I’m thinking these may be my last few outdoor posts of our girls ; the weather has now changed, and aside from a few Winter Wonderland shots I’d like to attempt up at the ski hill, I’m not planning on torturing the wee ones for much longer….although they don’t really seem to mind that much:) This is a long post as it’s a mixture from the past month or so…..a few from my stay in Nanaimo with a couple shots of my girlriends’ very photogenic kids, of course since the girls were tagging along I needed some of them on an actual beach too; MAN I miss the ocean! We then ventured to Victoria where my Mum and 3 of my siblings live. I’d promised Mum I would attempt pics of the 4 grandkids together and it actually worked out …the girls were a bit chilly, dirty, sniffly and wild but in the end they had fun and we all got what we wanted ( us-photos, the rugrats got tic-tacs and cookies…YAY for treats)!!!
It was a good trip, but of course we’re happy to be home and getting into winter-mode. I’m not quite sure how I feel about that quite yet; luckily the hubby and I are heading to a warmer climate….I’ll be shooting a wedding in Playa Del Carmen in 2 weeks; good timing as Mike and I haven’t been on a holiday together since we lived overseas 5 years ago and it IS TIME!!!
Now on with the good stuff…
This first image may just be my fave of the girls….I can only imagine what Eve was thinking:)
She really does adore her big sis….lucky little thing:)
The Holland kiddos….thanks for having us guys!
Cousins…my sister’s girls and mine finally in a photo together…..man, I give kudos to child photogs – it is HARD work!
Can you believe that Nevaeh and her big cousin next to her are only 7 weeks apart??? That’s right, my girl is lacking in the height department, that’s for sure…..luckily she makes up for it in personality:)
I just love this shot of Sam’s grubby little toddler hands…I believe I was bribing them with food in this one ( she was just 16 months in these photos and it worked like a charm)!
This is my Mum, “Nanny” to the girls….she’s been asking me for two years to redo her headshots for work and sadly it’s taken me this long. Well, I’m thrilled with the results and we honestly took about 5 minutes to get these. Mum is one of those people who ( up until now)! looks MUCH better in person…she’s been told that the photo she’s been using the past 6 years for marketing makes her look about 60 – definitely not the case anymore; you look smokin’ in these and I’m so glad we pulled it together!
My first “mixed” post…..I don’t really enjoy doing this, but I guess when you take on too much that’s what happens:) Hopefully my clients can all forgive me for making them share their sneak! There will be full posts in the next few days of each of these sessions…. and more:) Below are imgaes of 5 day old baby Evan, sisters Brittany and Alicia as well as Brit’s fiance Kyle, a fabulous After session with Chris + Christine…..who happen to be great friends of Mike + Cara, who also did an After session with me this past weekend. Thanks all for being understanding, and I promise to keep working away on your images…..you were all truly amazing in front of the camera and make me love what I do that much more.
Thank you:)
Introducing sweet baby Evan. It took a bit, but once we got him down he slept like a dream. Thank you so much for letting me do his very first session:)
I had such a great time with Alicia and Brittany….it was raining, we were losing light and were absolutely surrounded by monstrous cow patties; I even stepped in a fresh one. Disgusting. But worth it – thanks for having such a good time with it girls!
I’m crossing my fingers to be able to shoot Brit + Kyle’s wedding next year…..mid-fall, a great theme and perhaps a little choreography ?! Let’s hope they like these!!! 
This was my very first morning session; and for those of you who know me, sunrise + Michele = a bad situation. I actually have a 30 minute “don’t talk to me” rule when I wake up:) Well, Chris + Christine just may have changed my mind….I was loving the early light, in the second image it actually poured down like spotlights on them. Yum-my!
And last, but definitely not least, Mike + Cara. You may remember them from their wedding just a few weeks back. Creative minds, great style and Cara just happens to be an avid watcher of “America’s Next Top Model.” I think she may take it seriously as her presence in front of the camera is stellar. Mike recently started his new job as a firefighter, so of course we needed to work that into the shots; LOVE them…..stay tuned for many, many more great images. Thanks so much guys! 
While on the Island last month I got the chance to spend some time with my girlfriend Janine and her family. It was great getting to know her hubby and daughter Ava better, as I feel somewhat responsible for them meeting! Okay, I can’t take all the credit……Janine and I met while working at the bank about 5 years ago. I had just returned from almost 4 years traveling and working throughout Asia with my hubby and although I was thrilled to be back in B.C., I missed Asia and still had “the bug”. So, when Janine started mentioning that she just wasn’t happy with how things were going where we lived, I suggested selling her car and moving away. Far, far away…..I’m sure her parents loved my suggestion, especially since their little girl was not yet 20 years old! Needless to say, Janine moved to Taiwan, where I myself had started out my adventures and a few months later her and Emon met, fell in love and ended up getting married in his home country of Nigeria. Ava was born a year later back home in B.C. and now they’re all together anxiously awaiting their second little one. I’m so glad to have played a small hand in such a fabulous couple meeting. I wish you all the best and can’t wait to get my hands on your new baby:)
My fave .
Janine, you are STUNNING! Pregnancy totally agrees with you 
Ava wins hands-down for best dimples. Love.
Hugs,
Michele
This session was a big deal for me as it was the first “class” I’ve ever taken. While searching through random photog blogs a few months ago, I came across Amber Hughe’s site. I was blown away and instantly knew I had to convince her to take Brooke and I under her wing for a few learning sessions. Luckily for us, she agreed! What draws me to her work is not only the clarity and fabulous compositions but the lighting. Ahhhh, her lighting really is to-die-for. And believe it or not, she just began getting creative with her off camera lighting a year ago. Inspirational to say the least. We spent a few hours together, hitting a few spots down at Granville Island in Vancouver and B and I were both amazed at how much we learned. Off camera lighting isn’t nearly as intimidating as I’d thought !
Unfortunately the day wasn’t as long as we’d hoped….I was on the Island dropping off my girls and would you believe that the ferry was late?! Of course, the one day I’m paying to be somewhere they decide to get backed up! Everything worked out in the end….my girlfriend Janine and her wonderful husband Emon kindly came over with me to be our guinea pigs, and although we didn’t shoot a tonne, I did get a handful of images I hope they’ll love. There was a lot of standing around to be done by the two of them as Brooke and I tried to take in all the info Amber had for us, so thank you guys for being troopers….especially since Miss Janine is expecting and was not feeling her usual self!
Brooke and I are definitely going to book again….hopefully a session in the spring and another in the fall if Amber is still willing to take us on! Make SURE to go check out her blog….I promise it will not only inspire you to think outside of the box, but it will put a smile on your face:) Amber, thank you so much for being so warm and putting us at ease; we had a great day!
These images are a mixture of off camera lighting and natural light….off camera equipment mainly provided by Amber, which means we need to go shopping!
A little behind the scenes for any photographers reading this: All images shot with the Canon 5D Mark 2, 50mm 1.4 lens. Photos on the bed were lit with a window to the left, and images on the chair lit from the light. For processing I used 
by michele
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