Hello productive day!! This afternoon and evening I completely re-designed and re-coded my photography website! I love that blue colour (staying consistent with my business cards), and I especially love how it looks with the black & white photos. YUM.

Check it out! (And let me know if there's any bugs!)

Labels: photography

posted by Maresa @ 9:55 PM 2 Comments

Wedding: Andrea & Matt

Labels: photography

posted by Maresa @ 10:40 PM 0 Comments

More bits and pieces

I just booked my flight home for Thanksgiving and I am so, so excited. I cannot wait to see everybody. I want to visit with everyone and go to my favourite places and I don't think there'll be time for sleeping! I also found out today that my mom was rushed to the hospital yesterday because her appendix burst. Very scary. She's in the hospital until Friday and will be off work for a month. I can't wait to see her and hug her.

I've also booked my trip to NYC for this weekend to see Jenn. I'll be going it alone in the big city on Saturday and seeing her Sunday. Which means Saturday I'm going to cram full of some combination of: shopping, Central Park, NY Library, Guggenheim museum, Broadway show... which I don't think is that unrealistic given that my bus arrives into the city around 6AM! I <3 NY.

I shot a wedding on Sunday, and even though I prayed for days to the rain gods, it still rained the whole day. The ceremony was supposed to take place on a rooftop patio but instead 50 guests were crammed indoors into a living room. Thankfully the rain stopped for a few hours while we did photos outside in Mt Royal Park by the lake - which turned out beautifully! And then I stayed and photographed the reception afterward as well. It was really my first real wedding - I was there for about 8 hours! There are sooooo many photos to edit it's ridiculous!!!

I went to go see the Opera on Saturday night, and it was really amazing. Probably the best opera I've seen. It was a double showing of "Pagliacci" and "Gianni Schicchi." And it was also a good excuse to dress up. :)

So I've entered the hockey pool at work, and I pretty much have no idea what I'm doing. Okay I kind of do now because my dad's been helping me out... All I know is that I want to represent the Canucks amongst all these die-hard Habs fans. Which means I will definitely lose. Haha.

I can't believe September is almost over. Life is crazy these days.

Labels: fall, montreal, photography, travel

posted by Maresa @ 9:55 PM 0 Comments

Changes and Decisions

So I got a job! A real job. I'll be doing Admin and Reception for a TV production company. The position is full time and I start tomorrow! For more details, email me, because I won't write anything else work-related on my blog.

Aside from happiness about finally landing a job, my current thoughts are these: since everything at home in BC has changed since I left, why do I need to go run back there? My family is still there, and of course I miss and love them, but I will come home for Thanksgiving (1 month away!) to visit. Other than my family, my friends are either living in different cities or will be off traveling, I'm finished school, I don't have a job waiting for me (although I could if I wanted), I don't have any lovers anxious for me to return... So since I have a great apartment and a great job opportunity, I guess I'll just hang out and kick it in Montreal for a while longer.

On my last day of freedom before I become a 9-5er - pardon me, a 9-6er - I decided to take the train out to a suburb called Vaudreuil-Dorion, which is where the wedding I'm shooting on Friday is going to be taking place - at La Maison Trestler. It's a gorgeous old house built in the late 1700s and is situated right on the water, which I think is called Lac Saint-Louis at that point, which confuses me greatly because isn't all the water just the St-Lawrence River?? Hum. Anyway, Maison Trestler has gorgeous expansive lawns and trees and overhanging Willows, and I think the wedding will be stunning. It's creeping up every so slowly... but I'm feeling prepared. I have on order 2 new memory cards, 1 new battery pack, and I'll be renting a $2000 lens for the occasion, so I'm feeling fairly well equipped!

And that, poulettes, is all for this evening. Bonne nuit :)

Labels: life, photography, thoughts

posted by Maresa @ 9:00 PM 2 Comments

Photo shoot - Roberta

The day before I left for Jamaica, I did a photoshoot for Roberta, who contacted me because she wanted some photos taken with her snake. We had a great time shooting in the Old Port, and it made for some super sexy and unique photos! Here are a few of my favourites!

You can also view more images from this shoot and other shoots on my website: Photography by Maresa

Labels: photography, photos

posted by Maresa @ 7:21 PM 2 Comments

I have never been one to turn down a travel opportunity. In fact, if there's even so much as a glimmer of hope, I'm on it so fast you can't believe it. All I want to do in life is travel.

SO. This is why I'm going to Jamaica tomorrow! I am so super excited! I definitely need a vacation from my vacation. Haha. I'll be there for a week, doing the all-inclusive thing, at a 4.5 star resort... lounging on the beach with a drink in my hand... Hell YES.

I'm just on my way out the door to another photo shoot, which should be verrrry fun. I'm doing it down in the Old Port, so there'll be lots of funky alleys and stairs and walls and things... And then it's my last Photoshop class tonight!

See you in a week, chickadees :)

Labels: photography, travel

posted by Maresa @ 2:16 PM 2 Comments

Photo Shoot

These are a few photos from my photo shoot last Sunday. We went to Parc Lafontaine and it was a gorgeous, gorgeous morning. Maria was a beautiful model, and we had some amazing settings to work with! Couldn't have been better!!!

Laurel was just here visiting me for a few days, and it was soooo awesome!! We partied it up! of course we saw the sights, but we mainly hung out on a bunch of terrasses and had a good time. Now on Tuesday my mom arrives! Holy guest month!!

Labels: montreal, photography

posted by Maresa @ 7:44 PM 0 Comments

I had another photo shoot yesterday, this time it was with Nick's boss, and we had such a fun time!! (And I also got paid to do it!) These are a couple of my favourite images. And look! No black and white to be found (at least, not here)! Have I mentioned that I reeeeally want a new lens?? :P

Labels: photography

posted by Maresa @ 9:10 PM 2 Comments

Just a few photos from a photoshoot I did with Nick last week. Last one is my fav. Did you know that I totally adore black and white? Well, now you do.

Things are slowly starting to fall into place... even the weather, which is now sunny and warm. Feeling good. :)

Labels: photography

posted by Maresa @ 5:51 PM 2 Comments

Lately I've been trying to get more into photography and so I randomly decided to enter a contest on Worth1000 with that photo I posted in my last post - and I ended up placing 3rd out of 51 entries. Cool! It was a beginner contest, so go figure, but it's helped give me a boost to want to take more photos. :)

Speaking of photos, yesterday was a full-on modeling day for me. In the morning I modeled in a location shoot for my cousin, and she wanted me wearing a dress and heels outside in front of some cool industrial-looking brick buildings - but it was SO COLD. It was windy and 5 degrees out, and there I was in a little dress and heels trying to look hot and oh my god I just tried to give the posing my best shot to get it over with as fast as I could. Although, I ended up being outside for an hour in two different dresses and two different set of heels. Wow. I have a big appreciation for real models now. Haven't seen the photos yet, but can't wait.

Facebook is good at randomness. Tonight a girl who was my penpal when I was probably 10 searched me out on FB. I was at my parents house tonight for dinner and even found old letters that we sent to each other. It was a PenPal service that you had to fill out your name, age, your favourite colour, favourite school subject, other cheesy info, pay $3 and they matched you with someone. (Yep, I even found my penpal application form! - wow, think I'm holding onto some unnececssary stuff?!) Anyway, random and cool.

This week I found out that DairyQueen will make a Blizzard with two different kinds of stuff in it. You do not understand how much this has made my life. Hello gaining 20 lbs.

Actually, I'm sticking to a really good routine of working out 3 times a week. That makes me happy. Although I've also realised that I don't eat enough protein. The only time I eat meat is for dinner, and often I don't even do that. I'm a fiend for peanut butter though, and usually eat it for breakfast, but the point is, I'm still not getting enough protein. I might buy some protein powder. Is that weird? Hello bodybuilder Maresa. ;)

Wait - I wonder if aReese's peanut butter cups Blizzard counts as protein... Haha. Kidding, kidding.

Labels: food, i should just make a tag for ice cream, photography

posted by Maresa @ 12:43 AM 0 Comments