Thank you to all our participants of the 2010 'Kids Book of Victoria & the North Island"! This year’s book raised over $5,500 for the Help Fill a Dream Foundation (HFAD)!

We look forward to creating the Kids Book of 2011 and helping dreams come true for the brave children of Help Fill a Dream (HFAD).
If you are interested in registering your children for the 2011 book or know someone with some great kids up to the age of 16, we are taking registrations for the 2011 Kids Book! This includes Kids from Victoria and the North Island Area (Comox, Courtenay, and Campbell River etc.)

Jerry Van donates his time each year to take these heartwarming portraits. The families who participate, (children; newborn – 16 years), pay a $75 registration fee to Van’s and 100% of the proceeds are presented to the HFAD at the end of the year when the book is complete. This year you also receive a $50.00 credit towards your first print order that you may use at your first viewing.

Van’s Portraits is looking for everyday kids for the 2011 edition!

Call to register your child today!

Main office in Courtenay 250-338-5666 - or - our Victoria office at 250-382-5666.

For more details on the Kids Book of Victoria and the North Island, please visit our website www.vansportraits.com or www.kidsofvictoria.com

For more information of HFAD please visit www.helpfilladream.com



Childrens Portraits Courtenay and Victoria

Here are a couple of kids from last years Kids Book. We have published this years volume and are now taking registrations for our 2011 edition. Once again we will be photographing in the Comox Valley and in the Victoria area. If you would like beautiful portraits of your children and help to support Help Fill a Dream get in touch with us. Your $75.00 registration fee goes to HFAD and you recieve a tax reciept at the end of the year. We raised $5500.00 last year and with your help we can raise more! I will post some of the boys next week.

Here are a couple of kids from last years Kids Book. We have published this years volume and are now taking registrations for our 2011 edition. Once again we will be photographing in the Comox Valley and in the Victoria area. If you would like beautiful portraits of your children and help to support Help Fill a Dream get in touch with us. Your $75.00 registration fee goes to HFAD and you recieve a tax reciept at the end of the year. We raise $5500.00 last year and with your help we can raise more!

Business Portrait Courtenay



The team from the law office at Bush and Co. came by the studio for an update portrait session. we had a fun time, I even arranged for a police siren to go by to put smiles on their faces! Ok maybe that was just lucky.

This is a great time of year to update your business image.Some are using their portrait for their website, others for facebook and some for new marketing materials. If you are a professional and your face is part of your business (you have it in your marketing materials, business cards and websites) then you really should get a professional headshot done and try to update at least every year. If you are using an old photo from your last passport, we need to talk!



Engagement Portraits Courtenay

Wow what weather we get to enjoy and work in. Greg and Dani were all set to head to the beach for their engagment portraits but the rain changed all that last Saturday! We braved the southeasters and found some great spots around downtown Courtenay for the portrait session. They managed to stay dry for most of the time, I on the other hand looked like a drowned rat by the time we were done, I had a hard time working my camera, my hands got that cold. Ah but it is always worth the effort. Next time they are out visiting from Saskatchewan we will get to the ocean, I promise.

Family Portrait South Africa

Wow what a trip we experienced. Ruth and I brought Emma, my daughter, to Joe and Denise's 50th wedding party. What an amazing place to celebrate. Mom and Dad are living at Rob Roy retirement community located just outside Durben in the Valley of a Thousand Hills. This is the view we enjoyed from the party house.

Unfortunatly I was feeling under the weather on the day and wasn't able to enjoy the meal but I did rally in the 28c heat and photographed the family gathered round. I then made my way to bed for a nap and felt much better. Turns out my system doesn't like the beef here! Ah the joys of travel, it was all worth it.

Holly Smokes this is tough to keep up!

Ok once again it comes down to what is most important, taking care of our clients portrait needs or updating the blog. Not a difficult decision. I have lots of things to catch up, our office is open in Victoria now, for several months actually!. We had a great visit to England, here are a couple of images to tide you over till I get some of the many recent portraits up.

Speaking of portraits I have to head out right now for an other session. Stand by folks, more info to come in the next week. For now enjoy England.

Cheers Jerry

Heading to London!

We are heading off to England to visit Ruth's girls. This will be Emma's first really big trip so we are all getting really excited. We will be staying downtown London for some of the time as well as the town Guilford. If it works out we may even take the train to Paris. I just love going to Europe, the ancient buildings and wonderful atmosphere makes me fell like I am coming home. Maybe I lived here in a past life. We are leaving on March 6th and coming home on the 23rd. The office will only be closed for the first week but back to regular appointments for the rest of the time.



Outside the Tate Modern, what a cool place this is, right off the Millennium Bridge.

Here is Covent Garden, tons of people and shopping.

Why this thing stays up is a mystery to me!

This is what you would call a fixer upper here in York. What a wonderful city to explore.

If you know any one that would like a family portrait we may be able to fit that in. I will be able to set up a contact in the UK for our future trips. How fun would that be, offices around the world! I will post so new images when I get back. All of these were from last Febuary's visit to South Africa and England. If I get the chance I will put a couple of favorites from South Africa soon.

New home show displays

These are just two of our super cool looking display banners that I designed and printed in house. The dimensions are 39.25x83! We will have them on display at next months Home Show, March 26th to 28th at Comox Valley Sports Centre. We are also show our portraits at the Campbell River Show April 30th to May 2nd. We will also being using an LCD TV for your viewing pleasure. This will be one of the most visually pleasing display to date. Lots to see. If you have been planning to have family portraits in the next year make sure you pick up one of our Home Show Specials, such a good deal you have to call the Studio to get the details, 250-338-5666!

Over the years we have seen many displays at these shows and I hate to say it but many are less than impressive. We can make these banners for people that believe their business is worth the investment. From the photography to design and printing, we can help you to the next level in your company's image.

Studio portraits Courtenay

The very relaxed Mrs.J came in to the studio today for a special birthday portrait.
Her kids organized the session and we ended up have a great time playing with several different backgrounds and looks. One of the best parts of this work is meeting all the interesting people and sharing their life stories.

Thanks for sharing yours J!

As a side note as pointed out by Carolyn just now. This is the fastest portrait session to be posted to the blog. That is pretty funny, maybe there is hope for me yet:).

Victoria childrens portraits!

VERY EXCITING NEWS!



We are opening an office in Victoria. Yes this is really great. I love Victoria, we go down every month or so just for a change of scene. The place is beautiful with all the cool old buildings in the downtown, not to mention the great food you can find. I found an office space and I'm just waiting to confirm the lease arrangements before I spill the beans on the downtown location. As you know the Help Fill a Dream Foundation is based out of Victoria. They asked me if I would be interested in producing a Kids book that would raise much needed funds for them on the south Island. After thinking for about 2 seconds I said yes!



Things are starting up now with the early promoting and registering of kids. We will start the sessions the beginning of April. I am also looking for someone to run the office on a part time basis. If you know somebody that loves people and children, living in Victoria let them know to contact our studio in Courtenay. More information to follow on this. Our Victoria phone number is 250-382-5666.



The web site is http://www.kidsofvictoria.com/ have a look and let us know what you think.

B+W portrait

Here are a couple of cool head shots I did with a real nice guy. It was a fun session and I like what we got, it neat to mix the mood a little. If you want to have head shots done for business or a portfolio give us a call.

More recent Comox Valley Portraits

Wow, these are the most post I have done in one day. I just wanted to show this beautiful family portrait to you. Van's Portraits are know for the look of our large family group portraits. It is a fun challenge to get this many people together and look great. I think it worked! I love knowing that some of these images will be traveling back to Japan! We have portraits all around the world, how cool is that.

I'll be back with more exciting things that are coming up this year.

Comox family portraits-Kye Bay

I photographed the Campbell family down at a very windy Kye Bay. It was the last session of 2009 and what a great way to end the year. The girls look great and nobody froze, always a good thing. Jay's mom and dad also came along and we capture a sweet one of the two to them.

It's great to include grandparents in your family session. If it weren't for them none of us would have been out at the beach, thanks! I am looking forward to going back to the beach again this year rain or shine.

Introducing Elysia...finally

A delayed introduction for you. Elysia has been with us for the past three months, where does the time go, and she has quickly become one of the team here. With here warm personality it feels like she has been here a lot longer. I am very lucky to have such a great staff here at Van's.

Their session was fast and very wet. Elysia, her husband Todd along with their puppy dog Lulu braved a heavy rain for the session. The umbrellas and rain coats were thrown aside and we worked fast! The colors just look great when things are wet, you just have to be fast and not wear any silk. The pokka dot effect looks odd.

Please don't hesitate to call if you would like to do a rain portrait, it is just about waiting for the weather lol.

This was a fun session with some very special kids, well young adults really. It has been great watching them grow up while hanging out with my kids as well as going to school. Thanks for letting my hang with you. We were down at good old Puntledge Park. It is a great place for portraits, it's different everytime with the change of water levels as well as the seasonal changes.

Campbell River portrait

I had a great time connecting with Donna for her families portrait. We went to school a few years ago, ok maybe a bunch of years, it was fun catching up! Getting to the beach was easy, just walk across the road and start having fun. These guys are great smilers which always makes things easy. We got super luck with the weather here as well, missed the rain by one day.

Here is a peak at what we got.

Where have we been!

OK, I am back. I haven't been here for a long time. It has been dozens and dozens of great portraits since we were last on here, sorry about that. It is about priorities and serving you our wonderful clients in person that comes first so the blog has been lonely.

There have been many changes here, a new person, Elysia, has started working here and is fitting in just great. Elysia is handling the promotions we do as well as networking with the many charities we help. If you need to raise funds at your event give her a call.

Making it through the last year was my goal and I did it. Time to move forward and continue growing both in my business as well as personally. I, Jerry, will be handling the blog from now on. Keltie was in charge before she left to go back to school. It is definitely better for me to share the stories of the many portraits we do here. I have many images to post and will endever to do so in the next weeks. Hang in there if you are still with us:). I sometimes wonder if there is anyone out there, please let me know you are and maybe that will ensure more posting, what a deal.

Ok time to get back to an image or two, then I must go till next week at least.

Here is a cool panel we put together from a session I had fun photographing down at Seal Bay.

The next is the cover of our latest Kids of the North Island book. It looks just great, if you would like to be part of the 2010 book project we are now accepting nomiations.

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.