Hi! I'm Christina!
Pronouns: (She/her)
Forget awkward, stiff-and-formal posing that'll only make you remember how much your cheeks hurt from putting on a fake smile. My candid and creative approach to photography allows you to relax, be yourselves and have fun - all while looking amazing!
Placed top 10 overall world-wide for weddings (three times)
Ranked top 5 wedding photographers in Canada (twice)
Winner of 25 Fearless Awards
AS SEEN IN:
People Magazine - World's Best Wedding Photographers - WedLuxe - Style me Pretty - Junebug - Fearless Photographers - Bride's Magazine - National Geographic Traveler
FAQs - Family portraits
+ WHAT IS YOUR APPROACH TO Family Portrait PhoTOGRAPHY?
My approach allows you to relax, have fun and be yourselves all while looking amazing! If you have little ones we'll organize the session around an activity. Instead of treating your kids to ice cream if they pose for portraits, let's actually go for ice cream and I'll photograph that. For older or adult children, I always keep things relaxed and fun, while still ensuring everyone looks awesome!
I am also always happy to take a few frame-worthy, traditional look-at-the-camera-and-smile photos during our session. With some families it's better to do the traditional stuff at the beginning, and with other families it's better to do the traditional stuff after your kids have had a chance to have fun. I always go with what is going to work best for your kids.
+ I WANT CANDID PHOTOS OF MY FAMILY BUT I DON't WANT TO LOOK BAD. DO YOU STILL FIX BLEMISHES without it looking like an instagram filter?
First of all, you're going to look incredible in your portraits! Blemishes and double chins will be fixed up by my photo editor in a natural way, without looking fake.
I also want to mention that our editing style is timeless and classic, which means if the grass is green and the sky is blue, it will look that way in your portraits. This is the opposite of what Instagram filters do, since they will often change the colour tones of an image and this will date your photos in years to come. Instagram-style photo retouching is also a challenge to print.
+ DO YOU OFFER FAMILY PORTRAIT MINI-SESSIONS IN VICTORIA?
Yes. Mini-sessions are 15 minutes and I offer them at select locations in Victoria, including Government House, Elk Lake Park, the B.C. Legislature or Swan Lake.
+ CAN I KEEP MY FAMILY PHOTOS PRIVATE?
Absolutely. I always respect your wishes if you don't want photos of your family shared on my blog or social media.
+ WILL I RECEIVE DIGITAL IMAGES?
The collection you choose will come with downloadable digital images with two copies (one in B&W + one in colour) and you can have them printed at your local lab. You can also purchase prints directly from your gallery. And framed images or albums can be purchased at any time.
+ What if we need to cancel because ONE OF US ISN't FEELING WELL? WHat ABOUT WEATHER?
I'm flexible. If you or someone in your family has COVID symptoms and you need to stay home to isolate it's no problem. We can always reschedule. Same goes for weather... after all, the golden rule when you live in a rainforest like Victoria is to always expect the unexpected! If the forecast is looking soggy or extremely windy, I'll get in touch with you closer to your portrait date and time to see if you want to postpone.
+ THERE are A LOT OF BLACK & WHITE PHOTOS ON YOUR SITE. DO YOU ALSO PROVIDE COLOUR IMAGES?
When it comes to posting pictures, I share a lot of B&Ws so the web pages load faster. But I also love colour. That's why for every digital image you choose, you'll receive both a B&W + colour version (= two versions of each image).
+ DO I NEED TO VIEW AND ORDER MY PORTRAITS AT A STUDIO?
If you're a parent that means you are a busy person! That's why I set everything up so you can view and choose your digital photos from the comfort of your home.
Best of all -- you can choose to share the link to your personal gallery with others so they can have their own digital copies. They can also order their own heirloom prints directly from an awesome professional lab that will ship to the purchaser's door, which is great when you have extended family living in other countries.
I also offer beautiful storybook albums featuring museum-quality printing designed to last beyond a lifetime.
+ WHERE ARE YOU LOCATED?
I photograph family portraits in my beautiful home city of Victoria B.C. on Vancouver Island. You'll notice a few family portraits in the central Pacific coast of Costa Rica, where I used to live part-time. When COVID is behind us, I will be traveling there again to visit friends in Manuel Antonio and Dominical, so please reach out if you're planning a visit in 2022. If I'm there when you are I'd love to take your family portraits at the beach or in the jungle.
+ DO YOU HAVE EXPERIENCE PHOTOGRAPHING CHILDREN who are ON THE AUTISTIC SPECTRUM OR CHILDREN WITH ADHD?
Yes, and I customize the session for your child's needs. Let's chat and I'm happy to go over more about my approach.
+ HOW DO I OFFICIALLY BOOK YOU? DO YOU REQUIRE A DEPOSIT?
Booking is super easy. The last few years have taught me the importance of flexibility. That's why I'm not taking retainers but I do have a super straightforward online contract/questionnaire for you to sign. Get in touch and we can pick a date and time that works best for you to officially book your date.
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THIS!
I live and work with gratitude as a visitor on the unceded territory of the WSÁNEĆ (Saanich), lək̓ʷəŋən (Songhees), Wyomilth (Esquimalt) peoples of the Coast Salish Nation.