Rachel Ludwig Photography | Abbotsford Portrait and Wedding Photographer

Melissa has been a long time client of mine, and I was so excited to hear that she and Kevin are expecting! I know it’s been quite the journey to get to this point, and I always think it makes the whole miracle of pregnancy extra-special. The big siblings are super excited too, and I’m sure mom and dad will have lots of help with little Cohen when he arrives.

Melissa had one request for the session, which was the heart on the belly…I was more than happy to oblige! We also headed out to a fun industrial area nearby, it’s such a versatile location and works perfectly, especially at this time of year when greenery is limited.

A big congratulations to the happy couple who recently got engaged! Congrats you two!

This is always the point when the guys start to look at me funny. You want us to do what?!? Thanks for being game for my crazy ideas

Doesn’t Melissa look amazing? Hot mama!

Enjoy your sneak peek, and thanks for your patience Melissa! I’ll be in touch soon with your slideshow

…but they are just so cute I couldn’t resist. This is my brother-in-law and sister-in-law (or in web-speak, BIL & SIL) who we are going to visit in the winter-land of Calgary for Canadian Thanksgiving this weekend. I’m looking forward to lots of delicious food (my SIL is a chef and makes the most amazing food!), maybe more than a few drinks, and definitely lots of laughter and fun. And a shoot or two as well. I can’t wait!

That means that I will be out of the office between Wednesday October 7th until Tuesday October 12th. For all you lucky Canadians who get to celebrate Thanksgiving this weekend, have a wonderful time feasting and being thankful!

One of my favorite parts about preparing the online ordering galleries for my clients, is the storyboards I create. I know that so many people (myself included!) struggle with the best way to showcase photos in their home. Storyboards are such a great way to tell your story. I think there’s something powerful about combining images together, and I think storyboards are the perfect way to do that and are a great way to display photos in your home.

Here are a few favorites that I made for Heather & Dave’s recent session:

My very favorite…I’ve been waiting for the perfect images to use this design, and I love how it turned out!

Love the vintagey and eclectic feel of this one:

An overview of the session:

Combine a fun & fabulous couple who have great taste and wardrobes, with a fun night out at the local Abbotsford AgriFair, and some smokin’ hot temperatures…and you get some amazing images. Thank you so much Heather and Dave. Nnot only for being up for pretty much anything, but also for totally rockin’ it throughout the shoot, even with the record breaking temperatures of 38 degrees (that is Celcius for my American friends…over the 100 degree Fahrenheit mark, extremely hot and unusual for here). I’ve been wanting to do a shoot at the fair for a very long time, and was so excited when these two were game…it was definitely worth it I think! I should also mention that the carnies at the fair let us do pretty much anything. A beautiful girl with some smokin’ shoes…they were tripping over themselves to help us out!

You will also notice that I had fun playing with some vintagey colors for these photos. I thought these images were perfect for this look. However, like always, Ialso  always have the standard color and/or black and white options to choose from as well.

I have so many favorites I didn’t even know where to start, but with almost 200 (! crazy, I know. But these two were good!)  final images from their session, I had lots to choose from . Enjoy your sneak peek Heather and Dave, I’ll be in touch with the rest of your images in a few days.

* Notice at the bottom of the images that you can share this post with Facebook, Twitter and more. Let me know how you like this new feature!

The ferris wheel pics are my absolute favorites I think.

So thankful that the guy working the ride was able to get me in the right spot, and gave us lots of time to grab the shots I wanted.

I love that we were able to sneak in some nature shots at the end of the session…a perfect juxtaposition to the more urban style from the fair!

We always knew when Elsa picked her man, he would be a good one. Although, truth be told, he picked her first and then spent a few years convincing her that he was the one! But, his patience paid off, and some four (?) years after they met, here they are. Happily in love and planning their wedding for September. I can’t wait, I know it’s going to be a special day celebrating their love and faith!

One of my favorite parts about having the opportunity to photograph friends and family, is really getting an inside peek into them and their relationships. I feel so honored that they chose me to do their pictures, and I loved the time we got to spend together. Seeing my little sister so happy and content is awesome. She is one of those people that is just an absolute gem. Sweet, always thinking of others, generous with her time, as loyal as they come, an inspiring faith, and one of the nicest people that you’ll meet. I’m so glad that she found an equally wonderful guy to share the rest of her life with.

Thanks Elsa & Derek for a fun evening and for the yummy dinner too, can’t wait for your wedding in September. And a special thank you to Joni for coming along and watching Hudson!

I can’t share all my favorites, because some of them are being used in their wedding invites, but once they are all mailed off, I will share the invite here, I love how it’s turning out.

We started out in Fort Langley:

Love their expressions…both so totally them!

Some beautiful flare:

Isn’t she gorgeous?

Some grass whistlin’:

I think upside-down shots are one of my new favorite things:

They then switched into their western gear for some shots in the long grass…

Elsa works at Timberline Ranch, and that’s actually where they met, so it was fitting to capture them in their cowboy/cowgirl stuff!

The Pioneer Woman is always gushing about her hot cowboy…Elsa is lucky enough to have her very own to swoon over :

Two people wearing cowboy hats and kissing…it’s harder to do than one might think Check out that delish light!

Regular readers know that I always have to include a foot shot:

We then headed over to Derek’s property and where the newlyweds are going to live. And let’s not forget The Tractor!:

I love it when people contact me to book a session ‘just because’. Just because they want to capture where they are in their lives right now. Just because they want some fresh pictures on the wall. Just because they want to have some pictures taken for the heck of it! This is why Michelle contacted me, and I love these type of sessions. They were super laid back and up for just about anything…and most of my clients know I will ask for a lot! Michelle & James weren’t shy at all and didn’t say no to any of my crazy requests and it resulted in some amazing images.

So much fun to capture this little family just as they are right now. Michelle & James decided to bring along their adorable little dog Bailey, and she sure added some spice (and a few minor challenges, although, nothing a lot of treats couldn’t handle!) to the session.There’s nothing quite so fun for a photographer as finding new locations. As Michelle and James had just moved to Aldergrove, we decided to tromp around the town and we discovered some great spots. Thanks so much for a fun evening you two!

** Observant readers might notice some changes to the pictures being posted here. It’s all part of my ongoing re-branding process. Let me know what you think!

Just a little bit of spice

I’ve been dying to do a shot like this for ages, and every shoot I seem to forget (can you say pregnancy brain??). Thank goodness I didn’t forget this time around…one of my favorites from this session:

My clients and regular blog readers probably know I have a small addiction to feet shots. And with a cute little dog? So fun!

I have been eying this little bus stop for years and years. Perfect punch of color and some fab graffiti. Music is fun you know! ha!

Welcome to your new town!

Shortly before this session, Michelle and James went on a family trip to Europe, and hit up several countries including each of their ancestral homes: Croatia and Holland. Of course they had to bring home some souvenirs that showed their soccer rivalry.