Fotoart Photography Photoblog

wildflower session {victoria portrait photographer}

We had another great day for a wildflower session in the park.  I photographed this family a few years back, so it was great to meet them all again.  

so little and so precious {victoria baby photographer}

This beautiful baby girl was just 5 days old when I photographed her last week.  So precious and tiny.

A big thank you again to Denise's mom for making me this beautiful colorful blanket which I love using.

 

an afternoon at the beach {victoria children's photographer}

Last weekend we met at Willows Beach to take some family pictures.  An overcast day, not too cold, a few drizzles, but beautiful even light for some great captures.  I have known both children since they were newborns and I have taken their pictures over the past few years.  It never stops to amaze me how quickly they change and I love to see their different personalities grow and shine.

little sweetie {victoria childrens photographer}

I had so much fun photographing this young lady.  She was chatty, curious, and super cute.  And she brought along her big Bernese Mountain Dog which we tried to get in the picture as well.  A bit of a challenge because he liked the ocean too much and ended up in the water many times.  And thanks to mom, we had lots of colorful outfits and props to play with.

sunshine, flowers and two girls {victoria childrens photographer}

Two of my favorite girls to photograph.  The perfect day for it, lots of props to play around with.  I wasn't the only one who had fun I think.

back in time {victoria portrait photographer}

This session was in the planning stages for months.  My friend Erin organized the amazing dresses (which are for sale on Etsy if you are interested in purchasing them).  Bridget was kind enough to let us use them for this shoot.  Hair and makeup was done by Erin who really rocked.  She also helped me with all the other minor and major details of this session.  And the girls, well, the girls were so excited, it was easy to get great pictures of them.  They were totally into it and had a lot of fun, so did Erin and I.  Lots and lots of images, but here are just a few I liked.  If you are interested in having a styled session done, please drop me a line.  

butterflies and bubbles {victoria family and children's photographer}

This was a lovely family session in the park.  I photographed the now big brother a long time ago.  Since then, they had a new addition to the family, a sweet little girl.  Here a few favorites from their session.

spring maternity {victoria portrait photographer}

Can't wait to meet the next addition to this lovely family.  The little guy was quite the character and stole my heart.  We never told him to show his belly off, just a natural thing to do for him.  Mom has a belly, he has a belly that needs to be seen.  

first spring rays {victoria baby and children's photographer}

Ahh, spring.  Finally we can go out without freezing and take pictures.  This little cutie turned 6 months.  A serious little girl who takes in everything.  I even brought our little dog to get some smiles from her.  

project 333 {victoria portrait and wedding photographer}

Project 333 is a personal project which was inspired by some other photographers I met during a workshop last year.  I started this project shortly after the year started, so it is save to assume that I will probably not cover an entire year with 365 pictures.  There will always be days when I just don't get around to shoot an image.  All daily images are posted on my personal facebook site.  I already started to work on my album layout for this project.  It will be a wirebound book with about 100 pages.  I love this book template from Volume 25 which is perfect for my project.  Here are a few pages I already designed from the past two months.

elaine & felix engaged {victoria portrait and wedding photographer}

First engagement session of this year.  I am looking forward to documenting the couple's upcoming wedding in August.  

school is out {victoria portrait photographer}

book your spring session {victoria portrait photographer}

With Spring just around the corner, here is an early special.  If April holds up with not too much rain, it could be fun to get some early portraits of your children done.  And with some luck the flowers in Beacon Hill might be out as well.  Regardless, there is never a bad time to capture some memories.

If you are interested in the special, drop me a line for more details.  Only 10 spots are available, so hurry to get your spot.

three little girls {victoria children photographer}

These three are just too cute.  The two older ones are very proud of their little sister, now six months old.  I am looking forward to meeting them again in six months.

island parent magazine {victoria children and family photographer}

Thank you Island Parent for choosing one of my images for the cover of the March issue.  The magazine is available at its usual outlets and online http://www.islandparent.ca/.  Check it out, lots to do during the Spring Break.

the other side of a portrait session {victoria baby and children photographer}

Parents love to see their little ones happy and smiling.  I think we all do because we love the sound of their little happy voices and their giggles and smiles.  During the course of any session, there are moments, when there are meltdowns, tears, and just typical moments in a life of a baby or toddler.  I seldom post these pictures but I do have lots of them.  I love the tender moments when a parent tries to sooth their child.  Like the image below.  It is one of my favorites from that session.  

This young lady wanted to hold the baby and was mad at her sister.  Her expression is priceless.

I love photographing this little girl.  I have known her since she was a baby.  She does not like to be separated from her mom, and is most happy in mom's arms.

And then there are the kids who don't know what to make of me with my camera.  I could really tell he did not want me in his space.  Eventually I captured some fun moments, but I do love his sceptical expression in that image.

 

happy valentine's (victoria portrait and wedding photographer}

old rusty trains {victoria photographer}

This weekend we drove up to the Duncan Forestry Centre for the annual Maple Syrup Festival.  The pictures I took there don't have anything to do with the festival.  All these rusty looking old trains... I just had to play a little.  All pictures were taken with my Fuji X100 because I wanted to travel light and put this little camera to the test.  The two portraits were taken with an older Canon 10D and my lensbaby. 

turning one {victoria portrait and children photographer}

This beautiful little girl turned one in December.  She has the most infectious smile.  Love photographing her.

the year ahead {victoria portrait and wedding photographer}

We are half way into January and I should make a list of some sort which I could call new year's resolutions, goals for this year, a business plan or some other title.  But this year, even though I love making lists, I only have one major goal.  

My resolution for this year is to be inspired and creative.  

Ha, easy enough, you might say, with all the inspiration out there from magazines, internet, available apps and books.  But I not only want to be inspired, but I want to turn the inspiration into creativity.  

I already started the year with project 333, which is a year in pictures.  333 are the days I want to document, one picture a day of moments that are easily forgotten otherwise.  Knowing me, there will be days I won't be able to shoot.  The project is posted on my personal facebook page and I will post a few images on my blog as the months go by.

This project was inspired by two other amamzing photographers I met at Barb Uil's workshop last year:  Rebecca Chalmers and Lindsay Burnham Nichols.  And we all have been inspired by Barb Uil's book ‘For The Love’ …  which is a must get if you have children and love pondering in photography.  

 

     ”A simplistic guide and adventure into opening up your world and allowing time to breathe, time to love, and time to embrace what you have.  An invitation to explore your creativity, whilst also recording the moments that your heart tells you that you must. 

     “For The Love” is a gentle reminder to mums, dads and grandparents that we need to slow down, record, and remember these precious days.

     “For the Love” is a guide to keeping a detailed time- line of your children and their life for them to cherish forever. And to create gifts to share with others. It’s all about creating just for the love of it.”

So many creative ideas in this book, just for that, it is worth the purchase.

And while I am recommending books, here are some more that have been an inspiration to me:

"Expressive Photography" - The Shutter Sister's Guide to Shooting from the Heart

"Within the Frame" - The Journey of Photographic Vision - David duChemin

"The Photographer's Eye" - Composition and Deisgn for Better Digital Photos - Michael Freeman

"Learning to See Creatively" - Bryan Peterson

And naturally, as I love my iPad, there are some amazing photography apps out there to get your creative juices flowing:  

500px  (has a tendency to crash but the images are amazing)

The Telegraph

The Guardian Eyewitness

Reuters Galleries

FlickStackr

Swiss Press Photo

If you can add to my list, please post a comment.  I could add many more links of blogs as well, but then my post could get very very long.  And lastly, one more thought:  always have a camera with you.  I purchased the little Fuji X100 and that is my constant companion because you never know what you might see.

So, enough words said, here are a few images from project 333.

2011 - year in review {victoria wedding and portrait photographer}

2011 was a fabulous year for me. I am grateful for having had the opportunity to work with so many wonderful families and couples.  When I assembled the images for the slideshow, it was difficult not to include many more images.  There are a little over 100 images in the show and please be patient while it loads.  To start the show, hit the play button in the center of the screen.  But without further words, here is the link to the slideshow.  Enjoy! 

 

2001 - Year in Review

 

Merry Christmas and

all the best for the coming year.

 

Thank you for choosing Fotoart Photography to capture

your special moments.  I hope to meet many of you again in the years to come.

last sessions for the year {victoria family photographer}

The year is almost coming to an end and Christmas just a few weeks away.  This family was so wonderful to brave the cold weather and the kids had fun running around and warming up.  

my advents calendar

getting 24 little gifts:  two hours shopping  

packaging little parcels:  three hours

assembling the arrangment:  one hour

cups of coffee consumed during the setup:  one big latte

sparkle in her eyes when she opens a little gift each morning:  just priceless

let the game begin {victoria family photographer}

"Mensch Aerger Dich Nicht" is a very popular German board game and it means "Don't Get Angry".  One of my favorite families was all up for a game and we started our family session indoors playing.  Here are just a few favs.  

 

it's cold outside {victoria portrait photographer}

Time to bundle up and get those last portraits of the year done.

beach fun {victoria children and family photographer}

Still editing all my fall sessions.  We went to the beach for this session.  The beach is always an adventure, no matter what age.

fall family {victoria family photographer}

I had my fall promo in September and here are some images for one of my winners of the free session.  Love the little cutie, just 4 months old.

family fall session {victoria family photographer}

I have been taking pictures of this handsome young man since he was a baby.  So much fun to see them grow up.  Here are just a few favorites.

happy halloween {victoria portrait photographer}

Here is an image I took many years ago.  Still love it.  Happy Halloween to all of you.