I also have to send out a massive thank you to my incredible designer, Phoebe Tsui of Love by Phoebe, who helped me to narrow in on the esthetic I wanted to portray.  She really does amazing work, and I would highly recommend her if you are considering a rebrand.

Please get in touch to take advantage of this deal, or just to let me know what you think of the change.  I would love to hear from you!

Please join me in creating some photos and memories for mom this Mother’s Day (May 13th)!  To book your session, send me an email with your preference of a Saturday or Sunday session, and I will let you know the time slots still available, as well as the location of our shoot.  In home sessions are also being offered at a discounted rate – inquire for more details.  Look forward to seeing you & the little ones soon!

Big thanks to the guys at Nordica Photography for arranging such a wicked day, to Hannah & Mike for being gorgeous models, and to Fer for just being real.

I will be somewhat reachable via email, so if you do need to get in touch while I’m gone, please send a note to tegan@teganmcmartin.com and I’ll do my best to get back to you quickly.  Check back here in a couple of weeks for a few photos from our adventures!  xo

A sincere thanks to everyone who left a comment on my blog during the month of December!  Together we raised $27 in support of the Greater Vancouver Food Bank Society.  2011 was my first year participating in this initiative, which was started in 2008 by Vancouver photographers Chris + Lynn, and has been continued by several other local photographers since then.  Lots of room to increase my donation amount for next year!  Your support was truly appreciated – thank you :)

Since December was a fairly quiet month around here, I also wanted to share a little bit of what I’ve been up to over the past while.  I’ve felt so grateful to be surrounded by amazing friends and family during the holidays – I hope you were able to take a few moments with the ones you love to appreciate all that we have as well.  Here’s to big holiday feasts, new babies, close friends, and lots of love.

stay tuned for a more complete 2011 wrap up, as well as exciting new things coming soon!

That’s right -  summer is over, but I will be welcoming fall with a special promo on portrait sessions!  This is the perfect time to create your family portraits, maternity portraits, and wee-one photos, just in time for the holidays.  Please shoot me an email me at tegan[at]teganmcmartin.com to book your session!

When I contacted her, Devon graciously agreed to meet up at one of my local coffee haunts to chat about weddings and what being a fairy godmother is all about.  Devon’s open friendliness and easy-going nature immediately drew me in…  I can see why she makes an excellent wedding coach and coordinator.  If you haven’t decided whether or not to enlist a wedding coordinator’s help for your day, let me tell you – DO IT!  The amount of stress this will save you (and your family & friends!) is truly invaluable.  Who wants their moms, aunties, bridesmaids, etc to have to worry about all those little details coming together perfectly?  And really, I would bet your groom-to-be might not be the most qualified opinion to seek. ;)  Leave those questions and details to the professionals so that you and your guests can relax and truly enjoy your day.

Fairy Godmother Weddings offer 3 different packages to couples, based on the amount of coaching and coordination required.  From a complete package that provides that extra guidance, to maybe just a little coaching, to solely a day-of coordination, there really is an option for every budget.  If needed, Devon or one of her associate wedding coaches will help to determine your 3 top priorities for your day, and will use that to frame your budget.  With a solid background in wedding & event planning, and 6 years in the business, Fairy Godmother Weddings are definitely the go-to gals for putting together your dream wedding.

Big thanks to Devon for taking the time to chat about her business with me, and for posing for a couple of cute photos!

In addition to the shoot that my travel buddy, bethany, and i had organized during our stay in vegas, there was so much to do and take in at the conference that we actually needed an itinerary to keep track of everything.  Yes, we crafted ourselves a complete schedule of events for our 3 day, 3 night stay – with little room for eating or sleeping.  I am happy to report that we didn’t stick to this schedule religiously, although it was definitely nice to have a guideline for things we didn’t want to miss – great tip for anyone considering attending wppi in the future!

The first night we arrived, we decided to head out on the town and get our bearings, maybe take some touristy shots, and generally soak up all that is “the strip”.  Well we ended up having such a good time that night that our first full day of “conferencing” was a little slow to start in the morning ;)  I did manage to catch becker‘s great presentation that day though… so much insight into the photo experience, branding your business, and forming real connections.  I love listening to people who are that passionate about what they do!  In the evening, we attended a fashion show and live shoot hosted by “noted fashion photographer” Nigel Barker (you know him as the sexy judge on America’s Next Top Model)!  While unfortunately this seemed slightly awkward for Nigel, it was definitely interesting to see a major fashion photog in action.  And plus he has hair now!  haha.  The night was rounded out with a great networking event afterwards.

Our second day was all about hitting the massive tradeshow floor(s) at the conference.  This was perhaps the most overwhelming aspect of wppi… 2 huge ballrooms at mgm converted into hundreds of vendor booths, all selling anything from website design & photoshop tips to albums & camera-geek gadgets.  SO much to take in!  It was awesome to see some familiar faces giving short presentations on the tradeshow floor though – a great way to catch some demos in more of an up close and personal setting.

I also sat in on an extremely helpful class by Sal Cincotta that day…  wow.  He totally got right into the nitty gritty of the business of photography – no secrets!  It was so refreshing to hear someone speak that candidly about this area.  Much needed and appreciated!

So before this post turns into a complete novel, i do have some photos to share from the trip ;)  All in all, i’m so glad i was able to attend my first wppi… i met some amazing photographers and learned so much about where this industry is headed.  So excited to be a part of it!

Here’s Bethany doing some last minute business before we take off out of Vancouver…

Our lovely room at the MGM Grand…

And a typical sight along the strip.

This is what photographers do when they go out for a meal ;)

And I couldn’t resist these girls… a good representation of the vegas nightlife…

The entrance to one “wing” of the conference…

On the tradeshow floor… some tips from the lovely and uber-talented Katya Nova.

This was my view of Jasmine Star‘s excellent class… so much that I needed to hear in this presentation!  From keeping your priorities straight, critiquing your own work objectively, and reviewing your business practices, Jasmine always seems to know how to get me motivated and inspired!

Here’s Jasmine on the tradeshow floor walking us through some awesome photoshop actions!

And finally, taking a break before starting the journey home.