This afternoon Grae’s Auntie Roz came in the house from a photo shoot and suggested that we make the most of the gorgeous clouds and light by bringing the girls outside for a little walk and shoot of their own. It goes without saying that we immediately jumped at the opportunity {you absolutely do not turn down gorgeous Roz Edge Photography images} and we headed out into the field in our gumboots. The images turned out absolutely gorgeously and though I may have done my hair or put on some make-up had I known I’d have my photo taken this afternoon, I’m beyond grateful to have some images of me and my little lady {and my little niece}.
I just can’t help but share a few (okay, more than a few) photos from the Just: Be session Gracen and I recently had with Amy Lee of The Connection We Share. I absolutely adore them. And the fact that they’re some of the few photos I have of my girl and I just makes them that much more special.
If you haven’t already entered to win a Just: Be session of your own, and you live in the Greater Vancouver area, visit this post immediately! Contest closes tomorrow evening. ☺
♥
For extra fun, like us on Facebook here and find us on Instagram here.
One thing I do well with as a mama is capturing moments in photos… Loads and loads and loads of photos. The special occasions, the everyday moments…they’re all well documented and stored for years to come. That being said, despite the thousands and thousands of photos I take of Miss G each year, and the tons of great ones Brad is included in, I have a pitiful number of Gracen and I together. Like, really pitiful. Without a doubt, this is due to the fact that I enjoy being behind the camera much more than in front of it, but that’s no excuse. When Grae is older, I want her to be able and look back on all of the wonderful moments we shared together, mother and daughter.
It goes without saying that, when my very talented photographer friend, Amy Lee, of The Connection We Share, offered us a sneak peek of her brand new Just: Be Portrait Sessions, I jumped at the chance (literally, I couldn’t reply quickly enough).
Amy’s Just: Be sessions are designed to capture the love between a parent and child while they are connecting, bonding, and ‘just being’ together… which I adore. Before the shoot, Amy sends out a questionnaire which helps her design a personalized session, just for you. From the colour that best represents Grae to why I’m most proud of her, the questions definitely made me think. In a good way.
When we arrived to her studio, Amy had caffine-free cookie dough tea waiting for us, which immediately won over the little miss. Grae had been up extra early that morning and it was very near nap time, but Amy was incredibly patient and creative with the ways she engaged her. The shoot itself was laid-back and short, which is any toddler mama’s dream.
When I received our images from the session, I was blown away. They perfectly capture the simple, raw moments of being Gracen’s mama that I never want to forget. They’re soft, honest, and unposed, and truly allow our personalities to shine through. Without a doubt, these images will forever be cherished.
Now for the best news! Amy is generously offering a Just: Be Portrait Session (one parent and one child), plus an 8 x 10 print with the digital negative, a $200 value, to one lucky reader. Simply click the icon below to be taken to the official entry page.
A winner will be randomly selected on Monday, May 20th, 2013. Please note that this portrait session takes place in Port Coquitlam, BC.
To celebrate the launch of Just: Be Portraits, The Connection We Share is also offering the first 5 readers who book a session a $100 credit towards any purchase. Click here to learn more and book a session.
♥
For extra fun, like us on Facebook here and find us on Instagram here.
Today Gracen and I headed downtown to pick up our photo order from Bethany. (Which, by the way, Gracen was so excited about. All morning she said, “Befany’s a niiiice yady. Grae Grae yike Befany. Befany take Gracen’s picture! We go see Befany now?”)
I don’t know if it’s because these are our first ever family photos, or because I {obviously} think Miss G is the cutest child ever, or because Bethany is AH-MAZING at what she does (okay, so it’s probably a combo of all three), but I’m just over the moon with how our photos turned out. Here are some more of my favourites because I just can’t help myself.
♥
If you haven’t already entered to win a photo session of your own, and you live in the Greater Vancouver area (or will be visiting the area sometime between January and April of 2013), visit this post immediately for details.
Getting family photos done is something I’ve wanted to do for the last two years. Yet somehow, I just haven’t made it happen. There was excuse after excuse after excuse… It started with we’ve got way too much to do before returning back to Kuwait with a 20 day old baby, to it’d probably be really hard to find our kind of photographer here in the desert, to let’s just wait until we’re more settled back here in Vancouver. The problem with the whole situation is that before long, you have a 2 year old {who is going on 5} and a single family photo that was taken in the living room with a blanket draped over the mantle and a camera propped up on an ottoman and a stack of books. Not good.
So when Bethany, of Images by Bethany, contacted me and offered us the opportunity to have a family photo shoot with her, I jumped on the opportunity. I had originally met Bethany at vancouvermom.ca‘s Top 30 Mom Bloggers celebration, where she took head shots of each of the 30 mamas, so I already knew how beautiful her work was. We selected a date and planned to meet at Granville Island, a place we love and frequent regularly.
Somehow, amidst a rain-filled week, our shoot landed on a gorgeously sunny afternoon with not a rain cloud in sight. We met with Bethany, she immediately made friends with Grae, and we got started.
Now if I’m being honest with myself, the biggest reason we probably haven’t had family photos done until now is that I really don’t enjoy having my picture taken. The awkward poses, my smile that quickly becomes fake… It’s just not my idea of a good time. But with Bethany, it wasn’t like that at all. In fact, it kind of just felt like we were walking around the island chatting with a friend who occasionally snapped a photo or two. And to me, that was the best part. It felt natural.
On the night of our viewing session, Brad and I made our way downtown to Bethany’s beautiful little studio. She greeted us with hot tea and world’s most amazing organic doughnuts (made of locally-sourced ingredients no less!), and turned on a slideshow of our images. They were stunning.
The photos spewed Gracen’s little personality and made the simplest of things – walking hand in hand, collecting leaves, marching, and buying bread – look beautiful.
We’re so very grateful to have our very first set of family photos and I’m beyond excited to share that Bethany is generously offering one lucky Mama.Papa.Bubba. reader a chance to win a complimentary family portrait session of their own! The prize includes a 1 to 2 hour photo shoot in a Greater Vancouver location of your choosing (a $350 value!), an in studio viewing session, a month long online photo gallery, and an 8 x 10 print of your choice (a $30 value!) HUGE, right?
The contest is open until Sunday, November 18th and there are multiple ways to win (be sure to leave a separate comment for each).
To enter to win a complimentary photo shoot with Images by Bethany:
Leave a comment below telling me your idea of a perfect Greater Vancouver photo shoot location.
For additional chances to win:
–> ‘Like’ Mama.Papa.Bubba. on Facebook, then come back and leave a second separate comment saying you did so (or that you had previously).
–> ‘Like’ Images by Bethany on Facebook, then come back and leave an additional separate comment saying you did so (or that you had previously).
–> Tweet about the giveaway {Lower Mainlanders: Win a FREE family shoot at www.mamapapabubba.com ($350 value)!} and leave an additional separate comment saying you did so.
Don’t forget to leave your email address! The winner will be announced on November 19th and contacted via email.
♥
Details: Family portrait session will be done on location (Greater Vancouver area only) and will be 1 – 2 hours long ($350 value). Session must be booked for January – April, 2013. Includes an in studio viewing session, a month long online viewing gallery, and an 8 x 10 print of your choice ($30 value).
I know I shared a couple of photos taken by Gracen’s Auntie Roz a little while ago, but over the course of this past week, my inbox has received several new surprises and I just can’t help but share. They’re just so beautiful.
Love, love, love them.
If you love Roz’s photography style too, you should head on over and like her Facebook page. She’s amidst a 365 days project where she shares a gorgeous new photo everyday (some of my favourites: this one, this one, this one, this one, and this one). You’ll be happy you visited, trust me.
I don’t know if I’ve mentioned it or not, but my sister-in-law, Roz, is an amazingly talented photographer who has worked very hard throughout the last year to build her business (Roz Edge Photography) and personal photography style. Lucky for us, she snapped a few photos of Gracen over the weekend and was kind enough to send them our way.
Aren’t these beautiful? I absolutely adore the soft, whimsical, almost dreamy feel of her photos.
She’s based out of the Calgary area and does it all – weddings, engagements, maternity, families, kids, newborns, and even boudoir. I highly recommend booking a session with her if you’re nearby. Her prices are ridiculously reasonable, and based on the demand she’s had this year alone, I doubt they’ll stay that way for much longer, so don’t wait.
You can check out her website here and her Facebook page here.