Summer Summarized

Summer was a blur. You know when you look forward to something for so long and then you blink, and it’s over? That’s where I am at right now. We spent months planning a surprise trip for our kids along with various other Summer expeditions. In the moments we spent at home in Revelstoke, I found some time to fit in a few clients, but it felt as though we were packing or unpacking and re-packing for most of the 9 weeks the kids had off from school.

We started off July by surprising our two children with a California adventure. They thought we were vacationing in Seattle, so the news came as a bit of shock! We arrived at LAX and hopped into our rental SUV before noon and headed north to San Simeon for a couple nights. The drive was spectacular. My husband and I have driven the Coastal Highway before, but it never ceases to take my breath away. Our kids really enjoyed the beachcombing, the crazy winding roads around Ragged Point and Big Sur, and the endless blue of the Pacific Ocean.

We slowly made our way north, stopping again in Santa Cruz to enjoy the Boardwalk and beach scene. We then drove inland to Palo Alto to briefly visit Stanford University. We spent three weeks there in 2006 when our son underwent his first open heart surgery at Lucille Salter Packard Children’s Hospital. We love the area and feel very lucky that he was repaired by one of the best Surgeons available. The image below is of the kids looking out over the Stanford Campus from the Hoover tower.

We landed in Pacifica at the Lighthouse Inn, just fifteen minutes southwest of San Fransisco. Our favourite hotel was right on the beach with surf crashing in at all hours. We took the kids into the city for the day. Unfortunately the Golden Gate Bridge didn’t make much of an appearance due to heavy fog, but breakfast in sunny Sausalito brought out some smiles!

The final portion of our trip included an eight hour drive down the much faster, although boring Highway 101. We made our way back into Los Angeles to compete in what I like to refer to as the “Disney Marathon”. Three days of park hopping and one day at Sea World in Sandiego, which by the way has turned into another one of America’s amusement parks. It was magical alright, but certainly not something we would do over and over again! We all own a vintage Mickey T-shirt and the various gift emporiums profited greatly from our wallets, as browsing the gift shops was our son’s favourite thing to do!

It was a fantastic trip. Full of smiles and laughter. It was the perfect way to kick off Summer Holidays and we wouldn’t have changed it for the world. We returned to home with camping plans to finalize, trips to Nelson and Whistler to plan. Of course a good many afternoons were also spent relaxing at our local swimming hole, Williamson’s Lake. Young children make Summer a special time and they are only young for a very short time. Now that school is back in, I get to reflect on these moments, and get back to work!

~S~

A Beautiful Family – Another Baby on the Way!

May has been crazy! I’ve been busy photographing close to 400 Soccer Players, 44 Pre-schoolers, 35 Minor Ball Players, 8 fabulous models for Style Trend Clothiers, and various commericial photos for local businesses. I love the hum! My camera bag slung over my shoulder, my light disc in hand, I run to the next project. I am so lucky to be able to love what I do. Thank you Revelstoke for helping me push forward and for providing some of the most beautiful natural backdrops!

I recently met up with the Beruschi family. We took a drive to one of my favourite places, just minutes from downtown. With their second baby due in June, they decided that they would like to capture, once again, the sheer beauty of their family as it is right now. Courtney is absolutely radiant, and it shows in the images we took. Luca, soon to be big sister, is incredibly sweet. I am so happy to be able to share these photographs. Thank you Courtney and family! I look forward to meeting your newest member of the family!

~S~

 

Introducing Baby Jayden

Welcome Baby Jayden

Last week I had the opportunity to meet with Julia, Chris and their three week old baby boy, Jayden. Originally from Revelstoke and currently living in Calgary, this family of three is one of he most relaxed and blissful families that I have met yet! Jayden’s big blue eyes and wrinkly little forehead reminded my of my own son, now six years old. It reminded me of how quickly the first days and weeks pass, and how quickly our “Little Bundles of Joy” change.

He was a curious baby, following the sound of my shutter releasing. We all thought he would eventually pass out after a few bouts of newborn crying, but he refused to fall into a deep sleep, and instead only gave us a few moments to capture his angelic slumber!

I remember how I felt after I had our first child. I loved her more than I knew was possible and I was a nervous wreck for the first month or so. I didn’t adjust to not sleeping well and the sound of her crying brought on extreme distress. Watching Julia and Chris calmly comfort Jayden and listen to his sweet cries without panicking was a beautiful thing.

One of my favourite moments… the post-nursing face. Seemingly drunk and content he slides into a few minutes of sleep

I absolutely love what I do and I wish this beautiful family the very best of everything. I look forward to photographing them again soon!

Cheers!

~s~

Introducing….

I have been working on this for over a year, and I am finally ready to introduce my newest package!

“Watch Me Grow” is designed to follow a baby’s first year with a series of portrait sessions. Packages are available for 4 or 5 sessions. The first session can take place weeks before the babies birth, or it can be during his or hers first few days at home. Then you can either choose to do 3 month, 6 month, 9 month and 12 month sessions or 4month, 8 month and 12 month sessions. After the first year is complete you can either purchase prints, digital copies or a custom designed photo book. The Watch Me Grow Package would make a great gift for a Baby Shower!

Here is how the photos of sweet Ellory came about….

…I met Monica in 2009 at one of our local Pre-schools. She was one of the instructors who made our son feel right at home in the pre-school setting. He eventually sauntered off to join the big kids in Kindergarten, but often expressed how much he missed his Monica. In 2010 I heard that she was expecting her second baby. I approached her and asked if I could document the new baby’s first year and she was more than willing.

When Ellory was born in April of 2011, I was invited into their home to hang out with them during her first full day at home. She was still pink and wrinkled and trying to focus on the world with her beautiful blue eyes.

Photographing this sweet family in their own home was exactly what I had hoped to be able to do.

Time passed and Ellory grew. I visited with them again July of 2011 to capture her at three months

I love having her brother and parents involved in the sessions. Her growth isn’t entirely about her, it is about her family too.

We got together for another session in September 2011. Ellory was now six months. This time we met outside, and tried to keep her from devouring everything within her reach!

Early in January we met again. At nine months Ellory was crawling like a pro, pulling herself up, smiling up a storm and really enjoying all the attention!

April 2012 came around fast! I spoke with Monica and we decided that I would be there to photograph Ellory’s First Birthday Celebration with the family. It was a fantastic afternoon. This family is so warm and welcoming that I felt very much a part of it. Photographing Ellory’s day was the “Icing” on my cake!

The cake was a hit. Ellory put on a show for everyone by smashing her little fists into the icing!

Watching Ellory grow through my lens has been a great experience. I look forward to more ~Watch Me Grow Sessions ~!

A very big “Thank you” to the Degerness family for working with me!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MISS ELLORY!

Happy Easter! ~ Happy Spring!

Spring has finally arrived to our lovely town of Revelstoke! It was extra special to have had such a beautiful Easter Sunday. Temperatures soared into the teens and we got to shed our jackets and pull out our shades.

We started our day at 7:00am, an hour after my husband got home from work. Our kids are not usually the type to wake early for holidays, but today was different. They were up and outside in their pyjamas and boots before we could even grab our morning coffee! Out we all went to search for signs of hidden treats and treasures. Climbing over the last of our snowbanks they found more than a few foil wrapped eggs and packages of Pokemon trading cards. I found these flowers growing in our garden that has revealed itself over the last few days. I love my garden and have missed it over the winter!

Here are a few photos of our Easter morning. The kids received their annual photobooks as gifts from my husband and myself. After the mad rush to find all their hidden eggs they enjoyed flipping though a year of memories.

Breakfast was eaten and then the skiers (Shane and Aza) took to the slopes to bask in the sunshine and enjoy their last few turns. Our local mountain wrapped up operations for the 2011 / 2012 season today. They made it home in time to change and jump into the car with close to 30 lbs of chocolate for an egg hunt at Farwell Park. We tried to invite the whole town (via Facebook), but for obvious reasons not everyone could make it. It was great fun scattering hundreds of foil wrapped goodies around the park. What little snow that hasn’t yet melted didn’t slow us down. The kids had a blast, no one go hurt and the Easter Bunny showed up to share a few hugs, high fives, and more treats!

Happy Easter to all and to all a Good Night!

~s~

Welcoming Baby J

This is a session that I did just before my own kids went on Spring Break. I spent an afternoon hanging out with this lovely family of five and I was introduced to their newest member, Baby J.

What I enjoy the most about being invited into people’s homes is the absolute normalcy that goes on around me while I shoot. I had to laugh when the older kids decided that one of my throws was suitable for making a fort in the middle of the living room floor!

Baby J was amazing. He was very alert and interested in watching what I was doing. We laid him on his tummy and within minutes he was pushing himself and trying to roll over! I’ve never seen such strength in a three week old!

Three Beautiful Children

Thank you!

~Sarah~

Meet Sandra

I had the honour and priviledge to work with Sandra and her beautiful little girl. Sandra’s courage inspired me to create these images.

Her story is one of bravery and strength that I am proud to be able to share with you.