Last Days of Summer....

Brooke and I headed out for a shoot the other evening with a past client of mine & her Mum; well, Mum-to-be again, that is! Mum is due with #2 in a couple more weeks, and I am thrilled that she thought of me to take these images. Her daughter "A" is 5 years old, and is absolutely one of my favourite little models...blonde hair,huge blue eyes and the sweetest disposition. They were both so easy to work with. We photographed at the end of the day, so the Little Miss was a bit hungry, had the sniffles and was getting chilly...thank you so, SO much for being such a trooper (both of you)! And for those of you wondering, no.....Mum's belly has not been touched up AT ALL!!!! I am not kidding you; it's that perfect. I just can't wait to see the new bundle:) Stay tuned for their newest family member in the weeks to come.

Michele

Ahhhhh-CHOO!

Recognize this teensy-one? These series are of Brooke's little Miss Isla from when she was just a few weeks old. I came across them and thought they were definately sweet enough to be blog-worthy! I just wish we could turn back the clock and take tonnes more of her at this age....they grow much too quickly :(

Mish

Payment :)

As I'd mentioned in yesterday's post....my good friend Jenn came along on short notice to help me out with a wedding in Long Beach, Tofino (which meant carry EVERYTHING I had with me)! She absolutely landed the job as my "official" West-Coast wedding assistant:) As my "Okanagan" partner Brooke knows all too well, I have a tendency to work very quickly....she would probably choose "chaotic" or "spastic" to better describe my shooting style. Needless to say, without the help of a second pair of hands...holding a camera and second shooting or not; I abslutely could NOT get the job done as well as I (usually)! do! These photos are of Jenn which I snapped off this weekend in Long Beach...notice how VERY well put-together she looks? Not bad for a Mum of 3 very busy little ones:) This was SOOOO not the case for me. I think half of the guests tried to swipe dirt, sand or seaweed off my butt at some time or another...oh well, they're not paying for me to look good, right?! Another image was supposed to be one of Brooke I'd come across earlier today while cleaning off files....of course it is NOWHERE to be found now:( I'll have to post B's at a later date)

Thank you both for everything; and Jenn....I hope this reminds you that you've definately still got it!!

Mish xox

Mr "J"

What words could I possibly say to describe such a gorgeous little man. He is so, so sweet and still so tiny. Just 7 lbs yesterday when I photographed him and 3 weeks old. Of course not as teensy as I like them to be, but he was a trooper and (somewhat)! cooperated! Good thing that Mum Lisa is a long-time friend of mine and will have me back to do more photos when he's 6 months. I only wish I could have stayed longer....but I had a LONG drive ahead of me to get back home to MY baby! Even though it was a mini session and he slept for all of 5 minutes, I'm so glad I had the opportunity to capture a few images while he was still so new.

Hope you love them....and don't forget to leave me some blog love!!!

Michele

Kristen + Jamie : Wedding

A photographer's dream. Especially for me, who is a West-Coast girl and always looking for an excuse to go back. Kristen & Jamie's wedding in Long Beach, Tofino was definately THE place to be....a beautiful setting ( the Tin Wis Hotel ) a tonne of great friends and an extraordinarly fun-loving couple.(Not to mention stunning...does the bride not look FLAWLESS)?! Each and every detail of their day gave me goosebumps; the misty-beach setting, bare feet, guests in rainslickers and gumboots worn overtop of their wedding "garb", as well as Kristen's stunning custom- made hemp dress and unique jewellery. (I'll make sure to post links to her details once I have them)! The wedding party was such fun to work with....the guys had tonnes of great ideas and expressions, and the girls were up for anything! One of Kristen's bridesmaids ( I found out afterwards) is an amazing singer/songwriter whom I've been listening to on YouTube tube tonight while editing...check out one of my faves of Allison Crowe's covers by clicking on her name.
What a treat it was for me to be a part of this day, it really couldn't have been any better.

A HUGE thank you goes out to my wonderful friend Jenn for acting as my assistant; she lugged all my gear, made sure my camera was kept sand-free and even made the long, windy drive for me since my preggo body decided to be carsick!

The long trip was SO worth it...thank you to Kristen and Jamie,as well as their family and friends for being so welcoming and making the day such a memorable one. I wish you ALL the best:)

Michele

Ray of Sunshine

I don't have many words to describe how I feel about these photos, other than having to say a definate "thank you" to Brooke (or "Dee-Dee", as Nevaeh would say)...I've been putting off getting anything printed of The Miss, as nothing so far as been right for her room. Well, these are definately canvas worthy, AND they match the vintage-y feel I'm going for.
So, thanks again B for dragging my butt out of the house (although you do NOT want to see what time I posted this...it's ALL your fault)! and to my little one....you really are a perfect fit for me; thanks for once again melting my heart!

M

Undeniable

They don't always play well together. They rarely keep their hands to themselves. And they never leave each other alone. Which is exactly why we love em' together:) I'm so glad Brooke talked me into joining her with the kids....I definately would have missed out on some very sweet moments...and that's all these are,(very) fleeting moments...and undeniably heartwarming. I'll make sure to post some later of the "real" relationship!

Thanks kiddos....we love you!
Mum & Aunt Shell
xo

Year of the Horse

1978. The year I was born....also being the year of the horse. I never really felt that this truly signinfied "me", but after doing

an amazing session with TWO incredible models....well, I'm thinking that the horse may just be my new animal of choice. I have

never done a shoot like this before; I find photographing dogs is SUCH a challenge that I've never been interested in doing

"non-people" pics. A past client contacted me, and seeing as I really wasn't happy with how the last job went I decided to take

this on and hopefully redeem myself. As you can see, I lucked out in all major areas......lighting, amazing genes ( thanks to

Miss K and her beautiful horse Lena) AND comfort in front of the camera. I couldn't have asked for anything more.....well,

other than a smaller belly that was getting a little uncomfortable to lie on for all the low angles and my lack of "stamina", but

heck...I can't have it all:)



Needless to say, I am absolutely thrilled with how this session went and thank Miss K and her Mum for having faith in me to

capture a very special relationship...it really was a treat!


I hope you love them as much as I do:)


Michele

Kari-Lee + Todd : Wedding

This bride is my second-cousin, and I don't think I'll ever stop thinking of her as the adorable little girl with the most heart-breakingly-sweet voice ( she still sounds the same....just with more attitude)! I had such a great time photographing her and her new hubby, Todd, as well as alllllll the family and wedding party. It was hectic as usual, with a few near-disasters thrown in ( they always make the day more memorable) but it was a beautiful ceremony and everything turned out just as it should have. The photo of Kar on her own is my fave of the day, and the last I had to throw in for fun....this huge, and VERY loud singing group was marching down the street about overtake our shooting location so I knew I needed to capture one with them in it..it's not perfect, but definately in-the moment:)



I wish you both a happy, wonderful life together!



Michele

Ali + Dave : Wedding

I can say with all honesty that Ali and Dave are one of the most outgoing, fun loving and free spirited couples I've had the opportunity of working with. Brooke and I shot this wedding back in August, and pretty much went in blindly; not knowing a lot about the Bride and Groom. We were pleasantly surprised with how much fun the day was, and how much time we spent laughing regardless of the VERY bright sun, rushed timeline and 40 degree heat.....yes, Dave was a superstar and kept his suit on the entire time! I am so glad that they chose Brooke and I to work with as it was a great experience......Dave and Ali, I wish you ALL the happiness the world has to offer!

Michele

And Baby (will soon)! Make 4!

I had yet another opportunity to photograph my sister-in-law's beautiful belly and their growing family. The first time around was in a studio 2 years back when she was preggers with their son, and I had yet to venture outdoors into natural light photography. I have to say that I enjoyed this time around much more! Baby #2 is due in a few weeks when I'm sure my blog will be bombarded with teensy newborn photos.

Thanks again to all 3 of you for coming out, it was a lot of fun!!

Michele

An Apple A Day....

I have to admit that as much as I miss the smell of the ocean, the lush forests and even (sometimes) the rain; thre are so many things about the Okanagan that truly are like no other. Even more than the vineyards, my personal favourite place to go and shoot is at the orchards...especially cherry blossom season and just before the picking time in the fall. A friend of mine, Janice, and her son met Nevaeh and I at my parents property yesterday to see if we could live up to the challenge of very bright, overhead speckley orchard lighting. There are MANY photos that aren't even salvagable due to bad lighting (or my lack of knowlwdge on exposing properly), but in the end I came up with a few gems that I really do love.

Aren't they sweet?!

I'll post more in the days to come...