The Grandparent Project

That is the working title of my latest personal project. Here is my first instalment. If you know of someone who might be a good candidate for this project, please let me know. Thank you.

Anne, Calgary, AB. Canada.

One day I came across a reading by a psychologist in the US. He said: “The great secret of enjoying life is to learn to love yourself and accept yourself and the rest will just take care of itself” and that was kind of new. From my education, you had to work hard and succeed. You had to work at it. Loving yourself didn’t come into it. 

Tommy Drummond and I used to fight for who was going to be at the top of the class. In Junior High, they posted those you know. 

It’s not over. EVER. As long as you are alive, there is something you can do. 

Appreciate who you are and what you can do. 

I stay pretty active, although my body doesn’t do what I’d like it to do all the time. I get tired. I still sing in the choir. I really have enjoyed a musical career. Of course, I have the kids and the grandkids. There’s lots going on. I’ve been president of the social club a couple of times. And I go to church and I am on a committee there…so I keep busy. I’m a soprano. They need me, too. Sopranos aren’t all over the place these days. .

My Mila | Calgary Commercial Photography

I was so excited to collaborate with My Mila for this recent commercial shoot. I love the simplicity of My Mila's clothes for babies and toddlers. Everything is so soft and comfortable looking that it left me wondering when she was going to make that maxi skirt in women's sizes ;) And, I think everyone needs a toque with a fur pompom not just the babies!!! Although, they look ridiculously cute on them. 

Now that I have my own studio space in Okotoks, I have the flexibility to do projects like this. I'll be honest and say that I like working with smaller brands because they don't just see you as an employee...as someone who is just there to push a button. They see you as a collaborator. A creative whose experience can be used to help elevate the images beyond what they can do on their own. I'm looking forward to working more with this awesome company, but would love to hear from other small companies who are looking to elevate the images they use to represent their brand. Please contact me if you are interested in a collaboration! 

~ Dana Pugh 

Living With Photographs | Okotoks Photography Studio

I am passionate about filling my walls with photographs from our travels and our life. So, when it came time to design a wall gallery for my studio, I tossed a number of different ideas around in my head before settling on what I am calling my 'website on a wall'. I wanted a way to show the visitors to my studio that displaying family photographs can be cool. 

I documented the process in a stop motion slideshow that you can see below. What we did was take the advice that we found on Pinterest about making paper templates from the Ikea Ribba Frames that we wanted to use. We had a couple of different ideas as to how to go about this, but this was by far the best solution. We did, however, make our first mistake with the templates. I assumed that the Ribba frames had not changed much over the years and used a couple of older ones that we already had as templates. They were slightly out and this tiny difference made us have to make a few adjustments when we went to hang the frames. It also meant that I am a couple of frames short of finishing. I just have to run in to Ikea to grab two more before the prints arrive. 

I know that people will wonder how much we spent on the frames and the answer is close to $600. And, they will also wonder how much we spent on the prints...close to $500(none of them were mounted...they were all simply photographic prints). So, as much as this was a 'budget' solution, it wasn't exactly a dollar store budget solution if you know what I mean. It also took us several days, so you can see the light change in the studio. I am awaiting on the prints to arrive from my lab. Once they do, I'll post the finished product. Until then...enjoy us setting it up. 

Registration for Mother's Day Event

This is my mom with 2 of her 4 grandchildren. It was taken last year, in my studio, on Mother's day. This year on Mother's day(Sunday, May 8th), I am holding my 3rd Annual Celebrating Mother's Event for mothers and grandmothers to get these precious photographs with their children and grandchildren. It is one of my favourite events of the year. This year, I am excited to say that each mother(or grandmother) will receive an incredible swag bag filled with some of my favourite things to find locally(I can't wait to show you what I have lined up). 

These sessions are short and sweet--15 minutes in length. As I mentioned, they will be in my studio(which is in my home in Okotoks, AB). The goal is to capture a minimum of 10 photographs for you to cherish. The session is priced like this:

Session fee: $100(+gst)  **this is just for Dana's time and talent on the day of the session and does not include any prints, products, or digital files. Those are sold separately. 

Individual digital files are sold for $150(+gst)

The entire gallery of digital files will be available for $500(+gst).

Printed products also available for purchase. Prints start at $50(+gst).

Registration is now open. Available session spots are listed when you click on May 8th below. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Dana to discuss.