Thankful

Late last week I got an email from Joann (the marketing director at Grenfell) saying how she was interested in getting me to help out with the new marketing direction Grenfell is starting to produce, and would I be interested in a meeting. I quickly replied of course, and we scheduled a meeting for Tuesday. Now, I’ve worked for the University before shooting “I Fell For Grenfell” back in the fall, and while yes it was a great reference it was just capturing a few shots at a few events and not so much a learning experience or something I got any creative control over. So, understandably so, I was a little apprehensive going into the meeting on Tuesday about what would come out of this project.

And I was totally blown away.

They (the marketing department from Grenfell/MUN) had gone through my blog and found a good few shots they were already happy with and would like to use from the start. This in itself was crazy to me, because I think sometimes I forget this blog reaches further than my own desk! As Joann kept going on about more details, I remember thinking at one point I was thinking in my head – I’LL TOTALLY WORK FOR FREE, I JUST WANT IN. Grenfell is going in an amazing new direction for their marketing, which is going to be largely photography based now (but not so much set-up scenes of four students circling a table in res with their heads awkwardly positioned to look at one another and smile in pain. do you remember this shot? it’s unfortunately burned into my brain for life). It’s so much more candid, and is going to give Grenfell and Newfoundland the proper credit now for sure.

So that being said, I’m both feet in and crazy excited to get to be the student photographer for this, and (this is definitely the best part) to work with Dave Howells for the major shoot on March 13, 14, and 15th. A US based portrait and landscape photographer from the UK, he’s taken shots of everyone and anyone to President George W. Bush, to Amy Winehouse, to Gordon Ramsey, to Allen Hawco for his wedding last year! Unreal, right? Past his portfolio, I even got a chance to view some of the ad shots he’s already created for Grenfell (you can view some of them here) and all I can say is loove. His style is gorgeous!

So with this new project, website developing (candacecunning.com is in the works!), essay writing, photo work for school, , and bartending… it looks like March is going to fly and I cannnnnot wait. Summer, anyone?

Much love,

Can <3

Long Weekend!

I haven’t ever done a “what’s in my bag post” and trust me if this were one there would be about 47 more items in that picture considering my purses (big or small) all resemble black holes, consisting of things I deem necessary to drag around “just in case,” haha. Probably true for about 95% of girls though? But anyway, there’s a few updates I have that have all had to do with what I’ve been carrying around in my purse, so here goes:

Notebook: I’m hyper-organized as it is so I keep a list of my weddings in my notebook along with writing it up in a calendar in my room, and I’ve gotten to add another 3 weddings to my calendar in there in the last few weeks! So excited, I have a small one in April I’m really looking forward to, July is filled except for one weekend, one for August, another for September, and two for October!

Book: Cheesy title as it is (Fast Track Photographer, by Dane Sanders), its a pretty interesting read about the photography industry right now. And while I’m not trying to “fast track” anything, its got some really good points about growing your business as well.

Watercolor Pencils: An amazing painter I definitely am NOT, but I’m in the middle of about 3 painting projects right now and for one instead of acrylics I think I might try my hand at watercolor/watercolor pencils. I’m excited for it actually, painting is surprisingly my favorite course this term. Photo I still love of course, but our “book” project I’m just stressing over at this point! I can’t wait to see it done though.

Jibfest Ticket: I’m lovingg this long weekend, and its flying past so far. After I worked all night on Friday I finally got to go out and just have a good time at Marble on Saturday night for the Jibfest Event! It was soo much better organized than last year too, and the crowd that I’ve met through my boyfriend and gotten to know and go out with is awesome, I honestly couldn’t be having a long weekend – or winter!

Today’s pretty much a “recover” day, and I’m just rewatching Lost while trying to go through some emails and do a bit more on my book project. There’s also my first Zumba class ever at 5:30 with my friend, boyfriends Mom, and sister (I’m predicting laughing more than dancing, it’s going to be hilarious for a first go), and then a movie with one of my best friends that’s only in until tomorrow! Weooo, now can someone just extend this long weekend? Maybe until term is over? That’d be great.

Much love,

Candace <3

Boarding Photos

Got the chance to try shooting something a bit different from what I usually get to last week and I loved it! Thanks again to Dru and the guys Ethan & Matt for the patience, and to all of them for just plain killing it.

You should also head over to Spicy Caesar‘s blog or Spicy Caesar‘s FB page to check out more photo features and videos from the the guys that are heading that up, they do an awesome job with it! It’s based here out of Newfoundland, and doing really well so its worth the look for sure. Spicy Caesar, anyone?

Much love,

Candace

Find A Cuter Baby & I’ll Give You A Million Dollars

(Just kidding! If I had a million dollars to spare it’d be more like good luck finding me).

But seriously, that child kills me. I show up on Sunday for her 1st birthday party, and I turn a corner to find her sitting on the floor and what does she do when she sees me? She applauds. I just about died, considering she’d never done that before. Takes her pudgy little hands, grins up at me, and just claps. Yuup. I know everyone says this, the whole “oh they grow up so fast,” but it honestly feels like it was days ago that on my birthday I got the best and most hilarious phone call from my Aunt Kimmy which kind of went like this:

“Hey babe! Happy Birthday!! What’re you up to all day?”

“Thanks Kimmy!! Popping up soon?”

“I really would but I got called into work! But I do have to tell you though, I’m pregnant!”

……. please note, this was said in the same tone and manner you’d inform someone you were out of milk.

………… please note I never go speechless. I generally talk way, way too much.

I nearly up and died, and after (legitimately) a full minute of silence I full out sobbed and the only thing I heard on the phone after that was Kimmy laughing to kill herself. Kimmy has ALWAYS said she’s never having kids, and always joked that I was her child and she’d had enough after me so the news was a shock to say the least.

And now I have an upside down book reading, mohawk haired (I genuinely hope her hair stays like this for as long as humanly possible), icing faced bundle of awesome I wouldn’t trade for anything. Happy 1st birthday Addy!! Your the best <3

Much love,

Candace

Winter Night Shots

Just a few night shots I managed to get recently! I loved how the trees were backlit by the lights of Corner Brook, or the highway behind it. For (much) better quality, you can check these shots out on Flickr here.

I’m also going to throw out there how a skidoo ride for a Friday night is definitely not a bad way to go, at the risk of sounding extremely Newfie! Even though the groomed trails in certain parts still resemble more of a pretty uneven roller coaster at this point, and how I might still be feeling it a bit in my shoulders (a camera backpack full of two people’s gear definitely isn’t light) it was worth it for sure.

Much love,

Candace

Epiphanies

So Christmas has came and went (entirely too fast) and school starts up again tomorrow. It’s crazy, I think I blinked and there went the entire Christmas vacation! Past having to print like crazy right up until that last week before the 25th, it was the best Christmas I’ve had for sure. I do wish I got to spend more time taking photos, but I think the break from anything school/work related was nice. The feature in the Western Star ran too and although it reads pretty formal (I was quoted a bit awkwardly, haha) you can check that out here if you’d like!

On the camera side though, I finally got my new Epiphanie bag for Christmas and managed to make a few updates to my kit too! After having lugged a heavy titanium loaner from school around for the past month after my SLIK one broke, the new tripod was definitely a welcome upgrade, and… I should be saying a huge welcome to a new 100mm macro in the next few weeks as well! Soo all of that, being said I figured its about time to upgrade and intsead of just having a FB group for promotion, I’m going to aim to have my website out in the next month or two! I’m doing a smaller course-load this semester, so I’d like to treat the website as a separate project and work on it a few days a week until its ready to go public by late February/early March. Fingers crossed!

Also, to anyone who checked out my last Instagram post and wanted to follow, my username is @can_cunning! I didn’t realize until after that I forgot to put up my username.

Much love!

Candace

Instagram Favorites & Updates

Considering the lack of [actual camera] photos I’ve been able to take lately (considering how school has been madness and stillllll hasn’t wrapped up), I figured I’d share a few Instagram favorites from the past while!

On the updates side the new bartending job at McHugh’s is going awesome, I just booked yet another wedding for next year, and after the Western Star ran this feature with Dru a few weeks ago its apparently my turn next and I have a full-page feature coming out on this Tuesday the 20th! The only thing left now is for my print course to finish up and then I can finally start to appreciate Christmas break. And time to catch up on sleep, please?

Much love,

Candace