Fall 2020: An Unprecedented Portrait Season

Oh hello! Time for a second wave update from EBI.

I’m terribly sad to announce that our home studio on Sixth Ave. in Kitchener will not be available for indoor photo shoots during fall 2020, although we ARE offering outdoor sessions. It is simply not possible to safely separate the studio space from our home space at this time.

For now, it will remain a sewing studio where I make masks and gowns for the pandemic. (This will please my husband, who for once, will not have to endure fake snow in every nook and cranny of our house following the holiday rush.)

Fortunately, we still have a window of time for outdoor portraits this fall. The leaves are just reaching their most colourful peak. Friends, now is the time to get your seasonal photos done. I have space for a couple of sessions with immediate families in the tri-city area during the Thanksgiving weekend. Since nothing is certain this season, the sooner we shoot, the better. If updating your family portraits is something you’ve been thinking about, I recommend that you get in touch asap.

As for COVID precautions, I’ve got several new policies in place to protect my clients. So far, our outdoor, socially distanced sessions are going really well. Family portraits are feeling extra special. Extra love-filled and important. Each family’s health needs are very unique so I’ll always check in with you about the details before we work together.

In general, I’m reducing the use of props, encouraging touchless, distanced sessions, I frequently stop to sanitize my hands when shooting, and I’ll probably be wearing a mask during our session. Despite these little changes, we are still turning out some great images this season. I am treasuring each session, knowing it could be the last one for awhile.

Hopefully we’ll be able to keep on doing outdoor photo shoots until after the snow flies. Fingers crossed. I’ll be announcing details for styled outdoor fall AND holiday minis in the coming days. Both will be by appointment starting October 11th, on the grounds of @adayliagardens just outside of Maryhill, Ontario. Oh, and I’ve also had the pleasure of doing some really unique personal branding sessions during September. I’m always available for head shots and website photography in addition to family portraits. I’m very excited to see what we can accomplish together this fall! Don’t you just love autumn?

Have a safe and snuggly season!

~Emily

Auntie Em’s Super Secret Dill Pickle Recipe

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Homemade dill pickles are a part of my childhood that I missed as an adult, so I set about recreating the recipe and making it my own. After five years of trial and error, I’ve finally perfected the procedure and I’m ready to share it with the world! If you’ve always wanted to try making your own pickles, or if you’ve dabbled, but haven’t found the right recipe yet, give this one a try. It is gooooooood and includes full instructions for safely canning pickles.

My husband’s biggest pet peeve is Internet recipes that contain paragraph upon cringe-inducing paragraph of personal anecdotes before you get to the useful stuff. With that in mind, I’ve created a concise, easy to find, easy to save, easy to view on a cell phone version of my famous garlic dill pickle recipe.

Let’s jump right in!

Do you know the different forms of dill? These are fern dill, dried dill seeds, fresh dill flowers, and dried dill weed. (From left to right and top to bottom.) I like to include at least a couple different types in each jar of pickles for a nice, well-rounded dill flavour. I’ve also been known to add dill flowers to floral bouquets for texture and movement plus a pop of yellow.

Now you know all my secrets! (Okay, all my pickle related secrets.) I hope this recipe works out well for you. Trust me, once you taste these babies, you’ll never want to go back to store bought pickles again.

Cheers!

Emily Beatty Imagery In 2020

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Hi There!

What a wild ride this year has been so far. Like many of you, I spent the early months of this year following the news on the Pandemic, looking out for my loved ones, and waiting and wondering when I’d be able to resume photographing people again. My modest home photography studio became a modest home sewing studio and I spent many days fashioning masks and gowns for my neighbours and the the residents at the long term care home down the street.

I have given up predicting when things will turn into “The New Normal”.

In June we got word that photographers in our area of Ontario would be allowed to reopen under phase 2. The next day, my husband developed COVID symptoms, we both needed to get tested, and we were under quarantine until we got negative results 8 days later. After a stint at the cottage to regroup, I tried again to resume photography, but within 2 days, I suddenly had an opportunity to have a long – delayed operation. Now August is right around the corner, I am convalescing after surgery, and I’m longing to pick up my camera again just as soon as possible. Whenever that may be.

Going into late summer and early fall, I’ve got my eye on portraits packed with personality, and with helping fellow business owners get back up and running with personal branding photography services. High quality images and a professional presence online have never been so important to how we do business. I can help you connect with the exact sort of clients that will uplift and support you and your vision going forward.

Want to know more about how personal branding services work? Start here: http://emilybeattyblog.com/personal-branding-photography/#sthash.awvN8vdY.dpbs

Feel free to e-mail me for details. emily@emilybeatty.com

Until then, I’ll be chilling in my backyard garden paradise with a box of popsicles, fashion magazines I normally don’t have time to read, and mental images piling up in my brain. After all this time in isolation, I’m just dying to connect with some other creative collaborators in the coming months.

Stay cool out there.

~Emily

Views of Algonquin Park

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This blog post is dedicated to my dear cousin, Cicely.

I left a little piece of my heart in Algonquin Park. I think everyone who visits does.

Our family is extremely lucky to have a cottage right in the park. Most years a bunch of members of the Merritt family get to spend a week or so at Rock Lake.

Nobody loves The Park more than Cicely. She spent all her childhood summers at Camp Wapomeo, eventually becoming a counselor and participating in canoe trips that would last the whole summer and take her from Quebec all the way back to camp. In fact, we did a fun styled session with a Canadiana theme to celebrate her daughter’s 1st birthday, two years ago. This year Cic couldn’t make it to the cottage because she welcomed a baby boy in June! Her family of four will need to wait until next season to revisit the wild beauty of Rock Lake, but I thought perhaps I could bring some of its majesty to her through these images.

Places Pictured in 2019: Rock Lake, Booth’s Rock, Lookout Trail.

Cicely: Rock Lake missed you this summer too. I could feel it. Think how sweet your reunion will be in 2020! Love you. xoxoxoxo

Hello 2019! Here’s What’s New With Emily Beatty Imagery

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If you’re been paying attention to my Instagram, you’ve noticed me talking about a few big changes for my photography business in 2019. Its true! Life has been beautiful and messy and unpredictable these last couple of years. I’ve been fortunate to work will all different kinds of clients and to really hone my skills in the 10+ years since I began my career in this industry.

Lately, lots of people have been asking if I’m busy shooting weddings this summer, and the answer is, “Nope!” Its been my privilege and joy to work with scores of couples to document their big days, but for now at least, I’m enjoying semi-retirement from the wedding industry.

I have so many interests photographically, I truly wish there were more hours in the day! The truth is, I need to narrow my focus to really excel at my work. There are a great deal of photographers serving my region that specialize in wedding and newborn sessions- especially if you’re looking for those bright and airy or dark and moody styles that are so trendy right now. I’ve come to realize that my bold and colourful style and skill set are better suited for creative portrait art.

In particular, lately I’ve been really excited about the increasingly popular niche of Personal Brand Photography. Its all about helping other business owners and online personalities tell the story of their passion and draw people in with really high quality images.

Now please don’t go thinking this new path means I don’t have time to update family portraits! On the contrary, I’m moving away from weddings and newborns so that I have time to pursue this new niche while continuing to serve the clients that I’ve already come to know and love.

Furthermore, all past EBI clients that have a customized link to a Pixieset gallery now have the option to order wall art, high quality prints and other products directly from your online gallery.

I’m also revisiting my love for fine art photography. For the first time ever, you can now purchase home decor items that are personalized with my artwork via my Society6 Shop.

Fall/Winter 2019 promises plenty of new picture taking opportunities. (Like Holiday Minis, happening at the Kitchener photo studio November 9th and two other dates this fall.) Stay tuned for more fun fresh photos of lovers, ladies and little ones. Thank you so much for visiting!

Holiday 2017 Studio Minis in Kitchener with Emily Beatty Imagery

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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.

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Want to see more?

Check out this 2017 holiday season compilation.

Fall Photos at the Family Farm

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I love this family. We met years ago through my husband and other mutual friends, and I’ve been lucky enough to photograph their growing numbers in a variety of different sessions over the past few years.

The day we selected for our photo shoot happened to be in the midst of a late summer heat wave and the kids were happy to run around the farm in Scotland Ontario that they call home while soaking up the last rays of September sunshine.

Then that sunset happened! Love it when I get to end a shoot with a sunset and smiles.

Hope you enjoy looking at the photos as much as I enjoyed taking them.

Fall Family Photos at Rockway Gardens

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I’ve been meaning to share this vibrant little fall family photo session from last October at Rockway Gardens in Kitchener. In my experience, husband + wife + baby always = a great photo shoot, and these three were no exception. These new parents were lovely to talk to, easy-going and great with their baby, all of which made for a wonderful laid back, low key session with lovely golden evening light. When the family placed their portrait order, I was pumped that they specifically asked for bright, bold colours during the editing process- my specialty. Fall portraits are all about those sunny warm tones and vibrant foliage. (A super smiley and cute baby like D. helps too.)

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Thanks to this family for choosing me to document your baby boy’s first Halloween season. It was a truly a pleasure.

Halloween 2017 Minis in Kitchener

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EBI_9445-2'17edit 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.

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Thanks to everybody that participated in these sessions. I always have so much fun doing these holiday setups.

Mother Daughter Portraits with a Canadian Twist

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These images tell a story that begins and ends in Algonquin Park. My cousin Cicely and I have always been very close, even though we don’t get to see each other much. When we do get together, its often just a few days each summer at our beloved family cottage in Algonquin Park. Cic grew up spending her entire summers at sleep away camp in the Provincial Park, and eventually became an accomplished canoer and camper, spending up to 50 days at a time traveling through remote wilderness with a close group of young women that remain some of her closest friends.

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Five years ago (to the day!!!) I had the joy of documenting Cicely and Dan’s glorious Christmas themed wedding. When we learned that Cic would become a mother, right away, long before the baby arrived, we began talking about how we could possibly rendevouz at my place during the summer for a creative photo session. The logistics were going to be tricky. You see, my beloved cousin and her baby are American. They live in Cincinnati. Nevertheless, Canada holds a special place in Cicely’s heart, and we both wanted to commemorate her baby girl’s first trip to our mutual favourite place on earth- the cottage. At the same time, Canada was still riding the celebration from our recent 150th anniversary on July 1st. If ever there was a time to dream up a Canada themed photo shoot, this was it! We spent less than 24 hours together in 2017, but we sure did make the most of it. So without further ado, its my pleasure to introduce you to Cicely, and her beautiful daughter, sweet miss Louise. I’m so pleased I could capture their relationship and this special moment in our history.

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