NORTH VANCOUVER FAMILY PHOTOGRAPHER-Beautiful family!

I got together with this family a little while ago and we did some family photos at the lake. We had tried to get together during the winter, but we got snowed in the day of our session and decided things would probably work better with the children if we waited for warmer weather. When I saw this beautiful family get out of the car I was immediately excited for the shoot. Their outfits just went SO well with my vision for the session! I think one of the good side effect of all the dreary rain weather we’ve had this year is that this field was just full of wildflowers everywhere we looked! I haven’t seen that in this location before so we had fun exploring and walking around the park together. I also admit that I came straight home and told my husband that a pair of red “Hunters” boots was on my birthday list. Thankfully for me he did not disappoint haha! Thanks for coming out to the lake and for such an amazing shoot!

NORTH VANCOUVER PHOTOGRAPHER-Early Bird

This little man came to my studio for his newborn session on Thursday morning. Normally I recommend getting newborns in to see me before they are 10 days old because they are still really sleepy the younger they are. Preemies have a little wiggle room for that so I tend to go by their corrected age. Well this cutie was well with in that time frame and came in to see me well before his due date which was September 29th! He was so healthy and STRONG already! At only 6lbs his strength when he would try to hold up his head or wiggle around while I tried to pose him was incredible for any newborn, let alone a premature one! His mom and dad were so calm and at ease with their new bundle I just new our session would be easy, and I was right. He barely made a peep the whole time and was happy to just sleep while I moved him around for his photos with the occasional feed from mom. I can’t really say there are many days where I don’t love my job but this sweetheart just made me REALLY love my job on Thursday morning, what could be better than snuggling with a tiny little newborn right?

I got at least two ADORABLE smiles out of him too!

I just love the father and son shot…the strength of a dad’s arms holding such a delicate baby melts my heart every time!

NORTH VANCOUVER PHOTOGRAPHER-Gorgeous Family

I had a photo session with this gorgeous family in North Vancouver on Saturday morning. We met in the parking lot and went for a walk through the trails taking photos along the way (I am really going to miss these outdoor sessions when we lose our summer and fall weather!). One and a half can be the hardest age to photograph, or the easiest depending on what mood strikes them. If you are a parent you know just what I mean. This little girl did pretty well once she got used to me hanging around and decided I was cool enough for a high five or two haha! Dad giving the best tickles in the world didn’t hurt either.

This family received their session as a gift certificate last Christmas from a friend. The Holiday season is coming up and I will be announcing upcoming mini sessions here on the blog for everyone to get their Holiday card photos and gifts ready for giving, but if you also would like to give the gift of a photo session, gift certificates are available anytime!

I really enjoyed working with this family! Their connection as a family was evident the whole morning and I can’t wait to share the rest of their gallery with them soon. Enjoy your sneak peek guys and thank you so much for coming to me for your family photos!

Mama To Be

The cold I’ve been struggling to fight the past couple of days has definitely been taking it’s toll on me today so I apologize for taking so long to get this maternity sneak peek up today, but I’m starting to feel like I’m on the mend and a couple more nights of decent sleep should see me well in no time! This gorgeous couple came by last night after I returned from my outdoor session and we took some maternity photos. These two are full of energy and are both so bright and fun. I can’t wait to meet the little boy growing stronger by the day in that beautiful belly! He was full of kicks and punches for mom and dad. When dad put his face next to the belly he was trying to kick him right in the jaw haha! I don’t normally post names of clients on my blog, but this mom is working on building her business she runs from home so she can stay home with her new bundle once he arrives. Her name is Shandie and if you are in need of any cosmetics or household products, the line she sells can be found at www.instinctual.ca and Shandie also provides in home spa parties for ladies to try out products so I’ll be hosting one soon. I am really excited to try all of these things out and see how they work so I thought I would share here with all of you as well!

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Bear Creek Park

7 months ago I met this family and took newborn photos of their gorgeous baby boy. That was when I was just starting up my website and building my portfolio! How fast time flies and I was delighted and honoured that they asked me to take photos of their family once again, but this time including more of the extended family. My client’s father underwent surgery about a month ago and she wanted to have family photos taken outdoors with him in them. She explained to me that there was no other place to go than Bear Creek Park and I certainly understood that request as soon as we arrived! Her dad has been jogging here for 27 years every day, rain or shine. When he arrived he immediately ran into someone he knew in the park and was happy to stop for a quick chat. Throughout our session he continued bumping into people he knew…he is friends with all the “regulars” at this park! His two daughters told me stories of him getting them to jog with him when they were growing up and how much they hated going, but he pushed them to work to their limit. It is evident that they have been able to carry this life lesson on with them and they have both grown up to be warm, successful and caring women. Through the cold day I could feel the warmth of their love for each other and had a great time. Thank you so much for allowing me to capture your family today!

After my session outdoors I came home for a maternity session, but it’s getting late so there will be another blog post with some maternity photos coming up tomorrow too! I can’t express how lucky I feel to be able to enjoy a job which allows me to meet so many fun and wonderful people in one day and to capture them the way I see them through my lens!

This little lady was full of “sass” and had all her best model poses ready. She didn’t forget that we bribed her with M&M’s last time, but I forgot to bring some today so I’ve promised her some treats when I drop off the prints…I won’t forget this time sweetie, I promise!
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The track where this father taught his daughters life lessons (but didn’t manage to get them to enjoy jogging haha!)
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Welcome to Vancouver!

I had a session with a family who has recently moved to Vancouver tonight!  It was quite a chilly Halloween afternoon so we did mostly family photos where we were able to keep their beautiful baby girl warmer and you’ll get to see her again when they come to the studio for some more photos of her on her own at the end of November!  This little lady was so happy from the very start of our session (as long as we didn’t try to put her anywhere near any dirt…a true princess haha!).  I had so much fun meeting you guys and can’t wait for our next session!

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A Princess With Her Pup

You may remember this family from the maternity session I did with them a little over a month ago.  They came back today for their newborn session and their new little girl is just BEAUTIFUL!  They actually had the patience to wait to find out the gender until she was born which is not too common these days.  I had a feeling though as it seems we’re heading into “girl season” that we’d have a little pink bundle of joy on the way and sure enough born 7 days ago was this little girly!  She was a dream to work with and her mom and dad even included their firstborn “furbaby” in the session.  I love working with pets and people so it was such a fun day to be able to combine my passions into one sweet little package.  I also got to use a hat designed by Ewa from Mamique Designs I’ve had stored away in hiding for half a year now!  Thanks so much for coming by today with your perfect little angel and I hope you enjoy your preview!

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If you remember this maternity session, this little girl’s parents had her baby pumas all lined up and ready in waiting for her arrival so I couldn’t resist a shot with her new kicks!

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Happily Ever After…

I’ve shared photos of these two a couple of times now here, but was lucky enough to get a night out with them to have some fun in their wedding attire!!!  I’m not ready to take on weddings yet so if anyone is looking for a wedding photographer the best I can do at the moment is refer you to some of my favourite photographers who do weddings.

These two got married on June 28th, 2009 and I was honoured to be a part of the bridal party as I have known the bride since we met in grade 3.  I was a little sad though that I couldn’t take any pictures during the wedding because I was too busy (she’s slightly high maintenance….just joking girl!).  Thank you cards are always a large undertaking for any newlywed couple so we played around and got some shots for a thank you card I’ll be putting together for them.

Thanks guys!  I always have a BLAST at our sessions!!!

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This guy…he always keeps us on our toes, notice the upside down “you” sign!

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NOW we have him straightened out!

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Then our lovely bride decided her groom was only an accessory anyhow so we snuck in some shots while he was on the phone haha!

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Where I’ve disappeared to…

I just wanted to update everyone in case you’re wondering where I’ve disappeared to haha!  My family and I bought a HOUSE!!!  We have purchased subject to sale of our place though so if we don’t sell our apartment in the next month the deal may fall through.  So I have had to limit my sessions while we pack and prepare for an open house and our listing which means the most exciting thing I’ll be photographing for the next couple days is my apartment and I’ll spare you all the boredom of looking at those photos.  In the meantime I’ll share one from my baby girl’s birthday invitation!

I can’t believe she’ll be turning one at the end of the month and how much my life has changed since she was born.  My photography really took off when I had her and she was the model who was albeit not always willing, but unfortunately for her…unable to run away.  I practiced and practiced and practiced my photography in the first few months of her life.  Then when she was nursing I’d spend hour upon hour just listening to music with her while studying photography sites and books.  I also wanted to send a little “shout out” to everyone who has helped me and my business grow in the past year.

Firstly thanks to my own baby girl who is my constant muse and also my furbaby who was my very first muse until she grew so tired of my photography she barks at my camera now when I pull it out.  Next on the list is my dearest husband, who has helped me by taking care of our baby girl when I needed to work, who has helped me to maintain some level of sanity through all of this (and at times…contributed to my loss of sanity through the process haha!).  I also want to thank all of our parents who have helped with babysitting, lending an ear, helping us out in too many ways to count.  THANK YOU!  I also have to thank our other family members who have let me take photos of their babies and children and use them to build my portfolio and practice and grow even more.  To my friends who have listened, given advice, and laughed with me over the small things I get stressed about and especially to Ewa of Mamique Designs in whom I’ve found a friend I can relate with on so many levels (speaking of which for all you photographers out there…she just today introduced me to actual “Levels” in photoshop which I think will forever change my post processing routine!!!!…What was I DOING?!?!).  Also HUGE thanks to everyone who participated in my portfolio building phase where I was able to collect photos for my site and marketing materials!  WHAT a year this has been and I really can’t wait to see what is in store for next year too!

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

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2010 Grad “Branching Out” Package Now Available!

A new package designed especially for graduates is now available at Ashleigh Wells Photography!  A custom photo session is a wonderful way to capture unique and personal images for Grade 12 students!  Your photos will stand out amongst the crowd and this package is geared towards teens with unlimited clothing changes, on location session options and the opportunity to bring whatever is meaningful for you to your session.  The first Grade 12 student to sign up from each high school will also recieve a complimentary set of 25 “senior rep” cards like the one shown below which will have the graduate’s name, school and grad year on the front and my business information along with a bonus offer for your friends on the back.  You can hand these out to your friends when school is back in session and they will recieve a bonus if they bring that card along with them to their session!

“Branching Out” Package for Grads $500 ($635 value!)

Session Fee $200

(1) 8X10

(6) 5X7 prints $120

(72) wallet size photos $240

(36) wallet cards* $75

CD with 5 full resolution files available to add on to this package for $150

*wallet cards are similar to business cards but include your school name, phone number, email address and any other information you would like to include to hand out to friends and family

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A special thank you to my first “grad rep”, Maddison Joyce from Burnaby South Secondary!