Gina Harvie Photographer

NEW NEW NEW.....

2010-04-01T08:27:00.000-07:00

HEAD ON OVER TO THE NEW BLOG AND CHECK THINGS OUT! FRESHER, CRISPER, BIGGER PHOTOS AND LOTS TO READ ABOUT.

FEEL FREE TO LOOK AROUND HERE AT SOME OF MY OLDER WORK AS WELL!

DON'T FORGET OUR NEW ADDRESS http://www.ginaharvie.com/!

DAVE AND NICHOLE:MARRIED | CALGARY WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER

2010-03-24T13:12:00.000-07:00

Dave and Nichole's story starts much the same as many a Calgary couples probably has, it all started at the Roadhouse of all places and believe it or not during Stampede! Nichole had just moved to BC for work, but Dave's charm eventually won her over that night and upon Nichole's return to BC they spoke almost everyday until they decided they just couldn't be apart any longer and Nichole packed up and moved back to Calgary where they started their family together.

I had read this story on Nichole's wedding website and knew that I was in for a day filled with love, little did I know just how much love! As the photographer I was lucky enough to see both Dave and Nichole before they walked down the isle, before anyone else had seen them, before they had seen eachother and love and excitement was pouring out of them both. I walked with the Pastor to the Bridal room and as he opened the door seen Nichole standing in the middle of the room, a beautiful white dress, gorgeous hair, and a smile to rival the one on her soon to be husbands face. She was stunning to look at and not because she was in a wedding gown, and not because her makeup was perfect, and not because of her piercing green eyes, because I had never seen anyone look so happy, chill's went up and down my spine and goose bumps hit my arms. There truly is no better job in the world then to witness two people who are so in love as they get ready to spend their lives together. I am so happy I could be part of this day!

Just Married!

I couldn't decide which way I liked this one better so am adding both!

I LOVE this one!

DAVE & NICHOLE SNEAK PEEK | CALGARY WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER

2010-03-20T21:55:00.000-07:00

Have I ever had so much fun?? Maybe, but this ranks pretty high up there on my list! Dave and Nichole and their wedding party are a blast to spend the afternoon with! and I am in LOVE with all their pictures! I may just sit up all night looking through them...I had big plans of coming home, putting on some snuggie jammies and watching New Moon on the PVR, however, believe it or not ladies, editing their photos is so much better!!

Hope you enjoy a little peek guys..I can't wait to show you more!!

LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE this one!

DEAREST MOTHER NATURE | CALGARY PHOTOGRAPHER.

2010-03-15T13:16:00.000-07:00

Dearest Mother Nature,
It has been brought to my attention that I have in some way ticked you off...I would like to formally apologize for this, however, I am not sure what it is exactly that has made you hate me so much. Is it because every January I complain day in and day out that I hate the winter weather, I no longer enjoy your three feet of snow and -35 temps? In my defense I have two small children to wrestle into snow suits every morning at 7:20am, oh yes I realize Ella does not need to be at school until 8:30am this is just how long it takes us to get everything on an out the door, maybe you were not aware of that. Possibly it is because come July I am instantly mad at your +30 temps as they make me cranky and uncomfortable, its just that I hate tank tops and shorts make my legs resemble chickens and lets be honest with eachother that is just not flattering. Also I am now living in Calgary and must say living on the island spoiled me, I became accustomed to seeking comfort under a shady tree wherever I looked, this can not be found here in Calgary and my kids love to go to the park when its +25 and its just not fun to sit out in the sun baking with no shade while they cry because their little butt was just burnt on a steel slide, I am sure you can sympathize with me on that one. Is it because I am constantly cursing you? constantly annoyed with your wind in my hair, again you must give me a break, I have extremely thick hair and it hurts to brush out all those knots after an afternoon at the zoo when you have decided that it would be best to have it be a very comfortable +16 when I leave the house to go to the zoo and then laugh as you make the wind blow me away once I get out of the car because you know full well there is no getting those kids to leave once they get there.

Regardless, I have had to rebook shoot after shoot because of you, I prayed to you on Leslie and Kelly's wedding day in hopes of you giving me a break and making a beautiful sunset at the very least, well you were either not home or choosing to ignore me at that moment. I re booked Erin's family shoot 3 times due to your weather and when I finally gave in and shot it in your blizzard you presented a beautiful day the following day. I re booked the Hassman's because of your winter deep freeze, I know their photos came out nicely but they would have been fantastic outdoors and you know that. Lets not even talk about the Blaker's session!!

So I ask Mother Nature, why oh why is today a lovely +8 with the perfect amount of sunshine and why oh why is Thursday a very acceptable +16 and, as you know full well, I am shooting a wedding on Saturday, WHY is it going to snow??? Honestly, Mother Nature, don't you think this a tad Elementary of you? can we not be grown ups and work together? As I said above I would really like to apologize to you I will try not to complain quite so much about the weather if you could just once give me a decent day to take some photographs, after all its not just me you are hurting its Dave and Nichole, and I don't know what gets said behind closed doors but have they too ticked you off?? Because if so I can imagine they are also very sorry.

Anyway just wanted to clear the air a bit, give you some time to stew on this before Saturday and possibly change your mind, maybe we could be friends after all?? I will continue to check the weather station in hopes we have resolved this little issue.

I've added this picture I took last summer to show you I really do love you some of the time!

Respectfully yours
Gina.

BOOKING ANNOUNCEMENT | CALGARY PHOTOGRAPHER

2010-03-07T20:34:00.000-08:00

I have had so many inquires for bookings once the warmer weather hits, and I am so excited to get outside and take some family and children's photos, however, sadly I wont be taking any bookings, other than what is already booked for the entire month of May due to a family issue, But will be back at it in June so book away!!

GUESS WHO | CALGARY PHOTOGRAPHER

2010-03-01T12:45:00.000-08:00

Yes, Ella is dominating the blog these past couple weeks, and yes, I realize not everyone who reads my blog is as enamored with Ella as I am, however, I sometimes still think the only other person actually reading my blog is my Mom and I know she is just as enamored as I am, therefore, I continue to post her. Beyond thinking about how I am more in love with my kids then I ever thought one could be, I think often about how we don't live anywhere near the other people we love and its sometimes hard to make sure everyone gets the Thank You phone call they all very much deserve and we are truly sorry for that, if you are new to our lives, you should know we are only what I like to call "surface organized" this meaning we come across as though we've got our act together but in reality I am continually rushing through the days trying to get it all in and taking valuable time out of each day making to do lists which end up frustrating me and taking up an hour of wich I could have been phoning to thank people but by then I have to get to the school an hour early because if I don't I will a. not get a parking spot and b. not have time to run Oliver as hard as possible at the playground which will in turn have him coming down the stairs 25 times because he isn't tired and then the dishes don't get done and said phone calls often get put off until Tuesday night when we will be home and everyone will hopefully be tired, but then I forget Ella has piano and violin Tuesday so on Wednesday I write them on my to do list for Thursday but then I forget we have musical theater Thursdays which wasn't on my to do list because I have too much trouble organizing a proper to do list so it goes to Sunday but then I forget surprise surprise we are never organized Sunday nights and I am rushing to bath kids and wash a favorite shirt for Monday morning so it gets pushed to Tuesday again but then I forget Brock gets home Tuesday night and we have to pick him up at the airport AND Ella has piano and violin then it gets forgotten because when Brock comes home we shut down, we only talk to him, we only acknowledge his existance in the world like we are the only 4 people living in it, friends don't get called, family dosen't get called, we just enjoy having him home, so by this time weeks have gone by and it would be utterly rude to make such a call, so that said we would like to formally THANK everyone who sent Ella money for her birthday! She saved it all up and bought yet another insturment to add to her growing collection and is asking to once again drain our bank account and my gas tank and try and force me to get organized with a third music lesson!

Enjoy these photos of her with her new love....and to all our family memebers who are waiting for photos of our kids they are coming ASAP just keep in mind ASAP to me might not have the same meaning it does to you, but they are on my to do list ;)

ELLA'S SWEET TREATS CUPCAKE PARTY | CALGARY PHOTOGRAPHER

2010-02-23T11:33:00.000-08:00

Hours of preparation went into this party! We must thank our good friend Elise for all her hard work helping make Tutu's, her amazing tissue paper flowers and helping bake all the yummy cupcakes and most importantly staying up with me until 1:45am keeping me company while sewing all the aprons! Not to mention her help in keeping the craziness of the party at bay. Wow can a group of 7 year old girls give you a run for you money!! These girls were full of personality and fun! I just wish Oliver hadn't broken the video camera so we could have caught some of the awesome moves at the dance off!!

I truly enjoyed every second that went into planning and putting on the party and I loved watching Ella's eyes light up when she came down in the morning to see all the Tutu's, the next day when she woke up to aprons and flowers and when she got home from school to see all the cupcakes and cupcake cake. I kept saying to people that told me I was crazy for doing it all, "one day she will appreciate it, it might not be tomorrow, or even the next day but one day" I think I was wrong, I think she already appreciates it and we thank Sydney for the chapters gift card, we spent most of the next afternoon sipping coffee and hot chocolate and looking at books, one of our favourite things to do and much need relaxation the next day!

Heres just a few party pictures!

SOOO MANY COLORFUL TUTU'S!!

Oli James got in on the decorating too! and no one pulled the apron off better then he did!

Cupcake decorating was very creative!

Ella and her very sweet friend, Mariah! One of the sweetest pictures from the photo shoot!

Just try and get all these girls to sit for a picture after all the sugar they had eaten!!!

I am already thinking of ideas for next years party!! are you ready Elise????

ELLA TURNS SEVEN | CALGARY PHOTOGRAPHER

2010-02-20T17:39:00.000-08:00

Ella's story began seven years ago on February 18, arriving on her due date and handed to two very scared parents. Brock and I didn't know what the world held for us and we weren't really sure how to be parents. Despite our fears Ella has become a beautiful, talented, compasionate little girl and we are very blessed she picked us to be her parents! In the past seven years I think I have taught Ella a lot but I know she has taught me so much more, if anything she has taught Brock and I the most important life lesson we could ever learn, what it is to love and what it is to be loved. I am so proud to be her Mom and wouldn't change that surprise for anything. She's starting a new chapter in her life and seven feels like such a milestone to all of us I just can't believe how far we've come together and I look forward to seeing what else the world has in store for us as a family and for Ella on her own, she is destined to be something spectacular and I can't wait to see what that is.

I took El and did a birthday photo shoot with her out in the snow, and think she is just beautiful in them all....and a little sneek peek of the party today which was worth the late nights of tutu making, sewing aprons, baking cupcakes, making tissue paper flowers and wrapping smartie boxes in scrapbook paper in every way!!!

Ella's coat was made by my Mom who makes the most beautiful clothing and has finally listened to us after many years and started a business......SEW-I-CAN!

We would also like to announce the newest addition to our family! My brother and his wife welcomed their third baby on February 16 only a couple weeks over due ;) Beckett Harvie! We hope to make a trip home very soon to meet this sweet little boy, even though we haven't met him or cuddled him he is very loved by his aunt, uncle and cousins!
Here is Beckett with his big brother Quinten and Daddy taken by my Mom and sent via email!
Thank you to everyone who booked Beckett's special promotion! I look forward to taking all your photos!

RYDER | CALGARY NEWBORN PHOTOGRAPHER

2010-02-13T11:03:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I photographed Ryder. Only seconds into this session I heard his Mommy say "I've waited so long for this" as she smiled at her new baby boy and my heart melted, If Ryder only knew how much his Mommy loves him and just how wanted he is, you can tell he has changed his Mom forever. If only every baby born into this world could feel the love Ryder will.

SOMETIMES WE FORGET | CALGARY PHOTOGRAPHER

2010-02-10T12:39:00.000-08:00

Sometimes we forget just how lucky we are, when no one is listening, a seven year old is being more sassy then you ever imagined a seven year old could be, you're cleaning the breakfast dishes from the table while you set it for dinner, the smoke alarm is going off and dinner is buring because someone needed help on the potty, you can't sit on the couch because 4 loads of laundry sit there waiting to be folded, the violin teacher is sending notes home that someone wasn't paying enough attention today, the only conversation you've had with your husband in three days is cracked and lost because of bad reception...sometimes a day of editing photos is all you need to remember just how lucky you are despite it all, everyday isn't easy at the Kramp house but we are pretty lucky regardless and I just remembered why.

This one pretty much says it all......

YOUR INVITED....TO A PITTY PARTY | CALGARY PHOTOGRAPHER

2010-02-05T18:05:00.000-08:00

I have been having a pitty party for the last two weeks now, I long for Brock to be home, I miss him so much, so much so that I even stopped doing my hair sort of like an "I don't care, I am so sad, feel bad for me" sort of look...well I dodn't know if I should be elated or devastated with all the compliments on how great my hair looks, I was taking a stand against my husbands job, I wanted everyone to wallow in my misery with me but instead of "oh Gina, I'm so sad for you" I got a whole bunch of "you look so put together, I love your hair that way!" I also don't know if this means that I looked like crapola before.

Along with my pitty party because my husband has what I consider to be a crappy job (sorry welders out there, ask your wife they too think its a crappy job, and if they tell you they do not feel this way you probably just got married and arre childless, so ask them again in three years, prefferably at the time your 2 year old son will be discovering himself and expressing it through his many many many outfit changes per day, causing the laundry to pile to the rafters because you don't have time to go down and put a load in for fear he will be changed when you get back should you leave him alone for 10 seconds!) I have also been having a love hate realationship with the infamous Leslie and Kelly wedding photos! This being my very first wedding I want every image to be complete perfection and have been brought to tears over an out of focus, slighly underexposed, oddly angled photo more times then I care to admit! But I stumbled across a photo yesterday that brought back the butterflies photography gives me, it was the simplest photo in the bunch but I could see its potential to be something fabulous!!! and now I am wondering to myself "...hmmm is it odd to hang someone elses wedding photo on your wall in a huge canvas?"

This photo tells a story to me, it almost makes me want to write a book about the characters I am imagining with it, the only thing missing is a vintage suitcase beside Kelly and it would be perfection for me. To me it screams feminine and masculine intertwined it is my new coveted image, the one that makes me want to keep going, it made me smile and I needed to smile.

VINTAGE COUTURE-HANDMADE BY KAREN | CALGARY PHOTOGRAPHER

2010-02-04T21:38:00.000-08:00

She is so beautiful, smart and talented with the most outstanding personality....she's the Mom that all us other Mom's are talking about...the ones we long to be, she works out three times a day, not three times a week like the rest of us who barely fit that in THREE TIMES A DAY! She is taking University courses, she is a Teacher a Mother and a Wife! and she still finds the time to design these!

They can be made for little ones too and are so adorable on little girls...of course Ella had to do some modeling, I know this doesn't show the headband that well but it shows my beautiful Ella so I had to post it!

This is just a quick little sneak peek at the ever talented Karen's handmade headbands and hair clips! These are the most adorable, funky, vintage inspired headbands ever! They make the simplest outfit fabulous! and Karen makes each one custom to your specifications!!

I will blog much more of these headbands in the next couple days while I continue to talk Karen into setting up a blog/website! If you want to see more, or would like to get in touch with Karen send me a quick email ginaharviephotography@live.ca and I will get you in touch with her!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME...BUT YOU GET THE GIFT!! - CALGARY PHOTOGRAPHER

2010-01-24T15:04:00.000-08:00

BECKETT IS DUE TO ARRIVE ANYDAY!

MY BIRTHDAY IS TOMORROW!

LETS CELEBRATE !!

Book a Family, Child, Newborn or Maternity Session with me between January 25th and Beckett's arrival date (I will announce once he makes his grand entrance) and YOU get 40% off your sitting fee!!!!!

Here is the best part the session only has to be BOOKED between January 25th and Beckett's birthday, but the session can be held anytime between now and June because we know not everyone likes an indoor session and not everyone wants to be out in the cold!

{session fee is due at time of booking family session is for family of four}

THATS NOT ALL!!

For anyone who books a session with this special your name will be entered into a random draw for a free 8x10 print!

HURRY YOU DON'T WANT TO MISS THIS AND BECKETT IS DUE TO ARRIVE ANYDAY NOW!!

A LITTLE OF THIS AND A LITTLE OF THAT - CALGARY PHOTOGRAPHER

2010-01-21T18:06:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we let Ella skip school in the morning to go to COP and see the Olympic torch on its way out of Calgary, we thought this was something that doesn't come around everyday and she should see it. She was so very excited when the boy who was taking the torch to get ready to run out let her hold it for a photo! It was a pretty neat experience and we are so glad we made sure she had the chance to do it!

On another note the wonderfully talented photog, Kathy and I have been chatting photography of all things lately and I was telling her I wished I had more natural light in my basement because I would set up a little studio down there and she laughed and told me I didn't need windows, just lights! So today while Miss. Maya Jillian was over for the afternoon I set up my backdrops and bribed her with gummie bears to sit for me..we had lots of fun and I love the pictures I got with her, using only flash!! Maya's Mom is one of my very good friends and constantly reminds me of the old story the shoe makers kids never have shoes because the photographers friends never get their photos! I promise Shel, if you want some of these I will get them to you ASAP (but ASAP may not have the same meaning to you as it does to me)

The last two are of course Oliver and Ella! I love Oliver's long full eyelashes, he inherited from his Daddy! and Ella at her parents day at Dance...the photo is not the best I was/do struggle with those type of lights but with those kind of photos its more for the memories then the photography perfection!

Ella leaving her and Oliver's best wishes for team Canada! This huge card is being sent to Vancouver!

Having a little fun at the end...Oliver wanted to get in on it too and had to have his picture on the pink backdrop in his hawaiian shorts while it was snowing out!

LESLIE AND KELLY PART TWO - CALGARY PHOTOGRAPHER

2010-01-18T14:47:00.000-08:00

Whew! This wedding was as much an emotional rollercoster for me as it probably was for them!! I honestly laughed, cried, got angry, got frustrated, calmed down a bit, stressed a bit and laughed some more! I have been working on the images for them since I got back to Calgary after the wedding and I think for the very first wedding I ever shot they turned out not too badly! If you are reading this post you may want to put on some snuggie clothes, grab a coffee, Jade, grab a glass of wine! set the PVR to tape whatever show you are waiting to watch and prepare to be here for sometime....this is a long one!!

These girls were all so beautiful it was impossible to take a bad photo!

As I shoe lover I had to take this photo! Look at all the cute shoes! This next photo needs no caption it speaks for itself!

Can you tell they were not as into having photos taken as the girls were!!

Kelly and his brother, Super excited!

FITNESS WITH KIDS ON GLOBAL TV AND ONE FOR KERRI - CALGARY PHOTOGRAPHER

2010-01-17T13:31:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was such an exciting day...I woke up before the kids on a SATURDAY! This hardly ever happens, and with Brock home to get up with the kids this NEVER happens I ran downstairs set the PVR and sat down to watch Erin do her interview on Global and seen my pictures flash across the screen!!! It was so exciting!!!
If you haven't already you MUST got and check out Erin's website and make sure you sign up for some classes!!!!

This next one is JACOB! He came over for a visit while we were home on New Years day and I couldn't resist pulling out my camera and snapping his picture! I only wish I could have gotten one of his brother Ryan but he was being evasive with Quinten. I had to post this picture of him he is just too adorable to miss the blog!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY NANNIE!

2010-01-15T08:04:00.000-08:00

Today is Nannie's birthday and we are sad we can't be there to give her a big hug and spend the day with her...we miss her very very very much! So because we can't be there for Nannie's special day we have compliled the following list.....

10 REASONS WE LOVE NANNIE!

10. She lets us swim in her and Papa's hot tub...even cooling it down in the summer!
9. She flies to Calgary every June to watch dance recitals and help with hair/wig dilemas...Nannie's have more experience with this sort of thing afterall she does have a number of dance hair styling years under her belt!
8. She has a dog named Heaton (Mommy: Oli James why do you love a Nannie? Oliver: Heaton! I guess its the simple things in life when your two)
7. Cracker Jack Cookies and Brownies...Brock's contribution to the list....he loved them so much while we were growing up that when I went to meet him for probably the first time we went out together She sent me with a tupperwear container full of brownies for him. (incase you are unaware...I have known my husband since toddlerhood!)
6.She will read a whole Junie B Jones novel to you at bedtime, Ella thinks this is great but little does she know Nannie only wants to find out how it ends!
5. She sews us beautiful things on her sewing machine, snuggie jammies, warm coats, blankets for our beds.
4. She knows the names of all the beautiful flowers in the world!
3. Her laundry is the softest sweetest smelling laundry in the whole world...no matter how hard we try it is impossible to replicate here in Calgary.
2. She never smells bad, when she gives you a hug its always soft in your arms and sweet in your nose! and the number one reason we love Nannie....
1. She believes we can do anything and everything with perfection...she doesn't think anyone is smarter, sweeter, cuter or funnier then her grandchildren ( mind you she is able to send them back to their parents at the first hint of this not being true)

Have a wonderful day Nannie! (sorry this photo didn't turn out the way I imagined it at all but its the best we got!)

BEAUTIFUL BLUE EYES

2010-01-11T13:08:00.000-08:00

I sometimes find myself struggling while on my way to family sessions, I can feel my hands start to shake and any ounce of creativity in me starts to slowly seep out and I get there feeling like I did in high school when I had a big test that I didn't really study for ( I say that because I spend a lot of time on the internet looking at images for insperation) I always have great ideas for sessions and then I am like a deer in headlights when I get there, doubting that I really have what it takes to do this, I tend to scan a home quickly to take note of all their framed prints and get an idea of what they think is good photography....this house had a beautiful canvas of a perfect newborn on the wall as soon as you walk in!!! I worried the entire time I was there and all the way home that I hadn't gotten anything good enough and then I downloaded this image and I thought if this is the only good image it was worth it! He is so beautiful!

Thanks for having me Amy! You have a wonderful family!

GONE....

2010-01-10T12:01:00.000-08:00

Yup everything is gone from the blog.....I don't know what I did but one second it was all there and then next it was gone!

So far this year has started off with very good intentions...but thats about it! Not much seems to be going the way I had wanted it to and the clouds are rolling in fast on what was a very sunny outlook! But what can you do...stay calm and carry on I suppose, add a few pictures to make up for the lost photos and start from scratch. SIGH!

My tech guy is on it..possibly he will find the problem??

***EDITED TO ADD*** Hmmm its all back!! Is Oliver some kind of two year old computer wizard???

AUSTIN - CALGARY CHILDREN PHOTOGRAPHER

2010-01-07T09:14:00.000-08:00

Austin was my first shoot of the year, I went over and met with him and his family on January 3rd to get some head shots for some potential modeling he may be doing this year. At only four years old Austin is super cute and smart! I honestly thought he was in Kindergarten when we started chatting and he laughed and told me no he's only in preschool. We took a few photos of him alone and then his brother and sister joined us for a few shots of them together...these boys have some amazing blue eyes!!

Hope you enjoy this little peek Karyn!

A NEW LOGO!!

2010-01-07T07:44:00.000-08:00

pI finally got my new logo! Its nothing fancy I wanted to keep it very simple and easy and I love how it came turned out! I have some really neat ideas for new business cards with this logo and looking forward to getting rid of my website and having a new custom website blog made which I hope to get going early this year! Stay tuned for more fun changes!!

THE HARVIE AND KRAMP KIDS

2010-01-06T15:00:00.000-08:00

We love going home to the island to see our niece and nephew, we love them soooo very much and miss them everyday, they are so very very cute and sweet!

Nannie tries so hard to get good photos of the kids together and it never really pans out..they are a hard bunch to make sit still, but bribed with gummie bears they will do almost anything....and we almost got them all looking and smiling!! Now a new baby with arrive in a few weeks and we will start the process all over again!!

I wanted to blog some of our christmas photos, but this computer is giving me a run for my money and not doing anything I want it to..so doesn't look like christmas photos will make the blog this year!

The fourth photo is Oliver, you can tell by the lack of smile ;) it was taken in Brock's truck at the ferry terminal in Vancouver around 7am when it was still very dark, the light on his face is from one lamp on the roof of brock's truck! I LOVE IT!

LESLIE AND KELLY...MARRIED! -CALGARY PHOTOGRAPHER

2010-01-03T21:38:00.000-08:00

December 29th, 2009, Leslie and Kelly held hands and in front of their family and friends said I do...I do to a lifetime of commitment, friendship, laughs, challenges, and unconditional love. If anyone can weather the storm of marriage, Leslie and Kelly will, the way they look at eachother, touch eachother, laugh with eachother radiates what marriage is.

I was so excited and happy to be a part of your day, Leslie and Kelly. I learned so very much and appreciate the opportunity, your day will forever be etched in my memory and I will smile everytime I look back on it and everytime it crosses my mind. I wish you all the happiness this world has to offer for you beautiful family.

There will be so much more to blog from this day, but wanted to get up a couple that I loved right away.

Hope you enjoy these ones Leslie!
More to come soon!!!

A DAY FOR NEW STARTS.....

2009-12-29T10:04:00.000-08:00

Today Leslie will marry Kelly and they will start a new life together....today I will photograph Leslie marrying Kelly and take a right turn on my path through photography.

I spent most of last night on the internet looking at all my favourite wedding photographers, looking for inspiration. I love to read Jasmine Star's FAQ section, she always says she is an open book and she really is! I found a long ago posts about the day she quit photography, how she booked her first wedding with a Cannon 20D and one lens, a 24-70 and I felt a small sense of comfort knowing that I have three lenses going into this wedding ;) But really I thought, one day a few years from now I am going to look back on today and remember and think about just how far I've come and giggle about how nervous this has made me. I shut the computer around 7 to discuss outfit choices with my very fashionable Sister-in-law, had some pizza, unwound with my kids and double checked my bag and notes and of course changed my facebook status, where I found much needed encouragement from friends and a fellow photographer!

Today isn't only the biggest day in Leslie and Kelly's lives, it ranks pretty high up there on my list of biggest days along side my own wedding day, and the birthing two children!

Now as I prepare to shower and get ready I pray for the foggy skies to take a hike and for the sun to stay out until 6pm tonight...neither of these will happen but positive thinking gets you everywhere negative thinking doesn't. Good Luck to you Les and Kelly and thank you for forcing me to challenge myself and grow.

Because this wedding is on the island, and I unexpectedly got a new MacBook for christmas and had to order CS4 in the Mac version that will hopefully be in the mail when I get home, I wont be able to blog any photos of the wedding until I get back home to Calgary and get some edits done...unless by some miracle I get some amazing out of the camera shots, but stay tuned they will come soon!

but because a post is nothing without a picture or two here is a taste of my christmas joy!!!

my new Shootsac!!!! and MacBook!

SANTA CLAUS CAME TO TOWN! - CALGARY EVENT PHOTOGRAPHER

2009-12-17T13:05:00.000-08:00

Santa Claus made his way to Calgary last week! Making his first apperance at the Unit 62 children's Christmas Party!
I was excited to photograph this event, seeing kids eye up Santa and slowly climb on his lap, their awkward smile, always keeping one eye on the location of Mom and Dad just incase, really takes me back to my childhood and the days when Santa Magic was the only really important thing in life! I come from a teeny tiny little town on Vancouver Island where you kind of get the feeling you might be in an episode of Cheer's...everybody knows you name (and they call your Mom and Dad when they see you up to no good!) A good family friend, Dave Stevens, used to dress up as Santa every year when I was a kid and he would come to the town hall where we would all climb up on his lap to tell him our very special wishes and get our candy cane and Christmas orange from his Elf, I have known Dave all my life, as with my cousins, friends, and even his own kids but I can see the old faded photos in my Mom's album of Christmases past, all of us bundled up in our winter coats red faced and screaming or awkwardly smiling with one eye on Santa and the other on our parents. Dave and Kathy lived then and still do now across the street from my Nana and Papa, every Christmas eve after mass we would head over to Nana and Papa's for a drink and snacks, once Papa had come to his fill of 4 very excited grandsons and one very perfect and precious grandaughter ;) Dave would go out to the yard and ring his sleigh bells and 5 kids would be in coats, boots and hats in under 5 min. ready to head home to bed so Santa wouldn't pass by their house! Thanks for making my Christmases so magical Dave!
This year I watched as one Grampa made some Christmas magic for Rockeyview Labor and Delivery Nurses children and I giggled when his grandson was sat on his lap and screamed more than any of the other kids! It was a wonderful party and I was so glad to be there to see it!
Because I love Vintage Christmas I decided to give these photos a vintage feel, so without any further ramblings of my past here are a few of the very sweet kids from the party with Santa.

THE REAL DEAL - CALGARY FAMILY PHOTOGRAPHER

2009-12-13T17:08:00.000-08:00

I photographed the Hassman's this afternoon..we really wanted to take this shoot outside and had actually rebooked it for this weekend in hopes that we would be out of the deep freeze of last weekend, apparently I have ticked off Mother Nature because she is keeping all the good weather for the days I am not booked and brining out her worst for the days that I am!!
I had sooo many good ideas for this shoot for outside, I was briming with inspiration and creativness, but alas it had to be moved indoors due to the -28 temp. today!
Everett and Max were super cute and for the most part happy to have me there...we did struggle to get some great family pics, but Holly stayed relaxed and kept laughing saying "these are real family photos". When I left I laughed and said "yup these are the real deal!!" but once I got home to download and backup I was overjoyed to find some awesome images!!! I am so excited to post these for Holly to see!!

I hope you will love them Holly, I really do!

And finally my two most loved of the session....they really don't get more real than this! I LOVE that Holly is holding Everett's bottle in the first one!

BOYS WILL BE BOYS! - CALGARY PHOTOGRAPHER

2009-12-11T10:30:00.000-08:00

These two's picture is probably right beside the definition of "boy" in the dictionary! Busy Busy Busy and Oh so adorable they are!
These guys Mom runs the bootcamp that Oliver and I have been going to since the summer ( http://www.fitnesswithkids.ca/ ) Erin is awesome...she works you hard, even harder on the days she can tell you are slacking! But my arm and leg muscles are thanking her! Since the summer we have been trying to set up a shoot for her family...this has proven to be difficult with both of us running very busy schedules and before we knew it we were working around busy schedules, naps, illness, and the evasive sun! Wednesday we decided to power through the fog and huge snow flakes that decided to start falling but hours before our session (don't even talk to me about the beautiful sun and warmth that were out on Thursday at 3:30!!)
So I made my way over to Erin's fighting through bad drivers and even worse roads (yes Dad and Brock there are worse drivers then me out there believe it or not!) to meet Cooper and Jack! Jack thought it would be best if he just watched me take photos, but didn't take him long to warm up and give me some great smiles while telling me everything he knows about everything and a very special gift he wants from Santa! Cooper fresh off a nap was harder, he didn't like me much as I kept taking his soother away! But he still gave me a smile or two, between his daily exercise routine of jumping from couch to couch and running from living room to front entrance!

Have you ever seen two cuter Brothers than this....

If you have ever had me photograph you, you know I LOVE the "stuff" I love to photograph all the details at a party, the tiny hands, toes, belly buttons, shoes, buttons...that is really where my passion in photography is! Not everyone I photograph likes these photos but they are always my coveted images, I even have a section just for them in my portfolio book!! This one is up there with some of my favs!!

A SPECIAL DAY FOR ELLA - CALGARY PHOTOGRAPHER-PERSONAL

2009-12-08T22:32:00.000-08:00

Oliver was NOT impressed that his sister was having ANOTHER special day!! When you have an older sister that dances, musical theater, plays piano and violin, is in grade one and numerous other activities he hears "Oli its Ella's special day!" ALL THE TIME!!

Yesterday was a very special day for Ella, her class performed at the Christmas Liturgy at the Church!! Oliver, having been brought along to many a special day thought differently....he thought maybe just once it should be his special day! so when I sushed him and "said Oli be quiet, its Ella's special day!" he yelled out in the midst of a silent congregation " NO Mommy, IT MY SPECIAL DAY! MY SPECIAL DAY TODAY!"

Ella was a star as she always is, a performer reveling in her craft!! She smiled big, with her bouncy curls, diamond clip, perfect black cardigan and shiny polished black heels looked out into the crowd, found us and gave a big wave and tiny giggle and gave it her all. Belting out the song with hand actions bigger than life itself! Could she have been any more excited?? maybe...could Brock and I have been any prouder?? Not a chance! As for Oli, well he'll be heading over to Shelley's where he is so loved that everyday is Oli day!

Since there is no photographing at the Church I only got a couple images of Ella before and one after. Here is Ella and her good friend Keegan

and Ella after the concert.

A FOURTH BIRTHDAY, BUT A FIRST BIRTHDAY PARTY!! - CALGARY PHOTOGRAPHER

2009-12-06T17:50:00.000-08:00

Today Danika turned four years old.....but she celebrated her very first "real" birthday party! In the past Danika had celebrated her special day surrounded by family, but this year she got an amazing party for her and some of her friends, a party full of balloons, princesses, dragons, stories, songs, games, friends, family, hot dogs and cake! and was it ever amazing!! Danika has some really great parents, who I have met a few times through friends, but I had no idea until just recently how great they really were, so loving and caring! but beyond her fantastic parents she's got an Auntie who really rocks!!! Words just can't describe what a lucky little girl Danika is! I feel truly lucky that I was asked to photograph Danika on her special day, I seen her eyes light up and a smile spread across her beautiful tiny face all afternoon and it left me feeling great for the rest of the day..I can't help but smile everytime I think of her standing at the door looking out the frosty glass as her friends arrived, getting even more excited with every approaching guest! I had to giggle when I took her to the side for a couple portraits and she said "well I guess, but I only have a second, I have to go back to my party!!"

I took plenty of images of Danika's guests but I wanted to keep this post about the Birthday Princess herself since it truly was her day to shine and that she did!!

Happy Fourth Birthday, Danika wishing you a year full of big smiles and exciting things to come!

This next image is Danika making a VERY special wish for her birthday unicorn! She thought long and hard for the perfect wish, this was not to be taken lightly!

And finally my FAV. image of the day....isn't she the sweetest little girl you've ever seen!

ANOTHER BEAUTIFUL FAMILY - CALGARY PHOTOGRAPHER

2009-11-29T22:04:00.000-08:00

I went out to Okotoks this afternoon to meet up with the Barry's. I love it when I am photographing people that know EXACTLY what they are looking for, it makes everything so easy on me! and Christie knew exactly what she wanted. The first time I talked to Christie about family photos she wanted snow, normally in Calgary this would have been an easy request two days before December first! We are usually up to our waist in snow at this time of year, but it didn't look like that was going to happen for her this year, however, we ended up having such a perfect dusting of snow on the ground for these shots! The only problems with getting exactly what she was looking for were a strong willed soon to be two year old who kept yelling "no!" everytime I came close to him with my camera! Good thing he's so darn cute, and it being a bit chilly and windier then we had thought! I can't say we ended up getting exactly what we hoped for with these shots but I took a couple hundred and think I came out with a handful of really great ones, which in the end is all that matters!

I had a blast chatting up a storm with you guys this afternoon and taking a couple pictures in between!

This first shot was the very first shot of the day...it was a test shot to check settings!

This last shot was not an easy one to get...Jevyn was well past done having me over, but I think it turned out not too badly....I should post one of the ones before to show the trouble his parents were having trying to get him to sit still...but I am sure anyone who has had photos taken with kids this age can picture in their minds what it must have looked like!

BEAUTIFUL FAMILY..CALGARY PHOTOGRAPHER

2009-11-28T17:01:00.000-08:00

I was a little nervous when Marie contacted me to take these photos, they were going to be the biggest group I have done and I was so worried about not getting everyone is focus and not making them pose all silly. But this family knew what was going on, what they wanted and we banged it out in one of my fastest sessions yet! That could also be due to the number of children in the group...with only one happy baby girl to force into position we were set to get things done!

Thank you so much for having me at you home to photograph you beautiful family, it truly was a very enjoyable session on my end! Enjoy a quick look at your photos!!

This next one is one of my fav's from the session...I love the way they looked at eachother when I asked them to!

OLIVER - CALGARY PHOTOGRAPHER

2009-11-28T12:12:00.000-08:00

For the past two and half years all Brock and I hear from people is "oh my gosh, he's soooo serious"
When Oliver was born he was five tiny pounds of serious! I thought he possibly didn't like me too much he NEVER smiled, we didn't even really get those baby gassy smiles from him. At four months old we noticed that he didn't react to ANY sounds, we could stand behind him and scream as loud as possible and he didn't flinch, we set the smoke alarms off and he didn't flinch, my heart litterally stopped the day the Dr slamed the door of the office and he just layed there, she looked at me and said "we are going to have to have his hearing tested" Two weeks later we were told "your son hears perfectly fine" and from that day on I have known Oliver takes life with a grain of salt, nothing shakes him up, he is a serious boy!!
Now when people say "oh my gosh, he's so serious" I just smile. Oliver likes to smile on the sly....he gives big chessy grins when you are giving up and putting the camera away..sometimes I get lucky and catch one.

I took these pictures this morning when the sun was coming up and the snow was bright, I love them because they are Oliver, some people might look at them and wonder why I would love a picture that seems as though my son is giving me dirty looks, but he's not......and I caught a big cheesy grin when he thought I was done!!

ELLA....CALGARY PHOTOGRAPHER

2009-11-24T21:22:00.000-08:00

I can't believe Ella is going to be SEVEN this February......I never imagined that Ella would become the very talented, sweet girl she is today. We decided to not have school pictures done this year, when your Mom takes as many pictures as I do is there really a need to pay $60+ for a run of the mill school picture. So we decided we would take some photos of her with her beloved Violin!
I love the shot of her with her eyes closed and wish she wasn't having so much trouble with her eyes right now, believe it or not I did edit them and there just wasn't much I could do to fix the purple bruising they were that bad that day...thankfully one day with a new cream seems to be working wonders!!

Now to get Oliver out of his skates and into the feild for some sweet shots of him!! Maybe Kathy, an amazing photographer of http://www.photoliciousphotography.com/ ! will get a great one of him tomorrow! We are so excited for her to take some family shots of us....she has helped me so much on this photographic journey answering question after question...I really do appreciate all her help and think she is one very talented lady!!

THE SINGH'S

2009-11-21T13:47:00.000-08:00

Whew!! These guys made me work this morning!! Three of the most adorable kids ever, but only one was interested in having her photo taken by me....I had to tell them I knew Santa and even that didn't really work too well! I did get a few good shots....looking for a great family one still..but thought these were pretty cute and hope they are what you wanted Deb!

OWEN

2009-11-20T11:12:00.000-08:00

Here is a sneak peek for you Elise, I know you will check it out as soon as you wake up!! They are so cute.

I might have to spend all day editing these images of Owen, When he first got to my house I thought "oh CRAP! this is going to be so hard" he wouldn't sit still, I was trying to take pictures in the house by the christmas tree with a flash and with the delay in flash by the time it took the picture Owen was LONG gone! But then we took things outside...I was dissapointed in the overcast day as I was so excited to use the 8 am light which normally is so pretty right now, but I still think these are super cute!

A FUTURE PHOTOGRAPHER??

2009-11-18T21:21:00.000-08:00

So one of the things Becker stressed was that you should always have a picture of yourself for the people who are hiring you to see....I wasn't a huge fan of this idea, mostly because I am not a fan of pictures of myself, but thought I would go ahead and look through some past photos and see if I could find a decent one when I came across this, taken by Oliver at age 2.

Back towards the end of the summer, might of even been September because Ella wasn't around, I was playing with my camera and Oliver said "me too Momma" so I gave him the camera, which was too heavy for his tiny hands to hold up with the Nikkor 24-70 on it so he held the camera and I held the end of the lens while he pushed the shutter, and got the biggest smile on his face....I eventually just layed the camera on the floor and he layed behind it telling me what to do...he would say "chessey smile Momma, move her on your tummy" it was so much fun and he took a ton pictures of me.

I am still not a fan of myself in photos..but I like how I got these!

MADE MY FIRST [B]ECKER CHANGE....

2009-11-16T20:07:00.000-08:00

Its not much and honestly I doubt that anyone will even notice it! But I went to see the [b]ecker yesterday and I founnd him to be so inspiring...just the way he is inspired me! It was awesome and I feel lucky I got to go! I also got the chance to meet a whole whack of photographers that were full of great advice and things to try....one of them even lives but 5 seconds away from me and her son is the same age, grade and in the same school as Ella!
I can't wait to start changing things...and think the first thing on my list is going to be a new custom blog along with a logo and new business cards all very very exciting!

Well I can't end a post without a few photos.....this was our day today.....

I love this picture...people always tell us Oliver looks like Brock...today I kept looking at this photo and thinking thats not Brock but its someone, well it just hit me...this is my brother, in this photo Oliver looks just like my brother, James!

Yes, Elise, thats our cake.....

2009-11-14T15:55:00.000-08:00

In keeping with my commitment to one blog post per week...here is what I have for this week...not a whole heck of a lot! Ella was sick this week, Oliver is now in a big boy bed and has been getting up for the day between 4-5AM! and has decided that he no longer needs to nap either...Momma is tired...Oliver seems to be going strong!

I did spend a fair amount of time in the house this week and have been trying to better my relationship with my Nikkor 24-70.....this lens seems to not like me very much..we're working on that.

I love that once halloween is over Starbucks comes out with their Christmas Cups! Who doesn't love a Venti Tea Measto in a christmas cup!!! This is going to be our first christmas in Calgary..I really never thought the day would come that we didn't venture home to BC but it has and we are looking forward to it! We are keeping the decor simple with a vintage flare! I love the little birds Ella and I found, and our Advent calendar we made..we kept it really simple but I think its kind of elegant looking, I got a vintage santa stamp that we might stamp on a few of the envelopes but for now I love the simplness of it. I also love Style at Home and was elated when it came in the mail this week!! I wish I had the house on the cover.....one day!

Now running out to a hockey fundraiser where i have donated a session for the silent auction and off tomorrow to see the [b]ecker!!!!!! Super excited...this is supposed to be one of the best seminars for photographers...I seen last week Fresh Sugar was giving away a ticket so if she thinks its good it must be!!

BLOGGING......

2009-11-06T13:52:00.000-08:00

I have a friend who is also testing out this whole photography thing who sent me a message the other day telling me that I should try out 365 blogging...when I read the message I thought "hmm sounds neat I wonder what it is" see this friend is always coming up with fantastic ideas so I thought this must be some fancy blog that I must look into...well upon further disscussion I find that she is talking about blogging 365 days a year!!! same old boring blog but a new post daily!!!! I have been mulling this over for a week now, not wanting to start unless I am going to go through with it and thinking this just is not going to happen for me, when today upon stalking some of the other photographers blogs that I stalk I seen one who blogs something family related every Friday...well this I *think* I can do, and I know Nannie and Grama will appreciate it and possibly said friend will find it a good compromise??????

So here is my first weekly family blog post!

This is my handsome boy Oliver James, he is 100% obbessed with hockey much to his Mommy's dissapointment! I hoped with all my heart that my boy wouldn't want to be a hockey player, I hated watching my brother play, thought I was through when I grew up and moved out only to discover I had fallen in love with someone who loved the sport and wanted me to watch him, but my boy was going to be different until my heart melted the day he said "Momma I a hockey boy too" and proceeded to watch an entire game on TV all the while saying "Daddy thats you!! There you are Daddy!" and "Thats me right there, there I am!" and I changed my mind my son will be a "hockey boy" and I will be the proudest Hockey Boy Mommy there ever was!!

HALLOWE'EN

2009-11-06T13:22:00.000-08:00

We had a very busy hallowe'en this year. With two photo sessions and kids to get ready, along with sadly helping our beloved neighbours pack for their move that weekend, our day flew by and before I knew it Ella and Oliver's friends had arrived to head out trick or treating and I hadn't taken one picture of my own kids all day!! The night before had been an experimental night with my camera and pumpkin carving....I was trying out high ISO and low shutter speeds indoors with no flash and Brock was gettting crazy with our pumkins, making batman for Oli James and Ariel for Ella...needless to say there were one or two maybe even three non kid friendly words muttered under two parents breath, Ariel ended up needing some plastic surgery on her face involving toothpicks and I am not happy with a single picture I took! But aside from all that, our kids had a blast! I have never seen Oli James so happy....thanks to Shelley for adding the two fake rats to their special treat bags, we have been tormenting Oliver with Percy and Thomas since then....wish I had a picture of Thomas and Percy to add to this post but I don't because someone, who reffered to himself as the only grown up in the house took them away from Ella and I, but even without Thomas and Percy I know Nannie has been patiently waiting to see these so here are Ella the wicked witch of the west and Batman!! along with their friends, Keegan aka Optimus Prime, Maya the Princess riding Unicorn and Owie the Turtle....this was a difficult picture to get hence the crappy quality, the kids were not interested in a group shot at this point, the only things they could think of were candy candy candy!!

A LITTLE SNEAK PEEK....

2009-11-01T15:33:00.000-08:00

I met the MacPherson's at Fish Creek Park and had a blast photographing them!! Harper has to be one of the sweetest baby girls ever! She was so easy, smiled, didn't cry once and even let her Mom change her a few times without a complaint! The last image is my fav from the entire session!

Thanks for having me photograph your family...hope you like these sneaks!

FOR DANA

2009-11-01T14:01:00.000-08:00

This just might be my longest blog post ever! I had such a hard time trying to pick only a few of Curtis to blog...I honestly could have posted all 200 pictures I took of him!!

Curtis' Mom and Dad are good friends of ours and we have been so excited to see Curtis from the moment we heard of his future arrival to the sweet chubby babe he is today! I love watching Dana and Dustin with Curtis, they are so very much in love with him, you can't help but be in a good mood every time you step in their front door. Dana is one of the most relaxed first time Mom's I have ever seen...It all came so easily and naturally to her,she is one great Momma to Curtis!

I was super excited when Dana asked if I wanted to come and shoot these pictures of Curtis. We had such a good time stuffing him in that pumpkin, by far some of my fav photos to date!!

WE GAVE THANKS....A FEW WEEKS AGO

2009-10-27T19:24:00.000-07:00

We were very thankful this thanksgiving and I really wanted to blog some of my fav. parts of the weekend, it was a wonderful weekend, even though we didn't go home we got to spend it with some of our closest friends who have made living so far away from home not as bad as it once was!!

10 Things the Kramp family was thankful for this year....

1. Having Brock home for the weekend
2. Jade, Terrence, Austen Finn and Stella
3. Jade's amazing way of dealing with an uncomfortable situation and helping me to realize its really not that bad.
4. Joey, Elise and Owen
5. A cozy warm house to live in, small but still beautiful and warm while the snow came down outside and big enough to have good friends over for dinner
6. Kris, Shelley, Keegan and Maya
7. 5 happy, healthy kids running around tearing our tiny house apart
8. Our phone so we could phone home to Nannie, Papa and Grama and Grampa
9. Books to read, because we love good books
10. A family surrounded by love!

ETHAN

2009-10-26T12:40:00.001-07:00

Ethan came by with his Mom and good friend Stasia to catch up and have some fun with my new lens! Ethan's mom, Leslie, Stasia and I went to highschool together on the island and even though we all seem to have moved within 3 hours of eachother don't get to see eachother very often due to busy lives with jobs and kids. I loved catching up and chatting...topics have certainly changed since highschool with babies and real estate topping the list these days and Ethan was super cute and wanted to touch my lens so badly!!

Thanks for stopping by, and looking beyond my messy house and that I had no tasty treats, or fresh drinks made like I would have liked to! hope these pictures will make up for it!

TYLA & KOHEN

2009-10-11T15:58:00.000-07:00

I photographed Tess' kids on the very first snow fall of the year! It was so cold out and I made Tyla and Kohen go stand out in the back yard for some photos....they froze but were troopers and I think it paid off I got some great shots of them...and thanks to Tess for her assistance in getting the kids to smile...this Mom pulled out all the stops for a good picture! It was great photographing you guys....one of my FAV sessions by far!

BABY AVA

2009-10-05T12:58:00.000-07:00

I photographed baby Ava's baby shower back at the end of summer and was super excited when Nita wanted to do a newborn session as well. Ava and her Mommy are both so sweet and I had such a good time with them and my "assistant" Elise, it was probably one of the most relaxed session I have ever had, we took a couple pictures, we stopped and nursed, we chatted, we laughed, Ava and I cried a little.....Thanks again Nita and Ava, hopefully you enjoy your pictures....I know there is a photographer in the family which is making me super nervous about these!!

THINGS ARE STARTING TO CHANGE......

2009-09-29T16:07:00.000-07:00

Things are changing quickly for this "hobby" turned full time job of mine!! Things are coming together very quickly and so well that I feel its time to start moving up in the world of photography and that means price changes, prints and website galleries!!

I currently am looking into having prints for order and a price list, which I hope to keep very reasonable, I am very excited about this new chapter in my photography journey.

I am also going to be raising prices soon so make sure you book quickly to get the $100 session that includes a CD of 10 edited images because come the end of October prices will be $150 session fee and $50 for a CD of edited images.

SHAUNA & HER BOYS

2009-09-25T15:45:00.000-07:00

I had a wonderful afternoon with Shauna, Jeremy and Greyson, they had great ideas, told me I could make them do anything I wanted and they wouldn't say no, and were also a bundle of tips on good places to shoot and some neat ideas which is always appreciated, not only that but they made me feel good about what I am doing!
Greyson was such a sweet little guy, woken from a nap full of smiles I have an endless amount of great pictures of him and I only had to use his panda once at the very end to get a good smile!

Thanks so much Shauna and Jeremy, hope you enjoy these images..

THE PAGE FAMILY

2009-09-22T22:32:00.000-07:00

This family was so full of fun and so very full of life!
I adore Jamie's red hair and sense of humor... he had no problems telling me when something wasn't working for him and Haley has to be one of the most beautiful blondes I have phtographed to date!

Hope you enjoy your preview Stacey, your family was truly a joy to photograph!

THE BLAKER'S

2009-09-22T19:55:00.001-07:00

This family was full of fun! Both kids had been sleeping on the way to the shoot and only needed no more than five min. to wake up and get going without a single complaint!
I seen a lot of love raidiating out of Mom and Dad, Catherina had the most gentle touch and kind voice towards her kids it made me want to go home and hug my kids.

THE HUBER'S

2009-09-13T19:53:00.000-07:00

Wow was this a great session to shoot!
The Huber's have to be one of the most beautiful families I have shot! Their three girls, Ava, Greta and Norah were so adorable even when they weren't smiling and really not having much fun they were still adorable and I have to say they all did better then most kids would have considering it was maybe +8 out.

I had such a great time chatting with Melissa all morning about anything and everything and would happily take their picture and spend another two hours with them again!

THE POLLARD'S

2009-09-11T12:21:00.000-07:00

The Pollard's are awesome! We met for a family session on probably the most windy day we have had this year, but they were all smiles and ready to go regardless.
I had so much fun with them, they were up for anything and everything and I will happily shoot their family again any day!

Hope you enjoy these Kerry....I told you we got some good smiles :)

NITA & BABY AVA'S SHOWER

2009-09-09T20:24:00.001-07:00

I met Nita through a very good friend of mine and was super excited when she wanted me to come and photograph her shower. Nita has married into one of the most beautiful families ever, every where I looked another one of Luke's gergeous sisters/sister-in-law stood, not to mention the bunch of pretty baby girls they have all made!
I had a great time with everyone at Nita's shower, and think Ava is one very loved, very beautiful baby.

Welcome to the world baby Ava Reine!!

SAM & FAMILY

2009-08-24T20:07:00.000-07:00

I loved the afternoon I spent with Sam and her boys! They were so much fun! and I am still laughing at Nick for saying he normally looks like Brad Pitt but then someone takes his picture and he changes into someone else!
Sam is so beautiful I don't think I got one bad frame of her, I can't wait to meet Brighton when she makes her arrival because she is going to be one gorgeous baby with a Mom like Sam.

Hope you enjoy these Sam and Nick!

BABY CALEY

2009-08-24T18:53:00.001-07:00

2 Week old Caley and her Mom and Dad came to see me this past weekend and holy did Caley give me a run for my money! I wanted to snap her picture and she had other plans! I shot and chatted with them for about an hour and even though Caley was upset her parents were very much the opposite! I could see love raidiating her Dad's face every time he looked at her. Caley you are one lucky girl, you've got some pretty spectacular parents!

FITNESS WITH KIDS

2009-08-20T15:36:00.001-07:00

I was so excited when Erin asked me to photograph one of her bootcamps last week, who could ask for something more fun for thier first commercial shoot!

Erin runs FITNESS WITH KIDS bootcamps and is AMAZING! I have never had so much fun working out before, its actually not as hard to drag myself out of bed in the morning to work out with these ladies, there is always chatting and laughter and of course we get a great work out as well and bonus, you can bring your kids! Erin has some great babysitters on hand to watch the kids who are always in your sight as well!

I didn't want to blog too much without the permission of the ladies who worked thier butts off this morning, but thought these were some great shots of the work out and of course, one of the babysitters!!

You can check out Erin's latest bootcamps at www.fitnesswithkids.ca

BATTI BOYS

2009-08-20T15:28:00.000-07:00

I had so much fun photographing these guys last weekend! They were a bundle of energy and loved the location I picked out for them, Xavier was here there and everywhere checking things out all afternoon!

I had so much fun with you guys and look forward to your future family session!!

STELLA

2009-08-19T09:30:00.000-07:00

Beautiful, Beautiful Stella.

Stella's dad, Terrence, was just offered an unbelievable opportunity in his career and will be moving to a new office, he asked me if I would take some pictures of his little girl for him to display. Of course I was more than happy to do this for him one because Stella is gorgeous and two because Terrence has done so much for me, with Brock working out of town ALL THE TIME Terrence has always been around to help me with everything from babysitting to digging out dead birds embedded in the front of my car! and even more importantly because his wife has been another one of my biggest supporters along the way, they have no idea just how much we appreciate them!

The Boland's are much loved by us and I am happy to snap pictures of their perfect family any chance I get!

OLIVER

2009-08-16T14:47:00.000-07:00

With Ella at Nannie and Papa's someones gotta help so Oliver helped me test out some new props the other day.....

OLIVER & MOMMY GO TO CAMP.....

2009-08-16T13:59:00.000-07:00

Oliver and I took a trip to EMPRESS Alberta to visit Brock this past week....we had no idea what we were in for! With a population of maybe 25, 20 of who Oliver and I probably met while exploring the town, Rattle snakes everywhere, and about 15 rig workers in trailers set in the middle of nowhere.... We did do some exploring, we laughed a lot at the gas station containing one pump only and if you can imagine 15 rigged up trucks waiting in line for gas heading home for days off I am sure you would laugh as much as we did...Oliver tempted fate with rattle snakes and ran into the grass for a quick shot which I took as quickly as possible ran in grabed him and ran back out! We were dissapointed to see that church was not open for mass the whole time we were there, Oliver got so upset he threw a rock at it and just missed the window. We drove 40 min to the closest grocery store where Oliver made friends with the old lady working there who thought he was the cutest thing she had ever encountered.....three days of this and all we have to say is "wow, that was an experience!"

We were so happy to see Brock for a few days though...we miss him and wish he would come home soon!

One more of Katie and her boys....

2009-08-16T13:54:00.000-07:00

I had to post this one!

KATIE, JORDAN & AIDEN!

2009-08-16T13:36:00.000-07:00

Katie is beautiful, Jordan is handsome, and Aiden is one of the cutest boys out there! I had such a good time photographing them...they were up for anything and didn't even look at me funny when I told them what I had in mind for them!
Aiden was full of giggles and cheese's and I can't believe how many great shots I got of him!

I hope you enjoy these Katie! I will photograph you and your boys anytime!

The Hefler's AGAIN....

2009-08-10T20:24:00.000-07:00

I couldn't resist a couple more!

THE HEFLER'S

2009-08-10T20:17:00.000-07:00

WE LOVE THE HEFLER'S!
I was beyond excited when Shelley asked me to shoot her family pictures....and when we got there I was beyond nervous to shoot her family pictures!
Shelley and Kris have the cutest kids ever and rock as parents! They are so fun and easy going that I couldn't have asked for better people to do my first "real" session with.

I love all four of you! and hope you love your pictures!

COHEN!

2009-08-04T13:14:00.000-07:00

Cohen is one of the cutest little guys ever! These photos are also from Owen's birthday party but I couldn't put my camera down when Cohen was around, I just had to take his picture and couldn't stop I ended up with sooo many pictures of him. I was so excited when his Mom, who is one of the most beautiful people ever!, asked me to do some family photos for them, I can't wait to take this guys picture again and get some of his beautiful sister, Tyla too!

Because he is so darn cute I thought he just had to have a post all to himself!

A few more from Owen's party......

2009-08-04T13:08:00.001-07:00

OWEN TURNS ONE!!!!

2009-08-04T12:57:00.000-07:00

I was so excited to take pictures at Owen's first birthday party! I adore his Mom and Dad, Elise and Joey, they have to be the nicest, most easy going, caring people I know and Owen is such a sweet little boy. We have had the pleasure of watching Owen grow in his first year and I just can't believe he is already ONE! it seems like yesterday we were peeking at him wraped in his blankie on the porch, we thought he was sweet then, we had no idea just how sweet he would become in time!

Thanks for having us at your party Owen we look forward to another year of watching you grow and learn! and thanks to your Mommy for everything she does!

We miss the beach.....

2009-07-28T20:02:00.000-07:00

Just looking through our trip home to the island and wishing we were still spending our nights by the ocean!

ABBI

2009-07-28T11:39:00.000-07:00

Abbi is super cute and super shy! She was so hard to get to smile, and honestly this was the best she gave me in the smile department, however, that aside there is something in this photo that draws me and I fell in love with it once I downloaded it.

ELLA

2009-07-28T11:02:00.000-07:00

These two photos were again taken some time ago but remain to be two of my favorites!
Ella is beautiful in every way and with the thousand+ pictures I have taken of her since the start of this journey she is still willing to pose and smile for me and gets more and more beautiful every time the shutter goes.

JEVIN

2009-07-28T10:48:00.000-07:00

Jevin is our little neighbour Owen's friend, the second picture was taken when I was still taking classes and Elise was babysitting Jevin, I took full advantage of having a new face to photograph and he gave me sooo many great smiles, but this has remained my fav.
The first pricture was taken this past weekend and I was shocked to see how much Jevin had changed in that short time period, he is now a full on little boy with the personality to match!

Testing out my new flash!

2009-07-26T09:08:00.000-07:00

I just went looking for the Nikon SB800 and sadly found out it was discontinued and replaced with the SB900 (and a bigger price tag!) After the sales guy talked up this flash I couldn't leave the store without it! I was so excited to get it home and put it on my camera and quickly realized this is going to take some work!! This is an amazing flash but will take me forever to learn to use properly...and my helper no longer seems interested in offering his services to me, with his hands over his face yelling 'Mommy NO CHEESE, NO CHEESE Mommy!"

KEEGAN & MAYA'S water balloon party!

2009-07-26T08:47:00.001-07:00

Yesterday we were invited to Keegan 6th and Maya's 4th birthday party, their Mom, Shelley, became an instant friend when she taught me how to use quickbooks this past May. We are lucky to keep meeting people that become such good friends so fast! Of course, I HAD to take my camera with me as Shelley has been one of my biggest supporters on this adventure and her kids are too cute not to want to photograph all the time!
Thanks again to the Hefler's for being such good friends to us, inviting us to their party, and most important..for feeding us dinner after!

One more for Lynn

2009-07-22T20:46:00.001-07:00

I thought this was a very sweet picture of Lily and her Grama on her 2nd birthday at Kitty Coleman

Quinten

2009-07-22T20:22:00.000-07:00

Quinten is my most handsome nephew, he is NOT interested in having his picture taken let alone being asked to pose! You can, however, catch him with a smile if you are quick.

Lily

2009-07-22T20:13:00.000-07:00

Lily is my neice and so much fun to take pictures of! She is always busy busy, if you put the camera down for a second you will miss something with her.

Starting to learn....

2009-07-19T18:57:00.000-07:00

Finally figured a few things out today and I must say I am pretty proud of myself!

A few to start......

2009-07-19T18:51:00.001-07:00

Trying Again.......

2009-07-19T18:32:00.000-07:00

I wasn't happy with the site that I had originally made my blog on, and was also paying for it, when I discovered this one is free!! So changed things up and am giving this new one a try!!

Hopefully things will run faster and smoother and be less annoying then the last one!