Christina and Dennis got engaged back at Christmas after 9 years of being together! Congratulations to them! It was awesome hanging out with them this weekend and shooting some fun engagement portraits for them! Even though it was freezing, we had a really great time! The two of them were troopers, so it was awesome!

Oh, and Dennis did a REALLY good job picking out her ring! He tells me she deserves it! She must be pretty special!

Congratulations again on your engagement!

xo,

Amy

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My last 2 blog posts have been totally devoted to the impending arrival of baby Olyver. At long last, here he is, all 6lbs of his 7 day old self….   I look forward to watching you grow up my young friend! xoxo.

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I get to see the most amazing things. I get invited into the most intimate moments of peoples lives. Recently, I got invited into a very intimate moment for Cheryl and Jason, and a very important day for baby Olyver. His Birthday.

I love Cheryl and Jason. They are independently funny. Together they are hilarious. Even in trying times. Like labour. 
Someone was trying to be funny with the blanket. When I turned around, I saw her, looking like the Virgin Mary herself, in the white with blue. After I took the photo, I realized how funny it was that she was standing under a cross.Getting baby Olyver to come out and join the rest of us was a lot of work. He would continually get everyone excited with close contractions, and lots of goings on. Then he would chill out, read the paper and have a cup of coffee. We wore a hole in the floor of the hallway. Walking. Walking. Walking. But the more walking we did, the more relaxing he did. It’s like he was watching the hockey game in there. 
Cheryl was an absolute trooper. She declined the drugs which I might have taken FOR her if they were offered. When the tough got tougher, so did she. I am so proud she is my friend. 
It’s important to keep ones sense of humour when you head out to pick up a baby and you have no idea what time he is going to join the party. 
This is 2 seconds after baby Olyver entered the world. I have never in my life seen anything more amazing that him actually entering the world. I knew that’s how it happens, I have a child of my own, but honest to God, I have never, ever in my life seen anything that amazed me so much. Women are amazing creatures. 
The proud daddy cuts the cord! 
This little squeaker wasn’t even 6lbs when he came shooting into the world. He is so incredibly tiny, and I love him. 
Now, you see, is this not incredible? He gazed at Cheryl forever. There are so many photos of him looking around, like he had seen it all before. As though he was as alert as the rest of us. But when he looked at his mother, it was like he knew her to her core, and he had just been waiting all of this time to say ‘Hello’.
Being born is hard work…. Big sister Emylya waited allllll day to meet her baby brother. And that’s what she calls him. My baby brother. It’s adorable now, he might be over by high school though!
For real. I love this baby. Just look at him.  Cheryl and Jason, thank-you from the bottom of my heart for inviting me in to share such an important part of your lives with you. I am so glad that Google sent me to you. You are both amazing parents, and little Olyver has wonderful things in store for him. I love you all.

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I am thrilled to introduce a new line of products!  These luxury albums are absolutely stunning and are an investment that you want to make in your wedding. Each album is custom designed and printed on high quality, finger print resistant, archival quality photographic paper, which is adhered to a durable page. This is a book meant to be loved!
With a barely visible seam running through the pages, the book presents to you a full page spread, perfect for presenting any of your favourite wedding images, large and beautiful, as they were meant to be displayed. These books are designed to match your style, and feature your favourite images from your portrait session, or wedding day. Available in 8×8, 10×10, or 12×12 inches, with a gorgeous photo cover, or your choice of leather.  Meant to be cherished, they are both stunning and durable and will surely be a the most treasured book in your home, one that you are proud to hand down  to your children and grandchildren, and one that they are proud to hold onto.

To get you better acquainted with these gorgeous albums, I am offering a 25% discount on the price of any size of these albums to all of my previous wedding clients, and to everyone who has booked for 2012, if ordered prior to February 28th. Please contact me at islandmistphotography@gmail.com for pricing and to collaborate on the amazing album you will have on your coffee table for years to come!

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When people ask me if I ‘like’ Edmonton, I always say yes. Not because it’s got amazing rugged shorelines like Newfoundland, and not because my family lives here and I get to celebrate birthday’s with them – no, those are reasons why I wish I was not in Edmonton. But the reason I love Edmonton is because I have met the most amazing people since I have been here. It’s hard for adults to make friends, don’t argue, you know it is. Unless you are making friends from the hockey mom’s or your kids friends parents, it’s not easy finding people whom you have similar interests and personalities.

However, through my work, I have come to know the most amazing people. At the top of this list is Cheryl (and her side kick Jason). I remember the first email she sent me, wanting to book a birthday party for her little girl. I don’t even remember what she said, but I was in a movie theatre, (I know, tsk tsk) and through the series of emails we exchanged that night, I knew she was either awesome or crazy. She was both.

And now she is my friend.

Emylya, who is ridiculously cute was so excited to be in photos that morning, and she did an awesome job of stealing the show. It was important to me to document her relationship with her family, before he baby brother arrived. As an older sibling, it’s hard to remember the time before my sister came, so I want her to look back and see how much fun her momma was, and how excited she was to see her new baby brother. 

I love, love, love, baby bellies. 
Seriously, get a load of those big brown eyes- her daddy is going to have to buy a shotgun…

…because she is beautiful just like her Momma Thank you folks for being awesome! I hope you enjoyed your sneak peak of your maternity photos!

xo,

Amy

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The only thing rivalling this little girl for cuteness is her bunny slippers. Seriously, when I rang their doorbell, I had never me this family in my life. But about 2 seconds after I had dragged all of my gear inside, baby J put her little arms out for me to hold her. Sooo sweet! 

Thank you guys for inviting me into your lives to capture such a precious time. Enjoy Baby’s first Christmas!

xo,

Amy

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This summer I joked that Lee is a professional groomsmen. He has stood at a wedding of mine pretty much every year, and is always a very cooperative Bridal Partier. (For those of you wondering, I did in fact just make up that word. I like it.) Anyway, so I was thrilled when he contacted me to take photos of him with his girlfriend Jackie, and their dog Chummy. Lee and I grew up in the same little tiny town and we know lots of the same people, so it was nice to catch up with him  and get to know  Jackie. I reaffirmed for her that where Lee and I are from, it’s OK to just visit someone and just walk right it. It’s just that great of a place. 
So, it was at this exact point in the conversation that I almost said, “So, when are you two going to tie the knot?”

But, I got distracted by something else and forgot all about it. It’s probably a good thing…..
Because if I had asked, “So when are you two going to tie the knot….?”

It might have ruined Lee’s suprise!!!Yes ladies and gentleman, that there is a real life, true blue, down on one knee proposal that neither Jackie or myself saw coming. I am sooo glad I didn’t ruin the surprise. And that I was ready! Way to make 2 girls have a heart attack all at one time Lee!!!

Oh, and what about Chummy? How handsome is he!? Thanks for picking me to be the one to capture that awesome moment for you! I look forward to seeing you both again soon!

xo,

Amy

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All of the best parts of my job would give you a list too long to type here, but meeting new people is high on the list. I get to drink cups of tea in peoples living rooms and wait for their babies to fall asleep. I get to chit chat and make small talk and see adorable babies. I chose to photograph babies in their natural environment, their warm and cozy homes, surrounded by the things that make up their little worlds. It’s not a bad gig. When I met up with baby K. in St. Albert last week, his family did a great job of making me feel welcome, and I am so glad I met them! He is quite the looker! The beautiful Christmas tree served as a wonderful focal point for his photos!

I hope you all enjoy this preview of baby’s photos! Thank you for being awesome!

This bear was a present from baby’s great-grandmother, who handmade it. Dara, baby’s mother told me that her grandmother had given up making these bears, so receiving one was very special to her. If you think he is adorable in this photo, you have no idea how cute he is in real life. His face is actually knit, and in the shape of a bear no less. For someone who couldn’t knit a scarf if her life depended on it, I was in awe of how amazing this teddy is.

The photo above is probably my favourite one from the whole session. K. was kicked out solid, and looks so incredibly peaceful. I think this photo looks just like a Christmas card!

Thank you all for welcoming me into your home! I look forward to seeing you all again soon!

xo,

Amy

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Meet the lovely Rebecca. Truly one of the nicest people that I have ever met, and definitely one of the greatest people in Edmonton. I love that she asked me to capture her and her boys, Gabe and Isaac last week. Rebecca is also an incredibly talented talented photographer. She has an amazing gift of capturing how families interact with each other and showing their relationships through their photos. Her asking me to do this for her and her boys was truly special to me. 

The temperatures were freezing when we met up, so after a while of freezing our bums off, we took a little warming break and sat in my truck. They were just so adorable looking all cuddled up together that I had to get back out in the cold to take a photo! These boys are adorably attached to their momma, so capturing at this time was super important to me!

Now… isn’t she just lovely!?

Some tattoos!

I don’t have a brother, and I am not a boy so I have no idea about what boys talk about…..

….but it most have been something top secret because the minute Isaac noticed I was noticing them, talks halted and Gabe retreated inside the headquarters.

Thank you all for spending your morning with me! I really enjoyed it and hope you did too! I also hope you enjoy your images!

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