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.

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!

Another quick sneak peek for Rachel and Grant of their handsome little guy Nolan. And another baby with the most perfect pouty little lips….Hollywood celebs pay good money for lips like that! Nolan and Eliana (below) were born just one day and I think their parents (who happen to be good friends) are already planning the wedding! So fun for them to be able to share in this special time together.

More pictures to come next week, enjoy the mini sneak peek…

A super quick sneak peek of this darling little girl. These three became a family through the amazing and beautiful gift of adoption, and I was honored to be asked by Melissa to photograph Eliana and her newly created family of three.  She has an adorable little rosebud mouth and the most beautiful skin I’ve seen on a newborn.

I will be sharing more images next week from Eliana’s session, but wanted to put a few favorites up to tide Melissa and Chris over for the weekend.

I love it when I am asked to photograph a family again, it’s always great to catch up and to see how ‘my babies’ have grown! I photographed Evan when he was just an teeny-tiny newborn, and he’s now two!

He’s a very typical two-year-old boy and wasn’t super interested in me or my camera (this is totally normal! I know lots of parents stress out about this during a session, but it’s totally OK and we still get lots of great shots).  He may not have been interested in my camera or bribes such as lollipops, but he was most certainly interested in his car, the swings and slides, and running! He gave us quite the work out, but it was definitely worth it. One of my goals with my photography is to capture personalities, especially with kids, as they are constantly changing and growing up on us! I love that we captured Evan and what he’s all about at age two (and just for fun: see how many pictures you can spot his car in!)

Isn’t he positively adorable? Those beautiful brown eyes of his just melt me. Thank you Sarb and Lucky for such a great session…I’ll be in touch soon with the rest of your images. Enjoy your sneak peek!

that pout…too cute!