Jennifer Ballard Photography » Personal

Happy Birthday Neko!

Jennifer — Sat, 28 Apr 2012 13:47:58 +0000

Today my precious Neko is 7. Today is her unofficial/official birthday but is our best guess based on how old she was when she found me. The skinny waif that I took in that dark and stormy night is anything but scrawny now To her Vet, we are working on that I promise! Today on her seventh birthday she is frisky as ever. Just this morning she was zipping around the house wanting me to chase her and playing with her ball. If you know me, you know I love my cat. If you’ve met Neko, you love her too!

Cuba | A lazy day at the beach

Jennifer — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 17:17:43 +0000

I’m itching to post a teaser from Rachel and Dan’s gorgeous wedding last week in Cuba. They are still on their honeymoon and without internet so I thought I would post this one instead. I wish I was still sitting here with Mike and our new friends. Paradise!

Upcoming Travel Schedule

Jennifer — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 12:52:44 +0000

It’s going to be a pretty wild spring and summer. I have a bunch of upcoming trips planned, some for work and some for play. I love meeting new folks and taking pictures along the way. If you live in or are going to find yourself in any of these places this spring/summer let me know. Here is a rough schedule:

April: Cuba (that’s this month! Woot!)

May: Las Vegas, Victoria, Vancouver – I will be in B.C. for just over 2 weeks!

June: England, Poland, Ukraine, Spain

July: Victoria, Pender Island, Portland

I hope to see you! And because I love you, here is a lovely bunch of coconuts!

Pictures Are Important

Jennifer — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 12:06:37 +0000

I used to be really good at keeping up with my photo albums. Every event, vacation, random shots hanging out with friends would all make their way into an album. But over the last few years I have been so busy with my clients’ images I have neglected to print my own. Yes, I do blog some of my personal pictures, but that is not the same. I like having a tangible album. Something to hold in my hands and flip through. Call me old fashioned but there is something about a printed picture that no computer file, blog, or Facebook version can beat. Over the last month or so I set out to sort through the last few years of my life and make some books. I thought I would start at last year and work backwards so I wouldn’t get overwhelmed by how many years I’ve missed. I’m pretty impressed with myself. I have now completed 2011 and 2010. I still have a few more years to go but it’s a good start. If you value photos like I do be sure to take the time to do the same.

Here is a shot from one lovely summer evening in 2010 spent with good friends on the beach near Victoria, B.C.

Switzerland

Jennifer — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 23:39:23 +0000

Here are a few images from Zürich and Basel that I shot when we were in Switzerland for Joëlle & Damian’s wedding. Both are incredible cities and I can’t wait to explore more of Switzerland one day.A sign for a public toilet.

Iceland

Jennifer — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 19:02:23 +0000

In September on our way to Zürich for Joëlle & Damian’s wedding we took a little stop over in Reykjavik. We were only there for 23 hours but we made the most of it and still managed to see miles of gorgeous countryside. We took the red-eye from Toronto to Reykjavik and landed at about 6 am. We hopped in our rental car and away we went to explore The Golden Circle – Þingvellir, Geysir, and Gullfoss. We discovered later that our map had an explicit warning about not using it for navigational purposes. Despite our less than detailed map and few scenic detours, I think we put about 500 Km on our little Yaris!Gullfoss is a magical waterfall. We were lucky enough to arrive when nobody was there and had some time just us and the waterfall.After a full day of driving we went to the Blue Lagoon. I highly recommend this! We sat and relaxed and enjoyed a beer while soaking in this incredibly gorgeous hot spring. Sunrise at the Reykjavik airport.

You Are Loved!

Jennifer — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 13:56:17 +0000

Random acts of kindness. I saw this little note on a parked bike outside St. Lawrence Market. I don’t know who the lucky owner of this bike was. I don’t know if the note was left for someone in particular or simply intended to brighten one lucky cyclist’s day. I do know, however, that it brightened mine! It’s the little things in life that add the sprinkles to my cupcake.

Costa Rica with iRetreat

Jennifer — Sat, 16 Jul 2011 15:31:16 +0000

I’m so excited to share these pictures with you! Back in April I had the honour of joining iRetreat, a fantastic Toronto-based tour company, in Costa Rica to photograph their yoga and surf adventure. I had such a great time and met so many wonderful people.

iRetreat has just launched their new website with a whole bunch of exciting trips. If you are thinking of escaping the cold next winter you should definitely join these guys. This is a vacation you can feel good about. Not only do they take care and attention in ensuring the trip will be as eco-friendly as possible, but since you will be eating delicious, healthy food and doing yoga everyday, your body will come back feeling great too!

This retreat was held at Finca Exotica on Carate Beach. I highly recommend this amazing ecolodge. The staff are fantastic, the food is amazing, and the setting is out of this world.

It is so cool for me to see my pictures in action on the iRetreat website. Here are a few of my favourites! Here I am in front of my tent. It was such an experience sleeping in the jungle with all the noises. It was like one of those jungle sound machines, only it was the real thing!This was my shower. There was a tree near by that often had 5 or 8 Scarlet Macaws watching overhead. The yoga platform, built right into the side of the cliff. These little cuties were everywhere!

Workshop with Fer Juaristi and Davina + Daniel

Jennifer — Wed, 18 May 2011 15:49:59 +0000

Last week I participated in a great workshop put on by Fer Juaristi and Davina + Daniel. I love workshops because they are an opportunity to watch how other photographers see the world. They are also a great opportunity to see old friends and meet new ones! Thank you Fer, Davina, and Daniel for sharing your knowledge and passion with us. I had a fantastic time and learned so much! You guys are truly inspiring!

Costa Rica with iRetreat | A Teaser

Jennifer — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 19:12:44 +0000

As you may know I was in Costa Rica just a short time ago. I went with iRetreat, a fantastic Toronto based travel company, to photograph a yoga & surf adventure. Words cannot describe how incredible this experience was for me. There will be more pictures to come but in the meantime, here is where I would rather be on this cold and windy Toronto day.