Nicole Brown Photography Blog

Bear + Jade- Love on Hummingbird Lane

Nicole Brown — Sat, 12 May 2012 09:00:24 +0000

Today is a special day because Bear and Jade are walking down the aisle.

Together with friends and family from all over Canada will witness and support their marriage. The Bride’s Aunt will officiate the ceremony.

These two were destined to become husband and wife since the first day they met.

If you have spent any time with this two you would completely see the connection between them. His eyes light up when she walks in the room and she completely adores him. I love the way these two laugh together.

I wanted to share a couple of images from their engagement session of this beautiful couple. I couldn’t be more happy and honoured to be there to document their first day as husband and wife!

So excited for you Bear and Jade!

Twins + Tulips Spring must have Sprung

Nicole Brown — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 16:00:38 +0000

I love photographing children… siblings are fun…and twins are twice the fun!

Meet our 18 month old Swedish twins Elsa and Emilia!

Adorable little girls with a lot of Spring to their step. So much so, that I wish I had worn my running shoes instead of ballet flats.

18 months is a very fun but busy age! You can tell because their mum looks fit as a fiddle from chasing after these two sweet and busy girlies!

They love animals, twirling in the sunshine, flowers, and exploring their world!
Those trademark Cupid’s bow lips are twins with Mum’s. So adorable!

Their amazement and wonder makes you want to see through toddler eyes again. Their delight in simple things like twirling a pink umbrella or taking time to smell the tulips was probably the coolest things they’ve done in the last 20 minutes.

The world is so new and so exciting!

Hope you’re exploring and enjoying Spring where you are too!

Meet the Newest Member of their Flock

Nicole Brown — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 03:57:40 +0000

You may remember my portrait session with Daniel and Cheryl the two former shepherds who met and fell in love while herding sheep from the fall. Well, here is their session with the newest member of their flock.

After a couple of years of waiting, big brother finally got his wish, a little sister with strawberry blonde hair!
Such a sweet smile at 5 days old!

Cheryl has been busy dressing up the nursery for their baby girl with various craft projects. She is so crafty!
Since Daniel is a Writer /Illustrator/Painter- we wanted to add an element of his to this image.
Dressing the scene is part of what I do but it was great that we had a team effort going! We needed to hide the thermostat for the photos. Dad grabbed one of his small paintings- but didn’t really look at which one he grabbed first.
Whoops, glad we could find a more sensible painting to cover it up at the end once we both realized what he grabbed at first. Both parents laughed at their sleep deprivation! Phew, glad I caught it too!

Their Little Girl was born just before Christmas, just in time for all of her “Fun-cles” to meet her (as they are spread across the North America.) If you know these two at all, you know how important family is to them.

As I was packing up after the session-I’m glad I hadn’t fully packed up my camera yet-there was a little knock at the door- because you NEVER ring a doorbell if you want to be greeted with a happy face in the home with a newborn or a baby.
It was Grandma, Grandpa, and Great Grandpa who had just arrived from the Kootneys to meet their Grandaughter and Great-Grandaughter for the first time.

It was an honour to be there in their daughter’s first days of her life- but really special to be there at this moment too.

I’m resiting calling her your Little Lamb or Sweet Lambchop because I am sure she has so many cute nicknames already.

Congratulations on your beautiful Baby Girl!
It’s already clear how much she loves [dork_alert] Ewe [/dork_alert] both!

Baby Love

Nicole Brown — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 06:22:53 +0000

I photographed Tessa and Clayton’s wedding a year and a half ago. Yes, I am a little behind in blogging… Ahem, check back this Flashback Friday and you’ll see their beautiful Roman Catholic Wedding!

Right now, I have to share with you some exciting news! Tessa and Clayton just had their first child! He is a beautiful little boy, with lots of brown hair and the most gorgeous blue eyes- just like Daddy! You can tell how much Tessa adores those two men in her life!

Here’s a couple images from their newborn session:

What a cute Little Peanut!

He gave me so many sweet sleepy expressions it was hard to pick which one to put on the announcement!

Such a beautiful image of Mother and Child.

Love these images of their new family!

I was saying to Tessa about how much your love deepens for your husband when you have a child. When you see that man you love hold your child tenderly your heart could burst!

Baby Adam is so excited to read his favourite book, “Love You Forever”. It’s so admirable how their little man is so jazzed about reading already at 11 days old!

Blessings on your new family, Tessa and Clayton!

By Boat, By Plane, By Train

Nicole Brown — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 08:31:38 +0000

I had such a fun time creating something special for my friend, Sebastien.

The first thing I do in my session creation is that I look deep into making a portrait (not just a pretty “picture”) but something really timeless. I want to tell a story about the child or share a dream.

So many times as parents we live in a constant state of groundhog day. It’s the same racing through those busy-jam packed days- over and over again. We move so fast that sometimes we forget about the little things. The way our children played with their toys, their facial expressions they did at a certain age, their haircuts, and their clothing style.

That’s why I wanted to create these Children’s Portraits to help us keep that certain age frozen- so we can go back and enjoy it again and again.

The Aviator image in the hanger is one of my favourite images from this series. It’s almost as if Sebastien truly was ready to fly!

Thanks you again for a great session, Sebastien!

Spring is in the Air

Nicole Brown — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 20:05:26 +0000

Robin Williams said it best, “Spring is nature’s way of saying, “Let’s party!”

I have been photographing these twins since a month after they came home from the hospital. Such an honour to see them year after year!

Look at their Music Maestro! He looks like he’s conducting a symphony! He would have stood up but he had broken his leg three weeks before their family session. We did our best and he was such a ray of sunshine despite not being able to run around and climb trees with his sister.

So many cute ones from the session! But how can you go wrong with adorable elements such as toddler twins, cherry blossoms, and a sweet family as a whole?

I bet this warms Mum’s heart everytime she glaces over at that frame on her desk!

Happy First Day of Spring and can’t wait to see your family again!

“The roots of a family tree begin with two hearts” -Anonymous

Nicole Brown — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 17:17:21 +0000

It’s no secret how much I love photographing families.

Many times, I photograph the same families year after year. Even though the roll call for the family photo is the same- their story lines change. Their characters develop over time. Some have new characters arrive on set the following year!

I was asked this fall for the first time to photograph my old friend, Megan’s family! It was great to be re-united with Megan over Facebook in the summer when she was transitioning with her family from a move from England back to Canada. It’s funny how photographs bring us closer together when we we live so far apart.

Megan and Daryl have a delightful little monkey! He’s as cute as can be! At nearly two years old; he had his Grandparents, Linda and Gerry wrapped around his finger. I completely understand that. What’s not to love about this tiger eyed cutie?

I know what joy a grandchild can bring to a family. Especially a first grandchild and one that is reunited with you after months abroad. To wake up everyday in the same house and watch that little boy grow and learn must be delight!

We picked Island View on the last “nice” “photograph-able” day in November. It was a special spot for the family who had spent many happy times strolling along the beach. Mum, Linda knew all the landmarks and Islands around the area too.

The family was reunited and it was a perfect day because they were together.

There was one neat thing that happened before the session. Megan’s brother, Mark had asked his longtime girlfriend, Katie to come to his family’s session. Katie asked shyly, “Well, are you sure? We’re not quite family yet?” Mark made her completely at ease. “No Katie, you are family!”

Katie fit right in to their family session. In fact, a couple weeks later, it was official. Mark and Katie were engaged. Mark proposed to her completely out of the blue.

Congratulations, Katie on joining this wonderful family!

If Mark and Katie are anything like these two lovebirds- it will be a lifetime of love and friendship!

One of my favourite captures from the session… A little kiss before they joined the gang.

Thank you again, Megan and your family for hiring me to capture this beautiful moment in time! Missing you guys already and sending some warmth to you in your new home up North!
Those Northern Lights are something else!

PS: This was the moment where their Monkey decided it was time to go wading in the ocean!

Every Day is Art

Nicole Brown — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 10:06:55 +0000

The Children’s Couture and Children’s Lifestyle Sessions have been something I have been DYING to show you all. By now, if you have been reading this blog, you’ve seen some sneak peeks and hints along the way that this is the direction that I am heading toward for the future- Children + Family Photography. But working with children specifically was something that sparked my creativity ages ago. It was something that I really wanted to pursue fully with my whole heart.

For many years I was holding myself back because there was never enough time to concentrate with so many types of photography that I was shooting.

It’s hard as a newer professional photographer to focus (figuratively) because you love taking on new challenges and you do need to find out what you love to shoot, what makes your clients happy, and gives you that creative spark to create something new with the devotion to your craft.

I wanted time to really focus on an in-depth portrait and story.

So I came to a crossroads when I decided that I think it’s better to specialize- because it’s more s p e c i a l.

Some of this new work are some my favourite sessions. Yes, the images have been hiding in the dark for way too long.

I’m a female artist? I’ll keep you waiting until it’s time!

Did I mention that my daughter told me that I was too sassy and I needed a time-out in my room? What a kid? Love her!

Sorry for the long sidebar.

Let’s talk about the spark. This start of THIS project…

When I was designing Miss Em’s session, I knew that her character could not be comprised into one small scene. She loves art, dolls, girlie-girl things, drawing, and writing in her workbooks. She was embarking on a new journey this year-kindergarten. It’s one of those happy sad moments you have as a parent because it’s at that time that you fully acknowledge that your baby is growing up.

Here is Emma the artist. I love how she smiles as she creates her masterpieces and her pensive gaze.

She loves to daydream…
…especially before the last days of summer drifted away and the apples were ripening in the orchard. The school bells were being shined up and the excitement of a new school year was starting.

But Emma and my favourite part of the day was when we visited the lavender field. It smelled so good!

This image is one of my favourites. Emma is truly beautiful!

Thank you again, Miss Emma for the wonderful playdate with my camera!

More Than Just Another Family Photo

Nicole Brown — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 14:19:38 +0000

I met Tina a couple of years ago through a referral from another client (which is always a great way to be introduced).

I absolutely connected with her right away! Loved working with her. She was elegant yet so down to earth with a great sense of humour. She told me she had fallen in love with a great man named, Doug, who was not only completely head-over-heels for her; but also loved her son!

A couple of years after her portrait session, she called me to book a family session. I was delighted to receive the call as it’s always an honour to continue to photograph a family’s personal story. We had a consultation and we decided on photographing her session near their home at Royal Roads.

It’s kind of ironic that we were photographing at Hatley Castle because I noticed something sparkling in the sunshine. I looked over and saw a beautiful Princess cut diamond ring on her finger. Tina and Doug had gotten engaged a couple weeks before and these photos were not only about Tina and her son’s Family portrait…but the joining of the two of them together with Doug as a family. It was also about their future union together. So it was an engagement session too. Luckily, my sessions are 90 minutes long!

Although, her son was joking around saying he could not handle the lovey-dovey stuff so he ran around on the beach driftwood and half went into the water. He’s a boy and that’s what boys do!

Luckily, this portrait features his non-sandy side! You can tell the deep connection and love between them. It’s a beautiful thing seeing a young man treat his mum like a Princess.

Wishing you the very best in your upcoming marriage and your new life together as a family!

Is it Ice Cream Weather Yet?

Nicole Brown — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 14:45:07 +0000

We’ve had a couple of practice runs at the Ice Cream Shop this winter. We are getting closer everyday to sugar sprinkles landing everywhere except their intended Preschooler’s target and chocolate mustaches.

It’s funny when these photos were taken last summer, it was the hottest day of the year and the kids were getting a bit cranky about the heat and the sun.

I would do anything for some warm sunshine and an ice cream cone right now!