Ladner family photographer -1,2,3 - Bellaphoto

So... how many people have seen a family session with a 1, 2, and 3 year old!!!! Crazy right? I knew it would be wild, so we just embraced it and I love the natural feel of this session! Though it looks like a cozy shoot at home, this session actually took place in my Tsawwassen photo studio! WHAT!! I know. I have had the amazing honor of shoot this fam since the beginning, and I can't believe how it has grown, and how quickly... but... these parents are AMAZING. I would be a mess, and they are so super chill, funny and caring.. and it totally reflects in their kidlets. This session was right after a month long trip to Cambodia.. I have problems taking my 2 kids to the grocery store. Fun fun fun!

Richmond family photographer -The Woz fam - Bellaphoto

These are some of my favorite people in the whole world. Seriously. I love. My most favorite memories of Mikey involve sitting in my tiny apartment in Vancouver, eating cream puffs and watching America's Next Top model. My second favorite memory of Mikey is reading his weekly recaps of said Top Model episodes. I am not writing this from my phone i would post that smiling crying face. so good. I was so happy when he met the love of his life Danielle, and I started to capture their family as it grew. I am oh so subtly hatching a plan to make their darling son, my son in law one day... I think him and D would make beautiful babies. This session took place during my Christmas mini session in Steveston BC. What a fun place for a family session!

Ladner family photographer - D's family session - Bellaphoto

Blogging time!!! I am finally starting to make up for months of non-blogging months! This session was amazing because, well not only is the family STUNNING, but this is my AMAZING newborn assistant Danita. She is a kick-ass momma to 3 beautiful girls, and now she helps me!!! I was so excited to go to her house today for an 4 hour play date (the kids were adorable) and drink roughly 1.5 pots of coffee. Playdate for the win! This is one of my most favorite places in Ladner for a family photo session, it's in gorg. (you would never know it's basically in a parking lot). bloggy blogerson.

Richmond Family Photographer - Beach session- Bellaphoto

Okay first off.. the sky. That is REALLY for reals what it looked like in Richmond that night for our family session. I was basically jumping up and down.

There are so many reasons for a family session. Some people do it like clock work, to capture the progression of time. Some to celebrate an event, and other to remember a time in their lives.

This session was to not only capture these beautiful kids at the age they are, but also to celebrate this gorgeous momma's graduation and new position as a Midwife at South Delta Midwifery!

and again.. that sky...!

Tsawwassen family photographer - grandparents session - Bellaphoto

"If you don't think photos are important, wait until they are all you have left." ~ Missy Mwac

This ^^^ This is why extended family session are so so so important. I love extended family sessions, and capturing the littles with the bigs, the older with the newer. It makes my heart happy.

This was such a fun session, not only was everyone STUNNING, they all had the best senses of humor and totally laughed at my lame lame jokes. Even thought it was pretty chilly in Tsawwasen, I think the laughing helped keep us warm. <3

White Rock Family session - Bellaphoto- tsawwassen family photography

AHH!! LOVED this session. There are a few reasons why. First off it was the first time I had been to the Historic Stewart farm in White Rock, which is SO cool. Second, this is one of my first family photography clients! This is our 4th year of photos together and it's amazing to see these kids grown up <3
and i swear mom is only getting younger and more beautiful.

Tsawwassen family photography- Baby P 6 month session- Bellaphoto

6 months is such an awesome age for a session! They are usually sitting up, but aren't crawling, and basically everything we do is interesting to them.
I couldn't help but squeal with delight when mom and dad brought this sweet girl in to my Tsawwassen studio, and I saw that she was a ginger!!  Her hair, with her eyes... she is just perfect!



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Baby K-~ Tsawwassen baby photography ~ Bellaphoto

I was so very excited when this gorgeous momma called to tell me not only was she expecting, but she wanted to come all the way out to my Tsawwasssen studio (a quick zip from Langley thanks to the new South Fraser perimeter road) and see MEEEE!!
Your couldn't had a more beautiful and joyous set of parents to be.

Then when little baby K arrived with that full head of hair, eek. My two favorite things in life, chubby babies, and babies with a full head of hair <3

Can't wait to see them again for her milestone sessions!

The photo that started it all... Bellaphoto, Ladner Children's photography

Ever wonder what brought me down this crazy path....

Lets starts back at the very very beginning.. well not that far back. My skill of photography started at age 12, when i took my first class at Arts Umbrella on Granville Island. This is where i picked up my first camera, my pentax K1000. (that's film y'all)
Fast forward to high school. I lived in the darkroom, not only was it dark (i was angst filled) it was a great place to make out and hide from teachers.

Fast forward again to college, I graduated from the Professional Photo Imaging program at Langara College.

In all this time.. i had SKILL at photography... but I didn't have a passion. In fact.. for 2 years after I graduated, I didn't pick up a camera.

Photography had become boring. it was all about the technical aspects. The proper exposure, the proper Rembrandt pattern, did my shadows have the right density.  YAWN....

I became a professional image editor, photoshop was my new world.

Then I had babies.. oh I guess this is where I have to start taking pictures of families in their matching jeans and christmas sweaters.. OMG kill me. I did some photos.. some kids.. what I thought I was supposed to.. not my style.. but hey, kids and family are cheesy. 

THEN....

It happened. 


I took THE PHOTO. The photo that inspired me, captured my heart, and my soul. okay fine.. it was of MY kid.. but it could have been anyone's kid.

She wasn't smiling, her eyes looked 1000 years old... WAIT. WHAT. kids could be ART?! Hold the phone!

Obviously I had INVENTED THIS!!!
** I totally did not invent this, read a freaking photo book ali **

I was suddenly in love with photography. I could take the pictures I wanted, the way I wanted to.
This was where my passion began.

My goal, with any client, is to create something timeless.

A visual representation of your history.

I want to create pieces that can be passed down from generation to generation and be appreciated.

So yes.. sometimes your children won't be smiling. but you can see their soul.. and that is what really matters.

The M family - Tsawwassen family photography- Bellaphoto

Wow! It has been a long time since I have sat down to write a blog post! But this is an important one, and I wanted to make sure  I put the words down while they were fresh in my mind.

When I was contacted by this momma, she has said she was just looking for a session for her children, after some smooth talking on my part, I finally talked her in to "being in a few shots".
I am SOOO happy she did.

Momma.. you need to exist in photos. Photos are a visual representation of your history. Exist in your history.

There were so many amazing photos from this session, it was hard finding only a few to sum it up.

I loved photographing these kids. Big sister was FIERCE. She has a natural knack for knowing her angles and connecting with the camera. I love love her freckles and the contrast of her light skin and dark hair. She reminds me of a freckled snow white.
And little brother....
he is a gorgeous, giggling ball of energy.
The thing that was very apparent during our session was how much they loved their momma.

These photos are important now, but they will be even more important in the future when these memories aren't as fresh, looking back, remembering the smell of the grass, the chirping of the crickets, the buzzing of the mosquitoes.. and the love of their momma, these images are timeless and 

they will be beautiful to pass on for generations.

Bellaphoto - Tsawwassen children's photography - PCS

This is Mikayla... and she is suffering from PCS... This is only recently effecting her, and it needs to stop.

Photographer's Child Syndrome. 

This had initially started as a post about finding magic in everyday locations.
When playing outside with the monsters, I saw the way the light was hitting the flowers in our yard.


Yard see here

To the naked eye, this looks like any other yard in my neighborhood....
well, not any other yard, other people like garden.. and take in their garbage cans..
anyway...

The light was hitting the flowers in a magical way... and since Dilly looked like this, I knew there was only one choice in child to help me realize my vision.





So the light was magical, the colors were glorious, and Mikayla was dressed to the 9's.. okay maybe the 7.5's

I quickly grab my gear, and asked my beautiful, stunning, 7 year old, who i had just walked in a walk-a-thon, driven to cheer, made dinner for, carried in my womb for 9 month, daughter to please come and sit down for a moment for mommy.

I am not sure what happened in those few steps, but what sat down closer resembled Drew Barrymore in Firestarter.

Her eyes blazed, her nostrils flared, her jaw was clenched... Oh no.. the dreaded PCS. Up until this day, my baby was FIERCE. She could rock what we call "sweet eyes" in a moments notice.
Chin forward and down.

I have never had to deal with this before.

"come on babe, give me one sweet eyes"
"NO"
"ummm what?"
"I DON"T WANT MY PICTURE TAKEN"

ummm... so there you have it. and end of an era.
We need to find a cure for PCS.
Or I need to start making more babies.

Tsawwassen Baby photographer - Acorn and Leaf- Bellaphoto

Friends are nice. This was SUCH a fun shoot because everything in it was made by friends of mine! Even the sweetfaced baby J was made by South Delta's own Michelle from Family and Lifestyle blog Just an Ordinary Family!

The darling bonnet and pants was made by my BFF and creator of prop company Snug Sparrow.

The GORGEOUS curly layer is made by my buddy Hannah at Buttercups Baby Props.  These layers are SUUUUUPER hard to come by, and I am SO excited to own a few ;)

And last but not least the bib!! While at a trade show for my other business Buttercups Children's Boutique I met the lovely owner of Acorn and Leaf, we immediately hit it off! They have the most adorable colors and patterns, available at Buttercups in Ladner!

Thanks so much to all my friends.
now look at the cuteness.

Big sis hanging out

prepping the next model