I would like to introduce you to Amber, Maria, Jordan and Stephanie.  These four are best friends and inseparable!  They love spending time together and seem to have almost a sister-like relationship.

What an incredible idea they had when deciding to capture their friendship at this stage in their lives!  I wish that more people would take time to do that.

Their shoot made me think of my closest friends from over the years and how fun it would have been (or would be) to do something like this together.  I think that often we are so busy enjoying these relationships that we forget to take time to preserve them at various moments and stages…in whatever form desired.

May we learn from these high school students and remember to cherish and value our friends. 

Make the time to write a note to say how much you appreciate someone, or pick up the phone and call – or better yet – give them the precious gift of your time. 

Take time to celebrate friendship today!

Christine

I received a beautiful bouquet for roses from my wonderful husband, which I proudly displayed in the middle of our kitchen table.  Like any flower-a-holic, I savored every blossom and watched as they dwindled down to the final two.

There they stood – only two remaining – a symbol of unity, commrodery and partnership.  I wondered if one was going to outlast the other. 

This is what happened.  They went their seperate ways. It was as if they had enough of each other. 

During that time there were a few relationships around me that were struggling or falling apart.  I kept these “final two” out for a long time as a reminder – not only of those that were currently hurting - but also of how quickly a relationship can suffer and change.

May this image be a reminder to you of the same.  May it challenge you to put others ahead of yourself.  To take a moment to tell someone that you appreciate or love them. May you take time to invest in those friendships and relationships that you have been blessed with and may you not take them for granted.

Take time to love – to laugh – and don’t forget to make lots of memories : )

Christine

When you run into traffic like this….you know that things have changed – and that there is a pretty good chance that you are now in Fort McMurray, Alberta! 

Well, it is true! Uncontained Photography is excited to be new to the Fort McMurray scene and call it home.  The business originated in Edmonton, Alberta several years ago and recently relocated to Fort McMurray mid 2009. It has been wonderful getting to know people here and finding new photography locations!

Several people have asked if I still do sessions in Edmonton.  The answer is most definitely YES!….it is just a bit more schedule dependant now. If you are an existing client, I especially would love to continue to work with you…and if you are a new client – I look forward to meeting you!   There are several trips to Edmonton that are scheduled within the year, allowing sessions to take place in various seasons.  Please contact me if you are interested in an Edmonton session as they book up quite quickly.  If you have a specific need for photography – please do not hesitate to contact me as there is always possibility of another trip.

Besides Fort McMurray and Edmonton, I also do weddings and sessions in Calgary, Kelowna, Canmore, Banff, Jasper, Vancouver, Victoria…and the list goes on and on! 

Why be limited in your location when you can be uncontained?  : )

Christine

“Hi, my name is Christine and I am a flower-a-holic”. Its true. I love them! I never grow tired of giving them, receiving them, picking a bouquet, watching them grow or trying my hand at floral arranging. I have had this addiction since I was a little girl and have no plans of ever attending a FAA (Flower Addiction Anonymous) meeting any time soon!

In 2005, I had the opportunity of creating and organizing a fundraising gala for the Stollery Children’s Hospital called The Masterpiece Gala. Through this amazing event I had the privilege of meeting and working with one of Edmonton’s finest floral artists, Kristi Kingdon of Off Whyte Floral Studio.

With my love for flowers, creativity and people that are passionate about what they do - Kristi quickly became a friend. She played an intricate role in making The Masterpiece Galasimply stunning and I have since witnessed arrangement after bouquet after arrangement of her talent at work that simply is stunning, uncontained and where each piece that she does truly is a work of art.

I had the honor of photographing her store a while ago for a magazine feature that she was chosen for and also got to sneak in a few shots of this beautiful woman while I was there!

Kristi, you never cease to amaze me with your talent and abilities!

One of your many fans!
Christine

The Fort McMurray Christmas Shopping Market took place at the Syncrude Sports & Wellness Center this past weekend and I was excited to have Uncontained Photography be a part of it!

What fun it was to meet so many fantastic people and to introduce them to my company and work!

A special thanks goes to Sheri, Jennifer and Erin for taking the time on a FREEZING weekend (temps were -30 to -40C) to come and help me with the booth….not to mention my wonderful husband for all of his help and for always having a warm car ready and waiting!

Looking forward to seeing you at the Fort McMurray Spring Women’s Show (May 14-16, 2010) !

Christine

Are you still working on your Christmas list? – or perhaps struggling to find that “perfect” gift for that certain someone? 

Let Uncontained Photography help make your shopping easy!  Our beautiful gift certificates are available and are completely uncontained….meaning that you can determine what it is for.  Perhaps it is a monetary value to be used towards a shoot or prints – or it could be specifically for a session or prints.  It is completely up to you!

Remember all of those photography possibilities….. the couple(s) who is getting engaged over the winter and need engagement pictures and wedding coverage…… a family who has never had a family portrait taken – or perhaps desperately needs an updated one……a couple that is expecting and would like to do a pregnancy shoot and/or a newborn session….someone who is celebrating a milestone birthday, accomplished a weight-loss goal or just wants to feel good about how they look.  The list of possibilities is endless!

Dare to think out of the box,

Christine

Our Christmas cards are back!  There are new designs that have been added to the mix and definitely an abundance of choices depending on your personal taste and image.

These are a great way to keep in touch with loved ones – while at the same time provide an updated picture of you, your family or perhaps your favorite event from the past year!

There is still time to get yours before Christmas!

Contact me for pricing and more information at info@uncontainedphotography.com

Wishing you a Merry Christmas!

Christine

For the past 3 years, I have had the amazing opportunity to organize, produce and co-emcee an annual event called the Laugh for Life Gala at the Winspear Centre in Edmonton. November 7, 2008 was no exception…other than I was the only emcee for the evening! It was great to see so many of you there to share in such a fantastic night!

Laugh for Life is a fundraising gala that is geared towards providing people with a clean night of comedy in the gorgeous venue of the Winspear Centre. There is also a silent and a live auction that takes place through the evening to raise funds for The Mustard Seed and Candeo Housing Association.

This year was the 5th anniversary of this great event and we celebrated with a fantastic evening that was far from being short of laughs! Tim Hawkins and Bob Stromberg were the comedians for the evening and I don’t know if I have ever laughed so much in a long time! I heard from a few of you who said that your cheeks were still hurting the day after from all of the laughter! I suppose that it is true what they say…that laughter truly is the best medicine!

Talented artist, Tracy Dunham and band (Rondah Worrell, Rob Dunham, Mark Franklin, Bryan Muth and Karlus Andrews) graced the stage and wow’d us all with their music as we all watched in fascination as Performance Painter Lewis Lavoie created two stunning masterpieces on stage while they played.

Stockwell Day was the auctioneer for the evening and turned out to be the third comedian as he was absolutely hilarious and simply fantastic! As a result of such a successful live auction and the combination of such generous giving through the silent auction and other avenues, this evening raised $32,500 for two fantastic charity organizations. This total also set a new record in the amount of funds Laugh for Life has given away in its five-year history which is so exciting!! Plans are already underway for LFL’09 which will feature comedian Anita Renfore at the Winspear on Saturday, October 24, 2009. Feel free to visit www.laughforlife.ca for complete information on that and information on how to get your tickets early. You will not want to miss out on this!

So thankful for all of you that I had the privilege of working with on this gala as well as all of you who attended and laughed to make a difference.

We truly can change the world around us.
Christine