Claire Binks Photography

Toronto Baby Photographer - Baby N at 5 months

2011-12-06T21:18:00.000-05:00

I love this age! Hearing this little ones giggle was like music to my ears. He thought I was pretty hilarious and I love any one who thinks I'm funny! I was visiting N and his parents this past weekend and they asked me to get some shots for their Christmas card. We only shot for about 10 minutes...this little guy was on fire with the smiles! Love you baby N!

Toronto Children's Photographer - Baby F at Two!

2011-10-24T09:55:00.002-04:00

Someone is almost 2 and she is full of sass. It's so great to be able to watch this little one go from just born to an actual little person. She was having none of my camera yesterday but I did manage to get some shots of her that I really, really love. Enjoy your sneak peak!

I know parents usually love smiling pics but I am a sucker for a serious face! I could just pinch her cheeks all day long!

Raisin bribes. I swear this kid is going to turn into a raisin!

Miss sassy pants in all her glory!

My personal fav. She looks like a little doll here.

And just for fun, this is a comparison from last year. Look how much she's grown!

Toronto Family Photographer - Brothers are the best!

2011-10-11T19:26:00.002-04:00

It was a perfect sunny and surprisingly warm day for our session. We met at the Evergreen Brickworks and the location couldn't have been better. I love the mix if industrial and greenery this location had to offer. These two little guys couldn't have been any cuter! Enjoy your sneak peak!

Look at those chompers!

Daddy and his boys

Yep, I'm that funny.

I'm a sucker for a serious look!

Toronto Newborn Photographer - 8 week old lil monkey!

2011-09-26T11:10:00.001-04:00

Baby N is 8 weeks old and is totally adored by his awesome parents. It's such a pleasure to be able to have clients who are so laid back and just generally lovely! I hope you enjoy your sneak peak. N was a joy to work with and I love all the expressions we got from him!

Have you seen to the gun show?

Weeee this no clothes thing is awesome!!

The lil monkey sleeping with his monkey

And my personal fav. He's giving me the evil eye! (which is only fair since he woke up from his nap to me hovering over him with my giant camera!)

Toronto Newborn Photographer - 3 week old N

2011-07-20T21:20:00.000-04:00

Mr N, it was love at first sight. Those eyes, those lips...you had me at hello! I only wish I lived closer to you so I could snuggle you every chance I got!

B, you are the most amazing friend ever and I know that you and V are going to be great parents. I'm here for you guys always xo.

I love the look on this face here!

Baby Zoolander

Mr shifty eyes

Put your hands up!

Who can resist a baby yawn!

Toronto Maternity Photographer - Beautiful on the inside and out

2011-04-25T14:56:00.001-04:00

B is my wonderful friend whom I met our first year of university. I have so many fond memories of our university years...from swooning over boys, to getting makeovers at Holt Renfrew to sharing a room together which was never tidy. B has spent the last few years in Ottawa doing her residency and while we don't see each other as much as we'd like, I know that we will remain great friends forever. I cried like a baby during my speech at your wedding and I am sure I will cry like a baby when your little one is born. I am so excited for you and V to welcome this little one into your lives. I know that you will be great parents and your little one is so lucky to be able to call you mom and dad.

B, you are truly as beautiful on the outside as you are on the inside. I'm so glad I got to spend time with you and so excited that I felt the baby kick! Enjoy your sneak peak!

Words

2011-01-22T21:28:00.000-05:00

I recently was introduced to this new site called Pinterest by some fellow photogs. I'm officially obsessed. It's essentially an online pinboard where you can post your favorite photos in collections and follow other peoples collections. It's totally inspiring to see so many beautiful photographs in one place.

Anyways, one of my collections is called "words". I "pin" words that inspire me. Someone had posted some words made with Scrabble pieces so I thought I would try something similar with my Boggle pieces! My set up was simple, I just used my couch and my coffee table and an ottoman as my background. Since it was pretty dark in my living room, I bounced my flash off a wall to get some extra light.

Enjoy!

Three of the most powerful words you can say. Who doesn't love LOVE?! The background is my couch. I love my couch. The color makes me happy and it is so cozy!

This was using my coffee table cube.

This is the title of one of my favorite songs by one of my favorite artists Jason Reeves. If you've never heard of him, I strongly suggest you get to know him. He's a super talented singer song-writer.

Yep it's true, I do love books! I read every night before I go to sleep.

A much needed vacation - Buenos Aires

2010-11-28T20:22:00.000-05:00

A week ago I arrived home from a 10 day trip to Buenos Aires. A much needed trip where I got to explore a new country with a great friend. BA is such a vibrant, massive city. We spent our days touring the different neighbourhoods, from Recoleta to La Boca; our evenings began late, with dinner around 11pm, followed by drinks at a new bar each night. We also spent a night in Colonia, Uruguay, which was beautiful and a welcomed break from the hustle and bustle of BA. Overall I had an amazing time and I can't wait to plan my next trip! I took a ton of photos....here are just a few!

We spent our first day exploring La Recoleta Cemetery, where famous and distinguished Argentinians are buried.

Awesome mechanical flower....it opens in the day and closes at night

San Telmo

There were stray dogs EVERYWHERE...I think this one had an owner though.

Colonia, Uruguay
There were tons of old cars everywhere....you definitely felt like you were back in time in this town.

The cutest little restaurant in Colonia

Not a typical Argentinian meal but we were craving rice!

La Boca - most dangerous neighbourhood - we stayed in the tourist area...I loved all the vibrant colors!

Toronto Family Photographer - Baby F returns with her beautiful parents!

2010-10-17T17:47:00.002-04:00

Chubby cheeks, gorgeous eyes and a smile that will melt your heart....I just can't get enough of baby F! We took advantage of the great fall weather and spent our time at Trinity Bellwoods park. I'm so happy we chose this location because the colors were amazing.

Baby F, you have two amazing parents who love you to pieces. I hope these pictures will be something you will treasure for years to come.

Enjoy your sneak peak!

One of my faves :) How gorgeous is mom???

I heart faces - Purple!

2010-07-26T22:25:00.000-04:00

This weeks challenge over at I Heart Faces is PURPLE. When I saw this I knew I had the perfect picture.

Need I say more?? This beautiful couple rocked their purple outfits!

Toronto Baby Photographer - Baby F 7 months

2010-07-26T21:59:00.002-04:00

My good friend came for a visit while I was sick. I hadn't seen her little one in weeks and I was dying to give her a cuddle. I had to postpone her 6 month session when I got sick but I was happy to get a few snaps of her on my bed. Baby F is the happiest baby I have ever met. She always has big smiles for me and I can't get enough of her! Can you believe she went from this to this in only 7 short months??

Someone loves standing!

So proud of herself

She's even cute when she's mad!

Such an angel face

Been A While

2010-07-26T21:46:00.000-04:00

I've been a bad blogger lately but I have a good excuse I swear! I'm finally back to normal after dealing with BPPV (Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo) for the last 6 weeks. It was a horrible horrible experience and I am so thankful for feeling good again. It's amazing what you realize you take for granted when you are sick. I'm not going lie, I did have some very down days but I tried to stay positive and every day I would think about something I was thankful for....something as simple as being able to walk from my bed to the bathroom un-assisted.

So on the topic of being thankful, I wanted to thank my mom and brothers for being there for me at the drop of a hat. I love you all more than I can express in words and I am so grateful to have you as my family. Thank you as well to my awesome friends. You saw me at my worst (and let me tell you it wasn't pretty!) and you are still my friends...so thank you!

I wasn't able to pick up my camera for weeks but towards the end I did get a chance to snap a few pics. I can't wait to get back into the swing of things!

My little sister graduated from grade 8 in June. I can't believe she is going to high school in the fall...I feel so old!

I got bored one afternoon and decided to take some pics of the flowers in my garden and I played around with some textures. I really like how they turned out!

Toronto Portrait Photographer - Love Shoot

2010-05-31T22:03:00.008-04:00

S and I went to University together so I was excited when she contacted me to be part of my casting call. I met up with her and her boyfriend at the University of Toronto Campus for our shoot. It was such a beautiful night and I think we got some awesome pics! Thank you S & P for spending the evening with me! Enjoy your sneak peak!

Love this one!

See guys, fake laughs CAN look natural!

Happy Mothers Day!

2010-05-10T22:11:00.000-04:00

I hope everyone had a wonderful Mothers Day! I had a great visit with my amazing mother!

In honor of such a great day, here is my latest entry for the I Heart Faces challenge. This weeks challenge is celebrating mom.

This pic is about a year old but I absolutely adore it. This session was hard. Baby R would not sleep for us and was pretty fussy. Towards the end of the shoot I asked mom to get in a pic with him. This is the resulting shot. She was worried about her outfit (puke stains, poop stains, you name it!) but when I look at this photo I see a perfect moment captured. I can see the love she has for him jumping out of the photo.

I Heart Faces - "smiles"

2010-04-27T19:00:00.000-04:00

I just recently discovered the I Heart Faces blog...so fun! This is my first photo challenge. The theme of the week is SMILES.

Here is my entry. This little guy was so cute I could have eaten him up. In this photo he is laughing at his dad. I just love how big his smile is. Makes me smile every time I see it!

Toronto Children's Photographer - 8 Month old S

2010-04-25T13:55:00.003-04:00

I had the pleasure of photographing this little doll yesterday. She was the perfect little model, even though she wasn't that interested in my giant lens in her face :) I love this age though. Smiley, curious and just perfect. Thank you S for such a great day!

Get a load of all that cute!

Bribes work every time!

So cheeky! I love it.

Such a beautiful family!

Toronto Children's Photographer - B One Year Old!

2010-04-11T22:01:00.001-04:00

One year old's are hard! But B was so darn cute it made it all worth it! I'm so glad I got to spend the afternoon with B and her awesome mom and dad. We braved the wind and got some great shots! Enjoy your sneak peak!

I love this one! So serious but so cute!

Almost walking! (check out her baby pumas!)

Can't turn one without a tutu!

Someone is teething!

How cute are they?!

Toronto Children's Photographer - 6 month old N

2010-03-28T11:44:00.004-04:00

Baby N is the first client of my fresh faces call. How cute is he? At 6 months old he was already crawling up a storm and made us work for these shots! This little one is going to be a heart breaker when he grows up! Enjoy your sneak peak!

Look at those baby blues!

He'll be walking in no time!

Gorgeous family!

Toronto Portrait Photographer - Casting call for fresh faces!!

2010-02-21T18:26:00.032-05:00

Spring will be here before we know it...so in preparation for a new season I'm looking for some new faces to add to my portfolio. If you fit into any of the criteria below, email me at claire@clairebinksphotography.com! This is your chance to get a custom photography experience with great savings.

I'm looking for:
*newborns under 14 days
*older babies between 6-9 months (must be able to sit up on their own)
*toddlers between 1 and 3
*children between 4 and 12
*couples
*families (immediate family only)

Must be willing to:
*sign a model release allowing me to use the photos for my website and other promotional materials
*travel to Toronto (unless otherwise agreed to)
*book and have session before June 1, 2010 (unless otherwise agreed to)

What you get!
*FREE 60 minute custom portrait session (valued at $150-$200)
*10-15 custom edited proofs in a password protected gallery for 14 days
*40% off off prints ordered within 7 days of your gallery being posted
*25% off off prints ordered withing 14 days of your gallery being posted
*1 8x10
*10 web res watermarked files for online sharing (facebook, email, blogs etc)

This offer only applies to new clients (unless you were a newborn client)

You are not obligated to purchase prints but why wouldn't you with these discounts?!

I have limited spaces so contact me asap to book your session!

Toronto Portrait Photographer - Just me :)

2010-01-14T11:21:00.004-05:00

I got bored this weekend and decided to play with my OCF for a bit. OCF is getting to be a bit addictive! I need a haircut badly so I decided to curl my hair. It didn't turn out quite as planned but it's still sort of cute right? I can't wait to find my next victim to use my OCF with!

Excuse the track pants and ratty tank top!

Toronto Newborn Photographer - 15 Day old baby F

2009-12-14T10:17:00.003-05:00

Sweet Baby F. I have been waiting for you to arrive for as long as your parents have! F is the daughter of a great friend of mine. She is also the first baby girl I have photographed! I think babies sense when they are about to be in the spotlight because F was having none of our attempts to fold her into a pretzel or to pose her sans clothing! She was a trooper though and even gave us a grin. Check out the cute dimple.

Baby F, love brought you into this world and with all the love that surrounds you now I have no doubt you are going to grow up to be a truly lovely person. I can't wait to photograph you again.

Oakville Childrens Photographer - Little Miss S

2009-12-07T10:11:00.002-05:00

I was told before meeting Miss S that she was shy around strangers. Can you tell? This little one was 2 and full of sass and personality! We spent the morning taking pictures and singing songs and I even got a few cuddles in. S was a total sweetheart and I had a blast taking her photos. She is so cute I could have eaten her up! I can't wait to photograph her again!

She was so proud of her shoes!

Toronto Children's Photographer - L & L

2009-11-15T17:26:00.003-05:00

L & L are two of cutest little boys I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. Their mom and I went to high school together and it was so great catching up! We spent the morning wandering around...the boys went crazy while I tried to snap photos! We had a blast. Can't wait to photograph these cuties again!

Toronto Newborn Photographer - Introducing Baby H!

2009-10-07T15:05:00.003-04:00

Baby H is the son of my recent maternity session. Like her last baby, H came a few weeks late but he was worth the wait! His gorgeous blue eyes melt your heart and his sprouts of red hair could not be any cuter! At 17 days old, H did not want to sleep for us. He was so alert and even grinned at the camera! Here are some of my favorite shots from the session. Enjoy!

Toronto Maternity Photographer - Pure gorgeousness!

2009-09-01T12:45:00.003-04:00

I'm not sure how a person can look more gorgeous that A did. We did her shoot on a Monday and she was due the following Sunday...talk about cutting it close! A was a complete natural in front of the camera and we had so much fun shooting. We shot the photos in the bar that A owns with her brother. It was closed that day so we had the run of it. I think the pictures speak for themselves. I can't wait to meet your little guy!

Toronto Headshot Photographer - M Headshots

2009-09-01T12:33:00.002-04:00

I shot these a few months ago for M who is an aspiring singer in Mexico. I had the pleasure of spending time with her for two days of shooting. We had a blast and got some great shots. M, you are a beautiful person inside and out and I wish for you great things in your future!

Here are some of my favorite shots...

Toronto Newborn Photographer - 3 week old Baby R

2009-06-21T21:00:00.004-04:00

Baby R was 3 weeks old and just over 6 pounds. He was so cute! He had the longest fingers and the sweetest face. Sleep, what's that? This little guy was having none of it. I wish I had more time with the little cutie! I love, love the pic of baby R and his beautiful mom.

Toronto Newborn Photographer - Baby M 10 Days Old

2009-06-17T10:47:00.003-04:00

Baby M is the son of my first maternity client. He was just too cute for words. At only 10 days old he was a stubborn little thing and wouldn't sleep for us no matter how hard we tried! He gave us the cutest facial expressions too! Finally about 30 min before the session ended he conked out and we got some great shots. These are some of my favourites. Enjoy!

Toronto Maternity Photographer - Beautiful Belly!

2009-05-14T15:52:00.009-04:00

I had the wonderful opportunity of photography my friends co-worker. This was my second maternity shoot. It was so much fun! N was so sweet and such a sport! We shot on two separate days. The first day it rained like crazy so we had to cut our session short. We met up this week after work to take some pics outdoors since the weather was lovely!

Here are some of my favorite pics from the two days. Enjoy!

Toronto Headshot Photographer - B Headshots

2009-05-14T15:26:00.004-04:00

I did these headshots for a good friend of mine. It was so much fun going from location to location, looking for interesting spots to shoot. We lucked out with a great day and I think the photos turned out great. Here are a few of my favs.

Toronto Maternity Photographer - My first maternity shoot

2009-04-19T19:49:00.004-04:00

I was so excited to do this shoot for an old highschool friend. She was just the cutest pregnant person ever! We had a blast shooting and got some great shots. Here are just a few. More on my flickr. I can't wait to do her little guy's newborn photos!

Long time no post!

2009-04-19T19:27:00.004-04:00

So obviously I'm really bad at updating my blog. I seem to automatically update my flickr but not this!

Here are some fairly recent pics. The first set is some head shots I did for a local law firm. The second set is of my little 12 year old sister. She's growing up too fast!

Fun shoot!

2008-09-06T11:55:00.004-04:00

I got to shoot my great friend Tracey and her fiancee David. They wanted fun pics to display at their wedding recpetion for people to sign as a guestbook. They didn't want anything traditional so this is what we came up with. Enjoy!

It's been awhile

2008-07-08T22:25:00.005-04:00

It's been a crazy few months for me. My Granny passed away on June 17th. I am so thankful that I got to spend a week with her. I will treasure those final memories forever.

I got to take my camera out for some practice this past weekend. My friend wanted some headshots for a volunteer board she is sitting on. We had a lot of fun. I'm hoping to get in a lot more practice this summer!

Saying goodbye to Granny

2008-04-27T11:55:00.005-04:00

A few weeks ago I made the sad journey to England to say goodbye to my Granny. We found out a few weeks before that, she had a brain tumor and there was nothing they could do. At first I wasn't going to go. I thought it would be too hard....hard for me to see her ill and hard for my grandad to see me so upset. I have a hard time keeping it together when it comes to sad events. I could barely keep it together at home and work and I was thousands of miles away from her. How the heck would I cope being right there with her?

So I agonized about my decision and finally made the decision not to go. I would call her instead and get my closure that way. Off I went to Vancouver on a trip for work. I tried to put my sadness out of my mind while I was there and managed to have a good time. In all honesty I thought my Granny would have passed away while I was gone. But she hadn't so I decided to call her when I got home. I called her on a Monday morning from work. I went into a co-worker's office, closed the door and grabbed the Kleenex. When I heard her voice, all the childhood memories I had of her came back...amazing how just the sound of a voice can do that. We spoke for a short time. A very generic conversation, both not saying what we perhaps wanted to. When she asked me when I was coming to see her my heart broke and I started to cry. I didn't want her to hear me upset so I quickly pulled it together. I decided then and there that I must make the trip over and see her one last time. If not for her, then for me.

I knew the trip would be hard but I also knew that if I didn't go I would regret it for the rest of my life. I'm the type of person who needs closure. If I don't get it then I agonize over what could have been. My trip was to last a week. I stayed with my Aunt for three days and with my Grandad for three days. I was beyond scared to see my Granny for the first time. She was now living in a nursing home and I didn't know what to expect. I didn't want to cry when I first saw her but I wasn't sure if I could hold it together. I managed to keep it together. She looked a bit weathered but basically the same. Because of where the tumour is in her brain and the medication she was on, she said some things that didn't make sense but we all humoured her anyways.

I saw Granny every day that I was in England. Most days were good but one day was horrible and it broke my heart to see her upset. She had refused to take her medication and as a result was incredibly depressed. She hadn't gotten out of bed and was saying that there was no point to taking her medication because she was going to die anyways. My grandad tried to comfort her and reassure her that her medication would make her feel better. I couldn't help but cry. It was beyond sad. I hope that when the day comes for me to part the world, I have someone as loving and devoted as my grandad by my side.

The goodbyes were hard...very hard. I said goodbye to my Granny on a Tuesday morning...I was to depart for home the following morning. Of course I cried. I couldn't help it. I was devastated that I was never going to see her again (I'm even crying as I write this!). I hugged Granny and told her that I loved her. She thanked me for coming. I started to cry. She said "oh please don't upset me," I told her I was sorry and hugged her again. I told her it was okay, I would call her when I got home. I left the room to look back and see her in tears. I cried harder. Sobbed all the way to the car. My grandad lovingly put his arm on my shoulder and said "grief is the price we pay for love". So true.

Saying goodbye to my grandad was just as hard. He dropped me off at the train station in the morning and we tried to keep our composure. We hugged and I could feel the tears welling up. I looked at him and he had tears rolling down his cheek. He is such a sweet sensitive man. Perhaps that comes with age. He started to walked away and I turned away and cried harder. When I looked back he was walking back to me and said "I couldn't leave". We hugged again, even harder this time. I could feel his love for me. He finally put his hands on my shoulders and said "I have to leave now" and her turned and walked away.

I am so thankful that I decided to make the trip. As sad as it was, it was also closure. It was so nice to see all of my cousins and their babies too. I hope that I can go back soon and see them all. I know my grandad will be devastated when my Granny dies but I also know that he will be okay.

Here are some pictures from my trip:

Granny and Grandads house, the Spinney

Granny's cookbooks (she was an amazing cook)

Granny's Parrot.

Grandad reading to Ava

Grandad's glasses

People Pics

2008-04-26T13:23:00.024-04:00

Like I said before, taking pictures of people is what I love the best. Here are some of my favourites to date. I hope by posting these now I will be able to look back in a few months and see how I have improved...both with photographing and post processing.

This is my good friend Tracey. This picture was taken before I started shooting raw. I love this picture of her.

My little sister Elizabeth. She was 10 in this picture. It's really hard photographing kids! Especially when they are not used to having a camera in their face. I think she did pretty great.

My beautiful friend Dawn. She is my best poser so far! Such a natural in front of the camera.

This is my grandma. I took this back home when I went home for Easter. I love her!

This is my younger brother Simon. Such a handsom guy! I took this picture back in the summer.

My older brother Mark. It's next to impossible to get a genuine smile from him so I really love this picture.

Welcome to my world!

2008-04-25T14:24:00.004-04:00

I've been thinking about starting a blog for a while now so here goes! I'm not really sure what I will end up writing about, but since I'm really into photography I plan on documenting my learning journey. I've loved photography for as long as I can remember. I can look at photos for hours. A good photo can tell an amazing story...I love being moved by truly beautiful photos. My obsession right now is portrait photography. I love being able to capture a persons true beauty.

Right now I'm using a Canon Rebel Xti. My dream camera would be the Canon 5d. Maybe when I start earning the big bucks! I'm still learning a lot so my camera is perfect for me right now. I'm using a 50mm 1.8 right now and hope to buy the Tamron 28-75 soon.

Here are some photo's I have taken so far....

I'll post some people pics soon!