Before I even met Stacey, she sent me lovely and inspiring emails about my words and my work. One day, I opened my mail to find in sheer delight, amongst the usual household bills, a handwritten note and a funky necklace with a camera pendant. She thought of me and thought I should have it. I will never forget that act of sweetness.
We've been trying to arrange a meet up for some time. Life and it's conundrums sometimes prevents us from doing what we want but we found a way to make it happen. We tossed around some ideas. As in all sessions, I want to find out the client's vision, who they are as a family and how they foresee their final product. This family is funky and loves all things vintage. We thought about a diner. Possibly a bowling alley? And then it dawned on Stacey that Gage Park would be the perfect backdrop for their family shoot. We joked about the days of Glass Tiger performing there, amongst the other 80's bands that were at the forefront of our youth's pop culture.
Stacey and her husband Calum had a plan for the photoshoot. He carves custom pieces out of wood, stone, bone and metal and their daughter Piper is mystified by Unicorns and their magic. How exciting for Piper when she found a real life unicorn horn after playing high in the trees. We still are not sure exactly how it got there! ;)
Their son Oliver is also a local celebrity. This six year old has started a project that allows the underprivileged to have access to fresh vegetables right in their own yard! It's truly inspirational what small people can accomplish and could probably teach a few of us grown ups a thing or two about giving and donating our time and efforts.
When wrapping up our session, the sun was just gorgeous. Calum asked when they could book their next family session, which is quite unusual for men to get so involved. You can tell they are truly hands on parents and Michael commented to them that you can really feel the love in this family...which in turn makes our job both enjoyable and easy. We were just there to document their love which makes it a complete honour to do what I do for a living.
It was a most enjoyable evening guys! I included a few extra of these two lovebirds...they missed out on engagement photos years ago so why not now?
See you in the fall!
Love,
Wendy
xo
Wendy, Calum and I feel super special to be a post in your blog! We had a great time, you and Michael made it quite easy to be followed around with cameras, you guys are the 'dream team'...I believe Gage Park was hands down the right location too. Calum had been trying to figure out a way to hide/seek the unicorn horn for sometime. It made perfect sense to have you guys help us with that. That was the right choice, the amazement it brought to Pip is unforgettable and even better, its documented! Oliver is usually such a serious little man...the above picture captured his true loveliness inside and out. It really was awesome to finally meet you in person and to see you in action. Calum and I are so glad we decided to do a family shoot, the sneak peeks are a great prelude to what is to come! Thank you for working with us, making it a very personal experience. I will continue to be a huge fan of Wendy Alana and keep recommending you as a photographer to everyone! Couple of swell folks, doing amazing camera art. CHEERS! xoxox
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