THE NEW BLOG IS HERE !!

You can check out the NEW BLOG at:

www.ImpulsePhotographyBlog.Com

(I will be posting on the above site from here on in......THE OLD IS NO MORE!)

Something Fresh Coming Very Soon !!

YES....it's been a while since my last post. Impulse is expanding, and thus I have been working very diligently on my newest projects which you will see this year. A brand spanking new Website & Blog is in the works! I have also hired an incredibly talented new team member which I will introduce soon, plus I am finally implementing so many ideas which I have had in my head for a long, long time. Finally, it will come to pass! I am excited and it feels really good.

I have also been out of the country and will also be posting some of my most recent photos of the DR taken just a couple of weeks ago while visiting my dad!

Check back soon for the latest!

(taken on a photo shoot we did of the most incredible Harpist, Chantal Dube) Along with the unveiling of our new logo!

The Polar Bear Dip!!

Would you go for a dip in Lake Ontario in -17 degree weather?? Well these brave guys did! And they did it all for a good cause....Inn From The Cold, which is a homeless shelter in Newmarket, Ontario. My old friend, Carmine, organized the charity to raise money for the shelter. I gotta admit......it was soooooo much fun to photograph!!!!!! Check out these pics!

Here's Carmine......the 1st to go in!This is the official 1st Annual Dip.......so I hope we can get others more involved next year. (I'll be there to shoot it)

Mauro looks nice and toasty....doesn't he?? :o)

You can see Carmine in the back getting interviewed by CTV News. The Toronto Star was also there. The event should be in print either today or tomorrow.

Helping the Homeless on Photo Night

On a cold, winter day, Bobby walks through the doors of the soup kitchen at The Knight's Table. He slowly approaches the hot table as he starts to take his gloves off. There, he is served with a delicious home-made meal. He sits down, all by himself, and enjoys his meal. His smile is warm. I ask him...."Bobby...come over here, I'd love to take your photo". "Me? Really? Are you sure?" he answers. "Okay". His face radiated in front of the camera. He felt special...and rightfully so...for he is very special. Shortly after the shoot, all I could hear for a long time was "Thank-you....thank-you so much.....thank-you")

I really enjoyed photographing all of the wonderful people that night, along with their families. Each one received a few 5x7's for Christmas. Many were either homeless, or struggling barely able to make ends meet. Not being able to afford a photographer to capture photos of their children, they did not hesitate in showing their greatfulness.

This mom and daughter pair were so cute. When in front of the camera, mommy could not stop laughing, which was so contagious that it got passed on to her daughter! They were giggling like little school girls and could not stop! It was so cute....I just had to laugh myself!These twins, David & Kevin, were so adorable. They kept on asking me on-going questions about my camera equipment.Here's our young single mom Tia and her family.......with her newest arrival, Violet, who is only 2 weeks old!

Me and Glendon photographed about 25 individuals and families that night. It was an awesome night! And we were blessed. Thank-you to the staff and volunteers at Night's Table for working so hard in order to keep this kitchen open, and especially to Castro and his team for preparing all the delicious hot meals daily. (Oh...and thanks Paula for helping me put the prints into frames :o)

1st place for Maryam + Ali !!!

I'm so excited to learn that one of Maryam & Ali's photo which I took this summer from their e-session came in 1st place at the 2008 WPPI 8x10 International Competition!!! Congratulations to my very sweet couple....I know it was that special look that Ali gave Maryam. :o)

Here's the storeyline: It was one of our last photos of the session.......very hot summer day.....downtown Toronto cafe. Maryam was feeling the heat and so she spontaneously just roughly tied up her hair. I was observing Ali watching her and just had to capture his priceless expression. Can you just see the passion in him for her?!?! I titled this: "She's So Incredible"

The Albojer Family !

On Halloween day I had the special privilege of photographing my super sweet photographer friends Tiffany & Alex from Life Images with their most adorable little boys, Jomei and Tayus (aka "Tay Tay"). Can I tell you how cute they are? Just take a look at them in these photos! We ended up shooting the entire day!......until the sun came down (which resulted in some pretty dramatic images which you'll see below). The boys' various and ever so cute expressions were so much fun to capture. Take a look at what we got......Enjoy!
The adorable Jomei enjoying his lollipop!Little Tay-Tay!Both Tiffany & Alex were so easy going in front of the camera.....being awesome photographers themselves, they know how to work it.......love Tiff's natural laugh in this one!

The boys strolling down the alley

I just loved Jomei's expression after watching mommy and daddy kissing!

We did a little bit of trespassing after finding this really cool rooftop. After a little while......it seemed like these 2 were really enjoying their intimate session together :o)

I couldn't get over Jomei's smile.......come on......how cute is he???!!!

The boys decided that my studio would look a little better with some "chip" decorating .......quite creative I say.....The "Chip-fest" continues Tay Tay having some fun with the camera

Tiff & Alex...It was so much fun spending the day with you all. I had such a blast photographing your family....you are truly blessed with the most adorable little boys.

Love you guys!

(and big squishes for the boys) :o)

Silvana ~

Silvina + Andrew MARRIED !!

When Silvina & Andrew first came into my studio I felt such a strong connection with them. They are such real, easy-going, fun and compassionate people! Over time, I could easily see into Silvina's heart through all of her beautiful, caring e-mails she sent me before her wedding date. We got along very well.....maybe because our names are so similar???? HA! :o) Well, their day had finally come...and I was honored to be a witness to their beautiful day! Here's a pre-ceremony shot with Maria on her Mac and Jocelyne in the background trying to get a roller out of her hair! She's so cute :o) It was great hanging out with you and chatting Jocelyne!the guys.......Silvina's brother seeing her for the first time..... Silvina made such a beautiful bride.....talk about perfect skin!


Our little flowergirl.....what a cutie!

The 3 of us just being silly

Now how adorable are these 2??? They are the freshly born twin nephews of Silvina who were really anxious to come into this world...so...being born quite prematurely, mommy & daddy needed to make sure they were well protected with their little mitties and all. (I think the cutie on the right was having some pretty sweet dreams there)A special thanks to the very kind Katie at Intrepid Travel for allowing us to warm up inside the shop. We were able to capture these unique images in there!
Mr. G. Raff

Andrew and the guys looking cool

Thanks so much guys.....you treated us like family that day. Great to see couples who are madly in love!

(All I heard from Glendon & Chris during the entire drive back to the reception hall that day was "Oh my God!! They were the coolest bridal party ever!!)

Silvina....yes..we gotta do Thai very soon!.....looking forward to it)

Love you both,

xoxo

Silvana ~

Photo Night!! (for the Homeless)

I am so excited to be organizing this special event. I have recently connected with the wonderful people at the Knight's Table, which is a soup kitchen helping the homeless in Brampton. We are going to be holding a special "Photo Night" where families and individuals can come and have their portrait taken. I want single moms/dads who are living on the streets and are not able to afford photos of themselves with their own children to walk away with a lifetime memory of prints. The event will be taking place during the first week of Dec., with the exact date still to be determined.

A CALL OUT FOR VOLUNTEERS:

Now what I am looking for is a Make-up Artist and Hair Stylist to volunteer their time that day to the moms so they can have that extra special treatment for their photo shoot. I want them to really enjoy the whole experience. So if you are willing to help out and offer up your talents, please send me an e-mail or call me and I'd be happy to give you some more details. I would really appreciate your help. :o) Know that you are making a difference to brighten up someone's day!!

I pulled out this old photo which I took eons ago in the New York subway (taken with my little 35mm Nikon F90X which I devloped and printed myself......kinda miss the days of using my shaved carrier in the enlarger to get that natural rough rebate border!)

Kimberley + Trevor MARRIED !!

What an exraordinary day! This super cool couple had a wedding day packed with LOTS going on. It all started while the guys and the girls both got ready at the downtown Marriott Hotel. With all the games and crazy stuff going on in their separate suites, Kimberley and Trevor and their bridal party were a blast to photograph!

Excited to be driving off to the ceremony! This was cute.....Kimberley made sure Trevor would get this card 1st thing in the morning.....the front of the envelope read: "P.S.- The envelope is kinda wrinkled because Mao decided to sit on it while I was writing your card"..........(Mao is their kittie cat!) (both photos by the super-talented Chris!)Games time !!!!!!

Waiting for the ceremony to begin.......

The lighting in the doorway of the church was absolutely gorgeous.....so we made full use of it

I love opportunities where we have natural textures to work with.........this was shot through a screen divider at Union Station.

Must have been reeeeeeal funny (shot by Chris)

Kimberley made many dress changes......and this one looked absolutely stunning while she and Trevor danced a special dance that was choreographed perfectly

Kimberley & Trevor......it was a joy to witness and photograph your special day........blessings to you both!

Silvana ~

Michelle + Vince

Super cute couple........Michelle & Vince were totally excited for their e-session and were up for anything. (Vince was super-excited to wear his especially cool sweater he bought just for the shoot......you'll see down below.....it had fur inside and everything!) Great shoot guys.......thanx!You will never guess where we took this image. We were all so hungry after our shoot, and so we decided to grab a quick bite at......okay.....I hate to admit this.....but......ahem.......we went to McDonald's.....*cough*.....(there! I said it!) (I'm not a meat eater so the fries looked good at the time). While we were sitting inside, I noticed this amazing light just outside and great photo op......so there you go, you can get great shots pretty much anywhere! (P.S. - we arranged it with the bird to fly by at that exact time)

Glendon in action.....

Sabrina + Fabio

A long distance relationship.........Fabio in sunny California........Sabrina in Toronto, but this beautiful couple were destined to come together in a truly amazing story. And so while Fabio was in TO only for a week, we took the opportunity to photograph their e-session. We had a great shoot.....(minus my thumbnail catching on fire....long story). Enjoy the photos!

(P.S. - I am about 7 posts behind in my blogging!!! I'm desperately trying to keep up with the workload this season, so there are lots more posts coming up soon! Stay tuned......)

Suzanna + Andy.....E-session

I knew Suzanna since she was a little girl at the age of 12. She is friends with and grew up with my nephew Vic as she lived on his street for many years...well...now little Suzanna is getting married! She is engaged to the sweetest man, Andy, who is quite the looker himself. I had a very easy time shooting these 2 as they are both stunning and very easygoing. Love these warm cuddle shots.......

We drove out to Hamilton to shoot at an old warehouse which Suzanna and her family own....so it was nice not to get kicked out of a really cool location for a change! This place has been used for many film sets, including the "Incredible Hulk" just last summer. It is huge! When they let me loose in there, my brain was going a kazillion miles per hour as I did not know where to shoot first!


Suzanna's eyes are stunning! She is an AMAZING hairstylist (contact me for her #.......you will love her!!) Andy is originally from Scotland. You have to hear his accent.....I love it!

They decided to get married in Jamaica......which I'm sure will be so much fun!!

The Best $5.99 I ever spent !!

This weekend I had Chris Luk come out as our 3rd photographer for Kimberly & Trevor's wedding, and it just so happened to be his birthday on that same day! Well.....I wanted to give Chris something he would never forget for his 22nd birthday, so I told him I wanted to take a "Birthday Photo" of him and took him to a back alley just before the reception. I had it all planned out......Glendon was my accomplice, and it worked out perfectly!!

Happy Birthday Chris! Hope you love lemon merange!

(Note - We're really not this mean at Impulse Photography.....we did bring another shirt for him to wear) HA!

Suzanna + Andy Sneak Peek!

More to come.......

My 40th Surprise Birthday Party !!! (which I knew about)

Last week my closest friends and family celebrated the BIG 4-0 with me! (of course....I knew about it as I am not one to be surprised too easily.....I find out everything!) Even so, it was so special to have everyone under one roof. And my sister, Lily, who organized the whole thing, lovingly made sure that I had exactly 40 candles on the cake....plus 1 for good luck of course.Me and my friend Lina......who is always "peppy" and smiling!!Here are my nephews, Vic & Rob, and my brand spanking new neice, Marta! She has been married to Vic now for 2 months! Wow....it just seems like I photographed their wedding yesterday.Here's Glendon and I (my 2nd shooter), who I can thank for most of these photos (except this one of course......)I wasn't allowed to shoot, but I managed to sneak this one in of my very sweet friend Paola and her man Daniel. They are so amazing together!My photo friend Frank and IMe, my daddy and Argentina. My dad came from Dominican for Vic's wedding, and ended up staying an extra month just to be there for my Birthday..........thank-u daddy!! Love you.

But my most precious gift came a few days after my party, and right on my birthday of Oct. 1st. It started off with my usual 5k walk early in the morning. Then my good friend Paola came over and gave me a gift bag and a card. I was confused as she had already given me a gift at the party. Let me share a little of how I met Paola, who was so meant to be in my life.

Paula would "stalk" my blog often and was a devoted fan of my work. When her mom was diagnosed with cancer, she sent me an e-mail since she had remembered seeing a post on my blog about a health retreat I went to in Alberta. She was hoping to help cure her mom by natural means. I replied back to her and felt such a connection right away. (Still have our 1st e-mail) I had to meet her...and her mom. I assumed she lived so far away, but was surprised to learn that she was literally 8 min. from my home!

Her mom, Esther, is a very special woman. I was immediately drawn to her sensitive, gentle spirit. I wanted to see her more, and went over whenever I could get away from work. My friendship with Paola grew over time. I felt like I knew her forever! But sadly, I watched as Esther was progressively getter weaker and weaker. My heart was aching for her as I just wanted this disease to go away. But she was stronger than anyone around her....and even with all her pain, I never heard her complain....not even once. She really enjoyed it when I would go over and blow dry her hair.....and so did I! I had so much hope for her, but sadly, it was too much for her body to bare, and so Esther went to be with the Lord in July. Her faith kept her strong the entire time.

So, getting back to Paola's visit, as I read the card she had given me, I realized it was not from Paola, but from her mom, Esther, who had given her the words to write as she lay in the hospital just days before she left us. Paula was just waiting for the right time to give it to me. It read:

"Dearest Silvana ~

I want you to know what a blessing your presence and support has been in our lives. You are an incredible gift from God. Your prayers, freindship, advice and all the time you have taken out of your busy schedule to help my family and I has been much appreciated. I have also enjoyed all your wonderful blow-dries. I just finished watching the DVD you made for me. It is so beautiful, I just loved it! Please never forget the difference you have made in my life.

Till we meet again sweet friend,

Love Esther"

I know she is now in the best of hands.....with God who she loves so much. This woman was so special. As she lay in her hospital bed, now barely able to see, she asked for a pen and paper and wrote this special note for all her family & friends and signed it with an exclamation mark and double underscore:

Esther....I miss you very much....your inner and outer beauty radiates God's true love for us all....I have learned so much from you in the short while that I knew you. You made such a tremendous impact in my life. I could only hope that I would be half the incredible woman you were and make such a difference in other peoples' lives as you have.

Love you and miss you,

Silvana ~