A Year in Pictures: My Favorite 2023 Moments and Visions for 2024

Pour yourself a festive beverage and come journey with me as I look back on some pretty amazing moments in 2023.

Finding the time, money, and courage to book a session with a photographer can be challenging. But the rewards are so worth it! I, myself, even had a Branding Photo session this Fall so I totally understand the vulnerability of having someone else capture the essence of you.

To my new clients, my long-standing clients, my marketing team, a host of so many people, and especially my husband who has taken on more than his share of housework this year, THANK YOU!!!!

For my December Blogs, I like to focus on “12 of my Favorite Things”. This year I want to highlight the diversity of my business and why that makes me happy.

So.... In no particular order, here goes.....

1. BUSINESS BRANDING BUNDLE. I added this package earlier this year. What a fun way to see people in a different light. Monthly payments and 4 different sessions throughout the year. Getting to know Gracia has been a delight and I look forward to a few more upcoming sessions.

2. SPRING MINIS AT THE COTTAGE. It has started to become a tradition to have the cottage decorated for May. What a great time to have a mini-session with Mom. These beautiful women usually are the photographers in their own families. Why not let them shine and celebrate a few moments with their kids.

3. FAMILY PHOTOS. This is where I get to know your story. I could write so much about the families that I have come to love.

This first family is very special to me. The oldest daughter was leaving on an 8-month mission trip across the world. A few hours before she left, the family asked for a quick photo shoot. Most people would (and should) be packing. What seemed like a crazy thing to try to fit in, ended up being the most amazing gift Mom could ask for. People were coming and going all week and Mom just wanted a few minutes to just hold her daughter. Our brief session meant that the family had some quiet moments of being together, laughing and trying to savour every last hug.

I love this client’s property. If you have a special place like this, there really is no need to go somewhere else. They chose the people in their lives that they were closest to and and added in those beautiful horses. It was fun, natural, and we captured who they are.

I am feeling old, but rather I should view it as amazing history. I photographed this mom and dad’s wedding. From there I have watched them raise a beautiful family. This summer they took the plunge and uprooted from here and moved to another province. Before they left we did an epic full evening photoshoot at Stanley Park. The promise to the kids was that there would be some water involved at the end.

4. GRAD. Let’s face it, Grad is expensive! But it is also an incredible milestone. I love the big groups that hire me. I also love the more intimate sessions where it is family. A celebration of all who helped that person get to this point. Whether it is 3 generations or a fun loving family who like to hang from trees, the experience is going to be fun.

5. HEADSHOTS. - Indoor and Outdoor. I love how my business is expanding into this niche. There are so many options available. We can use my indoor studio, we can go outside, or why not use your business location to have a beautiful mix of indoor, outdoor, individual and a team session?

6. PROPOSALS. - I have to say that I love a little ‘incognito’. You are planning to pop the question. It goes by so quickly! Why not have someone in the background grabbing those once in a lifetime images?

The first couple was so fun! I did headshots in the studio that morning for this man, and in the evening I was pretending to be a bird photographer while he popped the question. I love to add a mini engagement session after that while the smiles are still brilliant.

The second couple was also very amazing. The man contacted me the day before the couple arrived in Vancouver from Texas for a mini vacation and to propose. It takes a bit of creativity and lots of texts to figure out who each other is (we’ve never met before) and to pull off a seemless event.

7. WEDDINGS. Each one so unique and the current trend is “what makes you happy”. The first highlighted wedding was a full day affair from the house, to the church, Stanley Park and then a gorgeous boat cruise. They got a fully documented day with so many amazing moments.

This wedding was all about family love (and oh so many family members). It was great to be able to steal away the couple for a few moments between the church and the reception. This couple chose to do “First Look”. This enabled us to make the time relatively short between ceremony and reception. First looks are so magical and I love when it works into the client’s plan for the day.

I have known this couple for a few years. They wanted something very low key. So much so, that they didn’t want a photographer at the small wedding. Instead, they invited family from both sides, gave a color palette for the photos (I love that!), and we all met out at Pitt Lake. The smoke from the wild fires had a hazy glow and we were able to get a beautiful mixture of family and couple photos. From there they “headed to the chapel”.

And then there is the last minute scramble. The fires in the Interior this summer meant a lot of changed plans. This couple had just over a week to replan their wedding for the Lower Mainland. I am so glad that I was available and that the Groom remembered me from a wedding party he was in the previous year.

8. NEWBORN PHOTOGRAPHY. Oh, I love my babies. I have the studio ready to go for those lovely posed sessions. But I find I am also loving the Lifestyle in Your Home sessions. If this isn’t your first baby, I find these are more relaxed for the siblings.

9. FALL MINIS AT THE COTTAGE. I love family photos in the Fall. Sometimes it just doesn’t work out to have a full outdoor session with your family. Like this family, I generally have a Fall set-up at our backyard cottage.

10. EVENTS. Events take a lot of creativity and planning. Why not make sure that what you are celebrating has a lifespan past the actual event? I was so pleased to be able to partake in the Gaby Davis Foundation’s Laughing Matters. What an awesome fundraiser and I am so glad they included me in their planning.

Or, you have just moved into your dream house and you are planning an Open House Party. Why not add a photographer for a few hours? It is a great way to capture moments with people who are dear to you.

In keeping with the Christmas theme, there are company Christmas parties, and Elementary School Santa Breakfasts as well.

11. CHRISTMAS MINIS. Another incredibly successful season at the cottage. One of my favorite things was the “Cousin Cross-Over Sessions”. Families who booked back to back sessions were able to add time in the middle to get those adorable and silly cousin photos. Oh the laughter they created.

12. And finally MY HUSBAND and my family. I absolutely could not do this job without his support! There are seasons where the hours and weeks are long! He keeps me fed, encourages me, listens to me, comes to the occasional “proposal stake-out”, but most of all is my biggest cheerleader. I love you to the moon and back.

(photo credit to Third Ricardo Photography)

I’m not sure how many beverages you consumed while reading this. I hope they were good. Again, from the bottom of my heart, I appreciate all of you. You make my life so much richer.