In Tune Images is in tune with you, visually capturing the music you make with your band,
your loved ones, and in (and on) every stage of your life.
Welcome to In Tune Images!
Thanks for stopping by. There’s more blogs to the right than you can shake a stick at, and over to the left we’ve got all the information you need to start planning YOUR fab photo session!
Don’t forget to check out my Facebook and Vimeo pages, too!
Happy surfing,
~Melanie
(Awesome, amazing, fabulous logo courtesy of Perri Arnold!)
When I got the email asking me to photograph Kim and Paul’s new baby, Sarah, I was thrilled. Back home in Canada for a few short weeks, Kim and Paul were visiting with friends and family. I know they were soaking up all the joy that goes along with sharing the new love of your life with everyone you know and I was so happy to be a part of their Albertan tour!
It was great to spend a few hours kicking around Prince’s Island Park, catching up on all the news, and getting to know wee little Sarah! It’s amazing what can change in a year. :)
I hope you enjoyed your trip home, Kim, and your vacation, Paul.
HERE‘s a slideshow with some more pics to tide you over on your return journey overseas.
Hugs to you both, but especially to your munchkin, Sarah!
~M
That’s right! That’s not a typo. This post is for Becky’s Family Day weekend family session, with her mother, Brenda, and her grandmother, Gertie!
What makes this family session so special? Becky is the only daughter born to her grandmother’s daughter. (Got that straight? I hope I do!) Bonds like that are pretty special in a family and it was a joy to see just how much it meant to these three, too.
And on weekend like Family Day weekend, it made you want to be near to your dearest, that’s for sure. I hope you all enjoy this session as much as I enjoyed shooting it!
So click through these to see some fun times around Eau Claire, and inside it (staying away from shopping was near impossible with these three!). Thanks to Wanderlust in the market for letting us get some reprieve from the cold.
The slideshow can be viewed HERE.
Christine and Cody’s St. Albert e-Session is a special one for a few reasons. For starters, they are young and in love, full of energy and life, and that sort of thing is contagious and a joy to work with and be around!
Christine and I both lived in St. Albert, too, so it was fun to wander around the old town after all this time away. And on a personal note, Christine’s Aunt Peggy and I have been friends for over 20 years (!), so I’ve also been lucky enough to know Christine and her family all that time, too. It’s pretty cool to see someone grow up before your eyes!
Well, Christine definitely isn’t a little girl anymore! She’s all grown up and marrying the man of her dreams. I have no doubt Cody managed to woo not only Christine, but her entire family (brave guy! ;) ), and it’s so great to hear how highly everyone thinks of him. I suspect Cody and his family are just as excited about Christine joining their family as her family is about him!
Congrats to you both and I look forward to documenting your BIG day in Kananaskis in July!
Click HERE for the slideshow.
If you’re like me, you’ve probably been a bit of both this year! I’m still hoping I end up on the Nice List. :) Once you’ve got your lists sorted out, like Santa, it’s time to decide what to put under the Christmas tree.
This year, how about giving the gift of memories? Until December 15th you can purchase In Tune Images gift certificates for the price of $150 per session. The gift of a photo session is one that will be cherished long after Christmas morning!
The gift certificates are valid for any session normally valued up to $250, in the Calgary and Edmonton areas, anytime in 2012. Contact me for further information regarding sessions in other cities because I do travel quite a bit.
The gift certificates cannot be used towards wedding packages or previously booked sessions. All sales final.
Payment is easy via PayPal. I will email you the gift certificate to print and put under the tree!
Stay safe out there…and by “there” I mean, The Mall! ;)
~ Melanie info@intuneimages.ca
Hello, friends!
First off, thanks so much for the awesome response to the Kia Ora | New Zealand book and calendar!
Because that went over so well, I’ve been inspired to tackle another project. I’ve got a pretty decent back catalog of stuff that really crosses multiple “genres” but I thought it was time to put something together, at least for myself.
And my Mom.
And you!
This particular project is just a look at the world I’ve been experiencing these past few years. I’ll probably make you look at it if you come over to my apartment someday, anyways, but for now:
The book can be previewed at http://vimeo.com/31314627
The 2012 calendar can be previewed at http://vimeo.com/31292049
Payment can be made via http://www.intuneimages.ca/?p=1800
And as always, individual prints ARE for sale (something I forgot to mention last time but thankfully, buyers reminded me!).
Thanks again for being a part of all of this!
Kia ora, friends!
As you know, I’ve been living in New Zealand this year and photographing the landscape like crazy. A few people suggested I put together a “coffee table” book and a calendar of the images I’ve been taking here….and I finally did!
If you are interested, the book can be previewed at http://vimeo.com/29088637
The 2012 calendar can be previewed at http://www.vimeo.com/29709681
Kia ora,
(In Maori, it means “hello”, “be well/healthy”, “thank you” and “goodbye”…so clever!)
Travelling around New Zealand one week before the Rugby World Cup starts is a pretty special thing. Everywhere you look, people are getting into the spirit of the event with decorations, signs and flags flying proudly, while visitors from all over the world are starting to arrive.
I spent five days of my nine day trip in the most northern region of NZ, Northland, and even in the most far-flung places, RWC mania was starting to hit. Whangerei is the main hub of the north and they are playing host to games between Canada, Tonga, and Japan so Canadian flags were prominent everywhere. It was a pretty cool thing to see and it only made me slightly homesick. :)
I’d previously travelled from Auckland through Rotorua to the east coast of the North Island around Gisborne, and through parts of Marlborough, Canterbury, Southland, Westland and Otago in the South Island. I was determined on this trip to make it up to Cape Reinga, just to cover as much of NZ as possible while I am here. Wellington to Cape Reinga must be one of the longest drives in the country and I was looking forward to every kilometre! It was worth every drop of gas to get there.
Cape Reinga is the most northern tip of the North Island, and a place of spiritual importance to the Maori. The Maori believe that when they die their spirits depart for their homeland of Hawaiki from the Cape. It’s also where the Tasman Sea meets the Pacific Ocean, a pretty spectacular sight. The Northland region is where Maori descendants first arrived in NZ and their influence is much more pronounced here than in other areas I’ve visited, which were settled mainly by Europeans.
Waitangi is the place where the Treaty of Waitangi was signed, between the Maori and the British to found a nation state and build a government in New Zealand. Waitangi is part of the Bay of Islands, a popular spot for all sorts of water recreation and I went on a dolphin cruise here (it was a little too nippy to snorkel!). I also spent a lot of time around Ninety Mile Beach in Ahipara, and then onwards to the Cape, and back down through the Herekino Forest into Auckland.
Of all the trips I’ve done throughout NZ, this one was much more steeped in history and culture than the others, with a visit to the Auckland Museum for a Maori cultural performance and a lot of Maori-related stops along the way – though there was no shortage of beautiful landscapes around the North, that’s for sure.
If you check out a map of NZ, you’ll see that Northland is the very narrow tip at the top of the country. I assumed because of its size that the region would be quite similar from east to west, and north to south. I could not have been more wrong. The feeling I’d had on other trips where the landscape changed at every turn was multiplied by a thousand up there. You could drive 45 minutes across the peninsula and encounter sand dunes, ancient Kauri forests, white sand beaches, dramatic rocky cliffs, as well as marshes and farms and rolling hill after rolling hill.
Also misleading was the distance…in Canadian terms, a look at the NZ map would have translated into a couple of hours driving from Auckland. No. Way. It would easily take 12+ hours to drive from the Cape to Auckland to take in the scenery (though I split it up over a few days because I’d been warned in advance). If you get the chance to visit this region, give yourself a lot of time to just soak up the scenery, and get away from the more hectic pace of Auckland. Many times, I was the only person on the many beaches I visited. You don’t get that sort of thing everywhere!
As a bonus, to get to Northland I drove through the Waikato region twice, visiting Taupo both times. This is also a lovely area with the dramatic peaks of Mts Ruapehu, Tongariro and Ngauruhoe visible along the aptly named Desert Road area and the beautiful Lake Taupo feeling like a summer resort even in winter.
Thanks, Kiwis, for another spectacular trip! I definitely feel inspired to go back to Canada and enjoy my own amazing country that I always seem to take for granted. At the same time, I am more than slightly heartbroken thinking about leaving this wonderful place in four months time. I guess I’ll just have to come back again and again and again! You can’t get rid of me that easily!
Oh, and it’s official. RWC has been on less than two weeks and I’m an addict. Go, Canada!
HERE is the slideshow.
Have you heard the news? In Tune Images is headed back to Alberta in 2012! This is the perfect time for you and your friends to secure sessions for the coming year.
Why? Great deals for booking in advance and sharing In Tune Images with your friends! This is also my way of thanking YOU for being a friend…(Remember Golden Girls? They were onto something with their theme song - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7HiDUaKMIeA)
Share + Like = 25% OFF* BOOKINGS + FREE PRINTS! Send your friends the link to your past session on the In Tune Images blog, and when they email me that link AND Like the Facebook page, they will get 25% OFF their 2012 booking AND two complimentary 8X10 prints of their choice from their session PLUS they’ll net YOU two complimentary 8X10 prints of your choice from your past shoot.
Haven’t had a shoot yet? No prob! Send me the names of TWO friends who have Liked the Facebook page because of YOU and you’ll all get the same deal as above.
All that, just for Liking the page and sharing your session and the Facebook page!
See how fun being friends is?!
Win-win-winning! This offer expires October 31, 2011.*
Speaking of Winning: CONTEST Time! If that wasn’t enough goodness all at once, let’s run a CONTEST while we’re at it! Refer FIVE friends (and five friends only, no more! Let’s not spam people!) to the Facebook page, email me their names, and if at least THREE of those friends Like the Facebook page before the contest deadline of September 30, 2011, you will be entered into a draw for a FREE SESSION**. PLUS for taking the time to Like the page, your friends are eligible for the same deal as above: 25% OFF a booking AND two complimentary 8X10 prints from the session!
GOOD LUCK! The contest deadline is September 30, 2011.**
Details You Will Need
Here’s what you need to spread the word:
http://www.intuneimages.ca – To find your/your friend’s past blog entry
http://www.facebook.com/melaniemolloy.intuneimages – To share the Facebook page
info@intuneimages.ca – To email me your entry
If you’ve been waiting for the right time to get some pics done, want to relive the love from your previous session with some sweet prints, or know someone in the market for photographs in the New Year, now is the time to spread the word!
Thank YOU for being a friend!
~ Melanie
* The Fine Print: New bookings only. Excludes wedding bookings. One discount/set of complimentary prints per booking/referral. A non-refundable retainer of $50 is due by October 31, 2011 to secure the reduced session rate for 2012 and will be applied to the final session fee. Actual session dates subject to availability in 2012 and can be determined at a later date to ensure flexibility. Travel expenses may apply if shooting outside the Calgary/Edmonton areas.
** The Finer Print: Free session does not include weddings because they are a lot of work! But it can include engagements because I love Love!
Hi all!
It’s official today: I’ve been in New Zealand for six months! Wow!
In some ways, it feels like time is standing still (I have six months left to go yet!) and in others…it’s flying by me. I have so many things here I want to do and see, not to mention all the other islands I’d hoped to visit, with NZ as my base. I sure hope my work is ok with me never being there!
I recently went down to the South Island for a bit of an extended holiday. I should maybe explain that in New Zealand, there’s two New Zealands: The North Island, and The South Island. There’s not a rivalry so much as…a competitive admiration, shall we say.
But everyone here on the North Island will readily admit that the South Island is the place to be for that Kiwi experience that the brochures advertise. Mountains, ocean, adventure activities, big skies, glaciers, rainforest…the South Island has it all. And more. I didn’t even see all of it in my 9 days down there!
I flew down to Christchurch to grab a car rental from Jucy Car Rentals (man, I cannot say enough how much I love this car rental company and their service and prices) and I drove via Lewis Pass to the West Coast. I stopped at Maruia Springs for a much needed Shiatsu massage and hot pool soak, and I continued on to Punakaiki, home of the Pancake Rocks. I stayed at a cozy hostel and had a great night sharing wine with random travelers…a great way to ease into traveling solo again.
My route then took me down to Franz Josef Glacier and Haast, through to Wanaka. Wanaka and Queenstown were my base for most of the trip and I have annoyed everyone I know here with many groans of “I just want to be in Wanaka!” since I’ve been back. Gorgeousness. I also went to Milford Sound (super rainy day but one that will stay with me forever) and then made my way back to Christchurch via Omarama (an amazing hot pool stop here!) and Lake Tekapo, near Mt Cook.
On arrival in Christchurch, my first real taste of civilization in a week plus, I found out that that pesky ash cloud from Chile had made it’s way to NZ and caused my return flight to Wellington to be cancelled…which lead to me crashing at a friend’s (lucky I knew someone in Chch!), which lead to….me experiencing my first big earthquake firsthand!!!
A 6.3 quake. On Monday June 13 in Christchurch. I mean…come on! That’s huge! The day before the quake, actually, we drove out to Taylor’s Mistake, via Sumner and Redcliffs, which is where the epicenter of these particular quakes were the next day. Freaky!
Luckily, I was at my friend’s house when the quake(s) hit and I was pretty sheltered from most of what was going on in the rest of the city. I feel so bad for Cantabrians…quake after quake after quake (technically aftershocks from the September, December and February quakes, but these are quakes nonetheless). I know they are pretty hardened to the sensation after all these months, but for this girl from Alberta, land of the tornado and blizzard, it was an experience and a half feeling the house shake for 30 seconds, hearing things fall and break and wondering exactly what I was supposed to be doing! My only plan was to grab the dog and run into the huge backyard. I mean…what else could you do?
There were 25+ aftershocks that day, every half hour or so, some of them quite major in and of themselves. My nerves were rattled by bedtime, but at the same time…I can check “Experience Earthquake” off my To Do List here in NZ. :)
In the end, even with the quakes, my trip down south was amazing. A-M-A-Z-I-N-G. I hadn’t travelled solo in quite some time, nor had I ever gone on a road trip by myself in my own rental. I was a bit nervous I’d be lonely but I stayed at YHA hostels, met some great characters and had some fun adventures on daytrips around the areas I was staying. It was basically just me, my camera, and my iPod for the entire trip and I loved every minute of it.
I also realized that the messy person in the car is actually ME, since I had no one else to blame it on. The weather…well, for Kiwi weather it was superb. I really could not have had better days at the start of winter. (Yup, it’s winter down here!).
So here’s some updated pictures from that trip…if you have ever wanted to come to New Zealand but have been putting it off, I hope these encourage you to get moving on your plans to get down here sooner rather than later. The South Island is gorgeous. A lot like Western Canada, but so compact. Every corner brought a new stunning landscape to gawk at.
Hot pools, gorgeous lakes, adventure activities, and lovely, lovely people. Queenstown and Wanaka were a particular highlight, but the West Coast, with its stormy seas, was also good for the soul. Just bring bug spray…the sandflies are horrendous.
Here’s a slideshow, as well, and I’m throwing in an old tune here by a Kiwi band most of us North Americans have never heard of – Goldenhorse – Maybe Tomorrow.
Up next is a trip to Melbourne, for a long weekend (Yeah, I fly to Australia for weekends now! Ha!) and another 10 day holiday touring around the North Island at the end of August (pre-Rugby World Cup).
Take care in the meantime!
Kia ora!
New Zealand is about as far from anywhere as you can get. As that poster behind Murray’s desk on Flight of the Conchords says, Come visit us down underer. And that’s what I’m doing!
Kiwis are fiercely proud of these islands and my sense so far is they appreciate the immense effort it takes people to get here. I also suspect they quite enjoy being in their own paradise, fairly far removed from the more negative influences of the rest of the world. I have never met nicer people in all my travels. Honest to goodness, the friendliest, most helpful people.
I decided to come to New Zealand on a working holiday about five years ago when I started doing these working holidays abroad. Most of you know I spent 18 months in London and 9 months in Dublin on these visas, and that New Zealand was going to be my final stop…”in a race around the world”…I’ve been really lucky these last five years, being able to spend a lot of time abroad mixed with some stints back in Alberta, starting up In Tune Images, etc and I feel like being here in New Zealand is the culmination of all those experiences.
While I’ve been updating my “weirdo”* photos of the day (*a term coined by Guinnie) on the In Tune Images Facebook page, I realized lately I’ve been neglecting the blog a bit. I’m trying to drum up some In Tune Images projects here via a creative website, The Big Idea, as well, so keep track of that progress on the Facebook page!
So a bit about what life is like so far, for those interested: I arrived in Auckland on Dec 27 after a Christmas Day departure from Seattle (where I spent a fabulous four days with the Farah/Kischer/Hanson/Reidy clan waiting for Santa!) and a 15+ hour flight via LA and Australia, then onward to New Zealand.
Nothing more to say on that except I’ve never been less keen to get back on a plane in my life! That’s a LONG journey. I initially joked I’d marry a Kiwi guy just to avoid the flight home, but after being here awhile, I can say with all seriousness, I’d marry a Kiwi guy regardless (hotness! And niceness! All of them!). Plus NZ has mountains and ocean, two of my favourite things in addition to hotness and niceness.
Aaaaaanyways, back to reality: On arrival I realized my luggage was lost, but the only thing that mattered to me after that extensive journey was a shower and a snooze. I might have been left only with my carry on (which included my tent, of all things, yet the poles were in the checked baggage), but I didn’t care. Happily, when I awoke it was to a phone call from the airline that my luggage was en route to my hotel. Everything eventually arrived (tent pole crisis averted), including my friend Liz from Toronto, who flew in one day after me.
We rented a car (Jucy rentals, and I’d recommend them as we got a wicked free upgrade and they were fantastic!) and travelled from Auckland to Gisborne for the Rhythm & Vines Festival for New Years. Along the way we visited Te Aroha, Tirau, and Rotorua, the latter being one of the least nicest smelling places I’ve been to, though Cactus Jack‘s hostel was a hilarious good time.
The scenery on this road trip was interesting and unusual and breathtakingly amazing at every turn (silver ferns!), and we continued on from Rotorua to the gorgeous area around Gisborne. Keep in mind these two Canadian girls had flown in fresh from sub-zero temperatures into SUMMER! I was wearing flip flops…er…jandals, as they are known here. Boys were shirtless, everyone was tanned, the wine was cheap and tasty, and life was good.
Those first few days were magic to me. We camped amongst the vines (literally) at the vineyard, listened to music all night, and met some really nice people who got us off to a great start learning about New Zealand, and Kiwi culture. Our days were spent lounging at the beautiful beaches in the area, or at the hot springs. I think we had hit 3 springs in 3 days at that point. (Te Aroha was the best!)
Sun kissed, well moisturized and more than a little tired from our New Years Eve, we started 2011 by driving the long way around from Gisborne to Whakatane (“wh”s in Maori place names are pronounced like “f”s…enjoy that one!) so we could head out to White Island (normal “wh”), New Zealand’s only active marine volcano. That day trip was a major splurge for my backpacker budget, but again, I’d totally recommend it. That volcano was COOL!
We drove from Whakatane (see? It’s funny!) via Tauranga back to Auckland, where Liz and I parted ways so she could spend the next ten weeks travelling around New Zealand, Fiji, the Cook Islands and Australia. What a hardship! But as luck (or forward planning) would have it, she would be coming through Wellington for my birthday only a few weeks from then with her friend Shannon. We also had a trip planned to the Cook Islands so I knew I’d see her, and our Vancouver friend Pam in about a month or so down the road. Can I get a cheer for how awesome and adventurous my friends are?
I arrived in Wellington and started on the interview rounds. A big lesson I learned immediately was that New Zealand basically shuts down from the week before Christmas to early February for their Christmas/summer break. This made finding a job take a little longer than usual, that’s for sure! Those early days were a little up and down in my world, as some of you know.
Many, many agency interviews later I actually landed a non-agency job with an immediate start at a payroll company, for the entire term of my work visa, with an unheard of number of holiday days by Canadian standards (20!). I’m technically a trainee payroll officer, but don’t worry, I’m not in charge of other people’s money for real. The location is great, the staff crack me up (I work with a Geordie who lived in Halifax, of all places), and I never have to hear people complain about washing machines or pizza.
It’s perfect.
In the meantime, my life is a lot like it was at home in the day to day routine we all experience – work, gym, Facebook, but it’s all sprinkled with enough of Kiwi newness to always make me conscious of the fact I’m not only somewhere different, I’m somewhere very awesome. I also joined the Wellington Photographic Society so I can geek out with other photo nerds and hopefully learn some stuff. I even got to see Crowded House at a vineyard!
I live in a shared flat near Courtenay Place, the main entertainment hub in town. I’m walking (stumbling) distance to everything and enjoy spectacular views of Wellington at every turn. It’s a really cute, fun, interesting, arty city. And windy. But that goes without saying…it isn’t referred to as Windy Welly for nothing. And the hills! Oh, those hills. They were serious about those…
Since being in Wellington and starting work, I managed to zip off to Rarotonga and Aitutaki in the Cook Islands for five days mid-February. Rough life, right?
Aitutaki was hands down the most beautiful place I’ve seen in my life. I could write an entire entry about that trip but here’s the summary: Gorgeous lagoon on Raro, even more gorgeous lagoon on Aitutaki, really great resort (Muri Beach Hideway), even better company (Ladies, you’re my knight in shining armour, and I love you!), many hours floating in the pool and snorkelling in crystal clear lagoons, a starry sky like I’ve never seen before, and our duty free allowances consumed at maximum. I came back to New Zealand tanned, and very relaxed and determined to someday get back to Aitutaki in particular. My vacation from my vacation was a success!
Upcoming trips at this point are down to Christchurch over Easter weekend – a trip I had planned pre-quake and despite/because of the current state of the place I’m still keen to visit the area, and will also zip up to Kaikoura for a day and hopefully spot some whales. In June, I’m heading to Napier, which after being destroyed by an earthquake 80 years ago was rebuilt in the art deco-style.
The word “earthquake” has never entered my vocabulary as much as it has since being here. I’ve sat in bed reading a book through a 4.3 magnitude quake that freaked me out only slightly. The strangest sensation, the earth moving…but at least it wasn’t -40 outside…
I’m in New Zealand till Christmas and I’m sure I’ll write more in a few months time about other things as this is far too long already. I’m looking forward to having a few visitors and getting down to the South Island for some proper exploration (i.e. photography outings! Mountains!) and eventually jumping out of a plane or off a bridge, just to round out the Kiwi experience. While I’d love to get over to Oz, that might be a separate, longer trip another day as I can already hear the beaches of Fiji calling my name! Anyone up for a Feejee Experience tour?
Summer is turning into fall now and it’s a hard thing for me to wrap my head around that it’ll be winter by June/July. Everything moves in reverse down here. It’s a nice reminder I’m somewhere so very different to what I know.
Until next I write/you read, here’s some pics, and what the heck: a slideshow to go along with it. (Yes, it’s Crowded House playing, but man, they play CH *everywhere* here. Seriously!)
