Oh heyyyy. Firstly, call me Van…if you call me Vanessa, I’ll feel like I’ve been put into time out. Secondly, I’m thrilled you found my little corner of the big wide web! I’m a country girl transplant & faux farmer. I never thought I would live on a farm. Ever. Now, I wouldn’t trade it for anything. I love living in the middle of nowheresville with an assortment of animals (although never a horse), including three little ones who call me Mom: Jazlyn, Wyatt and our firecracker Charlize. One man calls me his love, and sometimes deservingly, ‘damn you woman’. Cam, my hubby, is my rock. I legit won the husband lottery. He is every adoring adjective you can think of. He understands my obsession to document our family’s life. He books our family photo sessions each year, as I procrastinated one year, so now, he takes care of it….see what I did there ladies? My family is my everything.
I’m a lover of light & laughter, moments & memories & documenting them! Taking the photograph, freezing time, is one of my favourite things to do….but I am overly passionate about putting these images into a hard copy for future generations. My devotion to documenting & photo organization has grown over the years as our children have aged. I print every photo I take…even cell phone photos. Watching our kiddos thumb through albums brings me so much freaking joy. My motto is “no photo shall be left behind”. My theory is, at the time that photo was taken, I believed it was a moment worth remembering. So print that photo, remember that moment! I want our kids to know my story, their story. Our life through my eyes.
Aside from documenting my family’s life, my other borderline unhealthy obsessions include hockey, fly fishing, weaving (preparing myself for my senior years) and raising plant children. My favourite season is hockey season (Go Flames Go). I loooove watching my kids play. I joke (but it’s true), that I became a Mom so I could be a Hockey Mom. I love sports select, & fantast hockey. Yep, I am a big fan. I’m a bit of a paradox if you start to look too close. Gold sparkles, hot pink hair, skulls and glitter. Cozy days in my onesie, sporting one of my favourite toques (even in the summer) are my jam. That being said, I have also been known to rock the same outfit in the river, with my pink fly rod in my hands. I crave nachos at 8:00am. I hoard mini chocolate bars and eat them in bed while I watch Harvey & Mike on Netflix (where are my Suits lovers at?). My taste in music describes me well: Ice Cube, Warren G, Eric Church, Corb Lund, Kenny Chesney, NOFX & Sublime, Tom Jones and Elle King. You never know what I’ll bust out, as it totally depends on the company I’m in. I’m either serenaded with 90’s rap by one of my besties, or every word of Corb Lund from my son, Wyatt.
Nothing brings me more joy during a photo session, as when my clients remember my lenses name. Yes, I name my camera lenses. Each have a different purpose, and thus personality. Having ‘my’ people say “hey, that’s Harold”, or “you’re using Betsey!” brings a smile to my face. Post session, once images have been transferred over to my clients, I am often greeted with a photo and a text “check out my photo wall”. Knowing that ‘my people’ are printing their photos, making albums and documenting their days, makes me so dang happy. What an amazing gift to give your children. I want that for you. I want to help you give the gift of hard copy memories, to your littles. Take the photos, all the photos. You will never regret taking too many. And most importantly, remember to get in front of that camera too. In fifty years, your children will not look at a photo of you and wonder why you weren’t wearing make up that day, or why you didn’t put on a bra (lame). They want to see your face. Remember, happy is pretty. Be pretty. xo
