Tag: Family Photography

Family Photographs in the Mountains — Visiting Golden British-Columbia and Kicking Horse Mountain Resort

by jenaleelaroy Leave a comment

Welcome to my hometown, Golden, British-Columbia and Kicking Horse Mountain Resort

I am always proud to tell people that I am from this beautiful town and that I love living and having a photography business here. Each year, many travelers love visiting our area to enjoy the outdoors with their families and friends.

Some people come here to see mountains for the first time, some come to meet Kicking Horse Mountain Resort‘s resident grizzly bear, Boo, and some come here seeking adventure on our endless bike trails and whitewater rivers. There is something here for everybody and we love having you here to visit.

No matter what inspired you to visit Golden BC and Kicking Horse Mountain Resort, make sure to document your special moments with whatever kind of camera you have. If you are a do-it-yourself type of family, you can read my Tips for Great Summer Family Photos here.

Or, if you would love to have your family vacation professionally documented here in the Rocky Mountains, consider booking a season with Jena Lee Photographs while you are here.

Here is everything you need to know:

In-Person or On-the-Phone Pre-Consultation:
A quick pre-consultation is required to arrange a date, time, and location for your Portraits. This can be done in person if you are already here in town or via phone-call if you are planning ahead. At your pre-consultation, we will also discuss what you should wear, what kind of groupings/moments you would like to capture, and how you would like to display your portraits afterward (printed, digitally, or both).

Your Photo Session:
During your photo session is your time to relax and enjoy spending some time with your loved ones. Sessions are easy-going with lots of chatting and movement, which is perfect for families that might be a bit nervous in front of the camera and for kids who love to be busy. Sessions are designed to make you feel comfortable, create authentic moments to capture real emotions and to leave you feeling connected and full of love for one another afterward.

*Parent disclaimer: Kids are encouraged to run around and have fun during photo sessions. They are free to be themselves and you are free not to have to worry about them sitting still. We play lots of games and move around a lot so they are entertained and having fun while also creating beautiful portraits without even knowing it. That being said, if things really go south and the kids are in full meltdown we can try your photo session again the next day at no extra charge.

Your Ordering Session:
After your photo session, you will meet with Jena one more time to view your beautiful gallery of images. At this time, you will be guided through choosing which images you would like to purchase for printed display or digital sharing.

Most families love a lot of their photos and end up purchasing an Album and one or two favourites for hanging on the wall. Plus, each photo purchased for print comes with the identical web-sized digital copy so you can share with everyone online too! You can have your digital images right away and your printed products will be drop-shipped to you back home (for Canadian and U.S. residents only).

Same Day Service Available:
In most cases with enough notice, Jena Lee Photographs can offer your family same or next-day service. This means that you can see your photos a few hours later or the next day, which is ideal for families who are only visiting Golden or Kicking Horse Mountain Resort for a few days.

If you are visiting Golden or Kicking Horse Mountain Resort, consider having your family vacation documented here in the Rocky Mountains.

Jena LaRoy completed her Professional Photography Diploma at Langara Collge in Vancouver British-Columbia and then returned to her hometown Golden B.C. to launch her photography business (2017). Jena Lee Photographs helps you create meaningful portraits and offers full custom design, framing, and image-printing services so that you have physical images to enjoy, not just digital dust. 

For more information about booking your own family photographs, please visit the Client Guide:

Client Guide

The Michener Family

by jenaleelaroy Leave a comment

In many years time, when your children look back on these family photos, what do you hope they feel?

That they are unconditionally loved and that our family moments together are cherished.

Family Photographer Golden BC

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Jena LaRoy completed her Professional Photography Diploma at Langara Collge in Vancouver British-Columbia and then returned to her hometown Golden B.C. to launch her photography business (2017). Jena Lee Photographs helps you create meaningful portraits and offers full custom design, framing, and image-printing services so that you have physical images to enjoy, not just digital dust. 

For more information about booking your own family photographs, please visit the Client Guide:

Client Guide

FEAR of Photography — Honest thoughts with Jena Lee Photographs

by jenaleelaroy 1 Comment

I will get photos done when __Insert your perceived flaw here___.

This post is for women and men, adults and children, and anybody who has ever ducked out from in front of the camera or felt insecure about having their photo taken.

Doing those things is perfectly normal. As a photographer, I know that I am asking a lot from you. I want you to be vulnerable and have that documented forever and that is scary.

I know that fears, body insecurities, shakey self-esteem, jiggly thighs, frizzy hair, big noses, chins that do that thing when you smile too big, other squishy body parts, dopey feet, freckles, not enough freckles, broken nails, squinty eyes, big cheeks, small cheeks, poofy eyebrows, thin eyebrows, or unibrows are all terrifying reasons not to get in front of the camera for most people. I have had enough experience working with people as a photographer to tell you with two thousand percent honesty: your flaws are the reason you should get in front of the camera.

It breaks my heart at the number of people I hear from that won’t get their photograph taken because they think they are too heavy, too skinny, their hair isn’t long enough, they’re waiting until after their diet, they want new clothes first, they hate their arms, their legs aren’t the right size, they don’t like their smile, the list goes on.

The sheer volume of put-downs I hear people say about themselves is astounding. One time a woman said she isn’t that beautiful so she didn’t want her face to be in too many of the photos. Many people only agree to be in a photograph if they can be in the back so their body is hidden. I have had hundreds of people ask if I can photoshop 10 pounds off of them. It’s not even just adults, it’s children too. One time an 8-year-old girl told me that she didn’t want her photo taken because she thinks she is hideous.

Does that break your heart as much as it does mine?

Last weekend, my family and I went to the Fearless Women’s Summit in Calgary, Alberta. All of it was amazing and inspirational but one quote stuck with me:

Would you say your own insecurities about your best friend or children?

Imagine telling your best friend she shouldn’t get her photo done because her nose is too big. That sounds ridiculous. Say that out loud right now and it sounds even more silly. Yet we are so quick to be hard and judgemental about ourselves. It’s time for that to end.

Your feelings are legitimate but my goal as your photographer is to help you leave them behind. Kick them to the curb. Throw them to the wind. Let’s say it again: your flaws are the reason you should get in front of the camera. They are what makes you, you. They are the best part of you. They are what others love most about you. Your flaws make you different and unique and it’s time to own them. Right meow.

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I’ll go first.

My insecurity is my hair. It’s thin and lifeless and sometimes frizzy. In photography school, I felt like my portraits would always look nicer if I just had better hair.

But I don’t. And I am sure as heck not going to not have photos of myself because of my hair. I decided a long time ago to stop worrying about it and stop letting it have control over me. Now I let it do what it wants to and sometimes its good and sometimes its bad, but it sure feels wonderful not to worry about it.

Then, last week, I got in front of the camera and tried to be myself. Myself is kind of shy, loves plants, loves to create, enjoys working with people and lives for connection. Here is all of that in some photos of me that make me feel happy. Anybody can have this experience. It’s not always easy, but growth as a person is often uncomfortable.

Here is my message to you: Don’t miss out on photos with friends/family/pets because of a superficial insecurity. Get in there and be different and be you. This is my push to you to own your flaws, starting today.

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Available Jena Lee Photographs sessions include Your Baby’s First Year photography bundles and Family Connection Sessions.

Jena LaRoy completed her Professional Photography Diploma at Langara Collge (Vancouver B.C., 2017) and returned to her hometown Golden British Columbia to launch her photography business (2017). Jena Lee Photographs offers a full-service photographic experience of personalized photography sessions and custom professional printing and framing services. Serving the East Kootenay and Rocky Mountain areas of British-Columbia.

Your Baby’s First Year — Jena Lee Photographs, Golden B.C.

by jenaleelaroy 1 Comment

Select three or more occasions to document you and your baby’s first year together.

As a new parent, you already have a million things and questions running through your brain. Learning how to breastfeed or wondering about bottle feeding, being unsure of how much crying is within normal, adding up the few hours you slept last night, trying to figure out if you have ever loved anything so much before …

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Before you know it, you will be feeding them with ease, getting into the swing of things, and sharing your experiences with other new parents. Before you know it, a year will go by and they will start walking and talking. Then you will have a toddler, a child, a teenager, and you will lovingly hold on to the sweet distant memories of them squeezing your finger with their tiny hand. 

Jena Lee Photographs wants to help you preserve your favourite moments together forever and is pleased to introduce Your Baby’s First Year photography bundles. Available photography sessions include Maternity, Fresh 48 (first 48 hours of life), Newborn, 3-Month, 6-Month, 9-Month, and One Year Birthday. 

Available sessions include: Maternity – Fresh 48 – 3 Month – 6 Month – 9 Month – One Year Birthday

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Always remember your first moments with a Fresh 48 session and capture their growing personality with lifestyle photography throughout the year. You can build an heirloom album, a custom coffee table book, or a signature wall collage to display your photographs and enjoy them forever.

Jena Lee Photographs is located in Golden BC and also serves Invermere, Banff, and Canmore areas. Get in touch for more information about Your Baby’s First Year bundles today.

 Book Now

Jena Lee Photographs’ Beautiful Line of Print + Display Products

by jenaleelaroy 1 Comment

If you have followed along with any of my social media accounts (Facebook or Instagram), you know that I am thrilled to offer my clients a beautiful line and high-quality print products for them to choose from to display their new photos. Everyone loves the experience of looking through the albums, and prints and then choosing their favourite product for displaying in their home. 

Think about the last time you looked through your parent’s old photo albums or flipped the pages of the book you printed from your last family vacation. Each photo is looked at with intention and a smile. Perhaps some brought on laughter from an old memory or caused tears from remembering a lost loved one. This is the way photographs were originally meant to be enjoyed, physically in real life for you to look at. Clicking through images online just doesn’t bring the same joy and nostalgia the way printed photographs do.

Don’t get me wrong, Jena Lee Photographs is not anti-digital photography. I am pro social-media, pro iPhone-photography, pro digital photos. In fact, Jena Lee Photographs includes a watermarked social-media image with every printed image purchased — because if you are anything like me, you love sharing your images online with friends and family. Document your images however in whichever way is best for you, just make sure you print them out too!

… and when you are ready to have your most cherished memories professionally photographed, we will work together to choose which print products are the right one for you and your home.

Without further ado, I am happy to introduce Jena Lee Photographs’ carefully selected line of Print + Display products:

Leather or Linen Heirloom Album 

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This album is incredible. Its heavy weight sits comfortably in your hands while also speaking towards its quality and durability. The Heirloom Album comes with thick sturdy pages that lay flat on the table and are each custom designed by hand.

There are a variety of luxurious linens and leathers to choose from. You can match your home or pick a colour that catches your eye. The leather or linen Heirloom Album is available for all photography sessions and can hold between 20-50 images — that’s enough room to include every image, in case you love them all.

 

Artisanal Wooden Memory Box

If you want something different from a traditional photo album/book, the Artisanal Wooden Memory Box is for you. This is my personal favourite Core Product because it is handmade, unique, and gives you the ability to hold each individual photo in your hands. There are small boxes to display your entire photo session or large boxes that you can continually add to over the years. Each photo is mounted onto 3mm styrene board so that it stands up on its own in the box, ready for you to look at.

Signature Wall Art 

A classic way to display your absolute favourite portraits. All wall art comes ready to hang and can be framed or float mounted (see picture below). Each piece is built to last for generations and is laminated to protect against dust and fingerprints. You can choose to exhibit large statement pieces or you can create a collage that grows with you and your family over time.

I love the print products! How do I get my own?

When you are ready to have your extra-special memories professionally photographed by Jena Lee Photographs, all of these display products will be available for you to choose from plus the line of ‘Add-On Gift Items’ which will be introduced next week.

Your first step to displaying these gorgeous products in your home is to book your photographs with Jena Lee Photographs. There are Lifestyle Family sessions or various newborn/baby sessions available. To start your perfect family photos, leave Jena a message and she will personally get back to you within 2 business days.

I can’t wait to hear from you.

Book Now

Angela + Navy — Six-Month-Old Baby Photography

by jenaleelaroy 1 Comment

Angela & Baby Navy Mae

Angela said what every parent says but truly means with their whole heart: “It sounds cliche but I just want her to be happy.”

Navy is one of the happiest six-month-olds ever. Anybody who meets her wants to keep her. I want to keep her, all you have to do is look at her and Navy is thrilled.

“I also want her to go to college and to go through that life experience, meet other people and cultures… I want her to turn out fabulous like her mum!”

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I couldn’t agree more, fabulous is correct. Spending the morning with Angela and Navy was like hanging out with old friends. There were many things to talk about with many baby cuddles in between. It is a true pleasure when someone can speak honestly and openly about themselves and their experiences. Angela has a calm confidence in herself that came through in the stories she shared with me about her life and new experience with her and her partners new baby, Navy.

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Angela explained about her pregnancy with Navy and how she was born breech, which means that she was born bottom first instead of head first. It’s clear that Navy still finds this position quite comfortable and that it is how she prefers to sit. When left on her own, it’s only seconds before Navy has her foot in her mouth or her heels above her head.

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Navy inherited her love for people and being social from her mom and has the busyness and energy of her dad. She inherited her names from family members and is always wrapped in a sentimental sweater or blanket. Her mom explained that she found her voice last week and hasn’t stopped babbling and yelling about things. She likes to grab everything and hold everything, all while continuing to stare into your eyes and smile.

Thank you to Angela for being such a lovely mom and to Navy for being the character that she is. I loved spending the morning with you both xx

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Lifestyle Family Photography · The LaRoy’s · Tofino, British Columbia

by jenaleelaroy 7 Comments
Tofino, Beach, sunset, waves, photographer, family, starfish, aquarium, ucluelet

After our Langara Professional Photography graduation gallery, my family and I traveled to Tofino British Columbia for beaches, surfing, and tacos.

Families are my favourite thing to take photos of, especially my own. It is fun to photograph people you know so well because you can be pretty certain about how they are going to react. With family, everyone knows that just one certain look can invoke anger or laughter.

I tell people all the time that photography helps you feel connected to each other. It sort of helps you rekindle your love and remember all of your favourite things about each other. Spending time in Tofino beachcombing, surfing, and exploring with my family was the best way to reconnect. Watching them all through the lens — and even being on the other side of it a few times — was a special experience. After losing Dad two years ago, we know too well how quickly life changes and we all deeply appreciated getting to spend time together.

Love to my pham xx

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Ocean, Tofino, Surfing, British Columbia, Surf Sisters, Black and White, Photographer, Family

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Tofino BC, Tofino Brew Co, Bikes, Beers

Tofino, Beach, sunset, waves, photographer, family

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Tofino, Beach, sunset, waves, photographer, family

Tofino, Beach, sunset, waves, photographer, family

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