Red Deer Photographer | First Blush Photography » Red Deer Photographer servicing wedding and portrait photography needs

Over the last 8 years, I have shot LOTS of weddings.  I have shot elegant weddings, professionally coordinated weddings, second and third marriage weddings, BBQ weddings, themed weddings and small intimate weddings, but what I had never shot up to this year was a destination wedding.

Now, most people, when you mention ‘destination’ wedding think of tropical locations…Hawaii, Dominican republic, Mexico, Cuba, etc.  The idea of exotic flowers and birds all around when you get off the plane many miles away from home and the beautiful ocean just a stones throw away from your hotel room.  This was not the case but I can tell you it was one of the most awesome times I have ever had as a photographer.

This particular destination was in the small Ontario area of Amhurstburg which is located right on the edge of Lake Erie (close enough for these purposes).  My dear friend Jennifer had invited me to come four provinces over to help celebrate her beautiful day with the love of her life, Patrick.  How could I say no????  The opportunity to share in her special day was more then amazing and I was so honored that it was me that was selected to not only capture her day, but to witness the creation of a brand new family with two people who love each other to the moon and back, but also have two little girls that have grown to be amazing step sisters with a bond that is unbreakable.

Jennifer and Pat’s wedding was hosted at Sprucewood Shores Estate Winery in Amhurstburg, ON.  It was a beautiful building that has as much history as you can imagine and it sits right on the Northern Tip of Lake Erie.  As soon as I walked into the Estate building I knew it was going to be an amazing night – the windows, the light (because as a photographer I am always gauging the light), the space and the decor was just magical – and let’s not forget – THEY MAKE WINE (very tasty wine).

Jennifer and Pat’s wedding ceremony was just up from the beach overlooking Lake Erie.  The endless rain clouds finally drifted away, leaving the perfect light for an evening wedding and just enough sun to kiss the couple as they said their vows and we all gathered together afterwards for the formal pictures with the family and extended family.  It was such as beautiful ceremony – Jennifer glowed and embraced every second of the vows, Patrick couldn’t take his eyes off the bride and the two little girls were officially sisters and marked the event by signing their favorite song from Frozen together in front of the entire invited guest list looking on.  Jennifer and Pat presented both girls with a beautiful heart necklace each and spoke to both child individually, expressing what it meant to each adult to have them join the family.  The tears flowed.

The evening went ahead as planned with lots of delicious food, beverages and most important, love.  Our love birds spent the evening having the most fun possible with all of their friends and family.  There was a lot of dancing and everyone seemed to have an amazing time from my vantage point behind the camera.  My favorite moment however was when we broke out the sparklers at the end of the night and let the girls that were left at the wedding enjoy them with Jennifer while I snapped some perfect images.  There is something perfect and magical about sparklers and from young to old they always entice a smile and possibly even a little wonder.

I could go on for days describing the wedding day from getting ready to arriving at the location, to the ceremony to the dinner and finally the reception that left everyone smiling and so honored they were chosen to attend this intimate event.  From the bottom of my heart I thank the both of you for allowing me to come join you for such a special day and event.  Jennifer – like I said on the day of your wedding, you are no longer the girl I knew from University – you have become a women.  A women who is self assured, confident and in as much love as you have always deserve to be in.  You were one of the most beautiful brides that I have ever seen and I am so proud of the women you have become.  Pat – while we did not get to know each other very well during my short stay, what I do know is that you are well spoken, educated and treat Jen like a million dollars.  You are kind, you balance out her enthusiasm and busy mind and together you guys fit together like two puzzle pieces.  Seriously – Jen – on your wedding night the man came down and chatted for half an hour about cell phones with me while I stayed up and watched Med Men (all by myself I might add).  Pat you are a keeper and if I know Jen, she will keep you forever.

To your precious girls, thank you Devon for becoming a beautiful little girl that sparkles when she smiles and is never afraid to be herself.  It was so wonderful getting to know you again and I am so excited to see you grow into such a vibrant young women.  Your mom and Pat are very lucky you are who you are and I am honored to know you.  Ashley – after just meeting you this one time I can sincerely say that you are as lovely as Jen described you to be.  Your eyelashes are PERFECT and you are such a kind young lady.  I hope over the next few years we have another opportunity to meet and see you again.  You both are so lucky and your Mom and Dad know that every second of every day.

Thank you again and the very best of wishes to all four of you forever,
Suzie

by Posted in The First Blush Experience,Wedding Photography,Wedding Photography
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In April, First Blush Photography traveled to Calgary to do a Mother’s Day shoot with a LOT of deserving MoM’s that wanted to have a professional image taken with their kids – as we all know mom’s, regardless of how many children they have, are rarely out in front of the camera.  It was an AMAZING experience and 16 women got to create some memories that will never be forgotten – the real purpose of photography.  Unfortunately however, some MoM’s didn’t get the chance to participate in this event for reasons beyond their control, so I decided that I would run a Father’s Day/Mother’s Day Make-Up session where the MoM’s that did not get the chance to participate would get the opportunity to.  While we didn’t get the numbers we were hoping for the second round of sessions, I am super pleased to announce that First Blush Photography will be donating $600 to the Twin, Triplet and More Association of Calgary for the combined fundraising efforts of both the Mother’s Day and Father’s Day shoots.  Through the combined efforts of all those who participated we did pretty good as far as a first time fundraising event goes and while it is short of the $2000 I had aimed for, the year is still young and I will be coming to Calgary for a limited number of Summer and Fall sessions (which are always perfect for Christmas Cards and gifts) so if you didn’t get the chance to participate in the previous sessions you still have time to be present for beautiful heirloom photography that will be very important to your children and the future generations of your family as well as support the TTMAC which we would all be lost without.
A mom hugging her twin children

A MoM’s most important accessories.

Now a little about this image.

This is Ginger.  Ginger is our President and I first got to know her at the Canmore retreat a few years ago when my triplets were six months old.  Over the course of the weekend I got to know Ginger and grew to be amazed at the amount of heart and soul she gives everything that comes her way.  She is a dedicated Mother…sometimes I shake my head and wonder where on earth she gets the energy to engage her children and her family like she does…and STILL SMILE.  The amount of effort Ginger graces on everything she touches is simply amazing and we all see it in her children’s smiles on Facebook and in person, the dedication she puts into the TTMAC and the unique friendships and bonds she shares with so many of us.  To be honest, Ginger could have had quads and rocked it – she makes parenting multiples look as easy as pie and graces her social media with beautiful and exciting stories of her life, including living (day to day), her travels and what I enjoy the most…her camping adventures.   I am so eager to sit and read about the camper, Mr. Ginger (her adoring hubby) and how many times something will go wrong during the trip and how Ginger will find a way to make it positive and enjoyable for everyone who is lucky enough to have her in their life.

Ginger, the Club would never run as well without someone as dedicated and graceful as you are behind the wheel.  While I appreciate the amount of work the Board does as well as the rest of the Volunteers in the organization, the role of the President is to be front and center and to love what they do, encouraging the rest of us to do better, somehow keep up with Elf on a Shelf (yah right) and make things fun.  I hope this image makes you as happy as it does me.   You are one of the most beautiful women I know – inside and out – and hope that this picture will make you happy for a very long time.

Suzie xxxooo

 

by Posted in The First Blush Experience,TTMAC
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by First Blush Photography

The circus and fair have always been a magical love for me. I remember as a child being taken to the Calgary Stampede and falling in love with the midway, right at dusk when the lights on the rides become vibrant and warm as they shine in the colors that make memories that last forever.  There is one other image that has always been pure magic to me that has always rolled around and around in my mind over the years. That image is on the cover of the Dave Matthews Band album “Under The Table and Dreaming“. The image is of a giant swing at a carnival in action, slightly blurry but with the most beautiful purple/blue sky that I wait for every summer. Alberta skies at night are magical and I can remember staring up at them during warm summer nights wishing the season would never change.

As my kids get bigger the ability of them to participate in my creative shoots are vastly improving and I am starting to have so much fun with them. I recently did a shoot with my oldest where we used a couple of whimsy ideas. They are dreamy and beautiful and reflect the wonder and awe of a child who is almost 5. The theme so far this summer is Stars. What little boy doesn’t love the idea of stars and space and the unknown. What about the idea that they can start to change their surroundings buy just dreaming that you can? What about harnessing the power of a star to Make A Wish?
As the summer of 2015 progresses there will be more set ups to embrace the love and artistic beauty of the circus, fairs and summer.  These sessions are available for booking this summer where we can create the perfect shoot for your child and make it something perfect, memorable and heirloom worthy. The fair and circus are ideas, but your session will be detailed to you and your child’s fantasy, dreams, interests and likes. This is an opportunity that your children will love and never forget – and you will have the beautiful artwork to proudly display for so many years to come.  These sessions are a beautiful way to share your love of your child combined with their perfect imaginations and urge to discover the beauty of their everyday made extra special.  Its a memory you will likely never forget.

by Posted in Child Fine Art Photography,Child Fine Art Photography,The First Blush Experience
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by First Blush Photography

Photography Marathons are a ton of work – they always are and always will be when you a photographer that shoots on-location.  You must find a location, book it, pay for it (if your renting) and haul around $10,000-$15,000 worth of equipment with you.  You also get to figure out how to best shoot in a location much of the time you have never been in before, not to mention just get in the door.  This girl writing this article has NEVER EVER used a lock box before and was it ever evident when it took me an extra 10 minutes to try and get into the building.  Sigh.  It is always exciting when you are somewhere new.

At the beginning of April, I had the Honor and privilege to photograph 13 MoM’s that registered for the 1st Annual Celebrate Mom sessions near downtown Calgary. This session was created with two major goals in mind. The first goal was to create beautiful images for the normal MoM (or Mom) that, like myself, is always behind the camera. My husband has thousands of pictures of him with the children that I have snapped since my oldest was born 4.5 years ago and even more since the triplets were born 2.5 years ago. What about me though? Why am I not able to convince my husband to take a picture of me with my kids regularly (without cuing)? Why is the majority of the pictures I have with my kids taken ‘selfie’ style (without that handy selfie stick which I still plan to invest in one day)? These sessions were created and designed with a simple idea in mind; to allow MoM to embrace the moment with each of her children in a special way that would be captured forever all while looking beautiful and completely natural.

The second goal was to create an opportunity to give back to the club that has helped so many families with so many aspects of multiple parenting. I know for myself belonging to this club had been life changing in so many ways, from the resources I was able to access, to having an opportunity to sell all of my newborn and baby crap…yes…I refer to all of that nonsense as crap…especially the three baby lounge chairs I used to nearly break my toes on every time I caught one walking by…that crap. Most importantly though it created a forum to allow me to connect with other MoM’s when I was the most vulnerable after finding out we were expecting triplets and not just the one little peanut we planned on giving Jakie a little sibling. Since that time, I can say that I have met so many beautiful women who were blessed with multiple children, no matter the circumstances and I am so proud to call many of these women my friends. Friends that struggle like I do, friends that get really excited when they have the opportunity to go have some fun (for me that is around 3x a year so you know we really like to get down) and friends that spend every living second of their lives loving and caring for their little army’s that require a non-stop level of care and feeding that exhaust them and push your finances to the edge of reasonable insanity much of the time.

While I have not disclosed the total fundraising amount yet (there is still time to bump up the amount with additional purchase items) I can say that for the first time either First Blush Photography or the TTMAC has participated in such a fundraising initiative we did not too bad :). We did not reach our fundraising goal but we decided to make that into a positive instead of a negative… First Blush Photography is pleased to announce that we will be returning in a month or two to do a Celebrate Dad session that I will also open up to MoM’s that didn’t get to join us this last round. The fundamental purpose of this session is again to fundraise for the TTMAC, but also to Celebrate Dad…the guy with a million snapshots of him and the kids but not worthy of a spot on the wall. Both of these sessions are categorized as Heirloom sessions…creating images that your children and grandchildren will love and cherish forever and that is so important for self esteem and feeling of belonging for both your children and you as well.

Thank you to all the beautiful and radiant participants of the Celebrate Mom session and I look so forward to you seeing your completed images and providing a memento of a beautiful 10 minutes that you brought joy and love into your children’s hearts and made them feel like the only children in the world. You can see the love, security and freedom to be who they are all over their faces.

**** First Blush Fine Art Photography primarily shoots newborn and child fine art portraits (in both classic and creative style), as well as family, maternity and engagement/wedding. First Blush Fine Art Photography is award winning and can create amazing themed shoots for your children, or more classic if you prefer.

Please visit my website at www.firstblushphotography.com for more information and don’t forget that all TTMAC members receive 10% off of their session selections (but doesn’t apply to the session fee).

 

by Posted in Child Photography,Family Photography,The First Blush Experience
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  • Ginger Bowes

    BEAUTIFUL PICTURES SUZIE!!! Thank you so much for creating such amazing memories for all these MoMs. Your work is stunning and I so look froward to participating in your next shoot as I was unable to make this one…

    Thank you VERY much for running this as a Fundraiser for TTMAC. The funds you have raised will go towards creating memories for all TTMAC families…

    CHEERS!

    Ginger

  • Kim Lundteigen

    Suzie, you are an amazing photographer. All of these portraits are fabulous. Every picture there is a beautiful smile. You have captured the pure love and joy in every smile. You are very gracious with all the time and effort you give to all the TTMAC families. I am honored to call you my friend.

  • Lori Helgeland

    Gorgeous pictures! I’m sure all the MoMs treasure them! Here’s hoping I get to join that list sometime soon. . .

Newborn baby’s are a pure and beautiful existence.  They smell good, feel good, are warm, happy and only they can make a mother feel like their whole purpose has finally been fulfilled in life.  I love the opportunity to photograph newborns and whether they are Fine Art style or Lifestyle, newborn sessions are always beautiful.  A few weeks past I had the opportunity to capture a “few week old” little boy by the name of Jackson.  This is the second beautiful boy that has graced this family and was he ever a little charmer.  I have two boys and I first hand know how lucky this beautiful family is to have the excitement, love and trouble they will endure having these two handsome little guys at the wheel of their family.

I had the opportunity to also introduce this little guy when he was just a little tiny peanut in his mommy when we did a family/maternity/announcement session last fall.  It took two attempts to get that session completed as the weather in Alberta is not always as predictable as we wish it could be.  We made it out to our location to have it start snowing big, wet flakes and the wind started to blow as well, right off the water where we were shooting.  It was freezing and we called it a day.  The next time we tried was perfect and Big Brother did an amazing job letting the world know that HE was going to have a new baby bother or sister to have at home and love as much as he could.

The purpose of a Lifestyle session is to not just head over to a booking and start shooting.  The idea of a lifestyle session is that the photographer get’s to spend a few hours at the home of a client and do their best to be the proverbial “fly on the wall” so that they can capture moments that you would not normally see captured by a photographer.  For me the trick is to try and hang out long enough that everyone begins to just forget that I am there and begin acting naturally and comfortably – like if I wasn’t there with a camera capturing image after image.  It normally takes kids the longest to get use to me being there, but once they are I start to get amazing natural and un-posed images that tell the story of the family for that one day, one hour, one moment in time that is now gone and will never get back.  Amazing images can come out of Lifestyle sessions that you can proudly display on your wall and always have to look back on to remember that small blip of time that now you will ever have to forget.  I even keep general editing to a minimum to preserve the exact details of what makes that session so authentic.

This session was amazing and it felt so good to get back to where I started when I begin my business 8 years ago.  My style, equipment, technique and self have changed so much since the the first few times I picked up my camera when I first started.  I love to watch family’s interact and just live while I am in the background.  It is a great feeling to be allowed to share such an intimate time with a family and I am always honored when I am selected to be hired to tell someone’s story.

I hope it is clear that this story is about love, trust, commitment and an enduring need to love – so much so that two beautiful children have been brought into this world to be loved by some of the most genuine people I have ever shot sessions for.  They are outstanding parents and while I am sure they have moments where they shake their heads and wonder why this was the path they chose (because let’s face it…we all do…especially during newborn and toddler phases) they always know that love is the most important thing in the home and how they feel about their children will never change – only grow in strength.

Thank you so much to Megan and Kyle for sharing your kids with my camera for an afternoon – it was a pleasure and always an awesome time.

Small newborn boy staring at the camera

Why hello!

A newborn baby boy looks out a window

Lots to see

A babyA newborn baby boy resting on his mothers shoulder

Nothing like mom.

Newborn pouting his lips before feeding

I am hungry and pouty!

Boy on dad

Never too big to sit on daddy’s shoulders

Newborn baby being kissed by his big brother

Sincere kisses between bothers are always beautiful

A baby being changed on the floor

Time for a change.

Family portrait with a baby and child

Perfection

by Posted in Child Photography,Lifestyle Photography,The First Blush Experience
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