Spring Adventure Session in the Mountains | Kananaskis Family Photographer
This session is over a year old now, but it’s been sitting in my blog drafts waiting for me to share it ever since. This lovely family wanted portraits in the mountains to document their time here in Alberta. This spot in Kananaskis is a favourite for me because the views are so stunning and depending on the time of year, the landscape can really vary. This session was in the spring and the water was so low. It’s amazing the difference when you go out there in the summer or the fall.
These kids were the perfect age for an Adventure Session. Having an activity and no time limit gives younger kids the space to just be themselves. They don’t have to worry about ‘behaving’ a certain way or following instructions. We allow things to just naturally unfold. The only job a family has is to show up ready to play, have fun, and love each other. I provide enough direction so that you can feel confident that we are going to get the images that you want, but also allow you to just show me your true authentic selves. Here is a sampling of the images that this family created with me. Not only did we get amazing portraits to put on their walls or share with family and friends, but we got a great series of images that allow for a wonderful book that illustrates this moment in their family’s history.
Adventure Session Out At The Barn
Everybody always seems to be in such a hurry these days. Especially families with teens. We are so busy running them to all of their things. But, the thing is…as you near the end of your 18 summers(have you all read that quote about 18 summers?), you realize how important it is to take time to slow down and just be together. That’s the adventure that we did for this family. A night at the barn where their daughter spends a lot of time and all of their pets could roam comfortably and be a part of the session.
I know the trend is to go small with a portrait session now—to rush it and go for a quick mini session, but, for me, my heart will always be in these longer sessions. The time and space allows everyone to relax and just be themselves. We are able to create a space where your family can just be together without constraints or cell phones or worrying about fitting everything in. We give ourselves the time for things to unfold organically. Yes, you get a lot of photographs and maybe you think you only need a few, but if you haven’t seen these photographs yet—how do you know what you are missing? I can tell you that in a mini session, there is no time to capture the true personality of your crew. I also know that if you wear clothes that aren’t your own or your force kids into stuffy outfits that they are uncomfortable in, that you won’t see your true selves in the photographs. I want to show you who you are in your family portraits. Maybe that’s something you feel has been missing in your past family portraits—so, if you are ready to see the beauty of your life, try an Adventure Session with me this fall. I still have room in my schedule. before the snow flies.
Graduation Session in the Blossoms | Calgary Photographer
As soon as I saw this girl’s dress, I knew that we had to schedule the session in the spring blossoms. It suited her dress so perfectly and made for such soft and romantic photographs. She bought the dress while on holiday with her mom in Quebec if I remember correctly.
This family chose to add a quick little family mini session to the beginning of their graduation session. Almost every family chooses that, but if you are not one of those families, you can add an extra outfit or an extra location to the session. Some graduates like to be photographed in a casual outfit or a team uniform. Others choose to have two contrasting locations—perhaps the studio and then a more natural setting. Or, their childhood bedroom and a cool urban location. This is why I create a totally custom session for each graduate. I’m not interested in creating a session that is hurried and only provides a few photographs. I want to create a session that documents your graduating child in a complete way and that takes time so that it is done properly.
An At Home Adventure | Calgary Family Photographer
Not all adventures have to be big. When you have a toddler, every day is an adventure. So, why not document a little bit of your every day? For this family, we just had an evening walk around the neighborhood with a stop at their favourite park. Then, I photographed bath and bed time. It’s a true snapshot of what your family’s life is really like right now. The opposite of a mini session…this is the full meal deal!! I like to think of my Adventure sessions as slow portraiture. It’s my way of trying to calm everyone right down and just be in the moment. Some families take longer than others. Some families never calm down(ha). But, when there is enough time and space to relax a bit, your family’s true personality shines through. If you are someone who wants candid images full of connection…THIS is the way to get them. Not a mini session. The FULL MEAL DEAL.
This family is so calm that the whole session was super chill. This guy might be little, but this is his third session with me. He knows a good thing when he sees it. hahahahahahaha. But, no really…I feel like I am training the whole family to get the best photographs possible. Here is a small sampling of the images we created together.
