A Day To Remember

This is a sponsored post. Thank you for supporting SITC. 

My love for photography started around the time I became a mother. My goal was to capture every moment of my baby, and the new word of motherhood, unfolding before me. It seemed like I would photograph Ryder ever waking minute of the day, and now, looking back at these photos, brings back memories, excitement and uncertainties of being a young mama. Now with three children, the inherent hectic nature of our daily routines makes it difficult to document each of the kids with the same abundance of photos.

Some of those photos of Ryder were just incredible, but since most of the pictures were captured on a cell phone, the quality is not the best, and it really showed when I got around to printing some of them. When Siella was born, Jason and I decided it was time to invest in a good camera, and purchased a EOS Rebel Canon T3i DSLR. When I compare some of her pictures to Ryder’s shots, it’s baffling that we didn’t use a proper camera with him, and sometimes I feel a little guilty. As much as I am engrossed in social media, and I love my Instagram feed, there is something to be said about my high quality photos versus my smart phone photos.

As a big fan of Canon camera equipment, I was excited when I was invited to their “Bring It” tour, which encourages people to carry your Canon camera wherever you go. Each participant on the tour was provided with a camera for the day. At first, I considered the EOS Rebel SL1, because it’s the world’s smallest and lightest DSLR camera, but I chose the EOS Rebel T5i, because it’s size and functions are similar to my EOS Rebel T3i, minimizing the learning curve. The EOS Rebel T5i has incredible image quality, it’s easy to use, and even has Hollywood-caliber full HD video.

Shuttled around on an iconic Big Red Tour Bus, the first stop was the Marchesa Fashion Showroom, with my fashion background, I have to admit, was probably my favorite layover. I had the opportunity to speak with the designers Georgina Chapman and Karen Craig, hearing about the collection, their inspiration, and just flat-out gush over their incredible line, which I’ve fan of for some time. A mini fashion show of their fall collection was an added highlight. For that moment, I felt like a fashion photographer. It was pure heaven!

Next up was the Walter Kerr theatre, where we watched a short scene from the Broadway musical, A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder. After the performance, we had an opportunity to meet some of the cast backstage, where they shared some of show’s hair and makeup secrets, and I even acted out a scene with the actors. Speaking of actors, our tour guide for the event was Emmy Award nominated, Andrew Rannells, best know for his performance in Broadway’s musical The Book of Mormon. With his experience as an actor and singer, if anyone knows about capturing moments, you can bet it’s him.

Our final stop was the gorgeous, newly renovated Palace Hotel, where we received a private tour, while learning about the architecture and history of the property. Its exquisite design and rich history made for beautiful photos of this legendary New York institution, which was decked to the hilt with holiday decor.

It was great to be a part of this event, and I especially loved that I could shoot every single moment clearly and vividly with and will certainly not forget this day. As much as I loved each location, I was incredible to share some one on one time with Canon experts, who helped me geek out all the setting the Canon cameras had to offer. Especially learning bokeh (blurred background) focusing.

As a mom and blogger, it is very important that I capture and document my growing children, and our everyday lifestyle. We are making memories daily, and I hope that someday my kids use my body of work to reflect on their childhood, and share with their own children. Moments like yesterday when Ryder was trying to pull out his fourth tooth by himself with all his might; or when Siella is in the middle of one of her elaborate stories, I can record her raspy voice and sassy expressions she makes with hands; and as Gemma starts to talk, now screaming “taxi” or “bus” when she sees one go by in the street. I want to remember all of these moments..NYC is a colorful, vibrant, energetic city and Canon makes it possible to capture it all. The Bring It campaign inspires people to bring their best to life, and let it live on as a beautiful memory, forever.

Thank you Canon for sponsoring this post.