March | 2017 | Emily Beatty Imagery

On Sunday, it finally felt like spring was about to make her debut. For months now I’d been meaning to drop in and check out the floral experts at From The Potting Shed, and Sunday, at last, the stars aligned, the sun came out, and we we able to meet the team at their monthly open house. What a breath of fresh air! Visiting this stone cottage was the perfect way to start spring 2017. Finding the location in Galt, Cambridge was a bit of a challenge, but once my husband and I arrived it was easy to see why the business has chosen to call this spot home. The abundant natural lighting alone was enough to make me swoon. Add heaps and heaps of blossoms, and I felt like I’d found a little slice of heaven perched on a hilltop in Cambridge.

My mom is somewhat of an aspiring florist and I had hoped to bring her along for the tour, but that aspect of our plans didn’t work out. Luckily I had my camera bag with me, as we were en route to my grandmother’s birthday party. After our complimentary tour, I couldn’t help but ask the owners if I could snap a few shots, and they were gracious enough to allow me 10 minutes with my camera and their florals. I’m sharing these images because they are beautiful, but also so my mom can see what she missed while she was busy hosting her mother’s birthday party. Thankfully, I know there will be lots of other opportunities to visit FTPS with her in the future.

These folks do some great work, and I’m excited to have them make me up some floral crowns for our upcoming boudoir feature this May. Thank you very much to Elaine, Kathy, Nicole, Bill and the rest of the team for your hospitality, and especially for the little customized bouquet. My grandmother loved it.

The next open house for brides is April 8 & 9 if you want to check out this beautiful business for yourself.

http://www.fromthepottingshed.com/

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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 yea r 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.