Some of my favourite locations in Winnipeg for family photos are those where there is a mix of nature and architecture all in one. I’ve rounded up four of my favourites below to give you some inspiration when planning your next family photo shoot. If you want to make one of these spots your next photo shoot destination, let me know!
Crescent Drive Park
With the bathroom building being an architectural gem in the middle of this park, I love using this location for family sessions to get a good mix of nature and modern lines.
HarbourView Park
This location requires a bit of walking, but it’s well worth the wooden siding, water views and tall hill sitting under the big open sky.
St. Boniface Cathedral and Archdiocese House
One of Winnipeg’s most iconic locations, the impressive ruins of the St. Boniface Cathedral is a beautiful backdrop with the stone wall and the more natural foliage across the street.
University of Manitoba
There is no shortage of interesting architecture (both classic and modern) plus there are tons of green spaces to use.
When looking for professional headshots that feel a bit more personal, I always suggest doing an environmental or lifestyle portrait photo session. These types of headshot photography sessions can be done on location, in your office or place of business and I bring portable studio lights to help boost the natural light.
Joan-Dianne is a psychotherapist in Winnipeg and I met up with her in her office space to create a portrait session that is relaxed and casual. Her portrait session was designed for communicating warmth, approachability and connection, which is a true reflection of the qualities she brings to every session she provides for her clients.
I’ve been a big fan of Terry’s flower farm just south of Winnipeg for years now, and when I had the opportunity to go back there to take photos of her own family, I immediately said yes! Not only is their property stunning in late Summer, but her family is just as beautiful and full of colour. I had so much fun capturing all these photos, running around with the kiddos and taking photos as they explored the gardens full of vegetables and flowers. What a delight this was!
I had a lovely session at Ashley and Jeremy’s house for their maternity portraits, as they await the arrival of their second child. I’ve had the joy of taking their photos since the very beginning of their love story, and it was especially heart-warming seeing all their photos printed and framed on their walls from the previous years.
I love at-home sessions, they are so relaxed and they allow real life to be portrayed in such an effortless way. It was also extra fun to include their cute pup Roxie in some of the shots!
Here are some highlights from my hour with them this morning.
Looking to update your family photos? Contact me to get a quote or to start planning your next photo session!
Sav and Rob put SO much thought and care into their wedding day which included lots of friends and family and some super amazing locations in Winnipeg! The backdrops we had and the colours that were included were helping me create such a stunning collection of wedding photos and I had SO much fun capturing it all! They had two fun stops downtown: the first was at Little Brown Jug where we used their delightful patio and cool interiors for some photos with a pop of colour. The second stop was at Nonsuch Brewery where everyone got to relax and have a drink while I had the utmost joy taking photos of it all. The day came full circle at FortWhyte Alive where they got married overlooking the sun soaked water surrounded by beautiful trees and the sense of truly being in nature. The vibe was 100% reflecting their true selves and being their photographer was pure joy. Here are some highlights from their day!
Back in the fall I had the wonderful pleasure of working with Red Moon Creatives to capture professional branding headshots of their client Dr. Jason Brooks for his new website. We met up at the Manhattan Studio at Allure Studios and I used a mix of natural and studio lighting to capture a collection of portraits for Jason. It was a really fun session with multiple outfit changes, using a variety of walls and backdrops inside the studio. The final photos fit in perfectly to his newly redesigned website, which you can check out here: www.coachjb.ca
Thanks to Dania and Mayo of Red Moon for organizing the photo shoot – they are excellent people to work with! Here is a preview from my session with Jason at Allure:
Andrea and Evan were married in a small, intimate backyard wedding surrounded by only their immediate family and lots of love. I had the honour to witness all of it, to capture the best moments and to preserve these memories for them. As a photographer, this is what I love the most! To create images that tell the story, that give them the peace of mind that everything is documented, and that the feeling of the moment won’t be forgotten.
We started with some detail & decor photos at the house, followed by a quick “first look” in the yard. We drove to the English Garden at Assiniboine Park to take some couple photos. (Thank you to my amazing second photographer, Duncan, who’s been second shooting with me for 15 years – he makes us a solid team and adds so many fun, unexpected second angle photos to add to their wedding collection. A few of his photos are included below – you may or may not notice it. Which is probably a good thing! His images are a seamless addition.)
After the couple photos at Assiniboine Park, we drove back to the house and headed into the intimate wedding ceremony outdoors, along the Assiniboine River. It was a 3-hour wedding shoot packed full of love, heart and connection. What a delight to capture it all! Here is a small preview of the 700+ photos that I delivered to them:
Jacqueline was looking for casual yet professional headshots for her business so we chose Provencher Boulevard as our backdrop because of the beautiful architecture and colours. We met up just outside Café Postal and took photos against the red brick walls on the buildings and also with the green foliage. The photos were taken in mid-September, taking advantage of the mild temperatures and beautiful golden sun of the early evening. Here are some of the photos from her headshot session:
Late September in Manitoba – there’s nothing quite like this very short time of year to give you some of the most beautiful backdrops! This year I met up with a record amount of families to take their photos, and one spot I keep returning to is Birds Hill Park. There’s something incredibly magical about that early evening sun shining down on your photo session. For this adorable family of four, all that light just amplified their playful dynamics, cute cuddles and love moments. These are some of my favourite sessions to photograph, they make my heart so full!
This past Spring I had the great joy of meeting up with Kate Bowler at Allure Studios to update her headshots. A portrait session with her is anything but boring or regular. Kate has this way of bursting onto the scene with instant love, constant quips (that crack me up) and really interesting observations that makes me wish I could just sit down and ask her questions for hours.
She also is a deep well of empathy and understanding – and if you ever wonder what podcasts I listen to during my hours and hours of editing… hers in on the top of my list. If you have a couple hours of driving or if you want some time to unwind, she is worth a listen. Her podcast stands out in the massive sea of content that is out there, and you will likely have an improved perspective on life after listening to her. (or at least feel like there’s a bit more sense in this senseless world)
It was my second time doing headshots for her and I always leave these sessions feeling gratitude and thankfulness. Thank you Kate for trusting me with this task – you are the loveliest!
To stock up on new styled images for their Instagram grid, Almond Nail Bar had Emily and I back in studio this past Spring to create new commercial photos for their brand. Emily, my super talented photographer stylist, prepped for weeks by sourcing props, coming up with design ideas and creating the vision behind this shoot. She is a magician! I’m always so excited to see what she comes up with for every new photo shoot we do together. Here’s a preview of what we captured at Allure Studios.
Looking to update your photos? Contact me for rates and availability for your next branding project:
Together with their friends and family, Nalini and Brad celebrated 19 years of love in an incredibly gorgeous and heart-felt ceremony that I had the absolute honour to not only witness but also document. They gathered on the beautiful grounds at Fort Gibraltar and honoured their Indigenous and South Indian roots in a moving ceremony that included lots of words of love, traditions and people near and dear to their hearts. It was such a pleasure being there to capture all the celebrations, the relationships and the fun. It was also a true joy getting to know Nalini and Brad! They have big hearts and are a ton of fun – and it’s no wonder they had lots of people in their presence. They are well surrounded by close friends and family and it was really beautiful to see everyone come together to celebrate them. Congratulations you two!
It’s always a wonderful feeling when that bright, golden evening sun lights up a maternity session. It was especially fun meeting up with a past wedding client of mine to capture this next chapter in their life journey. We met up at St. Vital Park and got to soak in that sun and see some city wildlife (deer, squirrels, birds, and mosquitoes of course!).
I always enjoy my time with these two – they are really down to earth, fun to chat with and super relaxed in front of the camera. They have a strong bond of love and I can’t wait to capture the next chapter after this one: their family of three!
Susan of A Little Nutrition was looking to have a photographer create some fresh, personalized new content for her website and social media last year, so we talked about setting her up on an annual photography plan where she’d be able to get several photo shoots in order to capture a variety of settings, people and content.
Sometimes the standard professional headshot photos are necessary, but for them I wanted to capture something a bit more casual, engaging and warm. Susan’s staff are all such lovely people, so it wasn’t hard to capture warmth and personality in these portraits! It was also lovely to be able to schedule an outdoor lifestyle portrait photo session at the Forks with them to capture an even more friendly and light feel to their commercial headshots.
If you’re looking to access a wonderful team of dietician services in Winnipeg, A Little Nutrition is the place to go. I saw first hand how down to earth and welcoming everyone is, and I’m sure that is a testament of the type of character that Susan looks for in her team. Find them here!
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!
