Mum's the word...

People oftentimes comment that being photographers, we must have a ton of photos of our lovely daughter, Mikka. That we do, that we do... Unfortunately, we haven't had as much chance working on them to share with you. We try our very best not to spend all our time in front of the computer, we want that last bit of free time just hanging out and having fun with our sweetheart. But it's mother's day and I want to say I am proud to be a mum. So, here are a few taken in the past week...
Mikka lounging on the grass at a nearby park...

One of the hazards of being photographers is that we don't have a lot of photos with ourselves in them.

Mikka has grown so much in the past few months since I last blogged about her. While motherhood is no easy feat, I savor every second that she holds on to my leg, totally dependent and looking up to me to keep her safe. And I hope I can make that promise. I know I will try...

...the same way that my mum has kept me safe and sheltered. If only I can do half as good a job as she's done with my sister and me.

I need to photograph my mum more often. This was taken today at dinner.

Moi with my little girl...

Mikka cuddling with Lola (pronounced law-la, meaning Grandma)...

Although this isn't my first mother's day as a mum myself, it's the first one I'm spending with my mum and my daughter...

Happy Mother's Day to all mums out there... you all rock this world!

Qumars+Yasmin Engaged!

We're fortunate to get an opportunity to meet inspirational individuals from diverse backgrounds in our couples. Yasmin and Qumars are as inspirational as they get. From the moment we met them, they've been very open with us and we feel so honoured when Yasmin shared a little bit about their immigrant backgrounds, an experience Rico and I know all too well.

While every other Vancouverite's story of immigration may be similar, our circumstances before coming to Canada do not come close to Qumar's experience coming from Afghanistan with his family. His family has weathered political instability and personal adversities and despite such trying times in Kabul, they remained true to their values - compassion, integrity and respect for freedom.

Starting a newfound life in Canada while supporting his family was no easy feat, either. Being only 15, Qumars has had to work hard to build a life that they can be proud of and enjoy and never to be taken for granted. To quote Yasmin, "I have seen many people who have lost themselves going through phases in life that have not been ideal, but Qumars hasn't. He's got great will and determination and that's why I look up to him." And it's true! There's a quiet strength about him that only one who's gone through so much in such a short span of time can exude.

Knowing how great individuals they are, we were really looking forward to this session. We started out with a few shots in their new place.

Then it was time to head outdoors for some shots around their neighborhood.

Check out our hot couple. Yasmin has a degree in microbiology from McGill and works for the government by day, but she does makeup artistry on the side to satiate her artistic inclinations. Check out her website for more info.

Then we ventured a couple of blocks south for some urban shots. Can you believe that the rest of the shots below were taken while staying in big parkade the whole time?

Havin' a wee bit o' fun.

How hot is Qumars? And what about the gams on Yasmin? It doesn't hurt to have good shoes as well.

Some vintage action goin...

Just a little bit of lovin from our wonderful couple.

Yasmin and Qumars are both smart, hip and real. You just want to be around them and you know that they're the type of people who will be your great friends for life. We're sure the wedding would really be emotionally charged and we can't wait to capture that.

Dennis + Cristina Engaged!

I can't believe we're still getting snow in Spring... in Vancouver! I seriously hope this cold snap is the last we hear from old man winter. We were unsure about how the day was gonna go but Cristina and I decided to go ahead and schedule the engagement session that Saturday. As it turned out, it wasn't as cold as we thought it was going to be. While the sun surely warmed up the afternoon, Dennis and Cristina's personalities made the 3 hours out in the cold really enjoyable! They are just two of the most genuine people Rico and I have ever known. Here's how it all went down...

Dennis and Cristina have taken some time out of their busy schedules working on their residencies in radiology and pediatrics to spend some time on the wedding plans. Pushing through with the session that Saturday despite the snowfall overnight rewarded us with nice blue skies.

Not the best example of spring blossom (in fact, Rico hates these dandelions!) but I still like this image.

While we were setting up a shot for another image (we're saving that for their guestbook), Cristina was just chillin' against the cool blue wall. I asked her to "chill" again and got Dennis to pose with her (you're a monkey... you're a tiger...)

Cristina mentioned that she grew up around water and that the beach suits their personalities a lot so we hurried over to Spanish Banks to catch the last rays of the sun.

A classic engagement-beach-with-downtown-vancouver-in-the-background shot.

It was great having the beach all to ourselves.

It was really evident how much these two are in love with each other.

While taking some last-minute portraits in the warm sun, I asked Dennis and Cristina if they're excited about the wedding. "Very", was the reply. Dennis wanted the photo to show the excitement and this was the best he could come up with:

Then he realized that I caught that on memory card (can't say "film" now, can I?). Haha!

This last shot really summarizes how the afternoon went - fun, warm and full of love.

Dennis and Cristina, we had so much fun with you guys. Thank you for being so open with us and allowing us to capture the love that bonds you together. We're lucky to know you and we're sure we'll have a ball documenting your wedding - we can't wait!

Colin + Amor Engaged!

Although the day started out with dark gray skies, the sun finally broke through that Monday afternoon when we had a great pleasure of spending a couple of hours with the gorgeous couple Colin and Amor and their little baby Quincy, a super active chocolate lab. He was quite preoccupied with the other cute dogs he, I think, fancies. He wouldn't sit still for a couple of seconds for a photo op! Rico's gears had to take a back seat as he ended up distracting Quincy with a couple of treats to keep his attention long enough for us to get some shots.

All in all, it was a really fun afternoon. Hope you enjoy the images as much as we enjoyed taking them!

The cherry blossoms are everywhere in Vancouver!

I thought this was a little funny... thanks for the heads up!

Love these vents! Great cool backdrop for our hot couple.

Ending the day in the warm glow of the sun.

We had an awesome time with you and Quincy. We will surely miss Quincy at the wedding but we're looking forward to it!

Ryan+Vanessa Engaged!

For Ryan and Vanessa's engagement photos, they've chosen to do it closer to home... their home. We spent a couple of hours circling the block around their usual stomping grounds on SoMa or South Main. And finally, we got some awesome, awesome sun!

Here are our favorites from the session...

Ryan and Vanessa, under a tree...

Then we hit one of their fave spots along Main Street, Habit Lounge. We did ask permission this time. We visited Nigel Pike, one of The Habit Lounge's owners, in their other resto, The Cascade Room, who willingly allowed us to have our fun with our cameras.

I love the warm glow of the late afternoon sun...

Ryan and Vanessa, it was a great afternoon with you guys. We hope to get to know South Main a little bit more. You gotta send us a list of your recommendations of spots to hit and places to shop at on South Main. Can't wait to cover your beach wedding in June!

Hot Momma: Sarah's Maternity Portraits

When we did Sarah's intimate portraits in October, she was already expecting her and Rick's first child. Yes, she was hot then and she's still hot now.

Sarah looks so blissfully happy in this shot.

Easter Monday was a really gorgeous day. Very fitting for a gorgeous mummy.

The baby was enjoying the portrait session as well. He/She would move around in mummy's cozy tummy to attract attention.

I wish my tummy looked half as good as Sarah's!

Mommy and baby enjoying the early Spring sun.

Dramatic lighting to end the session.

Congratulations, Rick and Sarah! You guys would make really wonderful parents. Can't wait to meet the little one!

Website is down...

Hey everyone! Our website is currently down. Our hosting company is moving their data centre to a new location. We should be up and running again by Sunday, 8:00am EST. In the meantime, please feel free to check out our blog for our most current work.

Also, here's a photo of me taking one of Alicia's bouquet...

And the resulting shot...