[sweet] spot

This session was an absolute delight although it didn't actually happen as planned. My client, Dana, and I had scheduled a terrific shoot outdoors at Granville Island where we had hoped for family portraits involving colourful buildings, picturesque marinas and scenic backdrops. The weather, however, had other plans for us. As I set out the door to meet Dana and her family at Granville Island it started to snow and by the time I reached the Lions Gate Bridge, the weather had turned to hideous sleet with ominous grey skies. A change of plans was necessary. I knew Dana and her husband were disappointed that we wouldn't be shooting outdoors, but more importantly, I knew they were worried there wouldn't be enough light in their house for me to shoot with.

(I think a couple of posts in which I'd I gushed about loads of lovely natural light - HERE and HERE - had made her worried I would have nothing to work with.)

Well, it turned out Dana had nothing to worry about because people always have more light in their homes than they think they do. It really only takes one great window or door to make for some terrific photos. I ended up finding the sweet spot in her house - a set of south facing doors in the kitchen - that made for gorgeous Goldilocks light. Not too much, not too little... juuuussst right! What a gorgeous family!

Thanks for the terrific time gang... and as your "Official Family Photographer" I can't wait to work with you again!

beautiful [belly]

What a treat it was to work with an adult for a change. Don't get me wrong. I LOVE working with children and families and even consider it my forté, but once in a while the calm and quiet of working with one adult is a welcome respite! That's why I enjoyed this maternity session so much. Deanna not only looked absolutely gorgeous, but we had fun collaborating on shot ideas and were able to take the time to get lighting and poses just the way we wanted them. It was a lot of fun, and as usual, I think I almost outstayed my welcome - I could have shot all day!

Thanks to you and your beautiful belly Deanna. I can't wait to see you again for our newborn session.

capturing [memories]

Whoa. I am WAY behind on my posting. Spring Break threw me for a loop this week with our daughter not in preschool and I didn't have nearly as much "uninterrupted" time to get my photography work done... so just a quick post.

I know I say this every week, but here is yet another terrific family. I love watching families interact together. There is always so much love for one another and I especially enjoy catching the glances of proud parents when they see their kids the way I do with my camera... beautiful, sweet, silly, charming, intelligent and, well, perfect. It's such an honour to capture memories with all of the families I work with.

Thanks for the great morning Jayne and Hamish!

to [paint] with light

This latest session I did with yet another amazing family really made me think about the etymology of the word photography.

Did you know that the word photography essentially means to paint with light? It comes from the Greek words photos, meaning light, and graphos, meaning writing or painting. I love this as an explanation for what I do. Photography is all about telling a story using light as a paintbrush.

I was thinking about painting with light when I entered the home of this family because I was greeted not only by mom, dad and three terrific kids, but by gorgeous artwork on the walls. It turns out that mom, Tina, is an amazing artist and created the paintings you'll see in some of these photos. I was so inspired by her work that I couldn't wait to get photos of the kids with some of her creations. I guess I've always thought of myself as an artist, so I enjoyed spending time with a kindred spirit like Tina. My only regret was not taking photos of the art that was in the kid's bedrooms. It was youthful and charming and so incredibly marketable that I even tried to convince Tina to start selling her work again. (Although I guess being a busy mom to three young kids doesn't leave much time for painting!)

Thanks Tina and Brent for a wonderful session (and the tea yesterday Tina!) Your kids are a delight and I look forward to working with you again one day.