Three years ago I had the honour of documenting Kat and Janice’s beautiful wedding. Since then, Janice and I have kept in touch – often chatting on Facebook several times a week either about life, our love of Hollywood gossip, weddings (check out her wedding planner business!), and becoming a mom. I have loved chatting with Janice over these last couple months through her pregnancy – what an exciting time for her and Kat as tehy wait for their little boy to arrive!

When we began to chat about their maternity session, I asked what they like to do together… eat! cook! So, we decided to do their engagement session based around cooking and met in Niagara-on-the-Lake when they were coming to… what else?…. a food festival!

We started our time by walking around the town – so quaint!

A fellow photographer, Jacqueline, graciously lent us her kitchen to use while we were in Niagara. Thank you!

Janice has a bun in the oven! ha ha

Janice made the yummiest cupcakes – so good!

And a couple more outside before they went to the food truck festival at the vineyard!

Can’t wait to meet the little guy!

Celebrating life and love,

Krista

It has been a fun couple of weeks as it seems I have been doing a lot of photographing past client’s families… it is so great to reconnect with people and see how they’ve grown and changed. Five years ago I photographed the Vissers family, and so it was fun to see them again! This time we photographed their extended family at the Vissers beautiful home. Al does custom pools (check out his website – awesome stuff!!) and his family pool came handy in the photos – you’ll want to make sure you read this blog until the end!

First we photographed each family individually before we had fun with everyone together. When I first got there, Al’s mom pulled me aside and asked if I could take some photos with her and “her guy” first. I asked which of the men was her guy – and she pointed out her husband and said “That’s my guy right there. I’m so blessed to have been married to him for 49 years.” She was beaming. Starting with that… I knew I liked this family.

Here’s a look at the families….

Typical siblings.

Please note these lovely images of Al’s family…..

This is what happened next…. (yep, Al pushed his wife Julie in!)

Followed by the kids jumping in….

Followed next by Al’s parents!!

And then it was everyone! Yes, even the dog.

Everyone was laughing afterwards… what an awesome memory for that family and something those kids will remember!

And when I left I saw dad in front of the outdoor pizza oven (which I might add – is amazing!!!) and clothes hanging from the trees. Such a fun night!

Celebrating life and love,

Krista

Last year when I went to Haiti to volunteer at God’s Littlest Angels Orphanage a local friend told me she knew someone who had adopted from there. When I came home another friend in Saskatchewan said she knew someone who had adopted from there. Turns out it was the same person they both knew – and that she lived in my same small town! It was so amazing to connect with Bev, hear her stories and experience and now to have become good friends. I just love watching Bev with her three kids. She is an amazing mom to all three kids and it’s so obvious they all adore her too!

These girls love their little brother!

Meet Kendra – she is heading to high school next year! She is an amazing young woman.

And Grace – a good friend to my girls as she shares their love of animals and silliness!

And Mr. Logan. Full of spunk and life… we babysat Logan and Grace for 5 days this winter and they had us laughing so much. Love these kids!

And my beautiful friend Bev. Such an amazing mother and person.

Celebrating life and love,

Krista

As the weather warms up… people are planning their summer family portrait sessions. The question I get asked the most is “What should we wear?” So… every month I’m going to start posting some ideas to answer that age old question. I love when families, or couples, come coordinating – same colour scheme and feel to their outfits – but not the same outfits. Here are some sweet ideas… love this great colour combination! The pops of pink liven things up and is so sweet!

Celebrating life and love,

Krista

A couple weeks ago a friend emailed me about a photo contest through Watoto and British Airways. When I read the prize, my heart skipped a beat. I had to enter!

What was the prize you ask?

A trip to Uganda, Africa to photograph Watoto’s projects… and to be mentored by three top photo journalists.

Seriously.

This to me is my dream trip of a lifetime. I don’t dream of all inclusive resorts… I dream of Africa. Of meeting people and hearing their stories, seeing how they live and sharing these moments with my camera. I dream of bringing awareness to issues and people – bring a voice to the voiceless – through my camera.

Tonight my dream came true.

One month from today, I leave for Africa. I still can hardly believe this. I was sure it was a typ-o in the email sender line or that they had misdialed my number (awkward!). But they have assured me that it’s for real. Myself, and two extremely talented other Canadian photographers were chosen to travel with three of Canada’s top photo journalists to Uganda. While there we will be visiting Watoto’s projects… child sponsorship villages, homes for women with HIV, meeting former child soldiers, homes for babies… and more. We will be documenting these projects and sharing with you. What an absolute honour.

I read some statistics tonight on Watoto’s website I have to share…

I believe in dreams coming true – but I also believe in answered prayers. I prayed and believed and hoped… and am so excited! It is so amazing the timing also and how it is all coming together. And right after I got the confirmation on my cell, I walked into the store and the song that was playing was “Wavin’ flag”. The song that was written for Haiti, that I used on my slideshows for my Haiti images… and a song I associate with the hope of a generation being rebuilt and renewed. Much like is needed in Uganda. To me it was a sign and I got a bit choked up.

I will be leaving one month from today… and gone June 16-28. I can not wait to share with you all!! Keep your eyes here for more about this dream trip! Also, if you know me, you know I hate flying – but love traveling. Would appreciate your prayers as it’s a long flight!

Celebrating life and love,

Krista

One thing I love with my photography business, is watching families grow and change. Last summer I documented Scott and Dawn’s beautiful wedding… and now I get the honour of documenting their pregnancy and soon their baby!

Dawn and I had fun chatting about ideas, and decided on a maternity session down at the beach with Scott and his two kids Adam and Sarah. Dawn is a great step-mom to these two and I have no doubt she’ll be a natural at the baby stage too!

Hamilton often gets a bad rap… but it has some beautiful places! Like this….

We started with the family of four with some fun in the sun and sand!

Dawn brought lots of wardrobe choices – love that!

Love the bright colours!

This cracked me up!

Can’t wait to meet the little one soon!!!

Celebrating life and love,

Krista

9 and a half years ago, I became a mom for the first time. I had always loved kids – probably due to the fact I never fully grew up. But when it came time to have kids myself – I realized how clueless I was about children. Fortunately, Mark is one of 11 kids – and one of the oldest – so had lots of kid experience. But I can still remember when… after Mark’s time off when Madi was born he went back to work. Up until that point, I was the one who had worked while he went to school. What in the world was I to do all day with a baby? And then when Madi was about 6 weeks old and starting to stay awake longer and want to interact more… calling my mom to ask “what do I do with her… she’s awake!?” And so on.

What I have learned in what I can hardly believe has been almost a decade of parenting is this… I really don’t know what I’m doing. I make mistakes. But, I am learning so much. I am learning how to love with a reckless abandon (have you seen Eden’s wild running, leaping hugs? They’ll knock you off your feet!), I am learning to see the world with fresh eyes (why mom? why?), I am learning what I value most as I try to share my heart with my kids. I’m learning to laugh more, love more, play more, read more…. simply LIVE and embrace life with wide open arms.

This Mother’s Day I am so thankful for my two munchkins. It is such an honour to be their mom. The other day, Madison asked if I could take some photos of her. This is rare in our house… so I leaped at the chance. Eden had no interest… until she got bored of waiting for us. She joined us for some too! They wore what they had on… I let Madi choose the poses and locations around our yard. And we had fun! Here are my girlies…

Meet Madison. She is 9 years old, in love with horses, dogs, reading, climbing trees, and is at that fun age between starting to act grown up… and playing with Barbies. She is my sensitive girl who can tell instantly if someone is down or having a bad day. She’s quick to cheer you up with a thoughtful note, or impromptu gift. Madi has got a quick wit and I love conversing with her. She sees life and people in the best possible light. Love this kid.

And then there’s 7 year old Eden. Eden is a wild child. A free spirit. You never know what this girl is going to do – and I love her random, quirky ways. She is quick with her cuddles and compliments. She loves music, dancing, drawing, fashion, reading, and just being with people. Eden can make anyone laugh! Eden has a way of sneaking into your heart within seconds of meeting her. Probably because she’s already climbed up on your lap, wrapped her arms around your neck and told you how wonderful you are.

One thing I know… both my girls are passionate about finding ways to help people. To change the world. To make a difference. I can not wait to see where their paths take them.

This Mother’s Day I’m reminded what an amazing responsibility – and gift! – I have with my two girls.

Celebrating life and love,

Krista

We are thrilled to have a recent photo shoot featured on Style Me Pretty Canada today!

I have been married for 15 years and often get asked if I have any regrets or things I’d change about my wedding. There are two that come to mind. First, I’d hire a good photographer! And second, I would find ways to say thanks to my parents. Let me explain — since becoming a parent myself, I now see all the million and one ways my parents invested in me. A wedding is such a celebration of love — what better time to say thanks to those who have raised us and brought us to this point in our lives?

In conversations with fellow vendors Christa (Anista Designs) and Jocelyn (Sugarbelle Cakes), we came up with the idea of a bride throwing a tea party for her mother to say “thanks.” We pictured the tea party at the family home — a farm with an orchard in this case — but with the bride paying fine attention to details as a way to show mom she cares! It is a time for them to sit and reflect, reminisce, laugh, cry and dream together. We envisioned the tea party also as a time for an exchange of special gifts: a thank you card expressing a daughter’s gratitude, or perhaps a family heirloom from mom that has been passed down for generations. Our models are a mother and daughter, and they enjoyed sitting and looking at old family photos while mom shared stories of the daughter’s ancestors. A blank frame was presented for the daughter’s wedding photo to be added to the family history. The tea pot at the tea party has been passed down for generations and has the initials of six generations engraved in it!

Our theme was lace. Lace is so beautiful but also reminds us of an era gone by. The tablecloth at the tea party was hand made by the bride’s grandmother, for example. The wedding dress was one from a mother to her daughter (and awfully similar to one Kate Middleton made fashionable again!). Wearing a mother’s dress — even for only part of the day! — is such a beautiful tradition. Our lace theme was carried through the session in everything, from the cake and cookies made by Sugarbelle Cakes to the lace stationery (including those envelopes we’ve all been drooling over on Pinterest!) from Anista Designs. Some easy DIY lace projects were included that any bride could incorporate: a lace bouquet, a lace-covered frame with magnets for the seating plan, lace-covered balloons, a lace backdrop for your photo booth, a simple lace headband in the bride’s hair, etc. On Mother’s Day, we wanted to honour our moms and say THANKS!

We are so in love with this vintage wedding dress!

Wherever you are, I hope you have time to thank mom – or the women in your lives who have invested in you!

Celebrating life and love,

Krista

It was so fun to meet Steve & Alicia recently for their engagement photos. They are both avid baseball fans – and so we decided to meet at the baseball diamond. I love when couples incorporate their interests into their photos – telling a bit of their story!

I love how they’re always laughing!!

Behind the baseball diamond was some great fields – where we found some gorgeous trees, rocks and other goodies!

Alicia has this hilarious habit of leaping into Steve’s arms… if he’s ready or not!

Can’t wait for your wedding next month!

Celebrating life and love,

Krista

As most of you know, my business name of “edison” came because of two very important people in my life. My girls. Eden + Madison = edison!

I haven’t posted pictures of the munchkins in awhile – we had an impromptu photo session tonight around the house here… for now here’s one. I love these two so much!

Celebrating life and love,

Krista