Jessica's "Trash the Dress" Session

My daughter Jessica has been a horse girl since grade 4, and when she got engaged to her man Elder, she thought it was fitting to have the ceremony at her horse Maverick’s barn, Dove Creek Heritage Farm. But alas, the weather didn’t cooperate and we made the decision to have the ceremony at the reception venue, the Little Red Church in Comox.

Jessica still wanted to have photos with Maverick, so a few days later we headed out to the barn to do a “trash the dress” session. I’ve never really been comfortable with the term “trash the dress” because I’m much too practical for that. But, I like the idea of brides being able to do some fun shots in their dress without fear that they might get it a little bit dirty. And, I like the thought that after the wedding is over, it’s time to get on with life (the marriage is of course more important than the wedding), and that she won’t need the dress anymore.

So here are a bunch of shots from our fun time together!

Lovely Lovebirds - Courtenay Pet Photographer

My friend Virginia recently added 2 lovebirds to her family, so I knew I just had to photograph them. I had never done a bird portrait shoot before so I didn't quite know what to expect, but they did great! 

These little fellas are still quite young, but very well-behaved. I love their beautiful colours.

To get them to fly toward me, I had my assistant hold a branch where I wanted them to go. After a bit of coaxing, they started to fly toward the camera. They totally got into a groove and did it over and over again, as if it were a game. It is incredible how fast a bird can flap it's wings. They went from one branch to another in a split second.

My husband recently pruned our fig tree so we had some branches in the back yard. The birds were curious and started pecking at them!

I love this one below because it just looks like they are two friends hanging out having a friendly conversation. They look totally comfortable with each other.

As a reminder, my last pet mini-session event of the fall is coming up next Saturday, November 25th. Click on the bar above if you'd like to get in on the fun!

Urban Look, Rural Setting - Courtenay Photographer

I love finding new locations! I have been wanting to shoot at Headquarters Townsite Park ever since the fall, but alas, the rain, snow and lousy weather kept me away. Now the sun is starting to shine a little more regularly so I rounded up three beautiful young women and headed out there for a photo shoot.

The graffiti provides a totally interesting and colourful background to shoot against. First we did some "modelly" shots and then finished with some fun ones.

You can't do a friends photo shoot without some fun and crazy antics!

There's the Charlie's Angels:

The Ninjas:

And the Jump Shot!:

Thank you Noa, Makayla, and Jess for being good sports! I hope to do another photo shoot here soon...the options are endless.

Here's to many more sunny days to come!

Foster Pups - Vancouver Island Pet Photography

My former neighbour Virginia is fostering three sweet little puppies for West Coast Animal Rescue Society here on Vancouver Island, and they were so cute I just had to photograph them! They are three of six in the litter and are only six weeks old. 

It is hilarious that these little ones are all named after "Friends" characters, so their names are: Janice, Emma and Chandler! (Apparently Monica didn't suit any of their personalities, hence the name Emma). Phoebe, Joey and Rachel are being fostered with other families down Island.

Virginia brought along this cute Easter basket so we actually got the puppies to stay still for a split second! As you can imagine, keeping puppies still is not an easy task.

These puppies are totally mixed breeds, and they are tiny. They likely have chihuahua, shih tzu, and a bunch of other breeds. It is amazing how different they all are in their colouring.

Look at those eyes! 

Eventually, the puppies did settle down and have naps, and of course they looked even cuter. My daughter Jessica set this fuzzy blanket on her lap and they curled right up.

I have so many more amazing photos from this shoot but I don't think you could handle any more cuteness for one day so I'll leave it at that. If you would like to see more over the coming weeks, check out my Instagram page, @ssniderdogphotography. And if you are interested in adopting or fostering these or any other dogs from West Coast Animal Rescue Society, check them out on Facebook, or click on their website, http://westcoastanimalrescuesociety.ca

Jessica's Grad Photo Shoot - Courtenay Photographer

For those of you who don't know me well, Jessica is my firstborn and one and only daughter. She has had a love of horses since grade 4 and I have taken many (countless!) photographs of her riding over the years. This photo shoot, however, was extra special. She is graduating from high school next week!

Maverick is her horse and has been a great companion to her since we moved from Chilliwack two years ago. When she was lonely and missing her friends, he was there with unconditional love.

But there is a lot more to Jessica than her love of horses. She is a talented musician, trusted friend and dedicated student. She finished her high school courses early so that she could work and enroll in a dual-credit psychology course at North Island College. Working at Woofy's Pet Foods in Courtenay and Comox has allowed her to save up enough money to take a trip to Brazil this summer to visit friends she met last year. As her mother I'm naturally a little nervous about this but I know that her friends will take great care of her while she learns a new culture and way of life.

I'll leave you with a few more of the portraits I took of Jess and Maverick this week, and one more from one of her first riding lessons, way back in 2008!  Congratulations on your graduation, Jess! Your dad and I are very proud of you!