Vancouver Portrait Photography // Lonsdale Quay with Hannah and Family

As a child from White Rock, North Vancouver was always a big mystery to me. It was fantastically far from my southern kingdom, and although I vaguely realized that we were in North Vancouver when we went skiing, the exact geographical details eluded me (much like they do today). When I got a little older, I braved the treacherous Sea Bus journey with my mom, and together we enjoyed the Lonsdale Quay market under the giant Q, with all its cute little shops and eateries. 

I did not give North Vancouver much thought until I met Shane, for whom it was a hometown. Suddenly, I found us regularly crossing either of the bridges onto the North Shore for visits with his family. I became intimately familiar with the roads around the local ICBC as Shane’s dad taught me to drive, eventually leading to me getting my license. I still get kind of anxious driving around the test route, feverishly trying to remember all the tricky signs and rules. 

When Shane first floated the idea of us moving to the North Shore, I was not convinced. I loved our downtown flat, our views, our ability to get around without driving. Sure, the streets were a little smelly, and our loft was technically just one large room we constantly both occupied, but that was all good. 

Eventually, logic won out, and we moved into Shane’s childhood home, where in the pantry you can still find markings as their parents recorded him and his brother getting taller. I am proud to say that my height has now also been recorded on that wall, and I have apparently not grown since 2017. 

The dock where I photographed Hannah and her family is the same one on which a couple years back Shane and I celebrated New Year’s Eve with a handful of strangers. I remember us walking quickly in the frosty December weather, and finding a good spot along the edge of the dock. We wore our Christmas cracker hats, and toasted with champagne, and watched the fireworks across the water. This northern shore is still new to me, but with each new memory, I put down more roots. 

Vancouver Portrait Photography // Peachland Family Christmas

When the Austins first suggested having Christmas in the Okanagan, I was not convinced. I am a city girl, and I am used to spending the holidays in the city. For the past few years since I have been with Shane, we have done some sort of combination of spending time with my family and his, usually ending up with having Christmas dinner at the Austin house, and meeting later for Russian Christmas or Old New Year (yes, that’s a thing), with my parents in White Rock. That was the routine and I was pretty comfortable with it. 

Now that I am older, Christmas has lost a little of its pure unadulterated joy because instead of just excitedly waiting for Santa to come, I in fact have to keep working right up until the holidays, while also attending various holiday events, and somehow still find the energy, during what are short, dreary, rainy, Vancouver December days to find and wrap thoughtful gifts for the whole family. 

You can see how the thought of having even less time to get all of that done, so that we can be ready to go to the Okanagan a few days before Christmas, was frightening. But, my brother and sister in law do live there full time, and after some consideration, I came around to the idea. And I am so glad I did. 

First of all, leaving home and driving the few hours instantly put me into a holiday headspace. What also helped was arriving to a snowy Peachland, something I have not previously experienced as I am usually there mostly in the summers. Walking along the lake in the evening, with a foot of snow on the sidewalks, and more falling was so peaceful, with streetlights illuminating yellow pools of snow. 

Of course, the best part was just having the whole family together, as we ate lots and lots of treats, hung out  in our pyjamas, watched Christmas movies, and (unsuccessfully) attempted a puzzle. Christmas morning was grander than ever, and Christmas dinner, hosted by Dean and Fadrina, was a warm and cozy affair. 

My favourite memory of the holiday was playing Cards Against Humanity with everyone after dinner. Watching our parents come up with the most hilarious answers, sometimes not even realizing what they were saying, and then laughing so hard they were crying. This is a moment I will treasure forever.

Vancouver Portrait Photography // Mel, Jacob and Sadie

I was sure struggling the morning of this shoot. It was one of those mornings, where even though I planned ahead and left myself plenty of time to get ready, I still found myself rushing out the door with all of my gear. Luckily, I had the address of the family punched into Google maps, so I set out on my journey to this unknown destination.

I arrived on a beautiful shady street, but something seemed wrong. Instead of a house, the address brought me to a small commercial building, an art studio of some sort. This was the point at which I realized that instead of choosing the directions to the house of my clients, I drove to an art studio which my manager volunteers at, and where she invited me to an upcoming event.

Whoops, I definitely learned my lesson about actually being certain where you are going. Luckily, Mel and Jacob were very understanding of my directional struggles, and we jumped right into the shoot when I arrived. The first thing I noticed about their home is the mustard-coloured door. There is really something about a door painted an unusual colour that adds a lot of personality to a house, without an insane amount of effort. We keep meaning to paint our own door green, but it hasn’t happened yet. 

Turns out, mustard is Mel’s favourite colour, and I saw a lot of it around, including their daughter Sadie’s outfit. We started outside, but my favourite shots definitely come from Sadie’s sunlit nursery. Something about preserving the memory of the family hanging around in the nursery feels really genuine and important to me, and I know I wish I had more of those photos from my own childhood. 

I am inspired by the fact that Mel and Jacob managed to stay interesting, outgoing adults, even with a new baby. I know the two of them through my friend Nina, and a couple of months ago, we were at a karaoke bar for her birthday. My favourite memory of the night was looking over at Mel, who was doing a spirited rendition of an early 2000s hip hop song, and there was Sadie sitting beside her in Jacob’s arms with her noise-cancelling earmuffs on, happy as a clam. That is definitely #parentgoals.

Vancouver Portrait Photography // Nathan, Jyoti and Nash!

As promised, this week on the blog we have baby Nash, with his adoring parents Nathan and Jyoti. We know these wonderful people because Nathan used to work with Shane, and frankly, I am pretty bummed that he doesn’t anymore. I am of course very happy for him and his flourishing career as a geologist. I used to visit Shane’s office because we both work downtown, and inevitably, Nathan would be sitting there in his office, probably doing something very important, but always making time to chat and shoot the shit and catch up. Nathan has this unique combination of being super chill while also somehow being really caring and attentive. He is a zero-judgement kind of person, but genuinely seems to want to know what’s going on in your life. 

Soon after I met Nathan, I met Jyoti at their company’s annual Christmas dinner, usually held at the Keg. It’s a lovely time, we rent out the private downstairs room, and get all dressed up, and enjoy lots of wine and appies and surf and turf. Most of the other attendees are 30 years our senior, so Shane and I strategically sit with Nathan and Jyoti. One year, we managed to both attend the dinner, and sneak away to a Canucks game. Now that they have moved to Calgary, Shane and I will have to reconsider our whole Christmas dinner strategy. 

In Shane’s office hangs a photo of an alpaca that I took in a petting zoo in Victoria. Nathan always admired the photo, and one year for Christmas, Shane got him a huge print of it on aluminum. Not sure if Nathan was really gunning for that statement art piece, but now he has it. 

When baby Nash was born, we were dying to meet him. Unfortunately, once we finally found a window of time that worked, Shane was away racing, so I went over on my own, with our gift of a llama baby onesie in tow. Their apartment was in the middle of being packed up for their move, so we went out on their balcony, and this is where I took these photos. 

I love the intimate and relaxed feeling of these shots, no posing, no special outfits or makeup, just new parents and their little one. 

Vancouver Portrait Photography // Dustin, Taya and Ryder!

Today on the blog I have Dustin and Taya, at their wedding reception, along with their little baby girl Ryder. Have you ever experienced all the newfound excitement of a crush, but in a platonic way? That was Shane and Dustin. They met at one of the US motorcycle races, and quickly realized that they are somewhat neighbours, with Dustin living in Bellingham. From then, it was a whirlwind friendship. I could tell Shane was smitten, from the way he found everything Dustin said either hilarious or fascinating, and I knew that if I saw him smiling down at his phone, it was most likely at something Dustin had said. 

When I finally got to meet him at an awards banquet (where they had neither a fish or a veggie option, so I ended up just eating a really big plate of mashed potatoes), I understood what drew Shane to him. For one, he looked like a mini Shane, with a body size suitable for a gymnast (something he used to do at a highly competitive level), but with very similar facial structure and hair & beard combination. On top of that, he was just straight up bubbly and hilarious.

Dustin was at our wedding, and he is just the kind of guy who is easily loved by all. He was constantly cracking jokes, and always down for anything. He was the first one in the ocean to play in the waves, and I know Shane really appreciated having a riding buddy for all the awesome motorcycle trails around the house. One evening, I got on the back of Shane’s bike, and Marie got on the back of Dustin’s, and we went to visit Colotepec at sunset. The views, the ride, and just the general vibe of that outing is one of my favourite memories from our trip. 

When Dustin and Taya had Ryder, her birthday just happened to coincide with the birthday of Nash, who is the son of our friends Nathan and Jyoti, and who you will see on the blog next week. Ryder was a great choice for a name because on one hand, her dad rides (rydes) motorcycles, and on the other, Taya is a world-class golfer, and I am told that the Ryder Cup is a kind of golf tournament. But don’t quote me on that, I am just the girl with the camera. 

Vancouver Portrait Photography // Family Photoshoot with Hannah, Rob and Owen!

Get ready for some family cuteness! 

I met Hannah at my first position with Transport Canada. I was a co-op, and she was recently graduated, and fresh off her honeymoon. We quickly bonded over our shared work struggles and personal lives. She was there on the day of my first date with Shane, watching me excitedly await the end of the work day, and she was there for our early days, when I needed input on a text I was sending, or when I just had to vent because boys are stupid. Basically, I was pretty needy and she was pretty amazing about the whole thing, and I am forever grateful. 

Meantime, she was starting her own marriage to a great guy named Rob. They are a couple who compliment each other well. Every time I talk to Hannah, she tells me of their self-improvement efforts; they are always striving, and dreaming big. It was always a treat to visit them at their cozy apartment: they put out an excellent snack spread. Hannah was also the person who introduced me to the Vancouver drag scene, and set me off on a lifetime love of all things drag. 

You can’t imagine how excited I was a couple years later, when, no longer working together, we sat on the steps of the Vancouver Art Gallery and she told me she was pregnant! The result was this awesome little boy Owen. When he was born, Hannah, our mutual friend Kendra and I scheduled weekly lunch dates, so we could catch up and see this little chubby-cheeked cutie on a regular basis. Now Hannah is living on Vancouver Island and we don’t get to see each other as much, but you better believe that her, Kendra and I are still scheduling weekly lunchtime phone calls to stay connected. 

I took these photos of Hannah and her family on a sunny fall afternoon in Stanley Park. When it comes to toddlers, you can’t do much in terms of direction, so I enjoy just going with the flow, and seeing the fun, candid shots I can get.