I find I have more time to breathe, reflect and dream about where I want to be, who I want to be, and what I want to be doing.  Just as spring is inching its way up through the soil in my front garden, so my ideas and plans are starting to take shape.

I almost hate that I am a big dreamer. It gets me in trouble.  I’ve often thought my dreams are too big, too extravagant or too unattainable.  And really, some of them are.  But I can’t help myself.  They keep me up at night, get my up in the middle of the night and help me soar through the day.  Sorta like my kids.

But here in the quietness of late winter, I am eagerly awaiting what this spring will hold for me creatively. I want to photograph something new and exciting, or, I should say, I want to photograph the same things but in a new and exciting way. I want to make headway, I want to create ripples and I want to set trends.  See.  Big dreamer.

So I’ll continue filling up my notebooks with ideas and dreams and soon enough, with a little time and effort, I will start seeing things come together.

This was such a nice comfy portrait session, happening right in their own home (yes, people! It is a good idea!). We didn’t have to fight with the weather or anything, though the lovely light pouring in through the windows certainly helped.  And during the holidays, with all the decorations up and the warm-fuzzies everywhere, it was a perfect morning spent with awesome friends.

And their girls, Abigail and Sophie are growing so fast!  And only getting cuter and cuter!  Goodness gracious.  And it’s nice to get some solo shots of Sophie, as she’s really showing her unique personality, and as the second child, needs some moments in the spotlight. But they are quite the pair, together. Can’t wait to see the trouble they are going to get into!

Really.  It’s hard.

Colton and Tanja are both such fun-loving, life-giving individuals that draw people in with their personalities and make things awesome!  They are such easy-going people and lovely to photograph.  Geesh!  And this little baby (that is due to pop out in the next week or so) will be in such good hands.  And this little baby is going to have the most incredible sense of humour of all it’s friends.  These two are also funny.  I’m so glad they’re reproducing

And I don’t normally do this, but I couldn’t help it… here are some “out takes”, just so you get an idea of what kind of goof Colton is… but he is obviously not alone.

I am so excited to meet the little person that is just about done growing in that belly.  Whoever this little person is, there are two fantastic parents just waiting to cuddle that little baby and smoosh it’s soft little baby cheeks.  Yumm.

Both Melissa and her baking are delicious.

Melissa is the brains (and braun) behind Buttercream Couture, a truly fantastic cake-making endeavour.  This lady has got skills like I’ve never seen.  Not only do her cakes and cupcakes (and everything else that comes out of her oven) taste divine, but they look it, too.  She has the ability to take an idea and make it soar and toss a dash of the original onto everything she makes.  Buttercream Couture is really a cut (or slice) above the rest, and I’m not just saying that. I’ve tasted the goods.  And they are good.

Anyways, as Melissa is slowly becoming the most famous pastry chef on the Pacific coast, she is in need of a re-brand and a new logo.  And I am delighted to help her out with that.

She really wanted something classy, sophisticated and “not cute”.  Ok.  I think I can do that.  She was in love with some greys and blues and creams and wanted something with some “froofiness” to it, without going over the top.  Ok, I think I can do that, too!

We started off with some ideas branching off of one concept of warm tones, with a peach hint to it.

Nope. Wasn’t quite what she was looking for.

Melissa really liked the idea of a round logo, so we started heading in that direction.  And also, started shifting more towards the greys, still with some pinks or creams in there.

Getting closer, but still missing something.

After Melissa had actually designed her own wedding cake for her vow renewal ceremony that happened in the middle of this branding process, she came back with a really clear idea of what she loved and how she wanted things to go.  Way more of a focus on greys and some “froof”.  We tried a few colour schemes, seeing what felt best.

Then it was clear that Frances, me, was ignoring the whole grey issue and was really pushing a navy blue for some odd reason.  Melissa kindly drilled into me that we need to drop the hints of blue.  Ok, I can do that!  And we came up with something that is much stronger and classier than our previous options.

This logo says “grown up” and “playful” all at the same time.  It conveys that cup/cakes are more than just an edible treat, but they deserve to play an important role in your event.  This lady, and now, with her logo, mean business.  And the best kind of business: the kind you can eat and get all over your face and enjoy every second of it.

Big or small, Buttercream Couture does it all.  No joke.  You must go check out her site and see for yourself what this kitchen-master can do, even with all sorts of allergies and intollerances around, she can bake things with no eggs or flour or sugar or wheat or what have you, and it still tastes like dessert, not cardboard.  Excellent.

Melissa was a hoot to work with, and I  look forward to many more adventures:)

Check our her Facebook page and “like” away!

In every other way, the day ran beautifully.  There was so much family time and bantering and jokes cracked back and forth, though some of them were in Russian, and I am sure I missed the majority of the really funny stuff.  Still, there was a fun attitude to the day and it was easy to flow in and out of the days events.

Elizabeth and Stas were such a casual, composed couple which made them really easy to work with, and again, a welcomed relief on such a warm day.  At some point, some of the guys bought everyone (including me and my awesome assistant Vasia) ice cream!  Hooray for chivalry!
We all roamed atop Burnaby Mountain in the sun, taking fun photos with the crazy wedding party (good crazy, of course) and the beautiful couple, until the lovely Jewish wedding ceremony.  It was all a real delight.

Then off to the reception, which we were all warned that these Russians know how to party.  And we were not disappointed!   One of the attendants who seemed to be in charge of the order of things filled me in on the “program” for the evening: “we’ll eat, and then drink and then eat some more. And then we’ll have some speeches (though they will be short: we Russians don’t like long speeches), and then we’ll eat and drink some more”.  And there it was.  A perfect way to spend an evening: surrounded by excellent food, company and beverages.

The entire day was sunny and warm and filled with plenty of well wishes.  A great way to start a marriage, I’d say.
Congrats, Liz and Stas

Mom and Dad Garcia, Hugo and Gloria, had 5 kids (1 daughter and 4 sons) and now they have 5 grandkids (all girls!).  It’s a battle of the sexes now.  The boys have finally been outnumbered and the girls are taking over.  But it’s not hard to let all these cute little girlies take over.  They are some of the cutest around.

It was great to see this whole family in action, as some really crazy antics ensued.  I love seeing them all grow up, big kids and little kids alike.  Lots of latino fun!

I can’t wait to show you some more! For now, enjoy

Aleah is such a busy little toddler with such a sweet personality.  She just wanted to take as much of that place in as she could.  And was pointing out all the birds, dogs and babies that went by.  But we all kept up to her pace and got some great family moments captured.

It was also so nice to photograph Scott and Jamie (aka: Aleah’s parents), just the two of them.  Sometimes a couple’s identity gets overshadowed by the fact that they are parents, and we forget sometimes that they were a couple first.  And what a great couple.

Can’t wait for more summer fun with you all!

Take a look at the Facebook album for more photos.