Vancouver Portrait Photography // Andrey and Fiona Maternity Shoot

Another beautiful family on my blog today! Meet Fiona and Andrey (and future baby Theodore!)!

Andrey and I go way back. Our parents somehow knew each other back in Vladivostok in the 90s, and when my family immigrated to Canada in 2001, they were a huge part of our new community here. I was closest in age to Andrey’s younger brother Greg, and I’ve spent hundreds of hours at their house, playing board games and pool and MarioKart and neopets and runescape. 

We all really looked up to Andrey, he was the fascinating older kid. I remember there was a time where he got a job reviewing videogames for the local newspaper, and that meant he could get all the newest games for free, which basically made him the coolest person we knew. Plus he was always so quick and witty. 

At some point, many years ago, Andrey and Fiona found each other. And we are all so lucky that they did, because Fiona is an actual sunshine of a person. She is kind, thoughtful, creative, and so freaking funny. She sends beautiful Christmas cards, and bought me the best-smelling candle I have ever smelled (it’s clementine vanilla). 

Andrey and Fiona are both writers, and actually, the first ever Fringe Festival show was one of theirs. I don’t remember the title, but it was to do with Cthulhu and also a love story I think? In any case it was weird and whimsical,  staged in a small downtown Vancouver theatre, and it planted a lifelong love of the Fringe in my heart. Now I’m the person buying 10-packs of Fringe tickets every year. This past year, I saw a total of 12 shows. If you haven’t ever been, I highly recommend this brilliant festival. 

When Fiona and Andrey wanted to do a maternity photoshoot with me, I was so excited. I was even more excited when they told me they just wanted to have photos of them being their real, silly selves. We met in Pacific Spirit Park, and took advantage of the fall weather and scenery. Fiona, being the imaginative lady that she is, crafted wreaths for herself and Andrey to wear. After seeing them, I simply don’t know why every maternity photoshoot doesn’t have head wreaths.

What I remember the most from this shoot is how much we were all laughing. The wit, love, and creativity of this couple will make them amazing parents.

Vancouver Portrait Photography // Downtown with Marie // Part 2

Here comes part two of my photoshoot with Marie! This set had so many photos I loved, so I had to split it into two. One of the things that really makes these photos stand out for me is Marie’s amazing style. I don’t know how she does it, but she has the ability to put things together into stunning looks that I would never in a million years conceive of. She is the queen of thrift stores, and is always finding such unique pieces. I’ve gone thrift shopping with her before, and it is a real treat. 

Marie has a keen understanding of her body, and how to pose. She is so comfortable in front of the camera, that all I have to do is show up and shoot, and we make some awesome stuff together. It’s a mutually beneficial relationship, because I get all these shots I love, and she gets new quality photos for her social media (and perhaps a dating app or two). Pro tip: photos like these work way better than a mirror selfie or a group shot you awkwardly cropped your friends out of. 

Vancouver is constantly in a state of construction right now, and it was fun walking around and searching out good spots to shoot. Some of the things in the background of these photos are already gone actually, so this is a little bit of history preserved in a way.

It’s funny, I photograph a lot of different people, and some days I feel equal parts photographer and therapist. Something about being captured on film (or a memory card), makes people open up about their insecurities. I get where they are coming from; it’s hard to face head-on the things you wish were different about yourself. However, I also know that there will 100% come a day when each of those people will be grateful to have those photographs of them. It will take time, but they will see their own beauty one day. 

I love the wistful feeling of these photographs, especially the ones on the water. To me it’s Vancouver personified. 

Vancouver Portrait Photography // Downtown with Marie // Part 1

It’s honestly a wonder that this is the first time Marie is appearing on my blog, considering how much fun she is to shoot with. We have one of my favourite meeting stories, it’s almost a meetcute. In the summer of 2014, my friend Steph planned a Victoria girls weekend, and invited me, and her friend Marie. We were so excited to go, and had our hostel and everything booked. Unfortunately, a couple days before the weekend, Steph got really sick, and couldn’t go anymore. I was bummed, but feeling brave, I told her that if this Marie chick still wants to go, then I’ll go too. 

Turns out Marie was a magical unicorn of a person, and I am so glad we met. By the time we got off the ferry we were fast friends, and the friendship was quickly cemented at an Irish pub over copious amounts of Summersby cider. We had a great time exploring Victoria, making goofy inside jokes, and at some point even ended up inside Big Bad John’s with its peanut shell covered floor, which might have been poor decision making, considering Marie’s deathly peanut allergy. But she is still with us, so disaster was averted. Fast forward to today, and she is one of my bridesmaids. 

Marie is so plugged into the culture of Vancouver, and has brought me to some of my favourite concerts and events. She is also super down to see a band or a play or whatever else whenever I have a spare ticket, and I love her for it. We have done a lot of cool shit together over the years, including fringe shows, concerts at rickety East Van venues, Glam Slam (which is a whimsical combination of pro wrestling and burlesque, and you should definitely check it out if you haven’t been), and gothy dark 80s dance parties in a warehouse. 

Marie is incredibly fun to shoot with, and I am pleased to share this series I took of her in the fall in Vancouver. I love her look, and I just think we work so well together. Keep an eye open for a second part of this shoot. 

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 // 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 // Michelle and Travis West Coast Family Portraits

Family portraits in North Vancouver before a cross-country move // Vancouver Portrait Photography

I know Michelle and Travis through our friends, and was so excited when Michelle reached out to me to take some photos of her and her family before they made a big move out east. What made this time in their lives even more special was that Michelle was soon due to deliver their second baby, and she wanted to remember this time in their lives, when Michelle, Travis and Lucas were a family of three on the west coast, before they became a family of four in the east.

We met in Ambleside Park, along the beach, and although it was a pretty chilly afternoon, the light was beautiful. We were lucky enough to have Lucas’s grandmother there as well, who kept him busy on the playground while I took some photos of just the parents. Lucas is such a lovable and well-behaved kid, and was giving me his biggest smile the whole time. He also insisted on keeping on his sunglasses at all times, so even at such an early age he is already more responsible than a lot of adults I know.

I loved seeing this family laugh and interact, and as usual my favourite shots ended up being the candid ones. Although grandma was not planning to be part of the shoot, I am so glad we had time to include her in a few shots at the end.

Every family needs some great photographs, so contact me today!

Vancouver Portrait Photography // Spring in Stanley Park with Daniel

Teenage portraits with Daniel shot on Vancouver’s Seawall // Vancouver Portrait Photography

My brother Daniel and I are 10 years apart, and these days it’s hard to find common ground. Gone are his preteen days where everything I did was the coolest, and he was all about my music and actually listened to my opinions on fashion. Now he is 16 and entirely too cool for me, so  I am glad that we have a shared love of photography to bond over.

I love when Daniel visits me downtown, it makes me happy to be able to show him my new neighbourhood, and it’s sometimes nice to spend some quality brother/sister time without the parents. On this day we decided to take a walk along the Seawall to scope out some good shoot locations, and came across this little bridge/tunnel connecting the main seawall to some of the forest trails. It didn’t look like much, but the way it helped light Daniel was awesome, and I love these shots of him, especially his facial expressions.

Teenagers change so quick, and I try and photograph Daniel as much as I can so I can remember him in all his different phases (I think at this point he may be starting to get close to a man bun). It’s probably a good time for your teenager to get some photos taken of them too, and maybe something a little more casual and authentic than the stuffy, rigid portraits they get done in school, so contact me to schedule a shoot.

Vancouver Portrait Photography // Svetlana in Stanley Park

Soft autumn light portraits in Stanley Park with Svetlana // Vancouver Portrait Photography

I love photographing my mom. I think in part it is because I know growing up in the USSR in the 60s she only has a handful of photos from her whole childhood, and I now want to balance that out by photographing her as much as I can. But also, I just think my mom is beautiful, and I love being able to capture that in photos that she can keep forever.

For this shoot, we met downtown and then walked down to the Stanley Park seawall. The day was sunny, and we were blissfully happy to be surrounded by all the fall colours. Seeing all the yellows, oranges, and reds oranges sometimes leaves me in such awe that I don’t know what to do with myself.

I strategically used a tunnel to place Svetlana in the best light, creating contrast between the dark background and her evenly lit face. It’s always a fun challenge using what you have on hand to manipulate natural light and create flattering portraits.

The best thing about photographing your mom is how much patience she has for you while you are trying out new techniques (patience I’m sure she developed during my teenage years, sorry mom).

I love these shots, they feel warm, she has a real sparkle in her eyes, and it is so special to me to be able to take my mom and create images that she loves, that show her the way she sees herself, and I know she sends them to all of her friends to show off her new portraits.

Every person is worthy of excellent portraits, and I can’t wait to create yours.  

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!

Vancouver Portrait Photography // Nina + Braden Holiday Shoot

Nina and Braden snuggle up for a Christmas-themed shoot // Vancouver Portrait Photography

Winter is the time for twinkly lights and cozy sweaters, so when Nina came to me looking to get some photos with her boyfriend Braden to send to her mom back in Kingston, Ontario, I was immediately excited to photograph this lovely couple and see what we could come up with.

We met downtown near the Vancouver Art Gallery on a chilly Saturday, and had such a good time playing around with different props, hats and sweaters. We decided to go really cheesy with this shoot, giving it a “family Christmas card” kind of vibe.

Nina’s and Braden’s personalities really shone through in the photos, and I loved getting to capture them cuddling, talking and laughing. Being in front of the camera can be very intimidating when you’re not used to it, and while Nina was a natural, Braden took a little while warm up to the camera. My favourite part of the shoot was watching the couple gradually relax, have fun with each other, and show off their silly side.

If you are recently engaged, or maybe just want some nice photos of yourself or your significant other to post on Instagram or send to your mom, contact me for all your Vancouver portrait photography needs.