Introducing Sweet Alice – Newborn Portraits
There are many things I love about being a photographer, but my simplest pleasure is seeing my clients again as their families grow. I first photographed Mike and Cheryl’s wedding back in 2013, before long Cheryl was expecting and then they welcomed sweet Emma. Now, I have the absolute pleasure of introducing you to sweet Alice.
We started by taking photographs of Emma to get her warmed up. By far my favourite photo of this little ham! Such a sweetie!!
And she just LOVES being a big sister!!
Doesn’t this just make your heart melt? So much love for her little sister.
Isn’t she a beauty? Alice was such a great little model for our session. She slept so well and let me adjust her without waking. So amazing!
And who can resist sweet baby feet?
Cheryl ordered this adorable Alice in Wonderland blanket for the nursery and I loved being able to include it in the session!
Love this sweet photo of mom and babe. Cheryl’s such a wonderful and relaxed mom, it’s just so easy to photograph her!
And then they were four. Such a lovely family. They just glow with warmth and love.
Cheryl and Mike, thank you from the bottom of my heart for continuing to trust me with your family’s precious moments. It’s an absolute honour and I’m so very grateful. May your beautiful little family continue to flourish and grow with love. With gratitude, Katrina.
Welcoming Lidiya – A Birth Story
You know you have a pretty amazing job, when you wake up to a text like this – “Good morning, heading to the hospital, contractions 2-3 mins apart, will keep you posted.” I hopped out of bed, got dressed, grabbed my camera and headed out the door. I was greeted with snow… lots of freshly falling snow. It was beautiful and I thought what a lovely day to welcome a baby to the world.
When I arrived at the hospital, Leanne and Felix were in one of the triage rooms. It seemed a lot of babies had decided that it was a good day to arrive and there was a little bit of a bed crisis. We spent the first two hours of the morning, wandering the halls, chatting between contractions and hoping a room would be available soon.

© Katrina Stewart / Kalem Photography 2016

© Katrina Stewart / Kalem Photography 2016
Felix and Leannne have such a lovely connection with each other, they emanate love and trust for one another…with a healthy dash of humour thrown in!

© Katrina Stewart / Kalem Photography 2016

© Katrina Stewart / Kalem Photography 2016

© Katrina Stewart / Kalem Photography 2016

© Katrina Stewart / Kalem Photography 2016
So much love and support.

© Katrina Stewart / Kalem Photography 2016

© Katrina Stewart / Kalem Photography 2016
At one point, we got upgraded to the Education room! This meant Leanne was able to sit, rest and have a small bite to eat.

© Katrina Stewart / Kalem Photography 2016
Not long after that, she was finally into a room of her own and what a beautiful view it had!

© Katrina Stewart / Kalem Photography 2016

© Katrina Stewart / Kalem Photography 2016
Getting hooked up to the monitor, to make sure baby was happy!

© Katrina Stewart / Kalem Photography 2016

© Katrina Stewart / Kalem Photography 2016

© Katrina Stewart / Kalem Photography 2016

© Katrina Stewart / Kalem Photography 2016
After being in the room for about an hour, the doctor came in to check on Leanne and it was decided that they would break her water.

© Katrina Stewart / Kalem Photography 2016
That was all Leanne needed and her contractions started to come fast and furious.

© Katrina Stewart / Kalem Photography 2016

© Katrina Stewart / Kalem Photography 2016

© Katrina Stewart / Kalem Photography 2016

© Katrina Stewart / Kalem Photography 2016

© Katrina Stewart / Kalem Photography 2016
A short time later, Lidiya was born to two very happy and excited parents.

© Katrina Stewart / Kalem Photography 2016

© Katrina Stewart / Kalem Photography 2016
Leanne looks so peaceful here.

© Katrina Stewart / Kalem Photography 2016

© Katrina Stewart / Kalem Photography 2016

© Katrina Stewart / Kalem Photography 2016

© Katrina Stewart / Kalem Photography 2016

© Katrina Stewart / Kalem Photography 2016

© Katrina Stewart / Kalem Photography 2016
It wasn’t long until she was feeding like a champ!

© Katrina Stewart / Kalem Photography 2016

© Katrina Stewart / Kalem Photography 2016

© Katrina Stewart / Kalem Photography 2016
Getting weighed in… 7 lbs 7.5 oz!

© Katrina Stewart / Kalem Photography 2016
Some skin to skin cuddles with Daddy!

© Katrina Stewart / Kalem Photography 2016

© Katrina Stewart / Kalem Photography 2016
And meeting Grandma for the first time.

© Katrina Stewart / Kalem Photography 2016
So much love between these three. Lidiya, you are one lucky little one!

© Katrina Stewart / Kalem Photography 2016
Leanne and Felix, thank you so much for your trust. It was an honour to be a part of your journey yesterday. I wish you a lifetime of happiness with your sweet Lidiya. With gratitude, Katrina.
Sweet Ella is Seven
Time is a very interesting thing. It seems to move faster when you want it to slow down, but at a snail’s pace when you’re waiting for something important. This phenomenon seems to be so much more pronounced after having kids. It seems that the years fly by and now I have a 7 year old!
Ella’s birthday was last month and although I did the photos right away, I wanted her permission to post them. She gave me the green light a little while ago and I’m finally getting around to writing it! For her birthday this year, Ella wanted to get her hair cut and donate it again! Just over 8″ this time.
We did a few photos of her before the hair cut… she was being a bit of a ham.
And then ham #2 wanted to join in the fun
But it meant that I also got this sweet image of the two of them. They have so much love for each other, it melts my heart every single time!
As we were walking to her hair appointment, they came across this chicken bike rack… so, of course, they needed to ride it!
Off goes the ponytail!
And let the trimming begin. I’m so grateful that Rianne from Moz Hair studio is willing to cut my girls hair, she always does an amazing job!
And of course, she had to ride the chicken again with her new do!
A few days later, we celebrated her birthday with a few friends and family. When looking for ideas for her cake, I came across this cupcake flower, and she loved it!
This image. It makes my heart happy. We stopped in the park on the way back to the car from her hair appointment. The light was gorgeous and she actually gave me a smile!
My dear sweet Ella. You are such an amazing little girl. You are kind, generous and thoughtful. You love with your whole being and give the most amazing hugs. You face challenges with a silent determination and you never give up. You fill our lives with such joy and I’m so so grateful to be your mom. Thank you for being you. Love, mom
Chris & Shannon – A Kamloops Wedding
Our lives are made up of a series of moments. Moments that are fleeting. Moments that are lasting. Moments that leave indelible marks on our hearts. Moments that lift us up and shape who we become. One of my life moments was going to Camp Goodtimes. It was there that I met Chris 17 years ago and we became friends. And on a beautiful day in June, I had the immense pleasure of watching him marry Shannon, the love of his life. A union that made me smile and reminded me why I love what I do. Here’s a little peek at their day.
I quickly learned that Chris and Shannon love to surprise each other. Chris bought this beautiful bracelet for Shannon and had a groomsman deliver it just before the wedding ceremony. It was a matching piece to the earrings and necklace he’d given her for Christmas and her birthday. Isn’t it gorgeous?
I’ve always been struck by an absurdity of wedding days… while the ladies spend time getting their hair and make up done…
The boys get to go golfing…
And then the girls still have to get dressed!! (I guess the boys do too, but it takes them WAY less time!)
There is, however, always a moment for a selfie, especially with the person responsible for introducing you to your future husband!
Chris and Shannon had lots of special details in their day… this was the bear for the ring bearer to carry down the aisle… with the rings securely attached!
I love how focused Shannon is on Chris as she walks down the aisle!
We did it!!
And then it was Shannon’s turn to surprise Chris. Without him knowing, she found this beautiful car to take them from the ceremony to the reception!
I think you can safely say, Chris was pleased!!
And so were we, because it was a great backdrop!
As was the golf course, where the reception held.
This. I love this image. Simple and filled with love.
Shannon’s adorable niece and nephew, who did an amazing job as ring bearer and flower girl.
Isn’t this cake topper adorable?
First Dance filled with so much love.
Just before we left, we took Chris and Shannon outside for a few more photographs… These two were my favourites…
Chris and Shannon. Where do I even start? Thank you. Thank you for trusting us. Thank you for sharing your day with us. Thank you for being so easy going and fun to work with. Thank you for coming over the other night and allowing me to share these images with you… it was fun to see how much you love them 🙂 Thank you for being the amazing, wonderful people you are. It was an honour to be a part of your day. I wish you both a lifetime of happiness together. With gratitude, Katrina