Tag Archives: Waterloo portrait photographer

All The Colour

Well hello there! Got time for a quick story?

Years ago, while preparing for one of my early art sales, my dad, in an attempt to counsel me, said, “You know Em, you like to make everything really colourful. And that’s cool, but some people don’t have the kind of house that works with that sort of art. Some people like beige.” I gave it some thought and he’s right of course, but I’m too stubborn to let it rest at that, so I replied, “Well if the people want beige, I’m sure there are 100 other photographers in town that can do a great job taking boring photos for them.” I’ve always done things my own way, and I don’t see any reason to stop now. My experiments with more frequent, more stylized mini photo shoots are going well. I want to see my work expand in exciting, more bold, more independent directions. I’m going to stay focused on creating work for clients that I really like and I’m proud of. That means its going to be joy-filled, vivid, fun and always, always, colourful.

It turns out your vibe really does attract your tribe, so in 2016 I’m putting it all out there. My art isn’t for everybody, but those who like it, like it a lot. I’m all about portraits that are packed with a ton of colour, texture, fun angles, and genuine emotions. If you like your life bright, bold and sunny side up, you’re in the right place, and you should be excited because I have a shocking amount of never before seen images coming to the blog soon. Want to collaborate on a shoot? Got feedback? Leave me a comment below, or better yet, shoot me an e-mail, I’d love to hear from you!

xoxo

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.

Janolan’s Cozy Canadian Couple’s Portraits in Kitchener-Waterloo

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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!

Christmas Themed Portraits With An Adventurous Family in Kitchener

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It’s hard to believe its already been an entire year since this festive holiday themed photo shoot with the Frey Family. I attended the same high school as Nick, and my little sister and her husband remain good friends with him, despite the fact that most of the time Nick and his family make their home in Kinshasa, capital of The Democratic Republic of the Congo in Central Africa. They live an adventurous life involving Christian ministry and flying planes into remote areas of The Congo to bring Internet Technology to the people there. In 2013, their travels brought them home for the holidays, and they spent several weeks staying with Nick’s sister, Charity and her sweet baby girl, catching up with friends and family.

Jocelyn, Nick’s wife, is herself a photographer, and I was honoured when she mentioned that she’d been wanting to do a shoot with me for some time. We scheduled an indoor/outdoor shoot in between their other holiday visits, and these are some of the most treasured shots that we created together that day.

Technically, there are six people in these photos! Since these images were created, Jocelyn’s bump has grown into an adorable baby boy, and the family of four is back in Africa while Charity continues to hold down the fort here in Kitchener. To the lovely Frey family, may 2015 bring you many more joyful adventures!

Sneak Peek: Rustic Glam 2014 Holiday Minis in Kitchener

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If I had to sum up the theme for this year’s holiday mini photo shoots in just one word, I’d go with COZY. If I had to elaborate, I’d say we were going for rustic charm with a glamorous edge and a hint of vintage inspiration. The idea for this set began back in the summer when I paid a man in a church yard $25 for a lovely red vintage Canam Flyer sled. He had just personally refinished it by hand. The day before the minis, I raided my sister’s home and discovered yet another beautiful vintage sled, and the red tractor that my father made by hand for his first grandson. Excited to have some new props on hand, I planned the set around them and asked my clients to come wearing neutral and deep red outfits with a bit of sparkle here and there, and they did me proud! Furthermore, we had handmade hats and accessories provided by local business, Kissing Bridge Krafts. In the end, all the elements coalesced into some very festive holiday portraits of some gorgeous families. This is your first peek at this year’s holiday mini portraits, but it won’t be your last. Enjoy!

Hero Themed Portraits For A Super 3 Year Old Girl

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This little “super” model belongs to some very good friends of mine. The pictures were taken a few days after Halloween and a few days before Miss P’s third birthday, the perfect occasion for a fun dress up themed photo shoot. I’ve been dreaming of these images for many months, so its very exciting to finally see them come together here on the blog!

There are 3 reasons I’m so excited about these photos. 1) I genuinely love this kid. I mean, her middle name is literally, Awesome. You can just tell she’s destined for great things. She’s independent, outgoing, fun loving, and she’s got some pretty sweet dance moves for a 3 year old. 2) Her parents are both very creative, and they’re both huge comic nerds — which I say with the greatest affection. Their home is packed with toys and books. They even have a secret room full of collectables hidden in their basement behind a fake bookshelf. Most of the toys and outfits pictured here are items that Pepper’s mom gathered up from their home on the morning of our shoot. How many 3 year olds can truthfully say they have their own Batmobile? This one can! Basically, the super hero theme represents this particular family just perfectly. 3) We tried to create a very empowering, girl positive collection of images, and I believe Miss Pepper will enjoy seeing herself in these pictures as she grows up. I love that its a little girl that stars in my first super hero themed shoot.

We were able to tie in nods to Wonder Woman, Superman, Batman, Adventure Time, Dr. Seuss, The Hulk, Thor, Iron Man, and Spiderman. I like to think that by the time Pepper is grown up, there will be more famous female super heros for her to share with the next generation.

Headbands and hair clips were all made locally by Kissing Bridge Krafts.

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!

Picture Perfect Pumpkins at Nauman’s Farm in St. Clements

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Since becoming a full time photographer, my new favourite seasonal tradition is selecting the most photogenic pumpkins in the patch for my annual Halloween minis. I think its an odd genetic trait passed down from my mother. For some reason, we both get strangely enthusiastic about decorative produce.

Three years ago my friend Jessi introduced me to Nauman Farm in St. Clements and I have taken my camera and left with a carload full of squash, gourds, and pumpkins every year since. What I like about Nauman’s is the extensive variety of seasonal produce that they have available. Every year there are new types of squash and pumpkins that I’ve never seen before. If you’re got the time, there’s also an extensive corn maze, and a pretty sweet selection of baked goods and local specialties like honey and summer sausage.

This year, I would like to thank my friend Susan for accompanying me to the pumpkin patch, and for doing all the heavy lifting, and for looking so darn stylish while doing it.

We visited the farm on a cloudy Thursday afternoon just before closing time, and apparently timed it just right. Bumping our way down the lengthy lane way leading back to the city, we paused to admire a subtle sunset that made the surrounding fall foliage glow and illuminated rows upon rows of pumpkins laid out in the fields. Only moments away from the farm, I found myself looking forward to next year’s visit. I know it will be here again before I know it!

Happy Halloween, Canada!

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It’s finally here, my favourite holiday. HAPPY HAPPY HALLOWEEN from E.R. Bunnicula and EBI !

I spent most of the day frantically Photoshopping festive montages for clients, friends and family, then I took a few hours off to go trick or treating with my sister’s 3 little ones in Elmira. One of the best parts of being an auntie is having a good reason to dress up and act silly on October 31st. I was super grumpy driving out there, but our family traditions cheered me right up and on the way home, I caught myself smiling as I waited for trick or treaters to cross the road.

I’m going to spend the rest of my evening watching Hocus Pocus AGAIN and blogging about the pumpkin patch and Halloween Minis.

This dress was custom made for my figure by the awesome ladies at Delirium Clothing on King St. in Uptown Waterloo.

What’s your favourite Halloween movie? I need some recommendations, let me know in the comments!

An Autumn Photography Adventure in Cambridge

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Once in awhile, when the light is good, I like to bring my camera along to a friend’s place and practice my skills without the pressure of shooting for a paying client. A couple of weeks ago in early October, I saw the opportunity for a pleasant, lifestyle family photography session with some good friends of ours. My fiance and I joined our friends David and Megan and their adorable daughter Pepper for a wee hike near their home in Cambridge, Ontario. Cambridge is a particularly pretty community, and the walking trails hidden amongst the residential neighbourhoods are lovely at this time of year. Our friends led us to some of their favourite spots, and I was glad I brought the camera along when I saw how beautiful the light and the foliage were. Here’s a glimpse of our journey.

Lately, some of my goals have been to make more time for the people I love, to get outside more often, to live presently, and enjoy the journey. I take and edit photos for other people all day long, and I’m starting to realize how important it is to nurture my love for photography in a personal way as well as a professional way. Without documenting my own adventures and undertaking creative projects just for the fun of it, my abilities as a photographer begin to grow stale. Excursions like this one rekindle my passion for photography. Its a great feeling.