Category: photography

Capturing Perfect Moments with the Nokia Lumia 1020

I have always loved the arts. Painting, photography, sketching – they all bring me so much joy and help me unwind. There is nothing more satisfying than capturing that perfect moment in a photograph! My husband recently purchased me a new DSLR (which I have affectionately refer to as my third baby!) which I adore but because of it’s large size (and my fear of damaging it) I do not bring it out as much as I would like to. I tend to rely on my smart phone camera more than anything else. Up to this point I can’t say I have been really impressed with my smart phone cameras (in the past two years I have owned a BlackBerry and an iPhone). The quality has been grainy, blurry and very rarely can you ever actually have them printed out in a decent quality. 
I have been testing out the Nokia Lumia 1020 for the past month and I can honestly say it has blown the competition out of the water. The quality of the pictures I took were incredible. I could not believe that those photographs were coming from a smart phone!

To give you a little bit more background information on the phone, the Nokia Lumia 1020 has an incredible 41 mega pixel camera sensor, Pure View technology, Optical image stabilization and high resolution zoom. The device is powered by Windows Phone 8 and has the ability to create action shots, blur out objects (or even remove them!) or shoot in full HD video.
The Nokia Lumia 1020 was a bit larger then any phone I have ever used but I also found that was to my advantage when I was taking photos and editing on the actual device. Because of the lens it feels heavier on the one side so I would completely recommend purchasing the Camera Grip (which also adds to the phone’s battery life – something I learned at the Telus Learning Centre).
 I am pretty comfortable with technology and I have a super savvy tech husband at home if I ever have questions but the Telus Learning Centre session was very much worth the time to head in store for. The Telus rep that I met with was incredible. He was incredibly passionate and knowledgeable in his field. He taught me so much about the smart phone (things I was even able to show off to the hubby later with!). The Nokia Lumia 1020 also has an amazing battery life. I took it up to three days before having to charge it! This is coming from a person who needed to charge her Blackberry after six hours and the iPhone after twelve hours daily!

My favourite part of the Nokia Lumia 1020 was how versatile it was. Not only was it perfect to bring along to snap family photographs, I could bring it to work and use it for my day to day activities but I also challenged myself for the past month and a half to use ONLY the Nokia Lumia 1020 to take and edit photographs for my blog. To my surprise it cut down on my editing and uploading time! I was able to take photos and edit right there and then. No more taking my photographs, waiting for the kids to go to sleep, uploading to my desk top, editing the photos, putting my blog name on it and then uploading to the blog. The Nokia Lumia 1020 allowed me to increase my efficiency for my blogging and allowed me to spend more time with the ones I love.
I was able to capture so many bodies of work that I am quite proud of. I am posting a few of them here in my post but you can find the complete album in my Google + post here.
I found it so hard to believe how beautifully it captured the rain drops on this leaf while I was out hiking!
And then all the prickly ends on this bur!
Here is an example of how I was able to put together photos for my blog post.

Over the past month and a half I have fallen in love with my Nokia Lumia 1020. It makes my life as a mother, photographer and blogger that much easier! Not to mention it looks pretty darn cool in that bright yellow shell of its! It is definitely a smart phone worth looking into!

Disclosure: I received the product mentioned above to help facilitate my review. The opinions expressed are my own.
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And Just Like That…. #WW

The weather this week has been up and down. We went from this:

And then this:
Was not ready for that weather leap! Link up your Wordless Wednesday posts below!
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A Frosty Start! #WW w/linky

A frosty start to our day! We decided to head to the park before school started and it was just a tad bit chilly!

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Deck the Halls with Posterjack! #Christmas

The Holiday season is coming up quick! There are now just under two months to purchase or make and wrap presents for all your loved ones. My favourite parts of the holiday season (apart from being with my family!) has to be all the decorating options and choosing unique gifts for each of my family members. My favourite gifts to give? Photographs! I may be a bit biased with my love of photography but who doesn’t love receiving a gorgeous frame of their grandchild or niece/nephew?
Have you visited Posterjack’s website? They create incredible works of art in a variety of mediums from your own photographs! They are able to do prints in acrylic, canvas and even metal. The final prints will amaze you. The bonus? You can create and order from the comfort of your own home!
Here is a look at their typical canvas prints. A welcome addition on any wall!

This is one of their acrylic prints.

And one of mediums that I think is just incredible – a metal print!

They have also developed great ways to decorate your home for the holiday season using your favourite photographs. My favourite has to be the photo wreath – such a creative and festive way to showcase your photos in your home.
Make sure to check out Posterjack and to get those orders in early if you are ordering for the holiday season.
What is your favourite way to display photographs around the home?
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Finding Small Moments of Peace #findlumia

Life is busy. There is no way to get around it – our days are cemented in the daily routines of school and daycare runs, work, after school activities, last minute grocery stops and so on!
Sometimes it is important to stop, take a deep breath and just absorb in the beauty and calm that surrounds us. It helps to centre me and find inner peace. It provides me with the inner strength that I need to carry on my day.
Sometimes it is as easy as stopping by a neighbour’s garden.
Or stopping to take in the view from a hill top.

Heading down to the beaches of Lake Ontario is always important to our family. It gives us time to really be in each others presence and enjoy our time  together. There is nothing more calming then the sound of the waves along the beach.

Not to mention being able to toss rocks into the waves!
The beauty of the sun in the sky as it warms your face is always soothing.
 
How do you find ways to create inner peace in your hectic lifestyle? Do you find you have enough of these moments?
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