The National Music Centre | Calgary Photographer
Urban Adventure
It is Canada's 150th Birthday this year and so I thought it would be a great time to share with you all of my favourite things right here in my own backyard. I feel so lucky to be a Canadian, but feel even luckier to live in the Calgary area. There are so many amazing places that it is hard to know where to start. So, I thought I'd start with a newer attraction to the city--The National Music Centre.
Now, of course, the building itself is one of the most beautiful in the city. It is worth a visit just to admire the architecture(if you are into that sort of thing--which I am). But, it is so much more than just a pretty building. There are interactive displays, museum like exhibits, and regular performances. They have a Kimball Theatre Organ on the 3rd floor. There are demonstrations of it Wednesday thru Sunday at 3:00pm and I highly recommend scheduling yourselves to be there for that demonstration. We have seen it more than once and have enjoyed it each time.
If you are also local to the Calgary area, consider getting an annual pass. This allows you to received notification of cool opportunities to experience music at the centre. I saw that there is an After Hours event on March 24th that looks super cool--open to adults only. Might make for a fun night out.
While you are there, consider getting a coffee at Rosso--one of the best coffee houses in the city. It's located in the lobby. Or, if it's a warm day and you are willing to walk just a couple of minutes, maybe you want to head on down to the Village Ice Cream shoppe and indulge in some of the best ice cream in the city. It would be a great way to end an awesome downtown adventure.
~ Dana
Winter Family Sessions For the Win | Calgary Family Photographer
Sometimes it is hard to convince parents(let's be honest...mostly moms) that they should just 'come as themselves'. There is this tendency to think that we all need to match and the session needs to look perfect--no matter how hard I try to convince them otherwise. This mom decided to let all of that stuff go and have a session where they were truly just themselves. It helps that winter sessions make it extra difficult to try and dress all matchy matchy because buying new ski jackets and snow pants just for a photo session is a costly endeavour-ha. When she saw the photographs, she was convinced though. I asked her to write about it in her own words:
“When my husband suggested that we do winter photos this year, I thought “why not?” He typically only agrees to be in family photos to make me happy, but I could tell he genuinely liked the idea. We try to spend as much time as we can outside in the winter, and the mountains provided the perfect backdrop.
Preparing for the session was as easy as checking the weather and opening our closet to pull out our winter clothes and snowshoes. It was the first time that we didn’t buy a single new clothing item for family photos, and it felt great. So much less stress, and no pressure to find the perfect look. Just us. Exactly how we are.
We live in snow pants in the winter, and it’s how we feel most comfortable. We love to snowshoe and play together in the snow. To be outside. I really think it shines through in the photos Dana captured, as they are our favourite family photos to date. Everyone I have shown them too, comments how “us” they are! Fall photos are beautiful, but it feels nice to break with “tradition” and add a little seasonal variety to our walls. My husband and I are both thrilled with how they turned out, and we will definitely be doing winter photos again in years to come!
”
And, so here are a few of the photos...all of my sessions have been rather epically long lately. But, we are always having so much fun that I find it hard to stop!
