Friday Foto-Op ... Just for Mom.

If you are a husband looking for a fantastic last minute Mothers Day Gift OR a fantastic Mother looking for a gift to tell her husband to go and buy for her (come on ... some of you do it ... I know you do haha)

look no further!!

Surprise Mom with a Photo Session including just her and her littles! 

As moms we RARELY get photos with our kids, and when we do it's usually being taken by our iPhone or point and shoot, with one arm uncomfortably outstretched infront trying to squeeze both faces in, look natural, and avoid having more than one chin (or is that just me??) you see where I'm going with this. This outcome, no matter what, is STILL an image of Mama with her Baby ... but it will likely never end up in a frame.

Give this gift for Mom to enjoy now, and for her children to enjoy for years to come.

*** I am offering half price Mini Sessions until the end of the day tomorrow (Saturday, May 12th) ***

Please contact me via my website for pricing and details!

I am very much looking forward to working with you and your little treasures ... and even your little monsters!

Thanks, and Happy Mothers Day to all of the amazing women out there!

My Sweet Little Treasure Karleigh Dawn.

and My Sweet Little Monster, Keegan Reid.

Cousins ... a giveaway!

Cousins are often some of the first friends that we have in this life. They understand our crazy families, and they love us through all of the ups and downs.

I am SO blessed to have the greatest group of cousins, I couldn't have hand picked them better myself. On my dads side we have 6 girls (and 2 boys, but this isn't about them haha) and I was the first one to have a baby. I understood right away that Karleigh had an instant gathering of fabulous Aunties, but it wasn't until another little beauty was born that I realized that she was ALSO going to get an amazing group of cousins.

We grew up with matching outfits, lifelong nicknames, and a whole LOT of "favourites" and it is SUCH a joy for me to now Photograph a new set of Cousins. *It's also a good excuse for me to go shopping*

I have been so preoccupied with editing and sessions the last few weeks that I have missed out on a couple of Friday Foto-Ops ... so I will make it up with a Freebie!

There are 2 different ways to enter!

1. Head over to my Facebook Page - upload a photo and send your friends over to LIKE the page AND the image.

2. Send me a shout out via twitter to @kelownaphoto and let me know why you have the best cousins!

Thats all!!

I will announce the winner this Friday, May 4th 2012.

Good Luck! and PS ... I have been known to award more than one winner :)

Friday Foto-Op ... on Tuesday?? Why not!?

I was so excited to share LAST weeks Friday Foto-Op ... and then it was Easter.

I was so wrapped up in Family dinner and stuff with the kids that Friday came and went, sans Foto-Op.

The good news is that this OP will be available over the next few weeks and not just for one single day as it often is.

This is one more for Moms.

Mothers Day is coming up and let me tell you, being a Photographer does NOT mean that I have any more photos of myself with my babies than you do. In fact I may even have less since I am not only "usually" behind the camera ... I am ALWAYS behind it.

Thanks to this, "Mama Minis" is born! A mini session for you and your babies (quick, go and tell your husband that April Martin has done his Mothers Day gift deciding for him!!) A 15-20 minute session with you and your little (or big) ones loving life and looking your best. Trust me, I have a 3 year old boy, I can make it look like you're having fun even when you aren't ... ya, I said it.

Please contact me via my website for full details and pricing.

This offer will be available until May 13th 2012

Friday Foto-Op for New Moms and Mommys-To-Be!

When (if) you make the decision to not have any more children its a BIG deal. In my case it was a mixture of "yes this is the right thing" combined with "at some point this is going to be tough"

Well Im there ... I have full blown baby fever! *don't tell my husband*

How amazing that I have a job where I get to love and snuggle newborns all the time though!?

This weeks Friday Foto-Op is for New and Expectant Mamas!

Since I am posting this so late today I will extend the offer for the remainder of this weekend.

Purchase a $300 Newborn (up to 3 months old) session for only $200! Available until the end of the day on Sunday April 1st 2012.

Contact me via email to april@foreverinamoment.ca for full details!

If you know someone who has just welcomed a new little one into the world or know someone who is expecting, this is for them! It's also a VERY simple gift for the new Daddy to give to his lovely wife :)

Can't wait to work with you!

and then a little King was born.

When I was born we lived on the West Coast. Near all of my Cousins. We would spend summer times at our Grandparents place in Birch Bay, learning to swim and riding all of the obscure bikes that were around. Christmases, Thanksgivings, Easters, Birthdays, I can remember sharing all of these times with my whole family.

When I was 8 we moved to Kelowna. I was excited, though I think deep down I knew I would miss my extended family. When I look back now I had no idea just HOW much.

I have the best cousins in the world. Just for the record. The best Aunties, and the best Uncles too. 

I've missed having them close when my kids were born, I've missed them at Holidays when I know they are all together, and sometimes I just miss them for no reason at all other than I love them to bits!

As we have grown up and some of us have new families all of our own, we have tried to stay close. Visiting when we can, texting, sending pictures, whatever it might take.

I enjoy my trips down there so much and it makes me smile to hear Karleigh randomly say now and again "remember when we went to the Farm mom??" I know that she loves them all just as much as I do :) 

With busy lives for all of us though I really am SO appreciative of the visits that have been made to Kelowna as well. Time taken to come to my baby showers, or attend birthdays for my kids, it all means more to me than I think I could ever explain.

I could go on about this forever but THATS not entirely what this is about, and its definitely not about me! Nope, this post is about my cousin. This past December, Ashley gave birth to the sweetest little man whose last name is appropriately "King"

I was such a joy to have Lincoln in our house for a days earlier this month and I hope to see this little sweetheart again very soon! 

Keegan and Karleigh already miss "winky" and talk about him all the time.

xxoo

Friday-Foto Op ... DON'T say "cheese"

I began this "friday foto-op" journey a few weeks ago and already am thinking ... Ok, once a week is a lot HAHA

Like anything, this will evolve and (hopefully) turn into something fantastic with the right inspirations and a lot of hard work. Thanks for hanging in there while I get this ball rolling!

This weeks post is about getting that "look" from your subjects, mainly children. Many people still believe that "say cheese" is the best way to do it ... I am going to gently let you know,  you're wrong :)

You want more than a smile on someones face, you want to see the life behind their eyes and the excitement that comes with it! Do YOU get excited and light up when someone says "cheese?" I mean, that's cool if you do ... but in my findings it's not the most effective way to really connect with someone.

Next time you have your little subject in front of the camera ask them what they would be if they could be anything in the world! Play on it and really interact with them. Ask them to sing you their favourite song. Yes, you will likely end up with some awkward open mouth, closed eyes shots BUT you will also end up with the sweetest intrigued looks and the most full of life little faces. These are priceless.

I shouldn't say to NEVER do this, I mean ... never say never. The fact is that kids associate photos with "cheese" and thats ok, you don't want to discourage them either. As soon as you have their attention though, have fun with them. Get into their little heads and enjoy being 3 or 4 or 5 years old with them just for a minute.

Dont TELL someone to smile ... give them a reason to.

You'll be glad you did ... I promise.

Greyson - Newborn Photography (plus some sweet family members)

When Chris emailed me to let me know that they had just welcomed their 3rd little bundle into this world only a couple of short weeks prior I was SO excited! Often (and as a mother I completely understand) those "newborn" sessions aren't always as soon after birth as you may have hoped. They are all sweet and precious and SO much fun to Photograph but when you have a little one as new as this in the studio it's just special.

Along with Mommy, Daddy and baby Greyson came big brother and sister! These 2 were a riot! I loved having all of them in my studio this past weekend .... enjoy a little peek at the fun we had.

A very special Friday-Foto Op

As some of you may know I lost my Nana last week. She was 94 years old and went very peacefully, we truly could not have asked for anything more.

Throughout the past week I have been trying to gather photos of her and I together, and its been no easy feat. I have managed to find some, enough so that I will be able to have those memories forever and I am thankful for that, but I will always wish there were more.

I wish that for everyone actually and that brings me to this weeks Friday Foto-Op.

Grandmas need photos with their Grand Babies and Kids need photos with their Grandmas. Plain and simple. Whether it seems extremely important right now or not ... one day it will. I am living proof of that.

Here's how this will work :

Head over to my Facebook Page and post a Photo of either you with your Grandparent(s) or one of your kids with their Grandparent(s) on the wall

Send your friends over to the page - they need to then do 2 things. "Like" the page and post on the wall who they are supporting.  * They do not need to like your image or comment on it *

The person with the most support at the end of the day will be given the following ...

A complimentary sitting fee and half hour mini session for Grandma and/or Grandpa and one other person (extra people may be added for $25 per person) and 2 digital images. The option to purchase all of the digital images will be available after the session and a sample of these images will be sent over for your consideration.

If you have ANY questions please contact me via my website at www.foreverinamoment.ca and I will be happy to answer :)

Good luck to all of you!! I look forward to creating these special memories for your Family

xo

** I will be out of town until tomorrow night for my Nanas funeral but will do my VERY best to keep track as close to midnight tonight as I can ** Thanks for your understanding.

Cruisin'!

A little over a year ago I received an email from a beautiful lady asking if I would be interested in shooting her Wedding ... on a Cruise!

Ummm ... Yes Please!

So earlier this year we set sail onboard the Celebrity Solstice (amazing ship!!) for a week long Caribbean Cruise.

Carmen is the sweetest person and was the most relaxed bride! Darcy, simply, adores her! These 2 were so wonderful to work with and it was never difficult to get a genuine loving reaction out of them.

Part of running a business that I have learned over the years is about attracting the right client, the proper fit ... clearly whatever I have been doing is working!

Carmen and Darcy Thank-You so much for including me in your gorgeous day and as part of your holiday. I wish you both a lifetime of beautiful memories xxoo