I had the pleasure of shooting Sheri and Gary a couple of weeks ago, in celebration of their engagement! Head on over to Ruby’s blog to see the whole sneak peek…
Paradise in the Backyard
Lately, I have had the opportunity to visit some pretty amazing little places in Victoria that I had no idea existed. Beautiful, protected parks full of wildflowers and craggy trees and long grass.
A couple of weeks ago, this family took me to one such place. It was beautiful! With rocks to climb (to the top of the world of course) and flowers to admire (I won’t mention anyone, but these often went directly into the mouth!) and stunning sites to see.
To this little family with the biggest smiles….xo
A sneak peek:
Brandon is One
This was a special session, because I shot the wedding, the maternity, the first birthday of big sis, and now Brandon! (And there’s a rumor that there’s more to come. ;) )
On a sunny day in April, Brandon turned one. Along with cake and sand and grandmas and grandpas, he celebrated his first year in this world. Happy Birthday, Brandon! Here’s a little sneak peek…
At this point, I asked her if she was going to bite me. She said ‘maybe’. :)
Little Brother
Corbin lives with 2 big brothers, his Dad and his Mom. He is the littlest one, surrounded by big people.
But on this day, it was all about him and Mom. Just the two of them.
It was so much fun to hang out with these two. And as usual, I could have kept shooting forever. To capture the special bond between a little boy and his beautiful mama. And to get a glimpse into their lives. I adored the laundry on the line, the toys in the grass, the many little details in their home that showed me who they are. I love this. No fake backdrops. No pretend smiles. Just real love and connection.
Barely Sunrise
More and more sunny mornings are on their way! And the Frosts and I found one the other day, and ventured out to greet it.
Lucky for us, a warm house, flannels and hot coffee were waiting back at home.
Here is a tiny sneak peek from the first half of the shoot. Sunny? Yes. Warm? We’re not quite there yet!
A Drive to the Country
Today was an actual ‘day off’. Which was so great and far too infrequent it seems! I played tennis, I hung in the sun, and my friend Deb and I cruised in her hot convertible just to see the fields of lilies at a teeny church in Metchosin. Just for fun. Just for the sake of cruisin’.
Quadra Island, Reconnection, Chocolate Eggs.
One of the greatest things about having a blog is that it serves as a wonderful diary.
This post is as much about documenting the weekend for my family as it is about sharing with friends and clients. It is a ‘weekend in the life’ type post, so it’s a long one!
Quadra Island is a great little getaway. I haven’t been there in almost a year (far too long) but it holds many memories for me. Hot summers canoeing, Spring and Autumn weekends working on the land, belly laughs, and amazing food (of course). I feel privileged that my family shares this place with me.
So, anyway. We packed our things, threw it all in the truck, dodged the raindrops and the wind and we were on our way.
Friday was all about rain. But we did our best. We built a fire, and tried to keep our smiles intact (we succeeded).
We did some baking…
And we picked beautiful, green, fresh stinging nettle in preparation for a zesty and nutritious pesto (this is seriously an amaaazing dish).
We hunkered down, read books and had some good catch-up time.
***
On Saturday, we finally found our shadows. And that’s when the real fun began.
We played with our cameras…a lot.
We hiked down to the beach…where we found more sunshine. And had snacks. And explored.
I did a mini family session for these four. I am biased, I know, but they’re pretty darn cute. ;)
I just ADORE this next series. It seriously makes me want to belly laugh and cry all at the same time. Two people who don’t get caught in the same frame nearly enough…
I swear he sprouts more freckles every day. (and I’m sure his eyelashes grow).
This wonderful day seemed to go on forever. That afternoon, the neighbors held an Easter egg hunt for the kids. Chocolate eggs everywhere. Kids everywhere. Chocolate mustaches…EVERYWHERE!
This has got to be one of my favorite photos. Ever. And this is getting to be a rather regular occurrence. Come to think of it, this has been a constant all his life…he gets chased by girls. Laughing, squealing little girls. A lot. He may actually kill me for blogging this. :) It’s worth it. I will die happy after doubling over in laughter at this shot.
We also dyed and decorated our own eggs. Real eggs.
And looked at salamanders.
And rode beautiful, soft, gentle Anna…
And worked on the fort…
One of my favorite things to do at Quadra is eat fresh oysters. So when my brother walked up the path with these…
We did this…and had the best feast.
Saturday night was the perfect weather for sitting around a fire. Another one of my absolutely favorite things in the world to do. (I’m a West Coast girl, through and through).
White rabbits everywhere of course. :)
The next day, who should show up, but you know who!
And then the rain returned…and we thought about home. Warm, dry home.
So, we packed up the truck again, all of us sad to leave.
It was a wonderful weekend. It felt great to be outside so much, to reconnect with family, to hang with the kids. Some of my very favorite things. The paths that we walked through and the things that we saw were things I want to see more often, more regularly throughout every day life. Quadra is a perfect getaway to do just that…until next time! xo
For all those April Fools
Every year, I try to come up with something funny to do for April Fool’s Day. And every year I fail. I just can’t get it together before noon!
But no worries.
My 10 year old nephew took care of it this year.
He had an orthodontist appointment that morning. He greeted the staff, sat in the chair, and was asked to open his mouth.
Here is what they saw!
You can imagine the response! Love this. Love this kid…
Very Simple Things That Make Me Really Happy…
This is how I like my mornings to start…kinda dark. And mocha-ish. A bit cinnamon-y. And milky.
I should be menu planning and packing. But here I am shooting coffee. And drinking coffee. And reveling over coffee…in a pretty mug. With a sprinkle of cinnamon….
Oh well.
That’s alright.
Simple.
Happy.
What Love Brings…
Last week, I spent some time with Laura and Jim and baby Amelia.
First off, I have to say that I was so taken with their house and their style and all the details that I could have spent hours photographing! (and hanging out in I should also mention…) It is apparent that they take great care to surround themselves with beautiful things and put thought and love into the pieces that they choose.
Their very latest beautiful thing is Amelia. And I think it’s safe to say that her arrival did not come fast, easy or without trust and belief. Through much anticipation and excitement, the journey to get her here was a long one, but it looks to me like they would have waited a million years for just this very child. She is sweet, and adorable and cuddly and so, so loved. She is a lucky girl. With lucky parents.
It was a pleasure to hang out with you three on a sunny Saturday morning. I admire your beautiful family and I am so happy for you and everything you have built together!
xo
by Rebecca
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