Photo Update!

Here at Van's Portraits we've been busy, between the studio being busy, and holidays we just haven't updated the blog. Today that changes. Here is a photo update of some of the sessions we've had recently.

The White's had their family portrait session done at Kye Bay.



The next 2 were both done at Filberg Park in Comox.

Next we have Airforce Beach in Comox. The 2nd image is fantastic!

Then some from Goosespit.

These ones were taken for the Kids Book fundraising project at Puntledge Park.

When Andrew and his grandma came in for his grad portraits, they wanted a couple outside if possible. Right when they got here the clouds rolled in and Jerry got some amazing shots just in the field by our studio, here's a favorite!

I'd like to introduce you to...

TEEKA!!

Teeka is Jerry's new puppy - she is 9 weeks old, and is a soft coated wheeten terrior. Teeka is a great dog - she sits, stays, and most of all loves her new family. Isn't she beautiful? My favorite image is the one with the tube!

At the river

When Jerry came back from this shoot with the Stigants he was totally pumped, he said the little girls were a blast to photograph. This is the family portrait that was chosen and it is beautiful.

The Logans came in for their portrait and wanted something a little different. An alley way in Cumberland was the choice of location and it was a great one. I absolutely love the different textrues of the buildings, the rugged look of them. Here is one of the images of the whole family!

When choosing location, we love when you bring your ideas to the consultation. Location is a very important part of the portrait, and we love working with you to choose the perfect one for you and your family.

Just the 2 of us...

The Stewart's came in for their family portrait, but also wanted some great images of the kids. The portrait was taken right here in our studio. This panel of the 2 kids was created for them.

The neat thing about the little girls dress is that it was made from her moms wedding dress material and beading. What a special keepsake for her, something she'll treasure for many years to come!

Storyboard panels are one of the many great products we carry. It gives you the chance to display several images from your session in one place, and really can create a story of the session.

JUMP for joy!

This little guy can sure jump high and he gave his best jump for this image!! This portrait was taken at airforce beach, and Jerry came back with some awesome images from the session. This one is a favorite. So without further ado...


Just a reminder that our Mother/ Daughter Display is up at the Comox Mall until next Tuesday - so be sure to check it out!

Mother & Daughters 2009

Just in case you haven't made it to the Comox mall to view our "Mother/Daughter 2009" Display (which we strongly hope you do!) Here are a few more images from some of the sessions we had!

Mother/Daughter Display at Comox Mall

First of all, I'd like to invite you to view our Mother/Daughter Tribute 2009 Display, which is on display at the Comox Mall until June 23rd.

Next, I'd like to share one of our mother and daughter sessions. Dawn came in with her daughters and Jerry captured some beautiful images of the 3 of them together, and some stunning ones of the girls alone. I love this image it shows the closeness they share, they look relaxed, and you can tell they are having fun!

Thank-you for all who participated in this years event, it was great to work with you and to create lasting memories of you and the special women in your life!

A day at the beach!

When Jerry came back to the studio from this shoot, he was really excited! He was excited to put the images on the computer, and to work his magic to get this amazing image. He had a vision of what this image would look like, and did it ever turn out great!

This images is an HDR (High Dynamic Range) image, the same portrait is taken at multiple exposures creating different lights. Then the images are placed together to create 1 image. With this technique, as you can see, you get a lot of definition in the surroundings (the clouds, the wood, mountains etc.)

We have this image up in the studio in a great canvas wrap if you are wanting to stop in and check it out, and if you want to see some more of Jerry's HDR images, check out www.vansportraits.com and go to the "something else" gallery.

Some BIG baby eyes!!

Malcom came in for his 11 month portraits, his big sister has some taken at the same age, so now it was his turn! This was sure a fun shoot, he came with character, giggles, wonder and of course those BIG baby eyes!!!

KID'S WANTED...

... to be featured in a book!

We're looking for everyday kids!

This is not a baby show, nor is it a model contest!
A very special limited edition coffee table art book will be published at the end of 2009 featuring stunning photographic images titled,

"Kids of the North Island, a portrait of a generation"

This is your chance to have your child included in this exciting project!

A nomination fee of $50.00 per child or $75.00 per family with more than 1 child, ensures your child's participation. Each child ages newborn - 16 years old photographed will be featured in the book with proceeds donated to the

Help Fill a Dream Foundation

Throughout 2008 together with families of the North Island we raised $6125.00 for the Help Fill a Dream Foundation, which has helped them to continue to fill dreams for Kid's of the North Island!

Jerry Van of Vans Portraits with Marty Schubert of the Help Fill A Dream Foundation

Together we can help make a difference - Call us Today to ensure a spot in this years book!

"While we try to teach our children all about life, our children teach us what life is all about"

-Angela Schwindt

To see MORE images from the 2008 book - check out our website http://www.vansportraits.com/

Mothers and Daughters and cherry blossoms too.

Cheryl is a long time client of ours, Jerry has had the chance to photograph her son Cohan and daughter Eberle since they were just new babies (We posted a couple images of Eberle's 2 year images a few posts back), and he photographered their wedding a few years ago too.

This year, they participated in the Mother/Daughter event, and this is one of the great panels that was created from the session.

When clients continue to come back and share their family moments with us it is always a huge encouragement, and a lot of fun, to get to see the change and to be able to remember the last time they were in!

We still have a few spots open for the Mother/Daughter tribute so if you or someone you know would be interested give us a call today!

An 80th Birthday Celebration!

Happy 80th Birthday! That is the celebration that brought the Mitchell family together on one April day. It was the perfect opportunity to capture some beautiful memories of the family together.

First I'll introduce you to the whole clan, this is a 4 generation shot!


There were so many great images to choose from, and we created some awesome story boards but above all I want to share with you some very cute kids!

I love all the expression in this one

And now for some big brother - little sister love...

A brother shares childhood memories and grown-up dreams

First off, I'd like to introduce you to Nate, he came in for 1 year portraits and he didn't fail to impress. He was full of big smiles, great expressions, and of course brought along his teddy to share in the fun. Here is the amazing panel that was created for Nate.


Next big brother Jack got in on the action and a 20x20 storyboard panel was created of the boys together. I absolutely love the image of them laughing.


As you can see these were taken right here in our studio, and it's a great place for little ones, you don't have to worry about outside elements, and bundling them up to stay warm or dry. In the studio we have a variety of props and backgrounds to help create the perfect portrait for you!

A walk in the woods

When the Larocks came in for their portrait consultation, we realized that Jerry had photographed them years ago. It is always fun when clients come back years later and Jerry gets to photograph them again, and he is able to see how the family has changed.

There were so many good ones from the session, and I couldn't resist sharing this storyboard panel of their kids.

And here is one of the whole family.

The portrait session was held near Forbiddon Plateau, at their fathers wood lot and really encompassed the nature value that this family holds. The location was almost the exact spot where their last family portraits were taken years ago. We always encourage you to chose a location that is important to you and your family as that can bring a lot to the portrait.

New bambino!!!

This new little babe entered the world and already had admirers 2 big sisters, and 1 big brother! The image was taken when the little baby was just a few weeks old!! I love the tender moments of this image - You can tell they are all intrigued with this new baby, and have so much love already. I love the little hand on the head, it just melts my heart!


Congratulations on your new baby, and thank-you for choosing Van's to share these precious moments with you!!

A walk on the beach.

The images in this storyboard were taken at Airforce beach a few weeks ago. Jerry came back to the studio and was thrilled with the images that he got! He said it was a great family to work with and that they were laughing and having fun the whole time! When they came back in for their viewing this is the storyboard that was created, I just love the individual images of the kids!

There were so many great images to choose from and a storyboard is a great way to have multiple images in 1 place, and we can't say enough how much they really do tell a bit of a story from your session!

Cousins x 11

The portrait was done last fall - and when Jerry left, it was a drizzly-cold day... and when he came back, he had caught 11 smiles on camera, had lots of great images, and was so happy with how the shoot went.

When it was time for their viewing, they came in and this awesome storyboard was designed!



This is a great example of why storyboards are so great! The larger image is all of the kids together, and the smaller ones are images of each set of siblings. What a great way to display them!

Smiles that beat the cold!

Stephanie & James were in last year to get portraits done with her parents, and this year they came in to get portraits done with James' parents. It was great to photographer them again!

The portrait was taken out at Kitty Coleman and when Jerry came back into the studio he said that it was a very cold session (it was done the beginning of March) but that the cold didn't dampen their spirits or cause them to stop smiling!

Here is one of the images from the session - I love that when you look at it, you can sense that they are having fun!!

A Mother's Treasure is her Daugter

This is one of our 2009 Mother/Daughter shoots, and it is fabulous! The 2 girls wanted to do something for their mom, and this was the perfect thing!! The shoot was down at Airforce beach, and it was a windy day, but the wind didn't cause them to skip a beat. Jerry came back into the studio just beaming and very excited to show off the images from the session!

The 3 lovely ladies were just in last night, choosing which images to order! There were so many favorites! This is one of the favorites from the session!

There is still room for the Mother/Daughter Tribute, so if you or someone you know is interested in participated, give us a call today!!

A portrait speaks a thousand words.

As I sit down to write about this image, I am lost for words. The image really speaks for itself. They are relaxed, comfortable, and definitely enjoying their time together, what family portraits should be about.

The portrait was taken at Kin Beach, which is an awesome location! I love the background, and the little red house peeking through on the left.

Graduation!!

Graduation is a very special time in life. It is a moment in time that we look forward to from a young age. Graduation is a moment from when you move from childhood to adulthood, and the world is open to all we desire. It is also a scary moment, when we enter the land of unknows and often no longer knowing exactly what we will do, but know we will one day find out. It is a time that is full of bitter-sweet moments.

It is very important to capture these moments as they too quickly come and go. Here we have one of our grads form 2008, and she is stunning! The portrait session was done at Filberg Lodge in Comox, and it was the perfect venue.

Here is a quote that I heard when I graduated - "I hope your dreams take you to the corners of your smiles, to the highest of your hopes, to the windows of your opportunities, and to the most special places your heart has ever known."

Happy 90th Birthday!!

This portrait was scheduled around Daphne's 90th birthday, when her family came for the weekend to celebrate! It was a fun session from the moment they walked into the studio! They all have good humour, and the session was full of laughter. You could really see the connection between the family.

Below we have an itty-bitty, which are custom created to go with images from your session. When you look at the family image you can see in her face, how proud she is to have her sons, daughter-in-laws, grandchildren and great-granson here with her. My favorite though, is the one of Daphne laughing!

Time at the beach.

The Whites came in for their family portrait before their oldest was leaving for college, last summer. We always tell our client of the importance of doing family portraits of the family before it starts changing, you'll always value the image of the core family before it changes. The other thing is that in years to come, as children go their own ways, making it work for everyone is always harder, so this is something that they will value in years to come.

So enough talking.... here is a beautiful image from their session! They all look so relaxed, especially Dutchess, their beautiful dog.

We always encourage people who have dogs to include them in the portrait, they are definitely a part of your family and your life, so its important to have them in the portrait that is going to hang on your walls for years to come!

Family fun x 12!!

This family portrait is multi-generational, and it's wonderful! Everyone looks like they are enjoying themselves, and you can see the relationships they share!

Getting multi-generational portraits done is a great thing to do, as you can capture a moment in time with everyone in your family. They are something that becomes even more important in years to come, as the family changes, and you are able to look back and remember these times together!!

Everything is perfect from her head to her toes!

When Abygail came through the door, she didn't fail to impress. This little beauty gave us wonderful smiles, sweet baby noises and lots to 'ooh' and 'aah' at! She was just under 2 months here, and already had so much personality.


The image is incredible - it really captures the bond between a baby and their parents! She has locked eyes with daddy, and you can tell mom just loves to admire her little girl.

Family time at the beach

This family came in last year to have their 2 beautiful girls photographed for the kids book "Kids of the North Island - A portrait of a generation" and it was then that we learned they had been wanting to have family portraits done too. They had a lovely session down at Kye Bay and Jerry came back into the studio with so many amazing images from it. This is one of the images that I just love, it really shows the strong bond that they share.

10 little fingers and 10 little toes!!

I would like to introduce you to this precious little guy! He came in for his 1st baby plan session, and did not fail to impress. He was full of smiles, giggles and sweet baby coos. There were so many images to choose from, so I thought the best way to share them would be in this awesome storyboard panel that was created.



Storyboards are a great way to show multiple images from your session in one place and really do tell a story of the session! You'll get to see more of this little guy over the next year as he is part of our "baby plan" which he'll be in for a 3, 7 & 12 month session to capture his cuteness! At the end they'll leave with a baby panel which will have one image from each session, showing the changes over his 1st year.

Family Time

This multi-generational family portrait has so many wonderful things about it, first this image represents 3 generations, next the session was in the families yard, and that blue car - has attended most grad's and wedding's for the family.

It is so neat to see families who still all get together and get portraits done together. Family is always changing and growing, so it's wonderful to see this image with all of them together.

The next image is one of the smaller groupings, and is a beautiful portrait, everyone looks comfortable and you can tell they really enjoy eachother! We just had this one up at the homeshow, and everyone loved the little dog (which is one thing that we always encourage, if you have a family pet, bring them along!)

Let it rain... let it snow.

A little rain didn't stop these two!! Toward the end of their portrait session, they asked if they could get some fun ones with the umbrella, and are they ever great! Portraits are meant to be fun, to be a true representation of who 'you' are, and I think that this image really brings out the playfulness these 2 have with eachother.

Next we have an image from a session that was shot in December, remember, when we had all that snow! Well, the snow didn't dampen their spirts, and Jerry came back to the studio with all sorts of great images.

The images are incredible, and really capture what a beautiful place we live in, even when it snows!