Merk Photography Blog

Getting Ready for Rooms With A View 2012!

Sun, 15 Apr 2012 14:55:00-0400

A recent photo of a few Rooms With A View photographers and Deb from the Literacy Council York-Simcoe. Register for the May 3rd opening and May 5th photo seminars at http://roomswithaview2012.eventbrite.com/ before the seats are filled up! Contribute to our mosaic photo masterpiece to help raise funds for the Literacy Council York-Simcoe and have a chance to win a beautiful coffee table book! Visit http://roomswithaview.merkphotography.com for details and email your photos to mosaicphoto@merkphotography.com by April 20th! Hope to see you there!

A Recent Wedding

Mon, 12 Mar 2012 18:52:00-0400

I usually don't do weddings but when a good friend recently asked me to photograph her lovely wedding on Valentine's day last month, I couldn't say no. It was such a beautiful event in a historical building and an honour to be asked to photograph this very special occasion. This is one of my favourite photos from that day. Congratulations Heather & Bill - we wish you many more happy years together!!!

Feather Whisper Photo featured on Dabble Magazine!

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 19:37:00-0400

It was very exciting to see the new issue of Dabble Magazine with my "Feather Whisper" photo featured in the "Infusion" section: http://www.dabblemag.com/dab/magflip?magissueid=xTKrBrja8JeYuT0GJXFOnB9mKPrPjY#65 If you love food, travel and decor, you'll love reading Dabble Magazine!

Happy Holidays Everyone!

Thu, 22 Dec 2011 21:00:00-0400

This was photographed in January 2011 of people skating on Mill Pond in Richmond Hill. Hoping the pond freezes soon so we can all enjoy skating there again!

Another Award!

Fri, 09 Dec 2011 19:05:00-0400

It was a recent honour to have the first photo,"Feather Whisper" in my new "Feather Collection" Series win First Place, Best of Show at a recent PPO Branch Print Show competition! 3 "Excellents" from all 3 judges was a very nice surprise! I really love this photo and it's now available as limited edition prints.

Our Richmond Hill Portraits of Giving Opening!

Wed, 09 Nov 2011 15:38:00-0400

Thanks to everyone who came out to the Richmond Hill Portraits of Giving Exhibit opening last week! We had a great time celebrating incredible people and our new book! If you would like to purchase the book, they are only $10 each and 20% of all book sales will go to the Heart & Stroke Foundation. The exhibit will be at the Richmond Hill Centre for the Performing Arts until December 30th, 2011 so please have a look and get inspired!

Thanks to Brianne Thom from Rogers Community Connection!

Tue, 01 Nov 2011 22:15:00-0400

A huge thanks to Brianne Thom from Rogers Community Connection for putting together a video at the Newmarket stop for the Portraits of Giving exhibit. See Dean Smalley from AB Courier, who is in one of the portraits of people who give back. This was my first time on tv - I was VERY nervous! Here is the link: http://www.rogerstv.com/page.aspx?lid=237&rid=17&sid=4002&gid=86474

Celebrating Those Who Give Back

Tue, 18 Oct 2011 12:53:00-0400

You are invited to the Richmond Hill reception for Merk Photography's 2nd Annual Portraits of Giving exhibit on Thursday November 3rd from 7pm to 9pm at the Richmond Hill Centre for the Performing Arts. This photography exhibit is traveling from Aurora and Newmarket to it's final stop in Richmond Hill from November 1st to December 30th. Portraits of Giving honours seven exceptional York Region people who have given back to their communities in significant ways. Photography by Karen Merk, LPPO, blended with the written word by author Heather Anne Lambert, creates a three dimensional story of these special people, and the inspiration behind their community work. Dessert/refreshments will be provided and entertainment includes a special performance from a few members of the Richmond Hill Philharmonic Orchestra to help us celebrate this exciting exhibit that includes two inspirational people from Richmond Hill! Kindly register at http://rhportraitsofgiving2011.eventbrite.com by November 1st, 2011 so we know how many desserts to bring! Hope to see you there! Sincerely, Karen Merk, LPPO Photographer www.merkphotography.com

Dabble Magazine!

Wed, 14 Sep 2011 00:38:00-0400

It was very exciting to have one of my photos (from just off the coast of beautiful Nassau,Bahamas) selected for Dabble Magazine's website's Design section! Have a look: http://dabblemag.com/website/summer-sailing/ What a stunning magazine - I'm definitely hooked on Dabble!

How I've Used QR Codes at Recent Exhibits

Thu, 01 Sep 2011 14:42:00-0400

It was a busy summer after launching Portraits of Giving, curating the 5 Senses Festival's East Side Gallery, covering events, and setting up new Photo Gallery Program exhibits. This summer I wanted to explore using QR Codes with exhibits. What are they?
QR Codes are quick response codes, similar to bar codes, created to allow its contents to be scanned by any smart phone and decoded at high speed. They are a great way to connect the offline world with the online world. They are also very useful for Art Exhibits, events, and instructional programs, to provide added value and contact information to guests and save trees! How did I use them? Portraits of Giving
In my recent Portraits of Giving exhibit, I added a QR code to our exhibit poster so that people could access recordings of full bios of all the people in the portraits to add another dimension and depth to the exhibit. 5 Senses Festival's East Side Gallery
I again added a QR code to the exhibit poster, but this time it connected to a list of all 20+ exhibitors, rather than printing paper programs, which saved A LOT of trees. Photo Gallery Program
QR codes were added to recent Gallery Cards at Meridian Wellness for each photograph, connecting to the photographer's website. My Business Card
I added a QR code to the back of my business cards that people can scan right into their smartphones and save me as a contact on their phone. Just think of the possibilities to connect offline with the online world, how you can add a deeper experience to exhibits and programs, and be environmentally friendly! If you are interested in QR Code's for your upcoming exhibits or programs, please contact me at karenm@merkphotography.com and I will be happy to send an outline of how I can help you get on board!

The Village of Richmond Hill 5 Senses Festival's East Side Gallery

Thu, 11 Aug 2011 23:59:00-0400

On August 12th and 13th, we are very excited to present the Village of Richmond Hill 5 Senses Festival's East Side Gallery at the Richmond Hill Centre for the Performing Arts with over 20 local artists and photographers displaying their work! Gallery Hours: Friday August 12th 7:05pm to 10:05pm Saturday August 13th 10:05am to 5:00pm and 7:05pm to 10:05pm. Presenting artists are: * Nina Di Carlo * Henri & Monique Amar * Mark Holden * Nicol Mentis * Tina Konecny * Mary Weisz * Jette Cott * Elsa Lum * Susan Eaton * Deborah Campo * Carolyn Helen Davis * Sandra Scarpelli * Angela Wong * Anna Vasconcelos * Israel Rozinsky * Laura Brant * Valerie Kent(will be painting live on Sat. Aug. 13th) * Karen Merk, LPPO * Maureen Munsi * Bettina Ryder Ball * Rose Hirano * Carol Green * Christina Kerr Teresa Marchione will be singing New York themed songs up on the Upper East Side Gallery on Saturday August 13th at 7:15pm before the amazing Mike Mandel's "Fool Your Senses" show. A warm thank you to our Gallery Sponsors: North Star Homes, Lumar Interiors and Espresso Blu Cafe. Hope you can join us at the East Side Gallery in the Richmond Hill Centre for the Performing Arts at 10268 Yonge St. There are lots of other activities planned for the entire family. See the official calendar of events in the August SNAP Richmond Hill Newspaper. www.5sensesfestival.org

You're Invited to Portraits of Giving 2011!

Thu, 09 Jun 2011 15:56:00-0400

You are invited to Merk Photography's 2nd Annual Portraits of Giving Reception as we launch this new exhibit which will travel to Aurora, Newmarket and Richmond Hill. The exhibit honours seven exceptional York Region people who have given back to their communities in significant ways. Photography by Karen Merk, LPPO, blended with the written word by author Heather Anne Lambert, creates a three dimensional story of these special people, and the inspiration behind their community work. Join us at our reception at the elegant Aurora Cultural Centre on July 7th at 7 p.m to honour people helping people. Refreshments and entertainment will be provided to help us celebrate this exciting exhibit. In the spirit of giving back, tickets are $5 cash at the door with all proceeds going to the Heart & Stroke Foundation. A charitable tax receipt will be issued for all donations of $15 or more at the door. The $5 admission does not qualify for a charitable tax receipt. Kindly RSVP at http://portraitsofgiving2011.eventbrite.com by Tuesday July 5th, 2011.

Rooms with a View 2011 Group Photo

Thu, 02 Jun 2011 15:37:00-0400

Here is a Rooms With A View 2011 Photography Exhibit that was published in SNAP Aurora and SNAP Richmond. Included in the photo are photographers Navy, Tina, Karen, Rob, Ellen and Sandra, Tricha from the Literacy Council York Simcoe, and of course, the fabulous Sharon Grech from Benjamin Moore. We all had a great time and can't wait until we do it again next year! Please visit http://roomswithaview.merkphotography.com for more information.

Gearing Up for the 2nd Annual Rooms With A View Photography Show & Sale

Mon, 18 Apr 2011 22:09:00-0400

Join us for the 2nd Annual Rooms With A View Photography Show & Sale at the Aurora Cultural Centre May 5th to 7th, 2011. Register at http://roomswithaview.eventbrite.com by May 3rd for our opening seminar on May 5th at 6:30pm with Sharon Grech from Benjamin Moore Paints as seen on Cityline TV. Please Visit http://roomswithaview.merkphotography.com for more information.

My annual March Business Portrait Special is on!

Tue, 01 Mar 2011 22:16:00-0400

Get a fresh new look for 2011 and purchase a Business Portrait session during the month of March for $125 which includes one final retouched digital portrait. If outside of York Region, additional travel costs may apply.