Salvatore, What a Beautiful Name

Little Salvatore was only a couple of weeks old when his parents brought him to the studio. What a trooper. A little angel with big brown eyes. He could be a model, since he just fit perfectly into every position we put him in.

Congrats mom and dad, he is a sweet little boy!

Hope to see him and his family for his first birthday.
Love, Helga

Bonnie's Birthday at the Park

I had the privilege to help create a wonderful memory for a beautiful lady who was celebrating her 65th birthday with the company of her loved ones. I couldn't believe that she is 65!

Dressed in a snazzy red jacket and jeans, Bonny was ready to explore the hidden treasures of Hawrelak Park. Along with her daughter Reva as well as her son's family, we headed into a wonderful day and had a lot of fun. The only person that was missing was her love, Merv.

So, I decided to meet up with them the next day at the Leg. and take additional pictures with the complete family!

This was one of the most fun family photo shoots, and the memories won't escape my mind anytime soon. Thank you so much for all the laughter... and Bonnie, that goulash stew you brought me was quite delicious, and reminded me of my mother's stew.

See you in the springtime!
Helga

Fall Session with the Prosser Family

September is one of my favorite months to do outside family portraits. With vibrant colors, and pleasant weather, everything just seems much more delightful.

The day I went out with the Prosser Family, I think I experienced one of busiest days that month, as I had a total three family photo-shoots in one day! However, the location which I had had in mind - the grounds of the Alberta Legislature - was loaded with photographers taking wedding and family pictures of hundreds of people.

So, due to overload at the Leg, we decided to go to the beautiful river valley park with the Prossers along with their two great doggies. We had so much fun, especially trying to get the baby and the dogs' attention in the same time. Well, we did managed to pull it all together and I think that the end results are amazing. Here are some of the shots from the day:

Great photography conditions are always enhanced with a photogenic group.

Take care,

Helga

Do I See Double?

I had a chance to meet Cindy and Kristian back in April when Cindy was about 7 months pregnant with twins. She already had a big round belly and I was amazed that on some of the shots I could even see the way the babies were positioned! Those little infants give her some trouble by pushing her lung so we needed to take it slow and easy. Cindy did a very great job and Kristian is a great support for her:

Finally, the twins arrived, and after a couple of months of being in this world, their parents decided to take them to the first photoshoot of their life. It felt like they had decided to move in, as I never had seen so many accessories coming along with babies. Also, I had never photographed twins before either, and I was delighted to do it with such a cute bundle of joys. They seemed to have different personalities as well - for example, often when one was quiet the other one was crying.

Thanks so much! Hope to see you all again soon,

Helga

Bridal Fair Winners

During the Edmonton Bridal Fair (which I wrote about earlier), I invited future brides visiting my booth to fill in ballots to enter into a draw to win a free photography session. On the ballot, they had to state their preferred type of photoshoot, whether an engagement session, bridal session, or trash-the-dress session before dropping it into the box. There was no obligation for them to have their main wedding ceremony photographs done by me, if their ticket turned out to be the winning entry.

Well, the interest was overwhelming, as afterward I counted more than 500 entries in the box! So, instead of just one winner, I decided to have three, so I kept drawing ballots until I found a bride for each of the three session types.

So, the winners are:

• Free engagement session: Amber B. & Robert B., getting married in June 2010
  
• Free bridal session: Jacqueline S. & Garret B., getting married in May 2010
  
• Free trash-the-dress session: Brady K. & Dave R., getting married in August 2009
  

Congratulations! I'm looking forward to providing you winning brides with some memorable photographs!

Helga :)

Baby Ilaria and Her Family

Blond, cute, and mischievous - sweet little angel Mackenzie showed up at my door back in August with her mommy, daddy, and little baby sister Ilaria. Our goal for this shoot was to take as many newborn picture as possible, and then concentrate on the little 2-year-old. I think we did well, and that the pictures couldn't have turned out better. It seems that Ilaria slept through most of the excitement, though!

Looking forward to seeing this lovely family again soon in the park!
Helga

Hot Day, Hot Mama...

...and the cutest kids ever! (and more on the way) :)

The combination of all these things created a very fun and unforgettable photoshoot back in August on one of the hottest day of the year. My studio is on the top floor and the room temperature can sometimes make things a little warm. Well, it didn't bother Shannon, Zoe and Sawyer. They were troopers taking pictures, and we quickly become friends with Sawyer - he transformed from a shy little boy he into a playful rascal! Here is a short sampling of shots from our session:

:)
Helga

Remembering 2008

I feel that I have been lazy with my blog, and have skipped posting a number of great photo sessions because I have been so busy lately. I won't forget so many great photo shoots I had witnessed last year, so in the next while I'll be posting some of the results of 2008!

Edmonton Bridal Fair 2009

This past weekend, I set up a booth at the annual Edmonton Bridal Fair. The place was packed! I enjoyed speaking with so many future brides (and grooms) about capturing all the memories of their special day with photographs. I had a lot of help from both my fiance and also my friend Alex, a newlywed bride whom I photographed this past summer.

Here are some images of the booth shortly after we set it up:

We had a number of my recent favourite wedding photographs on display, as well as a few sample wedding albums for people to flip through. People could also enter a draw to win a free portrait session (bridal, engagement, or trash the dress), and also a destination wedding photography package. And of course, this wouldn't be complete without a bowl of complimentary sweets. :)

A pleasant bonus was that out of the seven displays at the show that were in my category (photography), we received a prize for best display! (You can see the blue ribbon hanging on the display to the right of the yellow-coloured portrait.)

It was wonderful to see so much interest in wedding photography. I truly enjoy working to make a beautiful permanent record of a couple's most important day, and look forward to doing this over the coming year, and sharing the images with you here!

xoxo,

Helga

Paul & Joanna's Special Day

Paul and Joanna's unique marriage ceremony took place in a subterranean church, which was mostly illuminated by the light of their very obvious love for one another. During the ceremony, there was an amusing point when the ring-bearer - the bride's younger brother - substituted the wedding bands with the plastic rings from some pop bottles! The laughter which this generated only added to the great feelings and merriment from that day.

The last weekend of August was a lovely sunny day, so after the couple exchanged vows, we went to take photographs in the shadow of the pyramids! No, we didn't go to Egypt but to Edmonton's Muttart Conservatory. Looking at the pictures, I can totally understand how this sweet, fun, and playful couple can't help but smile! My best wishes to you both!

Love, Helga.