By Nicole Brown, on January 21st, 2012
My daughter has been dancing since the day she was born. She danced in my belly. She danced on her blanket rolling side to side. She scooted to the music when she first learned to crawl. When she learned to walk the first thing she learned was to run to the stereo to turn on the music. The dancing is already such a big part of her.
As I mentioned before- that this school year was so important for me to have a balance in my family life. It’s hard to do when the weekdays are busy with administration, housework, preschool, and keeping the routine so all of these things roll smoothly.
On the weekend is usually when I shoot my sessions but Saturday mornings are always for my family and most notably my daughter so I can watch her dance class. Can’t wait until they are both old enough to go!
These are stills from her first dance class. Some of these Baby Ballerinas she has danced with since she was in her baby group.
Love our Dance Saturdays!      
By Nicole Brown, on January 19th, 2012
They say that good friendships can go through long periods of time without speaking but when you get together again with them it’s like you never left.
Here are two of my very good friends. We don’t get together much as one of my friends lives abroad and has a successful career, the other friend also has a successful career and does live close to Victoria-on the mainland-but is never home because she is constantly traveling for her work. Add me with a busy family, a business, and a dog and sometimes it takes awhile for the stars to align.
This Christmas, we finally got together, after missing Dayna’s tradition of the last couple years of wine induced gingerbread person decorating at Christmas, we sat down to brunch. It was great to catch up and talk about our lives.
After 20+ years of knowing each other, I still feel the same way about these girls. That I love my time with them and that I wished I had more time in my life. I really love my friends!
So instead I enjoy the new traditions and new conversations with these ladies- it’s funny we barely talked about the “Good Ol’ Times”. Love these women and am thankful for the time we spend together whenever we can.
By Nicole Brown, on January 18th, 2012
…And a good book! This is normally the way I like to spend them.
But, today on this snow day, in all seriousness, I stopped to take a breath. 
It’s been a crazy holiday season where I was really busy and then my whole family got sick during the holidays. The illness came and went through our entire family. Fever, chills, coughing, sore throats, and sad faces. It was musical-virus-on repeat.
My eldest 3 year daughter ended up getting an allergic reaction to the antibiotics for her Bronchitis. Then the worst thing happened, my youngest 7 month old daughter got strangely sicker after her round of antibiotics. She just couldn’t kick her illness. On New Year’s Eve, I slept in the chair by her bed. She was wheezing and coughing all night. By morning, I was so worried I had to take her to the doctor. Since all the walk-ins were closed because of the statutory holiday I ventured to the emergency room. I thought I am probably being an over protective mother. I walked in and within 3 minutes of us entering the hospital we were talking to a Pediatrician. Katie’s breathing was awful and she was struggling. Her lungs were full of sickness. Thank goodness we didn’t wait. My poor husband was at work. He dropped everything and came in just as we were awaiting X-rays. There was talk of Pneumonia. But it wasn’t. There was talk of RSV. But it wasn’t. We tested for everything under the sun. It ended up being Bronchialitis and we stayed in the hospital for 5 days until Katie could breathe on her own and her oxygen saturations were back to normal.   
I have never been so happy for my little girl to have such a simple little thing. The ability to breathe.
I thought about it all when I was walking down the concourse taking Katie home. How happy I was that we could leave. How many happy and sad moments happen right here on this hospital concourse. I was happy to go home and be with my family and was reminded of something sweet my eldest daughter says to me on a regular basis- she always holds my hand and says, “Let’s hold hands because we love each other.”
It’s so easy to get hung up in our own mini problems. But after that moment I really had to step back and think about all of the great things in our lives.
So my simple answer, when life gets you down- “Just breathe”. It’s a cliche that we all should stick with until we take our last breath.
Thank you to all the people that prayed for us, that prayed with us, and those who sent their encouragement. To VGH Pediatrics for the great care. To all those children and families still in there- we are praying for you.
By Nicole Brown, on December 15th, 2011
Just finished up an undercover operation at Big Box Photo Shop. Armed with two kids in the cart (my little spies) .
Nicole: I would like to book a photo session. I really want the DVD. Can I have the files?
BB: Yes, of course they are available but they are for sale at full price.
Nicole: How much are they? I need them!
BB: $249
Nicole: How many do you get? How many poses??
BB:15-20 images.
Nicole: Can you do on-location sessions? I really like Beacon Hill Park. Fort Rodd Hill.
BB: No, only in the studio
Nicole: What if my toddler is not wanting their photo taken? What if my baby is fussing?
BB: We only have 15 minutes. 20 minutes max.
Nicole: So you won’t wait for my baby to stop fussing.
BB: No, we don’t have time. People are waiting. You’d have to try again.
Nicole: How much is your session fee?
BB: It’s free but you can buy as many prints as you wish
Nicole: Are you a professional photographer?
BB: No, I am trained by “BigBoxShop” to take photos.
As a custom photographer, I thought I’d share this as it was an interesting discovery. Custom photography is an investment in your family’s story. The fertilizer in the family tree.
As a custom photographer, I’ve spent several years in my craft of photography. I also spend thousands of dollars a year in my education to be learn from the top wedding and portrait photographers in the world. It’s important for me to inspired and to make your images better and better every year you come back to me. I also have a Visual Arts degree specializing in photography.
Together, we’ll spend the time to create that magic that will make your heart melt and go back to that time encapsulated in those images. Your family will feel at ease by the time we have our session together because we will have met before to discuss all the details. Most times, when we meet on location I am greeted with warm smiles and many times hugs from the kids. I really love my job! I also am a mother myself and I will follow the cues of your family to take proper breaks and also know the right time of day where everyone is energized and ready to be in front of the camera.
My sessions are not back to back and I will wait for your children to shine in front of my lens. It will be a pleasurable experience where I will take care of you and your family until the work goes up on the wall or is laid out beautifully in an album. We’ll have a chance to go to your favourite spots that you cherish as a family or do a session in the comfort of your own home. Many of my clients are thankful for the home delivery and custom service I do for their families. I do in-session sales and I feel that it’s the best to help you make decisions and actually get it done! But really, the best part of my job is you!
I smile as I walk through my clients homes and their art that we’ve created shows proudly in their homes.
I know that as a parent, we love sharing our photos on the computer but your images are worth more on walls and in albums then a scratched DVD or a dropped hard-drive. So print, display, and back up often!
That’s my public service announcement!
By Nicole Brown, on December 15th, 2011
 Sorry it’s been a bit quiet on the blog front! I love you guys and I am still here! A lot of my family sessions this year were giving them as gifts to their families and friends and I hate ruining surprises!
There will be a whole bunch of blog posts coming soon as I finish up with the holiday season.
I’ll be taking from December 15-January 15th off to spend with my family but also working on some exciting and much needed changes for my business.
Lots of love to all of you and may you enjoy the little blessings in your lives and give the gift of your presence!
By Nicole Brown, on October 29th, 2011
It was more than three years ago when my daughter was just a Little Mystery in my belly. We chose not to find out the sex of our child which is odd among our circle of friends because I am surrounded by “planners”.
My developing mother’s intuition told me that we were having a boy! Our Little Mystery danced and kicked in my belly all day/all night. I couldn’t sleep from all the activity. Girls don’t move like this much I was told. This Baby liked to party hard.
I remember rubbing my belly at night thinking about our Little Mystery. I could take “him” to soccer and Boy Scouts. I could get muddy and play monster trucks. My husband, who is a Marine Engineer could teach, “him” to fix things. Grandpa could teach “him” how to build things. We were set for the unveiling of Our Little Mystery that September. In our ultrasound at 3D Baby, we had them tape the sex and hide it at the end of the movie. We vowed not to even peek until “he” was born. I can’t believe our restraint!!
So on September 22, 2008, Our Little Mystery was solved….Our Baby Girl, Kennedy was born. I was elated with joy. I couldn’t even pose for a photo because I could not stop staring at her. She was the most beautiful thing on earth.
First scenario I presented myself with is how am I going to raise a little girl with grace? How can I help her from getting her heart broken? How can I teach her to strong without being a bully or a jerk? How the heck can I do this?
Second Scenario: My heart was racing, 21 years down the road she’ll be graduating from University. 25 years or more from now she’ll be walking down the aisle getting married. Later she’ll be having children of her own. Yikes, how the heck can I handle that? I was supposed to have a boy. What if she doesn’t want to do any of those things? How am I going to handle that?
Third scenario, WHAT IF SHE TURNS OUT LIKE ME?!!! Crud, crud, crud….Okay, I am relieved that there will be many good things. The positive thing is she’ll be passionate about what she does. She’ll work hard and she won’t quit no matter how hard the task is. She’ll be good with people. She’ll have a kind heart. She’ll love making people laugh and hug people when they’re sad.
Last scenario: I want her to be good at things I didn’t try hard enough at. I want her to be good at Math and Science. I want her to travel the world. I want her to speak many languages. I want her to learn every kind of dance.
One of my wishes came true for her this year. After her birthday this year, I took her to her first dance class. The tiny tap shoes, tutus, slippers, and pink bodysuit melted me. Watching her squeal with delight when we got into the car to drive to class made me happy. We had to get there early because she wanted to “practice”.
These three photos are my favorite photos I have taken of my daughter all year. They may be my all-time favorites from this year. I love them because I get to be there with her every Saturday morning for the school year. Yes, it’s a sacrifice to say no to work on Saturday morning, but I hate telling her no- more. I can work any day of the week but that time is precious- that time is for her.
So as I remember the time she tap danced in my belly, when she kicked side by side with her fellow ballerina (M) at 1 month old on a blanket. These images of my Baby Ballerina are etched permanently into my heart.
  
By Nicole Brown, on October 21st, 2011
When I first meet my engaged couples one of the questions I always ask is:
Where did you meet? Who introduced you?
Those two questions tell me so much about the couple.
I love their story of how David and Camille met.
Once upon a time, Camille’s parents were renovating their Deep Cove home. One of the young men fixing their roof caught her parent’s attention. “What a perfect guy for Camille!” Soon there was a phone call to their daughter, “I think you should come over and see the new roof on the house.”
The new roof looked great; and the subtle introduction to a young handsome New Zealand man who was pre-screened by her parents turned quickly into friendship and then to love.
Hey, you never who you’re going to meet on your job site!
Looking forward to their wedding July 2012!
     
By Nicole Brown, on October 20th, 2011
As mother, wife, artist, and business person I feel like those roles keep me really busy all of the time.
My mind is racing with things that I want to do, ideas I dream about doing someday, and goals I know I can achieve.
This past year has been such a marathon, I have been moving ahead in a direction towards staying true to the people I love, the clients I love, and the portraiture I love. With the reality of a new baby and a toddler, sometimes I felt like I running in circles rather than charging full throttle ahead. I had to find my focus. I had to reach deep into my heart and ask some hard questions. “Who am I as an artist? What stories am I committed to telling? Who’s stories do I tell?”
At the moment I am totally enjoying my time with the newest member of my family, taking some client work, and taking some time to work on personal projects. I have so many ideas to share with you all. This process of rebranding is not an overnight thing. Every step has been thought out and I promise you it’ll be worth the wait. I can’t wait to share.
Thank you for reading my blog, being my clients, and letting me tell your story.
By Nicole Brown, on October 2nd, 2011
So sweet and so wee! Little Henry has stolen a couple of hearts the minute he entered the world a little over a month ago!
By Nicole Brown, on August 25th, 2011
When I am needing something to pep me up I always look at my Littlest Girl! She makes me so happy! Here’s the way she looked today at 3 months. She is so loveable, cuddly, and chatty!
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Nicole Brown Photography Blog Welcome to the Nicole Brown Photography blog. My studio is located in beautiful Victoria BC, Canada.
I like portraits, weddings, and lifestyle photography. My favourite part about it is you!
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