Valentine's Day Throwback

Stephanie Chan February 13, 2014

Happy Throwback Thursday my friends! I've decided to post my Valentine's Session with Chloe today and my session with Moses for tomorrow. Kim Anderson's images are just too iconic and nostalgic to not honour him for a Throwback. I don't recall the exact moment that his images entered my thoughts (or why), but the moment the image of The Girl with the Rose came to mind, I immediately knew I needed to recreate this image with Chloe. I opened Google to track down the image and after almost 20 years, there it was, the ultimate Throwback to my childhood.

Amazingly, I managed to put together a strikingly similar ensemble from the original from our own closets.

Sweater - Wilfred Free. Scarf - Nicole Bridger. Beret - Handknit from a high school friend. Grey tights - Mayoral. Patent Leather Boots - Benetton.

This is my absolute favourite of the bunch

I totally remember hanging out at Carlton's Cards and Hallmarks, secretly trying to spend my pocket money on the mini cards to give to my current crush at school but never being able to decide which one to get. And 20 odd years later, it is my inspiration for photographing my daughter for Valentine's Day. I just loved this idea. I loved knowing that it was not just a part of my personal childhood, but that so many others who fell in love with these images as kids would be able to connect with my updated version. It was exciting to be able to draw inspiration from this very nostalgic part of my childhood, and at the same time I was very nervous over the execution: How I would be able to translate it and reconfigure it to be my own?

I'm over the moon with these images. I love how they turned out and I love this feeling of having achieved my project goal. It reminds me of my art school days, being able to successfully bring multiple elements together to create a cohesive piece. The images pay homage to the original artist and yet they have been altered in enough ways (lighting, mood, colour, richness, backdrop vs natural environment, etc…) that allow them to stand on their own for those that may not know the origins of their inspiration.

My prints are arriving this afternoon, I can't wait to get my favourite shot up on the wall!

Book of Love: Caela + Brian

Stephanie Chan February 12, 2014

As any photographer will attest, seeing your art in a physical and tangible form provides a rush like no other. The closest feeling that compares is opening presents on Christmas morning as a child or maybe kind of like Charlie from Charlie and the Chocolate factory, nervous and excited and shaking, carefully tearing the wrapper from the chocolate bar hoping to find that Golden Ticket. It elevates your work to a new level.

I shot Caela + Brian's engagement session last summer, and just in the nick of time. I was elated when Caela mentioned Real Weddings wanted to include a photo from the session in their Fall 2013 Engagement section!

Prints, Save the Dates, postcards and canvasses are always a fun surprise when they arrive. Going over to clients homes and seeing how proud they are to display their photos is the best reminder of why I do what I do. However, it is less often that I get to see my work in book form, and in this case, in a larger format! Caela needed a little convincing on the larger 11.5" x 15" size. After assuring her she would not be disappointed with the extra WOW factor that a couple more inches would provide (… that's what she said..), I can now assure you she and Brian have zero regrets. In fact I'm pretty sure they are thankful for my Asian persuasion. Ha!

When investing in your memories, we have to remember it is not just for immediate gratification. Of course, it is thrilling to have a big book to share with your spouse-to-be, your families and your current group of friends. These memories will not end here. They will have life breathed into them with each new member of your family and ever-growing circle of friends, including your own children down the road! Oh and let's not forget the new mom friends you will acquire who will no doubt share in your misery as you look back on your days of absolute freedom and radiant beauty. Was I ever actually THAT stunning?!!!

Time is not on our side. The sun and moon rise and fall without notice of our aging souls. These moments need to be captured and remembered. When we hit rough patches in life, sometimes photos can help remind us of the love that started it all and give us the strength we need to push through.

Without a doubt, one of my favourite things to do at my grandparents' homes is to sit with a pile of old photo albums and look through my history and see photos of my parents when they were young, before they became parents.

C'est l'amour

Katie + James

Stephanie Chan December 29, 2013

Our Holiday Sessions came to an end and just as I was looking forward to planning Chloe's 3rd birthday, I received a small wave of last minute clients looking to book in time for Christmas, or in the case of two clients, booking before their bellies popped! Our first maternity session was with Katie + James. James came to me via our mutual friend and my neighbour Cait whom I had done maternity photos with earlier this year. After a few anxious months on bedrest, they made it safely through to the last weeks of their pregnancy and made sure to capture this very special belly 12 days before Katie was due!

We did some headshots to preserve her pre-baby glow. Many of us mamas are so hard on ourselves throughout our pregnancy, so worried of what we look like. It is often only after the baby has been born that we are able to see clearly how truly beautiful we were before being robbed of sleep and thrust into motherhood. We see ourselves through an overly critical lens and not for the amazing creatures we are. We lose sight of the strength and power of our bodies that are able to undergo such intense transformations in order to produce life.

In addition to the sweet and traditional photos of the Mama-to-be with her belly or with partner, I aim to capture these women in all their pregnant glory. Not only to celebrate the 9-10 months of sickness, headaches, bed rest, complications, physical aches and discomforts, etc.. but to remind them of their strength and give them confidence to go forth into the very scary world of motherhood.

Nobody wants to mess with a Mama Bear. (Or a Tiger Mom for that matter...)

We are Queens and We are Glorious!

(God, how I wish I had photos of myself taken when I was pregnant)

15 Minutes: Charlene & Karl

Stephanie Chan November 29, 2013

Doo doo doo, plugging along! Just received the remaining orders of postcards from the first weekend of Holiday Sessions which means tomorrow is a PACKAGING DAY. We had to reschedule one family on the Sunday due to a flu so I had a small pocket of time available between families. My cousin Charlene from my mom's side of the family was another one of the few people that donated $200 to the Change Your Hair Change Your Life Fundraiser which landed her a 15 Minute session with The Pauhaus.

SO appropriate that we got her in on these BLUE backed sessions since her favourite colour is blue and has been blue for as long as I have known her. AND, it's her birthday party tomorrow which has been themed THE BLUE PARTY! Nothing better than having some new photos to flaunt on ya berthdayyyy!!!

Her partner Karl joined the fun and after getting her to laugh during a few portraits, he was brought into the picture for some quick couples shots!

I LOVE THIS PHOTO.

Two Outtakes.
Left: "Do you like my new sweater?"
I asked Karl to hold up his sweater just to see how it would contrast against the backdrop

Right: "Whatever shall we have for dinner tonight?"
Charlene's contact fell out mid pose turning this shot into a much more artsy image

Thanks to both of you for making the treck all the way out to T-Town from your fast-paced city life! And of course, a huge thank you to Char for supporting me and my family through the years. Thank you for coming out to the fundraiser. I truly appreciated the effort and kindness of every single person that was able to be there for such an important day.

See you guys tomorrow night!

XO

THROWBACK THURSDAY: Christmas 2012 with Lindsaysdiet

Stephanie Chan November 28, 2013

It's been a whirlwind of sessions, editing, designing, ordering, eye infections, weird flues and colds since the last post! I pinkyswear I'll post more sneaks from our Secret Third Day of Holiday Sessions soon but to tide you over, here are the photos from last year's incredible Holiday Session with my Sista-From-Anotha-Mista: Lindsay Elliott!

Going through these photos is kind of gouging my heart with a melon scooper. The older the kids get, the faster the year goes and the less they seem to change... that is until you look back 365 days. Chloe's hair is 3 almost 4 inches shorter here and she definitely has a little more chub in her cheeks mmm ok all around. The physical changes with Moses are not as noticeable, but as I have lovingly observed during my nightly motherly rituals, I am blown away by the length and lithe in his 4.5 year old limbs. SIGH. Equally as painful is how much younger Kev and I seem in these photos... that's pretty painful considering I've already been torturing myself with photos of us from when I was pregnant the first time. AND THIS YEAR I HAVE NO HAIR!

Dearest Lindsay, thank you so much for capturing these photos of my radiant little muffins, my handsome sweetie and my long hair :) Can't wait to see what we get this year! DRESS SHOPPING TOMORROW!!!!