London Ontario Wedding Photographer | Mark & Melanie's Port Stanley Beach Engagement Session
What a beautiful day it was for Mark and Melanie's family engagement session in Port Stanley. I got to meet their sweet girlie Summer and photograph them having fun as a family, as well as some couple shots as they celebrated their engagement. I can't wait to blog their beautiful wedding, but for now here are some favourites from their beach engagement session.
London Ontario Wedding Photographer | Claire & Mike's Star Wars Themed Engagement Session
I thought I was coming to shoot a beautiful Spring engagement session, but it turned out I was coming to shoot a beautiful Star Wars themed Spring engagement session. ;) Mike is a die-hard Star Wars fan, and showed up with lightsabers and the cutest little cake toppers. We had a blast exploring the blooms around Springbank Park, and of course, documenting an epic lightsaber battle. Here are some favourites from their session!
London Ontario Photographer | 2016 Favourites
I've been sharing my 2016 favourites on Facebook and Instagram for the last few weeks, and I've loved reminiscing about such a fantastic year of photos. For those who have been following along, you'll notice several images in here that were not featured in my daily favourites posts. But I'm weak and unable to narrow down things I love, so I simply could not exclude some of these images, nor could I keep sharing daily 2016 favourites into the Summer. So here are some of the images that spoke to me the most in 2016 - images that made my heart sing because of the emotion they evoked, or because of the artistic process that went into making them, or because of that golden delicious sunlight I am always chasing, or because I get that feeling when I look at them, that feeling that reminds me that I am so lucky to do what I love, and that makes me want to keep capturing moments and creating art through photographs for as long as I can. <3
London Ontario Photographer | Spring Mini Sessions
I'm putting all of the details together for another year of fabulous mini sessions, and the first round to start booking (later this week!) will be the much anticipated Spring Minis. With that in mind, I thought it fitting to blog some highlights from a handful of last year's mini sessions. We always aim to get blossoming trees as our backdrop, but as always, I can never guarantee exactly when those beautiful Magnolias will be in perfect bloom. They don't last very long, so it's a bit of a guessing game every year. So far we've been lucky, but I've always got some gorgeous "Plan B" options up my sleeve in case we miss the blooming window. How Do Minis Work?
Mini sessions are 20 minutes long and can accommodate up to 6 people. They include 10 high resolution photos in a downloadable online gallery with printing rights. Clients can select their favourite ten images and have the option to purchase additional photos if desired. Mini sessions are currently priced at $175 +hst, with additional high resolution images available for purchase at $15+hst each.
Don't forget, if you want first dibs for booking mini sessions, make sure you get on my advance notice list by emailing sophie@rawfootagephotos.com with the subject line "Advance Notice Minis". - They tend to book up quickly!
London Ontario Wedding Photographer | Rojin & Omar's Elsie Perrin Engagement Session
These two beautiful people were such a joy to work with last year, from their fun Spring engagement session to their gorgeous UWO wedding, which I can't wait to blog in the next few weeks! We met at Elsie Perrin Williams Estate for their engagement shoot, a location I love because you get a woodsy trail, wooden fence, gorgeous estate property and, in the Spring, a beautiful Magnolia tree all in one place. I just loved this session and am thrilled to be sharing my favourites on the blog today. Enjoy!
London Ontario Newborn Lifestyle Photographer | Baby Micah
It was such a joy to be invited back into this beautiful family's home to capture sweet baby Micah. I was there to photograph his beautiful big sister shortly after she was born, and it was so much fun to see her again as a lively toddler full of life! I've said it so many times, but I just love in-home newborn lifestyle sessions. Capturing sweet babies in their cozy home, being snuggled by their parents in the big bed, being loved on by their siblings in a familiar space with all the keepsake blankets and backup onesies at arm's length and ultrasound pictures still hanging on the fridge... it's my favourite. These sessions always include a mix of lightly posed photos as well as lots of candid moments and documentation of those every day routines that might feel repetitive and unglamorous in the moment, but will be so sweet to look back on. I'm so excited to be sharing my favourites from this adorable session. Enjoy!
London Ontario Family Photographer | The Parker Family
I absolutely loved photographing the Parker family last year. They had moved in just days before, and we had a blast exploring their new, gorgeous property and capturing some sweet moments just as the sun was going down. I'm so glad to finally be sharing my favourites from this lifestyle family session.
London Ontario Newborn Photographer | Baby Luca's Lifestyle Newborn Session
I absolutely love photographing newborns at home, cozy and warm, with their families. Capturing babies in those early stages, as routines are coming together and bonds are being formed is so special. I try to keep it simple, go slowly, and go with the flow, which means these sessions can stretch out to 3 hours sometimes. But even the soothing/feeding/changing breaks get documented, and as a mama, I know those photos are extra special because it's those moments that make up our days (and nights!) for so long. Beautiful baby Luca was an absolute dream to photograph, and I'm so glad to finally be sharing my favourites here on the blog.
London Ontario Family Photographer | Raw Footage Photography Refugee Fundraiser Minis
I remember feeling so helpless last year as images and stories of refugees trying desperately to flee war torn countries flooded social media and the news. My heart broke and continues to break when I think of what that must be like, and beyond the heartbreak, there's a feeling of hopelessness that can sometimes creep in. Because I feel like I must do something. But really, what can I do? It turns out there's a lot we can do! If you're looking for ways to help ease the refugee crisis, there are so many amazing organizations you can donate to. I love Together Rising, and it's where my family contributed last year as well as recently to help those suffering in Aleppo right now. Preemptive Love, The White Helmets and Doctors Without Borders are other great organizations, among many (too many to name!) But back to these Minis. :) I've done food bank fundraisers through Raw Footage Photography in the past and wanted so badly to help refugees who were arriving in Canada with nothing. So I organized mini sessions and partnered with St Aidan's Anglican Church here in London to raise money to provide groceries for a newly arrived family they were sponsoring. 100% of the proceeds went to this very worthy cause, and the minis booked up. Which means that together, we got to create lasting memories AND meet real needs. Doing this has been one of the highlights of my career as a photographer so far, and it's definitely something I will be doing again and again.
Thank you to everyone who came out for these minis!! Here are a few favourites. :)
