Update: Its currently a few days before our 2022 photo sessions, and there is one time slot available Saturday October 15th (mid afternoon) and two options available for Sunday October 16th (mid afternoon). E-mail emily@emilybeatty.com to inquire about booking a session.
These are always the most magical shoots of the year. Stay tuned for fabulous 2022 images in the coming weeks!
It has been quite a year or so hasn’t it?
The pandemic has been a really challenging time for so many people, and I’m no exception. Emily Beatty Imagery has been closed for the better part of 15 months. Now, at long last, there seems to be a path forward to reopen small businesses here in Ontario. (AKA I’m finally allowed to photograph other humans once again!)
I’ve had the opportunity to rethink the way I was doing a lot of thing within my business and my personal life. One of the silver linings during this time has been helping my mom realize her dream of opening up a small floral design business. She named it A’Daylia Gardens and its now up and running.
(Find more A’Daylia Gardens pictures here.)
So that means that I’m now available to book some photography clients and then ramp up toward what I hope will be a much more exciting holiday portrait season than the one we experienced in 2020.
Goals include offering both an indoor and outdoor option for holiday 2021 minis as well as taking on some new head shot clients and doing lots of outdoor family photo sessions during late summer and fall.
Are you ready to reconnect? E-mail me! emily@emilybeatty.com
P.S. You can also support artists like me by purchasing household art like this from Society6.com
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.
If you’ve been following along with my photography career even a little bit, you probably know I’m sort of obsessed with Halloween. Its my fav holiday- even though I hate horror movies and gory stuff and anything eyeball related. (I cringed just typing that last sentence.)
It probably goes back to my childhood obsession with playing dress up and perhaps the movie Hocus Pocus. One of my very most favourite kids sessions of all time involved a bunch of little witches, a real cauldron and smoke bombs. I just adore the time of year and the autumn colours and the wild outfits and pop up costume shops and the spooky home decor.
This past Halloween I brought the garden indoors, went hunting for a Beetlejuice-esque striped backdrop, and setup a spooky set for some styled sessions featuring little ones and some witchy mamas too.
Thanks to everybody that participated in these sessions. I always have so much fun doing these holiday setups.
Spring has finally sprung, and with the changing of the seasons, a number of my regular clients have been in touch, asking me, “Hey what’s going on with spring minis? Are you doing kids photos any time soon?” Well, yes and no. No I don’t have any styled mini shoots scheduled at the moment– not until annual holiday minis in November anyway. But yes I am still offering up my home studio for individual sessions! This means we are free to customize the set for your family’s unique needs. 
This is one such family, some devoted clients that have just been blessed with a second son earlier this month. (Congratulations C & A!) This family didn’t want a full scale newborn shoot, just a handful of images that would capture this moment in their family’s story. We were able to plan a 30 minute shoot within days of our initial e-mail. During that time, we took photos of the entire family, the new arrival, his big brother, and the two of them posing together for the very first time. I’m proud to report that I was able to turn this particular shoot around pretty fast too, just 7 days from shoot, to proof gallery, to finished order.
Standard processing for a family session is 3 weeks but lately I’ve been cutting that down, so don’t hesitate to ask if you’re hoping to have pictures in time for Mother’s Day. There’s still time if we get started shortly! 
These indoor studio shoots will be my focus for the next couple of months while we Canadians wait for the weather to warm up enough for outdoor sessions. Need a gift idea for Mother’s Day or Father’s Day 2017? Studio photos are always a hit with parents and grandparents. Right now, for a 30 minute studio session with your choice of 2 different backdrops, minimal props, and 5 edited digital portraits (including print release) the cost is just $250 plus HST. Considering updated portraits for your own family? E-mail emily@emilybeatty.com to inquire about a session or to request a personalized quote. 
Thanks for visiting!
Together, Cailey Brammer and I are pleased to offer you Incandescent Boudoir Sessions this Mother’s Day weekend. Let’s see what’s possible when two experienced creative professionals team up for light and airy styled boudoir photos at our home studio in Kitchener, Ontario. 
Boudoir photography is one of the best gifts a woman can receive. Treat yourself, or surprise the lady in your life with a gift neither one of you will ever forget. These photo sessions promise to be a delightful experience for all involved.
Have you been hanging around the boudoir pool for awhile now? Maybe dipped your toes in once or twice? Well this is the perfect opportunity to dive in headlong. Let us transform you into the most lovely version of yourself while you enjoy a glass of Champagne and unwind. We’ll help you with styling and fashion and beauty advice every step of the way, so that by the time you get in front of the camera, you’ll already be glowing.
After an hour getting beautified, and unlimited access to our modern/vintage wardrobe, we’ll move on to the photography. Most of my clients come to me with absolutely no modeling experience. Sure it helps to know your angles, but its really not necessary to capture beautiful images and see yourself in a whole new light. Together, we’ll work through a variety of poses designed to flatter your particular shape. All body types welcome here! Wear as much or as little clothing as you like. We’ll have time for several outfit changes.
Our Incandescent sessions will involve lots of bright white light, simple backdrops and a focus on you. We will have a faux bed setup, window light, and satiny white sheets. To give these images a touch of personality, we’ll also use a turquoise ombre wall and oversize tropical leaves for some images. What to wear? Think cream, blush, pink, soft baby blue, lavender and turquoise.
Since these sessions are happening Mother’s Day weekend, smart participants will plan to make the most of their hair and makeup investment. After your session, why not wrap up your day with a nice dinner or a get together with your loved ones? Show them how good you look after spending a morning or an afternoon on self-love.
When you sign up for an Incandescent Session, Cailey will help you reveal your outer beauty, and I’ll help you capture your inner beauty. You’ll be amazed what the combination of professional styling, proper lighting and posing can do for your image, and for your self esteem.
By the way, Cailey has a GORGEOUS new website that just went live. Have you visited caileybrammer.com yet? You really must go check out her work so you can see exactly what kind of expertise Cailey will will bring to our Incandescent Sessions. Oh yes, and let’s not forget the handmade floral crowns we will have on hand. Because fresh florals make everything more lovely. For Incandescent Sessions, I’ll be turning to the experts at From the Potting Shed to put together these important finishing touches.
After your session is complete, you’ll have 30 days to pick your favourite photos from a private online proof gallery. You’ll receive 3 digital portraits, edited to your specific taste. Of course once you see your proofs, there’s always the option to purchase extra digital images, or create customized art like a wooden print or a personalized mini album. Keep it simple with digital files, or take this opportunity to create a keepsake you’ll treasure for decades to come.
Won’t you join us? Now booking May 13th and May 14th sessions. Visit our Facebook event page for available time slots and all the most up to date information on Incandescent Sessions. 
E-mail emily@emilybeatty.com to reserve your spot today. Nine spaces remaining!
Its (nearly) spring! A year ago I was busy celebrating International Women’s Day with some of my favourite clients and a series of soft and sensual boudoir sessions. Now we’ve had time to choose our favs, share them with loved ones, and revel in the secret of these beautiful images. Its time to share. Here’s a taste of the pastel perfection we captured last March. 
The idea behind these Vintage Glam Minis was to give some devoted family photography clients an opportunity to sample a boudoir experience on a small scale. It just happened to work out that the soft pink and blue colour combo that inspired much of our 2015 wedding decor became Pantone’s first ever dual colours of the year in 2016, when our Vintage Glam sessions took place. You’ll find Rose Quartz and Serenity are both sprinkled liberally throughout this setup. I also used various strands of pearls, white satin bedding, and a vintage suitcase full of antique cameras and vintage lingerie from my collection to bring some mid-century charm to these sessions. And we must not forget Simon! One of our participants asked if she could include her handsome rabbit friend for some extra unique portraits. I was only too happy to oblige. Bunnies make everything better.
You won’t see this backdrop anywhere else by the way, I made it by hand myself to use at my own wedding, knowing I would eventually reuse it for portraits of some kind. Essentially it is huge piece of plywood covered with a giant layered collage of different scrapbook papers as well as old wallpaper and paper doilies from my grandmother’s house. There’s also a can or two of shiny spray paint and yes, of course, gold glitter.
Each of these remarkable women has endured a major health challenge in one form or another, and none had had so called boudoir photos taken before. These shoots truly felt like a celebration. For some of these individuals, having their portraits taken helped them to see themselves in a whole new light. Every one of the participants ordered additional images once they saw how amazing they looked with a little help from good lighting and proper posing techniques. The feedback I got from the ladies was just lovely. I’ll never get tired of photographing women in a boudoir setting. It can get surprisingly emotional. And silly. I see such honest beauty in these images. I hope you will too. 
Thank you so so much to all these beautiful women. I’m happy we had the opportunity to take these portraits together, and I’m grateful you have allowed me to share them here on my blog. 
P.S. YES, I will be offering another spring boudoir feature in 2017. YES it is taking me longer than anticipated to work out the details, but it is happening, and here’s what I can confirm: White, bright light. Floral crowns. Professional hair and makeup. Brand new portrait display boxes.
Details coming late March.
Dino Minis! What could be more fun? As a kid, there were exactly 2 types of library books that I would check out: big photographic volumes about whales, and illustrated books about dinosaurs. Apparently huge, mysterious creatures have always fascinated me. Its a love I share with my husband, and its a photographic theme that has been floating around my head for years now. In the spring of 2016, I decided this would be the year, and I set about imagining how I might construct a dinosaur themed mini photo event for my clients.
Eventually, I settled on a prehistoric tropical jungle themed dinosaur set, for families that wanted portraits with some extra pizazz. The botanical background is a paper background that I had already hand painted for some wedding clients earlier this year. The handmade green paper succulents had also been a part of the wedding wall, but this set needed something brand new to bring it to life. Inspiration struck when I saw a window display with large paper leaves on a most excellent crafting blog called Sew Yeah. The night before the first photo shoot, my devoted husband and I stayed up until the wee hours of the morning cutting and shaping all of these green, orange, yellow and purple leaves that you see in the photos.
Quite the last minute plan, but I actually love the way all the paper components came together once I had them taped and tied in place. I added a rustic fall muslin backdrop for the “dirt” with pillows underneath to make “rocks” and added a few plants from our deck to fill out the lower portion of our jungle set. We had lots of toy dinos and unique props to keep the kids entertained during their photos, and there was no shortage of smiles as the kids explored our set and the dinos inhabiting it. It worked out that half of our participants were turning either 1 or 2, and these sessions gave their families a unique way to document their child’s milestone without doing the typical balloons and birthday cake smash type of photo session. I’m so glad I just went for it and forged ahead with a very random mini theme. How unique and fun are these images?!? 
Thank you so much to the families that came out to help me realize my dino dreams with these mini photo sessions. Extra special thanks to Theodore for lending us some of his very most favourite toys for these photos, and to Melissa for her excellent assisting work and her sweet puppeteering skills. I hope you all had as much fun as I did. Until next time… roar! 
Curious to know more? Visit the Facebook Event page for Dino Minis here.
The flower wall. I had no idea how popular it would become when I started making these giant paper flowers in preparation for our wedding back in the winter of 2014. I experimented and played around and eventually ended up with the combination of white, blue, pink, turquoise, yellow and orange flowers that would be the colour scheme for most of my life for the past 2 years. After all the “I Dos” and hullabaloo, I was left with the wall. THE WALL.
Each individual flower represents at least $5 worth of paper and 1-2 hours of my life. This baby took me so long to make that I knew it had to get set up at least once more so that I could properly photograph it myself. Thus the idea for “May Flowers Minis” was born. I enlisted a handful of gorgeous young ladies for May Flowers portraits and we set out to create joyful photographs that would celebrate springtime 2016. Here is a handful of my favourite shots from our styled mini sessions. Thanks so much to all the lovely ladies that participated in this endeavour.
One of the most unexpectedly fascinating parts of becoming a grown up has been watching many of my peers become parents. My little sister and most of my close female friends are now mothers. I love seeing the diverse ways they choose to raise their children. Parenthood has brought about new characteristics, new strengths, weaknesses, new insights and new joys in each of them.
I can recall a recent conversation with a high school friend, mother to a beautiful 6 month old baby girl, where she said something like, “I had always heard that breastfeeding created a special bond between mother and child, and I thought I knew what it was going to be like, but really I had no idea what it would be like.” She was amazed at the depth of the bond that this relationship created between her and her baby.
Not every mother is physically capable of breastfeeding her child. As far as I’m concerned, any parent that is keeping their baby healthy by feeding it a whole bunch of times every single day is doing a great job. Some of my friends used formula, some dedicated moms pumped every 3 hours for months on end to provide the benefits of breast milk to their offspring, and some lucky women have the natural ability to provide sustenance directly from their bodies. For those who are able, it seems to me that breastfeeding has been a blessing. Besides the practicality of having portable infant food that is naturally fortified to provide exactly what your particular child requires, there’s also the added benefit of strengthening the bond between parent and child. Babies that are breastfeed are for the most part, healthy and content, and I’m happy to be able to share imagery that helps normalize this practice.
When another friend of mine who is also a longtime client had a baby girl of her own in the spring of 2015, she too discovered that breastfeeding was a way to get to know her baby. She is determined to enjoy the process of becoming a mother and wanted to document the activity that had been such a comfort to her and her daughter in the first months after Miss R. was born.
The images in this blog post are lifestyle type pictures that we captured together one cold winter day. They are pictures that are deeply personal, but also important to share.
I’ll let Kate explain why in her own words.
“Breastfeeding. I had no idea how much this simple act of nourishment and comfort would mean to me, or how much it would bring to my relationship with Rory. When she was tiny, it was the only way she’d sleep (which is incredibly healthy and normal!). As she grew, it was the magical substance and space that helped her get well when she was sick. It’s a sure bet to calm her and make her feel safe as she tumbles around exploring the world and her body’s abilities. And now, it’s the first thing she asks for when she’s had a mommy-less day at daycare. My body is amazing. It provides not just physical, but emotional and mental nourishment for my child.
But breastfeeding can be really, really hard. Not just at the beginning when mum and babe are learning the whole dance of latching and positions and milk flow. It’s hard when they hit the age of distraction and won’t stay latched because everything else in the world is too interesting. It’s hard when you’ve been woken up for the umpteenth time that night and the boob is the only thing to put babe back into a sweet slumber. It’s hard when they are teething and bite your nipples like a little chew toy (and yes, there’s been blood!). It’s hard when you have to go back to work and begin to wean babe from the one thing that has brought you both so much comfort and countless hours of slumber. And, at any stage in your breastfeeding journey, it’s ESPECIALLY hard when you are out in public and babe needs/wants to nurse, yet you are fearful of the ridicule, stares or gestures from strangers.
Public breastfeeding is something that I am very comfortable with. Not just because it’s the best (and easiest) thing for our family, but because it’s a movement I believe wholeheartedly in. It’s important to me to do all I can to help normalize breastfeeding, in real life and on social media!
To commemorate my journey (one that I do hope will continue for quite some time yet), the amazing Emily Beatty Lister came and did a photoshoot with Rory and I nearly 7 months ago. I wanted to have something to remember this indescribable bond, and both tender and hilarious moments that Rory and I share when breastfeeding. Still to this day, the way she looks at me when latched; the way she can simultaneously eat and smile; the way she places my hands on her body and face; the way she plays with my fingers and face; the way she squeezes my breast with love, anticipation and fulfillment…all of it stops time for me and reminds me to be fully present with my child. It reminds me what a good job I am doing raising her, and how far we have come. Such powerful and important lessons.
Raising a daughter in a world that sexualizes girls and teaches them from a young age that their value lies in their bodies and appearances is scary, but something I know I can counter by intentionally parenting a fierce, smart, aware little gal. Normalizing breastfeeding and desexualizing breasts is just a part of this process. For me, for Rory, for Steve…for all other mums and daughters and kids and partners. And so, I share .”
Thank you so much for sharing your beautiful insights, Kate.
I’m looking forward to many more photo shoots with you and Miss Rory as she grows.
Want more resources regarding breastfeeding in our community? You can start here.
