Diane Schuller, Your All Occasion Custom Photographer

“The fence that makes good neighbors needs a gate to make good friends” ~ Anonymous

Think of all the beauty that’s still left in and around you and be happy! ~ Anne Frank

Check out some of the previous posts — especially the last one with some lovely canine photos.

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Photographs Never Forget! Keeping memories alive with custom albums and portraits.

• It’s time to book for fall portraits!
• Be sure to take photos of your child(ren) as they get ready and head back to school.
• Sign up for my monthly newsletter for tips and ideas with your own photos.

“To sit with a dog on a hillside on a glorious afternoon is to be back in Eden, where doing nothing was not boring – it was peace.” ~Milan Kundera

Pretty much sums up my afternoon — I desperately needed a break.

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Photographs Never Forget! Keeping memories alive with custom portraits and albums.

Meet my tree hugger. Some people might call me a tree hugger because of my strong views on caring for our planet and ourselves, but most people don’t think of dogs as tree huggers. Well, if we take the term literally you can see one of my dogs truly is a tree hugger. I’m sharing this because, the dog in this photo is actually very unwell at the moment. We rushed her to the vet yesterday and, though she’s not yet out of the woods (no pun intended), she seems to be likely making a recovery. The other reason I posted this particular photo of her is because this photo has been picked up by Canwest and will likely be printed in The Edmonton Journal this week.

Since I brought up the environment, I realized I haven’t shared links for my environment column, Everyday Earth Wise, for a long time. It does appear in print each week in the Peace Country Sun newspaper and then a week later, each column is posted online. Here are a couple of the recent columns you may be interested in, but you can always view the archives online to check out other topics:

“Tips to Becoming a Lifelong Clothes Pegger”

“Serving Up Some Compost Tea”

“Greenwashing is Everywhere These Days”

Speaking of trees, they are already beginning to change colour. You know what that means! Fall photo sessions are the busiest time of year. Since they are popular and because I really limit the number of photo sessions I take on, dates book up quickly. If you’re thinking of having a fall photo session, contact me today to book for your colourful autumn photo session (whether you’re one person, a couple, or a family — and yes, we can definitely include your dog(s) or horse(s) too!).

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Photographs Never Forget!  Keeping memories alive with custom portraits and albums.

“I think dogs are the most amazing creatures; they give unconditional love. For me they are the role model for being alive.” ~Gilda Radner

Those of us with dogs, cats, or any pets feel the same as Gilda.

If you have learned your pet is nearing the end of its life, consider a Pet Bereavement Session in which I tastefully and thoughtfully capture the special bond between you and your pet.

Since time can sometimes be compressed when we learn of a terminal diagnosis, I do my best to accommodate an emergency session if it’s deemed necessary. I understand that special place in our hearts we have for our pets so I’m particularly aware of how a pet bereavement session can be comforting for creating a beautiful keepsake of your pet. The session is dealt with compassion and sensitivity. Images from these sessions are not posted publicly unless requested by the family.

Please share this information with your friends and family (the “email a friend” button below to the right will make it convenient). If you would like further information regarding the Pet Bereavement session, please contact Diane (using the contact tab above).

{Available anywhere from Edmonton north for Pet Bereavement, in the Grande Prairie region, and north as far as Grimshaw.}

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Photographs never forget. I can help you keep your memories alive. Contact me at photos @ dianeschuller . com (remove spaces) or use the contact tab above.

Playing around with some colourful images from the archives. Enjoy.

I love photographing horses whether they’re simply hanging out, showing off, or working. The same can be said about photographing dogs and people

This one was easy to capture. She’s our 11 year old Springer Spaniel. It doesn’t matter to her that the water is barely above zero and that the water is so cold it numbs fingers within seconds (if held in the water). I love how the water ripples and bends the light and reflections. Something magical about water. I hope you’re having a magical weekend.

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In addition to custom on-location photo sessions, Diane will also license images for any use including advertising, corporate, promotional, editorial illustration in magazines and books, web, media, presentations, decor, and retail products. Please contact her for details and a quote.

Let the bells ring, the book I’ve been telling you about is hot off the presses! I was fortunate that one of my canine photos was chosen to be included in the 2010 Art Book Project. I see Sara Harley (the hardworking editor) got the press releases out to the media already. Here’s the scoop.

The Paws For Charity Art Book Project is a unique fundraiser that celebrates our love of pets, and raises funds for a human cause. The 2010 Art Book is a compilation of artwork and photography of dogs and cats from by 65 artists and photographers in 7 countries. All funds raised from the sale of these books are donated to The Avon Foundation Breast Cancer Crusade, a registered charity with programs in over 50 countries. This charity also carries the Humane Charity Seal of Approval.

I’m proud to have been invited to make a submission and, even more proud to have had a photo chosen for this great cause. The book can be ordered in hard cover or soft cover but I recommend the hardcover. It makes a great gift whether for someone who loves dogs & cats, someone who appreciates fine art, or for someone who has had a struggle with cancer. I hope you’ll consider supporting the cause. Since this book is a fund raiser, I will be making reminder posts over the balance of 2010. Why not get yours today! You can see a preview of the 75 page coffee table book (the first 15 pages) when you visit the 2010 Art Book.

PS: On another paw-note … BOY oh boy have you people made it extremely difficult to narrow down to 5 finalists for our pet photo contest! We got a nice representation of both dogs and cats. I was near tears when I read some of the entries: we have some really heartwarming entries from people who have rescued their pets. As promised, I will have the finalists posted on Wednesday, later in the day, and then the voting can begin to choose a winner!

Diane’s website ||  Diane’s Facebook photography page

Liz Carpenter’s quote is one that is near and dear to me. I used to be a prolific letter writer. It began early in life corresponding with cousins, a few of my Aunts, and several pen-pals. In later years when I moved away from Edmonton, my letter writing migrated to long handwritten letters to my mother and my son. Since my mom died, I have likely only written half a dozen handwritten letters. It’s a shame because there is a real joy in receiving a handwritten letter — just as much as sending one. My mother kept every letter I wrote her and now I have them tucked away so I can pull them out and re-read them. Re-reading those letters is like re-living what I was doing at the time and reliving how much enjoyment my mother got from my chronicles of life, gardening, and other joys. There is a real art to writing letters and, unfortunately, in this current digital age, most people don’t know how to pen a well written, informative letter. Worse than that, most people simply don’t write letters anymore. Do you write letters?

Don’t forget to spread the word — and to get Your entry in — for the fun pet photo contest. It’s a fun contest that is wide open and REALLY WELCOMES submissions from the general public. Ordinary snapshots mean a lot. Show us your pets! Deadline for receiving entries is only days away: March 31, 2010.

Have a fulfilling weekend everyone!

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Diane is an on-location Custom Photographer (Editorial, Commercial, Portrait). She takes great pleasure in photographing people, places, pets, and hobbies too!

Diane’s website ||  Diane’s Facebook photography page

I’m excited to finally let the cat out of the bag and bark out some exciting news! One of my canine photos will be published in a book that is a fund raiser for breast cancer! I had been invited to submit photos for consideration for the Paws for Charity Art Book and out of over 300 photographers and artists, I was fortunate to have been included as one of the 65 for the book. Please follow the link to find out more about the project. I am honoured to have been included and hope we raise a lot of funds for breast cancer. Once the book is ‘fresh off the press’ I will be promoting the book here and at Facebook.

Update: The pet contest I have been telling you all about and that I’ve had to delay due to the regulations at Facebook regarding promotions, is finally sorted out. So as soon as I finish up my current project I will announce and commence the pet contest. I will run the contest right here rather than at Facebook and the instructions for submitting entries will be announced here on Friday. Finally!

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Diane is available to do on-location custom photography of you and your dog, cat, horse, or any other pet or livestock. Please visit Diane’s website to view her portfolio and click on the “Dogs-Pets” and “Horses-Livestock” from the Category menu tabs above.

If you look up today you’ll see I have freshened things up a bit. New banners for my photo journal. Enjoy!

Diane’s Website || Become a Fan on Facebook

Fun in the sun! I’ve been having as much fun as Austin here who is full of glee as he rolls in the snow. I’ve been taking advantage of my extra time to take photographs for the sheer pleasure of taking photographs. I’ve been playing around with abstracts, shadows and curves. The recent hoar frost was full of photographic opportunities. I’ll likely share a few of my fun shots in another post this week. For now, here is a pair of photos of my cooperative office assistants, Austin (above) and Pearl (below).

How are you enjoying yourself and playing and having fun these days?

PS: I am the featured contributor today over at Vision and Verb.
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Diane is a custom, on-location dog/pet photographer serving the entire Peace River region in Alberta. Visit her website and contact her to book a fun session to take memorable photos of your pets. Diane is taking a limited number of portrait sessions this year so book early to avoid disappointment.