Camillia Courts Photography

It's been a slice...

2010-10-28T19:52:00.005-07:00

Well it is with some sadness that I am saying so long to this blog. It's the first blog I set up when I decided I really wanted to "get into this photography thing". I've spent a ton of time crying over this darn thing (this blog has taught me I am not as good at html than I thought I was), but I've also been really proud of it at the same time.

I now have a brand spankin' NEW blog. Much easier to navigate than this one, and well...it's just easier all round. I thank you loyal readers for always checkin' in, *cough* mom *cough*. But hopefully you'll like the new blog just as much....at least I do!

It's been a slice, see you on the flip side :)

www.camilliacourts.com/blog

Picture of the Day

2010-10-24T10:34:00.004-07:00

I swear I didn't take an hour trying to set this up ;)

Garrett Clark shaving-Vernon BC

2010-10-19T09:51:00.005-07:00

I didn't lie, He really DID shave in an alley ;)

First, he started off like this:

And in the end this handsome devil emerged ;)

Thanks for the laughs Garrett!!!

Davidson Orchards, October 17th/10

2010-10-17T23:01:00.011-07:00

Wow...here I am at 11:30pm drinking my 2nd Starbucks of the day (does this mean I have some sort of problem?) and I am exhausted. It's been a long, but great day. We started off with a little drive-thru breakfast and then braved the crowds to get a pumpkin at Davidson Orchards. Aidan was thrilled when he realized where we were. We've learned with him if we're going anywhere fun not to tell him until we've arrived. Because he drives us (mostly me) bonkers with the sheer volume of questions. ***Side note: when Aidan was 3 months old a woman on the radio said the average 4 year old asks over 400 questions in a day. I looked at Lee and said "that CANNOT be true, can it???" the answer, is YES. And they ask questions from the minute they get up till the second they fall asleep. "Mommy can you get up now? Mommy, what are we doing today? Mommy can I have some juice....Mommy? When are you going to bed? Mommy, do I have to wear pyjamas to bed? Mommy? Can I have some juice?"

Anyways, Davidsons was great as always. Layla missed out on her nap while we were there, so sh** hit the fan fairly fast and I forgot my sunglasses of course...so by the end of the trip I thought I was going to have permanent crows feet. I did get some wonderful pictures of the kids though. Davidsons is one the most perfect place for pictures too. Lots of colors and lots of scenery.

After Davidsons I had a quick minute to eat, checked my gear and made my way out to Cherryville for a shoot (teasers to come soon!). But before I left I was asked by (surprise!) the 4 year old if we were going to carve the pumpkins tonight...crap...ugh...ya I guess we are bud.

One of my favourite photos of the day. Ok, it's at least top 2.

Awww I'm pretty sure he loves her. Either that or he's trying to kill her. Hard to tell...he just mauls her all day.

Thats the smile I was waiting for all day....

My little sunshine :)

How tall are you this year Aidan? "I dunno, I tan't see it!"

Pure boy.

I think this was Layla's favourite part of the day. She wouldn't quit squealing.

Layla showing off her baby pumpkin

Aidan found a good one. And then he dropped it. And we ran away....

And at 8pm we started carving the pumpkins (Wait, shouldn't you kids be in bed????)

Layla loved digging into that pumpkin. Whowouldathought???

Hmmmm, let me give this pumpkin a taste...

I ADORE this picture.

Aidan getting in on the action

Layla decided on a two handed approach

Hubs took this photo of me. Look, I'm workin' so hard. And I'm being incredibly safe.

Not a technically good photo, but I like it nonetheless.

Now it's time for bed.... I may be exhausted, but I know soon enough I'll wish I could go back to the days when Aidan asked too many questions and life revolved around Layla's naptime.

**I'd also like to thank Kate Nash for getting me through all my editing. I'm pretty sure she wrote "The Nicest Thing" just for me. Thx Kate.

Garrett Clark- Vernon BC

2010-10-13T09:17:00.012-07:00

Here is possibly one of the most fun shoots I've ever done. Ladies and Gents, if you're not familiar this dashing lad is Garrett Clark, a local comedian (with an Australian accent to boot!) you can read his whole biography HERE.

So what made the shoot so fun? Garrett shaved in an alley...using a women's disposable leg razor. He'd been growing it for about a month and it was about time for him to update his head shots, so why not shave than in an alley and document the whole thing??? I brought along 2 old coke bottles filled with hot water, we used my good salad bowl as a basin and an old mirror from a vanity I had when I was a teen. Oh and I should mention that Garrett is HILARIOUS...I think I giggled through the whole shoot. It helps that I like Aussies too ;)

Passerbys stopped and stared quite a bit. Apparently an entire office stopped what they were doing and watched us. What is this weird?

An hour later, a bit of rain, some razor burn and 2 Pilsners later we'd completed a truly fun and amazing shoot! And Garrett walked away with a wicked 'stashe. Check out these pics of him PRE shave. Please take notice that his pants are in fact, undone.

SHAVING pics to come soon!!!!

Beautiful Brittany- Vernon BC

2010-10-05T21:20:00.013-07:00

So I had this lovely paragraph all about Brittany and how cute and funny she is and then the more I wrote the creepier it sounded, so I'm just gonna let the pictures speak for themselves :)

Hands down one of the best photos I've ever taken

Stanley Cup Day!

2010-10-01T09:57:00.007-07:00

For those of you who don't follow hockey, Duncan Keith won an Olympic Gold medal, the Norris Trophy and the Stanley Cup all in one year. That is a pretty big achievement and this is only his 5th year with the NHL playing for the Chicago Blackhawks. (Thanks to my husband for the stats... ;) ) and even better that he's a local Okanagan boy. On July 17th Penticton held "Duncan Keith Day". I had the pleasure of getting to capture all of it up close and personal. I really like hockey, but wouldn't necessarily call myself a hockey fanatic (unlike my husband Lee and my cousin Gillen), but even for me this was a pretty darn cool day. I got to see the cup come off the plane, then get to see it hoisted by Duncan himself. I followed Duncan and his family to show off the cup to his parents and Grandparents, we toured the hospital, went to a massive celebration, a luncheon and then for a party back at Duncan and Kelly Rae's house.

Actually the best part of seeing the cup come off the plane was getting to see Gillen and Lee's reaction. Pretty darn priceless actually. Like two kids who just discovered Santa is real. Gillen actually said "If we went home right now this would still be the best day of my life!"

One of the highlights of the day was going to the hospital to show off the cup to the patients. It was so great to see so many smiling faces. One elderly patient stood out in particular. After being introduced to Duncan and the cup, he told Duncan that he should play for the Canucks and when Duncan told him he played for the Blackhawks, he said "Oh that's too bad." Then he refused to have his picture taken with a Blackhawks hat on because as he said "I'm a Canucks fan all the way!"

Then there was the patient who was very sick and we were told that he didn't have much longer to live. He reached out and touched the Olympic Gold medal and said very quietly, "Ok. I can go." *tear*

And I must say that Duncan handled it like a pro. I've never heard so many people demand so much from one person and so I tip my hat to you sir.

I'd like to say an enormous thank you to Duncan and Kelly Rae for having me. It was an absolute pleasure being able to capture this day and getting to know you. Congratulations to the both of you and I wish you both the best!

*** Camillia Courts Photography retains all copyright. Do no copy or reproduce any images posted.

Chelsea + Cory, Vernon BC

2010-09-30T09:40:00.007-07:00

This hot babe is one of my closest friends and a truly wonderful person. We've known each other since high school, and I actually still have all the old notes we used to pass to each other (OMG Chelsea, I read a few of them recently and almost died....so embarrassing...)

Chelsea stood for me at my wedding, and I'm soooo happy that I'll get to see her walk down the aisle in May! I'll probably cry. Because that's the kinda thing I do at weddings. Plus it's CHELSEA'S WEDDING! OMG!!!! Oh ya, and Cory's super cute and sweet...I won't gush too much about him because I'm pretty sure that's inappropriate. But Chels, ya did good ;)

Much love to the two of you!!

My favourite :)

Baby Girl Emerson- Vernon BC

2010-09-24T07:36:00.003-07:00

Here's a sneak peek at the Phelan family's session!

Is she not adorable!!?!??!!

This one just cracks me up! What a ham!

I didn't make them do this. That's how cute they are :)

Oh what's this?? They had a baby the very NEXT DAY!!!!!!!

Congratulations!!!!!

Aveda make up training- Vernon BC

2010-09-22T16:36:00.009-07:00

Yesterday at work myself and a few of my lovely co-workers got to partake in some make up training. Thank goodness. I've been selling the stuff for 2 years and I don't know anything about it other than it tastes good. Usually that's not enough to make people want to buy it (crazy right?). For example.... them: "Excuse me, do you know if this lipstick is long lasting?" Me: "Good question. I have no idea, but it tastes delicious!" them: "ummmm ok?"

See so I learned something (FTR, that taste is spearmint and vanilla ;) ) at training. And we also got to apply it on each other. Tracy, our Aveda extraordinaire did mine and I left with what Aidan called "frogs on my eyes" Thanks buddy. Some may call that "green"

The lovely Shannon and her super sexy Veronica Lake hair

The eye color that was used on me

Brittany and Carly. Note that Brittnay is sticking out her bum (caught ya;) )

Awww they're cute :)

Carly checking to see that Brittany didn't screw up

The brand spankin' new make up station

I love me some Barbie Pink!

Us ladies all done up and ready to go out!

That takes some talent Kari ;)

Kyle Perison's Trash the Dress Workshop

2010-09-17T11:02:00.008-07:00

Last month, I attended Kyle Perison's Trash the Dress workshop at the Wedding Cafe in Kelowna. I learned a ton from Kyle...particularly how he edits his photos. Something I'm really fascinated by. I'm a crappy editor. Like, really bad. So good job Kyle :) It was also really nice to meet so many great photographers in the Okanagan! And I met my purse twin. Lola in Red and Lola in Black had a very nice playdate (Shoutout to Lyne Inhoff ;))

I don't have enough good things to say about the workshop. I think Kyle did a great job keeping 13 ladies (and one dude) on task, had lots of interesting things to say, and the food at theWedding Cafe was great!

FYI, for you single guys out there, you want to meet women? Become a photographer and then have a workshop. You'll have your pick of the ladies. No joke.

Here is the lovely Carolyn Carson of Carolyn Caron Photography modelling for us. We also became best friends. Do you see her shoes??? Pure heaven.

Kyle showin' us the magic.

Does this work? Still not sure. But there is something about it I like. I really wish for these ones I could have been a foot taller.

How great is she? And fearless too btw. I mean, she climbed into a tree wearing those shoes and that dress at one point.

I love her legs in this photo

This one is hard to explain. Essentially Kyle wanted her to FLY off the end of the slide. So he demonstrated. I'm pretty sure that's Carolyn sayin "are you crazy????" But hey, she's fearless. So she did what he said. And she did it beautifully.

*LOVE*

Awww she's so pretty :) She's going to be one darn beautiful bride this weekend!

Nuff said.

And my favourite one. Seriously great I tells ya! Thanks to Kyle for letting me play with his flash

Many thanks to the wonderful and talented Kyle Perison for all his hard work that he put into his Trash the Dress workshop!

My Birthday

2010-09-10T08:40:00.004-07:00

This year I turned 27. I was not happy about it. Almost a month later I'm still in denial. However, I did have a fantastic birthday. My cousin lent me her smokin' dress to wear to work, a co-worker bought me flowers (Thanks Shannon!) another took me out for lunch (Thanks Amy!), and my lovely family spoiled me rotten :) I'm a pretty lucky girl.

We started off with some cake before the festivities began:

Aidan picked out my cake. What a sweetheart.

What better way to enjoy cake then on the floor with your sibling. Hey kids can you look up so I can take a picture? Kids?

Hey! Up here!

Aww look at my handsome boy. Getting so big everyday it makes me a little teary.

After cake things got a little messy......

My Epiphanie Bag Review

2010-09-09T11:31:00.005-07:00

I've been obsessing over these bags since I saw them featured on The Momtographers. A camera bag purse? Right up my alley. And look at them....so pretty. And with names like Belle, Ginger and Lola how could you go wrong? I already had a camera bag (which was really just a backpack) so I resisted ordering an Epiphanie bag. Then once I saw that my good friend Carol-Ann had bought Lola in Black I said 'to hell with it' and ordered Lola in Red.

Well look what came. Isn't she lovely?

There is a whole lot I love about the bag, but what I love most is that it fits my Canon 50D WITH a battery grip AND the 50mm 1.4, 70-200 f4, Speedlite flash, 50mm, 17-40 f4 along with my wallet, ipod, extra batteries, cell phone and any other random things I may need to take with me. It's also not THAT big (although many men who've seen me with the bag will disagree) so it's not like I'm having to haul around luggage everywhere I go-much like how I feel when I take my backpack. It comes with a shoulder strap as well so I can use it while I shoot. Plus I look so damn stylish.

Here is my love in the driveway

THE INSIDE IS PURPLE!!! How cute is that? Here you can see that it's holding all my equipment...except for my camera because...well I needed that. So where my wallet and Ipod are is where I'd keep my camera.

How cute is this? The side pocket is perfect for keeping my phone and business cards handy.

The only negative thing about the bag was how much it cost to ship it to Canada. That and I have a hard time NOT using it as my daily purse.

http://www.epiphaniebags.com/

The best light I've ever shot in...ruined by baseball ;)

2010-09-09T08:39:00.006-07:00

A few weekends ago we entered a ball team into a Kamloops tournament. (When I say 'we' I mean Lee because I didn't actually play). But I did take pictures. At the last game I watched the absolute best light I've ever seen come out. Truly beautiful. A little pink, very golden, perfect placement...it was divine. I almost grabbed some little kid in the stands to take her picture but thought that might get me arrested. So the team was my guinea pig.

Kevin looking like he's ready to kill someone. But look how the light is hitting his face!!!

Another Kev picture. This is SOOC. No joke. I didn't even crop it.

Aww pretty Marci. I took this at f 1.4. so I had to do a little bit of sharpening, but I love it nonetheless. The color is great and I like how the light is hitting the side of her face.

Wade up to bat. Also taken at 1.4

I don't know who this guy is. But (again) the way the light cast on him and the bat was just asking for a picture. Another SOOC. I probably could have straightened it, but lazyness got the best of me.

The boys watching our Ringer hit it out of the park. I think. Or maybe he just got really close.

Awww defeated....for the record....SOOC. I love this picture. I don't know why but the sun flare and the warmness make it great for me. Too bad they're all so bummed that they lost.

Typical Camillia fashion: "Take my picture too!"

A technically horrible picture of Kevin and I but I like it anyway.

Kids on the Farm

2010-08-15T09:49:00.004-07:00

Yesterday we said so long to our aunt, uncle and cousins before the left for New Zealand. Out of pure jealousy, I'm not posting pictures of them until I receive my plane ticket ;)

I did however, get a ton of the pictures of the kids. Wow did they remind me of what it was like visiting the farm as a kid. Dirt, Grandmas veggies and finding empty beer cans everywhere ;)

It was incredibly hot so we turned on the sprinkler for the kiddies. Layla doesn't look all that thrilled in this picture, but I assure you she had a great time in the sprinkler. She's such a waterbaby! I love how model-esque she looks in this photo:

Aidan was lucky enough to have his much older cousin dig up some of Grandma's carrots. Thank GAWD she didn't catch them...there would have been some yelling I'm sure! Aidan wouldn't stop chewing long enough for me to take a picture. So here he is enjoying his fresh-from-the-garden carrot.

Layla snatched Aunty G's waterbottle and backwashed the shit out of that thing. Sorry G.

Noah found his way into the garden and got SOOOO dirty. It was too adorable not to capture...

Then Layla followed. How cute is this? I'm sure we have simliar photos of us cousins growing up like this. Playin in the dirt. Ahh, so much fun.

Sorry Steph, Micah wouldn't stay still long enough for me to take ANY pictures of him!

Taryn's Baby Bump

2010-08-06T22:04:00.004-07:00

How cute is Taryn??? Seriously cute. Seriously.

Congratulations to Taryn and Ben!

More Ali + Ryan | Naramata BC

2010-08-04T17:25:00.007-07:00

Here are a few more teasers from Ali and Ryan's gorgeous Naramata wedding! Enjoy!

The Bride

The Girls' Shoes

Saying her vows!

The lucky groom ;)

A classic dip and kiss....and yet it's still my favorite

Another one I'm proud of. BTW this is all about me.

She's so cute :)

Kelly Rae had my heart when she said she wanted to do a jumping picture!!!! MY FAVOURITE PICTURES ARE JUMPING PICTURES! Also happy that there was no cooters showing ;)

Ali during the speeches

A few tears during Kelly Rae's speech...

Ah....such a great couple!

The first dance...love that sunset!

Ali + Ryan | Naramata BC | July 23rd 2010

2010-07-26T21:32:00.004-07:00

It was such a privilege to get to witness (and capture!) my good friend Ali's wedding. It was such a lovely and gorgeous wedding that I'm actually pretty jealous! Here is a little teaser for now...

Congratulations Ali and Ryan!

Siona & Jeff, Vernon BC

2010-07-12T22:35:00.007-07:00

On July 10th I was lucky enough to be invited to capture Siona and Jeff's wedding on Kalamalka Lake. From the scenery, to the Bride (and her dress!) every detail was breathtaking. They are so very much in love and it was very apparent on their wedding day. The look on Jeff's face when he first saw Siona would melt any girls heart. And Siona....can't say enough wonderful things about her (Like how she's every photographers dream!).

As per usual, I did tear up when Siona made a speech about the favours, and then again when she thanked her mom, also the speech from the Mother of the Groom was very touching. They are lucky to have such strong and lovely people supporting them.

I wish you both the best!

And a shout out to Billie Metz Photography for accompanying me!

Check the end of this post for a slideshow and more pictures!

Siona checking to see if it was time

Kissing the Bride!

The Girls

Requested by the Bride and Groom :) LOVE Blue Steel!

Could she be more beautiful?

My FAVOURITE.

Joanne + Bernard Vernon BC

2010-06-24T08:20:00.006-07:00

Congratulations to Joanne and Bernard! What a beautiful wedding and a fantastic couple! I wish you all the best!

And a big thank you to Kyle Perison (www.kyleperison.com) for letting me tag along! I had a great time!

Hey who's this guy in the shot??? ;)

Kyle rockin the Nikon

The most difficult bride ever!

2010-06-21T21:19:00.005-07:00

Today I had a bridal session with the most difficult bride ever!

For one, she had a hard time deciding on weather or not she wanted to wear the veil...

she had a hard time focusing...

She goofed off way too much...

Plus she had a rotten attitude...

But in the end she got into it and we produced some beautiful shots!

You're lucky you're cute Yella!!!

Matthew & Kristen's Wedding

2010-06-18T14:56:00.012-07:00

Matthew & Kristen- May 22nd 2010

The Details

Waiting for his beautiful bride

Yay! Matthew and Kristen are married!!!!!! Please tell me what the guy in the front row on the right is doing???? ;)

The wedding party!

I told them to kinda run......

This is where things got messy! Great captures by Sarah Larsen!

Kristen and her girls!

And her guys!

I adore the colours in these shots. Oh and Matt & Kristen are too cute.

A favorite of mine. Hard to keep this one under wraps! I wanted to post it as a teaser so bad! I think what I love about it, is that they didn't know I was taking their picture.

Another fave of mine!

But this one is my ultimate favourite!!!!

Oh my god this one cracks me up!!!!

"I wanna grow old with you"

Congratulations Matthew and Kristen! I wish you a lifetime of love and happiness!

Nikki's TRASH THE DRESS!

2010-06-03T08:25:00.013-07:00

I met up with my good friend Nikki yesterday in downtown Vernon for a trash the dress shoot. I seriously couldn't have asked for a better model. Other than being gorgeous, she was a total sport. Heck she CHANGED into her wedding dress in an alley off main street! That's commitment right there ;)

The weather couldn't have been more perfect either. First it poured rain, and stopped just as we were about to start. The sun peaked through at perfect times and then we hit the golden hour at the end. We couldn't have timed it any better if we tried. Oh and then we missed a downpour by 15 mins. See what I mean?

Thank you Nikki for a very beautiful and memorable Wednesday night!!!!

Work it girl ;)

We headed to a dirty alley in Vernon where the sun peaked out. Nikki still looks beautiful even when there are questionable things splattered on the wall behind her

Look! A cat joined us!

My favourite of the umbrella series

This one is pretty good too :P

Oh we stumbled onto this awesome purple door! Paint can included! Score!

Ahhh, golden hour. It's like butta. I love this picture.

Seriously, how pretty is she!?!?!?

Nikki has boys :P

Oh ya, I made her do it.

Seriously perfect! A duck showed up! First a cat, then a duck...

Ya? So what? I'm just hangin' out in the lake on June 2nd, no biggie.

The funniest thing about this is that there were some people training in the water wearing wetsuits. They looked at us like we were crazy.

OMG isn't she adorable???

So many favorite pictures, but I do love this one. Like, seriously LOVE

Snaps to Nikki :)

Kara and Clayton's First date

2010-06-01T12:07:00.006-07:00

Ok, so this wasn't their first date, but I got the chance to re-create their first date on their one year anniversary. First stop Scandia and then a walk in Kelowna City Park. Scandia always floods me with memories from birthday parties I attended there as a kid. It helps that Scandia hasn't changed at all.

We started with a round of mini golf. I loved hearing the stories of how awkward and nervous they were on their first date. Seriously cute. I think Kara found a good one in Clayton :) Congrats to the two of you on your one year anniversary!

Ahhh Scandia....

Clayton and Kara :)

For the record Kara won ;)

One of my favorite pics. My ABSOLUTE fave is coming up ;)

I almost forgot how beautiful Kelowna is

So happy together

My favorite picture!!! And if I remember correctly the first smooch was near this part of the park!

Thank you Kara and Clayton for the great afternoon! I'll have to take you on in a round of mini golf soon!

Matt and Kristen got married!

2010-05-24T11:31:00.004-07:00

Here are a few teasers...I'll have a full write up in a few days :) I just wanted to say a big congratulations to Matt and Kristen. Kristen looked absolutely stunning-and Matt didn't look so bad himself ;) A wonderful couple, and a beautiful wedding (oh, and pretty cute kids too!)

Christyna's Baby Bump

2010-05-20T09:12:00.008-07:00

After 2 days of downpour Christyna and I finally got to meet and take some pictures of that adorable baby bump of hers. Can you believe she's only 35 weeks??? I think she looks amazing (far better than I did at 8 months!). We met at Black Rock in Vernon-what a beautiful place! I'd never been there before and with a view of all 3 lakes it's a really special spot.

Congratulations to Christyna and JP on their baby!

My FAVORITE picture! Isn't she just radiant!?

Oh! Another favourite!!!

Thank you Christyna! I had a great time!

The Wright Family

2010-05-17T15:40:00.004-07:00

"A friend is one of the nicest things you can have, and one of the best things you can be"

~Douglas Pagels

Lisa is a good friend of mine and oddly enough, knew my husband before she knew me. She's always been there to lend an ear and she's always good for a laugh. I was very honoured to capture her and her beautiful family.

The Ice Cream Store

2010-05-16T14:06:00.007-07:00

After a failed attempt at yet ANOTHER cake smash session with Layla we all decided that ice cream was in order (seriously, what is wrong with her? She DOESN'T like cake? I don't think she's mine). Aidan LOVES 'the ice cream store' so we packed up the family on a lovely sunday afternoon and headed downtown.

Aidan scoping out his choices

Bubblegum it is.....

In typical Aidan fashion, he loaded it with candy

She doesn't like cake, but she certainly loves ice cream!

I love this picture because of the way she's looking at her daddy <3

Feeding Layla on the floor like a dog, Sorry missy.

I like their thinkin'

Daddy and Aidan searching for lost gummy bears

Check out this cute baby bum!

My attempt at getting the kids together for a picture...this is the best I could get

Thanks kids for a fun trip to the ice cream store!

Layla's pretty pink dress

2010-05-10T21:53:00.003-07:00

This is my baby. I love her.

Thursday Afternoon Project

2010-05-06T20:37:00.006-07:00

I've been dying for a jazzed up camera strap for a while and yesterday I found instructions for a DIY camera strap cover. It turned out BEAUTIFULLY! Saved myself a couple dollars (yay!) and I'm able to swap it whenever the mood strikes. I haven't sewed since Mr. O'Hearn's Home Ec class in 2000 so I was totally prepared for a hot mess disaster- I actually kicked that camera strap's ass ;)

The fabric I picked up today at Fabricland. Thank you Marla for lending me your membership card. I saved major mula! Not sure if I'm going to make a strap cover out of the orange....not really my style-remind me why I bought it???

My nasty ass old camera strap

Layla decided SHE wanted to play dress up and as I was measuring the strap she snatched the fabric away from me, and I snatched my camera. Little turd.

Makin sure I like what the strap will look like

WOO HOO! It's done! I think I'm gonna get an A.

My Love and my new camera strap! Fancy eh?

Ya it's pretty much the best thing ever.

I have a TON of this fabric left. Any WB'ers want a matching cover ;)

For instructions on how to make your own DIY camera strap cover, click here: SHOW ME!

Chloe's Cake SMASH!!!!

2010-04-28T18:59:00.008-07:00

It's Chloe's Birthday! And what better way to celebrate than to smash a cake that mom spent hours in the kitchen slaving over into smitherines!!?!?! Chloe was such a trooper during her Cake Smash session. No cold or wind could keep her away from that cake!

A round of applause to Jessie for making such an ADORABLE cake! I tasted it too btw....delish!

Happy Birthday Chloe!

The Birthday Girl!

What's this? CAKE??? And I'm allowed to eat it????

Comin' off her sugar high ;)

Wright Teaser

2010-04-27T10:46:00.003-07:00

Just one tiny teaser :)

Anderson is three!!!!

2010-04-27T10:04:00.005-07:00

Happy Birthday Anderson! It may be a *tad* belated but nonetheless, Celebrate! Congrats Mom and Dad for surviving 3 whole years as parents ;) I've enjoyed getting to know all of you, and watching your little ones grow! Here's to many more years and many more birthday candles!

A big thank you to Anderson for being such a little rock star during his shoot! Thanks for the giggles little man!!!

Love those eyes!

I love little kid feet

And because I couldn't resist......

MMMMMM Summer

2010-04-22T14:04:00.006-07:00

We're nearing that time in the year in the Okanagan that we're only given 2 weeks of neutral weather...not too hot, not to cold. Come May it'll get hot and stay hot for 4 months. It's glorious. So to prepare, I've been organizing our house. Out with the winter clothes, in with the summer.

Layla is in desperate need of shoes, so Grandma bought her 2 pairs for her birthday. Seriously....HOW CUTE ARE THESE???

Pair #2, I would wear these if they were my size...sadly, they don't make them in elephant size. Boo.

Ack! I can't wait for her to wear these! In no time at all they're going to be scuffed, dirty, grass stains, food will get spilled on them and who knows what else...

Another part of my annual "prepare for summer tradition" (is that a thing?) is to buy a new bathing suit...and lookie here! I found myself a super cute suit at Winners. Can't beat it for 29.99. I look like a 1940's goddess in it, you know...not that I really think that highly of myself or anything :P

MMMMMM Hooker pink...my fave. Time to get rid of this dark berry polish, and bust out the prostitutes...I mean, the hooker pink polish....

Oh and you gotta love this 50mm lens wide open- it's like butta.

Bring on the sunshine!!!! PLEASE!!!!

Andrew Allen loves the Volcano

2010-04-22T13:03:00.005-07:00

Here is my buddy Andrew :) Some of you may remember that I took the picture that is now on his CD cover!

Well he is stuck at the Calgary airport trying to get to the UK and I was forwarded this by a friend who works there and said he's made quite an impression on the Calgary Airport. Gotta love Andrew's attitude. Can take a crappy situation and turn it upside down :)

I hope you can make it to the UK soon Andrew!

www.andrewallenlive.com

Who knew weeds could be so beautiful

2010-04-17T10:42:00.011-07:00

One of the best parts about being a mom is that I get flowers often. Paper flowers from school mostly, but every spring a certain yellow flower pops up in the yard and immediately it's picked and displayed in our home. Nope, not Daffodils...I'm talking about Dandelions. Ugh. "Weeds" is what I was told they were growing up, yet I still remember picking them for my mom. They're yellow and they made her happy when I gave them to her (and I do recall a smile on my dads face when I gave them to him too) so in my mind, they were a flower.

Today I got a knock at the door and opened it to find this...Aidan holding 3 dandelions and saying "I picked these for you mommy". I immediately grabbed my camera and snapped these two pics of him holding his tiny boquet of weeds. Makes my heart soar a bit.

"Are you going to put them in water mommy?" Why yes I am Aidan.

"Why don't you come watch me pick dandelions mommy?" Ok Aidan, I will.

"Look! I found another one mommy!"

And so I had a small bouquet of flowers. "Beautiful" I thought. So much so that I had to take a picture. The only vase small enough to hold them was a votive candle that we used at our wedding in 2008. Nonetheless, it's beautiful.

"Mommy, you love dandelions?" Yes I do Aidan. "I know, you love them everytime!"

And now I have a few more. So many that they don't all fit in the candle holder. Aidan told me he likes it when I smile so that's why he wanted to pick me some flowers. *tear*

What's this? Aidan has a.....BUCKET of dandelions?????

"You love them right mommy??" uhhhhhh.....yes?

Well, what can I say? He wanted to make me happy, and he did. He picked me some beautiful yellow flowers and managed to weed my yard at the same time ;)

But wait....he wasn't done...

So here I am with 2 buckets of dandelions, yellow stained hands and one smelly little boy. But we both have smiles on our faces. I'm going to cherish these little kid moments. Thanks bud for my beautiful flowers

I heart Tina Fey

2010-04-14T10:38:00.006-07:00

I really love Tina Fey. Maybe a little TOO much. Actually as we speak I'm watching 30 Rock- I'm pretty sure I'm going to see Date Night again, and when my wonderful husband surpised me with a trip to NYC for Christmas, I spent most of my time looking for Tina...just one of the reasons I insited we go to 30 Rockefeller Center ;)

To prove I was actually there (and TOTALLY scoping the crowd for Tina)

I even bought a tshirt from NBC studios :)

And that's why I LOVE LOVE LOVE this video. It makes me happy. Especially the part when she yells at her staff and tells them they'll never alter drapes in Atlanta again...oh how I've felt like that on the worst mornings....

Tina! Be my best friend!

Happy Wednesday!

MMMM Nail Polish

2010-04-13T12:28:00.004-07:00

Love it...which colour should I go for? I personally love hooker pink...

Back to the grind...

2010-04-12T20:54:00.006-07:00

Today was my first day back at work and what a great day it was! Today was the Predator Ridge games (I think) and we got to take a peek at the brand new golf course. BEAUTIFUL! What a gorgeous view of Okanagan lake. I can imagine that's going to be a popular attraction when it opens this summer. I'm not a golfer and even I was impressed. It was also really nice to get to really experience everything Predator Ridge has to offer. And my teammate/tour guide was fantastic! He knew EVERYTHING about the resort.

I brought my camera and snapped away. Hard to pick a favourite...ok I lied, I think the nail polish is my favorite....

To Aidan, on his 4th Birthday

2010-04-09T12:36:00.003-07:00

I made this for you little guy. You completely changed my life for the better and I thank you for it. It's not much, but it's a great little way to remember the past 4 years and to see you grow into this sweet little guy who loves his sister, his stuffy, and his parents. I love waking up with your sweaty little head on my cheek even though it's fairly uncomfortable. I am soaking up all the kisses I can because I know that soon enough they'll be gone. I can't wait to see you grow up, but I want you to stay my little buddy forever

My last day of Maternity Leave....

2010-04-07T18:13:00.008-07:00

Today is the last day of my maternity leave. Tomorrow I go back to work at a wonderful place, but I will really miss these carefree days of no work...well we know that motherhood is definitely [i]work[/i], but I really enjoy being home, that it's felt like a whole year of vacation. And what an amazing 12 months it's been. Costa Rica, The birth of Layla, a nice warm summer, the start of my business, a ton of baby "firsts", New York City and finally, the kids' 4th and 1st birthdays.

I had big plans for my last day of maternity leave but the weather had a different idea. I was able to sneek outside for about an hour between rain showers with the kids and their 'friends'. It wasn't a long time, but it sure was fun :)

"Come on Yella, give Honey a hug!" (more on the 'friends' later)

Layla watching her brother get into trouble

Aidan and his friend on the bike. This was very serious business as I was told.

Here is a self portrait of us ladies. It is darn hard to wrap your hand around a 50D to get a good picture when you're by yourself...but I did it. Should I be proud of that??? This was the best one of the bunch, and I think we're a good lookin pair eh Layla?

Two outtakes. But I think they're beautiful.

Aidan took his friends down the slide and I caught this genuine smile from him. He doesnt' do this very often for the camera.

I love watching Aidan be goofy.

I didn't pose this. He just really loves his sister...awww

They are too cute sometimes

Layla is in love with these little guys. Anytime she sees them she gives them a hug. Now why is it that two stuffed animals get so much love from her, but I have to BEG for a kiss!!! Not fair I tell ya.

I tried to get a photo of all three of us. I think you can see Layla got cut out of the picture....But I think it's just precious and a very rare moment so I'm keeping it. He's such a sweet little guy. I hope it lasts. And I hope his sister is just as good when she gets older because he set the bar pretty high. No pressure Layla, no pressure.

It's Me!

I tried to get a photo of just Aidan and I but somehow only managed to focus on myself....oops...sorry Aidan. But I thought it was a good'er so I'm including it. It was darn hard not to photoshop the shit out of this photo ;)

And here we are with the "friends". These are Aidan and Layla's friends. Raindrop is the blue one-he's Aidans. Honey is the pink one-she's Laylas. Aidan named them both and Raindrop joined the family on his birthday. Honey showed up a few days later on Easter. The kids are abosolutley in love with them. Layla hugs them any chance she gets, and Aidan likes to have Raindrop with him everywhere he goes. I have a feeling they'll be around for a while. And I think it's too cute that he asks where his friends are.

So tomorrow it's back to the grind....

New Blog is on the way....

2010-04-07T08:00:00.007-07:00

........and until then, whatevs, I'll have to suffer with this for now (*wink wink)

Weather has been absolute crap here. Crap. Raining, it's cold, and it's stayed around 10 degrees (lucky east coasters and your 30 degree weather!!!) so it's made taking pictures outside near impossible.

Until Aidan's birthday on the 1st! Beautiful sunny and warm day!!!!! We had a lovely little party for him and it was a success! I will fully admit to being really sad that he was turning four...FOUR.....what the heck. It feels like just yesterday and a million years ago that I was bringing him home from the hospital.

Aidan checking out the balloons I blew up the morning of his bday

The bouncy castle!

Present tree

Woooo goin down the slide!

No!!! I will not look at my cousin!!!!!!

Aidans first look at his cake :)

Blowing out the candles with Maddy

It's a Wolverine Cake

OMGOSH this is a classic picture. I'm not sure what Heidi is doing, but it's hilarious....and the birthday boy is crying in the background....although he was really upset because he cut his finger.

The best group picture I could get

Heidi and her mama

Bryar!!! What an award winning smile :)

Maddy! She is such a sweetheart and can really hold her own with those rowdy boys

Happy 4th Birthday Aidan! I love you!

BLOG UNDER CONSTRUCTION

2010-03-26T07:24:00.004-07:00

Due to my stupidity......the blog is down.

This teaches me for rushing and not thinking things through...The website is still up www.babycakesphotography.ca and you can contact me at camilliacourts@babycakesphotography.ca

Please check back soon to see my whole new blog!!!!

Pooches in the Park!

2010-03-24T17:45:00.004-07:00

This story is such an outrage : Trooper the Dog

My good friend Carol-Ann in Richmond BC is hosting a Pooches in the Park to raise money for Trooper! If you're in the area book with her, or at least pop by to make a donation!

For more info contact:

Carol-Ann Photography

Carol-Ann's Blog

It's a TIE DYE Sensation!!!!

2010-03-17T21:59:00.008-07:00

My kid's birthday are coming up....4 and 1 so this year I swore I would "Make The Cakes Myself!" and after reading a blog with very pretty instructions on how to make a rainbow cake, I thought "heck ya I can do that"...turns out...I sorta can. Here are our cake makin' escapades on a lovely sunny afternoon in March

Aidan in his mis-matched jamma's ready to help mommy in the kitchen

Ohhh, artistic.

I poured 2 cups of batter in each bowl and added color. Fancy!

Hey! No sneakin' batter DAD!

Then we poured a cup of color into each pan, reversing the colors in the 2nd pan

Look's so pretty!

Note how full the back pan is........

Lee's reaction when he saw................

THIS......oops. I think it was a LITTLE too full :P

This is about the time Lee exclaimed "It's a TIE DYE SENSATION!!!!"

Holy sh*t! The cake is done!
The ruined one...still looks good though right???

Hey, at least Aidan still thought it was good!

What the good one looks like when you cut into it :)

Stay tuned for Layla's Rainbow Cake Smash!!!!!

Workin those tears

2010-03-05T17:53:00.006-08:00

Nobody can work tears like a baby girl. That art form obviously comes at an early age. And it comes in handy as you get older. How else could I have talked my way out of 5 speeding tickets in my lifetime?

But for this baby girl she's quickly learning how to turn daddy into a marshmallow. A little tear, chin down, a slow glance up, those big blue eyes look up at daddy, and with two large tears on her cheek he's running out to the nearest toy story to buy her the biggest teddy bear. Ok, so the last part may be an exaggeration, but she certainly is able to melt our hearts with those tears. Anything to make it all better. Suggles, kisses, tickles, maybe a spoonful of ice cream...perhaps another spoonful of ice cream, anything to make those tears stop.

Today on this beautiful March afternoon, I realized it was the Golden Hour and that I had to go outside and grab some new pics of Layla since we were long overdue. She ate some grass, clapped her hands, crawled around....and then in true girl fashion, the wind changed and she was miserable. And boy did she turn on the tears...big time.

She started off with this lovely stick. I'm trying to be cool about dirt in the mouth. It's healthy right?? RIGHT?

Yep, oh so happy with her stick

This is when the wind changed. According to Layla, life is only good when the wind is blowing from the SSE direction and at a speed of 12.35 KM. Anything other than that, and life as we know it is over. OVER I SAID!

Aww, look at those tears. Don't you just wanna give her a hug? And maybe wipe her nose?

Ugh, just pulls at those heart strings. This is where she was really workin it ;)

This is when the wonder of being a child comes back into play. Through her tears, she heard a strange new sound and saw an airplane

And back to the stick. The wind went back to it's SSE direction, and everything was right in the world

Then I gave her a hug and wiped her tears. She started to sob a little bit more. Thats when I told her to quit it.

Tears only work on me for so long;)

Life with a baby

2010-03-02T17:26:00.002-08:00

'Nuff said.

With Glowing Hearts

2010-02-25T13:37:00.006-08:00

What an amazing place to be! I packed up my (almost) four year old and we drove 4 hours to Vancouver where we took in the sites! We headed down to Robson Square and did some skating, saw some crazy people stand in line for 7 hours to ride the zip line, saw the torch, some Russian athletes and all in all soaked up the Canadian vibe! A great trip with my little man, that's for sure.

A big thank you to Ashley for not only being our host, but for also being our tour guide and helping out when I had the bright idea of taking Aidan skating.....

The Torch!, oh and my little guy :)

Aidan and the torch!

As Carol-Ann said, Probably packing up to catch their plane home! BURN!

Someone got a tad sleepy after the torch

MMMMM hot dog!

My little Canadian :)

Who's idea was it to go skating???? MOM!

On Granville

Lanterns on Granville

Ashley showing her Canadian pride....and Starbucks!

The Olympic village...I think

Feelin' mighty proud to be Canadian!!!

Because mom said I was boring...

2010-02-14T12:12:00.002-08:00

Take this mom!!!!

BTW Thanks for fixing my internet xoxox

Welcome to the world Lolani!

2010-01-30T10:01:00.006-08:00

This little princess was a DREAM during her shoot! Hardly any tears, she slept, and only peed a tiny bit on daddys records ;) Pretty good for a 15 day old baby! And might I add how jealous I am of her skin... PERFECT baby skin. No acne, no dry patches...oh the jealousy!

Awww aren't they precious when they sleep?

Daddy's a DJ!

The first time I was actually able to get a baby in a basket....and stay asleep!

Family pile up....Cheesy? Sure. Adorable? Absolutley!!! All I see are blue eyes!

Thank you Ashley and Pat! I hope to see you soon, if not for more pictures, than definitely a play date :)

Click here to see Ashley's maternity photos

The Olympic Torch Lighting

2010-01-26T19:26:00.007-08:00

So despite being throughly disappointed with the torch lighting, I'm still going to post pics anyway. Kids did great when we were there. No tears, heck Layla slept most of the time! Aidan was upset that he couldn't see the stage, but I assured him he wasn't missing much. Just one big ole Coca Cola ad anyways! (Thumbs up guys! Oh and another round of applause for having a whopping 3 porta potties to accomodate 4000 people! YAY!!!!!!)

I don't know why but Aidan kept throwin up the devil horns....

Layla showin her Canadian Pride.

A little somethin somethin for the WB ladies ;)

Hermione's shoot!

2010-01-25T16:31:00.005-08:00

For those of you who don't know, Hermione is the name of my camera. I have a bit of a theme going on...all my camera gear is named after Harry Potter characters. My 50D is so pretty and she's a girl, and she's my favourite. Hence, Hermione. Plus Professor McGonagall was just too long.

So today we had a nice little shoot her and I. She is such a ham!!! Just look at that flash! And that lens...oh she's just too cute for words. She especially loved the tu-tu.

Isn't she just precious??

I am so very bored.....

NEW YORK CITY BABY!

2010-01-21T10:18:00.006-08:00

Lee and I just came back from the MOST AMAZING TRIP EVER! NYC BABY!

Multiple Personalities

2009-12-22T10:45:00.003-08:00

Here is my first attempt at doing multiple personalities. It certainly isn't perfect. And if Layla wasn't sleeping I'd re do it :P

Nafeesa and Paul!

2009-12-17T11:58:00.007-08:00

Funny enough, Travis and Amy were my testers BEFORE my actual testers. I asked Nafeesa and Paul if they'd like to be my guinea pigs because I wanted to take photos using available light downtown. After I asked them, I panicked and had Travis and Amy test for me a few days before :P I tend to do that sometimes...ask my husband. I panic a lot...

Anyways, We got some great shots in Kelowna, it rained a little, and at one point my ass hit the pavement :P All in a days work I suppose. It just proves that I'll do ANYTHING for the perfect shot! LOL

I love this one!

Nafeesa's GAP Ad! I LOVE LOVE LOVE this picture of her!

One of my favorites :)

Oh, another one :P

Reliving the moment I fell on my ass....

Travis, Amy, my camera and -18 degree weather

2009-12-14T23:10:00.003-08:00

I really wanted to go downtown Vernon and take some pics of a couple amoung the christmas lights. Travis and Amy volunteered and they did such a great job! I had no idea if it would work, I had no clue what I was doing, (ok, I had SOME clue) but it was pretty much a fly by the seat of your pants kind of thing. A big round of applause to Travis and Amy for bearing with me and being terrific sports while I set up my tripod in the FREEZING cold! Can hardly tell it's pushing minus twenty right? Oh and another big thanks to the random guy who was screaming and punching the buildings as he walked by. Thank you for not smashing my camera while you were raging.

She's plotting something...

2009-12-04T17:42:00.004-08:00

something eeeeeevil....

Weeeeeeee!

2009-12-03T15:12:00.005-08:00

Ya that would be Aidan on his slide on December 3rd :P It was WAYYYY too cold for him to only have a sweater on, but he got away from me!

Back to a Picture a Day

2009-12-02T16:09:00.004-08:00

So I'm TRYING to get back to posting a picture a day instead of just teasers... wish me luck :P

Pic O' the day:

Ok, so it's 4 pictures. When I was pregnant with Aidan I fell in love with this little bear outfit from The Gap. We were pretty darn broke though and I couldn't justify the 55.00 +tax price tag. Plus I wanted the blue AND the pink one because I didn't know the sex of the baby. During the Christmas season I kept checking in on the suit to see if it went on sale. I was able to score the outfit on Boxing day 2005for 22.00 each!

Low and behold, I had a beautiful baby boy!

Here is Aidan in his oh so adorable blue bear suit (These were taken with my 4.0 mega pixel camera :P...clearly my skills have improved) Aidan was about 6 months in this picture.

I stashed the pink one away in a keepsake drawer "Just in Case". Part of my excitement about having a girl was that she would get to wear the pink bear outfit!

These were taken with my Canon 50D, 50mm f1.8. Layla is 6 months in these pictures

Yep, I'd say I've definitely improved! And I sure do make cute kids. It's all me. Lee has nothing to do with it ;)

I almost died for this shot

2009-11-30T22:17:00.001-08:00

Ok, so I didn't almost die, but I did almost get a ticket from a police officer.

I'm a lookin and I'm a likin'

2009-11-29T22:28:00.002-08:00

I absolutley LOVE shooting boudoirs. LOVE THEM. They are a ton of fun, a lot of laughs and I get to make women feel empowered and beautiful. Ok, well they get to do that part themselves, I just get to capture it :)

Ashley's lovely lady bump

2009-11-22T10:54:00.001-08:00

What a beautiful day!!! This is what November 21st looks like in my part of the country! Ashley was up for ANYTHING during the shoot. I'm saving the picture of them running and jumping ;)

Big Congratulations!!!

I just wanted to say..

2009-11-21T08:52:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to say a big thank you to all of the lovely families and people I have shot this month. Many of you swore me to secrecy so I am not allowed to post any to my blog, but I'd still like to say thank you!

THANK YOU!THANK YOU!THANK YOU!THANK YOU!THANK YOU!THANK YOU!THANK YOU!

Courts Family Photos

2009-11-12T11:23:00.001-08:00

These aren't my photos, but I REALLY wanted to show them off. My good friend Neil Slattery at www.neilslattery.com took these of my family. I am in LOVE with these pictures. Neil does fantastic work. He took our Engagement, Wedding, Trash the Dress, Maternity photos and now he's done our family! Not sure there's much more he can take pictures of with us, I think he's covered the bases, but I'll be sure to keep coming back! Thank you so much Neil!!!! I absolutley love them!!!!!

www.neilslattery.com

This is one for the wall!

What happend to my baby boy? Where did he go? Now I have this massive 3 yr old who does nothing but kung fu! LOL

A definite framer!

Isn't she beautiful!?

I'm very blessed to have such a beautiful and fantastic family!

www.neilslattery.com

Levi and Kerri's Wedding.

2009-11-04T12:15:00.001-08:00

Sending much love to 2 wonderful friends :)

Candace's Teasers!

2009-11-04T09:45:00.001-08:00

Look at these kids! I had a ton of fun with Candace and her family on a very cold October day! I had a great time and was able to get some super cute snaps!

Rachels Family

2009-10-11T09:31:00.001-07:00

BRRRR!!! What happend to our nice warm okanagan weather? A big thank you to Hannah and Jenna for being very good girls when it was so darn cold! You have a beautiful family Rachel and Jeff!

The Story of Curtis, Melissa and Kaiden

2009-10-04T22:42:00.002-07:00

Today was a beautiful day. A truly beautiful day. I got to photograph this adorable new family. It was a gorgeous sunny day, hardly a cloud in the sky! It wasn't too cold, the light was just right, and love was in the air...

While the baby slept, I got some photos of Curtis and Melissa.

They are too cute for words. It is very apparent how much they love each other.

One of my favorite photos...awwww....I made them kiss a lot.
But wait! Curtis had a trick up his sleeve!!! Curtis called me an hour before the shoot to tell me he planned on proposing to Melissa at the shoot!

I showed up to the orchard about 20 mins before they did. I ran around the orchard like a mad woman trying to find a nice spot for photos that was really private. I found this little patch and it turned out to be a very romantic setting.

Curtis and I had a code. When he told me "Where would you like me to stand?" that was the signal and I was to say "How about on one knee?" What followed was one of the most romantic moments I'd ever seen.

The first moment he bent down

These photos were not set up! This really is how perfect the proposal was.

Showing her the ring :) I love the look on Curtis' face in this photo.

She said yes!!!!!! You can tell in this picture she's smiling as she's kissing...awwwww (Again, this picture was not set up!)

Soaking up the moment

She was very surprised

Awwwwww This is about the part I started to tear up. I can't help it.

Yay! Mommy and Daddy are getting married!!!!

After the proposal we took some more pictures :) Kaiden however had other plans!

Mommy Loves Kaiden

Kaiden got sleepy

THE RING!

The mister! All because two people fell in love.....

A huge thank you to Curtis (and Melissa) for letting me be there to capture such a special moment. It was an absolute pleasure.

"When you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible." -When Harry Met Sally

Wishing you all the best!

My Beautiful Children

2009-09-30T08:39:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to show them off :)

SHHHHHHHHH!

2009-09-29T10:17:00.000-07:00

Shhht! Keep it down! Layla and Nono are sleepin!

Micah turns 1!!

2009-09-28T18:52:00.000-07:00

Wow how time flys! I can't believe Miach is one! Here are some photos of Micah gettin into his first birthday cake :)

My favorite photo of the mini man :)

Time for a little Before and After folks!

2009-09-23T20:30:00.000-07:00

I think I'm really starting to get the hang of this photoshop thing and wanted to show it off ;)

Here is a picture I took of Layla today. You can see her face is really dark, and the exposure and temp are way off.
First I edited the picture in CameraRaw. I fixed the exposure, added some warmth, added some fill light, and voila! A nice clean picture.
Then it was time for some creative editing. I think the end result turned out pretty well!

For my second Before and After we will take a look at my good buddy Heidi.

I took this picture in the middle of the afternoon on a very sunny and hot day. At first I thought I was stuck with blown out skin and dark eyes.

Thanks to a little Yin/Yang, some skin polisher and an eye popper (there could be a little gaussian blur in there too...) we have this adorable picture of Miss H! Look at those beautiful blues! I am very proud of that photo :)

Little Ben :)

2009-09-19T15:15:00.001-07:00

What an awesome kid this little guy is! If he hadn't told me "I am done taking pictures" I would have followed him around all day! Thanks Lianne for having me :)

More Julianna!

2009-09-12T15:39:00.001-07:00

Kim, I couldn't resist! Enjoy!

Barker Teasers

2009-09-11T15:57:00.001-07:00

How cute is this baby!?!?! She was sooo sweet and this was one of my best shoots ever! Julie smiled like a pro and I got a ton of really great shots!

Jennifer and Cam, August 22nd 2009

2009-09-03T19:55:00.001-07:00

On a beautiful, sunny, warm (but not too hot) day in August, I had the pleasure of capturing Jennifer and Cams wedding. And what a beautiful wedding it was! Here are just a few pictures of that wonderful day. I wish Jennifer and Cam a lifetime of happiness and a big thank you! Hope you enjoy :)

And for my favorite picture................

Siona and her man :)

2009-08-31T20:02:00.002-07:00

Here are just a few photos I took of Siona and her man at a wedding this past weekend. It was a short shoot, but these two produced some beautiful photos! Congratulations on your engagment!

More of Reannas Maternity Shoot

2009-08-11T08:45:00.002-07:00

Reannas Maternity Photos!!!

2009-08-10T23:30:00.001-07:00

Just the start! More to come!

Trina's Teasers :)

2009-08-06T10:44:00.001-07:00

How cute are these kids??? It took a bit for them to warm up to the camera and a few ripped leaves off a tree, but in the end we got some amazing shots!

(This one of Ali is my favorite)

Hope you like them Trina!

Mya Teasers :)

2009-08-05T09:01:00.001-07:00

Here is adorable baby Mya!

Melissa's Teasers;)

2009-08-04T16:38:00.001-07:00

I had the pleasure of photographing Melissa, her husband and her lovely lady bump! She was such a sport (and so was hubs) when I asked them to do crazy things like walk through weeds or trespass into a wheat field! Congratulations to a fantastic couple on the upcoming bundle!

MORE of Ashley!

2009-07-24T18:16:00.002-07:00

2009-07-23T10:30:00.001-07:00

What a fantastic shoot I had with Ashley yesterday! Quite possibly the most photogenic person I've ever photographed! Every picture was perfect! These are just the tip of the iceberg!

Congratulations Ashley and Spencer on the upcoming birth of your son!

Stephanie's (mac24) teasers!

2009-07-22T14:12:00.001-07:00

I had the pleasure of photographing a beautiful wedding at the Hijas Bonita Winery in Summerland. What a beautiful wedding and an adorable couple! I'll admit, I cried at a strangers wedding.

The Ceremony Location
The Grooms reaction when he first sees his bride....awwww

Wiping away tears....

The bridesmaids

The moment the groom messed up saying his vows. He said something about putting his head in her chest! tee hee

The Bride Saying her vows. Look at the pure joy in her face!

Wiping away the tears

The first kiss!!!!!!

An adoring look...

Probably telling his wife how beautiful she is

The new Mr. and Mrs.!

Congratulations to Stephanie and Jennson!

Lopes Teasers

2009-07-17T08:29:00.000-07:00

Hands down the cutest couple I've ever photographed!

Andrew Allen

2009-07-15T08:42:00.001-07:00

I got to shoot a real live rock star today :) This is my good friend Andrew Allen. We went around Vernon taking some pictures for a possible CD cover and promo shots. It was a perfect day! A little overcast and quite windy which was perfect because NO ONE was at the beach. We pretty much had it all to ourselves...a rarity in Vernon in July.

I'm really rooting for him to be famous because then I can say a. That Andrew Allen sang at my wedding, and b. that I got to shoot his CD cover ;)

Wishing Andrew the best and you can check out his website at: www.andrewallenlive.com

Andrews music is also featured on my website: www.babycakesphotography.ca

Maybe I shouldn't have posted so many pictures but I just couldn't help myself ;)