Happy Halloween 2018 - Edmonton Family Photographer
Follow along on the hunt for dragons with my kiddos’ Roman Knight adventures during our annual Halloween costume sessions in Edmonton, Alberta this October.
Happy Halloween - October 31, 2018 - Edmonton Family Photographer
Happy Halloween to you all! It’s my favourite holiday and I am more than ready for trick-or-treats, ghosts, goblins, and zombies, pumpkins and black cats. As always, I ventured out with my boys in their costumes and we went on some pre-Halloween adventures so they could test out their awesome knight Halloween costumes.
Knight Halloween Costumes - Treelines Photography - Edmonton Family Photographer
The kids had been going on about dressing up like Knights since last Halloween. In August, they changed their mind during a trip to Costco when their costumes were just new in stock. Luckily they have an easy return policy, as when I found these knight costumes at another store, I just couldn’t leave them behind. Only two on the rack, and in the boys’ sizes - it was a meant to be! The kids were stoked, and although they TRIED to get me to let them keep both costumes, in the end they decided knights it was.
Knight adventure. Edmonton lifestyle photographer.
Our adventure began on a beautiful fall evening. The kids had a blast exploring through the grass and trees with their armour on, swords and shields in tow. They had so much fun getting into character.
They didn’t stay in one place for long. Off they went running down the path looking for a battle.
Being knights was serious business. They were sure they heard something rustling in the trees.
They had to make sure to practice their battle stance. T had to find a new way to hold his sword as the handle broke about 15 minutes into the evening after he decided to wack it on the ground. Pretty sure I told him not to do that before we left, and when we got there, and shortly before it happened. Three-year-olds, amirite? >.<
And then again, just like that, they were off to another battle.
The helmets of these costumes were my fave! I loved how fluffy and bright they were!
Their favourite was obviously the sword and shield, but they also loved the capes because they would float and fly through the air when they spun around.
As the sun began to set, our little knights were beginning to get tired, so we ventured back to the car through a beautifully lit pat. You just can’t beat that lovely autumn light this time of year.
Fast forward to the next evening. The kids wanted to head back to one of our other favourite spots - where we shot their Halloween photos last year - because, hay bales. haha. Since we were having such a beautiful week weather wise, I couldn’t say no. Here are a few from then:
All day the kids talked non-stop about going to the “field with the hay bales”. They were super excited. It’s one of our favourite spots, and this year the bales were close enough together they could run along the tops. Made my heart skip a beat a bit since these are city kids, but they managed just fine. hahaha.
Finished the evening off at an attempt at radial blur. He thought I was nuts spinning my camera, but when I showed him the photo after he thought it was pretty neat and wanted to try himself. I love it that my kids are showing an interest in photography themselves lately.
Thanks so much for following along on our Halloween adventures once again. It’s my favourite time of year, and I love seeing how much fun my kids have with dressing up and participating in all of the fun activities. I feel very lucky they still let me drag my camera along to do these little sessions with them.
If you want to take a peek at our Pirate session from last year, you can here.
I’d love to know what you and your kiddos dressed up as this year, as well as your favourite Halloween activities. You can let me know in the comments below. :)
Pumpkin Picking at Somerset Farms - Edmonton Family Photographer Lifestyle Photography
Come along on our pumpkin picking adventures at Somerset Farms U-Pick Pumpkins, just 45 minutes outside of Edmonton, Alberta in Parkland County. I brought my camera along and photographed it all.
We went U-Pick Pumpkin Picking at Somerset Farms!
In September we headed out on a pumpkin picking adventure to the U-Pick Pumpkin Patch at Somerset Farms in Parkland County, just outside of Edmonton, Alberta. The kids had a blast exploring through the huge pumpkin patch picking their own pumpkins for this year’s Halloween Jack-o-lanterns.
This was our second year picking our own pumpkins, and I have to admit, it’s pretty much my favourite autumn activity. There’s just something about being outside, among all of the huge pumpkins that grew there from just a tiny seed.
We made it just in time, too, as the night we went was the last evening they were open, as it was our season’s first frost (which felt so early).
When we got there, it was raining a bit and it looked like a big rain storm was about to hit. We kept on anyways, and brought a couple of umbrellas with us. Luckily, the storm passed and not long after we arrived the rain stopped. The kids loved looking at all of the different pumpkins and were so excited to pick a few for our carving this year.
It was so hard not to pick them all, there were so many beautiful ones. The kids made their way through the patch, and didn’t think lightly about the ones they chose to bring home with us. Pumpkin picking is serious business, haha.
Somerset Farms was beautiful. They had the huge pumpkin patch of course, but also a gorgeous row of sunflowers dividing the patch from a field of cows that were happy just grazing on the grass. The kids loved peeking through the flowers to spot them, and loved how close they were.
A little dirt never hurt anyone - just a sign of a well spent evening outside.
In addition to the pumpkin patch, there were also a couple of little games set up and a hay bale playground. The kids had just as much fun there as in the actual pumpkin patch. haha.
Thank you to Somerset Farms for the wonderful evening. Your staff were all so helpful and informative and your farm was the perfect pumpkin patch. We hope to be back next year!
I’d love to know your favourite autumn activity to do with your family! Let me know in the comments below. :)
Flower Picking at Birchwood Meadows - Edmonton Family Photographer
Photos from our flower picking adventure at Birchwood Meadows
Flower Picking at Birchwood Meadows - Edmonton Family Photographer
A few weeks ago we headed out with friends to Birchwood Meadows Flower Farm, just north of Edmonton, to pick some flowers and make a beautiful bouquet. It was such a fun family activity.
When we got there, we were greeted and given a little tour of the farm and shown how to pick the flowers correctly. They had so many beds full of blooms, and a greenhouse with others. We opted to take a walk through the greenhouse first. The lush greens were so refreshing.
We then ventured outside to see what else they had. The sky was still orange and mokey from the forest fires and it created a bit orange softbox in the sky. It didn't deter from the beautiful flowers though. Townes was drawn to the Snapdragons and instantly declared them his favourite. My favourite were the beautiful sunflowers.
When we were all done picking our flowers, we had them all wrapped up for the drive home. Townes was proud of his bouquet and wanted to show it off, despite the borderline grumpy look on his face. haha.
On the drive home, I spotted a gorgeous spot that showcased the odd hazy, smokey sky we had that night, so I pulled over and grabbed a few shots of Townes exploring and finding some rocks. It was nice having some one-on-one time with him, as that doesn't happen very often these days.
Thanks for following along on our flower picking adventure. Have you gone to a flower farm before? You can leave me a comment below - I'd love to hear all about it!
Easter 2018 - Our Afternoon Painting Eggs for Easter 2018 - A Short Film and Photos - Edmonton Family Photographer
A short film and photos from our afternoon painting Easter Eggs.
Edmonton Photographer.
On Good Friday we painted our Easter eggs for 2018's Easter Sunday in Edmonton. The kids were so excited for it this year. I debated doing some naturally dyed eggs but, let's be honest, my disorganized self wasn't ready for that. haha. I picked up some quick kits instead. They were super easy and the kids had a lot of fun colouring, speckling, and dying their eggs. They both put so much thought into what they were doing, it was like magic watching them.
Up until now, things like this have always been hit or miss, but now that the boys are both older it was actually a pretty laid back activity. Besides some coloured fingers after, there was no major spills, so I call that a huge plus.
It had been a while since I made a short film, so here's a new one from our afternoon, followed by photos.
Scroll to the bottom to follow the links through a wonderful blog circle I'm participating in this month as well.
I'd love to know all about your Easter adventures in the comments below.
I hope you all had a wonderful long weekend with family and loved ones. I'd love to know what your Easter family traditions are in the comments below!
BLOG CIRCLE: I'm participating in a wonderful blog circle this month with six other photographers. If you'd love to see a gorgeous woodland family session, click through to Fiona Saxton's, Family Photographer in North East England, latest blog entry. From there you can keep on following the loop through each of our featured blog entries.
Goodbye 2016. Hello 2017. - Edmonton Family Lifestyle Photographer
A year in review. My best of 2016 client images.
Wow. What a year.
2016 was a whirlwind of a year. For me, it was a year of change and personal growth. I began the year quitting my day job at the end of my maternity leave; opting instead to stay home with my kids and pursue photography more seriously. I feel so lucky to have this opportunity and am so thankful to everyone who chose me as their photographer this year. I've loved seeing your familiar faces or meeting you for the first time. I've loved taking photos of you and your loves and kiddos.
As always, a new year brings new goals, new ideas and new adventures.
As you may have noticed, my website is undergoing some changes at the moment. I'm working on updating my galleries and pricing structure and will be offering some new session types in the new year. I'm hoping to have everything back up in early January. If you've subscribed to my newsletter or are a past client, I'll be sending you a special e-mail once it's all finished. If you'd like to sign up, you can pop on over to the newsletter sign-up form on the right --->
Because I love looking back on the year that has passed, I've compiled a selection of my favourite images from client sessions this past year, in chronological order. I hope you'll have a scroll through. (I'm working on a post with all of my favourite personal images, so stay tuned for that as well.)
I hope 2017 brings you all a year of love and happiness. I hope all of your dreams come true and you accomplish all you set out to. I hope you take it more easy on yourself. Remember that you are enough. I wish you nothing but the very best. And again, thank you so much for choosing me as your photographer, or simply following along.
Do you have any new year's hopes, dreams or resolutions? I'd love it if you shared them in the comments below. <3
xoxo
Megan
