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!

Vancouver Portrait Photography // Okanagan Honeymoon Photoshoot

Belarus couple gets a romantic photoshoot in the Okanagan Valley // Vancouver Portrait Photography

In the summer of 2017 Shane and I had the opportunity to visit Eastern Europe, and one of our favourite parts of the trip was visiting my cousin Andrei and his (now) wife Ksenia in Brest, Belarus. The visit was only a couple of days long, but we saw so much, from the huge historical fortress on the border with Poland, to the train museum, to a blacksmith shop we visited late at night, where Shane got to try the melting and the hammering, and may have gotten hit in the head with an axe by the blacksmith to demonstrate the sturdiness of the helmet he made (gave me a small heart attack, but Shane somehow loved it).

When Andrei and Ksenia invited us to their wedding last summer, we decided to invite them for a honeymoon in Canada instead, and after a super fun visa application process, they were able to come this fall! After a couple of days in Vancouver, we packed our bags and headed for the Okanagan Valley, where Shane and I spend a lot of our summer days. Although they missed the hot summer weather, there was still plenty to do. We went out on the boat, hiked up to the top of Pincushion mountain, visited the local farmer’s market, saw spawning salmon, accidentally found a car show, biked along the trestle bridges in Myra Canyon, and toured some of the local wineries in Naramata.

I had a great time photographing my cousins, they are a beautiful couple, and are both “Instagram famous” in their hometown of Brest due to their businesses selling wood furniture and clothing. They were always dancing around in front of my camera, bringing about lively and lighthearted shots. I particularly love the photos I took at the apple orchard, the colours, the light, and my subjects all came together to create stunning images. I love photographing couples, and would love to photograph you and your significant other in Vancouver or the Okanagan!