Hudson & Co: Langley Family Session

This session was very special (aren't they all? that's kind of why I love doing this sort of thing :) ) for so many reasons! I have had the privilege of sharing a church community with Keith and Melissa for the last 4+ years and, just over a year ago, was able to take maternity and newborn photos for this beautiful family! This is one of my first families where I've been able to follow them from birth onward and their little boy, Hudson, has grown into an amazing and handsome little guy!

We had a beautiful location and a beautiful day as well as a beautiful set of subjects so enjoy :)




Melissa planned for the shoot to be in the morning as this is Hudson's best time of day and she was SO right! He was so smiley right from the get-go and kept it together for the whole hour+ that we were there!



I brought some toys with me, just in case, but there was some stealth work required to get this giraffe out of his hands once I showed it to him....luckily a major meltdown was avoided :)





The sun was blazing but, I love this spot because there are so many shaded spots and even some of the wide open shots work as along as you're out early-ish in the morning, besides, a little sun-kissed look is nice every now and again!





I love the little smile Hudson is giving as he looks back at his parents and so nice to see such love between these two - pretty sure that bottom pic is one of my favorites of the day.



Candid moments might be some of my favs and the bottom photo definitely falls in that category. Keith and Melissa, you guys have great smiles and such great interactions. It was so fun to hang out with you guys for the morning.



Melissa came so prepared with multiple outfits for her and her boys and it came in handy. It's always nice, through a long photoshoot, to have some variety in wardrobe and their second wardrobe looked just as great in photos as the first. Here are a few of Hudson before, during and after the wardrobe change and snack break :)



Heading over to the barn, ready for round two :) Hudson totally posed himself on that wheel!



Knowing that, once you have kids, it is rare to have photos of just you and your spouse, we decided to get a few of Keith and Melissa while Hudson ran around for a bit. They're pretty photogenic, don't you think?



I'm pretty sure I was 'mooing like a cow,' 'barking like a dog' and all manner of other things in order to get the smiles out of Hudson in this location. Wierd but totally worth it :)



In transition to the next location... A few moments spent upside down, a snuggle with dad and a moment fixing the tiny TOMS. I have to admit, Ben may need a pair of those shoes now, they were so cute!



The bottom right photo might be a bit of a glimpse 14 or so years into the future ;)



Last but not least, we decided to head down to the water, which is admittedly one of my new favorite locations - gorgeous sand, not many people there (except for a few fishermen here and there) and lots of room for little kids to run around.



I can't believe what an amazing smile Hudson was still giving us at this point - way to go buddy :)



During the 20ish minutes we were down by the water, the fishermen that were there caught two salmon so Hudson got his photo with one of them and, it was a great thing for him to focus on during some of the last family photos!

The last ones of the day...



Being a bit of a perfectionist, when I went through the photos at home after the shoot, I wished I had been able to get a photo of Hudson walking along the beach where he's not too dark and the mountains are exposed properly too. So, I emailed Melissa and asked if she or Keith and Hudson could meet me (& both boys) back at Derby Reach the next day so Ben & Hudson could play but also so I could try out a different setting and see if I got better results. They were super great about it and we went back and had a fabulous morning. Ben had so much fun playing and Hudson was perfectly happy to let me take his picture. By the time I got there he had already got himself pretty dirty but it totally didn't matter because it gave me a chance to capture him in his element :)



What a character :)



He has some seriously cute dimples and great smiles.





Just before Keith and Hudson left, Hudson was handing out smiles, left right and center, plus there was a big barge that went by that kept his attention and gave me a chance to snap quite a few shots!



I didn't quite expect to take so many of him on day 2 so, Keith and Melissa, you'll have a few to choose from but I couldn't resist - he was in such a good mood!

Finally, a shot I was happy with where you can see the gorgeous mountains and this adorable little boy :)



Keith and Melissa, you are wonderful servants at our church and your family is a blessing to me and so many others. Melissa, you have such a wonderful easy-going, friendly, thoughtful nature and Keith, your ability to connect with others and reach people in our church through your personality and preaching is so appreciated. It really is no wonder that Hudson is such a happy, easy-going guy. Thanks for letting me follow the growth of your family and I look forward to our continued friendship.

Beautiful Belly; Maternity Session @ Derby Reach Heritage Site

There are few things more beautiful in life than the way a baby grows in a womb for 9 months with little to no help from us at all. I truly believe that entire process is one of the best pieces of evidence for the existence of a God so, when I was asked to photograph this beautiful baby belly I jumped at the chance!

Kaelynn was 37 weeks pregnant at the time and, lucky for her, still nice and small - a fact I'm sure she appreciates on those hot summer days. From the minute we met, we hit it off and had a great time chatting on our way to the shoot. We headed to Derby Reach Heritage Site and, even though I've been there before, we found some new spots and the summer morning sun was good to us!

Kaelynn, I know you've been waiting patiently for these so, I'm happily taking a break from a movie I rented, to satisfy your curiosity. Enjoy!





Kaelynn was so easy going the entire shoot and moved from sitting to standing to lying pretty easily for being 9 months pregnant! Her co-operative nature and ability just to have fun during the shoot sure made my job easy and we got some great shots!





Sometimes the best shots happen when the subject doesn't know they're being photographed, I think I was just testing the light out in these locations with these shots but they ended up being some of my favorites! She has such a peaceful look on her face. I love it.





Just as Kaelynn was willing to do anything to get a good shot, I think I was lying on the grass at one point for some of these shots as well. Totally worth it :)




Now for wardrobe and scenery change #1. It was great to have a few wardrobes to choose from and I applauded Kaelynn for finding 3 great outfits so late in the pregnancy as I know what it's like when you're down to the last few things that fit and you're wondering if the baby will come or if you'll have to buy some more clothes to tide you over. I think she looked great in all her choices!




The long-awaited belly shots. These were some of the ones that Kaelynn was looking forward to!





I love her expression in the bottom photo. It says it all!



Being a farm girl herself, it was great to be able to get some shots with the whole barn in focus.







These sillouhette shots turned out wonderfully - something I haven't done before but would do again - they really show off the belly!




Out of the uncomfy jeans and into outfit #3. We decided to do a few more shots by the barn and then head down to the water!




The photo on the left below might be one of my favorites. Kaelynn, you are truly glowing!




Kaelynn was really hoping for some shots with her feet in the water so down to the water we went!




I always say how much I love it when clients come ready with ideas of what sort of shots they want and Kaelynn was super creative. She wanted to do some shots with the name of her soon-to-be baby girl, Cierra, in the sand and we made it happen. A great idea and beautiful name!



I love these ones - so natural and such gorgeous scenery too!






Finally we went right into the water for these last few shots. It was perfect weather down by the water and the wind worked well for us too.




Kaelynn, it was such a pleasure meeting you. I'm so glad April put us in touch and gave me this opportunity spend an afternoon with you and your baby to be. That little girl of yours is going to be well loved by you and so many others and I look forward to hearing of her grand entrance into this world. God Bless you and your baby belly!

A beautiful Lily: Ladner Newborn & Family Portraits

I was so excited on a somewhat cloudy morning to head to my old stomping grounds for a newborn photoshoot right near my old high school. Becca and I went to high school together and, funny enough, are both teachers now only Becca teaches at our old high school and, after having her second little baby, is on maternity leave again. Her oldest, Logan, is just a bit younger than Ben and I was so excited to have a chance to photograph their newest addition - Lily!

Here are some of my favorites pics of her gorgeous little family! They picked some beautiful colors for the photos and had a great home with just the right amount of natural light.

Logan was amazing for the entire shoot and, it definitely helped that he could settle in with dad and watch some Nemo while Lily had her photos taken.

I absolutely loved the light in this particular spot and the way in which Lily looks so little when held in her mom and dad's hands. She's so precious!

Father & Daughter.

Some more shots of this beautiful family. I love the colors in Lily's dress and how she's just sleeping so peacefully through it all.

Now for the star of the show. She was so amazing throughout the whole shoot and endured a number of wardrobe changes. I had a bunch of new fabrics to try out and she was happy to oblige :)

Lily has such beautiful hair for a little newborn - hair that a lot of kids don't even have at age 1 or 2!

I got some gorgeous hats from a store on etsy, KnitWitWoolies, and had a lot of fun trying them out on Lily. I love how the pom pom on the bottom rests on her little bottom. So cute. Richard and Logan were enjoying some movie time while Lily was getting her photos taken and I love that you can see them blurred out in the background of the bottom photo!

A few of mom and dad with their little princess. Check out her smirk as she lays in her daddy's arms. Love it.

I love the little one-eyed look in the bottom photo. She looks so happy to be hanging out in that bucket :)

Becca shared with me that their beautiful little girl is named after the flower that Richard always buys for her so she had a few on hand for the shoot. I love it when clients come with creative ideas like that - it makes my job even more enjoyable than it already is. As you can see she wasn't too into this hat at first (another etsy find!)  but, a pee and a poo later and she was good to go :) All in all, considering that was the only drama of the photoshoot, I'd say we fared pretty well!

I know from experience that, when the older sibling is only 2 and a bit, it's hard to get a good photo of baby and big brother but we got a few in this spot and then some more later when we were outside. Logan did really well and Lily looks so contented with him snuggling her.

A few more faves of this little beauty.

While Lily got a bit of a milk break, I headed outside with Rich and Logan for some father/son time. I love how much air Logan is getting in the top picture!

We even took some at the park right across from their house where Logan loves to play. What an awesome place for a kid to grow up and Logan was so good about coming back into the house. Such a great little guy.

A few of Lily and mom and dad. Have I said yet how amazing Becca looks? Such a beautiful mom.



Such a fun family. I love how Lily has her eye on the camera in a lot of these pictures.



Becca & Richard, thank you for inviting me into your home to photograph your beautiful family and precious new addition. I had such a great time and it was wonderful to reconnect with you, Becca, and meet your other half and kidlets! I hope you enjoy your photos and maybe we can even find a time to get our boys together while we're off on leave together :)