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

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!

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

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!

BEAUTIFUL BLUE EYES

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!
 

AUSTIN - CALGARY CHILDREN PHOTOGRAPHER

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!

THE HARVIE AND KRAMP KIDS

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!

SANTA CLAUS CAME TO TOWN! - CALGARY EVENT PHOTOGRAPHER

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

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

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

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

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!