RANKED TWICE AS ONE OF THE TOP 5 PHOTOGRAPHERS IN CANADA!
Imagine having a family portrait session that allows you to have fun, be yourself and create memories with your children they'll treasure for a lifetime.
I photograph everything from maternity and newborn portraits to families with young children or those with teens and adults.
Having a family reunion or birthday celebration? Count me in!
I serve Victoria, BC and the surrounding area, including Sooke, Sidney, Oak Bay, Esquimalt, Saanich, Mill Bay, Langford, Colwood, Metchosin.
Christina! You've done it once again!! You took the best photos we've ever had of ourselves -
We had tears in our eyes when we played the slideshow and the kids keep asking us to play it over and over again. We can't tell you how much these portraits mean to us.
The Gower Family
Hi! I'm Christina!
Over the last 15 years I've photographed thousands of people - from newborns to toddlers to teens and grandparents. In that time, I've developed some secret recipes to help you relax and have fun, all while looking amazing. Your family portrait session will feel just like you're hanging out with a friend!
Pronouns: (She/her)
Placed top 10 internationally (three times)
Ranked top 5 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
Feeling the love!
Christina and Derek were a dream to work with on our wedding day. Beyond their ridiculous talent and skill in capturing candid moments, they are kind, FUN, and have a gentle way to calm and lead you through the day. Christina has a way of picking up the slightest cues and adjusting quickly to make everyone feel comfortable. We hit the jackpot with these two. (and our guests were all blown away too)! Christina did a wonderful job for our newborn lifestyle photos! We were looking for someone to capture our new baby in our home in a candid and natural fashion. Christina made us feel so comfortable, guiding us but capturing us in a natural way! We are blown away by her talent and will definitely be hiring her for family photos in the future 😊 AMAZING PHOTOS!!!! Christina captured some fantastic, casual, and candid shots of our family. Very professional and easy to work with. I definitely recommend her. What an amazing experience! We have two young kids and Christina was able to keep them enjoying themselves and having fun all while capturing some fabulous photos! We highly recommend Christina and will be using her for any future photos! Christina is amazing. Her positive energy will bring out genuine smiles in you and your family as she finds creative and beautiful ways to capture you, just being yourselves. I love the photos Christina took of our family. She was professional and the turnaround time was super speedy. I will certainly book with her again and would recommend her to anyone looking for a family photographer. Unreal! I could not be happier with my family's decision to ask Christina to take our family portraits. Not only is she a friendly and warm individual, but she is clear and prompt in her communications and an absolute professional. Christina made us feel comfortable and relaxed in front of the camera, and was amazing working with our tiny children (1 and 3 years old... not the most obliging subjects!). The resulting photographs are gorgeous... they far exceeded my expectations in how they captured real moments of joy and intimacy (er, they had me in tears at work!). I absolutely hope to work with Christina again and recommend her in the highest terms possible. Christina captured our moments so beautifully and the slide show made us cry and smile at the same time! Since we were having a small wedding and kept everything so simple, we only booked for 3hrs of her time. She was super quick and amazing at capturing details in such a short time! To be honest I was a little nervous about the photos before I received them because some of us, including myself, aren't photogenic and always put on awkward smiles when we stare at cameras but as soon as she sent us the sneak peek photos after just one week of our wedding my worry was instantly gone. We were oohing-and-aawing (lol) at the photos and some of my family and friends photos turned out like magazine-grade photos! I think she is more than a pro (she was so personable and understanding + flexible) and we all highly recommend her. I really feel proud to have an eye to see her fantastic photography skills through her portfolios in her website and reached out to her for my wedding. Christina photographed our wedding many years ago and we just had our family portraits taken again with her. She is fantastic at what she does. It's not easy getting such gorgeous looking pictures that is so natural, especially with kids smiling, yet she manages to capture those quick moments and in such a perfect way. Thank you so much Christina! Christina is a very talented and personable photographer. She made the whole experience so fun and made us feel at ease. We are in love with our wedding pictures and highly recommend Christina to everyone! You will not be disappointed. We will definitely use Christina’s services in the future for family photos. Thank you for capturing the essence of who we are and our special day! Anyone can take a picture but Christina brings them to life. An absolute amazing talent.FAQs
+ 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 amazing!
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 awesome in your portraits! Blemishes and double chins will definitely be fixed without looking fake.
As a self-conscious person myself, I understand that you want flattering photos, and we can still achieve this without any stiff-and-formal posing.
In my years as a wedding photographer I've photographed thousands of people. I know how to make you look awesome without things feeling forced. Plus, I'm happy to give you some ideas and suggestions to get it all going so it's fun.
I also want to mention that my 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.
+ ARE YOU DOING ANY AT-HOME SESSIONS THIS YEAR?
I love photographing people in their homes since that's where everyone is creating so many memories with their children. Unfortunately, because of the pandemic, this year I'm only offering sessions outdoors. We have so many beautiful backdrops in the Greater Victoria, including many (like the Legislature or Government House) with sheltered places to duck for cover if it's rainy or windy. If restrictions and guidelines loosen up in the future (and I can't wait until that time comes!), then we can definitely talk about doing a portrait session in your home or another indoor location.
+ DO YOU OFFER FAMILY PORTRAIT MINI-SESSIONS IN VICTORIA?
Yes. Mini-sessions are 15-20 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.
+ DO YOU HAVE EXPERIENCE PHOTOGRAPHING CHILDREN ON THE AUTISTIC SPECTRUM?
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.
+ 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. You can find out more and view my collection and price guide here.
+ 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, 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.
+ WHAT ARE YOUR FAMILY PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHY PRICES?
+ ARE YOU STILL PHOTOGRAPHING WEDDINGS AND ELOPEMENTS? DO YOU ALSO PHOTOGRAPH FASHION, BRANDING OR LIFESTYLE PORTRAITS?
I have shifted my focus from destination weddings to family portraits in Victoria. However, I do still take on a few weddings, elopements, engagement portraits, surprise engagement proposals and vow renewals every year in British Columbia. I also offer lots of other photography services, including bespoke art portraits, fashion, glamour, grad portraits, social media branding and lifestyle photography.
+ What if we need to cancel because ONE OF US HAS COVID SYMPTOMS? WHat ABOUT WEATHER?
During these COVID times I'm remaining 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 be flexible! If the forecast is looking soggy, I'll get in touch with you closer to your portrait date and time to see if you want to postpone.
let's do
THIS!
Our unobtrusive approach means you can relax and have fun all while looking like total rock stars! Over the years we've developed some great ways to take the pressure off so you can have awesome, natural and creative portraits without looking or feeling fake.
WE ARE BASED IN VICTORIA B.C.
