Williams Family - Calgary Family Photographer

I had the absolute pleasure of spending an evening with Garreth, Lesley and their two daughters. Lesley and I worked together for 3 1/2 years for TD and I can say with complete honesty that if Lesley hadn't been working there, I'm not too sure I would have stayed on as long!

I was a cage operator (I know sounds strange huh?) and she was an assistant to a couple of brokers in our office and we clicked right away. I'm not too sure who influenced who in the art of being the office pranksters but we had a blast. If there was laughter or a party going on around the floor guaranteed it was coming from her office!It was a rather bittersweet moment when I took my maternity leave knowing I wouldn't return. I was so excited to have found Lesley on facebook so we could renew our friendship.

Garreth and Lesley have a beautiful family. These girls are gorgeous and so sweet! It was a great time playing around with them all. Enjoy the photos!

If you are interested in having some family/lifestyle photos taken, please let me know! To view more of my portfolio check out c koop photography

Boo to the end of August

So.... I'm kinda in mourning right now. No don't worry, nobody dies.... just SUMMER!! It was barely here and I'm very disappointed to admit that I turned on my furnace this morning. I'm sorry but if you can see your breath in your house at the end of August... there is a problem!

But there is something to look forward to I guess.... sweaters! I love walking through the mall and looking at all the sweater options out there. Now I don't actually buy a lot of sweaters, but I sure do love trying them on! Weird I know!

On to the hits and misses:

Hits

1. Fall Sweaters! Watch out Chinook Mall.... here I come!

2. Calaway Park - how much fun have I had visiting that place countless times this summer! I'm almost defeated my whole fear of heights! Okay, not really, but it's nice to think about!

3. Toblerone chocolate - okay, so it's not my Banff chocolate, but it's a good filler when I can't make the drive.

Misses

1. Summer ending.... who really likes saying goodbye to the warm sunny days spent at the beach or park splashing in the water?

2. Hailstorms - especially the ones that destroy my special place... my swing! Yes my lovely quiet place for reading, visiting and sipping iced tea is in major need of repair... or replacement

3. Summertime reality tv - I just watched about 5 minutes of Bachelor Pad (I wasn't too sure what it was about) and wow! What a waste! Just my opinion though people!

I should add that I am looking forward to fall.... it seems to be the time of year that everyone wants to get a family photo session in. So if you are interested in updating your wall with a new photo, please contact me and we will set up a time!

Here is a sneak peek of a recent family photo session. More to come soon!

What I've learned from....... Ratatouille?

Who would have guessed that vacations (typically a time of gluttony, obscene relaxation, laughter and laziness) would actually be a time to teach me something! I think what was different for me this last week was that I totally let go of everything going on and just vacated.... completely vacated from a lot of things. This move from Prince George to Calgary was a lot harder than I expected and my family is still making our way through the change.... mostly with success I must add.

Moving my photography has been one of the most stressful aspects of this move. Starting my business all over in a new city has been daunting and sometimes discouraging. Things don't pick up like I expected and I quickly try to think of different things and new marketing ideas pop into my head at random moments. It has become somewhat consuming wondering if my photography is a viable option for us right now. Don't get me wrong here.... I absolutely love LOVE what I do. The passion and excitement that I experience when shooting photos is indescribable for me. There is somewhat of a completion (if I can use that word) when I'm behind the lens, things feel right and I know I'm in the right spot. But I do question whether now is the right time. But anyways, I digress (sort of). The point I was getting at was that my photography had/has become a consuming thought for me. I would wake in the morning and consistently something photography related would pop into my head, I'd be showering, eating, reading, running, playing Sorry or Trouble, watching a movie, falling asleep and no matter what, I'd be thinking photography.

So I was pleasantly surprised, or rather shocked when I'd made it through a week and really hadn't given much thought at all to the business side of things. I didn't check emails for messages , I didn't look at facebook or my blog for over a whole week! It was great!

I think vacating life for a week gave me an opportunity to connect with a character from the movie Ratatouille. Anton Ego, the food critic that came in for dinner put it best for me....when asked what he'd like to order for dinner he replied, "I'd like a little perspective." Hhmmmm... perspective? Huh? Oohhhhh... perspective! Sure enough that week of vacating brought me back to life, back to what I needed to be focusing my time and energy on.

That vacating gave me an opportunity to enjoy God's creation, spend time in His Word and soak up the wisdom, challenges and encouragement I needed and gave me ample time to hang out with Garth and my boys. Perspective was definitely what I needed........now to remember that and not let other things fill up my mind all the time.

April - Calgary (high school) Senior Photographer

So I have had the HARDEST time trying to figure out which one was my favorite. And I'm still uncertain. You see April has made this hard for me. Given that she's got killer bone structure and an amazing head of hair along with perfect skin and an engaging smile. You'll see what I mean in a minute as you scroll down the page.

April is a new photographer and I had the privilege of going to a show of some of her photos at a school art show. For her grade 12 requirements she chose to have a showing of some of her photography. Brave girl huh? Imagine preparing your favorite photos to show where people got up close and personal with what you love. Intimidating I should think. But April shone at her showing and I was intrigued at what she had shown. Amazing architectural and nature shots. It was a pleasure to be invited and to share in her success.

We spent a couple hours together a few weeks ago in a new location. It turns out that April has had Easter egg hunts in this park! The light was amazing as it always is just before dusk - warm and soft.

Thanks April for the great evening. I sure did enjoy getting to know you better. And even though it was maybe a little awkward sitting in front of the camera at first, you certainly warmed up to it! Gorgeous! As I said earlier I can't really name my favorite so you'll have to do it for me!

If you are interested in having your senior/graduation photos done, please contact me. We can do some in formal dress if you like and then move to more casual as April did.

April's mom, Susan joined us for the evening and we HAD to finish up the shoot with a few of them. I I couldn't miss the opportunity!

The Dickmann Family - Calgary Family Photographer

"Carly, we need a family photo done... and we'd really like the mountains in the background."

Well, that was simple enough! And what made it even easier is that I LOVE the mountains and had just spent a quick overnight camping trip in the mountains and had come across a great location. As soon as I saw it I knew it would be perfect for this family photo shoot.

And this family? Awesome. They braved unbelievable hordes of mosquitoes in what was a rather windy day and forded rivers for shots. I had assumed (incorrectly) that mosquitoes aren't too bothersome in the wind, but they proved me wrong... again! They soldiered on and we made the most of the afternoon in spite of the bugs.

After a little adventure looking for that perfect spot we came upon a place to manoeuver through the water and get some different shots. And no body was really worse for wear after we finished, although Bob's shoe was a little wet!

Thanks Bob and Annie for letting me spend the afternoon with your family. I had a good time getting to know you a little better.

Here is some of the fording of the river that took place. Just takin care of eachother!

Aren't they great! All for a shot!

I love this one!

Stinton Family - Calgary Family Photographer

I met Dave and Carol one of my first Sunday's in Calgary. I have never NEVER been so warmly greeted in my life. No exageration. I felt like I knew her for years in those few minutes we visited. And going to their home a couple weeks ago just made it better. Dave and Carol have an amazing family and I felt welcome right away.

Even though it was cooking hot outside, the guys wore black, but I made sure they stayed out of the sun for long periods of time. Kudos to Carol for the color combo.... LOVE IT!!!

So here are a few shots from my time with them. Thanks again you guys for the great afternoon and visit. Next time I'l be bringing my boys so they can jump on the trampoline and putt around while we sip iced tea on the deck!