Mama and MaPa (isn’t that an adorable name) totally won in the clothes styling department this day.
Baby A. looked adorable with her ponytail hair style and yellow pantaloons for her fall family portraits at Trout Lake.
Jumping in puddles before heading home was the reward for being patient and posing for her 1st birthday portraits.
Her family chose a sweet 8x8” Storybook album of their favourite portraits from their session.
I officially met Andrea Reimer when she spoke during the Granville Island Women’s Storytelling Walk I photographed.
Previously I had heard her speak at a luncheon where she shared a personal life experience and I was brought to tears.
I love the testimonial she gave me. It might be the most honest one I’ve received yet.
“I *hate* having my photo taken. Belle turned what is usually a torturous process into a lot of fun. Like going to the dentist and finding out you like the dentist!”
John Horodyski, King of the Pocket Squares, also known as an expert in Digital Asset Management (DAM).
I don’t even know what that means. I do know I loved the time we spent together and the portraits we created.
John is caring, funny and intelligent. I think these images captured him perfectly.
“Belle is professional, personable, and provides an excellent experience for her photography sessions. Great photographers not only take good photos, but also care about the quality of their work, and make their clients feel good and at ease.
Belle is a true artist behind the lens with a keen eye to masterfully capture the best moments. I highly recommend.”
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.
Vancouver portrait photographer Belle Ancell specializes in creating heirloom fine art for families.
CONTACT
778-888-0313
belle@belleancellphotography.com
