Remembrance Day Thoughts

Today I’m thinking of my great uncle Donald (Don) McCrae who was a Royal Canadian Air Force pilot in WW2.
He was an avid photographer and took this photo of my Grandpa Alex McCrae at the summit of Mount Revelstoke, BC at Heather Lodge.
Don built the lodge in 1937/38 and managed it until he enlisted in 1941. He was an avid skier and was known nationally for his adventurous long distance ski tours from Revelstoke to Banff.
Sadly, I never had the joy of knowing him as he was listed as missing in action May 28th, 1944. He was 28 years old.
McCrae Peak in Revelstoke was named after Don in his honour.
I do have Don’s camera, a 1920 Kodak autographic camera, gifted to me by his nieces, and quite possibly the same camera that took this beautiful photo of my Grandpa on Mount Revelstoke.

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Alexander (Shorty) McCrae at the Heather Lodge on Mount Revelstoke.

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Donald McCrae, Royal Canadian Air Force

Georgette Reed | Vancouver Headshots

Georgette Reed was an Olympian and 17-time Canadian champion in shot put and discus. After an incredible athletic career, Georgette has dedicated herself to empowering others through her work as a personal coach and motivational speaker. Drawing from her experiences in sport and leadership, she inspires with her message of resilience, self-care, and embracing diversity. Her authenticity and energy made this session fun to photograph. It was a true honour to photograph someone whose journey continues to uplift and empower so many.

“I had an incredible experience with Belle. It’s been years since I had professional headshots and my last experience wasn’t great. Belle made this experience fun and I loved the creativity and attention to detail in the set up of each shot!
I enjoyed this experience so much that I am looking at doing another session.”

— Georgette Reed

What to wear for your Family Session

Here are some of my beautiful families to offer visual tips for choosing the perfect outfits for your family session.

Choose a base colour

Decide on a base colour and have everyone wearing different shades and tones of it.
This will add dimension to your portraits and express everyone’s personality.
Avoid wearing too many patterns as this will make your portrait busy. Have everyone in mostly neutral and solid colours.
Avoid green if your session is in nature. Avoid everyone wearing all white as our eyes are attracted to the highest contrast in an image and the focus will be off your wonderful faces.

Have fun with the footwear

You can coordinate everyone wearing sandals or Van’s in the summer and gumboots in the Fall. Shoes should be as clean as possible.

Don’t put Baby in the corner

Dress your children in a lighter or darker tone than you so they stand out against the clothing you’re wearing.

It’s all about the Fun!

Remember, it’s all about having fun with your family and enjoying your session.
Wear clothing you feel comfortable in and focus on enjoying the playful moments with your family.

Vancouver Family Portraits, Trout Lake

For the past 6 years we’ve been meeting at their favourite park to create a new family portrait for the wall in their home. The family race started as a game during the session when she could first walk. She looks forward to the race every year and it’s become a way for them to see how much has changed over the years. Click HERE to see adorable previous sessions with this sweet family.

Esplanade Consulting | Vancouver Headshots

Esplanade Consulting in Vancouver, BC is a consulting firm working in the fields of public and government affairs, and organizational and strategic development. Rémi Courcelles and Dr. Gerrit Krueper wanted new headshots to match their branding logo. I found the perfect location on the Stanley Park Seawall below Vancouver’s iconic Lion’s Gate Bridge.

“Belle is an absolute professional. Easy to work with, great communicator and she knew how to bring out the best of us. Looking forward to our next collaboration!”

— Rémi Courcelles

“Fantastic photoshoot! Belle is super accommodating, caring and the kindest person you could imagine. Will definitely reach out to her for any future photos I need.”

— Gerrit Krueper

Vancouver Family Portraits, Jericho Beach Park

One of my favourite locations to photograph is Jericho Beach Park in Vancouver. It’s perfect for family sessions as it offers beautiful nature and beach backdrops. We lucked out as it was a soft light cloudy day and we were able to photograph on the beach mid-day. Of course we had to include the Fur Baby in the family portraits. <3

Hispanic Canadian Chamber of Commerce Board Portraits

The final results of a collaboration with the Founding Board of Canada's Hispanic Chamber of Commerce creating professional and uniform headshots for their new website.. Truly remarkable what these folks have accomplished for the Hispanic business community in Canada.

Justin Saint | Vancouver Headshots

I have a lot of laughing outtakes from this fun session creating professional headshots for Justin Saint’s new career in UX Design. Visit Justin’s LinkedIN profile HERE.

“I’ve hired Belle for both professional and personal family photos and she is always a delight to work with! She’s an absolute expert at putting you at ease and getting you to make small adjustments so you look your absolute best.”

— Justin Saint