Mom won a Silent Auction portrait session I had donated to Camp Fircom in 2019 and we’ve been trying to get together ever since to do their portraits. Finally, during a Pandemic we made it happen. :)
They chose a fine art printed wall portrait of their family and one of each of the girls.
Anita Melin helped me when my relationship and career were ending, and I was leaving my small Kootenay town to study photography in the big city. It was a lot of change and I needed guidance to make the transition and those big life decisions.
Anita recently reached out to me as her counselling business had moved online and she needed a headshot for her new website.
I was visiting family close by her in Revelstoke and she made the drive up to meet me for her session. I knew the perfect location and we created these lovely portraits at sunset at the Revelstoke Greenbelt.
Since she was close to a national park she took advantage and did some hiking the day after her session.
I think these portraits capture her free spirit and her love of nature beautifully.
Recently I photographed a Granville Street women’s storytelling walk curated by Toronto Placemaker Jay Pitter and Facilitated by Vancouver Consultant Jocelyn Macgougall.
Insightful Speaker's shared the history of the Vancouver Granville Bridge area and personal experiences navigating the area as self identified women and non-binary individuals.
Participants were invited to provide feedback after the walk that will, "inform the design of the Granville Bridge Connector and how the City of Vancouver approaches equity in the design of its streets and public spaces."
The digital age has all but eliminated an important ritual.
The sharing of memories and family history through photographs.
People my age have printed memories of their youth. We have photographs of the fun parties and ridiculous adventures we went on with our friends. My nephew’s generation is being called the ‘Black Hole Generation’. My nephews capture the moments in their lives on their phones and then post them online. What happens when the memory on their phones fills up? They delete those memories. Online platforms don’t last forever and those digital memories will also vanish.
Recently my Mom and I sat down over pictures from my childhood that were thought lost forever.
Pictures she had not seen for 40 years, and pictures I had never seen. It was a healing and beautiful moment for us. Today I have a portrait of my mother as a young bride of 19. This portrait is priceless to me.
Print your memories. Don't keep them locked away on hard drives that no one will ever access. Make photo albums so your family, children and grandchildren will have those important tangible memories of you.
I’ve written before about my families love for skiing and their place in the history books of the Revelstoke, BC ski community.
See that BLOG post HERE.
This past week I took some time off and went skiing with my Mom. My Mom is 77 and learnt to ski when she was 3 years old. She down hill raced as a teenager and raced as an adult for many years with my grandfather and her brothers in the Vernon ‘Over the Hill’ Downhill.
My grandfather was 75 years old when he raced in Vernon and he received the ‘True Grit’ Award for being the oldest skier to participate.
If you are sitting around the table at one of our family gatherings in the winter the topic will inevitably gravitate towards family ski adventures. Skiing is part of our DNA.
We strap on skis when we are old enough to stand on our own, and ski until our legs can no longer carry us down the slopes.
My Mother (left) with my Grandma Mary and Uncle Don at the Hickory Run on Mount Revelstoke in 1947.
My Mom today. Isn’t she the Cutest?!!
I feel grateful and incredibly blessed to be able to still share our passion together.
I pestered Catherine Wong for 2 years to come into the studio to do headshots for Saltwater Law’s non-existent website.
Finally, that day arrived when they needed my photography services for the launch of their new website.
During the photo shoot, we had disco music playing, spontaneous dancing, lots of laughter, and an all-around great time.
Together, we collaborated to select a colour background and lighting that was in harmony with the vibrant branding on their new website.
A child’s first year is filled with wonderful milestones like their first sweet smile, sitting up by themselves and their first joyful steps.
I offer my clients the opportunity to treasure those moments forever with my ‘Watch Me Grow’ sessions.
Parents can choose up to 3 sessions in their child’s first year and I design a beautiful hand-bound 10x10” portrait album to celebrate the year.
This couple wanted to include a maternity session with an urban feel, so we chose the rustic location of Granville Island. They showed up wearing matching leather jackets and I knew then we had to finish the year at the same location with the family wearing matching leather jackets. Happily, they agreed!
Please click the following links to see this families ‘Watch Me Grow’ year.
Maternity Session
Newborn Session
6 Month Session
Babies first year beautifully displayed in a 10x10” linen album that is lovingly designed by Belle.
Gina Best wanted something that reflected her bold and beautiful take-no-shit business coaching attitude. She literally has the F-word splashed across the home page of her website and speaks to why ‘fine’ just isn’t good enough in this video.
Gina wanted her portraits to be vibrant and fun. We found the perfect location to reflect her dynamic personality in front of this incredible Vancouver Mural Festival painting by Artist Elyse Dodge.
Vancouver portrait photographer Belle Ancell specializes in creating heirloom fine art for families.
CONTACT
778-888-0313
belle@belleancellphotography.com
