Vancouver Portrait Photography // Marie on Granville Island!

Marie is back on the blog, and today she is on Granville Island! 

Granville Island is probably my most favourite place in all of Vancouver. When I was a kid, I would come here with my parents, and while they were enjoying the Granville Island Brewing Company, I was being enchanted by the Kid’s Place. Everything about that place is amazing, from the special child-sized door, to the indoor playground, to the arcade and candy shop, and of course stores selling anything and everything a kid would want, from puzzles to princess dresses to magic kits to stickers. I was particularly into the velvet-covered pencils they had in one store, to little Nadya they seemed like the utmost luxury in graphite products. 

When I was a teen, and there was still a bus that would take you straight from White Rock to downtown Vancouver, Granville Island was a place I loved to visit with friends, because there was so much to see and do, but it still felt safe to my sheltered small-town self. We would people watch, buy cool stickers, and enjoy all the amazing food from the market. 

Those were also the early days of me bringing out what was at the time my dad’s DSLR, and I thought I was getting some pretty incredible shots. But hey, that’s the way it goes with learning. If you’re doing it right, your best work this year is kind of hard to look at in a few years’ time. 

Now that I am a grownup, I am on Granville Island the most in September, during the Vancouver Fringe Festival. For a couple of weeks of the year, Shane and I turn into theatre nerds, and see around 10 independent plays. Being the scheduling aficionado that I am, I try to pack two to three 1-hour plays into an evening, so we often go over to Granville Island right after work, and stay there until bedtime, trying to fit in a meal somewhere in there. Fringe plays are just so fun, because if it’s a good one, you will talk about it for a couple weeks, but if it’s a bad one, you will talk about it forever. Either way, it’s a win-win. Last year we saw one about Josephine Baker that absolutely blew our socks off. 

On this day with Marie we were planning to see my last Fringe play of the season, but figured we could squeeze in a quick shoot beforehand. Marie, being her bewitching self, showed up in this colourful outfit that I would never have considered putting together, and yet, it works!

Vancouver Portrait Photography // Pumpkin Patch with Nina

This is one of my all-time favourite sets of photos. When Nina and I decided to go to the Richmond Country Farms pumpkin patch, we were hoping for a nice sunny day, but as we drove from Kitsilano into Richmond, it felt like we were driving into a dense milky cloud. Not to be discouraged, we donned our boots, and set off on our mission.

I have been coming to this pumpkin patch since I was a little Russian girl and another more Canadianized Russian girl and her mom took me here, and said it’s fall and this is Canada, and we must ride the tractor, and go into this muddy field and choose a good pumpkin, and then bring it home and then carve something into it, probably  a face but maybe something else, you have options in this regard, and in my humble opinion it's the best pumpkin patch out there.

If I am going to be heading out to a field to choose my perfect pumpkin, I want the whole experience to be as corny as humanly possible, and in that respect, Richmond Country Farms delivers. They have it all: farm animals, a band made up of singing vegetables bobbing around to country music, a pile of hay bales to play in, mini doughnuts and poutine for snacks, a tractor ride to and from the field, complete with a country singalong, and halloween scenes along the way. You can see skeletons and various other spooky characters, and also, an orange elephant for some reason. This one really boggles me. Like was another business offloading an elephant statue, and the enterprising owners thought: “perfect, we will paint it orange, it’ll look super seasonal”? In any case, it’s there and you will see it if you go.

On this day, the fog set a spooky mood in the patch. I'm not really one for scary movies, but I had fun getting these somber atmospheric shots. The colours just worked so well (fall is the undeniable winner for best-coloured season). Shout out to Nina for being an interesting photography subject in particular, and just a lovely human in general.

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 // Granville Island Modelling

Ksenia models her new trenchcoat and Andrei drops in for a few couples photos // Vancouver Portrait Photography

I follow Ksenia on Instagram, and I remember when a couple of years ago she posted some photos of pillows and sleep masks she made and embroidered. I thought they were cute, and a fun side project, but I would have never predicted that she would grow a whole online clothing boutique. These days she designs and sells all kinds of clothes, from dresses, to PJs, to shorts, pants, blouses, and now she is selling trench coats! She brought one with her to Canada to photograph, and I thought Granville Island would make a great location.

Granville Island is my favourite part of Vancouver, I love the views, the market, the cute shops and cozy cafes, and all the street art and performers. It’s where I go when I need cheering up. I chose a few different spots to shoot with Ksenia in her trenchcoat, because Granville Island has no shortage of picturesque backdrops. The sun was setting, and we were making the most of that cool, purple light.

Ksenia is always dancing, which helps give the photos a light and candid vibe. It always cracked me up when she carefully brushed out and arranged her long tresses, referring to them as her “Instagram hair”.

Her husband Andrei is a huge jokester and could not stand idly by while Ksenia was getting all the attention, so he snuck in for a few shots, picking her up and twirling her around. I love the way their energy is so similar and they egg each other on. I loved photographing them, and I will love photographing you too. No matter if you are in a couple or happily single, let’s shoot some great photos!