Couples Session at Blackie Spit Park (the Best Date Night)

Is it just me, or are our relationships in need of some TLC? We’ve had a lot of time at home in the past year, which can put a strain on relationships of all kinds (parents, couples, siblings, you name it). One way to keep things interesting is by going on dates and setting aside one on one time with each other. So, here’s a fun idea, why not throw a photo session into a date night?

Seriously, when was the last time you and your partner had photos done together? This session was at my favourite location, Blackie Spit Park in Surrey, and the couple was prepared to have FUN. They brought music and drinks and just enjoyed their one-on-one time together. You could feel the chemistry between them, and you knew they were enjoying themselves. Really, a photo date night wins all ways, not only is it a date night (necessary) but you also have keepsakes to hang on to.

Pitt Meadows Intimate Wedding - Emma and Wayne

The past 18 months have been all about adapting - wedding planners and couples, I see you. While weddings are one of the many things that have been impacted and changed since the pandemic, the truth is, we are constantly adapting, growing, and changing. Emma and Wayne’s Pitt Meadows wedding was adapted to the restrictions during the third wave of the pandemic in May, and it was beautiful and perfect for everyone. They chose the stunning Alouette River area of Pitt Meadows and it did not disappoint.

There is something special about a blended family because there is an exceptional amount of love and coordination that goes into them. It’s not just your and your partner’s lives you’re impacting, it’s everyone involved, and it’s a lot to take on from any angle you look at it. I’m lucky enough to be in a wonderful situation where my kids and my bonus kids (my partner’s kids) get along really well. But, this isn’t always the case, and that’s okay!

At Emma and Wayne’s wedding, Emma made a heartwarming point of saying her vows to her new stepson. This was a beautiful gesture and a loving start to their new normal together. I wish this growing family all the best and am excited to see where their adventures take them in the future.

At-Home Newborn Session with Lark and Family

At-home newborn sessions are so special and real. The newborn days are so fleeting, I totally understand when my clients want me to come to them to document these special first memories in your safe place. At-home newborn sessions require no packing up the family and no props, which is ideal when you have older children at home.

Preparing for your newborn session at home is pretty simple, but here are some tips:

• Ask someone (partner, parents, older children) to help with a quick tidy. By no means do you need to hire cleaners, but a tidy space that’s aesthetically pleasing helps the focus stay on you and your family in the images.

• Try to keep your baby awake for a decent stretch of time prior to the shoot so they’re ready to have an hour or so stretch of sleep during the session. With that being said, if they’re having an alert day, fear not! This is all about you and baby and if that’s how they are that day, perfect, let’s document it.

• Wear something comfortable that you feel good in. You don’t need to completely colour coordinate, but complementary neutral colours and subtle patterns are ideal.

Check out this at home newborn session from this summer if you need some inspiration or just some sweetness in your day.

Newborn Studio Session with Blakely

Beautiful Blakely, what a dream baby! I was lucky enough to do their oldest son Jaxon’s newborn photos, and then to have them back to capture Blakely’s first couple of weeks of life. 

It’s such a pleasure to work with families that want to work with me time and again, and it’s such a joy to watch families grow and change. 

It can be a gamble when clients come with older siblings in regards to how they’ll behave (I mean let’s be real, becoming an older sibling is hard!). Children often jump into the moment, though, so try not to be too fearful of your older ones acting out at a session. Often the older ones will love the camera and attention at a session, and in the case they don’t, we can usually snap a photo even if there’s not a lot of cooperation. In the case of Blakely and Jaxon, though, we lucked out and Jaxon did so well. Jaxon loves his little sister Blakely and has really stepped into that big brother role like a champ. 

Newborn sessions are ideally done before the baby is two weeks old. That being said, if you miss this window of time fear not, there are so many fun things we can do if your baby is a bit more ‘awake’ and slightly older. I also offer newborn sessions from the comfort of your own home, I have a blog coming up about this soon. 

Enjoy these sweet moments caught on film!

Children’s Portrait Series - How to Get the Most out of a Shoot Like This

Just before summer began, I did a Children’s Portrait Series and it was a big hit with my clients. These portrait sessions are perfect for adorning your home with high-resolution, striking prints of your little loved ones. Portraits are also ideal to use as headshots if your kids are involved in acting.

So you’ve got the portraits done, How are you using them?

I learned via my Instagram polls, that many of you are interested in big prints like the ones featured in this now iconic blog post by Chris Loves Julia. There are tons of tutorials on Pinterest and the web, so I’ll highlight the basics like where to get prints done in the Vancouver area and what kind of frames I like to use.

Image Credit: Apartment Therapy

Image Credit: Home Sweet Ruby

Most of the tutorials online require you to do some photo editing to achieve the right look - I’ve eliminated this step by giving you colour and black and white edits to choose from. You also won’t need to fuss around with the resolution since these are professional portraits you can send right to print.

Where to Print and What to Frame With

I highly recommend Kerrisdale Cameras for printing! They have an amazing online service that’s easy to use, great quality, and the turnaround is so quick. They also have locations all over the Lower Mainland and in Victoria.

You don’t need to spend a ton of money on framing every image in your home. IKEA has tons of styles of frames to choose from, they’re inexpensive, and they come with mattes. Matting can make a huge impact on a framed print, it keeps things cohesive and tidy, and can really make an image pop in your space. For big pieces like this you can’t go wrong with large RIBBA frames (which are now less than $20!), they’re light, easy to hang, and have a timeless modern look.

I hope this helps you make the most of the portraits you’ve had done with me, another photographer, or some killer photos you have on your phone. Also, if you’d like to have portraits like these done, stay tuned, I may do another shoot this fall!

Blackie Spit Park Family Session - Akehurst Family

One of the best parts of my job as a photographer is the relationships my clients and I build over the years. Family sessions can be so fun and rewarding - I’ve been photographing this family since their oldest was a baby. It’s been such a pleasure watching this family grow and see the children's personalities develop as they get older.

We lucked out with this family session because it was a perfect summer evening at Blackie Spit in Surrey, one of my favourite places to photograph. It’s an incredible location for family sessions because there’s a mix of backgrounds and textures including luscious green grass, a field for running, and the beach for those quintessential Vancouver family photos. I hope you enjoy these family photos as much as I enjoyed taking them!

Summer Mini Sessions

Join me for a summer family mini session - they're quick, but I'm efficient! It's the perfect opportunity to get some updated family photos done in everyone's favourite season. Extended family is welcome!

Pure and Sweet Photography Summer 2021 Family Mini Sessions

These family mini sessions are $300 - this is a discounted price from my regular family mini session ($100 savings). You have two locations in Metro Vancouver and three dates to choose from. Click the links below to sign up for your family mini session.

• Saturday, July 10 - Surrey

• Sunday, July 11 - West Van

• Saturday, August 7 - West Van

Tips on what to wear at my summer family mini sessions

Plan your outfits ahead of time to eliminate stress!

• Coordinate colours - this doesn't mean they need to match, but they should be complementary.

• Keep it simple - nothing too bold, but a texture or pattern can make an image pop!

• Consider your location and choose something you may actually wear there.

I rounded up some items and places to shop for inspiration!

Corporate Headshots - Why Professional Headshots are More Important Than Ever

We all know the saying “a picture is worth a thousand words,” but have you heard “a headshot is like a handshake”? Photographer Aaron Lucy argues that a quality headshot is critical to your online professional presence, especially on LinkedIn, where almost 800 million users now reside. Your headshots don’t have to just live on LinkedIn, though. Potential employers will Google you, so it’s a good idea to have some professional headshots that capture your personality peppered throughout your online profiles. We know workplaces and businesses have migrated online, now is the time to take control of your online presence by managing your profiles and ensuring your photos reflect your personal brand.

According to Forbes, the first step to achieving an impactful LinkedIn profile is your headshot. Your headshot “makes you real in the virtual world,” and selfies and cropped photos just don’t cut it anymore according to William Arruda, founder of Reach Personal Branding. Luckily, corporate headshots are a quick and effective way to capture your personality online.

Here are some tips for getting headshots done, and best practices for using them online:

1. Have an idea of what you want – chat with me or whoever is doing your headshot before the shoot so we can connect and get a feel for what you have in mind. Check out LinkedIn, Instagram, or Pinterest for inspiration.

2. Dress the part – you don’t need to show up in a three-piece suit, but you do want to wear something you would wear to a job interview or something business casual. I need to emphasize this should be something you would wear; this is a way to express your personality online through your headshot.

3. Be smart when you post it online - When you’re uploading a headshot to your LinkedIn profile, make sure your face takes up between 60-80% of the profile icon. As Arruda demonstrates in his article, many successful LinkedIn users have profile photos that utilize this ratio. Lastly, make sure your headshot is saved as your name (e.g. firstname.lastname.jpeg) so the image comes up when someone Googles you.

Corporate headshots are an easy and relatively affordable way to make an impact online, and an effective tool to make your personality shine in this increasingly digital world. Check out my work to get an idea of what we could achieve together in a corporate headshot session, or draw some inspiration for when you decide it’s time for headshots.

West Van Family beach Session

When discussing with clients what type of session they want, I usually ask- Beach or Field? This family wanted a west coast feel.

The weather was super windy but sunny so I think we got a nice rugged west coast feel. On the beaches in west van, the waves were big and it made for some great shots!

Vancouver Maternity photography

Something about spring in Vancouver, its just so beautiful. The nature is blooming- cherry blossoms, tulips. The weather is warm and there is tons of pregnant mamas.

I love this location because it has the city views and the beautiful sandy beach.

This couple was so fun and down for whatever, I loved their chemistry - made my job super easy and I cannot wait to meet their little boy!

First birthday cake smash

So much happens in the first year of a baby’s life. Sleepless nights, spit up, sleep training, crawling, first foods its all so fun and exciting. A first birthday is something to celebrate. Especially over covid- not a lot of people got to meet your baby, so this is a fun way to celebrate and show all your friends and family.

North Van newborn session

This little guy was just perfection, every photographers dream. He slept from when I pulled him out of the car seat to when I put him back in the car seat!

Newborn session in North Van

Classic maternity portraits

This mama wanted very minimal b&w maternity portraits.

These were so fun to do. These are timeless and such a classic, almost a demi moore feel to them.

Clayton heights newborn session

Sometimes …. a lot of the time… life throws you curve balls. We are programmed to think, getting pregnant is easy, pregnancy is easy, breastfeeding is easy. For some people it is and some people its so hard! Life is hard. But its also so beautiful. Its wild, its crazy, its eventful we all need to just live in the moment and enjoy the little victories.

This beautiful family came with their little girls. They are so loved and so cherished! They came to the Clayton heights studio in surrey.

Sharing a few of my favorites from their session

In studio newborn session

I have been photographing this family for a couple years now, its pretty amazing to watch families grow.

The little brother was so smitten with his sister, it was pretty cute!

Newborn session sessions can be done at my north vancouver or clayton heights studio. Typically around 5-12 days new.

Maternity session in studio

The one thing I love so much about maternity photography is that moms have a special occasion to dress up, put some make up on, do their hair and wear some clothes that make them feel good. I offer a bunch of wardrobe choices so if you even wanted, you could just show up and we could play dress up!

Surrey newborn session

The difference between a newborn mini session and a full session is that you get more time to get multiple set ups and poses. We can do some sibling photos, mom and babe, dad and babe, family and posed ones of just baby posed on the bean bag and in a prop.

If you don’t need all of that, a mini session is perfect to still capture that sweet newborn of yours with a couple poses and a family shot.

The option is there to give everyone choices. Both sessions can be done in home or at the studio.

north vancouver boudoir photographer

Body confidence doesn’t come from trying to achieve the “perfect” body. It comes from embracing the one you’ve already got!

Milestone minis

Milestone mini sessions are perfect for babies 3-12 months old. They can grab their feet, sit up or roll over, such fun milestones to capture and remember forever.

These sessions take place in studio and you can also bring along a sibling