When we started planning their engagement session, Nav and Andrew really wanted nature and water. I had spent some time out at Constable Chelsea Robinson Park last summer with my boys, and I just had a feeling it would be so beautiful for a session. And holy man, was I right! I am absolutely smitten with their engagement photos at Chelsea Robinson Park.

I honestly was a bit concerned when I showed up! The wind was howling and it felt chilly. Whenever the weather is a bit iffy, the couple’s makes all the difference! If you’ve made the effort to get ready, had your makeup done, planned the outfits and got out of the house, let’s make the most of it! Let’s cuddle and laugh and just have some fun. And that is exactly what these two did.

Nav and Andrew, thank you for such a fun night! I absolutely adore your engagement photos at Chelsea Robinson park.

Can’t wait for your wedding!

Shauna

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The big question we ALWAYS get asked – what do we wear for our family photos?? Choosing outfits is stressful! Even when I start planning our family sessions every year, all of a sudden I feel paralyzed and like I have NO idea what I’m doing! Here are my thoughts and suggestions that cover the big question – What to Wear for Family Photos.

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This family! How I love them so. Joy is a very dear friend of mine, and our kids have grown up together. Having the honor of documenting these kiddos as they grow is amazing! Each year I photograph them I’m blown away about the changes in them, how different they look, how funny and lovely they are. It also helps that this mama has the BEST style when choosing outfits. The Leachman fall family photos is a favourite session of mine!

You can check out a really different session we did together when they chose the beautiful spring blossoms here!

When choosing outfits, it’s best to keep things mostly neutral, and then choose one or two pops of colour. Joy chose yellow, with the cutest skirt for her daughter, and a great shirt for her son that go so well together. That’s the goal! We don’t need you to match, but you do want to “go” together.

We get asked occasionally if people can bring their dog to their session. The answer is yes! It’s best to ask a family member to take over with the dog after they’ve been in some photos, or if you’re comfortable and your dog is friendly, bring a leash and we can tie the dog just out of the shot for some of the photos.

Always such a pleasure hanging out with one of my besties! It never feels like work if we get to hang out, laugh, and capture her gorgeous family.

Love you friend!
Shauna

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Thank you so much for booking your family photo shoot with us! We are excited to work with you. There can be a lot to think about, and it can feel overwhelming, but we’re here to help! Let’s chat about planning your family photo session.

When it comes down to it, photography is all about light. So our first priority is to choose a location based on the the time of day you can book your session. We always suggest the evening in terms of getting beautiful, soft light. That golden light you see in so many photos happens when the sun is low and the light is soft. That happens early morning, or in the evening. We do understand small kiddos can’t always do the evening, so once we choose a time for your photos, that will determine the type of location we suggest to you.

Choosing Location

The first thing to think about the main vibe you want for your photos. Some people don’t really care, and they really just want their family captured and documented. If that’s the case, amazing! We’ll send you some suggestions based on the time of day you book.

There are two main categories for you location: urban or rural. If you love architecture in your photos, we have some suggestions for you.

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Let’s talk about beautiful light in family photos. It’s a question we get asked a lot – how do we get that beautiful light I see in photos? The bottom line you guys – you have to be willing to do your photos in the evening. I KNOW it’s hard with kids to have happy, smiling kiddos in photos if they’re up too late and they’re tired. We will always work with you to make sure we pick a time that gives us the best chance to see your kids smiling. But if your kids are a bit older, and we can push bedtime a bit, then you will get that beautiful light in your family photos.

There are other factors too, the biggest thing being the weather. We can’t predict clouds, which will block beautiful sun, but we will absolutely try our best to capture that beautiful, glowy, sunset light for you.

I also absolutely love the outfit choices mom chose for the photos below! There is no need to match anymore, but we want the outfits to “go” together. The son’s yellow jeans, the daughter’s yellow top, it all helps add a pop of colour, but they go together so well.

If your kids are just too young for an evening photo shoot, that’s okay! We’ll work with you to choose the best location possible. Be flexible, and we’ll find a spot that works best. We want to capture you playing, interacting with one another, and capturing this moment in time.

If you want to read more about choosing the best location for your photos, check out this post here.

If you want to get planning, check out this blog post!

Can’t wait to work with you!
Shauna & Gareth

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Spring Time at the University of Alberta in Edmonton is a beautiful time for family photos! The spring colours are glorious with trees full of pink and white blossoms, lilacs blooming in purple.

The day started with stunning spring weather right up until early afternoon when it was time to meet this wonderful family. At this time the wind picked up promising to blow in the ominous clouds that hung above the horizon. Walking around the university provided plenty of shelter and escape from the gusty wind. When the rain finally arrived it was easy to take shelter until it had blown past.

Spring time at the University of Alberta provided a multitude of options for all of the family combinations. Beautiful vine covered brick walls, large trees overflowing with white blossoms as well as the classic pink provided the backdrop. The green spaces are peppered with sidewalks, and ornate brick and stone stairs give places to sit. An afternoon here does not disappoint!

I loved being able to catch up with Janice and her adorable family. It was also wonderful to meet the rest of her extended family. If you’re interested in family portrait photography, contact us to set up a custom session, we would love to meet you!

From Janice:

You guys are the best. Thank you so much for the photos, I can’t tell you how happy they make me! We all haven’t had proper photos taken for so long and these are exactly what we wanted, I was getting teary looking through them. Please tell Gareth how much we appreciate how he captured all of us, he was so patient (especially cause it was freezing cold!) and he willingly did every possible combination we could think of. We are so grateful.

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Man I love getting outside in the beautiful summer air with amazing clients. When planning this engagement session, Armando has this really wicked car (I’m no car person, but it’s really cool, right?) that he hoped to use for a portion of their photos. I had a vision for a dirt road to use with the car, so we decided on the Kinsmen idea for this Walterdale Bridge Engagement session! We got the best of all worlds – the trees, rural look, the beautiful light, then out to walterdale bridge for a great view of Edmonton.

I always want to hear your ideas for your engagement session! Bringing Armando’s car added such a personal touch to their session, especially since he rebuilt it. I love that we brainstormed together to plan their session, so the session really showed who they are as a couple.

We joked around a ton, we laughed, and I feel really honoured that I got to know Cassandra and Armando at their Walterdale Bridge engagement session! This is a huge reason we offer engagement photos with all of our wedding packages. We want to get to know our couples, we want to make sure they are comfortable in front of the camera, and we want to have some fun!

Thanks so much for hanging out with me you guys! Can’t wait for your wedding day!

Shauna

Interested in chatting more about us photographing your wedding? Read more here.

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This was SUCH a fun engagement session! We weren’t sure if it was going to happen due to rain in the forecast, but we decided to go for it! Sometimes those stormy skies actually look so cool in your photos. The European look of Manchester Square appealed to Caralee and Sal, so we headed there for the first part of their engagement session. This place is such a hidden gem in Edmonton! Bonus to have the painted murals by Alixandra Jade around it too! This Manchester Square Engagement Session is definitely a favourite of mine.

Caralee and Sal also wanted to include their dogs in their engagement session, and the answer to that is always yes! We headed to a local park afterwards and had some fun there too.

Engagement sessions are all about getting creative, relaxing, and us getting to know one another. It’s also about incorporating ideas into your photos that might just not work at the wedding. A lot of people choose to include their dogs in a part of the engagement session because they won’t be a part of the wedding day. Let’s chat, brainstorm together, create a session that is unique to you!

Thanks for such a fun evening you guys!
Shauna

Interested in chatting more about us photographing your wedding? Read more here.

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This is an emotional session to look back on. I did this session right in the midst of the pandemic. I stayed back and kept my distance, as hard as it was from this beautiful family. We have known this crew for a really long time now, and photographed Tarah and Trevor’s wedding, and since we’ve had family swim dates and hang outs, Gareth and Trevor have planned runs together. Not to mention maternity and newborn sessions for some of these kiddos! They’re just amazing. I’m welling up with tears remembering this shoot. It was SO good to see them, and I was so grateful we had figured out a way to document their new addition with the Brophy Outdoor Newborn/Family Session. But man all I wanted to do was give them a big hug. Because if you know the Brophy’s, you KNOW what huggers they are!

But we did it. We settled in, we relaxed, we spent the evening with the kiddos playing and picking flowers. I remember this evening being a highlight for me during a really uncertain time.

I have so much love and respect for Tarah and Trevor. Their energy is contagious, their kindness is unparalleled, and I just adore anytime we get to spend some time with them. This is a very unconventional newborn session for us. We don’t offer outdoor newborn sessions (maybe we should in the summer! I love these so much), I’m incredibly proud of how these turned out, and I’m so happy they trusted me to capture Oakland joining their family.

We just love you guys!
Shauna

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Warm summer sun, the sun soft as evening sets in, and a wonderful couple to spend some time with. What an evening! I was so excited to work with these two. We had chatted over email and over the phone to plan their maternity session, so I really looked forward to meeting them in person. They really wanted a city, fun vibe, so we decided on Manchester Square for their maternity session. What a great choice! This tiny little gem in Edmonton looks European meets amazing art. This Manchester Square maternity session was a dream!

Lisa chose really gorgeous outfits, and the couple really relaxed and had a great time together. The biggest secret to any great session is just to have fun. We wandered around and found some wicked murals, which were designed and painted by Alixandra Jade. They’re amazing! We have so much talent in Edmonton, it blows me away all the time.

This lovely couple booked our First Year Package, and chose maternity, newborn and one year photos. This session just the beginning of our time together! What a fun session! This maternity session was such a blast, so much fun to hang out for an evening with such wonderful people.

Can’t wait to meet your babe!

Shauna

Interested in booking a maternity, newborn or First Year package? Check out all the info here!

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