Urban Rooftop Graduation Session | Calgary Photographer
I know it’s November so you might be thinking that this isn’t the right time of year to be talking about graduation sessions, but you would be wrong!! Graduation sessions are by far my most popular sale item on Black Friday. So, in the spirit of answering some of your most frequently asked questions about graduation sessions, I will be posting some of my favourite sessions from the last couple of years.
This is the lovely Emelia. We came up with the idea for a rooftop sunset session together after she showed me her dress. I thought it was the perfect choice for this type of session. This session is such a great example of why we don’t have the session on the same day as the graduation ceremony or party. When we make it a separate event, it allows for another day to celebrate your graduate. It also allows for flexibility as far as location, time of day, and outcomes. Every grad is different so I want to make sure that their photographs always reflect that. Allowing for flexibility as far as scheduling the graduation session means we aren’t at the mercy of the weather or the crazy schedule for the day. You can spend the actual graduation day focusing on celebrating as a family and worry about portraits on another day.
This year, my own daughter is graduating and we are planning at least three different portrait sessions(because I really am that kind of crazy). This will definitely be one of the locations as I love it so much. Where would your perfect graduation portrait session location be?
Fall Family Portrait Time | St. Patrick Island
Did you know that I offer two types of sessions? One is what I am known for—Adventure Sessions, but I have found that not all families are up for an Adventure Session…especially in the fall when we are all busy with back to school, back to sports and just preparing to hunker down for winter ;) So, I created what I call a Simply Portraits Session. It is a quick 45 minute session that focuses on getting all of the casual portraits that you love in an Adventure Session without the adventure. This type of sessions is best suited to a family with older kids who are old enough to sit still for a portrait session and this is the perfect time of year for such a session. Here is a favourite fall Simply Portraits Session from last year to give you an idea of what you might expect from such a session.
Thinking of booking your fall portraits? The leaves will be gone before you know it, so reach out soon if you are hoping to secure a spot in my schedule.
Fall Portrait Session | Calgary Family Photographer
It’s been a busy fall season—and what a beautiful fall we have had!! This is one of my favourite families—a new family who quickly became a favourite because I already knew and loved the mama so well. We met one night for a Simply Portraits Session in Fish Creek Park. There was sunshine, fall leaves, and love…lots and lots of love.
I realized when sharing this set that I have yet to share their newborn session. I meant to share it—in fact, it’s ready to go, but I just never published it…so, I’ll do that later this week ;)
Enjoy!
Fall Portraits | Okotoks Family Photographer
These are some of my favourite portraits of my girl that I have ever taken. And, that is saying a lot because I literally have thousands to choose from. We took these last fall right outside our backdoor. She wore a suit that my father gave my mother back in the 60’s. He bought it while on a work trip in Montreal.
It is fall portrait season in Calgary and that means that I will be asked a lot of questions about how to get the best portraits for your own family this fall. Here are the most important things to remember:
Consider keeping your kids up for golden hour. I know that you have an idea of the time of day that you want to have your session, but—take it from someone who has been taking fall portraits of people since 2005…the best time is that last hour and a half of sun. Especially in the fall as it really makes those fall colours pop.
Trust your photographer about when fall happens in your area. After years of fretting over how long the leaves will be on the trees, I can tell you that without a doubt, September is the best time for fall portraits in Calgary/Okotoks…especially the third week in September. After that, we are literally holding our breath for the first big windy day or snowfall. To me, the most important thing about fall portraits is that the leaves are on the trees. It’s also nice if you get a mix of colours and not just a solid wall of yellow(in these images you can see that some of the leaves are still green—these were taken very late in the fall season before Thanksgiving).
Wear layers. Plan for it to be possibly as warm as a summer day or as cold as early winter. I’ve seen it all in September and October in Alberta. Be flexible…weather can really mess up your plans, but keeping some flexibility in those plans goes a very long way. I know we all have busy lives, but leaving room to celebrate your family with a portrait session is super important, too.
Hire a photographer who suits your style. Don’t expect your photographer to take images you have seen online. Check out their portfolio. Hire them for what you see there.
Don’t worry about your children’s behaviour. Come with the idea that you are going to enjoy yourselves and have fun!! If you threaten or bribe your kids to get them to behave in a certain way, things can really go south quickly. Again, trust your photographer to do what you have hired them to do and come with a positive attitude.
I still have some room in my fall schedule so book your fall portraits now before that first snowfall takes us by surprise ;)
