Tag Archives: Beach Portraits

For years now, Carol Anne has been saying to her children, “Wouldn’t it be nice to have family photos done here at the cottage?” As summer 2015 began to wind down, her youngest daughter (who happens to be dating my brother) organized just such a shoot as a surprise for her mom’s birthday. I put together a pretty gift certificate and all three of Carol Anne’s children and their partners drove to the cottage especially for an afternoon of fun family photography.

(Plus a pizza party.)

We decided to shoot in the yard at their cottage in Grand Bend, and at the beach just a few minutes walk away. Our theme was simple beach chic with classic neutral outfits so that their portraits will be appropriate to hang on the walls of their homes and the cottage for many years to come. Luckily, the weather was very pleasant for the end of September. As an added bonus, including lots of blacks and whites and stripes in their outfits like they’ve done here means their images will look great in black and white as well as in colour. I brought along one blue vintage suitcase full of props for sitting on, one folding chair and some marquee lights that spell LOVE leftover from our wedding last June, plus my camera bag, of course. That’s all it took for a great shoot!

As I suspected, this family was game for every silly suggestion I flung at them, and we managed to do a family shoot with 8 people plus four mini couples shoots in just over 2 hours. They’ve yet to pick out their favourite shots, but I got all excited by the sand and sky and the smiles and edited up a big teaser gallery right away to get their order started. Here’s a wee sneak peek for you, happy birthday Carol Anne!

P.S. I captured the MOST amazing Ontario sunset on my drive home from this beach shoot. More on that later.

Fun Lister Family Photos on the Beach in Oliphant

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It feels appropriate to share these portraits with you today, on Family Day.

When Mr. and Mrs. Lister asked me to document all three of their sons and their families, I was pretty pumped. I was their grandson’s girlfriend, and we had gotten to know each other well in the seven years since Todd and I began dating. GGA and GGB, as they are known to the Listers are just lovely people, always smiling and optimistic. I wanted to create a fantastic series of photos that would capture the essence of their family throughout three generations.

The first Lister shoot was done early in the summer, and a few months later, we assembled the second family on the beach at their home for their first ever full family portrait session. We went with a red, white and blue theme, to celebrate both our Canadian and American ties, and also because there is a strong nautical tradition in the family.

The landscape you’ll see below is in beautiful Oliphant Ontario, just a few kilometers from Sauble Beach. Generations of the same families have grown up on these shores. Years ago, a boy named Gord fell in love with a Michigan beauty queen named Priscilla when she came to spend her summers just two cottages down from his. They were married, and eventually purchased a third lot just a few doors down from both of their parents. Over the years as their family grew, their cottage also expanded and about 10 years ago they sold their home so that they might enjoy Oliphant year round. Needless to say, this beach and this view has a huge place in the hearts of everybody in the family.

We took these photos on a hot and hazy day during Labour Day weekend of 2013, and a few months later at sunrise on Christmas morning, Todd asked me to marry him. That means that these people are officially going to be my family! I couldn’t be happier, because they have welcomed me with open arms from the very start and I already feel like part of the family. I love you guys, and I can’t wait to celebrate our wedding day with you and make it all official.

Happy Family Day!

Lister Family Portraits on the Beach in Oliphant

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THREE COUPLES, ONE FAMILY. PART ONE OF THREE.

Family portraits on the beach in Oliphant.

Ok, so the sky wasn’t quite this blue- but I was curious to see what it would look like if I really played up the blue theme for just one shot. (This picture perfect sky came from a separate photo taken in exactly the same location one month earlier on a sunnier day.)

Mr. and Mrs. Lister, AKA my boyfriend’s grandparents, have been wonderfully supportive of my photography ambitions. The last time I saw them, Mrs. Lister asked if I might be able to document all three of her sons and their respective families over the course of summer 2013. It is an ambitious request, since the boys and their kids live all over the place. Fortunately, the family cottages in Oliphant keep the Lister crew in contact throughout the year. My BF’s parents met on this very beach growing up with cottages two lots apart. Now there are 4 family cottages in Oliphant, and there are several weekends every year where the beach is overrun with Listers.

Canada Day weekend, we ran into Ken and his two daughters, Meredith and Adrienne, all up for the weekend with their respective partners. Saturday evening, I brought up Mrs. Lister’s plan to photograph her kids and grandkids, and we decided to give it a go- after a campfire and some rest.

We started our shoot around 11am on Sunday morning, with rain in the forecast. The overcast skies provided great lighting for several family arrangements and a mini shoot for each of the 3 couples in this family. It had been years since this group had family portraits taken, and I think we all had a good time with our shoot. I wanted to include the profusion of wildflowers in bloom at the time, and was pleased to have such beautiful, romantic couples to work with.

Can’t wait to see everyone on the beach again soon! Ken and AnneMeredith and AustinAdrienne & JoeThe Family Hovercraft. Yep, hovercraft. Sisterly Love.