSocial, TeamBuy and  Dealfind just to name a few, came along to promote your business I feel the photography industry has realized how it is hurting our trade.

Read more here: http://www.photomint.com/photography-business/5-reasons-not-to-use-groupon-marketing-for-your-photography-business/

Please, if you agree, make sure to 'like' it, pin it, and tweet it. Hopefully my introductory article will be a success.