Each November I transform the home studio into some sort of insanely festive photo set for our annual Holiday Photo Sessions. In 2017 the inspiration came from Canada’s 150th birthday celebration earlier in the year. The result is this amalgamation of Christmas and Canadiana.
The best part of these holiday mini sessions is watching families grow up in front of my lens. Lots of familiar faces in this crowd!
Enjoy the gallery.
Want to see more?
Check out this 2017 holiday season compilation.
I’ve been meaning to share this vibrant little fall family photo session from last October at Rockway Gardens in Kitchener. In my experience, husband + wife + baby always = a great photo shoot, and these three were no exception. These new parents were lovely to talk to, easy-going and great with their baby, all of which made for a wonderful laid back, low key session with lovely golden evening light. When the family placed their portrait order, I was pumped that they specifically asked for bright, bold colours during the editing process- my specialty. Fall portraits are all about those sunny warm tones and vibrant foliage. (A super smiley and cute baby like D. helps too.)
Thanks to this family for choosing me to document your baby boy’s first Halloween season. It was a truly a pleasure.
Do you remember back in February when EBI had a draw for a free family photo session? Meet the winners! The idea was to give back to my wonderful group of clients, but it turned out to be a great experience for me as well. The contest introduced me to Lindsay and her beautiful blended family, and after a few e-mails back and forth and an inspirational Pinterest board, we arrived on a mutual vision for a fun family photo shoot that would involve bold black and white stripes and oversize handmade pink paper flowers.
The setup took a bit of effort to assemble, but it was well worth it when I saw all the elements come together. To top things off, I arranged to borrow a minty green vintage style bicycle from some friends (thanks Fraser and Ellie) and accessorized the set with all sorts of white flowers. Lindsay and her family arrived with black and white and blue outfits and these great vintage updos that pulled everything together. We ended up with alllll kinds of great shots to choose from, and in the end the fam opted to add several extra images on top of their complimentary portrait package. Here are a few of our favourites.
Oh hello! Its February, the world feels a little crazy right now, and that means here at EBI we are celebrating LOVE. Todd and I have recently relocated to a house near Fairview Park Mall in Kitchener, and plans to construct an on site full time studio space are underway. There have been a lot of sleepless nights and pinching pennies, but at long last our dreams are taking shape! I want to thank you personally for helping me get to the point in my career where a full time studio space makes sense. It feels like high time to show some appreciation to the clients that have been with me from the start. That means its time to announce some new promotions. You’ve earned it.
First of all, all 2016 prices will be extended until March 1st 2017. Book a portrait session on location or at my temporary home studio this month for big savings.
Next up, take a peek at our VALENTINE’S PREPAID PORTRAIT DEAL. Maybe you’re looking for a Valentine’s gift for your love, or maybe you are just a smart shopper planning ahead for when you know you are going to want photos later this year. I designed this feature to give devoted customers an option to get the best possible value for 2017 portraits. The idea is you purchase a photo shoot voucher now at 2016 prices, and use it anytime in 2017.
If you’re a returning EBI client and you redeem your voucher before October 2017, you’ll also receive an extra 5 edited digital files with your package. That’s $125 worth of free photography to say thank you for your loyalty. If you know you’re going to want family portraits or maternity or newborn photographs this year, planning ahead and purchasing the prepaid portrait deal could save you hundreds of dollars! 
Now technically, this is a Valentine’s Deal, but there’s definitely no rule against treating yourself this February 14th! Give a voucher as a gift, or hang on to it for your own family later this year. Choose from any of the six location or studio portrait packages listed on the investment page of the EBI website for your voucher value. Options range from $200 to $450 including tax. 
You can contact me via Facebook or by e-mailing emily@emilybeatty.com to order a handmade voucher until February 14th. Book your photo shoot right away, or wait until summertime and be one of the first people to enjoy our newly constructed Kitchener photo studio. 
Stay tuned for our next blog post, 2017 EBI BOUDOIR FEATURES!
September 24th, 2016 was an idyllic day, one filled with love and sunshine and celebration. A week ago, Meryl and Bill said “I do”, and I was honoured to be there at the Toronto Hunt Club to capture the whole day, from early morning mimosas to late night toasts on the dance floor. You can bet that there are an awful lot more photos to come, but for those of you who just can’t wait, here’s a tiny taste of M & B’s big day and the custom photo wall I created just for the occasion. Congratulations, you two!!! xoxo
Church bells rang and the sun shone bright and warm the day I met this charming family. After finding each other online through some mutual friends, we met at the family home in the very most picturesque neighbourhood in Historic Kitchener to update four generations of family portraits. Sometimes organizing so many family members can be a real challenge, but this group was great to work with.
Our goal was to come up with 20 different portraits that would coordinate nicely with each other. All the participants would then have enough images to decorate their walls or make a customized photo album with the images. It had been quite some time since these folks got together to take family photos, and is often the case, it was a new baby in the family that set things in motion. After introductions, we flew through a few group shots, then split apart into little groups for some smaller couples portraits and individual family photos. Years from now, I hope this sweet little lady sees these images and knows how much love and joy she has brought this family.
 
 
 
   
One hot July day in 2016, two souls were joined in marriage as a plethora of guests from all corners of the globe looked on. After Emily and Patrick’s heartfelt church ceremony, their friends, family, and small wedding party headed for Victoria Park Pavilion in Kitchener where a massive celebration would soon be underway. After the nuptials, the sky opened up for a terrific thunderstorm, but luckily by that point the party had been safely relocated to the Pavilion and dinner was underway.
With many of the groom’s Irish family in attendance, a very green theme made perfect sense for Emily and Pat’s wedding reception. There was plenty of good food and drink on hand as guests took in all the thoughtful little touches that reflected both Emily and Patrick and their mutual loves. From shamrock sugar cookies to family heirlooms and wee bunny rabbit decorations in honour of their pet, Simon, there were plenty of unique things to behold at this wedding.
Then there was the photo wall! After plenty of discussions over the past year, Emily and I agreed that I would attend their reception and photograph some key details of speeches and decor, but my main job would be to create a totally unique customized photo wall that would contribute to their green, green and more green theme. In the end I painted an abstract botanical pattern for the main backdrop, and accented it with handmade giant paper succulents. By setting up a freestanding photo wall on the stage at the Victoria Park Pavilion the day before, I was able to simply walk on set and start photographing the guests the evening of the wedding. As an added bonus for the happy couple, the custom photo backdrop provided extra ambiance to the venue throughout their whole reception.
As usual, the guests took to the photo wall like ducks to water and before long I found myself sorting through hundreds of hilarious group shots. Here are a bunch of my favourites. Emily and Patrick, I hope that as the years stretch on you and all of your friends and family get a real kick out of reliving your fantastic wedding celebration through these images.
 
 
 
 
    
  
 
    
 
 
 
  
  
 
Congratulations E & P, I hope you have a wonderful honeymoon and a most excellent life together!!!
xo Emily
What a year! For me and EBI, 2015 turned out to be a flurry of excitement full of extreme highs and lows, big life changes and unprecedented career opportunities.
The year opened up with elaborate plans for my own “glitter garden party” wedding scheduled for June, escalated with Easter minis, continued with the honour winning a YWCA 2015 Woman of Distinction Award, got complicated when I learned who my true friends were in the spring months, and peaked in June when I vowed (on literally the rainiest, stormiest day in 6 years) to stick with Todd forever. Just our luck.
Me and my business hit the ground running in August and the number of jobs I had on the go steadily increased until holiday minis and then the Christmas rush were upon us. After some personal tragedies and the deaths of 2 family members and my beloved bunny, Todd and I had plenty of opportunities to test the strength of our new marriage. I’m pleased to report that through all the various challenges 2015 presented us with, the two of us have become a stronger team than ever. With his support, I shot and edited more portraits for more clients this holiday season than I would have believed possible in the recent past. For weeks on end I was running on coffee and editing around the clock as Todd delivered photo packages for me all over town. I actually had to turn potential clients away in December because there just weren’t enough hours to fit everybody in before the big deadline on the 25th. I would have liked to help those families out, but I admit it also felt like a bit of a milestone for my business to have reached a point where I can afford to turn people away.
At long last, it feels like I’ve got a substantial client base rooting for me, and what excellent clients they are! In a classic example of Murphy’s law, when my new husband and I finally got a chance to slow down on Christmas day, Santa blessed us with food poisoning and we both rang in the New Year in a rather disgusting state.
It truly was a crazy year, full of far more challenges, joys and sorrows than I ever could have anticipated. These are the images, personal and professional, that stick out for me after the last 365 days of living life and pursuing my dreams at full speed.
 
Thanks so much for being here and for taking a few moments from your busy day to glance at my pictures. Wishing you love, peace and joy in 2016.
BABY, IT’S COLD OUTSIDE!
Well here we are, New Year’s Eve, 2014 and the forecast is COLD. Like, -19 celsius. Up until a few hours ago I thought skating and fireworks with Todd and my brothers would make for a good way to end the year. Now that I’m all wrapped up in blankets, blogging, I think I’m going to stay right where I am. There’s something to be said for being cozy. Especially during the holidays. If you can find somebody to snuggle up to, well then you’re doing pretty well in my opinion.
These images, taken a few weeks ago for my little brother, Nolan, and his girlfriend, Janessa, are the perfect inspiration for a night in. Collectively, these two are known as Janolan. This pair are such a good fit for each other, I didn’t even bother trying to pose them for this shoot. Both N and J have this awesome, hilarious but subtle sense of humour that comes through in some of these shots, like the ones with the sparkle donuts. (Pretty, yes, edible, no.)
If you need some ideas on how to have the best stay at home New Year’s Eve celebration ever, look no further! This cozy, rustic glam styled portrait session will give you plenty of inspiration.
Thanks to Janessa and Nolan for going along with my portrait plans, and for helping us create our own Grinch themed Christmas card shoot later that night. Have a very safe and happy New Year’s Eve, however you choose to celebrate it. Welcome 2015, cheers!