Kananaskis Adventure Session | Calgary Family Photographer
Adventure sessions are my favourite way to document a family. In fact, with young kids, I think this is the IDEAL way to have family portraits. It’s slow portraiture…just like going on an adventure and having me hang out with you while I take some photographs. There is some, but not a lot of direction. We take our time and the kids relax(parents, too). You get portraits for Grandma, epic photos for your walls, and a story that belongs in a book so that you can truly see a little slice of your family from that time in your life. More and more, I’m hearing parents of young kids asking to have the shortest session possible—which feels a lot like rushing it to me…forcing behaviour on your family then crossing your fingers that it all works out. Adventure Sessions are truly a no pressure event—just show up and have fun…I’ll do the rest!!
I have been photographing this family for years! In fact, I photographed mom while she was pregnant with her little girl! It’s such a treat watching the kids grow and change. Plus, it truly is like visiting an old friend—so, this session was so chill…super chill.
I wanted to add that both of these parents are emergency room physicians who have spent the last year and a half fighting the hard fight during the pandemic. I want to THANK THEM and everyone else like them for keeping Albertans safe and healthy. The mom is also a photographer who got special permission to photograph the front lines of this pandemic. She has done an amazing job. You can go follow her work at: https://www.instagram.com/heather.l.patterson
Last year, we met at Upper Kananaskis Lakes for our session during the wild fire season…the mountains were there, you just had to look really closely ;) They also camped nearby so we ended our session at their campsite. Always a treat hanging out with them. Here are the images we created together.
Family Adventure Photographs at Ptarmigan Cirque in Kananaskis
Ptarmigan Cirque is one of my favourite hikes for young families. It is easily accessible as you drive to the Highwood Pass in Kananaskis to start the hike. The Highwood Pass is the highest drivable mountain pass in Canada. The road that leads to the pass is, in my opinion, one of the nicest drives in the Canadian rockies. It is always less busy than anything in the national parks, but the views are easily comparable. It opens for the year on June 15th and closes in December. It is one of our favourite Sunday drives. More than once, we have stopped at the pass and quickly done this hike as part of the drive. It is an easy loop which makes it great for kids. The views are phenomenal. The summer months bring amazing wildflowers and the fall brings the gorgeous yellow of the larches. Anytime of the year, my kids have been able to find fossils in the rocks there. So, when this family asked for a session among the larches, I knew exactly where to go!!
This year, with the hustle and bustle of free admission to the national parks, us locals might want to consider spending more time in Kananaskis to beat the crowds. If you do want to take your kids on a hike, try this one. Simply park at the Highwood pass. Follow the path across the road and up into the trees. It is cold up there, so bring a jacket and some water. When my kids were smaller, we always brought Smarties and gave them out one at a time to encourage them to keep going. Once you are out of the trees(which happens really quickly), the views are amazing. And, if you are lucky, a herd of mountain goats might pass you buy ;)
And, just for fun, I'm doing a blog circle with some of my friends so check out Anna Rasmussen's blogpost of Golden Light Family Portraits in Wilmington, North Carolina and follow the links to check out some wonderful photography from across North America.
~ Dana
Fall in the Mountains | Calgary Family Photography
Mountain Adventure
Many of the families who come to me for photographs love to visit the mountains. Who can blame them? They are gorgeous and there is always adventure amongst the beauty to be found there. As a family, we also enjoy exploring the mountains and, over the years, I've created a long list of places where we can take stunning photographs while exploring.
This session was with a family who I have been lucky enough to photograph multiple times over the years. They truly belong in the mountains, so it was a no brainer that we would head there for their session. We met at Wedge Pond in Kananaskis. It is a beautiful place to visit on a fall afternoon. We stuck to the path around the pond itself, but there are many paths to walk along. In fact, I have visited here before for a beautiful winter session where we snowshoed both on the pond and on the paths. No matter the season, it is a great place to picnic. On the way home, you can even stop for an ice cream or a hot chocolate at the Delta Kananaskis Lodge--they've got you covered no matter the season ;)
This session is a great reminder that when I photograph kids, their pants might get dirty, they might not 'cooperate' and funny faces are always encouraged.
This makes me miss the warm sun and colours of an Alberta fall. It is my favourite time of year for sure.
~ Dana