boston

Boston is a lovely city!

Last month, I went there alone, on my first solo business trip, and had a wonderful time. As I wrote while I was there, I walked and walked and walked, and ate. When packing for the trip, I realized that I don't actually own business pants (you know, pants that make a girl look like she means business,) so I nerdily went out and bought a pair and wore them two days in a row with even nerdier cardigans to make myself look "conferency." When I arrived, I was only one of five people wearing dress pants. But I digress.

I needed and loved the alone time this trip afforded me. At the end of each day of the conference, and during lunch breaks, I skipped out of my hotel and explored the city. I've gotten into the habit of consulting Design Sponge city guides before I visit any new place, and the Boston city guide did not steer me wrong. Although these guides direct visitors to design and decor districts, I find that beautiful shops and great restaurants are usually good neighbours. Using these guides, I can shop and eat in cool neighbourhoods with ease. My friend Sara, a local, was also a huge help, and I followed her "must do" instructions religiously.

So, Boston...

After the short flight from Montreal, I landed in the middle of a beautiful sunny day.

After checking into my hotel, I went out walking in the North End.

I stopped for dinner at Neptune Oyster and ate by myself at the bar. The food, atmosphere and service here were all incredible.

Then I walked to Faneuil Hall, upon Sara's suggestion.

The next morning, the sun was bright and the day was hot! I spent my lunch walking around Boston Common.

In Beacon Hill, I stopped in at Good and  20th Century Ltd. and bought some charms.

When I asked if I could take a photo of their store, the two gentlemen working there whisked me to the back of the shop and insisted that they take a photo of me, wearing this crown. They were the coolest!

In my very short time in Boston, I grew to really love the city. It's safe, walkable, and friendly, with great restaurants and shopping. I'd love to go back soon and explore the many other neighbourhoods I didn't have time to reach this time. Good thing it's only a short flight or a 5 hour drive from Montreal!

the slow burn

Have you ever wanted something so, so badly that not having it yet begins to physically hurt?

Maybe it's that roller coaster feeling in your stomach or that ache in your chest. For me, it's both. At the same time. It doesn't come in bursts; it's constant. It's an ever-present feeling of desire for something that is not yet within my reach.

I call it the slow burn.

I've had this feeling many times before. The most pronounced instance, of course, being when I knew I was head over heels obsessed with Brian but didn't have the courage to tell him. I couldn't eat, sleep, or barely breathe. There was no relief to be had until I confessed what I felt. Once I did, everything in my world changed and, 6 years later, that's brought me (well, us) to where we are now.

The slow burn has been warming up again. It's at the point now where I just have to write about it to try to alleviate some of the constant pressure that's building inside. This time the burn, the longing, is photography.

As you might have guessed, this is by no means a new thing. I've been in love with photography for years. Over the last year, however, my feelings toward it as a craft and as an experience that I share with people, have absolutely exploded. It's a full-fledged addiction. It's all I think about. If I don't have plans for a shoot on a weekend, I feel antsy and upset. Even doing my 365 project and taking a photo every single day is not enough. I'm insatiable!

Brian now mysteriously disappears or mumbles something about working on his dissertation when he sees me approach with either my camera or my notebook of business ideas to run by him. My slow burn is giving him hives.

I've had this feeling for so long and it's getting so pronounced that I can't even imagine not feeling it. But what should I do about it?

I just keep shooting, brainstorming, and using this slow burn to fuel the writing of my business plan, the building of my new website, and the dreams of new photo ideas. I can't think of anything better options that to keep doing what these crazy feelings are driving me to do.

mcgill virtual tour

I'm so excited to announce that my biggest photo project to date, the McGill Virtual Campus Tour, just launched. I took over 4,000 photos (everything except residences and food services) of McGill's downtown campus' 70+ buildings. More photos will be added in the coming weeks, too.

I worked on this project with the most amazing people. It was so nice to be part of a project team that was so collaborative and creative. This is actually quite rare at large institutions, where new ideas often make people nervous, or are considered too risky.  Everyone involved in this project was full of enthusiasm, which made for an awesome working environment. A special thanks to Adriana for giving me the opportunity to do this and for taking a risk by trusting a lifestyle photographer to shoot architecture.

Here are a few quick screenshots of the tour, but please do take a look at the tour itself if you're interested.

to the beach!

Hanging out at the beach with my family and Brian is so much fun and so relaxing, it feels like I'm dreaming. Things have been so crazy lately that I almost have forgotten how to chill out.

Last week, I was streaming an absolutely incredible, life-changing, fascinating, whirlwind of a wedding photography course, live! This 5-day wedding photography course with Jasmine Star was so energizing and inspiring. Jasmine spent 5 days teaching her students and online viewers all about the wedding photography industry and about building a photography business. Most impressively, she and her husband (and second shooter) shot a real wedding while teaching us about the whole process, and being filmed and streamed live!

I've been travelling so I have yet to finish the course, but I downloaded the whole thing yesterday and can barely contain myself I'm so excited to watch the rest. If you are even mildly interested in wedding photography, or becoming any kind of professional photographer, I would highly recommend downloading the course for a unique, engaging learning experience.

But now, I'm heading back to the beach...

5 days, 5 shoots

Whew, I'm exhausted! On top of working full-time, I've been doing all kinds of photography jobs, from church calendar photos to fancy receptions. It's great stuff, and this is exactly what I want to be doing, but I'm just sleepy.

dallas curow photography - new bio

I've got a brand new bio, compliments of the incredible Laura Roberts.

Photographer Dallas Curow loves meeting new people, so it's only natural that one of her specialities involves shooting inspired portraits. Whether she's committing Canadian musicians' quirky personalities to film, or helping an ordinary woman feel like a glamour queen, Curow knows that great photography is all about reflecting her subjects' unique sparks.

This, of course, takes a bit of planning. Ideas will often bounce between the artist and her subject, and back again, ping-ponging over favourite colours, photos, obsessions, passions and the wildest of ideas. Creative inspiration flows easily between Dallas and her clients, and she loves creating full packages that will encompass each person's true essence. This collaborative approach allows Curow's clients to fully participate in the creation of their shoot's rules and realities, resulting in uniquely personal head-shots, portraits, and group photos.

In addition to her studio-driven portraits, Curow is also drawn to editorial and event photography, stalking intimate moments and capturing personal revelations in the wild. If a photo could truly distill a thousand words into a single image, you'd find one of Dallas Curow's photos in your frame. Tall tales are told with each click of her camera's shutter, and whether you've just met or have had the pleasure of becoming old friends, you'll find she's an adept storyteller with a keen eye for human drama as well as happy endings.

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In other news, one of my cameras was recently stolen. I'm planning to do marathon photo session days in both Montreal and Toronto to help raise funds to replace it. If you're interested in portraits at a discounted rate, stay tuned for details.

in the mirror

My photo of freelance journalist Sarah Lolley on the cover (and on pg 31) of Montreal Mirror today. She's in the bottom left corner. Congrats to Sarah for being named a "Noisemaker 2010."Click here to view the online version.

Sarah's first book, Emilie and the Mighty Om, a children's book about yoga, will be released fall 2010. Follow her on Twitter.

up! magazine feature: amy millan at liverpool house

Back in September, I spent a fantastic evening at Montreal's Liverpool House with friend and writer Sarah Lolley and singer/guitarist Amy Millan. The feature is now published in up! Magazine.

Additional photos in the online version:
Singer Amy Millan shares why Montreal's Liverpool House is her favourite spot in the city

back in the studio

I'll be honest: I'd rather be taking pictures outside.

But now that the cold weather is creeping in and Montreal has been covered in its first dusting of snow, I've decided to move inside for the winter*, in the interest of keeping my models from freezing.

Studio** photography is definitely not my strength. In fact, I'm quite bad at it! To remedy this, I'm going to be doing a lot of it over the next few months, and you'll be seeing my trial and errors here. A girl's gotta make mistakes to become an awesome photographer, right?

I got started this weekend with Carolyn again. She has amazing skin and eyes, so she's always an amazing model to work with. You can see two previous shoots with her here and here.

Here goes nothing!

*Except for a Russian fairy tale themed shoot I would love to do.
** And by studio I mean my living room.

dallascurow.com: launched!

After many months of work, collaboration, and anticipation, my very first real website has launched!

Please visit Dallas Curow Photography and take a look around. You can also check out my Flickr photostream for more photos or become a fan of my work on Facebook. I'm open for business, so if you're looking for photography services, you know who to contact!

A special thanks to Farah Khan from house9 Design and Pierre Côté for their respective (and fabulous) design and programming work.