Little Oliver: Vancouver Newborn Session

Well, to say that the last two weeks has been stressful is an understatement! A few Saturdays ago I had the pleasure of photographing a beautiful little 4-week old, Oliver, at his home in Downtown Vancouver with his parents, Kerri and Jeff and their chocolate lab, Leah. I made a whole day of it, going to the Aquarium with my husband and boys before and after the shoot and the shoot itself went so well.

Oliver took a bit to get settled, but once he did, I was actually able to get some of those precious 'newborn poses' that I've always wanted to capture on camera and I was so pleased with the results. All in all, it was a great day and so nice to meet this little family of 3!

Two days after that shoot, I experienced the dreaded 'white screen of death' when trying to boot my iMAC up and, since then, it has been a bit crazy. My iMAC was out of commission for a week or so, then in the shop for a week, then alive again for two glorious days and finally, it bit the dust completely! Thankfully, through all of this, I do have a laptop and all of my photos double and triple backed up but all the drama cut into my editing time significantly and I am so thankful for Kerri and Jeff's patience as, normally, even though I say it will take up to 2 weeks to receive your photos, it usually is only 1 week tops and they have had to wait the full two weeks.

Kerri and Jeff, you have a beautiful little guy there, as you know, and I really appreciate the opportunity to spend an afternoon with you three in your gorgeous home. I am really pleased that our paths crossed. Once again, thank you for patiently waiting for this post. I sincerely hope that the results were worth the wait! Enjoy!

As with most babies (and surely as has been the case with my boys) Oliver was quite hungry even though he had just eating so we got a few of him and his parents while he was somewhat awake and then Kerri put him into a nice milk coma for the rest of the photos and it worked like a charm :)

I love how he's looking up at his mom and dad in the picture above :) So precious.

And a few with dad :)

Kerri had a great idea for a photo that she had seen on Pinterest and she had a lot of the props so we stuck little Oliver in this baseball mitt and hoped for the best. He didn't seem to mind at all ;)

Get ready for a whole lot of cuteness! This little man was so co-operative and allowed us to make multiple hat switches and position changes for quite some time. As a result, this amazing stage where infants are so tiny and fragile was really captured and, Kerri, I hope this helps solidify these moments in your memory forever. What a precious little life.

 This adorable brown toque was kindly provided by Mad Madison designs and made an amazing prop, adding beautiful texture and neutral tones to these photos. Thank you to Ashley Reynolds for sharing your talent!

 Time to get some shots with the fourth member of the family :)

I"ll end with one of my favorites photos from the day of this little angel. I think it's a far better note to end on than any words from me. Big thanks again to this family for opening their home to me for a few hours. It was such a privilege!

Miss Jaelynn & Co

This photo shoot was two years in the making but was so worth the wait! Our good friend (well, Jon's friend first and my friend I inherited when I started dating Jon), Ele, gave this photoshoot to her friend, Shawna, a few years back and I was so excited to finally meet this gorgeous little girl!

It was a frosty afternoon in December but the sun was still shining a bit and these two 2 year olds did a great job considering the cold and the fact that they had just woken up from a sleep in the car! Jaelynn didn't want to leave Shawna's lap but we were still able to get a lot of great ones of this beautiful little two year old and her cousin Jackson was super adorable and quite co-operative as well!

I brought along some props with Christmas coming up and was able to sneak them in a few shots. I still can't believe what beautiful weather we've had this fall and early winter and I was pleased to spend this beautiful afternoon with Shawna and these two cuties.

Enjoy and Merry Christmas!

Here are some of my favorites of Jaelynn!

Jacksons' turn! Pretty handsome little guy, eh?

After the first twenty minutes or so, the kids were getting a bit cold and restless so we decided to let them ride around on their bikes and it was a great way just to get them in their natural element. The cats in the field provided a welcome distraction and even prompted some smiles :)

Two very cute cousins and Rudolph :)

Ele, thank you for your support of my business and for your great heart that prompted you to give this gift to your friend. Shawna, it was a pleasure to meet you and I loved hanging out with your daughter and nephew. I hope you enjoy the photos and have a wonderful holiday season with your family.

Merry Christmas! 

Twins Session...No, they're not identical ;)

Twins session with two best friends and their little babies, just 3 months apart? Don't mind if I do :) I was so thrilled to be able to hang out with Steph and April and their little babes, Nate and Addyson, on another beautiful fall morning. You can take a look back at Steph's Maternity Session and Addyson's newborn session as I have been spoiled with lots of QT with the Maitlands recently!

We were a little skeptical of the weather forecast but, even though there were a few rain droplets as I drove to this new little spot, the rain held off and it was incredibly warm out considering it was early November.

I love doing group sessions like this, especially with babies, because, if one baby is fussy or feeding, we can just take some shots of the other and, in this case, April's mom also came along, and was a huge help! Both kids lasted for more than an hour at this spot through multiple poses and at least two wardrobe changes each.

Here are some shots of these gorgeous mama's and their beautiful babies!



I LOVE Nate's hat so, while Addyson had a bit of a top up of milk, we got quite a few of this cute little 3 month old!



Next cutie in line.... is her outfit not the most adorable thing you've ever seen? I would be broke if I had to buy clothes for a girl (let's be honest, I already have a tiny bit of a shopping problem having two boys in the house :) )






There were just a few too many adorable shots of Addyson to pick only one so here are six of my faves. My favorite is the one on the top right. I have a bit of a soft spot for those chubby little cheeks :)






Best Friends and 'best-friends-to-be'






Too cute not to post!



One of my favorite sequences of 'best friends' shots. We were having so much fun! I may have even suggested that, in one of the shots, it looks like they're using their babies as weapons.








Wardrobe change and Grandma Ethel could not have come in more appropriate clothing!



Mr.Nate and smiles all thanks to Grandma!





Wardrobe Change #2 for Addy and out come the Naslund Jersey's. Love how tiny she looks and, Steph, you look amazing for just having had a baby!



Little Festive Babies!



After the park, we headed back to my house for a few indoor shots with the little buddies and the beautiful little cherubs co-operated quite nicely! Huge thanks to my Nana for sewing me some swaddling blankets for this little ones.











Steph & April, when I watch you two together, I'm reminded that, we are so often blessed, in life, with best friends who end up being more like family. It is so clear that you two have a special bond that cannot be easily broken and will now only be stronger as you get to share in the journey of motherhood. Life is so much richer sharing it with others who love you for who you are and the fact that you love each other in that way is also so clear.

Your little ones are so blessed to be inheriting a best friend in one another and an aunty in each of you (oh and uncles in your significant others - can't forget them!).

May you both have such a blessed year, skyping, visiting, laughing and crying together through the ups and downs of this crazy adventure. 

S Family: Beautiful Fall Colors

When we first moved to Langley during our Teaching degrees, little did I know that I would get a dream job at a great school with great staff. I get to work so closely with all of the resource staff at LSS and, Nicole Salmon and her sister, Monique, were some of the first colleagues I met and connected with at this school. Monique has since moved on to a different school but, over the last 6 years, I have been able to get to know Nicole better, both at school and outside of school.

I was so honored, when she asked me to take some portraits of her and her girls this fall and the weather on this particular morning was incredibly co-operative. Perfectly cloudy with hints of morning sunshine and three lovely ladies with such fun interactions. I thoroughly enjoyed my morning with you ladies and hope you enjoy the final product!



Gorgeous girls!









These two girls are not only beautiful but, they had so much fun and it showed!



I love the one on the right - candid moments are some of my favorites :)






Sisters :)



Nicole was hesitant to get in the photos but, I think you can agree, that she is far more photogenic than she gives herself credit for and I'm so glad I was able to capture some of her with her girls. They all have such gorgeous smiles!


We found a beautiful spot in the trees with some beautiful light and spent a good deal of time there :) I love this sequence and the interactions between sisters. I may have two boys but I can only imagine the sorts of moments I'll be capturing in 10 or so years. Watching these two made me look forward to it :)






I asked the girls to squat down for a few shots and it proved to be far more challenging that I expected and took a few tries but they got it and then their mom showed them up by making it look easy :)





A few shots of Nicole on her own. Pretty photogenic, eh?



The girls were still full of crazy creative ideas so, as we headed back to our cars, I snapped a few more :0



Nicole, thank you for introducing me to your two girls and for being such a great friend to me at LSS all of these years. You have such a passion for the students you work with and, I have seen you go above and beyond for them time and time again. I saw glimpses of a deeper version of that passion as I watched you interact with your daughters and, it is so evident that they love and respect you so much.

I hope you all have a wonderful holiday season and thank you again for allowing me to be a part of capturing your family at this stage of life. Many blessings to you and your beautiful girls!