A Beautiful Mama-to Be | Chilliwack Maternity Photographer

This maternity session was such a huge privilege to shoot - the Mama-to-be is my fabulous BFF! Not only is she rocking her bump, but she was truly fantastic to "pose". It really was a pleasure to do this session. Am I biased? Maybe... but lets be honest, your close friends and family are usually the most difficult, aren't they? No? Just mine then? Oh... ok... anyway, here is a peek at the best of her session... (Can't wait to meet the little guy inside!!)

Happy First Birthday, Little Lady! | Mission Children & Family Photographer

It was a pleasure to meet this little princess to celebrate her first birthday. Doesn't she have the most gorgeous, big, blue eyes?! She is very much a Mommy's girl so a few bells and bubbles were needed to coax her from her loving Mommy's side...

Family Shooting Season is OPEN! | Chilliwack Family Photographer

Although, there is no better time to have a family portrait than the present (never put off to tomorrow what you can do today!), it does seem to be a more popular activity in the Fall. Probably because everyone wants a nice photograph to send with their Christmas cards, but they want to get them done before the bad weather takes hold. It is this time of the year that the requests for sessions start to roll in a little faster than normal, and the calendar fills up a lot quicker!

I have decided to make last weekend's Gustavson Family my official starters of this year's Family Shooting Season... because they were just so awesome to shoot and so much fun to work with! I love these guys...

Sleepy Little Angel, Annika | Chilliwack Newborn Photographer

This adorable little peanut was so well-behaved and sleepy - she was a true joy to photograph. In fact, the whole family were a pleasure, including 1-year-old Big Sis, who was a star and came fully armed with many kisses for Little Sis!

Beautiful little Dorothy | Mission Newborn Photographer

I have been meaning to add this gorgeous little lady to my blog for WAY too long... I guess you can blame having the "minions" at home for the Summer holidays. Anyway, here she is, at last, and she was a true joy to photograph - a beautifully calm, sleepy princess...

New Addition to the Studio - My Studio Baby Poser! | Fraser Valley Newborn Photographer

Up til recently, I had been "making do" with an over-stuffed standard bean bag for my newborn posing. (BOOOO!!!) The bag was a real pain-in-the-you-know-what to get solid and table-flat, for maximum safety and posing possibilities. Even though I had it overfilled, I still had to fiddle around making the bag into some kind of flat mushroom-top shape and stack cushions in the "hole" underneath to get the desired firmness and shape - SUCH a pain... especially if my kids "compromised" this finickity shape with an oh-so-tempting after-school dive or body-slam!

Well, I recently became the proud parent to a bonny, bouncing, brand, new posing bag from Studio Baby... and I LOVE it! It is simple, well made, far safer and does the job great. Nuff said really... but in case you need more, here are my top 5 reasons why I love it so much:

1. It wipes clean!

2. It was well-priced (Trust me...I shopped around!).

3. They have many different sizes for different purposes and different budgets. (I picked the "Traveller" size, for both budget & practicality reasons).

4. They are Canadian - so better shipping costs & less hassle for those of us on this side of the border.

5. It has a really handy strap for carrying or moving it around.

It also seems to have some kind of magic powers that prevents my kids diving on it... either that or it was the "discussion" we had after it arrived, followed by the death stares whenever they so much as breath near it! (Too harsh??!)

They also make a number of handy posing positioners, including the new "Butterfly" positioner which, coincidentally, is the prize in a contest they are running right now. I am popping some of those babies on my new and updated wish list. (I can almost hear my husband groaning as I type!) You can find more info at www.studiobabys.com.

A few more family memories... | Chilliwack Family Photographer

Wow... it really is Family Photo Season, as the requests are still coming in!

I had the great pleasure to shoot another lovely family, last week... and their girls were absolutely adorable! The youngest has had quite a rough spell recently, with an extended hospital stay, so Mom decided they should celebrate her recovery with some family pics - good call, Mom! Of course, Big Sis was a total superstar too, doing absolutely everything I asked straight away and with a smile at all times - a future model maybe?

A few for the family.. | Chilliwack Family Photographer

With Christmas fast approaching, Photographers everywhere are finding themselves firmly in the midst of "Family Portrait Season" (kinda like Duck Season, but our shooting is a little safer for the targets!). I have had the pleasure to shoot a couple of awesome families lately, who are not only great friends, but are fantastic models at the same time!

Of course, this time of the year can present some challenges weather-wise, and these shoots were no exception... the first was pouring with rain, the second was freezing cold. But, I have to salute both families for braving the elements with no complaints and "turning it on" at the right moment!

 I'm now kinda scared to see what Mother Nature intends to throw at me for the next session!

Newborn Sessions - My Top 5 Tips

Last week, I had my first newborn session in...er...hmmm... 3 years (wow! that long?!) and I had forgot how much fun they could be. Mind you, it does help when you have a cute, happy, cooperative subject! (With an awesome, cooperative parent in tow!)

So, from my recent refresher course and past experience, what scraps of advice would I offer a would-be newborn photographer? Good question... my tips would be:

1. Take your time. Babies (and new Moms!) don't want to be rushed -they are still finding their place and routine in the world. Be prepared to wait and take things slow. I like a 2 hour window.

2. Pick the best window of opportunity. I find 7-10 days old, to be the best for newborn shots. You get the best chance, at this stage, of a nice blend between sleepy baby and awake baby during your session.

3. Warmth is key! A toasty baby is a happy baby. I keep an extra heater near baby (unless I am using my continuous lighting kit - then heating comes from the lights instead!), and have a hairdryer on standby to warm up any props or cooler surfaces (like my leather ottoman). Warm hands also help!

4. Plan your props. This is where you can make your signature mark, so plan ahead well. I like to keep it simple (I'm not a fan of dressing up babies like dolls - I prefer to keep them as the blank canvas that they are), and ask parents to maybe bring something of significance to them (like a favourite stuffed animal or hobby item). My other favourite prop is my sound machine - I have it set to play a heartbeat noise and hide it behind my backdrop or just out of frame. It's a great baby soother!

5. Prepare for serious editing! You may be the best photographer in the world, with amazing SOOC (straight out of camera) results, but I have not met a newborn yet with perfect skin... and yet, newborn photos show them that way! Newborns tend to suffer with all sorts of dermatological conditions, such as newborn acne and cradle cap. So, I find the post processing requires a fair bit of healing brushes and skin tone adjustments.

So...yeh... that was fun... I now have to find more babies to photograph! (And NO, I am not having any more of my own! My family can forget that one! ;-)

Top 10 of 2011

Finally... here they are... my top 10 photos of 2011! (I think... I keep changing my mind!)

At the beginning of every year, I take studio portraits of my children... and while I look at this picture and think of 10 ways that I would now shoot it differently (& better!), it has made my Top 10 because it did show me that I was much improved from the year before... oh yes, and because my oldest would be mad if she didn't appear in the Top 10!

This show was taken near Bridal Falls, BC... and was a personal triumph in that I managed my favourite water effect without a tripod! (A tree stump came to the rescue!) You see, when you travel with 2 small children 90% of the time, your backpack is full of snacks and emergency supplies - no room for useful camera accessories like a tripod!

Captured with the aid of my junior assistants... who were more than willing to oblige in blowing every dandelion clock we could find, along the Vedder Rotary Trail, to get the shot! A great shot with a great memory to go with it. 

Captured at the Vancouver Aquarium - I just loved the grace and calmness of these jellyfish and managed to grab a few great shots of them, that day.

I love this shot for 2 reasons - 1. Because I am proudly showcasing the produce nurtured by my own fair hand in our own back yard (my Dad would be so proud!) and 2. I am (successfully!) using a technique that was taught to us by Scott Kelby at his "Light It. Shoot It. Retouch It. Live" seminar in Vancouver, last year (LOVED the seminar and learned a lot - highly recommend it if he ever comes to a town near you).

Captured on the beach at Whytecliff Park, near Vancouver - I was enjoying a great day out shooting with 2 good friends, and we had just dived under cover to shelter from a sudden rain shower when this little fella popped onto the beach with a slightly unusual snack on his beak - a poor unsuspecting starfish! I braved the wet and tried to stealthily get closer... he kept inching away and turning his back on me! Patience prevailed, and I got my shot just before he threw his head back and gulped it down.

I was experimenting with slightly different angles, and just captured a shot that I love - simple as that!

This was taken as an assignment for a photography course I did, last year. I had not attempted much still life prior to the course and discovered that I actually really enjoy it. 

This shot was taken while I was experimenting with using festive lights to create great bokeh. How could you not love a cute face like that?!

This is probably my favourite shot of the year. Whilst on a "Girls Day-Out Shooting" with 2 great photo-loving friends, this was shot at sunset at Point Atkinson Lighthouse in West Vancouver. My aim of the year was to capture a scenic shot that I would want to hang on my wall - this was it... and was worth the scary walk through the pitch-black forest back to the car!