A few weeks ago, I shot their maternity session and I really loved it.  I loved creating these personal images for them to remember this special time in their lives by.  It was a big step for me to shoot because before this session, I didn’t really know how I wanted to approach the idea of maternity photos.  In the weeks leading up to the session, Trione and I discussed what was important to her and it very quickly became clear on the direction I needed to take with this shoot.  The answer: make it personal and not trendy.

We were originally going to have their session at Hayward Lake, which is a spot they like to go with their dogs. However, the days-upon-days of rain made this almost impossible, so I decided that using their home was a perfect spot. It’s familiar and personal, warm and inviting, and it’s a great start to the memories that will be made in years to come.  We started the session off slow, took our time and even had a snack break!

Their dogs, Rolen and Bella, love them to pieces!  They followed them around everywhere and made themselves at home anywhere they could!

I also brought along my Rolleicord that day.  I was nervous using it because I had only ever used it once – and it was close to 20 years ago!  I took my time with it, I was patient and trusted my abilities as a photographer.  The waiting time to get the negatives back was excruciating!  I had even forgotten what shots I took!  It was definitely worth the wait, because after seeing the results from it, I will be using it a lot more   The evening that I went to deliver Trione & Pat their images, I said to Nick, “If these were the only images I took that day, I would be totally and 100% satisfied with them.”

We can’t wait to meet our new nephew and luckily we won’t have to wait much longer!

Every year around this time there is a big conference for photographers in Las Vegas called WPPI. We were there in 2010, and it was awesome. Deb took some photos during that trip, and if you haven’t seen them yet you can take a look here.

We skipped it last year, but this year I went (though Deb stayed at home… poor, poor Deb ) and I had a fantastic time! This time around I rented a car with a few of my friends and drove out to Red Rock Canyon and a dry lake bed to do some shooting. It was loads of fun, and I can’t wait to go back next year!

The first few images here are from a night where we walked around “Old Vegas” and the Fremont Street Experience.

This is Mike. Mike is awesome. This was shot in the entrance to the Plaza Hotel. The Plaza is the hotel that was used for the facade of “Biff’s Pleasure Paradise” in Back to the Future 2. Just a bit of trivia for you there..

These next few shots were taken in Red Rock Canyon. It’s quite an awesome area. All the rocks had these veins of dark red in them… it kind of looked like a giant rock formation made of uncooked bacon. Mmmmmmm…. bacon. {drool}

The next day, we woke up early so we could drive out to an old dry lake bed and take some photos as the sun was rising. This was incredibly awesome, but it wasn’t without it’s own challenges. In order to get to the lake bed, you had to drive along an incredibly bumpy dirt road. I wouldn’t even call it a road… It was more like a big path that had been made by other people trying to get to the lake bed. I had to drive pretty carefully in our rented Chevy Cobalt, as it’s not exactly an off-road vehicle. There was even one part where the road was very soft and sandy. I had to drive just fast enough so we wouldn’t get stuck in the sand, but not so fast that we’d bottom-out the car and lose the muffler. It was… an adventure

This year, we went to Gabriel Morosan’s Studio in Vancouver and we had a fantastic time. Gabriel has a really great little set up with all of his lights on a track system so we can just pull them in or push them away when we don’t need them. It was awesome to get to work with some different lighting set ups and equipment  The incredible hair and makeup was provided by Rhoda from Hampton Beauty.

I found that my twenties were a lot about discovery.  Discovery of what I liked, what I didn’t.  Discovery of how people change or don’t change.  Discovery of paying a mortgage and the realization that the kitchen table really isn’t the best place for the mail because it’s like the vacuum of space.  One minute that important piece of mail is there and the next it’s gone…forever!  It’s not to say that I didn’t like my twenties, it’s just that they were hard because you spend a lot of time trying to figure yourself out.  I thought I knew who I was at 20, but when I look back at who I was at that time, I realize how much I have changed.  I got married, I moved around the city a lot, I went to college, I started a career in graphic design, I owned property, and I really started discovering how much I should stay true to my passion of photography.  Figuring all of this out and gaining all of that life experience was extremely valuable, however I don’t think I would want to re-live it!  If I had to re-live it I would want it to go by as quickly as possible to get to this spot in my life where I am right now!

The place where I am now is really fantastic.  I don’t think I’ve got everything figured out and I’m okay with that.  I have a lot of things to look forward to (even wrinkles).  I think that being afraid of a number is a just as silly as not mentioning the number at your own birthday party.  You should be proud of your age and all of the experience that you have gained in your years of living on this planet.  Using birthdays to feel horrible about the future is not the way to go, instead use birthdays to look back at your accomplishments and be proud of every step you took to get where you are today.  I wouldn’t be the person that I am today without my twenties, and I know that I wouldn’t want to change anything about them.

When the clock strikes midnight tonight, I will be fast asleep on an airplane en route to New York City.  I will be ringing in my 30th birthday by waking up in the Big Apple (go big or go home, right?).  Although this trip is for my birthday, the excitement about New York and the excitement of entering my 30′s are two separate entities.  Turning 30 to me isn’t scary -  it’s exciting!  It’s a whole new adventure full of discoveries, which when I find them I’ll be more prepared to deal with them than I was before.  I am on the very cusp of turning 30 and I am more confident and independent than I was at 20.  I am much more open-minded and informed about how I create and express my opinions to people.  I am not as apprehensive about asking difficult questions, and budgeting and finances are no longer scary.  I know what I want to achieve in my 30′s and I know the steps to get there.  The best part of all is this: I smile more and frown less, which definitely helps keep that wrinkle at bay:)

Awesome.

I didn’t really know anyone at the table except our mutual friend, and at the time I was very quiet around people I didn’t know. I overheard Deb and another girl talking about Chantal Kreviazuk, who was a favourite of mine at the time. I took that opportunity to start talking to this girl who had the nerve (!!) to take my seat earlier that night.

After a couple hours we all decided to go bowling. I had loosened up a little by then and felt a bit more comfortable around these people I barely knew. Anyway, if you know me at all you know that when I bowl, I go a bit… silly. I did one of my classic bowling moves, and of course got a gutterball. As I turned to walk back to the seats, Deb was getting ready to bowl. I looked at her, and she looked at me and I felt this instant connection. We were both laughing at my bowling, and I think that moment kind of froze in time. Here was this complete stranger who I’d never met before that night and at that moment, I knew I’d be seeing her again. It was probably the closest you can get to love at first sight.

That night, when I got home, I e-mailed our mutual friend and asked for Deb’s e-mail address. I got a reply in the morning and immediately sent her this e-mail:

Hello. This is Nick here, from Shila’s party. She gave me your e-mail address… I’m e-mailing you because I just wanted to say that i had a really good time there and I quite enjoyed talking with you, and I’m interested in getting to know u better, since we don’t really know each other at all Anyway, u can e-mail me at XXXX@XXXX.com (or just hit reply), or u can phone me at XXX-XXXX (my cell)

Take it easy

-Nick Beaulieu

I know, I have a way with words… This e-mail was TOTALLY out of character for me. I had never done anything like that. I’m glad I did.

I sent this e-mail EXACTLY 11 years ago, to the minute.

I Love you Deb!! <3 Happy Meet-iversary!!!