Turning one!!!
This little beauty had just turned one when I met her - recently enough to keep telling me how old she is by holding up one little finger!!! So incredibly adorable!!! I could have stayed and photographed her all day (and hung out with her super cool parents too) but after a while in the snow she grew cold and we had to call it quits. However in that half hour I had in the park with her I think I snapped more keepers than ever before in such a small span of time!!! She’s just such a perfect little model!!! I sure hope I get to watch her grow!!!
Family session in the snow and a great new connection to a wedding dress designer :-)
This family was photographed on a lovely warm day with lots of snow. Now as Calgarians, this is a very typical scene for a photo session for the better part of half the year, but this family is originally from South Africa making the snow a much more unique feature. The majority of the family members have relocated here (though I can’t really imagine leaving all that sun and warmth for the cold!) but a couple members remain and were visiting at the time of this session. This particular element of the story really touched me: the Grandmother, who was rather ill a few years back, was here on her first ever visit to Canada - a journey no one expected she would ever be able to make. It was absolutely magical to watch her enjoy the snow with the energy and excitement of a child! The smile on her face as she played in the snow just warmed me!
The second wonderful thing that happened to me that day was meeting Lani (she’s the face in the photo with her husband and the frog!). Lani is a wedding dress designer based in St. Albert Alberta. Her exquisite vision for style, access to some of the world’s finest fabrics, established skill and experience, and commitment to her love of wedding dress design make Lani an amazing choice for any bride looking to have a dress designed uniquely for them. She not only designs and creates these masterpieces, but also lends her expertise in the form of consulting ranging from wardrobe consultation for a bride and her attendants all the way to assisting in the choosing of colors, flowers and decor to help give your wedding that perfect polished look. And, of course, she’s just such a nice, down to earth, fun person. I absolultely loved working with her on her family’s photos and I’m sure she would be equally wonderful to work with for a wedding 
Please take a moment to check out Lani’s fabulous work at the R O O Y Couture and Consulting website: http://www.rooycouture.com/
And now the photos
Christmas photos!
Following my lovely week away, I came home and worked straight through a very busy family photo season. This kicked off with 2 gorgeous little girls, who, again, I’ve had the pleasure of photographing several times! This session was for Christmas letter purposes – to show the world how much they’ve grown! And have they ever!!! Too fast in fact, but more beautiful with each passing day!
The Lovely Perry Family… expecting again!
Between Thunder Bay and my next trip – I was home for 2 days… long enough to squeeze in my son’s third birthday party and one prenatal session! Meet Erin! She’s nearly 9 months pregnant here (yes… we waited until the last minute) and she looks AMAZING!!! Now this family has graced my blog several times over, and in this particular session they looked as wonderful as ever! Can’t wait to share the news and the photos of their new bundle soon!!! Hmmmmmm…. Will it be a boy or a girl??? We’ll all have to wait to find out! Including Mom & Dad!!!
Tbay to visit my best bud and her new baby boy!!!
November was a fun month for me… I took a little break after working hard on weddings throughout the summer and early fall and embarked on a couple of little vacations. The first trip landed me in Thunder Bay, to visit my best friend of about 15 years and to meet her 4month old baby! Now, this little one has more hair than any other baby I’ve ever photographed, and seriously – he was born with it!!!!! Adorable! I love you Kat & Dave, and now little Callum too! xxx
Stein Family
Sooooo….. I have a LOT of catch up blogging to do!!! The few weeks prior to Christmas were completely consumed with family sessions and getting images back in time for Christmas, and, my blogging suffered as I prioritized everything else! But, I have a little down time on the plane at the moment as I fly home from England, so I figured it’s a perfect time to do this!!! Starting the marathon of blogging is the Stein family, photographed on Halloween day. A lovely family referred to me by other previous clients it was a treat to work with these guys!
The Wedding of Naomi & Jeff
Wow! That’s almost all I can say when I think about this wedding!!! It was a perfect day from beginning to end… there were tons of lovely personal touches - such as the bride’s father actually performing the marriage ceremony, and just so much love and joy in the room from family and friends alike! Every detail was perfect and the bride, of course, stunning and absolutely radiant! What a beautiful day to celebrate the joining of such a beautiful couple! Thanks Naomi & Jeff for having me as a part of your day and I wish you many years of health, love, and happiness!!!
The Springmans
This family is always such a treat to photograph… this is the third year in a row I’ve done their annual family portraits and the gorgeous little girls melt me every time with their stunning looks and infectious smiles!!! Oh, and mom and dad are awesome too!!! This time though they challenged me as they wanted me to work inside their home… something I typically shy away from. But, they were wonderfully accommodating as I completely rearranged the living room multiple times and it left us with a look very unique from previous years. Thanks guys!!! You’re so wonderful!
A Father and Son session…
This was the first time that this father and son had ever had professional photographs taken of themselves together, so a meaningful session it was! Very “boyish” with a heavy focus on hockey jerseys and… splashing in the mud! I had a great time with you guys… thanks!
Rakowski Family
Another lovely fun family!!! A camera shy little guy (to start) and a little girl who LOVES the camera!!! A baby who couldn’t be any sweeter, and behind it all, mom and dad who are not only good-looking, but easy and fun to work with despite the chaos of young children and challenging weather!!! You guys were an absolute treasure to work with! Thanks for inviting me to do your family pics!!!
Nicholson Family
Another absolutely stunning family! This little guy started out quite shy, but as you can see it didn’t take long for him to warm up to the camera! He was fascinated by the water and his smile was so captivating!!! Such a sweet little cutie! And the little man could blow bubbles like a champ! I am especially lucky to have worked with this family as mom and dad are getting married next summer and I have been asked to be a part of that wonderful event as well! I’m so looking forward to all of our future work together you guys!!!
Hyde Family
This was a well organized shoot… everything was perfectly organized weeks in advance as one of the family members was in town for only a few days… what we didn’t plan for though was the weather! We had to modify a little from our original plan, but the end result was perfect!!! We managed to get a warmish day and an amazing snowy setting to work with! Just magical, especially given it was only mid-October! Thanks for all your patience and for being so willing to be outside in the snow! I’m so glad I got to meet and work with you all… you’re a lovely family!
The Bolitho family
I love this family!!! They’re so happy… all the time!!! I met the baby girl when she was just a couple days old and mom looked as refreshed and happy as ever!!! No wonder the kids are so great! Awesome upbeat parents!!! Anyway……. a super fun fall family session complete with tossing tons of leaves and playing on the train tracks! Thanks for having me out to do your session you guys! You totally rocked it and you all look SO amazing (and happy - did I mention happy???)
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Scheidl Family!
This family was awesome to work with!!! The twins couldn’t be more different - one camera shy and one seemed to really like it! But both looked amazing! Mom and dad were a riot to hang out with, and they even played in the leaves for awhile (honestly - I kinda made them do it for my entertainment!!! It was hilarious, but I got a few great shots at the same time ;)) Thanks for all the fun guys, and for being such troopers through one of the first chilly mornings Calgary has seen this season!!!
The McLeod Family
So, one of the coolest things about my job is that I get to reconnect with people from my past! This family is a perfect example! I met Brad in high school and we’ve remained friends through the years, however, I haven’t seen any of his family since, well, I don’t know when!!! I have lots of memories of the family pooch Winston, and Marilyn’s AMAZING homemade chocolate turtles (you should seriously go into business with those!!!) along with countless other recollections that all came flooding back when I got to hang out with the McLeod’s again for this photo session. It was so nice to see you all again! And Marilyn… do I get a chocolate turtle this Christmas??? I might just hold your photos ransom until I get one… I love my job!!!
The Dupuis Family
What can I say about a family I’ve been friends with for 15 years??? You guys are some of the most wonderful friends I’ve ever had… I love you guys dearly! And my camera loves you 
Henry & Jane’s Wedding
Jane and Henry had an incredible day filled with both Chinese and Western traditions! Tons of color, plenty of smiles, and so much fun! The day began at the home of Jane’s parents with the groom playing games to coax the bride to come out - once she did, there were gifts and more games then off to Henry’s parent’s home for a tea ceremony and lunch. In the early afternoon a beautiful Western ceremony took place, followed by a much needed rest period for all! The day ended on a colorful and traditional Chinese note again at a lovely reception at the Forbidden City restaurant where guests were treated to a 10 course meal and then a lovely evening of celebration in honor of the newlyweds! Congratulations Jane and Henry! And thanks to you both for asking me to be a part of your day! I had a wonderful time!!!
The Rutter Family
I am soooooooo behind with my blogging, again, so first of all I have to thank this family for being so patient while waiting to see these!!! These guys were so great and the dogs were equally great!!! Such an easygoing family full of ideas and willing to play and have fun! We did this photoshoot in the backyard of their home - a very special place to them as they really built the area themselves into the beautiful space it is today! It was just perfect for a photo session! Thanks for a great shoot you guys… and Megan… thank you especially for all you went through that day
I survived photographing a photographer’s wedding!!! Mark & Stephanie… hitched!!!
When I got the call to do this wedding, I was excited that Mark was getting married, but, admittedly scared to death!!! This was going to be a challenge!!! Most couples judge an image based on whether they like it overall, but I knew Mark had a much more talented and critical eye. So, I accepted the “challenge” and I’m so glad I did! Mark and Stephanie are such an amazing couple! They are fun and playful and their wedding was truly unique!!! Full of fun and humor and everything that reflects them as people and as a couple. Stephanie was stunning and had just the best shoes ever! I had so so so much fun!!! Hopefully Mark’s happy with what I caught for him! And, if not, Mark, you set most of these up (because I kinda made you) so I take no credit! Congrats you guys! And thanks for asking me! I’d do it all over again!
McTaggart Family
So this family is part of my extended family, and have been modeling for me for a few years now. Their sessions are always fun and unique, but this year, we all challenged ourselves with a really unique location! When Dawn asked me if I had any cool new locations in mind for their family session this year, I had some homework to do! I mentioned in passing an industrial location and she seemed interested, so I found one! This was WAY outside my box but it was so fun, and I can honestly say I’ve never done anything like it! They were up for anything and we did it!!! You guys absolutely rocked this one - as you always do
Bullivant Family
I was lucky enough to do family photos for this family last year when the little one was just a few weeks old! They’ve grown so much in a few short months - the “baby” is now almost walking and the young man has grown, like, 3 feet!!!!! It was a fun session (as was last years) with an aspiring model and a future photographer in the group! I can’t take credit for all the ideas here - there was a lot of input! Thanks for the all the creative help guys, and congrats again on such a wonderful family! I hope I get to continue to watch you all grow as the years go on!
The wedding of Tom & Michelle
I got an email last Tuesday from a bride who needed a photographer for a Saturday evening wedding! I’ve never done a wedding with such short notice, but it worked about wonderfully!!! We planned it over a quick meeting on Wednesday morning, and pulled it all together! I’m so glad too… this couple was so sweet and the wedding was fantastic! It was small, elegant, intimate, and had a really cool 20’s theme! Congratulations Tom and Michelle! Thanks for letting me capture your wedding!
Fun big group, and 2 super cute babies!
Last week I had a chance to photograph the family of a former client of mine! It was such a pleasure to see her again and meet the “in-laws!”
They were a great group, and to make it even better… two adorable little babies were part of it! I’m such a sucker for cute little ones!!
Dean and Anita’s wedding
This was a truly unique event! Anita has referred to this wedding repeatedly as “the craziest wedding ever” but I would actually describe it as truly unique and very well thought out!!! The entire setting just radiated fun, as did the people involved! The day was completely child friendly, including a huge bouncy castle (which, by the way, I went into for a while and had a great time!!!), a separate children’s meal, Crave cupcakes for the kiddos, face-painting, babysitters, everything imaginable to make it easy for the kids to enjoy! The bride and groom were so relaxed, so radiant, so happy!!! They, too, were all about fun! They chose cocktails to match the wedding colors, balloons as decorations, adults were having their faces painted as well - just such a fun group! And Anita was so incredibly relaxed!!! As beautiful as her dress was, it didn’t shake her up even a bit when there was chocolate ice cream spilled down the front of her dress, or face paint rubbing off as she hugged all the children. Honestly, it wasn’t crazy!!! It was perfect! I hope you enjoy your photo preview! I had a fantastic time taking them!!! Oh, and Anita… I think you might just have the most incredible eyes on earth!!! Check them out… they’re stunning!!!!!!!
