Vancouver Portrait Photography // Suzy Gets a Flower Skirt

Quick Instagram-inspired shoot with Suzy downtown Vancouver // Vancouver Portrait Photography

Suzy is a regular in my shoots and on my blog, and I love how much she loves taking photos, and how we are always coming up with fun new things to try. Recently, she came to me with some photos she found on Instagram of girls using forced perspective to make skirts for themselves out of flowers. I thought it was such a colourful and creative idea, and we decided to give it a try.

I am lucky to have a great flower shop I frequent downtown called Flower D’Amour, where the florist hooked me up with a couple of free flowers when I told him about our idea. Suzy and I wanted to find a location nearby, and I brought us to a small park across the street from Queen Elizabeth Theatre. If you’ve ever been there, you know it’s not much to look at. It’s tiny, surrounded by concrete buildings, and not the cleanest place, but that’s why I love photography, because with some creative positioning and depth of field, the photos, especially the ones of Suzy holding the flower with a blue background, look downright tropical.

I love how these photos turned out, they are cheerful, the colours pop, and I am excited to shoot more vibrant portraits!

Vancouver Portrait Photography // Exploring Some Colourful Walls with Stephanie

Steph makes the most of the end of summer with some fun portraits // Vancouver Portrait Photography

North Vancouver is still a relatively new city for me, and I love discovering new parts of it. Recently, I was in a new, more industrial part of town, trying out a vegan ramen place called The Workshop, when I noticed that many of the businesses were painting their walls and garages in fun different colours! I saw blue, pink, green, orange and red, and knew I had to come back there soon and shoot.

The opportunity presented itself shortly after, when Stephanie and I found the time to finally get together and shoot some portraits. I know Stephanie from my UBC days, we have seen a lot of growth and change in each other’s lives, and I am so glad to have her as a friend.

This day turned out to be one of the last nice days of summer, I was grateful for the great light, and I am sure Steph was glad she could still wear a romper without freezing. We took our time with this shoot, and explored all the different background options. It was my first time shooting with Steph and I loved how much fun she was having with it, trying out poses and coming up with ideas for props. I think her playful nature really comes through in these photos, and I can’t wait to come back to this location and try out some new ideas.

If you are in need of some colour in your life, contact me and let’s go shoot some fun portraits!

Vancouver Portrait Photography // Suzy in the Sunshine

Natural Light Headshots for Suzy // Vancouver Portrait Photography

I met Suzy when I came to UBC and rushed a sorority. She was instantly so friendly and sunny and we just got on like a house on fire, so it wasn’t too much of a surprise a when a couple months later she was revealed to be my big sister within the sorority. She is all of 5 feet and 1 inch, and I always get a kick out of how I got the world’s tiniest big sister.

One thing you have to know about Suzy is that she loves to eat, and knows all the best places in Vancouver for any kind of food. She is like my own personal Yelp, and I have never had a bad meal with her. She was recently  on a trip through Asia, and her Instagram stories of ramen, sushi, and pho were making me drool on a daily basis.

With her love of food, it’s no surprise that Suzy is now becoming a dietician. She is studying, working, volunteering, and still somehow finds time to see her friends. I honestly don’t know how she does it.

For this shoot, we headed outside to shoot in the natural light and contrast Suzy’s beautiful pink dress with some greenery. I love that Suzy is down for anything, and happily knelt down beside my flowerbed when I assured her that those yellow flowers will look stunning in the background. These shots turned out great, especially for a quick impromptu shoot, and I can’t wait to see one on her dietician profile.

If you are a professional and are in need of some new headshots, contact me today for all your Vancouver headshot and portrait needs.

Vancouver Portrait Photography // Nina Shares the Spotlight with a Surprise Co-Star

Nina’s portrait shoot becomes a couple’s shoot when Carumba demands to be included in the fun // Vancouver Portrait Photography

With the Vancouver skies grey and rainy, Nina and I opted to stay indoors at my North Vancouver home studio and shoot some portraits.

I met Nina about two years ago, through Bumble BFF when it first became available in Vancouver. Those first couple of months were exciting, girls were constantly organizing meetups, everyone was involved and meeting new friends. The initial excitement quickly died down, but luckily Nina and I already became good friends by then. We share a love of Pokerrito (sushi burritos), and it remains our go-to lunch spot.

Growing up with a photographer mom, Nina instantly seemed comfortable in front of the camera, and I got a lot of great shots, especially with her magical-looking unicorn hair. We were in for a surprise when Carumba, who I was cat-sitting at the time, wandered into the room, displeased that the attention wasn’t directed at her like it usually is. Nina picked her up, and what resulted were the most fun and genuine photos of the session. Who can resist such a photogenic cat.

I would love to shoot your portrait with your cat/dog/hamster/goldfish/hedgehog (hedgehogs are my absolute favourite, so if you have one, I would especially like to hear from you).

Vancouver Portrait Photography // Actor Headshots for Yoo Ra

Local actor Yoo Ra visits my studio for some new headshots // Vancouver Portrait Photography

Yoo Ra and I met back during my time at UBC, but lost touch after I graduated. When she reached out to me, looking to update her headshots, in time for an upcoming role in a production, I was excited for an opportunity to reconnect. She met me at my North Vancouver home studio, and we picked up right where we left off.

The first thing I noticed about Yoo Ra when she walked in was her long silky hair, which she had expertly curled, and I immediately saw how great it would look in photos. The second thing was her smile; she was so buoyant and our conversation flowed easily through the shoot, going from reminiscing, to finding a surprise common love of RuPaul’s Drag Race, to discussing her upcoming role.

I find Yoo Ra’s acting career so inspiring, because she only started acting when she got into university. I think a lot of us have hobbies or interests we wish we pursued, but maybe feel like we missed the boat because we didn’t start young. I definitely sometimes feel this way, but that is such nonsense. As long as you’re still alive, there is still time to fill your days with things you love to do. We might not all become world-renowned, but we can all find a little extra happiness in doing the things we are passionate about.

Yoo Ra is lovely, and it was a lot of fun watching her personality shine through in the photos. As much as I loved the serious actor headshots, it was more fun cracking her up, resulting in images that seem to get to the heart of who she is.

If you are in need of some fresh new headshots or portraits in Vancouver, I will be happy to help!