Mothers' Day | Comox Valley Photographer

I was present at my nephew, Ben's, birth this past December.  Aside from the births of my own two daughters, it was one of the most remarkable experiences of my life.  I will always be indebted to my brother Kevin and his fiancee, Kristi, for involving me in their journey.

I haven't shared any of these images publicly before; they seemed too sacred for public consumption, but it feels right to select a few images to share this Mothers' Day.  (I've saved the most intimate photographs for family.)

I want to pay tribute to Kristi, who is celebrating her first Mothers' Day as a mom.  I knew from the way she treated my daughters that she would be an incredibly loving Mama.  She is.  Ben is a fortunate son.

I want to pay tribute to my sister Marnie who became a Mom before I did, and provides me with an endless supply of parenting guidance.

I want to pay tribute to my mother-in-law Joan who recently paid me the nicest compliment about my 'mothering.'  (You know what I'm talking about, Joan.)

I want to honour my own Mom, who continues to surprise and support and shower me and my daughters with her unending love.

I want to congratulate all of the beautiful Mamas whom I have had the privilege to photograph.

I want to thank all of my friends who are moms, for sharing themselves with me.  I am a part of a unique generation of women who SHARE openly; the good, the bad, and the ugly.  We don't try to be perfect; we all know that we're flawed, and I find that invaluable.

I want to recognize my girlfriend Allie who is ready to pop any moment.  (Stay tuned for her stunning maternity photos!)  May the strength of a hundred women be with you when you need it, Allie!

I want to honour any and every Mother reading this post!  And I want to do it with these photographs:

 Kristi's goal was to have a home birth, so she laboured at her mom's house on the Comox Peninsula.

After many hours of labour, a move to St. Joe's was required.  Kristi's boots parked in the corner of the birthing room.

and this was little Benjamin's perspective:

Happy Mothers' Day, You Beautiful Mothers!

Ooh La La!!! | Comox Valley Photographer

When you walk into Teresa Doberstein's new salon called 'Ooh La La,' you literally want to say, "Ooh la la!"  From the scent of fresh lilies to the shabby chic decor; it's a feast for the senses!

Teresa hired me to take some publicity photographs with the thought that they could be used for her new website as well as promotional materials.  We had a great time shooting together and it was truly a collaborative effort.

Here's a taste of the Ooh La La experience:

Talented and GORGEOUS stylists Karen and Teresa:

Sweet Chloe welcomes you at the door:

The decor is lovely,  both inside and out:

Exclusive hair products from Italy:

Congratulations Teresa and Karen!  Ooh La La is divine.  You've created a little taste of Europe in downtown Courtenay!

Arrow | Comox Valley Photographer

Arrow was referred to me by Shelly Stanchuk of Tailfeather Graphic Design.  I'm always happy for people who tell me they're working with Tailfeather because I know they're in good hands with Shelly.  She is exceptionally talented, very professional and fun to work with.  I had my logo,  business cards and gift certificates created by Tailfeather and I have been thrilled with everything!

Arrow is new to the Comox Valley and is a master healer.  She has a wonderful energy about her and I really enjoyed our session.  We were going for an approachable, professional, warm shot that would work for her promotional materials.  I think we got it!

I look forward to following Arrow's progress in our Valley.  Check out her services at Heart Drum Beat.

Here's Arrow:

Currently Bumpless | Comox Valley Photographer

The lovely Natasha Milanovich of Bikram's Yoga fame graced me with her pregnant presence at the end of March, when she was still expecting her twin boys.  You'll be happy to know that Jacob and David JR. have now arrived and it seems as though everyone is getting along famously!  I'm so looking forward to photographing those baby boys!

For the purpose of this post, let me now take you back to the end of March...Natasha and I had planned a studio maternity session, but the sun was shining when she arrived so we headed out into the midday light and shot a few images down by Croteau road with her husband David.

I don't need to say anything about how fabulous Natasha looked carrying TWINS because the images speak for themselves, but I will say that several passersby stopped to comment on her beauty during our session!  (There must be something to that hot yoga!)

Sweet Sisters | Comox Valley Photographer

My little Hawaiian holiday has put me WAY behind in my office work, and I'm embarrassed to say that I'm posting about a session that took place at the end of March!  Thankfully, my clients saw these photos prior to my departure, but I had to write about these two adorable sisters.

This lovely family wanted a studio session of their two little girls so that they could give portraits to Grandmas for Mother's Day.  Our session was scheduled for a very dreary day in March, but when this family walked into my studio they brought sunshine through the door.

At the tender age of four, big sister Sienna was SUCH a little lady.  I could tell immediately that she was a wonderful big sister to Sara.  She was so SWEET!  I even got a lovely warm hug from Sienna when her session was over.

The girls' parents were laughing, giggling and puppeteering throughout our session and their energy left me hoping that I get to shoot all four of them some day soon.  Enjoy!

Talking to the animals...

A wonderful woman hired me to photograph some inanimate characters for a project she is working on.  Instead of bringing the characters to my studio, we decided that it would be fun to shoot them outside in their natural habitat.  I started off at Anne's home, then took the characters to MacDonald Park and worked my way down to the beach.

I have to tell you, I had so much fun with this photo shoot!  It was just me and the stuffies in the great outdoors and I literally LAUGHED OUT LOUD when I realized that I was talking to them!  It's true!  I told Eagle something to the effect of, "Oooo, this gives you some nice warm light on your face,"  as I held a reflector up to him.  It suddenly occurred to me that I'd been talking aloud to all of the animals and I was on the fourth character!  At least thirty minutes of 'stuffy-talk' had transpired!  For some reason, it really tickled me.  I had such a good laugh that tears rolled down my face.

So there I was, alone in the forest with the sun streaming down through the trees on a glorious Spring day; I was on my knees with my camera in hand, having a good guffaw with eleven stuffed animals. You can't really plan such moments, but it was a beauty.

I'd like to thank you, Anne Gardner, for using me for this project.  You are a creative genius and I know that your efforts will help many children across the country!

Here is a sneak peek of one of the shots: