Canmore Mountain Adventure Session

Last year, this family from Toronto drove to Canmore to enjoy some family time all together. They rented the coolest Airbnb in town(no, really, it’s such a cool place) and spent some time exploring Canada’s beautiful rocky mountains. One of the things I love about my job is having the opportunity to photograph families from all across the world who have come here to see first hand the beauty of Alberta. I really do feel so lucky to live here.

My mountain Adventure Sessions are a combination of documentary and casual portraits that allow my to capture your family in a natural way so that the images we create together showcase your connection and unique personalities. There is some direction, but, mostly, it’s like hanging out with a friend who also brings along her camera…so, it is the perfect solution for busy families who don’t want to have to force their kids to sit still and behave a certain way. Family portraits can be SUPER FUN…they don’t have to be stressful. Trust me ;)

If you are interested in visiting this airbnb, go here: https://www.airbnb.ca/rooms/18161391 and be sure to contact me to book your family Adventure Session while you are there!

~ Dana

Okotoks Studio Photography

I love watching families grow. I photographed their wedding back in 2017(you can see the blog post here: https://www.danapughphotography.com/blog/2017/11/1/canyon-ski-resort-wedding-calgary-photographer ). This summer, I got to meet their adorable little man in my studio for some family photographs. It is honestly one of the greatest joys of my life seeing families over and over again as they grow and change. And, then, right after I sent them their gallery, I ran into them at D Dutchmen Dairy in Sicamous!!! I mean, when in Sicamous, you gotta stop there—am I right?

I just wanted to share a studio session with everyone so that you can see that they aren’t stuffy at all ;) Very relaxed and fun, just safe from any inclement weather. And, now, in the days of COVID, I am taking all sorts of precautions—including increasing the airflow by keeping the windows open during the session, wearing a mask, hand sanitizer and fully sanitizing between each session(this last bit is nothing new…I’ve always done that). So, if you are looking for something a bit different than fall leaves for your annual portrait session this year, a studio session is a great option!!

Toronto Family Session

I took a bit of a breather in the first half of the year. I’ve been in business since 2007 and busy raising my kids so ‘a breather’ has never really naturally happened and I just felt like it was time. My goals for my work were to sit back and evaluate what it was that I truly wanted to do going forward. I was niave to think that I’d have all the answers in a few short months, but I did come up with a some of them. And, for now, that will do!!

One of the things that I was sure about was that I wanted to move more towards more Adventure Sessions. This is where my heart is…capturing families as they are…typically where they live…all the while showing their true personality. While I can appreciate the loveliness in a very curated photography style, I felt that by moving that way, I was sacrificing a family’s personality and forcing them to fit more into some imagined style I had in my head. It wasn’t working for me—much like fitting a square peg in a round hole. I just wanted to show the families who hired me exactly how beautiful their life looks. This session in Toronto is a recent session that just felt like all of that for me. Old school Dana Pugh.

It’s funny because it has occurred to me that if one’s own vision or ‘photography style’ is as unique as say a thumbprint(and I would argue that is true), then it would also mean that becoming more comfortable with yourself, would bring you more comfort with your vision. I am feeling more comfortable in my skin that I ever have…which is maybe why I just want to be me in my work. More than ever before.

So, THANK YOU to this family for braving the parking/driving situation in this part of Toronto(during a baseball game which I didn’t realize when I suggested it) and for just showing up with their hearts as their true selves. Even if dad is wearing his ugly runners that mom was mortified to realize upon starting ;) Even if some of the street shots have complete strangers in them(I actually kind of love that about those images, but I did secretly edit out a person or two). Your kids just came as themselves and showed me their awesomeness which made my job super easy.

And, OH…the mom in this session is also a photographer. Check out here work here: http://www.nicolekathlyn.com/

Make sure to scroll through all of the images because the ones at the end are all the heart eyes for me :)

Enjoy!! I still have room for a couple of Adventure Sessions before Thanksgiving if you are thinking this looks like something your family would be up for!

~ Dana

Coconuts

These were taken in the front yard of the house we rented in Belize. It was the day we harvested coconuts for fun. The son of the caretaker showed us the proper way to do everything.

Just a couple of notes...first, I am teaching a class on Storytelling With Images through the month of June. You must be able to take pictures on full manual, but that is the only prerequisite. If you are a professional or a parent, you are welcome to join us. The class will be project based and there will be an opportunity to purchase the chance to shoot for an evening with Dana. During the evening shoot, she will cover sun flare and shooting into the sun. Here is a link to details on the class(make sure to share it with your friends):

http://danapugh.com/2013/02/online-photography-classes-for-parents/

The second note is regarding scheduling. Warm days are here again so I am excited to get out and document some families playing in the sunshine(and the water--hoping for some water sessions this year). I still have a couple of spots left for May. June and July have quite a bit of space still, but August and September are quickly filling up. They have never before filled this early, so if you are hoping for a session during that time period, I advise you to book sooner rather than later as I'm afraid for the first time, I may run out of space. This also means that I won't be doing mini sessions this year during the fall as my priority will have to be my signature session clients. I'm sure you all understand :)

feels like a good day to get a slurpee....

~ Dana