Alina and Phil make it a priority to update their family photographs every few years. Their colourful summer family photos this year will be a great addition to the fun photo collage wall they have in their home. Their photo arrangement has lots of yellow accents and frames, so they dressed to match!
We started out in the Helen Schuler Nature Reserve during golden hour. Their session took place just before the summer heatwaves, so everything was such a lush vibrant green! The boys had a ton of fun climbing all the logs in between photos.
Marie and Ed celebrated their 35th wedding anniversary with Indian Battle Park extended family photos. We had planned to do this since the winter and weren’t quite sure until the last minute if it could be a go! Luckily everyone was able to get together to celebrate their parents and we had such a beautiful summer night to do the photos.
Each individual family had their photos taken while we waited for the full group to arrive. Considering how late in the day we started, the children all did amazing! We didn’t lose any to nap time and they loved played with their cousins and grandparents alongside the high level bridge.
When Daenerys arrived, her parents debated between bringing her to their hometown of Lethbridge for a photo session or staying at their new home together in Calgary. I’m so glad they chose the latter for her St. Patrick’s Island newborn photos because it was gorgeous there!
The park is conveniently next door to their neighbourhood of Inglewood. It wasn’t too busy when we went out, but it was a lovely warm day (perfect for diaper shots) with lots of lush greenery.
Daenerys loved going on the stroller ride to her photo spot. Any time she fussed, a quick bounce with her parents was all the movement she needed to calm down. She stayed awake for most of the newborn session so she could fully enjoy all the cuddles she received, but once we set off in the stroller again, she was quickly asleep!
When Meagan wanted to ask her partner Shieghla to marry her, she decided it was going to be a group effort. After first asking Shieghla’s children for permission, she arranged a gift certificate with me. Their Waterton surprise proposal session was disguised as family photos for an anniversary gift. Meaghan then had oversized custom Scrabble tiles made by Nixynn Fine Wood Products – Scrabble is one of their favourite hobbies to do together – and came up with a plan for their family members to sneak the tiles into the session.
I met up with the family at Linnet Lake to start with regular portraits, and work through some of Meaghan’s nerves until she was ready to ask the question!
Finally it was time at the Prince of Wales! Meaghan and I had shared diagrams and code words before the proposal session. I asked the other family members to stand to the side while I took photos of the couple, giving them a chance to stealthily pull the Scrabble tiles out.
Shieghla was shocked and had never expected it! (Of course she said yes!) Her and Meagan were so lost in the moment, they didn’t even hear the onlooking tourists clapping for them!
When Emily and Cody’s plans for a destination wedding in 2020 didn’t pan out, they kept the idea of a destination but made it a little more local! Their families joined them for an outdoor Waterton autumn wedding at the Waterton Lakes Lodge Resort. With perfect weather, they were able to have their ceremony outside on the resort’s green space. Emily’s dad performed the ceremony, making it extra special. It was such a joyful day for everyone involved. The couple weren’t the only ones smiling and laughing non-stop!
Their wedding was incredibly timed with the fall colours this year! Waterton was covered in rich yellows, reds, and oranges with still a bit of green left, and all of the new growth is so vibrant as it bounces back from the Kenow Fire. We took them to the entrance of the Bertha Lake hike to take full advantage of the colour. Emily and Cody were totally down for a small hike! They even received a few bonus congratulations from the last hikers of the season.
Iris and Gerald had an Indian Battle Park maternity session during golden hour in the Lethbridge river bottom, with their dog Luna. I started off the session focusing on beautiful mom-to-be Iris while Gerald went to pick up Luna. Iris handled her baby bump like a pro, gladly climbing over logs and through bushes to get to the best spots. Her and Gerald picked a very special day to do their maternity photos – their wedding anniversary day! It was a great way to celebrate the next chapter of their lives together.
