A few months ago Lemon Sugar Bar approached me with her project request, and I immediately started dreaming of these final images. Without pause, I got Emily Janzen on board to help with sourcing decor props, developing a vision and to creating a styling plan for the photo shoot. Emily and I set up a pop up studio and spent time playing with these beautiful products and capturing these branding photos for LSB’s Instagram grid. The aromas in the studio were incredible! If you haven’t used Lemon Sugar Bar’s products before – you must. They will turn a plain bathroom into a luxury spa experience!
Contact me to request a quote on your next product photography project:
Emily and I were back in studio this past month, creating some new images for Almond Nail Bar’s Instagram grid. We always look forward to these photo shoots so much – all the colours, textures and beautiful models are so much fun to work with! Emily is an amazing photo stylist and dreams up the perfect designs for these product shoots. She has such a great eye for detail and a talent for sourcing (and building!) props. Photographing these branding images for Almond Nail Bar and creating all this content is one of my highlights of the year. Here’s a preview of what we created in studio!
Got a branding or product photography project in mind? Contact me for more info and I’d be happy to send you more info!
A drive out to the rural outskirts of the city, an early morning sun filtered by thin clouds and a beautiful family is what made this photo session absolutely perfect! Their daughter is almost a year old, and capturing this special milestone is something that I love so much. She toddled around with her cute little feet, she babbled some very interesting but incoherent stories, and had the biggest, beaming smile for so many photos. She even took a few bites of fresh dill and showed off her cool shades. Spending time with a 1 year old is so refreshing! It was an absolute delight to document this moment in time and here’s a handful of the photos we captured:
Meet Félix. He’s not just a super cute baby, but a real warrior, a brave fighter, a champ – all with a big smile and adorable giggles! What he went through in the past months battling unthinkable cancer makes any mountain in my life seem like a molehill. To be here today, taking his photo and capturing the love and brightness that is his life, is nothing short of awe-inspiring. It was an absolute honour to capture the tremendous love his parents have for him and how amazing Félix is doing. Here’s a preview from our beautiful evening at the park!
Having a baby and raising small kids during a pandemic is no small feat. Seeing moms get through these incredibly hard but rich experiences is so beautiful and powerful to see. The love that is shared, the connections that are made – all in the context of a growing family – is so wonderful to witness. The days of having a newborn bring so many indescribable feelings, so to be able to honour it through photography is something I adore so much.
And how cute is Alessia?! 10 days old and so showered with a depth of love that goes beyond words. I had so much fun at the studio capturing these dear moments and to see the two older siblings show so much affection for their new little sister. Here is a preview of our time together!
I’ve been waiting a long time to finally meet Henry, and when the day finally came, I was overjoyed. Henry is a strong, energetic and curious baby boy. He came into this world and into his parent’s life quite unexpectedly early. While we were in the very early stages of planning a maternity photo session for Jen last October, I got the news that Henry had made a surprise arrival at only 24 weeks 3 days.
The maternity and newborn sessions were immediately put on hold, and I eagerly followed along on Instagram as Jen and Devin posted updates on their tiny little bundle of love. I immediately fell in love, and couldn’t wait for the day that I would actually be able to meet him in person. I am so grateful that this day was even possible, and although the pandemic keeps us masked and 6 feet apart, it was so exciting to finally be allowed to safely take his photos.
At 6 months old (2 months old, age adjusted), he is such a cutie with so many adorable facial expressions and quite the strong little dude! I wasn’t able to hold him or touch him, but taking his photos was the best thing ever. My heart is bursting with love and joy for them, and for these precious photos that we were able to capture. We even had the opportunity to take a photo with him and a doll that represents his beautiful big sister whose presence is very much felt. The love that surrounds him is huge. What an amazing fighter you are, Henry! You are so loved!
When I was young, my mom had a point and shoot film camera. She’d buy a 24 exposure roll of film and it would last her half a year, sometimes more. She’d pull it out to document small moments in our childhood: a birthday party, a picnic with friends, a trip to the beach. After all 24 photos were taken, she’d roll up the film, put it into its tiny cylindrical container and drop it off at the local photo lab. A week and a few dollars later, she’d get her photos back and we’d eagerly pull the stack of 4×6 prints out of the envelope to look through it all. It was pure joy, and we cherished re-living the last few months through those prints.
My childhood’s story and its moments would be most remembered by the photos my mom took. If something wasn’t documented in a photo, my memories of it are very foggy.
I’m a very nostalgic person and one of my favourite things to do is to flip through old photo albums. Back in the film days, you didn’t have photos without prints. Inevitably, physical photo albums were always being made.
Enter in the digital age. It’s so easy to take photos. In fact, we are drowning in opportunities for capturing memories. Our phones live in our back pockets and they can take unlimited photos.
But are we printing them? Are photo albums being made?
For me, I would get so overwhelmed by my iPhone camera roll that I would just ignore the task. Years would go by, and hardly any photos of my kids would get printed.
But that has changed! I finally realized that I needed to develop an easy system so that printing would become second nature. We now have family photos albums on our shelf in the living room, and it’s SO valued to us.
It comes down to basic photo habits. No organizational apps required! It’s easy. Here’s what I do!
STEP 1 – First off, I make sure to bring my iPhone everywhere so that I never miss a moment to take a photo, especially candid moments. Get into the habit of always taking a photo whenever you feel an inkling to capture a moment.
STEP 2 – Every few weeks, I go through my camera roll and I “heart” all my favourite photos, especially the ones that capture the story of our family’s life. As the weeks go by, your “favourites” album on your iPhone will grow with a curated collection of all your important photos.
STEP 3 – Whenever you’re hearting new photos, take the time to edit them right away. (Don’t wait until the end of the year, otherwise you’ll be tempted to skip this step!) You can use any photo editing app, but my favourite is Adobe’s free Lightroom Mobile app. Here are some quick and simple editing tips:
– import your photos into Lightroom. Edit them with these tools:
– adjust the exposure slider to get better brightness
– use the contrast tools to make your photos pop
– adjust the colour tools to correct for any harsh colour saturation
– use the texture and clarity tools if your photos need a bit of extra “crunchiness”
– add a bit of sharpening and noise reduction to finish off the photo
STEP 4 – Once your photo is edited in the Lightroom app, export it as a JPG and select “Largest Available Dimensions”. Organize all those exported high-res jpg photos into one album (or folder) on your phone so that they are stored in a single, easy place to find.
STEP 5 – Continue steps 1 – 4 for twelve months. At the end of the year, go to PosterJack.ca and upload all your final edited photos into their photo book layout editor. Place your images in their pre-made layouts in chronological order. You can also add captions to the photos if you’d like.
I aim to have 250 final edited photos per book and I choose the 8×10 horizontal softcover book with 120 pages.
(Side note: as much as I love taking iPhone photos of my family, I always make sure to book a professional photographer to take photos of our family once a year. Those photos are generally the ones I use for the book cover and inside the album as well.)
STEP 6 – When the layout is done, I triple check everything (layout, design, typos, accidental duplicates, etc.). Once it’s good, I submit it for print!
STEP 7 – On top of printing an annual photo book, I also print and frame four 12” x 12” family photos for our living room walls once a year. I rotate them out every time we get professional photos taken. My favourite place to print our professional family photos on our walls is at Photo Central. They have an easy online ordering system and their print quality is fantastic.
This whole process does take some time, but you will never regret the energy you spent to print your family photos!
It’s never too late to start. If you feel overwhelmed by the backlog of photos from years past, don’t let it stop you from taking baby steps. Start with the most recent year, print that album, and the excitement of receiving it in your hands will motivate you to chip away at the previous years.
Soon enough, your shelf will be filled with photo albums that I promise your kids (and grandkids!) will love looking through for years to come.
Photos only grow in value the more time passes!
PS: none of the printers I mentioned above are sponsoring this blog post – I just love them and share their links because they’re awesome!
Well, it’s now 2021. What a year it’s been. At the risk of sounding cliché – I will say this: it was a tough one. And things are still tough now. But there are better days ahead for some of us. And there’s always hope for all of us.
As I think back to an indescribable year of photography, I have many things to celebrate. I cherished every single moment I got to spend taking photos and doing the work I love incredibly much. 2020 threatened to be a difficult year, and it was, but despite the two business shutdowns (including this super long one now), I was immeasurably thankful for continuing to do what I love to do most: take photos for all of you!
In April, when photographers were ordered to temporarily shut down their businesses for an unknown amount of time, it was devastating and scary, to say the least. Setting down my camera and watching as an invisible enemy advanced upon us was very, very strange.
I remember thinking in the Spring how bizarre it was to wake up every morning in the new reality of living in a pandemic. It felt so surreal. We had never walked through anything like this before. That was the shutdown. The homeschooling. The isolation. The mix of emotions. All that sourdough.
That sourdough!
And suddenly, totally unexpectedly, photographers were reopened in early May. I nearly lost it (for joy!) – having thought that I’d for sure have to wait until June or even July before being reopened again. I was ecstatic to say the least! To pick up my camera again, to photograph those weddings, those newborns, those families… it meant the world to me. And to be able to earn income for my family again, especially since my income was now the only one for our household. I can’t tell you how grateful I was. I don’t think I will ever lose that feeling of gratefulness for my business, because of that experience.
The Summer and Fall were wonderful. Although half of my weddings were postponed to next year, I was still able to do a few and it turned out to be the busiest family photography season ever. Not sure if it was because no one was traveling or everyone had a renewed sense of urgency about the importance of capturing family photos… but whatever the reason, it was amazing being able to take photos again. And the photo shoot requests kept coming in. I doubled down and worked really hard to accommodate every request. It kept me busy, even through the cold fall months, when generally outdoor family portraits slow down. But not this year! Everyone was very willing to be outside in the cold to get those photos done. And I was so happy to do it.
Photo by Dwayne Larson Photography
And then it happened again. My business was shut down, this time on November 12th. Again for an indefinite amount of time. And we’re still in it, almost 2 months later, with no certain end date. It was heartbreaking having to cancel my Winter Mini Sessions, to cancel those newborn and engagement shoots, those Christmas family photos, even several of my commercial clients had to put their projects on hold. It’s devastating, but I understand why, and I’m thinking of all those who need us to be careful, to stop the spread. We are doing it for them.
Things will be ok again. But it’s still hard. Mentally we’re in it for the long haul, even after thinking that the “long haul” meant a 2-month lock down in the spring. We told ourselves “if we can just get to the end of June 2020”. And we did, and then found out it was going to last much longer… We had to keep trucking along.
And we are still trucking along. The last 2 months have been the hardest. Our family and community has personally been touched by covid death, as well as other great sufferings (both physical and mental) and we’ve seen first-hand the incredible strain our doctors & nurses are under. There’s no easy answer, and all solutions come with incredible sacrifice.
Things are tough. And things are good. There’s death and there’s life. It’s not either-or. It’s both. It’s contrast. It’s suspended tension. It’s hope floating on dark waters. We can celebrate and we can also grieve. We can be sad even if there are others who have more reasons to be sad. We can celebrate, even if they are for small, ordinary things.
Usually at this point in my post I’d list all the things I’m looking forward to in the new year. All the projects that are swimming in my head. All the ideas I have. All the things I’d love to do.
But instead I’m going to just get through these first few months of 2021. Make a business plan for all the possibilities (while recognizing that there are many impossibilities waiting for me too), focus on my family and what they need, and finally remember that contrast is good. Without light & dark (contrast) a photograph can’t exist. And so, in 2021, I resolve to continue using contrast in all that I create. Because these are the things our world is made of. I want to honour that.
When Teko needed some updated headshots, we also took the opportunity to squeeze in a mini family portrait session too! It’s always such a delight spending time with Teko & Gabrielle – they are such warm, generous and lovely humans. And their boys — SO CUTE! We had limited time for this session so despite the tiny 20-min window of time, we got lots of family photos plus a full collection of headshots for Teko. They are so photogenic and easy to work with, no wonder we nailed it in that fast of time! (plus their niece was a huge help in child-wrangling!!)
I was fortunate to be able to meet up with this delightful family earlier last month to capture a pretty important milestone in their life: their next baby on the way! The last time I took their photos was several years ago, so it was so much fun to see them again to capture new memories for them. They’re a super fun, super cute bunch and I can’t wait to meet their next little addition! Congratulations to you three!
Over the past few years I’ve had the great joy of photographing these two’s love story, and this year it’s growing with even more love! Veronica and Matt are expecting their first child in the next few weeks so we took this opportunity to capture the beautiful transformation that us mamas go through in order to welcome a human into this world.
The setting was nothing but gorgeous and as always, these two are SO easy to photograph! I had such a great time with them and I’m over the moon happy for them. I cannot wait to meet their baby very, very soon! A huge congratulations to you both! I know how exciting and WONDERful this time really is.
Here is a preview of our photo session at Winnipeg’s English Garden at Assiniboine Park:
What a beautiful morning for family photos! It was a bit chilly, but the sun was bright and warm and the colours were beautiful. I met up with the Derksen family at Munson Park, where the trees are beautiful and the Assiniboine River gives way to some gorgeous views. Over the years I’ve had the pleasure of taking their baby photos and family photos and it’s always such a delight to spend time with them! They are absolutely adorable and I love the kids’ energy. And Porter is pretty cute too! So thankful for these beautiful September days we’re having.
Last night I met up with the super fun, super delightful Borys family for their annual family photos! This year, unlike last year, we had a WARM evening and it made things so much more comfortable for everyone! The trick: scheduling the session before it gets too cold and too late in the fall season! These guys have big hearts, big love and a ton of fun together and it’s always a huge pleasure spending time with them. To be able to capture these memories for them is so special. And those grandkids!! Such cuties! And if you’re wondering if the English Garden at Assiniboine Park is still beautiful this late in the season — IT IS! So many beautiful flowers still remain to be enjoyed.
Last night I had the pleasure of meeting up with the Strocen family for their annual family photos. Aynsley Strocen is also a fellow Winnipeg photographer and it’s always such an honour when she asks me to capture her family’s annual portraits. This year they picked King’s Park and I had a lovely evening exploring the park and capturing these memories for them. It’s always a delight spending an hour or so with them and so special being able to document every year as the girls are growing older. The three girls are so adorable together, each with their own personality and character. They have a beautiful sister dynamic and it’s always such a joy to capture it!
What a beautiful evening it was for photos for Charmaine Toews‘s lovely family! It was so delightful meeting them all and quite the honour to be asked by a talented photographer to take her family photos! They were super fun to hang out with and it was a wonderful experience capturing these memories for them. We met up at Upper Fort Garry in downtown Winnipeg and had fun getting to know each other, talking photography (!) and exploring the park to get these photos for them. They are super easy going, incredibly nice people and really fun to spend an hour with.
– you get up at the crack of dawn and convince your clients to start a session at 7:45am!
It’s worth it, and the Grasso family is proof! Since their oldest was a newborn, I’ve been taking their family photos almost every year and it’s always such a delight capturing their journey. They are a fun bunch and always so wonderful to spend time with!
I got together with an emerging photographer for a one-on-one mentor session the other day to teach her some of my portrait photography techniques. She wanted to learn what settings to use, how to use light and what’s needed to make photos “pop”. Part of the mentor session involved having a family come pose for us so that I could demonstrate my techniques in real life. The lovely Simpson family stepped up to the plate and did amazingly well! They smiled, posed and also took my “posing candids” directions very well. It may not have felt like a normal portrait session (I didn’t get as many shots as I normally would because I was also teaching!) but we got some great ones thanks to the Simpsons being so patient and easy-going. Here’s the preview from our time at St. Vital Park!
Melissa and Steve have been friends of mine for several years and our photo journey starts many years ago when they got married far far away on a tropical island in the middle of a cold, Winnipeg winter! It was a delight taking their wedding photos and it continues to be a huge pleasure taking photos as their beautiful family grows. Recently they welcomed a baby boy and it was so fun meeting up with them to capture these memories and this exciting moment in their family’s life. Lifestyle newborn photography is one of my favourite types of portrait photography and it’s always a little extra better when it’s for good friends. Félicitations Melissa et Steve!
In 2019 I had the pleasure of photographing Miranda and Mike’s winter wedding, and instead of using the engagement session in their wedding package for engagement photos, they swapped it out for a future family photo session. The day finally came and I got to meet Annick, their adorable 1 year old daughter, who is full of spunk and curiosity. We met up at St. Vital Park to take photos in the flower garden and it was so much fun catching all these memories for them. What a beautiful family!
It was such a beautiful summer morning at St. Vital Park! We were worried about the cooler weather, but as soon as we got there the sun was warm and the temperature was PERFECT. I always cherish my time with this family, they’re not only my cousins but also great friends, and it’s always such a treat being able to capture memories of their growing family. Even though they don’t live close, we still appreciate the time we get to spend together! These photos are a great reminder of the beautiful summer we’ve had and how lovely it’s been to enjoy every minute of it before the kids head off to school. What a summer it’s been. I don’t want it to end!
What beautiful evening it was when I met up with the lovely Anderson Family! It was also one of those hot evenings where you are reminded that you are in the dead middle of summer (which I love!). This family always brings so much energy, fun and goofiness and I love it so much! With 6 kids, it’s really interesting seeing how each one of them has their own unique personality. It’s also really beautiful to see their closeness and friendships, all mixed into a large bunch of sibling dynamics. They are a joy to photograph and it was a pleasure being able to update their family photos this year!
What a year it’s been for the 2020 high school grads! Even though it may have felt really strange, it was also really great being able to bring a certain level of normalcy and celebration to the grads. We did exactly that for Makayla, who just graduated grade 12. She wanted senior portraits to mark this important milestone in her life so we met up at Upper Fort Garry park to take these photos. I had a lovely time with her and a ton of fun creating these images for her. I love her creativity, confidence and charisma!
Micah turned one! To mark this exciting milestone, his parents invited me to their home to take some lifestyle family portraits as well as to take photos of a cake smash in their backyard. We used my white paper backdrop, set up the cake and Micah did the rest. 🙂 We finished with a bubble bath and he was so happy the entire time! Happy birthday Micah! You are so cute!
When Almond Nail Bar reached out to me needing social media content photography for their Instagram account, I immediately knew that I would be bringing in Emily Janzen of Feast and Festivities to do the styling.
After a few meetings, brainstorming and creating a vision for the photo shoot, Emily and I gathered at the Kinship Studio with a few models to create these photos.
It was really rewarding seeing the final product after weeks of work on this project. Here are the final images that were delivered the client.
A few behind the scenes photos at the studio taken with an iPhone. This is Emily Janzen in action, doing her photo styling for the shoot:
Ashley approached me earlier this Spring needing some updated headshots for her business. If you know her, you know that smile: which comes from her authentic, joyful, bubbly self that is a constant.
She can light up any room and capturing these portraits of her was a true delight. I love her entrepreneurial spirit and she is an inspiration to many. I wish her continued success in her business endeavours, she’s amazing!
(Photos taken at the Forks near the Human Rights Building, Winnipeg)
It was time for updated photos for the lovely Blais Family so they chose King’s Park for their session this summer. We arrived at 6:30pm on a Sunday evening and the park was full of people! Can’t blame them, it was a warm summer evening and King’s Park is such a treasure to discover. There’s a waterfall area, beautiful walking bridges, a flower labyrinth garden, pagodas, pergolas, and everything else in between! (Did I mention the off-leash dog park too?! We saw some pretty cute pups on our way through!)
Their family is nothing but fun to photograph and the session was not lacking laughs and a few goofy shots too. They have a beautiful dynamic and I took WAY too many frames, but I look forward to sharing the full gallery of photos with them. For now, here’s their (not so small) preview!
If a picture is worth a thousand words, imagine how much more a film is worth.
As moms, we often question ourselves, struggle with feelings of inadequacy and we easily fall into believing we aren’t doing the best for our children. Motherhood is exhausting, chaotic and stressful. However, there are so many nuggets of beauty, indescribable love and incredibly deep connection. It’s just that often, the negative worries seem to weigh heavier and it steals our confidence.
Having been through 7+ years of the “early days” with kids at home myself, I can attest that although it’s hard and it feels like you’ll never be able to swim above water, before you know it, the phase is over. You start wondering if you read them enough books, cuddled them long enough, spoke enough words of affirmation, breastfed them long enough, played on the floor with them enough, laughed with them enough. Even though you may have, often the chaos of the early years blinds you from seeing that you did well.
This is why creating Family Films is so important to me. I want parents to be able to see their relationships with their kids from an outside view, so that they can see and believe in the beautiful riches of love that they are fostering in their home.
I also want their children to have tangible memories captured for them to look back on, to hold on to, and to treasure. I want them to remember the good moments, just as much as I want to affirm the parents in those good moments.
They’re there, and they’re beautiful. It may not be a grandiose thing, but it’s the little moments that kids are nurtured through, and I want to be there to document it before that stage in the parenting journey is over.
Last week I spent a morning with the Wall family in their quaint home on a quiet street in South-East Winnipeg. Chelsea wanted to make sure we captured the moments they cherish the most: reading books in bed, cuddling her toddler with his bottle, playing outside, and capturing their children’s beautiful eyes, blond curls and curious hearts. The moments were so sweet, especially when Iver whispered a secret into his dad’s ear. (you have to watch that part!) Every time I saw that clip during the editing, my heart just melted.
They are a sweet family with big hearts and strong love. It was an absolute delight capturing the “early years” for them. I hope that this film will forever be a reminder to them of the richness they are pouring into their kids on a daily basis.
I also took a few photos throughout the film shoot so that the family would have images they can print and put up on their walls.
After having Duncan second shoot weddings with me for 13 years, he FINALLY now has the perfect excuse to be in front of the camera: his adorable baby daughter Leo! Ginny & Duncan are raising an incredibly sweet and energetic little girl, full of curiosity and wonder. They chose their family garden patch as their photo shoot location and it was PERFECT. You are so loved Leo! (and sooooo cute!)
Last Thursday, while drinking my morning cappuccino, inspiration struck in an unexpected way. The idea of creating short films for families caught my attention. While finishing my coffee and browsing online, I found an online videography course which I followed over the next 2 days. By the following morning I had booked shoot dates with two families willing to be my guinea pigs for this new endeavour, and by Saturday morning I was at the Robin’s home, the first of the two families.
You may know Jenni from @jennirobins and @mykateandnorah on Instagram. I met her a few years ago through Emily Janzen, while styling one of my Spring mini photo sessions. She is the sweetest, most creative and endearing person ever. What I love most about Jenni is her deep love for her family and the amount of intention she puts into raising her two young daughters. Her home is a place of comfort and love with careful attention on growth, learning and building each other up. I didn’t know to what extent I would discover all these treasures in her family until I spent the morning there. It was so lovely.
She and her husband Chris share a beautiful dynamic and it was such a joy to create this family film for them. My goal was to capture the feelings and emotions of this time in their life so that they will forever hold these memories for themselves, but also for their girls when they grow up. To preserve these tiny details is so important and somehow they don’t quite get recorded in the same way when it’s just photos.
Enjoy the film!
If you’d like to book a family film, I’m offering introductory pricing (50% off) for a limited time.
My second wedding shoot during the Covid-19 pandemic happened as beautifully and wonderfully as ever! Although the bride and groom’s plans had greatly been downsized, they still put together a gorgeous outdoor celebration that incorporated all the delightful feels of the truest summertime wedding in Manitoba. Overlooking a pond and under a super hot June sun, Danielle & Sven tied the knot with 50 of their closest family and friends with what was a super lovely ceremony. The photography coverage for their wedding was only 3 hours from start to finish but it encapsulated some of the richest moments of their day: couple portraits throughout Stonewall Quarry Park, a heart-felt ceremony commissioned by their friend, followed by cake and cold refreshments as they mingled with their guests. It was such a joy to capture these moments for them and I’m so happy that not even a pandemic could put a damper on their plans. Congratulations Danielle & Sven!
