Are you ready, Alberta? Sweet Light Sessions are coming...

Great news if you live in Alberta, Canada;  for the second consecutive year we're bringing our summer sessions to you!  We're going to be celebrating the glorious sunshine, gorgeous snow peaked mountains, and lush Alberta fields with photo shoots for the whole family!

This year we're going to be searching for the most beautiful (and most flattering!) light so we're calling this year's sessions the:

"Sweet Light Sessions"

A perfect opportunity to capture the amazing, super-rad, AWESOMENESS that is you!

Shoot dates are still being finalized but are tentatively set for July 29 - August 11 with locations in Calgary (or Kananaskis) and the Leduc/Red Deer/Camrose triangle breaking down as follows:

L/R/C triangle July 29th to August 4th

Calgary August 5 to August 11th

The details:

SESSIONS ARE VERY VERY LIMITED.  Don't wait to book with me or they will sell out.   

Session times reflect the BEST times to photograph in natural light.  In most cases, this will be 1 - 1.5 hours before sunset.  Exceptions may be made on a case by case basis depending on shoot location (earlier when shooting in the mountains).   Sessions are booked on a first come first serve basis based on when payment is received.  Please indicate your preferred session date and time in your note at checkout or via e-mail to saltandlightstudio(at)gmail.com.

Option 1:  "Light of my Life" Digital Only Package - $1000   *Price includes session fee ($250), taxes, fees and shipping (excluding a-la-carte items).

• Includes family photography for up to 4 people
• 1 hour on location custom photo session yielding a minimum of 20-30 swoon worthy images displayed in a private online ordering gallery
• Custom Facebook Time Line cover
• Custom Family Christmas Card (download)
• 10% off all A-la-Carte Prints and Canvas wall art
• Full Resolution Digital Print disk with print release ($650 value)

Option 2:  "This little Light of mine"  Digital PLUS Package - $1300 *Price includes session fee ($250), taxes, fees and shipping (excluding a-la-carte items).

• Includes family photography for up to 5 people
• 1 hour on location custom photo session yielding a minimum of 30-40 swoon worthy images displayed in a private online ordering gallery
• Custom Facebook Time Line cover
• Custom Family Christmas Card (download)
• 20% off all A-la-Carte Prints and Canvas wall art
• Full Resolution Digital Print disk with print release ($650 value)
• PLUS $100 print credit to use towards a-la-carte items
• PLUS Gorgeous Custom 10x10 Professional Coffee Table Album ($250 value)

Package Options

Option 1 (Digital Only) $1,000.00 CAD Option 2 (Digital PLUS) $1,300.00 CAD

Please note:  Payments are not refundable but will be applied to new dates in the event of cancellation due to weather.  Session dates and available times are limited due to travel, clients must respect my limitations and work within these constraints (please and thanks!).


Please note:  Packages include time and talent of photographer including e-mail consultations/wardrobe planning, custom prop creation, travel and set up/take down, session photography, and Sneak Peek previews.

Love.

What love means to me.

Until next time,

Lisa

She loves me.

A quick photograph I shot a few days ago (special shout out to my self timer) before my daughter was off to school.

It is my attempt to actually be in a photograph.  Something I often struggle with.

For a lot of reasons.  A LOT.

Not the least of which can be summed up by reading the article, "So you're feeling too fat to be photographed" by My friend Teresa photography.

Before you start eye rolling at my size 8, 135 pound figure you need to know the following:

I used to be a size 00.

Yes, an actual double zero size.

The size of your average 12 year old.

But then I had my second baby and my lack of exercising and giant bowls of KD started to catch up to me.

And my body changed.

And I'm still trying to sort out exactly how I feel about it.

On one hand I feel like less of a freak.  When you're a double zero (or any very small clothing size) and not hobbit sized, there are a tremendous amount of stares.  Loathsome judging stares and lingering looks of disapproval, directed at me from random women who are absolutely positive I am this thin either because I have an eating disorder or because I am terribly vain.

Neither of which are true of me.

On the other hand...I was thin.  Very very thin.  For most of my life.

Being thin was ME.

It was part of my identity.

Although is wasn't something I loved about myself it was just how I was born.

I grew weary of my nickname, "Pencil".  I felt embarrassed and even apologetic at my thinness, at times.  I didn't feel sexy or womanly, I felt abnormal and I felt like many women hated me for it.

And sometimes when I see a photograph of myself now, I don't quite recognize the person that I see.

And sometimes I'm not sure how I feel about this new average sized me.

But as Teresa's article so eloquently puts it,

"Your children want pictures with their mom."

So here I am trying not to see the 35 pounds heavier new version of myself, but the me that my children see.

The me that they love, no matter what my size.

And my daughter - she loves me.

Like, REALLY really loves me.



Until next time,

Lisa

I love LOVE - Steve and Christine get married in Canmore!

 I adore weddings.

It's the girly girl in me.  All that pretty stuff and love in the air gets me.every.single.time.

Truth be told, I actually started crying before I even got to this particular wedding. 

Like, while driving on the way there. 

Bawling my face off. 

To some sappy love song that came on the radio.

Sigh.  I love LOVE.

And this couple, they know love.

They live love.

This, is the love story of Steve and Christine (in pictures), on the day they decided to make that love "official".

Thanks for inviting me to beautiful Canmore, Alberta to share the day (and the love!) with you.

 

Until next time,

Lisa

Summer Loving Sessions - Straw Bale Houses are awesome

I am truly SO blessed to have the amazing clients that I do.

It's almost embarrassing how WONDERFUL they are.

Patient.  Sweet.  Gorgeous.  And just plain awesome.

Today, I'm introducing you to The Nadons.  These are my kind of people.  Good, honest, country folk with boisterous laughs, spirited children, and a kind word or helping hand for all.

Plus they live in a straw bale house.

A FREAKING STRAW BALE HOUSE, PEOPLE!!!!

A straw bale house they built themselves, no less.

Can you tell I think straw bale houses are all kinds of awesome?

Well, they are.

Only slightly less awesome than the people who live in them.

Until next time,

Lisa

Summer Loving Sessions - Goose bumps

Another gorgeous family from my Summer Loving Sessions.

I have to say that, looking at all this glorious Summer sun is making me a touch sad.

I adore Summer.  Summer and I, we are besties.

Now, I can hear you all through the computer saying, "Yeah, but Fall...Fall is so beautiful!"

To which I respond with, "meh."

Sure, sure...I guess the marigold, pumpkin and vermillion leaves are sort of pretty, if you like that kind of thing.

Personally, I am much more of a green kind of gal.

Green and sunshine.

Kind of like what you see here.

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Meet the Schlegel Family!

Two of the sweetest, loveliest people you have probably never met.  And their cuddly and adorable little baby girl.

Can't you just FEEL the love they share?

Kind of gives me goose bumps.

And NOT because it is now Fall and I am cold*.  Stinking cold. ;)

Until Next time,

Lisa

*okay, technically it's not cold.  26 degrees Celsius today (79 Fahrenheit) hardly qualifies as cold but still...I'm a bit of a baby who LOVES heat.  Super hot, humid, Summer heat.

Summer Loving Sessions - Shinning Beauty

Sometimes when I'm photographing a client, there's a magic that happens from the first moment I lift the camera to my eye and look at them through the viewfinder.

There's a....thing.

An intangible something that I can see and feel that tells me before I even press the shutter that I'm going to capture something awesome.

capture someone awesome...

I never know who will bring that extra inner awesome to the table.  It's always a bit of a surprise where, when and in whom I discover this "it" factor but, I tell you, it is pure joy when I do.

I have to admit I was pleasantly surprise to discover this magic while photographing these lovely ladies.  This Mom/Daughter/cousin trio arrived for their session on a very rainy and consequently very muddy day at the farm.  But from the moment I lifted that camera up to my eye, I saw the thing....the "it"....their inner awesomeness.

In fact, I think I even teased cousin Baylee for "Bringing it" hard core.  This girl was workin' it!  And I think her beauty simply shines.

I think you'll agree.

Until Next time,

Lisa

Summer Loving Sessions - She puts the Awe in Awesome

It pains me to count the years I have known this beautiful Mama.

PAINS.ME.

Gulp...almost 20 long years.....*shutter.

We met in 11th grade Math class.  I have no idea how we started talking or what was said but 45 minutes later I left there with the beginnings of a friendship that would forever alter my life.

From late night boyfriend angst to secret code names for just about everyone we knew, from talking and laughing until 3 in the morning to co-writing other people's book reports, this gorgeous lady and I share some of my favorite memories throughout not only our teenage years but into woman hood, marriage and now motherhood.

I am really so blessed to count her as my dear friend.

She puts the Awe in AWESOME.

Until Next Time,

Lisa

Summer Loving Sessions - Love Multiplied

I've known this gorgeous Mama for 10 years as we used to work for the same company. 

But I haven't really known her as a wife and mother.  Moving across the country tends to leave relationships frozen like that. 

It's been 5 years since I gave up my Corporate job to stay home with my wee ones and we moved from Calgary to Ottawa.  The last I saw of lovely Lori, she was engaged but not yet married to her longtime love, Nick.  The last I heard, this pair of love birds was studying and living in Europe, living the good life of young love.

What a change to see them now with their two incredibly adorable little girls!

Nick and Lori, I am so thrilled for you and this parenthood adventure you are on!  It was a joy to spend the morning with you and to witness first hand the love you share multiplied in the form of your two precious little ones.

Until Next Time,

Lisa

Summer Loving Sessions - This kid burst my bubble

You know how every Mom thinks their kid is special?

Not special like your kid (insert good natured sarcasm here).....SUPER special. ;)

A one-of-a-kind little drooling, laughing, pooping miracle.

Yeah.  I used to think that too.

But then, I met Handsome Mr. Oliver who unceremoniously burst my bubble for me.

You see, Mr. Oliver is a mere 3 1/2ish weeks older than my number three.  Our Mister, Adler.

And while I was wearing my Mommy Goggles, I was pretty darn sure that no kid could possibly make the same guffaw inducing noises and faces that our little nugget was coming up with on a daily basis. 

Surely, that Monster Voice was all him, right?? 

Er...wrong.

From the first minute I met Mr. Oliver, I was smitten with him.  This is a kid with BIG personality!  (I suspect he gets this from his parental genes.)

And then he opened his little mouth and made The Monster Voice....and whoa...serious case of the "your kid does that too's????"

Maybe he just wanted to woo me over or maybe he thought it would help me feel right at home with our session, either way, Mr. Oliver reminded me SO much of my own little guy.

So of course, I loved every minute with this almost one year old and totally ADORABLE Monster Voiced little guy!

Even if he did burst my bubble. ;)

Until next time,

Lisa

Summer Loving Sessions, Alberta - A movie date

There are 8 million things I like about the Puszkars.

Approximately.

You know, give or take a few million.

Here's a small sampling:

- They're FUN!!  (With a capital F.)
- They are spontaneous.  (Hello...last minute photo shoot!)
- They are totally in love with each other.  (The kind of love that creates electricity in the air!)
- They make crazy gorgeous children.  (Okay, child, at this point, but there is no denying they've got the genes to make a whole gaggle of gorgeousness.)
- When I suggested a Movie Date stylized session, they jumped on board immediately and even did the prop shopping for me!
- Three words....COMIC.BOOK.LOVERS.
- They laugh easily. (and with their whole bodies!)
- That twinkle in their eyes. (See below for evidence)

In short, the Puszkars are AWESOME.

The kind of, "awesome" people make movies about.

Until next time,

Lisa