Rachel Ludwig Photography | Abbotsford Portrait and Wedding Photographer

We love camping. Love love love it. This summer we are so lucky that we are doing a lot of camping! In just a few days we are going to be heading out for a month long trip through BC, and I can’t wait. Growing up some of my favorite memories were from camping, and I hope for my kids that they will remember these times fondly as well. It truly is amazing time together as a family, and we do lots of reading, walks, biking and visiting the beach. We hope to try some geo-caching on our next trip, and we’re looking forward to the Fraser Canyon, checking out some of the gold rush trail, and in particular, Barkerville. We are also planning on hitting some of the big national parks that we always drive through but have never stopped to explore…Jasper and Banff.

So, I will be out of the office for most of August, and possibly the first few days of September. I will have some access to email, but my response may be delayed depending on if we have network access. If you are interested in booking a fall session for Christmas cards, please email me as soon as possible to reserve a date as this time of year fills up fast.

I wanted to share some pictures from our second camping trip of the year in Shuswap.

My kids can play together *so* nicely, and hockey is a current fave. Arden loves doing the face-offs!

Yes, she has killer hair. Wish I could have hair like hers

Hudson is a huge hockey nut. In his world, the bigger the stick, the better.

Ethan is loving reading. It’s still not his first choice for activities, but once he starts he can’t put a book down and he’s been reading a ton of chapter books and comic books this year.

I love my Keens. Best camping sandals ever….great for hiking, biking and the beach. And the resulting sandal tan is hot. haha

The cutest boots ever!

Arden had three mosquito bites right around her eye, and it was almost swollen shut. It was so freaky to look at, she looked like a completely different girl. Fortunately it didn’t bother her.

She is finally starting to master her bike. Her bike is pink (her favorite color) and girly. Of course.

We did a lot of biking here. The provincial park campground at Shuswap is nice and flat and perfect for biking.

We do a lot of reading. I’m so glad Tim and I are both readers, it’s the perfect way to spend a cloudy day in the campsite.

The bike trailer is always a big hit. Pulling it with 50+ pounds of kids is a super workout.

Hudson and his push car were pretty much inseparable. With it he can run. fast. He loved 4×4′ing the trails with it.

Everything was so green and luscious here. We live in such an incredibly beautiful area of the world.

Ethan has had the most amazing teachers each year at his school, and this year was no exception. We felt blessed to have Trish teaching him…and it was neat to see him grow, learn and mature as the school year progressed. One of my most favorite parts was that Ethan started the year knowing how to read, but he finished the year with a love for reading. He also loved the various units they did on animals…penguins, spiders, frogs and more. He came home with so many things that I (the queen of strange and random facts) didn’t even know about.

I am so thankful that he had such a great teacher to encourage and help him through a school year that had a few obstacles and hurdles (poor boy has his mother’s math skills!). I have such an immense respect for teachers, and the heart and soul that they pour into teaching. Some days I struggle with managing three children, and Trish seemed able to handle 25 Grade Two students effortlessly. Thank you Trish for everything you did this year, and for being such a blessing to Ethan in Grade Two!

We met up at Aldergrove Lake Park and had some beautiful sunshine…love the sun flare in the middle image!

After finishing up at the park, and a quick outfit change, we managed to sneak in a few

more shots at some railroad tracks before the sun went down…

Thanks to Trish, Al, Matthew and Kaitlyn for being so fabulous. I had such a great time getting to know your fun and sweet family…I hope you enjoy your sneak peek and that the rest of your summer is wonderful and relaxing.

* I will be out of the office (in the hopes of finding some sunshine. Cross your fingers for us!) from Tuesday June 29th – Monday July 5th, and will respond to emails and phone calls upon my return. Have a great week! *

I had the pleasure of meeting and photographing four month old Thom, along with his parents just over a week ago. This is such a fun age as little personalities start to emerge, and they start to learn some new fun tricks like rolling over. Thom was no exception and was quick to flip over when he had the chance! They don’t get much cuter than this, with a little bit of blond fuzz and handsome dark eyes…he’s going to be a heartbreaker one day Danielle

sigh. chubby baby legs. cutest. thing. ever!

I love this beautiful rug, it was the perfect backdrop for the photos.

I couldn’t resist the face-plant picture. Tummy time is lots of work!

I hope you enjoy your sneak peek Danielle! I’ll be in touch next week.

This beautiful young lady happens to be cousins with Shay, and their moms are sisters. All I can say is that beauty definitely runs in this family (and amazing eyelashes too!). Emma graduated from Abbotsford Collegiate, along with her boyfriend Koby, who came along for some pictures too. We started off with some pictures in their beautiful back yard, and then headed to Old Clayburn Village, an abandoned barn and a field by the freeway. I love the variety of images we got.

Emma had the most stunning vintage dress and the perfect accessories (I love the pearls…classic and beautiful) to go with it, and some fabulous shoes.

Emma, it was so nice to meet you (and your family, and Koby too of course). Thanks for being willing to tromp through all sorts of stuff to get the perfect shot! And a special thank you to Emma’s dad Ivan for holding the diffuser/reflector for me. Shooting in full sun is easy with a willing assistant.

Enjoy your sneak peek!

Shay is part of Robert Bateman Secondary’s 2010 graduating class, and I am so glad she had time to squeeze in some pictures on a very busy prom day. Despite the busy-ness of the day, Shay was calm and had this quiet sense of self to her, and she looked absolutely amazing

During the session I was thinking fondly back to my highschool graduation days some 15 years (yikes!) ago, it still amazes me how quickly time flies. Graduating from highschool and entering a whole new phase of life is so exciting…the world is your oyster!

It was wonderful to meet and photograph you Shay, thanks for being such a trooper! Enjoy the rest of your sneak peek.

check out those seriously killer eyelashes.

I love the shots of Shay with her mom Dawn…these two were so cute with each other.

For this portion of the session, I tried to emulate a bit more of a dreamy film feel with my post processing,

I thought it fit the mood of the images perfectly.

One of my favorite parts about photographing newborns is seeing these brand new little families falling in love…with their new little one, and with each other all at the same time. These three were no exception, and hearing their journey to becoming a family and their adoption story was so heart-warming and makes these pictures even more special. I had more than a few shots of Chris looking on with pride, love and admiration at his wife Melissa, the new mother to their child (see first picture below!), it makes me a little teary-eyed . Side note: check out that amazing nursery! Their whole house was beautiful and looked like it came straight out of a magazine.

Eliana had a bit of a rough day that day, so we took lots of time for cuddles and feeding (because really, that’s what life with a newborn is all about, right?). I love the lifestyle images that resulted, and the story they tell.

Melissa and Chris, it’s been so great getting to know you. You two just radiate happiness as new parents, and it was a joy to meet your sweet little girl. Thank you for inviting me to capture this special time in your lives!

ps. That bottom left feet shot? My new favorite…love it!