A Very Special Graduate | Calgary Graduation Portraits

This very special graduation session happened in 2022—I’m just awful at keeping up with blogging(I mean, I haven’t even blogged my son’s graduation and he was in the class of 2020). These images are from my favourite niece’s graduation day. Anyone who has been following me for awhile will know her as she is my daughter’s BFF since birth ;) She allowed me to follow her around for the day so that we could get some more documentary type images, portraits of family, and some fun images of just her(and some with her bestie who got dressed up for the occasion as well). These were taken in Edmonton on the provincial Legislature grounds and at the Muttart Conservatory.

So proud of this kiddo as she is now studying dance at the University of Winnipeg. We miss her greatly though and I am so excited for her to come home for the holidays.

SCROLL DOWN for part two of this session where we did a Day After session…well, maybe not exactly the day after, but we did a session a little while after where she was just herself in her dress and her converse runners. Because this auntie believes you can never have too many images of yourself in the most beautiful dress you have ever worn!!

Those were all taken on the actual day of her graduation in Edmonton. The ones below were taken later that summer at my home in Okotoks. I love that she allowed me to take images of her with her every day hair and make up as the sun set across the street from my house.

At Home Adventure Session | Calgary Family Photographer

My second Black Friday offering is $200 off of an Adventure Session. What is an adventure session you might ask? Well, it is a mix of portraits and documentary images celebrating your family with a diverse set of images to illustrate the uniqueness of who you are as a family. These sessions can be done at home, at one of Calgary’s many parks or amazing local attractions, or—for the really adventurous—out in our beautiful rocky mountains. We plan the session around your family and pick activities to do together. This allows for a casual session with no pressure. For some reason, I see so many parents opting for mini sessions. They have this idea in their head that everyone needs to “behave appropriately” during a session, but if you can just let go and let everyone be themselves not only will the images be more authentic, but the experience will be better. The less pressure you can put on everyone(not just the kids—dad's always feel a lot of pressure as well)—the better. This cannot be done in a time crunch.

When I was first starting out as a photographer, I wanted to create something out of the box for the families that I work with. I wasn’t interested in perfect outfits and perfect poses. I wanted to see the way you look at each other, the games you play together, the little moments that truly illustrate the bond that you all share. That is worth remembering. That is how my adventure sessions were born. In the 18 years since I started my photography journey, a lot has changed. And, I think in large part thanks to social media, many parents feel this immense pressure to show the world a glossy version of their life. I want to encourage you to show your truth. And, we do that by spending some time together.

If you have any questions about Adventure Sessions, please reach out. I would love to chat with you about my vision for family photography and how it might fit with your own family.

This session is from last year, but I love it so much. I’ve been photographing these kids at least once a year since they were born. It’s always a treat to see them again.

Calgary Graduation Portraits

In 2023, I had the opportunity to photograph a lot of young men who were graduating from high school. I think parents of young female graduates always think about having portraits done because there is so much effort that goes into their dress, their shoes, their hair, etc…but, I love that the class of 2023 did not leave out the boys!! There is something so special about seeing these young people at this moment of transition in their life from their childhood to adulthood. Many of them are finishing up their youth sports or activities and making big decisions about what they want for their lives. I love hearing all about their future plans. Getting to spend time with so many grads every spring truly brings me hope for our future.

If you have a 2024 graduate and are thinking about having portraits done, watch here and on my social media for my Black Friday specials to grad $200 off a regular priced session. There will be a limited number of these sessions available and they will be released at 9:00am on Friday, November 24th. When, they’re gone—they’re gone ;) Over the next week and a half leading up that, I’ll be sharing more examples of what you can expect from a graduation session plus some tips to getting the most out of your own session….so, watch here.

Adventure Session with Teens | Calgary Family Photographer

Adventure Sessions at home are always one of my favourite things. I love documenting kids in their rooms. It is such a marker of time. It’s not about the room being perfectly clean or decorated to look like it should be in a magazine…it’s about the imperfect beauty of a child’s bedroom and how it evolves over time. The room in and of itself tells a story of who that child is so creating a portrait of them in that space is so powerful to me. Even if there is an issue and the bed didn’t arrive in time for the photo shoot(as so happened in this session). Kids—especially teens—spend a lot of time in their bedrooms. They should be documented. When we do an Adventure Session in your home, it allows for me to really capture a glimpse of who you are as a family in a way that just isn’t possible anyplace else.

This Black Friday(November 25th) my Adventure Sessions will be discounted for 2023. As I’ve become busier doing larger commercial jobs, these sessions will be my focus for next year. There will be 10 up for sale at $250 off the regular rate. It will require a $250(+gst) deposit along with the month in which you wish for the session to happen. Everything else will be worked out in January. If you are planning on a session with me next year, this is the day to book that session. My email list will get an email at 8:00am with the link to purchase. If you wish to be added to that list, contact me though the contact form on this website. At 9:00am, the link will be made public via my social media channels.

Let me know if you have any questions. For now, here is a wonderful example of an at home session. This is about 1/3rd of the photographs that they received from me(for reference).