Merry Christmas from All of us here at Crystal Portraits Photography

To all of our dear clients who have supported us this year - Thank you and God bless you this holiday season! We look forward to serving you again one day soon!



kind regards, Crystal, Olivia, Heidi and Margaret

A Special Graduate

Before I was a photographer, I was a teacher. I taught Kindergarten and First Grade for a few years, then I had my children and decided to stay home from there. Which, somehow divinely, led me to this incredible career! But when I was teaching, I loved it and there were many children who went through my classroom who I will never forget. This grad, amazingly enough, was once in my Kindergarten class and was one of those children. I remember Colter's quiet kindness, his big blue eyes, his beautiful smile, and the special bond he had with his big sister, Chandra. I'm grateful to have been there to photograph him informally as his teacher, and now again as he graduates. And it's wonderful to see that all of the traits I remember him for, haven't changed!



Brothers and sisters should always get along this well..



And this shot I loved in color and also in B&W, so here are versions in both - what do you think??

Celebrating 25 Years

Just a few quick pictures before I pack it in for the night...

Emiline & Armand celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary recently, with a party for their family and friends, and a photo shoot for them! Having once had them as neighbors, and having shot graduation portraits for both of their boys, it was very easy and enjoyable to be along with them on this occasion. We shot in a couple of different locations, utilizing the beautiful Fall color and taking advantage of old fences and fields along our way. And because Emiline loves everything 'country', I know she'll be thrilled with our choices of locale. Congratulations, Emiline & Armand and I wish you many, many more!

A Joyful Little Boy!

My dear friend's little one turned 1 recently so they came to 'play' some in the studio. He was such a trooper - we went indoors and outdoors and through a few outfit changes and he smiled through it all. It was very hard choosing, but here are my top 5. I tried to pick ones that showed some variety and ones that I know will make you smile like I did when I saw them!

For Harrison..

So this time last year, my sweet cousin Harrison came out West from Ontario to visit us. It was his first time in Cold Lake and we only had a few hours, so I took him around town and made him climb the totem pole at the Marina, and up on the Cold Lake sign, and everywhere else we could think of to take a picture. And since he can't make it this far again this year (he only got to Manitoba, can you believe it?!), I thought I would post a few of our better pics to let him know we miss him. Hope to see you again soon, Harry - we love you!

Baby Peanut

It is always such a joy to photograph a journey. This wonderful couple was one of my first wedding clients (that wasn't family!) so when I heard that they were expecting their first baby, I was so happy for them. Imagine then how thrilled I was when they asked me to shoot maternity and then newborn pictures for them - what a privilege! As you can see, little 'Peanut' is soo sweet and soo very loved... Thank you Rachelle and Lee for picking me to do the honors!

It's been awhile..

I can't believe it's been almost a whole week since my last blog entry! I've been shooting and sorting through software issues during my work hours (and 'extra' hours). And birthdays and visits and normal everyday life that take up all of the rest. But I vow to be better at keeping everyone here (because I know that SOME people are watching) informed and to give you glimpses of some of my picks from each session.

For all of you who are waiting for proofs, we ask that you please be patient with us. We haven't forgotten you, honest!  The software that I'm working at implementing will make our work more efficient and hopefully quicker, but I need the time to get it all set up and working. We will get them posted as soon as possible and will be sending off emails to everyone affected this week.  Thank you!


Tonight I give you some of Patti & Kevin's engagement session. They get married in a couple of weeks, and I'm very excited to be shooting their wedding - it sounds like it will be wonderful, and they are easy to photograph, as you can see.

Brianne & Chad - engagement session

Brianne & Chad are one of my favorite couples to photograph. They are beautiful inside and out and so obviously in love. AND they are willing to try any pose and be playful for the camera (the definition of THIS photographer's dream clients!). This was their 'engagement' session which we had to shoot after the wedding because of scheduling conflicts. Once we're done with the wedding images, I'll be sure to post a few (or more) so stayed tuned. Thanks, Brianne and Chad for being so easy to photograph!

'Two' Cute! (thanks Kathy for the title)

This was the fourth time I've photographed this little one - this time to mark her 2nd birthday. Very often when kids this age come to the studio, they want to play and explore, and not 'pose' for the camera (understandably so at 2!). So we (the parents, assistants and I) try to accommodate, with toys, distractions and tickles. However, often at the end of such a session, the parents leave a little discouraged thinking that we really didn't get much that they'll want to order. Then when they see the proofs (and much to their surprise) there's suddenly too much to pick from! I consider it my job to catch them being themselves - smiley, serious, engaged, active - however they may be. So parents, please remember that when you come for your session with me, don't always expect perfect behavior and perfect smiles - I've photographed enough children, including my own, to know that they won't always be that way.






And in the long run, some of our favorite shots don't always involve poses OR smiles...

Maternity shoot

Tonight I have just a couple of pictures that I want to share with you from a recent maternity shoot. This mom came to me during her first pregnancy and through her baby's first year, so I was happy to see her for her second pregnancy as well. What a beautiful family they make.



And what a treat to see this little one 'all grown up' and ready to be a big sister!

A Bigger Vertical Picture - Hooray!!

Here's another of my Grads from this past year. She decided to save her formal session for the warm sun of our summer evenings. Doesn't she look glamorous in this beautiful light?
(and don't you love that I have figured out how to post a vertical picture bigger?? - I'm getting there...).

Tomorrow I am registering my children for their activities for the year in the morning, and shooting a wedding in the afternoon. If anyone needs to call tomorrow, please leave me a message - I will call you back sometime on Monday.

Happy Weekend everyone!!

More from Kim & Ted's Wedding

Here are a few more from the many shots that I love from Kim & Ted's wedding. You'll notice that we made a stop at Timmy's (their favorite) and I even make a cameo, thanks to my second shooter, Heidi.

Kim and Ted.. some favorites

There are so many images from Kim and Ted's wedding that I love! Here are a few samples, and I will make another posting with some of the rest. My files are too big to post very many at once, even though they appear small here. If anyone reading knows how to make my pictures bigger using eblogger, please let me know!

more grad pics and updates

Here are more shots of one of my favorite Grads - Fred. He is all personality and heart and I loved every minute of this session with him!






Tomorrow my kids are back at school, and I can hopefully regain a little of my routine for our family life and for my business. I have hired both of the employees that I was searching for, and on Tuesday of next week, both will be here for their regular shifts. Katherine will be here now and then to help with training, but soon it will all be up to my new staff: Olivia - to do our digital work, Caitlin - to manage the office, Heidi - to act as second shooter (and to work on special projects as they come up) and me to concentrate on the shooting and the business itself. It will be so glorious to have things running smoothly again!

And just a note, we are now taking bookings for September and October for Fall pictures. The leaves can change at any time here in Cold Lake, but as a rule, I can usually shoot outdoors until the middle of October and still have Fall color. There is usually a week or two after that time that we still have Fall leaves, but they are often on the ground (although that can be nice too!) Inside portraits in the studio are also a possibility at any time. In order to have portraits back in time for Christmas, I stop shooting by the middle of November. Any sessions scheduled after that time will be with no promises of a pre-Christmas delivery.