King Arthur | Calgary Newborn Photographer

I love the images of him ‘worrying’…such a beautiful baby.

We took a break from shooting for a snack and his mom got a few cuddles in. The resulting images ended up being some of my favorite from the day.

Some of my favorite newborn family images. It is always great working with a family for both their maternity and their newborn session. I think the resulting images are always better.

His cradle was once his fathers…I’m a sucker for that kinda stuff.

Have a wonderful week everyone!

~Dana

3 Becomes 4 | Calgary Photographer

These are some of my favorite kinds of images…I love how this cutie patootie is so excited to tell the world that she has a new baby brother!!! This lovely family welcomed me into their cozy new baby nest on a snowy day in May. (yes, I am behind on the blog front, but I am almost through with May). We just hung out and had a lovely visit where, oh yeah, I took some pictures

I love how in these first two images she is counting her brother’s toes and then her own toes And I think the last two images show the energy at their house I remember those days. I know everyone says to enjoy them now as they go by so fast, but everyone says it because it is SOOOOOOOO true!!!

When there is a sibling in the house that is just this cute, she can easily distract me while mom is feeding the new baby Isn’t she beyond sweet???

And, we cannot forget her new baby brother Look at his hair!

And some lovey dovey shots because, in this household, there is plenty of love to go around!!!

Hard to believe it actually snowed when I shot this–especially with the glorious weather we are currently having!!! I, for one, am so glad that we do not have to keep cozy inside any longer. Although, it was a lovely way to spend this spring day thanks guys!!!

~Dana

My Family As Photographed By Tara Whitney

This is one of my favorite images EVER. E.V.E.R. Even now, after having had the privelege of looking at it for over a month, I still get a lump in my throat. It is that perfect. You might not know, but my family had the extreme pleasure of being photographed by the lovely, phenomenally talented Miss Tara Whitney while we were in California in April. For me, this was a luxury. We were buying for our family a gift of the greatest magnitude. Photographers, like musicians have influences and she is to family photography what The Beatles are to pop music. Being a shy, unassuming sort of gal, she will adamantly deny this and shake her head telling me that I am out of my mind. The Beatles, Dana? Seriously? But, you will have to trust me as I know what I’m talking about

A couple of years ago, I first approached Bob with the idea of going to California to have her capture us…when I lose more weight I would say. One day when I am feeling better about the way that I look, we will spend the money. Then, this fall, I looked at my family one night and I said–we’re doing this. Screw being thin or younger looking or having fancier clothes. Now is the time. Do you know why? Because we here in Pughville have never been happier or more content or more connected as a family and those are the things that truly translate into a beautiful image. Those are the things that I want to remember.

I know that custom photography is a luxury and is not inexpensive. I also know that many people choose photographers based on their budget(and I know that to some degree, budget must be considered). Today I am writing this post to try and explain to you how different it is to book a photographer whose work makes your heart sing. Put aside your budget–the way you did when you booked that luxury holiday or bought those expensive shoes you knew you shouldn’t but made you feel so fabulous that you couldn’t resist. This is a luxury that will bring you joy for so many years that, in the end, you will realize it was priceless. Your research should be more about reviewing portfolios and reading people’s blogs than it should be about looking at pricelists. When you make this leap, I think you will shock yourself with the results. I am kicking myself…wishing I had done it more when my kids were smaller. Even though my children are two of the most photographed children on the planet. I wish I had let another artist capture them through their lens…and, more importantly, capture my family’s love and laughter and life in a way that brought a lump to my throat and a tear to my eye. I will never let another year pass. E.V.E.R.

I had a tough time narrowing down the images I wanted to share with you all. There were so many that made my heart sing. This is what I came up with:

That last image screams ‘Tara Whitney took this picture’… If you hire someone whose work makes your heart sing you will even love pictures of yourself The best pictures of me in FOREVER. Of course, there aren’t many pictures of me from the last few years. Because of this, I was so scared that I would look at the images and be shocked at how old I was, but all I saw was happiness

We were so lucky that night was–by a mile–the most glorious night of our entire trip. Our campground was all in bloom with these gorgeous yellow flowers. And, we had spent the day relaxing on the beach doing nothing but playing together.

These last few images of me and my kids will be blown up into a large wall display. I will post images once I am done. These images of me and my Bob just fill me with happiness.

And, this kite image, will be printed large and put upstairs…I have two spots in mind for it. I’ll photograph it when I actually hang them Tara is designing a book for me as well. I can’t wait to see it. It was super important to me to have her put the images together the way she sees them as it is her work.

Thank you, Tara, for this lovely gift. You simply have no idea. These images were a gift on so many levels–on a professional level, it was a wonderful thing to get a sense for being a client and on a personal level, I am left with a collection of images that illustrate our love oh so well. Thank you for sharing your gift with us!

Happy Monday Everyone!

~Dana