Professional Services in Waterloo

Skilled shutterbug Tanya knows how to coax smiles from even the most stubborn of children. “Be a kid yourself,” says the mother of two, who conjures dimples from the cheeks of infants and even toddlers during tax season. Tanya captures natural interactions between siblings or couples as they frolic indoors or out, and also aims her lens at prized pooches with our without the hand that feeds them. Her flair for artistic imagery emerges from images of babies tucked into teacups or vintage shoots featuring women dressed as their favourite pinup girl. Before a session, Tanya likes to consult with her clients in person to collaborate on their artistic vision.

Photographer Jonathan Davila developed his signature edgy style while growing up in the Los Angeles area. Magick Photography’s shutterbug-in-residence collaborates considerably with each client to produce fun and playful images that toe the line between photojournalism and art. On-location wedding, family-portrait, and boudoir sessions strive to capture each client’s personality, energy, and rambling thought bubbles. The company supplies a DVD of retouched images with no copyright restriction for both wedding and portrait packages.

CraZ TechZ's accessible instructors get the gears turning in brains with hands-on tech classes where kids aged 7–17 learn how to operate computers and complete technological projects. After-school programs entertain students' curiosity in such subjects as using Microsoft Office, programming video games, and creating animated movies. Week-long school-break and summer camps thoroughly explore tech topics over four to five days, each session ending with wistful camp songs sung around a floppy-disk bonfire. The school also offers adult classes in programs such as web design, programming, and Flash, and hosts kid-friendly computer-gaming parties on its fleet of machines.

Working 50 hours a week in a large corporate office, Gordon Aitken could almost feel his creative muscles atrophying. So instead of losing them forever, Gordon lifted his artistic legs and took the step toward his new career as a photographer. That’s how he met his soulmate and collaborator, Grainne, who, coincidentally enough, also walked away from a fast-paced career in international management consulting after years of yearning to express her creativity through photography.

After a chance meeting at an international photographers’ conference, the duo joined forces to open Art and Soul Photography, focusing on creating custom pieces that celebrate subjects with style and individuality. Together, the two have 30 years of combined experience that they've used to capture weddings and snap portraits of famous subjects, including former US President Bill Clinton and professional baseball players. They’ve traveled throughout North Africa and Europe, teaching students that photography is a viable alternative to chiselling marble statues during every Kodak moment.

Amy McNall won't blink if a bride-to-be asks her to help plan a wedding in chicken coop. She believes that nuptials should be as individual as the two people embarking on a life adventure together. So instead she'll listen intently and quickly map out a plan that's reasonable and within the happy couple's budget. A coordinator certified by Wedding Planner's Institute of Canada, her services range from basic consultations to designing invitations and aisle décor. She understands that planning large events is often stressful and employs various tactics to minimize the anxiety, such as introducing her clients to the many contacts she has in the music, wine, catering industries. One of her favourite reception embellishments is the newly popular candy buffet, which she decorates and sets up, leaving brides time to focus instead on locating their missing ring finger.

Since 1950, Texmain's laundry specialists have kept wardrobes in mint condition with methods designed for the unique properties of each fabric. They meticulously clean leather, taking care to preserve its sheen without damaging its delicate layer of Fonzie musk, or remove cake, rice, and other stains from delicate wedding gowns. For structural issues, tailors can replace missing buttons or mend rips.