February 2017

Tuesday, February 28, 2017

baby theo | lifestyle newborn photos

I get emails all the time asking if I do newborn sessions, and my answer is not entirely straight forward.

The simple answer is no, I don't do newborn sessions. I don't know how to wrap the baby in a cute little blanket with his hands under his chin, in a basket of rose petals. I don't have the proper heaters and backdrops and outfits and props that newborn photographers have, so I always pass along the names of two photographers in town who specialize in that type of work. It really is an art!

What I do offer, however, is a lifestyle newborn session. A lifestyle session captures the "everyday" look of your new life as a family. It's all about little baby fingers and toes, diaper changes, cozying up in the nursery for a bedtime story, and it always features mom and dad. We did a session like this when Cooper was about a month old and I treasure those photos today! We were so young! So new at the whole parenting game, and it really does go by in a flash.

Today I'm sharing a few photos of baby Theo, in a nursery that looks straight out of a magazine. Enjoy! And please feel free to contact me if you're in the market for a lifestyle session!

P.S. This was an outtake of sorts, but it's kinda the best:

Friday, February 24, 2017

behind the scenes of a romantic styled shoot

Good photos are supposed to make you feel like they were easy to take. Nothing should feel forced or overly edited to create the finished product. But the truth is that behind the scenes of any good photo, there's a team of people who are working very hard to make it look that easy.

Yesterday I shared photos from a romantic styled shoot that featured pink champagne, diamonds, candy, roses, and three beautiful models in amazing wedding gowns. Today I'm sharing the behind the scenes photos from that shoot, showcasing a few of my talented friends in the industry. Enjoy!

This shot of Kirsty from Topknot adjusting Amelia's hair is probably my favourite.

We always make a pile of pretty details that will be used in the shoot. It helps keep everything moving quickly between models and outfits.

The floral wall installation was a massive piece that required some serious muscle to move it around the shop. Those photos from yesterday's post where the model was laying down on the bed of roses -- this is a shot of the crew turning the wall on its side in preparation for that shot.

The girl dressed in all black is Brittany West from GLOSS Events & Decor. She's my soul sister and everytime we get together, we realize we are more and more alike.

Hair and makeup team <3

Klava Z is a perfectionist in the best way possible. Her makeup requires practically zero editing.

This is why we do a practise shot for throwing rose petals...

The boomerang crew. Three phones going at once to document all of the behind the scenes moments from the shoot on Instagram :)

Personal snacking corner between sets:

The floor was soaked from this wall. No big deal, especially since there weren't expensive wedding gowns right next to it... OH WAIT.

Lifting Jodie onto the floral wall setup.

I think I made her laugh when I said she kindof looked like a really pretty dead body getting a makeup application. I made sure to say "no offence" before it, soooo I think I'm good.

Can you tell we are about to wrap up the shoot?

Let the record show this photo was not my idea, and I am not to be blamed for it ;)

I hope you guys enjoy seeing a little bit of the behind the scenes for a shoot like this! To head back into the archives of my blog and see every styled shoot from the last few years, check out this link. CHEERS to the weekend!

THE CREATIVE TEAM:

Styling and Decor: GLOSS Events & Decor

Bridal Gowns: Encore Bridal

Florals: Lindsay from Autumn's Fine Flowers

Hair: Topknot Hair

Makeup: Klava Z

Rings: Stor by Margot

Models: Jodie, Brandy, and Amelia from MIM

Photography: Laura Kelly Photography

Thursday, February 23, 2017

yes way rosé | a floral & champagne inspired styled shoot

This shoot just sort of fell into our laps.

It all started when Earleen from Encore Bridal envisioned a massive floral wall for her booth at the Tie the Knot Wedding Show. Brittany from GLOSS Events & Decor made that vision come to life, but it was too pretty to only be seen in one room for 5 hours. A styled shoot was in order, and I'm the lucky girl they chose to make it happen <3

The theme was simple: sparkling rosé, diamonds, candy, and beautiful wedding gowns. The rest was up to us to just...play.

The beautiful Amelia made this gown look expensive and lavish. She looks like the daughter of a billionaire in the South if you ask me.

Flawless makeup by Klava Z and hair by Topknot. These girls know how to make beauty look and feel effortless.

I joked on Instagram that I almost slipped this little guy right into my pocket during the shoot. I was only half kidding.

Beautiful beautiful Jodie. Anytime I get to photograph a redhead with tonssss of hair, I'm happy.

Brandy filled every photo with life and made me laugh so hard while I was shooting.

Every shoot is made better with powdered donuts.

Kirsty, you are so freaking talented! I am obsessed with this look. It probably took you 5 bobby pins and 10 minutes to create because you're a wizard.

One of my favourite shots from the day...

I'll be showing you guys some behind the scenes photos from shoot day, which will give you a better picture into how we turned the flower wall on it's side to shoot this lay-flat set. It's probably the dreamiest photo I've ever taken.

A rose gold ring shot on a rose gold bottle of champagne <3 This shoot was tailor made for me.

THE CREATIVE TEAM:

Styling and Decor: GLOSS Events & Decor
Bridal Gowns: Encore Bridal
Florals: Lindsay from Autumn's Fine Flowers
Hair: Topknot Hair
Makeup: Klava Z
Rings: Stor by Margot
Models: Jodie, Brandy, and Amelia from MIM
Photography: Laura Kelly Photography

To the girls who made this shoot happen, thank you so much for asking me to join you. It was a delightful way to spend an afternoon and I'm so grateful for the chance to create beautiful photos together <3

Love you all!