Treasure Family Photos at Rio Terrace Park

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As we mentioned in an earlier Blog Post, last summer Crowe Photo volunteered to participate in a fund raiser for Rio Terrace Pre-School.  The Treasure Family was one of the families from the pre-school that took advantage of this fundraiser and had photos taken.  We were worried about the possibility of bad weather and we had the pre-school building as a backup location for us.  We were fortunate to have beautiful weather all weekend and were able to have all of the photoshoots outside in the playground.

I enjoy photographing kids in playgrounds because the kids usually enjoy themselves and forget that someone is there snapping photos of them.  It can be challenging though to get them to look at you though because there is often so much other stuff at the playground to keep their attention.

The Treasure Family has their hands full with four kids under the age of six including a set of twins but they still had a great time playing at Rio Terrace Park. We had a lot of fun shooting them as well.  I still remember their one boy was very proud to have styled his own hair that day.  I would describe the hairstyle as a ‘faux-hawk’ (which is awesome!) but when I mentioned that to him he corrected me and said that the hairstyle was actually a ‘Shark Fin’ (apparently Finding Nemo with Bruce the Shark is one of his favorite movies).

3 Brothers and 1 Sister posing for a photo in Rio Terrace playground in Edmonton Alberta

An Edmonton father with his young daughter in Rio Terrace playground

An Edmonton Mother hugging her 4-year old son at Rio Terrace Playground

Edmonton family photography outside at Rio Terrace playground

Travel Photos from Cappadocia Turkey

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This is the second installment about Chistina and my trip to Turkey and Egypt that we discussed over a year ago.  Our first stop in Turkey was in Istanbul, we then flew to Kayseri in the area of Cappadocia (or Kapadokya) in interior Turkey.  Our flight was pretty uneventful but we were pleasantly surprised that for interal Turkish flights they don’t seem to care if you bring liquids on the plane.  Of course we didn’t really realize that until after we had dumped out our water bottle. 

Cappadocia is a rural desert like place very similar (in my opinion) to Drumheller Alberta, known for its topography including fairy chimneys and ancient cave dwellings.  Because it is quite far inland Christina and I didn’t face the incrediable humidity that exists in Istanbul although it is still very hot (but it is a dry heat).  Apparently, they get snow in the winter.

The entire region of Cappadocia is full of rock formations called fairy chimneys (Albertan’s would porbably call them hoodoos after those in Drumheller).  The fairy chimneys vary from simple rock spires to those with shapes that resemble animals (like the Camel below) or even Napoleon (Bonaparte not Dynamite) with his hat.

Edmonton Photographer in front of a camel shaped hoodoo (fairy chimney) in Turkey

Adam with a Camel Shaped Fairy Chimney in the backgroundValley of Fairy Chimneys

The other thing that Cappadocia is known for is its caves.  Early Christians (and other people) lived in the naturally occuring caves that occur throughout this region.  They were also known to build massive underground tunnels which could be lived in for many months or years.  Much of our time in Cappadocia was spent touring these cave dwellings and underground passages.  Many of the caves (like the ones below) contain early Christian artwork on the walls that has remained very well preserved.  Unfortunately, photos were not permitted inside the caves. 

I was astonished at the level of access tourists are given to walk around these stone caves and monuments.  In Canada, I’m sure that access to these ancient monuments would be strictly controlled.  Some of the higher caves that you can climb to have shear drops and it would be relatively easy for someone to get hurt.  This certainly wouldn’t exist like this at a Canadian tourist attraction.  All that I could think of was how AWESOME it would have been to play in these caves as a boy. 

Early Christian Cave Dwellings in Cappadocia Turkey

Early Christian Cave Dwellings

Most hotels in Cappadocia have cave rooms available for their guests.  Unfortunately, Christina and I were too cheap to get one of those rooms and we had to suffer for two nights in a basic room with no airconditioning.  I mentioned in the early post about how the Turkish seem to use air conditioning sparingly, this fact became painfully obvious to us in Cappadocia.

We also got our first real taste of Turkish cuisine in Cappadocia.  The Turkish eat a lot of meat and vegitable skewers (meat on a stick) which both Christina and I love.  Traditionally they will also cook meat and vegitables in a pottery for many hours (kind of like a crock pot).  They then break the pottery open and serve the very tendor meat and vegitables inside. 

We were also introduced to the concept of ‘The Evil Eye’.  Many cultures believe that a person can be cursed by someone’s malevolent stare.  The Turkish have these blue talismans to ward off the Evil Eye and they are sold everywhere in Turkey and many vehicles have them hanging from their mirrors.  Below is a photo of Christina with a tree covered with talismans.

Edmonton photographer with Turkish Evil Eyes in Cappadocia Turkey

Christina and the Evil Eye Talisman

After two days and nights in Cappadocia we boarded an overnight bus to take us to Pamukkale.  This overnight bus trip was probably the worst part of our vacation.  It was even worse than an overnight bus trip sounds and I will describe it in my next travel blog post.

 

Christmas Card Photos

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Crowe Photo has taken a lot of photos of Angela and Cory and their family starting with photos of Angela and Cory’s wedding.  Once the twins, Leila and Caris arrived, we started taking child and family photos of them on a faily regular basis starting with these family photos taken with Angela and Cory in their backyard.  Next we took some child photos of the girls in December a few years ago.  Once the spring and summer roled around we were able to take more photos of the girls playing outside and at the St. Albert splash park.  Their son Liam arrived a few years after Leila and Caris and we have taken some newborn photos of him as well.  So when they asked us to take some formal photos of their kids for their Christmas card we jumped at the opportunity to dust off our studio equipment.

The photoshoot turned out great.  All of the kids were in a great mood and had a lot of fun even though they were forced to wear their formal clothes.  Leila and Caris look so grown up in their dresses especially compared to some of their earlier photos we have taken of them.  We also managed to get a family photo with almost everyone looking and smiling.  It will be exciting to see what the three kids look like in their future photos.

 Two little twin girls in dresses holding hands in a studio

Infant boy smiling in a formal vest

little girl in a dress and a big smile in a studio

Little girl in a dress poses for a studio photo on the floor

Mother, Father, two daughters and a son pose for a christmas card photo

Wedding Photography – Amy and Andrew

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Last summer we attended my cousin Amy’s vow renewal.  Her and her husband Andrew were married a year earlier in Ireland.  Since only their parent’s attended the wedding in Ireland and because both Amy and Andrew have close extended families they decided to have a vow renewal and reception.

Since I can’t help taking my camera to most things I go to (even when I’m just a guest at the wedding) I decided to take a few photos during the wedding ceremony.  I was pretty pleased with how they turned out considering that I wasn’t really moving around to get a good shot.  I guess I had a pretty good vantage point from my seat.

There was a beautiful outdoor ceremony followed by a great reception.  It was great seeing Amy and Andrew on their special day.  It was also a lot of fun seeing my other cousins and extended family during the reception.  My cousin Cally does a mean sprinkler dance.

Outdoor wedding photo of the Bride and Groom's first kiss

Outdoor wedding photo of the Bride and Groom holding hands

Photo of a bride and groom quietly speaking to each other at an outdoor wedding

Wedding Photo of a Bride and Groom taking their vows

While Amy and Andrew were in Europe (travelling and getting married) they kept a blog of their travels.  Their blog inspired my recent blog post about some of our travels.

Novem-beard becomes Movember

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As you may know, the month of November has been renamed Movember.  Men are encouraged to grow mustaches and raise money for men’s healh - specifically prostate cancer.  The event exists worldwide however Canada seems to have taken the lead with more than 200,000 registrants raising more than 38 million dollars.

I admit that I did not actually register for Movember this year, although I did grow a Novem-beard for most of the month. This eventually became a series of smaller and smaller mustaches over the last three days of November.

Since November has passed, and I have shaved off my facial hair creations,  I have discovered a couple of resources devoted to the art of facial hair design.

The America Mustache Institute and Beards.org could have provided me with some creative alternatives, had I been aware of them sooner.  They also provided me with the ‘official’ facial hair names. 

As you can see from the series of pictures below,  I went from the “Full Beard” to the “Friendly Mutton Chops” to the “Horseshoe” and finally to the “Painter’s Brush” (although I think it is close to the “Chevron” as well). 

Next year I hope to actually register and raise money for Prostate Cancer…and  I hope to grow the ‘Imperial‘.  Please enjoy the photos!

Edmonton Photographer with a full beard for Novem-beard

Full Beard

Edmonton Photographer Adam Crowe with a unique mustache for Movember

Friendly Mutton Chops

Edmonton Photographer Adam Crowe with a Horseshoe Mustache for Movember

Horseshoe Mustache

Edmonton Photographer Adam Crowe with a Painter's Brush Mustache for Movember

Painter's Brush Mustache

 

 

 

Family Photography in Edmonton – Corscadden Family

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Last summer Rio Terrace Pre-School approached Crowe Photo about offering some family photoshoots as a fundraiser for the pre-school.  Rio Terrace is a community league run Pre-School that keeps its tuition low by having various fundraisers throughout the year.  In the winter, Crowe Photo donated a free photoshoot for Rio Terrace’s silent auction so in the summer they asked if we could offer family photo sessions with some of the proceeds being donated back to the pre-school.

One of the families that took advantage of the family photoshoots was the Corscadden Family.  We met the Corscadden’s at the Alberta Provincial Museum for their photos.  Their three daughters enjoyed posing like models next to government house and running around the lawns and playing in the Gazebo. It was raining first thing in the morning of the photoshoot but fortunately for us the weather cleared up and we had a great time with the Corscaddens.

Photo of a father, mother and three daughters walking away in black and white

Portrait photo of a four-year-old girl

Family portrait photo of a mother, father and three daughters outside

Portrait photo of a six year old girl

Photo of a mother, father and three daughters lying on the grass by the Royal Alberta Museum

Portrait photo of a toddler girl outside

 

Travel Photography – Istanbul Turkey

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Almost a year ago I promised to post some more detailed information about our trip to Egypt and Turkey.  For various reasons, I haven’t gotten around to this until now.  In retrospect it would have been much easier to have written these blogs while we were actually in those countries rather than trying to remember it all now.  Although, it is nice to look through the photos and re-live the vaction again (even though I have had to make numerous trips to Wikipedia to check the names and spellings of some of the things we saw).

In the past, Christina and I have backpacked around most of the time.  For Egypt and Turkey, we took a tour from a Turkish travel agency which I would recommend.  It was really a series of day tours that were all pre-organized so we were rarely with the same tourists and quite often we had our own private tour guide and car.  The best part about taking a tour like this is getting picked up at the airport!  Rather than struggling to figure out the new city that you are in, when you arrive at the airport you just have to look for the sign with you name on it and get driven to your hotel.  I would caution other Canadians about going to Turkey or Egypt in July or August though because the temperature was at least 40 degrees Celsius most days, which is far too hot for me!

The first stop on our vacation was in Istanbul, Turkey.  Istanbul is an ancient city that straddles Europe and Asia.  Istanbul was originally settled by the ancient Greeks and was called Byzantium.  In 330 A.D. the Roman Emperor Constantine renamed the city Constantinople.  It was the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire until 1453, when the city fell to the Ottoman Empire.  Finally it was renamed Istanbul in 1930 after the formation of modern Turkey.  Istanbul is also the capital of Turkey and has a population of almost 15 million people, making it the largest city that I have ever been to.

Christina and I arrived in Istanbul in mid-afternoon and were taken to our hotel, which was located in the Old Town.  Despite the incredible heat, most Turkish people only use air conditioning sparingly.  Fortunately we were able to turn it to max in our hotel room, which kept us nice and cool when we were there.  We spent the first few hours in Istanbul walking around looking for a place to eat.  Neither of us was really feeling adventurous, so we ate at a restaurant/pub with western food.  We were quite surprised by the number of stray cats that were around.  The next day we met our private tour guide who took us to the Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque, Beylerbeyi Palace and the Grand Bazaar.  On the second day, we joined a bus load of tourists and went on a cruise of the Bosphorus Sea and then off to the airport to go to Cappadocia.

Despite Istanbul being an enormous city, the people seemed quite friendly and we always felt safe (although I don’t know how badly I would want to take the crowded looking public transit).  I don’t think that I would want to drive in Istanbul either because there doesn’t seem to be any real laws or rules.

Probably the most obvious landmark in Istanbul is the Hagia Sophia.  It’s a must-see!  The current Hagia Sophia was completed as a Greek Orthodox Cathedral in 537 AD.  At the time (and for nearly 1000 years afterwards) it was the largest building in the world.  In 1453, it was converted to a Mosque by the Ottomans.  In 1930, the new Turkish Republic converted it into a museum.  It is known for its giant dome, which is said to have changed architecture.

Outside of the Hagia Sophia with dome visible

Hagia Sophia

 

Inside the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul Turkey

Inside the Hagia Sophia

Another very popular attraction is the Sultan Ahmed Mosque (otherwise known as the Blue Mosque).  The Blue mosque is located quite close to the Hagia Sophia and is considered the last great mosque of the classical era.  It is known as the Blue Mosque because of the blue tiles that cover the interior walls.

Sultan Ahmed Mosque known for the blue tiles on the interior walls

The Blue Mosque

The most obvious natural feature of Istanbul is the Bospherous Sea that divides the city.  A popular tourist pasttime is taking a cruise along the Bospherous.  The next three photos are from our cruise:

Self Portrait of man and wife on a boat in Istanbul Turkey

Adam and Christina on a Bosphorus Cruise

Henna Tattooed Hands of an Indian Bride on her honeymoon in Istanbul Turkey

Indian Bride on Honeymoon on the Bospherous

 

Ottoman palace next to the Bosphorus Strait

Beylerbeyi Palace

Istanbul is also known for the Grand Bazaar, which is one of the oldest and largest covered markets in the world.  You can buy almost anything in the bazaar but below are a couple of my favorite photos of some typically Turkish items:

Colorful stacks of bowls for sail at the grand Bazaar in Istanbul Turkey

Turkish Bowls in the Grand Bazaar

Turkish Hookah Pipes for sale at the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul Turkey

Hookahs for Sale

 

Halloween

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As you may know, Christina has started her own wedding planning company.  With her new focus on Sweet Bliss Weddings, she began to take a step back from Crowe Photo.

The plan was for me to take over the things that Christina previously did, such as blogging.  Unfortunately, I was pretty busy this past summer and didn’t actually start blogging until recently (with the exception of a couple of posts here and here).

Now that winter is upon us, I have a lot more time and have vowed to start blogging again!  I have a whole list of past photoshoots that I plan to blog in the near future.

Despite the fact that there are a number of photoshoots that I could blog about, I decided to take a few Halloween photos of me and Christina.  Halloween is probably my favorite ‘holiday’ and these two costumes are awesome!

We went to a Halloween Party this year that had a ‘movie character’ theme.  As you can see I went as Iceman (complete with Danger Zone theme music) from the movie Top Gun because Christina said I was too tall and blonde to be Mavrick.  Christina went as Snow White.

Kids were speechless when they saw Christina because not only did she do quite well with the costume, but she can also sing like Snow White does in the movie, although she is shy about doing it.

Hope you enjoy!

 

Halloween Costume of Disney's Snow WhitePortrait of a halloween costume of Maverick from Top GunHalloween Costume of Top Gun's Maverick

Welcome to Our New Blog!

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Crowe Photo is moving up!  We’re currently in the process of revamping a lot of things, but the first is our blog.  We have decided to host our blog on our own site.  We have migrated all of our old blog posts from our previous two blogs.  We have also committed (to ourselves) to update the blog much more frequently then we have of late. 

This is the first real post to be entered on this new blog.

Please update your bookmarks as all of our recent work will be posted here on a go-forward basis.

Enjoy!

Black and White Portrait Photo of a mother hugging her young daughter