Vancouver Portrait (and Floral) Photography // Easter Portland Family Trip

These photos come from a family trip to Portland that we took last Easter. It’s actually the first time in a while that we all did something together, and although we are four people who know the precise ways to best drive each other crazy, this was a great trip, and I am remembering it fondly. 

Our first stop was to see the tulip fields, which bloom in Washington every year. Mom is absolutely obsessed with flowers of any kind, and in the spring and summer, I get at least a couple of texts a week of the prettiest flowers she has seen on her walks. In the fall and winter, sometimes she spends her lunch hour in a garden store, so then I still get my fix of her flower photography. Needless to say, she was thrilled to look at all the different colours and varieties, and I enjoyed experimenting with shooting straight down into the tulips. 

We spent a night in Aberdeen, visited the Kurt Cobain memorial, and continued on our way towards Portland. Shane and I have visited the city a few times before, but it was fun showing my favourite parts to my family, and together we discovered a botanical garden I did not know about. Everything was in bloom, and we even saw a bunch of Canadian goose eggs. 

At some point we also stopped at Cannon Beach, and I took them to my favourite place for grilled oysters called River View Dining. The couple who run it have been at it for over 20 years, and their grilled oysters “with everything” are one of the most delicious dishes I have had in my entire life. 

The best part of the trip for me was getting to spend time with my brother. We shared rooms on the trip, and it was probably the most uninterrupted sibling time we have had for years. It was nice to just hangout, I introduced him to Portlandia, and we watched a bunch of it together on my phone. When we got bored, we would go on late night food runs, and crack stupid jokes over burgers and milkshakes. Overall, 10/10 sibling bonding time, would recommend. 

Vancouver Portrait Photography // Daniel on Okanagan Lake

Do you ever see something so beautiful that you just want to shove it into your eyeballs and into your heart so that you can remember it forever, because even an iPhone 11 panorama won’t do it justice? The Okanagan Lake is like that. We have done the drive to Peachland dozens of times, and every time I catch my first glimpse of the lake from the highway, I am filled with awe and joy and just a general appreciation of nature for being so freaking majestic without even trying. 

I love this lake. I love to swim in it, and boat around on it, and look at it, and of course, photograph it. I took these photos of Daniel on a cool fall evening. I love the dreamy peach light, and the meditative mood it sets. 

Daniel just celebrated his 18th birthday, and soon it’ll be time for him to graduate high school, move out, and begin his independent life. When Shane and I first got together, Daniel was just starting high school, and university seemed like forever away. And yet, five years later, here we are. Time, you can’t explain that. 

Daniel probably has more quality portraits of him that most of his friends combined. That’s what happens when you have a sister who takes a camera everywhere she goes. I think someday he will appreciate being able to look back and see himself growing up. These days he looks so much like our grandfather Valentin. 

Having such a big age gap between us has been a unique experience. For most people with siblings, your time before them was kind of hazy, or, if you are not the firstborn, simply nonexistent. For me, I had almost 10 years as an only child. Which was pretty awesome, because I got to just exist as a little princess with all the attention, and no need to compete (which explains why I am pretty competition-averse as a grown up). And then one day in February, I found myself at the Peace Arch Hospital, staring down at a wrinkly little baby (no one told me they’re wrinkly when they come out!). 

Now, only a few years later, that wrinkle is surprising me with his own adventures and plans and insights. It’s been so cool watching him grow and develop and form opinions, and I am grateful that no matter what happens, we will always have each other. Thanks mom and dad. 

Vancouver Portrait Photography // Summerland Sweets Ice Cream

I’ve lived in Canada for 18 years now, and I absolutely love it here. The people are lovely, and the nature is undeniably splendid. However, one thing I miss is having being able to visit the place that I used to roam as a kid. Those places where I’ve made so many memories, like my grandparents’ house, or the courtyard in front of my apartment building are only reachable with the help of a very long, and very expensive flight, so I don’t get to go much. That is probably part of the reason why I love learning about Shane’s childhood memories in North Vancouver and the Okanagan, because I can sort of take them as approximations of my own, and actually visit the places and do the things whenever we want!

One of the top spots from Shane’s childhood in the Okanagan is Summerland Sweets. It’s a cute little shop, built at the end of a lane with orchards on either sides, with a little tractor in front for children to play on. Inside, you can find fruit jellies, fruit syrups, fruit wines, and of course, ice cream. The proper Summerland Sweets procedure consists of trying all the available fruit jellies, ordering your ice cream, and then eating it while going for a walk across a trestle bridge that’s just down the lane. 

When Shane and his brother were kids, the bridge did not have wooden boardwalks on either side of the train tracks, and felt altogether more dangerous. Shane knew that if they ran out onto the bridge, their mum would not follow them, so they took full advantage. Now we are able to walk across without a creeping fear that we’ll end up in the river below.

When my brother Daniel started coming with us to Peachland, I was excited to introduce him to the Summerland Sweets + trestle bridge tradition. In fact, it’s one of his favourite activities to do in the Okanagan. I think he also values the repetitive, traditional quality of the activity. These are some portraits I took of Daniel while we were out for an ice cream walk. 

Vancouver Portrait Photography // Daniel on a Motorcycle

Daniel tries out a trials bike while in Peachland for Thanksgiving // Vancouver Portrait Photography

Thanksgiving is one of my brother Daniel’s favourite times of the year. For the last few years, every Thanksgiving my family and Shane’s family come together in Peachland to enjoy a weekend of fall activities and delicious food. Daniel particularly looks forward to the turkey dinner, prepared by my lovely future mother-in-law, Clare. Being born in Canada but growing up with Russian parents has made Daniel crave those Canadian traditions, and Thanksgiving makes us all feel a little more Canadian.

We were lucky enough to have good weather for most of the weekend, and we made the most of it. We went off-roading, picked mushrooms, went to an apple barn, enjoyed wine and picnic at a winery, and had many, many campfires. In BC, the period between fire bans and torrential downpour is short, and we must make the most of it by having a campfire at every opportunity.

The first time Daniel came up to Peachland he was 13, so now he is 16, and it has been so interesting watching him morph from my kid brother to a young man who is now taller than me and helps me decide if clothes are “cool”. Daniel recently started dreaming of buying his own motorcycle, and Shane decided to help out by teaching Daniel how to ride a dirt bike. Daniel started off with a trials bike, which is tiny, and made for climbing and precision maneuvering. Worst of all, it has no seat so you are constantly standing. Daniel did surprisingly well! Over two days of practicing he went from complete newbie to being able to effectively go up medium hills. Didn’t even fall once! Seeing him be so concentrated and improving made me feel like a very proud older sister.

I love these shots of him riding, and I’m grateful that he always puts up with posing for me, because he knows it will be worth it when he is getting all those Instagram likes. If your Instagram feed needs an upgrade, contact me today!