5 on 5 - september

September 5, 2016

Five photos on the fifth of the month - a no pressure photo project with like-minded photo friends (and a sister). No rules and no themes, just tell a story with some favourite photos from the previous month, and link to the next person in line.

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Continuing from my Viewfinders post last week, I picked out a few more photos from a road trip with my husband a few weeks ago for this 5 on 5. It was just us, which is a rare thing - our daughter was at camp, we even left the dog behind with friends.

It was quiet. There were trees, and light, and water. And a marmot (although he evaded my camera).

We walked. We found quiet places where sometimes we raised our cameras and sometimes we didn't.

We followed paths (me) and broke trail (him).

Whenever I could, shoes and socks came off and my feet were in the water. I became fond of these two rocks getting cozy. (Tell me you see the faces??)

We mostly camped, but treated ourselves to a cozy cabin for the last two nights.

There is some melancholy now that we are back and immersed in work and school and the fact that it's officially September. But there are always weekends and opportunities to jump in the car and GO when we most need it, so it's a sweet melancholy.

Happy September! I wish you soft landings as we shift from summer to autumn schedules. I'll be dreaming of trees.

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Please visit the lovely Janice of Shine Photo+Design's 5 on 5 this month and then click on to the next person in our blog roll (and so on, and so on....) to see where we've been and what we've seen.

cheers,
kim

10 on 10 - july

July 10, 2016

Can you take too many pictures of the beach? At the beach? Your family on the beach? Your dog digging holes at the beach? I think not. This month's 10 on 10 photo project (10 photos on the 10th of the month) is all about the load-up-the-van get-out-of-town roadtrip.

This summer, we are staying close(ish) to home - no traveling overseas, just road trips, some camping, and beach visits for a few days here and there in between projects. Which is okay by us. And cheaper.

When we don't have a lot of time we just head up - or in this case, down - the Northern California coast for a few days. It's usually possible to find beaches with very few people on them. We stop for 10 minutes or a couple of hours, as the whim takes us.

This tirp we had some sun, and lots of fog.  Which makes the Northern California coastline even more beautiful.

This trip we had some sun and lots of fog. Didn't matter ... still beautiful in colour or black and white.

Dog inquires why we are posing for photos instead of playing.

Sometimes the photos are imperfect, but the fact that she is still happy to not only road trip with her parents but immerse herself in what is around her? Makes me incredibly happy.

The dog doing what he does.

Proof that I'm on this road trip too, while on our way to the campsite.

Saturated with sand, sea and sky, we headed to our campsite where our 12 year old led us in some unconventional yoga to loosen up before nightfall.

Marshmallows were roasted, drinks were made, meatballs were heated on the camp stove for dinner and our neighbour played his harp as accompaniment. So much better than a boombox.

We are back home already and dreaming of where the road will take us next.

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Thanks for joining us on our 10 on 10 this month! Next up is Maite Pons - click to see her delicious photography and then click through to the next person til you've been right around the loop!

cheers,
kim

5 on 5 - july

July 5, 2016

Five photos on the fifth of the month - a no pressure photo project with like-minded photo friends. No rules and no themes, just tell a story with some favourite photos from the previous month, and link to the next person in line.

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I have been shooting almost exclusively for events/work functions lately and haven't been shooting just for myself much. My personal folders of photos are sadly empty. Or at least that's what I thought while poking through those folders and realizing that even when I'm shooting for work, I often am grabbing moments for myself. Capturing food or details or light that catch my eye.

I don't remember what this was called but it was delicious.

Thankfully, summer has arrived and with that comes roadtrips and camping and time to dream. Next month, I can guarantee you will be seeing some non-work summer photos! See you then!

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Please check out Maureen of Cottage 960's 5 on 5 this month and then click on to the next person in our blog roll (and so on, and so on....).

cheers,
kim

culinary getaways: raspberry galette video

June 16, 2016

I met the lovely and talented Sherry Page of Culinary Getaways a couple of years ago through my friend and video partner Melissa McArdle of Reverie Daydream.

Sherry has a long love affair with food, starting with her early life in Georgia gardening and cooking with her grandmother. In 2005, she started Culinary Getaways which "...introduces guests to the riches of the Northern California Wine Country, Paris, Provence, the French Riviera, Savannah and Tuscany through unique, carefully-crafted, food and wine experiences". Now does that sound like a slice of heaven?? She is an avid chef and having tasted the raspberry galette in this video that we produced together, I can vouch for her prowess.

I have made Sherry's recipe with gluten free flour and it was equally delicious.

Enjoy!

video by kim thompson steel
recipe and food preparation by sherry page, culinary getaways
food styling by melissa mcardle, reverie daydream

5 on 5 - june

June 5, 2016

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Anyone who knows me knows how much I love to shoot fine details - whether it's food or flowers or ceramics or art pieces. After re-launching my website last year, I've been very focused on seeking out photography (and video) projects that allow me to shoot what I love. One of my new clients (and a budding friend!) is a floral designer and creates unbelievably beautiful arrangements and installations. This week I accompanied her to the San Francisco Flower Mart to pick up the supplies she needed for her latest creation.

Sara and I lost each other a number of times in the rows of flowers and greenery and ceramic paraphernalia and to-die-for aromas. Luckily she was having as much fun as me since she too is pursuing her passion!

Sara Marshall of Sara Florals. You would be happy too, surrounded by all that lovely.
Stay tuned for more on our collaboration!

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Please check out Janice of SHINE Photo + Design's 5 on 5 this month and then click on to the next person in our blog roll (and so on, and so on....).

Thanks for joining us this month!

cheers,
kim

5 on 5 - april

April 5, 2016

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This past month had an abundance of chaos. Despite my best intentions, I didn't always have my camera with me except for when I needed it for work. Any photos outside of work itself were captured on the way somewhere....

... or during a shoot for a restaurant pop-up, where I grabbed a moment for myself....

... or at the beautiful co-working space where I am a member ...

... or right in my own backyard, where my beloved calla lilies finally emerged almost a month later than usual.

It feels appropriate to finish on a welcome sign of spring ... a time for fresh starts. Here's to scented air, no spring allergies, and an abundance of time to mosey without chaos.

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Please check out the glorious light in my talented friend Stephanie Smith's 5 on 5 for this month and then click on to the next person in our blogroll. Thanks for joining us!

cheers.

10 on 10 - march

March 10, 2016

This month's 10 on 10 incorporates some of my favourite things - winter, time to wander with a camera in hand, coffee, colour, and a face-to-face with an online friend who is now a friend in real life.

In February, I flew home to Toronto with my daughter to visit family and experience some honest to goodness winter, with minus temperatures and snow. I always try to fit in a visit with a friend or two, new or old, and this time managed to coerce the incredibly talented Lisa Macintosh into meeting me for coffee. She invited me to visit the amazing space where she shoots her Great Hall Series. The Great Hall is a well loved local music hall on Queen Street, very close to my old stomping grounds and workplace of many years ago. "You've Changed" greeted me after I parked and made my way through the slush to the sidewalk, and it resonated deeply... it's almost a different lifetime since I worked in the neighbourhood almost thirty years ago.

I didn't have to go far to find the colour and street scenes I crave...

After coffee at the charming El Almacen (best almond latté ever), where Lisa and I chatted like long lost friends and discovered much in common, we made our way over to the Great Hall. Lisa was meeting another musician for the next installment in her absolutely fabulous series, but she had made time for us to hang out, and of course, take some photos of each other. Lisa is not only a gifted photographer, but generous with her knowledge and support. I came away from our short time together feeling inspired and ready to make a start on my next project, which I've been letting roll around in my head for more than a year. (Stay tuned for more news on that in the near future.)

I am a lucky girl. And change? All good.

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There are some amazingly talented ladies posting their 10 on 10 stories today. Please check out Maite Pon's, and then keep clicking on the links on each post to see them all!

5 on 5 - march

March 5, 2016

Time for another 5 on 5 (five photos on the fifth of the month) - a no pressure photo project with like-minded photo friends. No rules and no themes, just tell a story with some favourite photos from the previous month, and link to the next person in line.

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For winter break, my daughter and I visited my hometown outside of Toronto, traveling from the beginnings of spring in Northern California to sub-zero temperatures and frozen nose hairs.

Although we spent short stints outside, the cold required warmer pursuits so we went to Casa Loma - a local landmark - where my eye was immediately drawn to the small details (who doesn't love an old typewriter?) ...

...and dinners cooked by both my sister and my mother, whose well-loved and dog-eared cookbooks are as familiar to me as the meals made from them.

In between staying warm, family dinners and planning fun events for my daughter and nieces, my sister and I always try to carve out some time to spend together. At the very least it's a glass of wine and a movie, collapsed on the couch in her family room, but even that didn't work out during this visit. So on our last afternoon she and I dropped the kids like hot potatoes at home and went in search of things to photograph in the snowy landscape and time to chat without interruption.

When I was growing up in Ontario, we would head north in the summers to lake country and I was always charmed by turn-of-the-century farmhouses and barns along the way. I've always wanted to go back and photograph a series of them, especially since these days they are an increasingly rare species as developers buy up the farm land and contribute to urban sprawl.

My sister and I found two farmhouses on our afternoon jaunt. I found it sad to see them unloved and abandoned...

On a future trip, I'm determined to make time for drives in the country in search of not only the sad and empty, but the many remaining working farmhouses and barns.

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Please check out Janice of Shine Photo+Design's 5 on 5 for this month and then click on to the next person in our blogroll. Thanks for joining us!

cheers.

5 on 5 - february

February 5, 2016

Another photo project and more reasons to stay inspired, accountable, creative, and have some fun with fellow shooters! This 5 on 5 (five photos on the fifth of the month) is a no pressure project cooked up with some online and IRL friends, and one real life sister. There are no rules and no themes, just post some favourite photos from the previous month (or two. or three.), tell a story about them (or not) and link on to the next person in line.

In my most recent post on Viewfinders, I ended with a teaser of sorts about rewarding my dog Toby for waiting patiently in the car while I made numerous stops on a photo jaunt.

Just look at him.... what a good boy. Okay buddy, it's your turn.

Where else would we go but the beach?

Where there is ample sand to dig and dig...

... and dig some more.

And after an hour of running and barking and chasing balls and digging at least ten holes, there was this....

Because sometimes a nap is exactly what's needed.

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Please check out Janice of Shine Photo & Design's 5 on 5 for this month. She's got a brand spankin' new website and after you've had a look around, click on to the next person in our blogroll. Thanks for joining us!

cheers.

c+p wedding - 10/2015

January 22, 2016

I don't shoot weddings as a rule, except when I do! There are incredibly talented wedding photographers out there whose experience at capturing a bride's and groom's special day far outstrips my own. However, sometimes you just have to say yes when a bride-to-be asks you to capture their day for the simple reason that she wants her day documented in your photographic style. I was completely honored to be asked and hoped I could deliver photos that were true to my candid style and which lived up to their expectations.

The incredibly beautiful bride, her gracious groom, and the location at the San Francisco Film Centre in the Presidio made my job (relatively) easy.

These two lovely people were completely supportive and I felt fortunate that they had so much faith in me. In the end, I learned an incredible amount about shooting a wedding and enjoyed every moment.

When I do shoot another wedding, my only requirement will be that the bride have tattoos.

Flowers by Ha Rue Floral Design Studio.