A little something I wanted to remember so I wrote about it.
This afternoon Victoria was going over to spend some time with her grandparents. We had a bit of a rough morning so I had completely forgotten all her nap stuff at home. After we went to the park I went to drop her off (Parker was in the car so it was a quick drop off). It was such a small moment, yet, it was something I want to remember.
A gratitude poem featuring little moments, our world and a child’s curiosity.
I wrote this after a morning at the park with my brother and dad. I loved the way Victoria would look at them. I have relatives that detest dandelions (I mean to most of society they are ‘weeds’) but to her and her little mind they are flowers and I love that.
Thank you my love, my children for a perfect Mothers Day. I love you all so much! This is for you.
We had a wonderful Mothers Day. My husband made me crepes that I typically only get once a year. We visited a bookstore where he gave me 5 minutes to get whatever books I wanted and he would buy. We visited the park for a short bit and he made me a favourite meal - Prawn Alfredo with Rigatoni noodles. While he cleaned up dinner, Victoria and I went for a sunshine walk where she collected rocks and picked dandelions and to finish off the night I got some cuddles from Parker while I gave him his bedtime bottle. Everything was perfect :)
Started off the week with a hike at a local park we love visiting!
Made my mom a Mothers Day dinner! We made a classic recipe that we’ve been loving lately - Creamy Garlic Chicken with Mashed Potatoes and Cabbage Salad.
Went on a solo date with my girl to one of our favourite parks :) The previous day was a rough day for all of us so it was nice taking some time the next day to have some one on one time.
Visited Tim Hortons on the way home for a treat! I’m thinking this sort of thing is going to be a new thing we do.
Parker’s solo date with me was a nice relaxing bath time while Victoria was at her grandparents but for obvious reasons there’s no photos.
Checked out a new trail and park with my dad and brother :)
Finished off the week with a lovely Mothers Day dinner at my parents house :)
Some moments in-between :)
The Motherhood Limited Edition Sessions I do every Spring for Mothers Day is one of my favourites of the year. I started this series because moms are amazing and I want them to have a beautiful keepsake for years to come. This year I kept the Motherhood Sessions small and intimate only offering to the moms that I knew because I have a little baby at home who was only a few months old so I didn’t want to be away from him for a long time. L and her little boy was a friend of a friend who I was happy to include in the sessions. It was so great meeting her and her little boy and I am so happy with how her photos turned out! :)
I wanted to share some of my in-depth thoughts of some of the houses that are featured in my ‘Homes’ collection.
This was the house that started this collection. What drew me to it was the shutters on the window. They were unique. At first I was trying to only capture a single window with the shutter but I was on the other side of the street with the kids and couldn’t get closer. I was also using my Canon EF-M 15-45mm lens and couldn’t zoom in very much. So, I reframed my composition and took a wider shot with the road and the whole house. I ended up quite liking the photo with the different layers - the road, fence, and the trees in the back.
In this next one, there was one specific part of the house that I loved and that was the sun room that you can see off to the right of the house. I was too far away to see how they use this room but I like to imagine a room full of beautiful plants, a chair off to the corner where you can read a book. On the other side of this road is a lake so you’d also get a beautiful view of the lake. Again, I was on the other side of the road with the kids and couldn’t get closer/zoom in further with my camera so I reframed with a wide shot at a slight angle.
The last house that I want to talk about for ow is this one. What drew me to this was actually the juxtaposition of a small, cute little home against the modern looking apartments towering in the back. When I originally framed up this composition I was trying to just get the house straight on but as I kept walking with the kids to the park I noticed the opposition of the apartment buildings and just quite liked the shot.
Hope you enjoyed this closer look at what drew me originally to some of the houses featured in ‘Homes’ and what I was thinking compositionally. Stay tuned for Part 2!
I’m introducing a new series to the website - Homes. Everywhere I go, whether it’s a walk or a drive I always look and admire peoples houses. So many different architecture types, styles, designs. So this new series is a collection of the different homes I see and love and future blog posts will contain more in-depth details about what I specifically drew me into the different homes.
You can find the collection so far over under the ‘Series’ tab or click here!
We ventured out somewhere a little different this week. We took a walk along a different section of Okanagan’s Rail Trail and dipped our feet in the water (btw it’s still very cold).
I was trying to figure out how to best capture the view. It was so beautiful! The sun was shining and I love this side of Kelowna - the rolling green hills. It literally reminds me of a Studio Ghibli movie!
Fun fact! After she filled my shoes with sand she proceeded to take one and throw it in the water…
Details:
Camera: Canon M100
Lens: Canon EF-M 15-45mm
Lightroom: Edited using my ‘Golden Vibes’ Preset
A couple weeks ago we did a pretty big outing. We usually head out in the morning to just get outside but this was extra. We grabbed some coffee at Blenz, walked to the park, went to the stamp event at Kelowna Tourism, and then grabbed lunch at Kelly O Bryan’s. This was way more than what we usually do! I hadn’t posted these photos yet here so I thought I’d play around with some digital collaging to creatively display the photos.
We have come to this flower field a lot since the Arrowleaf started blooming here in the Okanagan. I love going for a walk through the trails, I love taking photos of V, I love watching her evolution of time here. Today I wanted to play around with contrasting colors. The field is full of green and yellow so I put V in a red dress and the whole trip brought me so much joy!
Details:
Camera: Canon M100
Lens: Canon EF-M 15-45mm
Lightroom: Used my ‘Golden Vibes’ Preset
The other day I was walking with Victoria and Parker to the park. We passed a girl that had a camera around her neck. Every now and then she would stop to take a photo. I noticed her meander through the park taking photos of things here and there. It made me wonder - what was she taking photos of and why (I was genuinely curious). I wished I had struck up a conversation with her. She made me think about my own photography and on that day I took two seemingly random photos that really stuck out to me.
The first was of these purple flowers and a cement brick. I took this photo because the little purple flowers (totally weeds) reminded me of the ones that grew at my grandparents place when they lived in West Kelowna.
The second was this home on the way to the park. I just liked it because of the shutters on the window. They were unique. At first I wanted a tight frame with just one of the windows but I was using my Canon M100 with the 15-45 lens and couldn’t get a tight enough zoom (we were on the other side of the street). So instead I went with a wide frame. I quite like the layers that I was able to capture - the paved road, the fence, the house and tree line.
I want this to be a new series that I work on, temporarily calling it What & Why. I hope you enjoyed the first instalment :)
Details:
Camera: Canon M100
Lens: Canon EF-M 15-45mm
Lightroom: Used my ‘Warm White Vibe’ Preset
The other morning I took the kids out for a walk on Kelowna’s Rail Trail. We had stopped (so Victoria could fix her boot) and while we were standing I could hear this soft rustling beside me. When I looked over I didn’t see anything. It was confusing because I could still hear a soft rustling. I thought it was a small bird so I kept staring to see if I could spot it. I then realized…it was a nest of snakes…Thankfully they’re just little garden snakes so nothing worrisome. I picked Victoria up and pointed out the snakes. We kept walking a little bit before turning around and that was when I panicked. As we were walking back Victoria ran right towards the nest of snakes and all rationality, all calmness went out the door. I quickly picked her up and ran. In the commotion I must have dropped my phone but a kind gentlemen on a bike found me at the beginning of the Rail Trail and asked if I had dropped it (thank you a million to this rider - I honestly don’t know when I would have noticed it was gone.)
It was definitely a more eventful morning out with the kids.
Visited one of our favorite parks this morning. Brought along the Canon M100.
P did not sleep well last night. He was up until midnight and then only did 2 hour naps until morning. So we had a late start to the day. Nevertheless, we went to the park for a bit and I thought I’d dig out my Canon M100 for today’s shutter therapy.
In 01 | Shutter Therapy I was using my “big camera” the OM Digital Solutions EM1 Mark II with the 25 mm F1.8 lens. I love my Olympus but that thing is honestly bulky when you are already packing 2 kids and a diaper bag.
Enter the Canon M100. This is not the newest model but honestly I am always blown away by the quality of the images that come out of this thing. It’s small, it’s sharp and it’s perfect as an everyday small camera to chuck in your bag.
Here are some frames from today:
I wanted to play around with the frame sizes and post-processing in the photos. I almost always edit and post in a 4x3 format but I wanted to explore a horizontal, movie like frame size. So these are 16x9 horizontal frames.
With the edits I also almost always go for a light and airy vibe but I wanted to play around with some different vibes. Wasn’t going for moody but movie like (kinda turned out moody).
I’m happy with today’s experimentation!
I don’t pick up my camera as much as I used to.
Back in 2020/2021 I was out with my camera everyday. In 2022, my daughter was born and I still took quite a few photos - the landscape of what I photographed changed. I went from doing mostly nature photography to family photography. Fast forward to 2023/2024 I stopped and only brought the camera out when I had paid shoots.
I’ll be honest it’s difficult finding the energy to take the camera out. My mind is already so preoccupied with getting myself and the kids through the day that I don’t want to think about photography but this year I am making a conscious effort to focus on myself. That includes doing more things that I love or used to love.
The process is far from perfect but on this day I took the kids to the park like I usually do but I brought my camera along for the ride.
Here is what I captured on this very normal Friday morning:
V loves planes so whenever we hear a plane we always look to the sky to find it.
She recently started saying “plane.” I love how she starts off strong with the letter “P” and then softens as she says the rest of the word.
While we were gearing up a gentlemen was out with maybe his grandchild and dog. Whenever I see babies/kids and dogs it makes me want to get a big lab to go on adventures with us.
I always love this house that we pass on the way to the park. I love the red door, it has a giant tree that reminds me of the tree in Harry Potter and I just adore all the windows.
Do you ever look at a plot of land and see the potential? This is also on the way to the park and whenever I see it I see a giant playscape for the kids.
Me loading up both kids in the car. I always baby wear P when I am out solo because it’s easier to chase V.
That wraps up our first shutter therapy session. I didn’t take any photos at the park because we were meeting friends.
I still have a lot to learn on how to do this with 2 kids in tow but baby steps.
The last grandparent session of the season featuring V and J with their great grandma! It was a beautiful September morning at Gyro Beach.
Recently this August I wrapped up my first Limited Edition Grandparent and Grandchild Photo Session in Kelowna, BC. This photo session was specifically geared towards grandparents having a memory and photos with their grandchildren. This photo session was also different in that 100% of the cost would be donated to two organizations: The Heart and Stroke Foundation and Hope for Dementia. I had a great time with these grandparents and kids!
Below, I’ll take you through a brief journey on why this session was so important to me.
Back at the beginning of the summer I had started planning this Grandparent & Grandchild photo session. When I was growing up both my parents worked Monday to Friday and so my grandparents looked after us. To this day one of my fondest memories that I have with my maternal grandparents that I hope is recreated between my own children and their grandparents is weekend sleepovers at my maternal grandparents house. She would let us each pick a movie from Rogers to rent, we’d grab slurpees at the corner store, she would make all of our favourite meals and let us stay up as late as we wanted. On my paternal grandparents side I loved our annual family Salmon fishing trips to the coast. I’d often drive with my Uncle down and it was always an adventure - we’d pop a tire, get lost, end up in the US, miss ferries, take wrong turns, etc. I know it sounds awful but it was fun for us as kids.
So because of these fond memories I knew summer would be the perfect time to take grandparent portraits and it’s because of these fond memories that I wanted other families to have treasurable photos that they can have forever.
When I was originally planning this photo session I had mapped it out to be similar to my Limited Edition Motherhood Session where 25% would go to a charitable organization. However, sometime in July I decided to make the whole session go towards a charitable organization for personal reasons. “Business wise” some would say this is a mistake and not very good “business practice” but in my heart I needed to do this session this way.
A contributing factor to my family losing my paternal grandfather was a Stroke. He survived the Stroke but it did affect his way of life - he had to use a walker if he got around and couldn’t use one side of his body very well. After the stroke he lived for some time before we lost him in 2010. Then recently my own dad encountered a health scare with his heart. After some days in the hospital he was thankfully diagnosed and left with a pacemaker and defibrillator put in this chest. These two causes and relationships is why I decided I wanted half of the money from the Grandparent photo session to go to the Heart and Stroke Foundation.
The other half I decided I wanted to go to Hope for Dementia. They’re an organization that focuses on the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of Dementia and other Cognitive Disorders. For personal and privacy reasons someone close to my family is the reason why I included Hope for Dementia in where the money will go.
Growing up my grandparents were very involved in our lives. They took us to school some mornings and picked us up, helped us with our homework, sometimes cooked us dinner during the week, treated us special during the holidays and birthdays, and with or without them knowing parted important lessons to us that stick with with me.
Do What You Love
One of the important lessons that my grandparents parted was doing what you love. My paternal grandfather that passed in 2010 loved fishing. It was one of his passions, his hobbies that he shared with his family. Majority of the photos that we have where he has a huge smile on his face was when he was fishing. I like to think he’s out there fishing right now. Although none of the grandchildren share the same level of love for fishing I am so happy and thankful that he shared his love for it with his family. I have great memories from those fishing trips we would take as a family and his love for fishing not only imparted finding and doing something that I love but to share it with your family too. Whether they take to it is up to them but you would be surprised what they remember and hold on to from the experience.
Spend Time with Family
I was raised in a very close family. I think part of why I was close to my family was also for a period we lived on the same plot of land together. My paternal grandparents owned an orchard and so my grandparents lived at the top, my uncle and his family lived at the top too, my other uncle and for a time cousin lived next door to us and we lived at the bottom of the orchard. The reasoning was because my grandfather needed more help on the orchard and so it made sense to our family. This resulted in seeing our family a lot, and on my maternal grandparents side we would see them regularly with family dinners, we also had sleepovers and in the winter we would spend almost every weekend at Big White. This family ecosystem parted to me the importance of family and how family supports you when you need them too. When my paternal grandfather passed I made a silent promise to myself to always try and make time for family.
This Limited Edition Grandparent and Grandchild Portrait Session is near and dear to my heart. Thank you to all the families that booked a session and I hope to see you next summer!
I’m a Kelowna Family Photographer. My mission to you is to document your motherhood and create treasurable memories for yourself and your kids. To get in touch about all things motherhood and family photography head to my contact page!
Back at the beginning of the summer I started carrying around an old Canon digital camera. When I’m taking professional photos I love my OM Digital Solutions EM1 Mark II but for everyday moments it was too heavy and bulky. By the time you pack the snacks, diapering stuff, water bottle; your bag is so heavy that adding even another pound is too much. Which is why I love packing my small digital camera. However, you might be wondering in the age of phones that make excellent camera’s why pack and use a digital camera. That is exactly what we’re going to unpack today!
*All photos you see in this blog post were taken on the Canon M100 and the Canon EF-M 15-45mm Lens unless otherwise stated.
Park play date with Nana and Cousin J
Swimming pool fun at our friends house
Random park we went to where we got chased by marmots
Digital camera photos come out richer and creamier than phone photos: Phone photos are very sharp and vibrant but I just find the photos from my digital camera are better. This does partly have to do with the aperture that both camera’s use. For my digital camera I have it set to aperture priority so if I’m taking a portrait the background does have a creamy bokeh to it (it’s not the creamiest that a camera and lens could offer but it’s pretty good). On the iPhone (specifically comparing to an iPhone because that’s what I use) unless you have it on Portrait Mode it tends to put everything in focus and I don’t ever use Portrait Mode on my phone because I find it looks fake and you can typically tell around the edges of the person that you’re using a computerized software to create that bokeh.
You have range with better quality: Depending on the digital camera you have you can probably zoom in and zoom out quite a bit and still have quite a quality image (it’s sharp and not super distorted). On the phone you can also zoom in and zoom out but depending on the available light and just the technical capabilities of the phone you lose quality in your image. The more you zoom in/out on something you want to capture the grainer and blurrier it gets.
Really adorable moment where my husband was cuddling the cat and Victoria came over for a hug. Unfortunately, it’s blurry because when I opened my camera on my phone to take the photo it took a while to focus and figure out the environment.
Adorable photo of Victoria wearing her cousins sunglasses.
3. It’s less of a distraction: On my phone I have my email, text messages, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, etc., I might simply go to take a photo on my phone but then get a text message from someone which leads to checking my email, then scrolling. When I just use my camera to take a photo, that’s it. I can’t do anything else on my camera so I find it’s less of a distraction.
4. It’s less muddled: If I scroll on my phone’s camera roll right now I would find a mess of photos - photos intentionally taken for memory keeping, photos that I took just to add to my Instagram stories, exported photos from previous days that I edited, clips for Reels, snippets of videos and photos that my daughter took when she got my phone, screenshots of things and photos of prices. It’s muddled with so much other stuff that it feels messy. I only use my camera for memory keeping so there’s a chronology to the photos in my camera.
5. You love the creativity and art form of photography: One of the reasons I picked up my small digital camera in the first place was because I wanted to learn more about photography, more about shooting in manual mode, more about creating better more impactful photos. You can do a lot with phone photos but I did find limitations that I can overcome with a digital camera.
Although I do gravitate towards using my digital camera for memory keeping I do take a lot of photos on my phone. The biggest thing I find with my digital camera is that I don’t always have it on me, but my phone I do. For example, often in the mornings we have our routine where we eat breakfast, go for a walk and then play outside. Sometimes I’ll bring my camera along but a lot of time I just head out the door with my phone. It’s during these small, average days or moments that I’ll capture quick small things that I love - my daughter hugging the cat, something funny she did that I want to send to my family, her first time blowing bubbles. I will say that if I had a more compact point and shoot that I can fit in my pocket I would likely be more inclined to take that with me during these times when we’re just hanging around outside or doing something small.
Sweet moment captured on my iPhone between Victoria and our cat Binx
Something funny Victoria did that I just wanted to quickly snap
Victoria making bubbles for the first time on a average Thursday morning after our walk
The digital camera that I use for documenting everyday moments like going to the beach, park, etc., is the Canon M100. This camera I had bought years ago when I first started my photography. I wanted a lightweight camera that I could switch out the lenses for and wasn’t too technical because I was just starting to learn manual. I believe I bought this camera for under $500 on a Boxing Week Sale at Best Buy. To this day I still use just the kit lens that it came with which is the Canon EF-M 15-45mm lens.
This little guy takes one battery and one SD card, it’s fairly small and fits in most of my bags that I use for toting my daughter around. It even fits in my Tushbaby which isn’t that big!
The Canon M100 is a few years old now. Canon has since come out with the M200 and other models. There’s also Sony with their ZV-1, ZV-1 Mark II, the ZV-1F (has camera capabilities but is geared more towards video). Nikon has their Z30 which is fairly small but larger than the models I’ve mentioned so far. There’s also older models like the Canon Powershots and other point and shoot options. Fujifilm also has some great smaller options that I would definitely love to explore one day!
If you’re a parent that wants to kick their memory making up a notch then I highly suggest looking for a small digital camera. Keep an eye out for sales, check your local Facebook Marketplace, you might even get lucky at garage sales and thrift stores!
You can create beautiful photos with your phone but shutterbugs that love the look and feel of an actual camera will prefer this option!
I hope this blog post inspires you to dig out your old digital camera to create some memory magic!
xoxo
Robynne
Photo via Robynne MacLeod Photography
Being a mother can be one of the most rewarding experiences in life, but the moments you have with your child can also seem fleeting. That's why it's so important to capture as many memories as possible and document the various phases of your time together. Booking a professional photography session is a wonderful way to do just that.
Having an expert photographer by your side can help ease any stress so you can enjoy the moment, and they can guide you through the session with ease. Afterward, you'll have gorgeous photos that serve as sweet memories forever. In this blog post courtesy of Robynne Macleod Photography, we'll take a look at some of the advantages of booking a professional motherhood photography session.
A professional motherhood photography session is designed to capture the beauty of your pregnancy, newborn, or family with quality photos that will last a lifetime. These sessions provide an opportunity to reflect on this special moment in your life and create memories that will last forever. An expert photographer has experience working with both parents and infants and knows how to work around any challenges that may arise.
When you book a professional motherhood photoshoot, you'll be working with someone who has experience capturing a wide variety of images, from pregnancy shoots to family sessions. This means they understand how to keep things on track, how to make sure everyone is prepared and happy, and how to handle any unexpected issues that may pop up. With their expertise, you can rest assured that your session will go smoothly and that your finished images will be beautiful.
Your photographer can guide you through every step of the process, including choosing outfits, poses, props, or environments. During your shoot, they’ll offer tips on lighting angles and positioning so that everyone looks their best in each shot. With a pro, you never have to worry about capturing a great image because they'll be prepared.
After your shoot is complete, you’ll get high-quality digital images from your session that you can print out for keepsakes like calendars or share online through social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram. Adobe Express makes these projects fast and easy with its intuitive tools. Here are a few ideas to help you get started:
Create a slideshow to share with friends and family, or just to view yourself on your computer. You can even add fun music along with your favorite shots from the big day. Add text in a beautiful font.
Create a beautiful photo calendar that uses a different photo for each day of the month. This makes a great gift, or you can keep it for yourself and hang it up at home. Adobe’s templates make the process easy; the hardest part is deciding which photos to use!
Make a stunning photo card to send out to friends or family. This is perfect for announcing a milestone event to your loved ones. Adobe’s tools make the process super quick and easy.
Whether you’ve taken a great family shot or a newborn photo, you can utilize those images to create a stunning Father’s Day card. This is a perfect way to get creative and show someone special how loved they are. You can customize the card with your choice of fonts and designs.
Documenting motherhood through a professional photography session is an amazing way to preserve lasting memories of this special moment in your life. With an expert photographer guiding you through every step, you know you'll get beautiful images without the stress. Talk to your photographer about any ideas you may have so you can create a beautiful session together.
Ready to book your motherhood session? Get in touch with Robynne Macleod Photography today to talk about your ideas!
Thank you Claudia from Adobe for the beautiful guest blog post!
I’m a Kelowna Family Photographer. My mission to you is to document your motherhood and create treasurable memories for yourself and your kids. To get in touch about all things motherhood and family photography head to my contact page!
When I think of summer I think about summers as a child. Schools out, you have two months of fun in the sun. We would spend a lot of time at our grandparents house. They had a pool and a big backyard so we would spend ALL DAY in the pool - making whirlpools, playing who can hold their breathe the longest, trying to swim underneath the ladder without touching it. It was so much fun! Our grandma would make us all our favourite foods and if we slept over we had our little routine - Rogers to each pick up our movie pick, slurpees at the corner store, favourite dinner and then movies. It was honestly the best and I loved it so much. They’re core memories that I have and hope my children will have with their grandparents.
So this summer I’m doing a lot of grandparent/grandchild photo sessions. 25% of each photo session is going to the Heart and Stroke Foundation because my grandfather had a stroke which altered his life afterward and my dad had a pacemaker/defibrillator installed after a series of heart episodes. If it wasn’t for the work of the Heart and Stroke Foundation to date I know their stories would have ended differently.
I kicked off the season with this first grandparent session at the beach! Grandma M came to visit from the East Coast so it was so special that we got to photograph them playing together at the beach. I imagine it’s so hard to only see your grandbabies a couple times a year so when Mama J inquired about gifting her mom a session I was so excited cause I hope they’re memories they’ll cherish forever!
I’m a Kelowna Family Photographer. My mission to you is to document your motherhood and create treasurable memories for yourself and your kids. To get in touch about all things motherhood and family photography head to my contact page!
