Snow. It's a love hate thing.

Nothing makes snow more fun than kids!  I'll admit I went through years of hating the snow.  Not so much the initial snow, when it's all fluffy and pretty like a bright frozen blanket of silence.  It's right after, usually by the afternoon when it turns to a slushy mess then freezes and becomes a dirty crusty sloppy sludge covering the streets for a week after.  Maybe it's a resentment I harbor from having to wear mittens as a child.  Totally useless for sign language and my little digits would still be frozen afterwards, again nothing but frustration trying to communicate with my parents as a kid in cold weather.  Now with a son nearly three I'm finding some love in the snow again.  Watching his eyes get wide at the wondrous white world that has taken the place of what he sees everyday makes it so fun again! 

So who knew that family photos could be so fun in the snow?! You may remember this little guy from his 1st birthday session back in June.  http://grinningweasel.blogspot.ca/2012_06_01_archive.html

I was super exited to head up the mountain in search of snow with them for a family session just barely in time for Christmas!   We had a blast...although I'm pretty sure their dog Gus had the most fun of all! And now I officially have 2 reasons to love the snow again.  Can't wait for my next snowy session! 

It's the End of the World & I Can Feel Pretty Good About It.

 It's December and potentially the end of the world in 15 days so naturally I got to reflecting a little on this past year.  I've been so fortunate to have so many families ask me to capture some of their most memorable moments & there have been a lot this year!  From newborns to families to dogs and YES I even broke my own rule and did a wedding!  I have been honored to be contacted by many returning families & filled with pride from all the referrals & testimonials as well as humbled by sessions that didn't go as well as I wanted.  It has been a tremendous realization that the best part of a session that doesn't go as planned (and when dealing with small humans it will inevitably happen) is that I get to be a business with a conscience!  No matter how good the session I always go on to think of all the things I could can WILL do better.  I don't get that vibe from very many businesses I deal with.  I can guarantee that UPS isn't staying up at night wishing they'd delivered that package on time...to the right house...or maybe phoned last week when it got to their RICHMOND? location and I have to pick it up by tomorrow?!  (whew, thanks for the vent)   But I do.  So thank you to all the families of 2012.  Thanks for making me smile.  Thanks for letting me see you grow.  Thanks for playing along.  Thank you MOST for the frustrations!

   "Embrace frustration.  It pushes you to learn and grow, broadens your horizons, and lights a fire under you when your work has gone cold.  Nothing is more dangerous to an artist than complacency."

 Okay, that's enough of the 'wordiness' on to some pictures!  I go into every session a little bit nervous.  A good nervous, with really high expectations of what I want to capture.  (and as a side note if you think it's easy I dare you to take that camera that takes really nice pictures and have a family stand in the middle of a field staring at you blankly waiting for you to direct them how to 'look natural')  Well despite knowing the Breu's pretty well, their son Nash had me really nervous!  He's right up there with my son for looking straight at the ground and running away at the mere mention of a camera.  I love it when I'm prepared for the worst and instead I get pure magic!  Thanks Nash for reminding me to always expect the unexpected!

Mr A's 1st Birthday

  It seems like just yesterday I was doing a newborn session for this little guy.  Well look out world, Mr A is ONE!  Cue the balloons and cake!  I think it's fair to say he had a pretty good time, and the fact he finds yawning the most hilarious thing at the moment made my job pretty easy! You should turn 1 more often little guy, I had too much fun!

Caption Contest!

   While editing this shoot of these adorable twins I came across some that just had me howling with laughter.  The interaction between them was priceless!  Thought maybe it would be fun to do a caption contest of one of my favorites!

  Add a comment here on the blog for a funny caption & the best one will win a $150 gift certificate for a fall photo session!  Contest ends July 31 2012.  This contest is in no way affiliated with Facebook or it's associates.  Good luck!

Spring Bliss

    This is one family that I absolutely adore!  Last fall they moved to this gorgeous property in Pemberton where they became the proud owners of Off Road Body and Towing.  And as they say they're living happily ever after and expecting baby number 2!  I could have not asked for more in a shoot as to have both such a beautiful family and a beautiful location...sigh, I was in bliss.  Can't wait to come back this summer and meet the new addition!

 

 

 

Red Balloons

She was worried that her daughter wouldn't co-operate.  

"Don't worry." I said. "I'll bring balloons."

Then the wind took them away 10 minutes into our shoot.

She didn't quite get the balloons she was promised, but was still so perfectly precious.

 I wish I could just keep her in my pocket. 

Two Little Lovelies

My first words to their mother was, "I'm so sorry." when she arrived at Strong Start with her 2.5yr old and a set of twins just a few weeks old.  To which she replied, "I know. I cried."  I liked her immediately.  My apologies were unnecessary though, so much so that we joked that she must secretly have a nanny for how rested & well put together she was!

     As it turns out their mama was just blessed with two of the most serene lovelies you'd ever hope to meet.  It was so much fun capturing these two & I can't wait for another session with them!