Jessie and Jo - Engagement Session

I think I've mentioned on this blog several [hundred] times how much I love it when people bring props to their engagement sessions - obviously Jessie and Jo took note, because they brought a super-cool silver scooter! We had so much fun zipping around Granville Island - well, actually, they zipped, I walked - and there were only a few times where Jessie had a definite look of fear while Jo piloted the little scooter. ;) I loved the way these two interacted with each other - there were lots of laughs and giggles, but also those quiet sweet moments of just being together. We are really looking forward to their big day in September!

Something a little different...

Not only was this shoot fun, but fascinating too! Our former bride Sharon needed some promotional shots of her naturopathy clinic for her website and advertising, and I was honoured to be chosen for the job. It was so interesting to see the different therapies and treatments provided at the Port Moody Naturopathic Clinic - acupuncture, live blood analysis, oxygen therapy - it was all very intriguing. Thanks to the patients and staff at the clinic who were so cooperative for all my photos!

Four Seasons Whistler - Mystery Couple

Our mystery couple got married on a drizzly June day up at the magnificent Four Seasons Whistler. Despite the weather, the bride and groom seemed unaffected and got through the day with grace, style, and joy. The rain even stopped just long enough for us to get some shots with the spectacular scenery at Lost Lake. From the bride's fabulous shoes and gown to the amazing decor by Tanya at Milestone Events, it was a truly beautiful wedding day and we thank our mystery couple for having us there! ;)

Cheverie Family Portrait Session

I had such a great time with the Cheveries, due in part to the fact that one of the them is Lea, an old friend from my high school days. It was really neat to see her and her family again, and to see that very little has changed! Even though it's been 12 years, Lea still has the same bubbly, fun personality I remember. We went to a beautiful riverside park, which appropriately is located near the Cheverie home. I always like to do family sessions at a place that has personal meaning to the family - the park had this connection for the Cheveries and it was beautiful as well - lots of trees, paths, and wildflowers. Enjoy!

Strong Family Portrait Session

As an excellent gift idea for their parents, the kids from the Strong family got together with me recently for a relaxed and informal portrait session. We had a great time walking around the park, finding some neat spots for images - I think the funky tree (shown below) worked really well and made for a nice shot. Most of the Strong family kids are still in school or just finished, so they were used to having those stiff, fake background, school portraits - my approach is to do the opposite, and use real environments and relaxed poses - I think it's a lot more fun that way, don't you? :)

Tania and Wilson - Engagement Session

I love it when my clients bring "props" to their engagement session - whether it be their pet dog, their motorcycle, or in Tania and Wilson's case - cool retro bikes! How neat is that? We headed down to Coal Harbour on a beautiful evening for some fun with the rented bikes, which came with not-so-retro and not-so-cool helmets. While helmets are great for safety (and I fully endorse safety) they do look ugly in photos, so we lived dangerously and cast them aside for art's sake - I think it was worth it. :) We're looking forward to Tania and Wilson's big day in August!

Janice and Kurt - Engagement Session

Having never actually met Janice and Kurt, I was really excited to see them and shoot their engagement session. Janice booked us all the way from Ottawa for her wedding here in Richmond, without actually meeting me or seeing our work in person - I think that really speaks to the level of trust our clients have in us, and needless to say I'm flattered! :) While spending a week here to finish up the details for their September wedding, we were able to get out one warm, sunny evening for some photos in Steveston Village - check 'em out:

Adrienne and Pete - Engagement Session

Adrienne and Pete's engagement session was just a little extra special for me. You see, Adrienne and I went to elementary school together pretty much from kindergarten all the way to grade 7, and in fact we lived just a few houses away from each other, and as such many afternoons were spent playing together. After Adrienne's family moved, we ended up going to different high schools and didn't reconnect until - you guessed it - Facebook! So as if seeing Adrienne on Facebook after all these many, many years wasn't cool enough, she found out that we are wedding photographers and well, let's just say it will be a great honour to document her big day with Pete in July!

Dena and Ryan - Engagement Session

Dena and Ryan are a really sweet couple and I had a lot of fun shooting their session at Granville Island! I love this location because every time I go there I find something new to use as a background - of course, there are always the not-to-be missed spots like down near the water with the city view background - so Vancouver, and so gorgeous! In fact I think the photo posted above of Dena and Ryan is one of my all time favourites, it just has such a great feeling of romance to it. We're looking forward to their big day in August!

Julia and Kevin - Engagement Session

After postponing a couple of times due to less-than-great weather, we finally got a good day for Julia and Kevin's engagement session. It was the perfect kind of light - warm evening sunlight filtered through big moody, clouds - and to top it off, we had the entire beach pretty much to ourselves! Although Kevin and Julia claimed that they were nervous and a little awkward around the camera, they were actually total naturals, and it made my job easy! Just check out the photos and see:

Secret Session Fun!

We had our first Secret Session Marathon on May 3 and it was a great time! These sessions are about having fun and feeling beautiful and judging by the response from the ladies, I think we achieved that! I had makeup artist extraordinaire Tara Lasko from Paint By Numbr on hand creating fabulous looks for each girl. Her makeup skills are truly amazing and if you're getting married and need a great artist, get in touch with Tara! Modeling for a Secret Session is fun but also hard work, so we had refreshments and fancy chocolates to nibble on. We'll have more images from the Secret Sessions soon, but in the meantime we're planning the next Secret Session Marathon for the fall - watch the blog for details!

Secret Session Marathon!

Need a great wedding gift for your future hubby?
Maybe an anniversary present?
Or perhaps something just to celebrate YOU!

A Secret Session is perfect!

What is it: a sexy, Vogue-style photo shoot in your favourite lingerie
Who is it: you, Laura Millin, professional photographer from Magnolia Photographic, and Tara Lasko, professional make-up artist, from Paint by Numbr
How much is it: $345 includes make-up, a one-hour photo shoot,
$100 towards product of your choice (ie. a Secret Album, custom prints, etc.), and a private online gallery to view your images
Where is it: a luxe suite at the Hilton Vancouver Airport, 5911 Minoru Blvd, Richmond
When is it: Saturday, May 3, 2008 - times available are
9:00am - 10:15am - 11:30am - 1:15pm - 2:30pm - 3:45pm
Additional times on Friday and Sunday will be available when Saturday is full
Friday, May 2 - 3:30pm Sunday, May 4 - 9:00am

To book your session time, please contact Laura at Magnolia Photographic:
604.277.7452 or magnoliaphotographic@gmail.com (prices do not include taxes)

To see samples of past Secret Sessions, please check out the Intimate gallery at www.magnoliaphotographic.com

To see samples of Tara’s makeup, check out www.paintbynumbr.ca

*UPDATE* The 10:15am, 11:30am, 1:15pm, and 3:45pm time slots on Saturday have been booked! If you'd like to book a Secret Session time, please contact me as soon as possible.

New Website Images

Just wanted to let everyone know that we've updated the website with some new images! The Weddings Gallery and the Families Gallery in particular have received a lot of new images - but we've still kept lots of our favourites from previous years too! Check it out here and enjoy!

Sneak Peak - New Albums Coming!

We have some new sample albums coming in the next few weeks and I can't wait to see them! We've taken a slightly different approach to the design of these albums, favouring more simple layouts with fewer images overall. Having said that, I think we've still kept the designs looking funky and fresh and interesting. As well, we are bringing in a new style of album which I'm pretty sure is unique to our area and will prove to be very popular among our clients. Here's a little preview of what's coming:

Bring on the New Year!

We just wanted to take this opportunity to wish all of our clients, friends, and fellow photographers a very happy 2008! While 2007 was a great year, I know that 2008 is going to be even better! We are introducing lots of new products and a new approach to album design - and of course, we have lots of great ideas for cool images that we can't wait to try out next year.

We also wanted to wish everyone Happy Holidays, although the holidays are pretty much over at this point! We had a great Christmas with our families, and very much enjoyed and appreciated the time spent relaxing, having fun, and of course, eating! Whatever holiday you happen to celebrate at this special time of year, we hope it was memorable for you as well.

So to everyone we know: all the best to you in the New Year! May it be a time of inspiration, creation, and all good things.

Hambleton Portrait Session

In mid-November I photographed the beautiful Hambleton family in Richmond. The Hambletons had just recently moved up to family status with the addition of little Mackenzie, who was about six months old at the time. There's a special glow around a new family and the Hambletons had it in abundance, making my job easy - with the exception of attempting to photograph Mackenzie while preventing her from eating leaves, which she seemed bent on ingesting!