Transform Yourself this Year

 Photo Credit: Alice Prenault

 2019 i saw myself in away i truly did not like.My
weight has always been an issue all my life like many other people
but this was the year that I said I was done with it.  A friend sent me a photo showing me
at a function the summer before and i happen to be wearing that same outfit that day at the studio so I had one taken and sent it back to him
to show him the "new and improved" me. I was pretty shocked to see the difference as that was 10 lbs ago already so I was finally at a point in my adult life where I was getting comfortable with my body. I still have another goal to achieve but at this point I am on my way and know it is a matter of time and effort and I will accomplish it. It was along with a Keto lifestyle eating habit and my regular exercise of daily yoga, going to a gym 3 times a week,treadmill for 1/2 hr and mat workout,weights and planking workout followed now by 30min doing laps at the pool that kicked it up a notch. All this done by 8am. Just I am an early riser 450am and I love it. I am a work in progress and have been doing what I love for over 30 years so it gives me the energy i need to do it all. I teach more now with students who want to either improve their camera knowledge and others who want to improve their photography at a more serious level by mentoring with me. It has been a real year of growth and change and I can't wait to see what is coming in 2020. How about you? If you want to learn more about anything I have written about pm me and I would be glad to share what I have learned

Photo Credit Left: Kelly Bergman
Photo Credit Right : Ashley of LashesnLips

EDUCATION, MENTORSHIP AND TRANSFORMATION

REALTORS JOY AND CHERIE OF HOUSE TO HOME 

EMPOWERING WOMEN PROJECT GREY

Its been way too long since I last blogged but it has really been a busy year so pulling up my socks just before the year ends.

So now that summer is over i have been busy with 2 things. Personal Branding/Headshots..so if you are looking for a refresh or haven't done one this is your chance to book one with me.

The other is Mentoring and Education. I have been for the past year been teaching  (its been nearly 15 years of this but I took a bit of a break after teaching at UNBC  a few years ago).
I have had 8 people this past year that I have mentored  and was seeing what the response would be and how it would work out with my clients.Happy to say we have all come through and learned a lot . Would I do it again?
Yup, I am going to run it again next year and on Nov.
20th I am hosting an open house to let you see the programs I'll be offering in 2020. From 6 week classes to one day workshops to the full Mentoring Program. So if you are someone that has been thinking about this jump on it as it fills up as seats are limited to 6 per classes. Just let me know if you want to come to the Open House and we can get your name on the list. It is free to come.

So what was I doing before spring? 2 projects with other creatives honestly. Hairstylist Jackie Collyer of Sweet Horizons Sailaica of Pommette Beauty Salon and Bri of Urban Alchemy Jewelry teamed up with 6 women who were all going through the choice of going grey or dabbling in it. We Made a video as well and then went on and did another project with men showcasing their hairstyles. What a lot of great feed back from everyone on both projects. So if you want to see more about those just go to my Instagram page ( philomena_hughes) and go back to spring and see the clips .

Coltan and Fintan Men's Hair Styles Project

2019 E D U C A T I O N and M E N T O R S H I P

Well it has been a long time since my last blog ( my apologizes). 2018 was a VERY busy year
but we have now sorted out our new programs and made a commitment to education so 2019 has already seen our plans for M E N T O R S H I P  take off and we have 9 people at various levels
for the entire year working on bettering themselves in photography and we couldn't be happier .
I am starting a wait list for next year so if you are interested send me a message and we can talk.

I have also started several 6 week and less programs so if you have been waiting to learn your camera we have it covered.
Camera Basics has 2 seats left for March 14th start date for 6 Thursdays 630-830pm and another one starting in the fall in Sept and there are 4 seats left in that one.
The second level is Composition Plus and has a fall and a Nov date so again checkout our website for info and give a gift to someone you know loves photography but just needs some help.

I am also offering a Pro D Day workshop next one is April 12th. 99.-- and your child will come back full of knowledge.

You will find a Cellphone and Instagram class as well  so check it out .Great for Bday gifts or just because you know they will appreciate you giving them a gift to improve their love of photography.

See you out there.
Follow me on Instagram  philomena_hughes

Your seat is booked when you put our deposit or full payment down ( e transfer to phil@phughesphotography.ca) Check out our website for more info on the classes...and don't put it off again.
http://phughesphotography.ca/bluadmin/index.php

Family Portraits They Can Be Fun

As i grew up the idea of getting our family portrait "done" loomed over us every few years
and honestly I don't know why people have such an aversion to them. Certainly in my day, it was such a formal event but here we are now in 2018 and the style of family portraits has definitely changed .
Clothing and photo styles? Funky clothing,unusual locations and less formal studio setups,more relaxed "poses",bringing in our wild and crazy pets ( a must in my opinion) but most importantly the "feeling of connecting" with real expression.

Recently the Mayor Lyn Hall and his wife Lorrelle and daughters and beau  along with Arlo the adorable mini Aussie (who stole the show). We were doing a formal Portrait for the Mayoral B&W Ball,  but the for the family, we wanted a lighter side so these are some of the ones we created for them.

                                                                               

Maybe its your first family photo shoot or its been a few years,let us help make it a fun process as we know how to make it enjoyable.

Exist in your photos as waiting to be the "exact" person you want to be can go on for years and your families will change and sometimes it just doesn't get done.

Give us a call and let's talk at least about it and start booking a date and soon you  will be looking at your proofs ordering the images for your home and sitting back and looking at them over and over saying " I am so happy we finally got it together and had them taken, it was alot of fun to do , what were we so afraid of?"

MOTHER'S DAY - We Have You Covered.

OK I know this one is a little crazy Just wanted to show you how many it takes before I get one I like.

I have been delighted working with people in my new space on Dominion Street and am nearly ready to announce the address and the opening of it officially you know with a cake and fanfare!!
But  I have been so busy working and testing and teaching that I just can't set a date yet. Honestly it will probably be JUNE at the rate I am going! If you have driven down Dominion you will see it though as the signs were just put up last month by ALL MOBILE SIGNS . We had to wait till the weather warmed up enough and we all know how long THAT took. 

So I am booking already into May and June and August ( Sept is practically full)  for family sessions as well as Business Profile Sessions that I wanted to say if you are serious about wanting to give someone a Super Mother's Day gift we have GIFT CARDS available in a number of denominations that you can easily order them from us and drop them into your MOTHERS DAY cards to put an even bigger smile on her face!! All our sessions come with hair and makeup and can be indoor or outdoor on location.

PHONE ME at 250 301-4744 (c) or email me phil@phughesphotography.ca and I will get those to you.

Prince George Citizen

The Local Paper - The Citizen, called and asked for an interview
as they heard about the article  published in The Lancet.

 I also have to mention that Allan from CFIS-FM had called me as well for a radio interview  on the same subject.

" How did a photographer from Prince George BC Canada get the job of photographing for the Prestigious Medical Journal The LANCET?" You will have to read the article to know that answer!
Or read my previous Post on my Blog!

The article is about me essentially, these were the 2 images that were chosen to accompany the article.
 I was thrilled to see Megan Hunt and Earl Henderson taking up the majority of the page. LOVE the image of Megan and to bring attention to both what  she and others do for so so many deserves the focus.  Thanks so much to the Citizen and their new writer - Stuart Neatby for writing it. Stuart is new to Prince George so watch out as he was an excellent listener.

Now as a followup to all this ...do you see that there is a call for Nominations  for Healthier You also in the Citizen Newspaper? Its right there beside the photo of Earl.
It turns out that a couple of people from the articles were Nominated including Dr Nadine Caron and Myself!  We all have no idea who put our name up for nomination but we thank you who ever you are. The chance to bring more attention to what good work is being done here is most appreciated!!
So on April 6th we will be attending the Awards Night presented by PG Citizen. Good luck to all nominees and  I will follow up and let you know how that turns out!

‘Reprinted from The Lancet, https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(18)30468-9, Palmer, Picturing health: health advocates for Indigenous communities in British Columbia, Canada, Copyright (2018), with permission from Elsevie

Photography, The Lancet and Instagram

 As a portrait photographer every once in a while you actually get an opportunity that you can not believe comes your way. For Me it was in January when a past client recommended me to work on a project that was looking for a photographer to document the focus on Indigenous Health and Wellness in Northern BC. Honestly at first when the people at The Lancet (a prestigious Medical Journal in Oxford England) looked at my website to see if I was a fit for them there was doubt. So I asked them to check my Instagram thread and with that I was offered the job of producing 10 images to show case Indigenous Peoples who are working within the medical  system as physicians,social workers,elders to help improve  health and wellness.
There was alot of coordinating of schedules in a short amount of time as we had to get everyone to answer 3 questions about their job and for me to figure out from those answers where was the best place to take those images. Thanks to Nadine Caron and her husband and daughter (and yes the family dog!)  for the fun shoot we did for the Lancet. Nadine and Patrick are both physicians who I met when their daughter was a baby and came to me for a newborn session. Nadine was the one who put my name forward to the people at the Lancet and I am so grateful that it meant we got to work together again.

Here is the link to the article and photos
http://www.thelancet.com/gallery/lancet/canada



: ‘Reprinted from The Lancet, https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(18)30468-9, Palmer, Picturing health: health advocates for Indigenous communities in British Columbia, Canada, Copyright (2018), with permission from Elsevier’