Tag Archives: one year portrait session

One Afternoon, Four Generations Of Summertime Portraits

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.

A Kitchener Waterloo Portrait Photographer’s Top Shots from 2015

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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.

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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.

Spooky Styled Halloween Minis

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Its no secret that Halloween is my favourite holiday. I’ve always loved the anything goes atmosphere and especially the dress up opportunities that come along with October 31st. Since becoming a grownup, putting together the set for Halloween minis has become my new favourite annual tradition. I always spend way to much time and money collecting new orange, green, black, white, and purple items to decorate with. Next I spend a small fortune on Bulk Barn candy, and finally I visit Nauman’s Farm in St. Clements to select picture perfect pumpkins to dress the set.

Minis are great because they give me an opportunity to fully celebrate Halloween for an extra day, while playing dress up with my favourite little clients. We don’t get any trick or treaters in my neighbourhood, so this is my excuse to get in on the cuteness even though I don’t have any kids of my own yet.

This fall I had 11 cuties from 3 weeks to 14 years old come out for a short and sweet mini photo session. It was a noisy, sticky, laughter-filled, joyful kind of day. I felt especially lucky to be visited by several brand new babies that I’ve been waiting an awful long time to meet. These are just a few of my favourite images from our spooky styled shoots. Enjoy!

This shoot marked my first collaboration with Shawna of Kissing Bridge Krafts. She provided most of the cute knitted hats and handmade headbands that appeared in these images. I can’t wait to see what she comes up with to embellish our holiday mini portraits. Thanks Shawna!

Best of 2013 Valentine’s Sweetie Portraits

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Babies and Candies and Cupcakes, Oh My!

I recall telling my friend Jared that I wanted to do something “disgustingly cute” leading up to Valentine’s Day last year. I envisioned a set that would be so adorable that even if the babies weren’t in the mood for a photo shoot, we’d still end up with super cute images. (And cupcakes.) It turned out to be a good strategy, as only about half of these little ones were feeling cooperative that day.

The 2013 shoot also gave me the incentive to learn how to make French macarons, a difficult recipe that I am proud to have (almost) mastered in the past year. Want to try your own macarons? Here’s an excellent tutorial.

Did I succeed? Are these disgustingly cute? I need your feedback! Which elements do you want to see again this year? What can I change or add to make it better? Round two of Valentine’s Sweetie Shoots are coming up fast, so please give me some feedback in the comments below!

I’m very excited to be welcoming several of these sweeties back again for 2014 styled shoots on February 1st and 2nd, so stay tuned for more cuteness in the coming weeks!

Sending you warm fuzzies during this record setting cold spell. Go snuggle somebody you love!

Kitchener Waterloo Portrait Photography Prices

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Back in March, I did something called the “Lucky Birthday Sale”. I was able to meet and photograph nearly 20 new families in a short period of time, and using their feedback, I’m currently developing my new portrait packages. (Don’t worry, prices aren’t going up!) Need a quote right now? Sure! Just e-mail emily@emilybeatty.com, let me know what you’re looking for, and I’ll write back with a custom quote, usually within 48 hours.

Looking for information on wedding photography? I accept contracts for just a handful of special weddings each year so that I can pour my heart and soul into each one. Download this e-zine with all the details about EBI wedding photography or visit the website pricing page for more downloadable price sheets and details about the collections I offer.

Looking for more sample portraits before proceeding? Visit the portrait galleries on my website.

Want to talk to a real human before you invest in custom photo art? Call 519 568 9819 to make an inquiry or to book a date for your photo session. Don’t worry, I’m not one of those pushy sales people that will try to give you some long winded sales pitch over the phone, but I will happily answer any questions you may have, make suggestions for your shoot, or give you an on the spot estimate for a shoot.

You can also e-mail emily@emilybeatty.com with your inquiry, or just to say hi. It’s pretty common to e-mail back and forth a few times before actually booking a shoot. With all the other options out there these days, I completely understand if you want to shop around and check out other photographers before committing to a session date. Not everybody enjoys my bold portrait style- but if you have been hunting for unique and eye catching photography and you’re drawn to bright colours like a bee is drawn to honey, than this could be the beginning of something beautiful. Clients with unusual tastes, and alternative lifestyles welcome!

Want to see more samples before committing to a shoot? Click here to visit sample galleries.

If you’re ready to book a session, e-mail emily@emilybeatty.com or call 519 568 9819 to set up a photo shoot at my home studio or another location of your choice.

Miss E’s Fun First Birthday Portraits

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MIRACLE BABY TURNS ONE! Miss E is a miracle baby. Her parents were told they wouldn’t conceive a child together naturally, and yet here she is, already one year old! I first met Erika, her mother, Stacey, and their family back in October for the baby’s first ever photo shoot. We all got along great and I was thrilled when S called me up at the beginning of the summer to plan a second shoot for Miss E’s first birthday.We briefly considered doing a cake smash, but S told me that she wanted something a little more unique to celebrate E’s first birthday. We discussed the backdrops and colour schemes that we wanted to include, and one August Monday morning, I drove out to their home in St. Clements with a carload full of equipment and coordinating props for our shoot.Luckily, Stacey’s parents were both on hand to keep their granddaughter smiling and full of snacks throughout her big day. It was a real treat to have 3 sets of adult hands assisting me with these photos. Attentive family members behind the scenes can make all the difference when it comes to photographing little ones. Thanks for your help J & D, and happy birthday Miss E!One of the best parts of being a portrait photographer is watching your clients grow up right in front of your lens. It was a pleasure to document Erika at both 2 months, and one year. Here’s hoping we have many more fun photo shoots together in our future.