Calgary At Home Adventure Session

One of the great things about Calgary is that so many homes back right onto beautiful natural parkland. One of the not so great things about Calgary is that the weather is incredibly unpredictable. Even thought this session happened when it was arguably NOT fall yet, we got a huge dose of fall weather. Wet, soggy, and incredibly foggy. I gotta be honest, I was a little afraid that things could go sideways pretty fast. I mean, with a not quite one year old, you never know how they will handle being uncomfortable. But, this beauty was a trooper. We ended with a warm sink bath that was completely unplanned but very necessary.

This family purchased what I call my Adventure Sessions. Which means that we try to capture a combination of portraits and documentary images. I think sometimes people get intimidated by the word ‘Adventure’ and think that they need to do something truly adventurous in order to satisfy the call…but, here’s the thing…Adventure is everywhere if you are looking for it! Bubbles, watermelon, sink baths…Grandma and Grandpa…all of this is quite adventurous when you aren’t even one year old.

So, here is a smattering of the images we created together while on our Adventure…

Thanks for stopping by my blog…if you have any questions about my Adventure Sessions, please ask!! Winter is the perfect time for one!

~ Dana

Baby Session in Studio | Okotoks Photographer

One of my favourite families came to see me in my studio for their ‘baby’ session. Families who book their maternity and newborn sessions with me have the option of adding on a ‘baby’ session as well…which means when your baby can sit and is full of big smiles and chubby limbs. It’s definitely one of my favourite times to photograph babies. In my baby plan, you can also mix and match studio sessions with in-home lifestyle sessions so that at the end of the first year, you can create a first year album that truly documents each stage of this exciting time in your family’s life.

At a ‘baby’ session, the focus is truly on your newest family member, but I love when siblings come! My studio space is natural light so there is no big, scary gear that kids can tip over. Instead there are toys and treats…and, at this session—my teenage daughter who is home schooled help with managing it all. A built in babysitter!!

Email me now to learn all about belly to baby plans in my studio!

~ Dana

Port Whitby Pier | Adventure Session in Whitby, Ontario

When I was in Ontario in July, this mom(who is also an amazing photographer) invited me to her studio for a photographer’s meetup(which was super awesome!). Then, I had the extreme pleasure of meeting her beautiful little family for a fun evening at Whitby Pier. Her beautiful dog had me wanting another puppy, but Bob has put the brakes on that desire for the time being—but, don’t you think Pughville could use a boston terrier? I’m thinking…um, yes we could!!

I’m on a blogging roll…I’m hoping to try to do this more often so people can see an entire session all together. Instagram is nice, but this is better.

Thanks!

Dana :)

Out On The Farm

I always feel like each of my family sessions are unique to the family featured in them. And, every family is so unique that maybe there lacks a certain ‘flow’ to my portfolio when my goal is to simply capture them as they are in that moment. At times, I have definitely struggled with that lack of consistency and worried about what my peers might say, but right now, I am embracing that. I see it as a reflection of my ability to truly see people and reflect their uniqueness back to them in my own quirky way.

So, this family is extremely unique…sometimes they live in town…sometimes they live on the farm. This little girl has a half brother(and another half sibling on the way) plus step parents and a strong network of friends that feel like family(or at least that’s the sense I got from the time I spent with them). So, for me…the very last image is super special as it shows this little girl sitting with her half brother while her mom adjusts her hair and her step mom adjusts her half brother because IT TAKES A VILLAGE plus TEAM WORK MAKES THE DREAM WORK. I kinda love that image as an example of modern day family. The things that stick out about a scene in front of you is what makes each photographer’s vision important. Like the ‘mystery box pick with eyes closed’ image. Or the one of mom and daughter in the kitchen(mom is an amazing cook—she turned me on to making my own pickled red onions for which my family is forever grateful). So, during a session when I am chatting with you and asking all sorts of curious questions…it’s really just my way of getting to know what’s important to you…without necessarily coming right out and asking that question. I just like to see what you are going to show me and somehow incorporate that into the images I create.

The mom in this image is also my friend and fellow photographer, Ash Nayler. Make sure to go take a look at her amazing work as well. And, if she ever offers to cook you a meal out on the farm—do not hesitate to accept.