* It's Moving Day!!!....| Lethbridge Photographer

Hi Friends!!

I have some very looooong overdue, but equally exciting news!!

I've moved!! (wow, I'm really using the exclamation marks in this post..sorry!!..oops there they are again)

You can find my BEAUTIFUL NEW BLOG here : www.devondurocher.com (easy to remember, its just my name!)

Also, my new website will soon be available for viewing so keep your eyes peeled for that, I'm really excited :)

Please bookmark my new blog,so that you don't accidentally miss any updates! My new blog will feature my NEW logo, and bigger better images :) if you are a "follower" of this blog (THANK YOU!) please make sure to switch addresses so that you can now follow the NEW blog instead..

Thanks so much, hope to see in my new neighborhood!

Love, dev

* Brand New....| Lethbridge Photographer

This is Alivia Grace..
She is the cutest, squishiest baby ever!
I spent this morning with her, she pretty much slept through the whole entire thing, barely making a peep...she was easily soothed by her mommy's voice..it was so heartwarming to see how powerful their bond is already..
Her mommy, Megan is a good friend of mine. I am so so happy that she is finally a mom! I think she is loving every single minute of it, even the late night feedings :) And I'm pretty certain she isn't taking any of it for granted...Megs you were definitely born to do this!

I am excited to watch little miss Livie grow, and am happy to have been trusted to capture some little moments in this precious stage of her life...

* Love Is A Many Splendored Thing....| Lethbridge Photographer

As I have mentioned before in a previous post, I was lucky enough to spend the holidays at home in Southern Ontario with my family. While there, I had the privilege of "shooting" my little sister Jenna ( I have always wanted to say that...hehe..just kidding!) and her boyfriend Troy. They were such great sports, we got up nice and early on my last day in town and braved the cold winter weather so that I could capture some warm and fuzzy moments between the two of them. I was really excited to shoot at this beautiful abandoned mansion on the Detroit River that my mom had shown me earlier in the week. It was built in 1816 and had so much character...I cant stop thinking about how lovely it must have been at one time and and hoping that someone will invest some TLC into it (and money!) so that it can be beautiful once again...(oh how I wish that I could!!..sigh...a girl can dream )

Jenna & Troy were alot of fun to capture with my camera, they instantly relaxed when they were together, Troy needed no direction from me, he was affectionate and warm when Jenna was by his side..It was sweet to see how much they care for one another :) And without sounding too biased, I have to say that I have never before seen my little sister look so gorgeous, These images truly capture her natural beauty..

Thanks kids for letting me be part of some of your sweet little moments together...





My Fav :)

* Katie My Little Lady.....| Lethbridge Photographer

This is my beautiful niece Katie..
She melts my heart..
She is the sweetest, softest, best smelling baby I have ever had the pleasure of cuddling....
I am sad that I don't get to see her everyday...
She is growing up way too fast...
I will sure miss that little face over this next year....

I hope she will always know how much she is loved by her Auntie Dee Dee (that's me!)

I love you pretty little lady!





she likes to GROWL!!!

* Family Snow Day....| Lethbridge Photographer

Happy New Year Everyone!! This is my first post of 2010! May we all have a fantastical year ahead of us :)

I have just returned from Christmas with my family in Southern Ontario, more specifically, Windsor and the surrounding County..I loved every minute of it, I wish that it would have lasted longer, I am grateful for their love, support and friendship...each and every one of them mean so much to me..i am truly blessed (especially with two beautiful nieces who have me smitten!)

I had the pleasure of doing a family session for my Aunt, Uncle and cousins while home, we trekked out through the woods in the snow, for those of you who know me well you know that I never dress properly for the weather, I was out there shooting in a hoodie and bright pink fur lined rubber clogs that I borrowed from my Aunt because they were much warmer then the thin canvas sneakers that I showed up in! By the end of the shoot I no longer had feeling in my fingers or heels..it was a sacrifice that I was willing to make in order to capture some sweet moments for some of my favourite people :)

Thanks Crease Family for being such great sports, for braving the weather, for bringing the love, and for being some of my greatest fans..I love you guys!!

Also, an honourable mention goes to my mom who was my assistant, who held all of the coats (making her one of the warmest people during the shoot) for doing it all with a smile, for encouraging me to have fun and to do my best....always..
she is a great mom, and a great friend...love you mommy ;)

* Fresh......| Lethbridge Photographer

Is there anything more precious than a newborn? They are so soft and sweet smelling, so dependent and squishy...Its amazing to think that we all started out this way..every single last one of us..

I was so happy to be able to capture a few moments in the beginning of this sweet little girl's life :) She is blessed to be born into a family that was excited for her arrival, a mom and dad and big brother who will love her, teach her and protect her..

What a lucky little girl..

Welcome to this world Lauren!

* Families Really Are Forever...& So Are Friends..| Lethbridge Photographer

I have been delaying the blogging of this post for a few days in order to gather my thoughts...alas, I am still at a loss for the words that would do this family justice..so I have decided to blog and write and hope that the things I feel will somehow translate into this post..it may be a long one.. :)

These are some of my favourite people...of all time...all time doesn't even begin to describe it really..

I have known the Dad Bryan for quite some time, probably since I was 11 or 12, we grew up in neighbouring small towns in southern Ontario and had mutual friends...He met his wife Amanda, I met her shortly after...her and I have been friends ever since...she commented during their photoshoot with me that we have been friends for 10 years now... a decade...it really isn't very long in the grand scheme of things though...and when you consider that the day i met her, I truly felt like I had known her all of my life...longer...I knew we would be kindred spirits, sisters even... forever..and forever is a long long time...

They moved out here to Alberta shortly after they were married, and here they had their first child, a daughter and became a family...

Just before their baby's first birthday, I too moved to Alberta to live with them for a short time, until it was time for me to find my own wings...

They have continued to build and grow their family over the last ten years, moving back to Ontario just before their first son was born...and then thankfully coming back out west a couple of little boys later...

I cannot begin to describe all of the many things I have learned from each one of them, or the example they have been to me over the years that we have been friends...

I can honestly say I have never in my life met a man who serves others the way that Bryan does, A man with a kind heart, full of faith who works hard to provide for his growing family. He is a great example to me of what a husband and father should be..

Ever since I can remember I have wanted really simple things in life, I want to be a good wife, and a mom. I'm not a girl who wants extravagant things..just a cozy home and a family of my own...I have been truly blessed to have a friend who has shown me exactly what kind of mother and wife that I want to be. Amanda is the epitome of these things. She is a busy wife and mom, who always recognizes the needs of others around her, she is selfless, and talented and loving and kind. She has the faith of an army, and she is passionate about her beliefs and her choices. There are many who cannot hold a candle to her...myself included. I have learned many many things from her throughout our friendship, I have learned about faith, about children, about being a woman, about love and service and friendship.
I love to watch her with her children, to see how she manages to juggle it all, and still find time for herself...I am often in awe of her and always proud of her..


Although I have yet to marry and have my own children, I am blessed to be a huge part of their children's lives..They are like my own little babies..I love them like they were my own, and they love me in return..it is a special thing to have five little ones who look up to you, and who trust you with all that they are...its an amazing relationship that I take very seriously and that I'm extremely grateful for on a daily basis. Unconditional love from those five little faces has often pulled me out of some not so happy moments...They are all so special to me..I wonder if they will ever really know how much each one of them has enriched my life...

They have a special little one on the way as well...she has already taught me more in the last month than I ever knew possible..she has taught me to stop taking all of my moments for granted, she has taught me that life is so much more than a series of days..and she has reminded me that we are loved beyond our ability to comprehend...I love her already and I am grateful for all that she has already taught all of us, and will continue to teach us throughout her time here...

Thank you Renaud Family for being my Family here...Thank you for loving me the way that you do, for accepting me and for taking such good care of me...Thank you for sharing your joy and your sorrow with me...without which I wouldn't be the person I am today...

Thank you for allowing me to capture the following special moments...I look forward to capturing many many more...

Love you lots,
Dev.

* The Do’s and Don’ts of "Using" Images From Your Photographer

* I found this GREAT post on a photography blog called Mom*Tog that I frequent, she has some great tips about the photographer/client relationship in regard to web images and the use of your photographer's images on your blog/facebook/web etc...*

Here are her words...

I get asked a lot by both photographers and clients what my policy is on letting my clients post their images to their blogs and facebook account. I personally love it when my clients post their family pictures on their blogs, facebook, etc. It shows me that they truly love their images! I encourage my clients to “steal” their pictures from my blog to use on the internet. Here are a few do’s and don’ts that you should think about when re posting your images:

1) DO ask your photographer what their specific policy is on taking pictures off of their blogs. Some photographers encourage it and some don’t allow it. If this is important to you this is something you should ask BEFORE you hire your photographer!

2) DO include your photographer’s name and website under the images (a link would be super nice!). That’s just the polite thing to do

3) DON’T crop out their logo. Unless you have paid for the digital negatives don’t alter the files in anyway. Most photographers use their blogs to advertise their work and do so as a courtesy to give their clients a sneak peek. If a client crops out the logo then how will other people know who took the picture?

4) DON’T edit the picture in any way. Taking the pictures is only half of a photographers job. The other half is editing. If you think you can do a better job or want to edit out some of your wrinkles or use selective coloring please don’t show and/or tell your photographer. That is super insulting. If you don’t like your photographers editing enough to want to edit it yourself than maybe you need to find another photographer next year.

5) DON’T try to print from the files on the blog. For me specifically I know that the files I upload to my blog are too small to be printed in a 4×6 size. It’s not cool to invest in a family session and then print the images off of the blog and not pay for prints. Make sure you know how much the prints cost before the session to avoid sticker shock. Same goes for scanning prints that you already bought. Not cool! Some of my family members are guilty of printing images off of my blog. It makes me cringe when I see them FRAMED in their homes with my logo still on there!

* I feel like I have had a pretty great relationship with my clients, but I also feel like its important to share how I feel about my images and the use of them. If I never tell you, then how can i expect you to know, right?! :)*

If you have any questions or need any clarification on my image use policies or thoughts on the subject, please by all means give me a shout!

Thank you so much for everything this past year! Its been so much fun getting to know all of you and i feel truly honoured to have had the opportunity to create images of your cherished and most valued moments...

dev.

oh and what is a post without an image or two...

here are two of my favourite boys of all time...enjoy :)

* Christmas Cards......| Lethbridge Photographer

If you haven't ordered your Christmas/Holiday cards yet, now is the time to do so! Just a few more days left to order!

Contact me if you have any questions, or would like to order :)

ddphotos24@gmail.com

Am I the only one who is shocked that Christmas is just around the corner? Wow, when did that happen!! Must have been while I was busy "shooting" all of your beautiful faces!!

Thanks for the great season everyone!! I loved it...

dev.

* here are some examples of what is available this year..If you want to see more, let me know.

* Let Us Love Winter.....| Lethbridge Photographer

" Let us love winter, for it is the spring of genius "

I am happy to report that I have begun my solo photographic adventures yet again, last Saturday marked the first of this year...and although it was short lived and I didn't venture very far from my home (just out the door and down the sidewalk) I felt that same familiar stirring of creativity and connection with all that this earth has to show me..and even though the air is crisp and the wind is swishing through the trees..and inevitably the snow will come...these adventures alone with my camera are some of my warmest moments...

Thank you for stopping by...

* Hurricane Hasegawa....| Lethbridge Family Photographer

I have entitled this post "Hurricane Hasegawa" because this was one heck of a fast family shoot! They blew in like the wind in one swift, whirlwind of a swoop and almost exactly 30 minutes later they blew right on out again!! Looking back it seems rather hilarious that we were able to do a family session with 6 people in such a short amount of time, but the sun was setting and the good ol Lethbridge wind was starting to blow in, so we did what had to be done!

I'm extremely grateful to my friend Shelley, she came along and together we were able to divide and conquer!! two cameras are definitely better than one!

Also, when you see how gorgeous this family is, you will understand how I was able to get some good stuff in such a short time...completely stunning family :)

The dad, Mark happens to be my boss as well, so it was kinda fun to be able to "boss" him around for once, I'm glad he didn't hold it against me on Monday morning..

Thanks Hasegawa Family, you guys rocked it out!

enjoy :)

* Growing A Life......| Lethbridge Family Photographer

I love baby bellies! They just make me smile :) There is something really special about a woman who is pregnant, growing and nurturing a new little life inside of her...its such a miracle..truly amazing, I don't think I will ever get tired of photographing these precious moments...

Amber and Brian are welcoming their first child, due in only a couple of weeks (her tummy is so little!) I wish them all the best with their new son or daughter...It was a pleasure meeting them and being able to document this special time in their lives..