Sometimes the world needs a dose of fuzzy pink petals.

There's a field near our house that has always inspired me. On one end sits a gorgeous willow tree whose branches rest down to the ground. It's always looked like such a warm and inviting place to play. Yesterday when passing the field, I noticed that its meadows were tall and green, sprinkled with yellow everywhere. The grasses were long and filled with blooming dandelions. It looked like an absolutely wonderful place to play. I called up a friend, and we arranged an eve

At the end of the Brittania photo session with the W family, the sun came out. Perhaps ironically so. In honour of the extended family's visit, the family had taken their visitors shopping for that quintessentially Pacific Northwest item - the umbrella - the day prior. Despite the downpours early in the session, we had come to the end of the session without using them. What's a family to do? We let the kids run freely with the umbrellas in the field. There are so many fun

One of my favourite aspects of being a family photographer is working with repeat customers - capturing families as the kids grow up, as time passes. The W family hired me for Christmas photos at Stewart Farm last Christmas; just a few months later, they contacted me for a session with the extended family. This time around, the family included visiting relatives from both Alberta and Nova Scotia, and they were interested in an afternoon session at lovely Brittania Shipyards

If I had to identify with one non-North American culture, it would be Japanese. That's fairly random for a blonde-haired, blue-eyed English speaker, I realize that. I didn't know much about Japan until a girl from Nagano lived with my family one summer during high school. I entered college, and the 9 AM Japanese classes I kept ending up in somehow developed into my major. It turns out that my school had one of the strongest East Asian Studies programs out there. My senseis

We spent the weekend in Victoria. For fun, we started packing thirty minutes before we had to leave for the ferry. The last time we went to Victoria, orcas were jumping alongside the ferry as we passed through Active Pass. I only had my wide-angle lens with me. This time around, I had my telephoto lens on and ready in Active Pass. We didn't see any orcas. But it was a wonderful trip nonetheless. My husband had to work, so the boys and I spent one day sightseeing on our own

In early April, I met up with the Y family for a family session to celebrate their little guy's first birthday. We were hoping to meet at Kirkland House, but construction on site the day of our shoot led us to follow the previous session up to gorgeous Diefenbaker Park. I was really excited for this session because in addition to my trusty standard lens, I also had my zoom lens on hand...perfect for pictures on the bridges and across the pond. I met mom, dad, and little guy

After recovering from our trip south - it's hard to believe it was nearly a month ago - I resumed photography starting with a family session with the K family. An adorable extended family consisting of grandparents, parents, a preschooler and a baby, they wanted a session capturing the love across generations. We met at Diefenbaker Park early one weekend morning. The weather hadn't warmed up yet, so the park was still quite sleepy. The preschooler was more than happy to wa

This past weekend saw us hosting two more international students and - once again - showing them the local sites. A trip to Peace Arch and White Rock was a part of the plan, but unlike our last sightseeing voyage to the border, this weekend's weather was warm and sunny. A great day for photography. A great day to leave my big camera at home. ...but as I've been experimenting...so much of photography is about capturing the moment. The iPhone came out to capture random snapsh

I love working with extended families. It's amazing to see the love between various generations and to capture the energy that extends beyond just parents and children. Our children are very blessed to have two loving sets in their loves. Part of our most recent family vacation was for quality time with the grandparents. Whether it's playing games in the sand, sharing home-cooked meals or even just watching television together, there's no question they have a unique bond t