join me in the hidden woodland behind purpose preschool to celebrate the changing season and create some family photo magic together.
each $375 session includes 15 minutes of photography for you and your family, your 5 favourite digital files from the session, and an optional hot cocoa bar to warm up when you’re done.
whether you’re looking for some quick and easy photos of your kids, an updated family portrait for the wall (or holiday card!), or just want to some photo evidence of who your family is in this chapter of your lives, these short and sweet sessions check all of the boxes
cozy up in your favourite sweaters, bring a favourite blanket to wrap everyone in, and let’s write a love letter to this chapter of your story.
these cozy sessions are available to one immediate family per time slot. families come in all shapes and sizes, so whether your family includes one adult or two, six children or none at all, you are welcome here! (unfortunately, due to time constraints, extended family sessions aren’t a great fit.)
when and where?
saturday, october 26, 2024, in the hidden back forest at purpose preschool in southwest edmonton, 14030 23 ave.
what about the weather?
knowing edmonton weather, late october could bring mild sunny temperatures, a blanket of white snow, or anything in between. dressing for the weather — think cozy layers, warm blankets, and mittens and scarves if it’s chilly — should keep you warm and toasty for these quick, outdoor sessions. (the event will be rescheduled in the event of freezing rain or temperatures below -15.)
what if i want more than five files?
your session includes your five favourite images from your gallery delivered digitally. additional files, prints, or albums are available for purchase after the session, should you wish!
how to book?
select the time that best suits your availability in the booking calendar to secure your spot. you will receive an confirmation email and invoice to secure your spot within 24 hours. if you don’t see your desired time available, feel free to send me a note and i will do my best to accommodate you.
over the last two months, i’ve been sharing an essay i wrote at the start of year in small increments as a photo series on instagram. i wanted to share it here too:
i like to start each year working on my business.
that could include learning something new, reflecting on the year gone by, updating portfolios, experimenting with my camera, planning out newsletters and content, or even just getting excited and inspired about the work i’ll be creating in the year ahead.
last year, i spent my january completing a marketing class. and while it certainly included some helpful info, what stuck with me the most was an exercise that went against everything i believe in as an artist and a business owner.
it started out simply enough, “define your ideal client.”
i’ve photographed enough families over the past seventeen years to have a pretty good understanding of the people who are the best fit for my style of work. but when i saw the criteria listed for identifying these clients, i was taken aback.
there were questions about the amount of education you’ve completed. about your job and marital status and who would play you in a movie. about how much you might choose to spend on a pair of jeans, and which store you would buy them from.
i knew immediately that focusing on these things to grow my business was not for me.
and so i decided to define my “ideal client” in my own terms.
because while i can definitely see the value in the exercise, it really doesn’t matter to me how old you were when you had kids, or where you went to school, or how much money is in your bank account.
what really matters is that you love your family.
it’s as simple as that.
my ideal client is not “perfect”, and doesn’t feel the need to be.
you can appreciate all of the quirks and moments and mannerisms that make your family unique and want desperately to hold onto and remember those tiny details years down the road.
and that question they asked about your jeans…
whether you buy yours at a local boutique, a big box store, or the thrift shop down the street, my only care is that you feel damn good in them every time you pull them on for the day. (and if you’re not into jeans, i see you in your comfy sweats, your flowy dresses, your favourite old sweater…)
what’s most important is that you do you.
your home might be big or small. it could be right in the middle of the city or tucked away into the trees by a lake. bright and airy or full of colour, it’s very possible it features a drawer or a closet or maybe a whole room where things with no home go to be forgotten,
but it’s definitely filled with life.
with learning, growing, loving, imperfect humans. who laugh and bicker and snuggle and laugh again. and depending on your phase of life, with splashy bath times or messy art projects or feisty card game battles. (and snacks. can’t forget the snacks.)
your home can be a whole lot of different things, what matters most are the people and the memories made inside of it.
you might be a bit nervous about being in front of a camera. maybe about what to wear. or how you look in photos. or if the kids will behave the way you hope.
but what’s most important is that you know you can trust me to tell your story with care. and that any butterflies you might feel beforehand will be well worth it.
you want to remember the magic in these messy, beautiful, blurry, ordinary days.
your days are filled to the brim.
at any given moment your roles might include being a short order cook, a mediator, a chauffeur, a cheerleader, a confidante — the list is endless. and yet you understand that these very long days will add up to some very short years.
as tired as you may be, you can appreciate how important it is to make time to celebrate and remember this chapter in your family’s story. and you know a family photo session can be the perfect opportunity to do just that.
you much prefer seeing the authentic moments and tiny details in your family’s story over forced smiles and stiff poses, and you want to remember all of those little things when you look back at your photos years down the road.
you value photographs that document not just how good you all look (and i promise, you look fantastic), but also how much you love each other and the way you live your days.
because while there is certainly value in photos that remind you how you all looked on one specific day, you’re most interested in the ones that show who you all were. the kind of photos that transport you to a moment in time you may never get back, but now you get to hold on to forever. a photo time capsule if you will.
you can appreciate the humour in outtakes and silly behaviour. and the sweetness in cuddles and quiet.
you’re not afraid to venture off the beaten path. to bend the rules. to get a little dirty. to try something new.
you love photos that tell stories with layers and light and love. and you’d much rather be photographed doing life with your family than just sitting still and smiling at the camera.
connection over perfection.
you appreciate storytelling and creativity. you can see the art and magic and beauty in the chaos of your ordinary days. and when it comes to your photos, you’ll take sprinkles over vanilla any day.
you’re willing to get on the ground and laugh and play, and are not afraid to slow down to allow time for big feelings. and while you know that though some phases of life are harder than others, you can appreciate that there is light alongside the shadows. beauty found in the blur. and magic hiding in both the calm and the chaos.
you can see the extraordinary in your ordinary.
while your days are full and imperfect and often a little bit messy, in your downtime, you love to look back at photos and savour the tiny bits of magic that made those frozen moments in time worth remembering.
and however you choose to display your photos — whether that’s on your walls, in a book, on your phone or computer, or any combo of the three — i just hope you look at them all of the time.
as i noted in my journal during that workshop last january:
my target client is not an avatar.
you can’t be narrowed down into a list of specific criteria that need to be met.
you are multi-faceted, imperfect humans wanting to see and remember the magic in your ordinary, extraordinary days.
if this sounds like you, i would love nothing more than to work with your family this year.
to tell a piece of your story. to show you the goodness i see in you. to create a love letter to this chapter in your lives.
simply reply to this email and let’s start chatting about the best ways to make that happen.
the blur of messy, beautiful, magical chaos. complete with sunshine and laughter, bickering in the backseat, boredom and adventure, and everything in between.
this year, like every other year since the kids have been old enough to contribute, we created a family magic list.
a collection of activities big and small that we hope to accomplish in the sixty-odd days between school getting out in june and the kids heading back in september.
intentional bits of magic tucked in amidst the lazy mornings, the “i’m so bored”s, and the endless quest for more snacks.
we went extra big this year, including 60 items to cross off (with the caveat that there’s zero pressure to get to every single thing).
it’s simply inspiration to draw from when we hit a lull in the day.
as i approach the midpoint of my fourteenth summer as a parent, i can feel all too well just how fleeting (and valuable) this season is, and i’m more passionate than ever about soaking up and remembering these summer moments with the ones i love.
i want to make sure you have the opportunity to do the same with yours.
i’ve included our list below and hope it inspires an activity or two that you might want to try out with your own family.
even better, if you’ve been inspired to create a little extra summer joy, i’d love to document it for you so you can remember the magic in this season for years to come!
let’s spend an evening crossing a few items off your own family’s list. you’ll make memories to last a lifetime AND come out with some proof at the end that you were there too.
i have just THREE august sessions remaining and i’d love to spend one of them telling the story of YOUR family doing the summery things you love most.
and because preserving this time (for my family and for yours!) is so important to me, i’m offering my best savings of the year on these sessions.
save up to $500 when you book your august summer bucket list session before july 31!
simply send me a quick email and let’s chat about planning the perfect summer evening with your family.
there is a lot i’m not certain about, but this i know for sure: there’s nothing quite like meeting brand new babies to make life feel a little bit lighter.
and in a time when the world feels especially heavy, i am so grateful that i get to spend my days photographing your growing families — celebrating your beautiful milestones, and finding little bits of everyday magic tucked in with all the messy bits.
all of the love as you all get acquainted, and those sweet baby yawns. the snack breaks (for baby and parents alike), and all of the cuddles. the special moments in that newborn haze that will be made a little less blurry thanks to the photos you have to remember them by, and let’s not forget, the tiniest stretched out toes.
i was lucky enough to get to create these images and tell the story of baby remington’s early days with his family a couple of years back. as we await the arrival of a new baby that will level him up to the big brother of the house, i wanted to share them this afternoon to contrast some of the heaviness in the world with a little bit of joy.
there is no greater compliment than photographing families for a second (or third or fourth…) and can’t wait to see how much remi has grown, and meet his new baby brother or sister, very soon!
in your chaos and your calm, in your special occasions and your everyday routines and everywhere in between. i say it often, and i absolutely mean it.
but with all that goes on in a day – good and bad, because we all know it’s not ALL magic – it can be easy to overlook the bits worth remembering hidden in the mundane.
your preschooler’s determination as they work to fasten their own shoes, the sparkle in your toddler’s eye as you scoop them an ice cream cone on a warm summer evening, your kids’ mischievous giggles as they slip out of their towels and run naked down the hallway post-bathtime.
those little moments that slip by without much notice to their significance, are often the ones you miss most as your kids outgrow them.
so here’s your friendly reminder that you don’t need to travel to a studio or a golden field at sunset to get magical photos of your family.
in fact, i’d argue that years down the road, the ones you’ll hold closest to your heart are the ones that tell the story of the magic found within your own four walls.
let’s take an hour to laser focus on the extraordinary ordinary in your days, so when you curl up in bed at the end of the day to scroll photos on your phone, you’ll be reminded of everything you have to be grateful for.
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