Family | Rachel Ludwig Photography

Category Archives: Family

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Abbotsford Family Session | Kelly & Jason, Adysen and Presley

September 15, 2008 – 11:10 pm

Kelly and Jason along with their adorable two girls (and their dog, who somehow missed out on all the pictures!) came out from the North Shore for a photosession here in Abbotsford. Such a wonderful family…and a good looking one to boot! Kelly tried to tell me she wasn’t photogenic, but I have to say that I totally disagree.

One of my favorite parts about my job is being able to meet and connect with people. And this family was no exception. I love it when I discover things that we have in common (ie that we like a lot of the same books) or that our daughters are super close in age, and happen to have the same boots, or that they too have dealt with speech therapy. The list could go on, but I’m always a little sad to say good-bye at the end of a session!

A few favorites:

Four year old Adysen, just so cute and sweet, and totally into pictures!

Both of these girls have the most amazing eyes:

I couldn’t resist posting this. A little blurry, but just such a capture of a two year old (who happens to be just two days older than my daughter…and I found so many similarities between the two of them, especially their hair!)

Big baby blues…so adorable.

Some rabbit ears fashioned from grass…I’m all about incorporating play into the session so they don’t get bored with the pictures…and it usually results in some of my favorite images! Notice them giggling? I never quite want to know what the parents are doing behind my back to get the kids’ attention, but I’m glad when it works!

I think this has to be one of my favorites from the shoot. Love how it captures their ages and personalities so well.

I love love love it when I say…”you wanna?” and they start running for the ice-cream truck. It didn’t matter that none of us had money to actually BUY anything (and if this had been my kids, full meltdown would’ve ensued once they realized no icecream would be forthcoming! But the girls thought it was fun, fortunately), and I think the driver got a bit of a kick out of the fact that we were taking pictures of his truck.

A big thanks to my friends Julie & Dion from RossDown Farms who happen to live just up the road from us, and have these fabulous old barns that they let me use for this session. I felt so bad for Presley who has a super super sensitive nose (like me!) and was having a tough time with the chicken smell.

The girls thought it was pretty funny that mommy and daddy were kissing. I can’t help but giggle when I see this picture:

Some more lovin’ (told ya Kelly is photogenic…don’t they both look amazing here?)

And then I happened to look over and saw this. hahaha! I could barely stop laughing to grab this shot. Monkey see, monkey do, right?

By Rachel | Tagged Abbotsford family photography | Comments (5)

Patti, Keith and Max

August 22, 2008 – 4:09 pm

It was such a treat to do this session with Patti, Keith and Max. Patti and I had been corresponding for months via email while we tried to nail down a date that worked for all of our busy schedules. We finally were able to squeeze in their session just a few days before they moved from North Vancouver to Kelowna…fortunately we had perfect weather with beautiful evening light and we had a lot of fun at some great locations.

These three were such a fabulous family, I truly enjoyed seeing how they interact together. The love just radiates between the three of them and made me feel all warm and gushy inside just to see it. Max is positively adorable at almost five and so much fun, and I think that Keith and Patti are officially some of the nicest people I’ve met.

Here are a few of my favorites from their session:

Some “eskimo kisses” with mom:

This is cropped at 10×20…I love this size!

I always call eyes like this melted chocolate..aren’t they gorgeous? Makes me a teensy weensy bit sad I’ll probably never have a brown eyed baby, but so glad I get to see them up close like this. Love the bit of spunky personality that comes through in this shot

These three were just so much fun, Patti and I were cracking up at the silly boys eating grass!

These two are just so sweet together! (and ps, isn’t Patti’s skirt amazing??)

Max starting doing some shadow dances…and it didn’t take much for mom and dad to join in

He looks pretty sweet and innocent here, doesn’t he? Give him a few minutes…

…and before you know it you get some fun and silliness too:

Trying out the wink, it’s tough you know, although I think Max has it pretty much mastered:

And one more, because this one cracks me up too!:

Patti…I’ll be in touch soon with your slideshow and proofing gallery. I hope your move went smoothly and that you’re settling into your new home in Kelowna

Leanne, Silas & Olivia

April 18, 2008 – 10:16 am

This family happens to be great friends of ours, and I was so sad to hear that they were going to be moving to Calgary! Leanne asked if I could get some pictures of Silas and Olivia before they left, and of course we had to include her in some too. Cory, the husband and dad, had already gone to Calgary at this point for his new job, so unfortunately he wasn’t able to join us. But considering that Silas looks so much like it, it was almost like he was there, just a mini version!

Some of you might remember Olivia from a post on my personal blog a few years ago. This little girl has come such a long way since she was born…it’s so neat to see her talking and laughing and being so darn cute!

Anyways, here’s a mini sneak peek of a few of my favorites from their session:

Olivia wasn’t too interested in pics, but we did manage to get this shot, and I love it! Her two little teeth popping out are so darn cute! And her curls…so so adorable.

And then comes Silas…this boy is a bundle of fun and energy! I think he might have been telling me about the big fish dad caught. haha

I love that Olivia is stuffing Smarties into her mouth as fast as she can here

The puddles were a ton of fun!

Olivia wasn’t quite as sure about the puddles…but check out the cute boots and jacket!

And one more of Leanne and Olivia…not technically perfect, but I love it anyways!

By Rachel Ludwig | Comments (4)

The VanVeens

December 1, 2007 – 5:48 pm

I was so excited when Adria contacted me for some updated family
pictures. It’s always neat to see how the little ones grow and to catch
up again with the parents too. Now Addisen is bigger, but still so adorable…she’s almost walking, starting to talk and madly in love
with her little stuffed puppy!

Chris and Adria barely hesitated when I suggested this location..and
thank goodness, because I love how the pictures turned out. As a matter
of fact, there was a graffiti artist at work (who mysteriously
disappeared when a train came through!) who only gave us a few odd
looks before continuing with his artwork. Thanks Chris & Adria, I
had so much fun!

This was Addisen last year:

And this was her last weekend. She’s so cute, I just want to eat her up!:

Check out those perfectly adorable little lips, and the big blue eyes!

When they look back on these pictures in the coming years, they won’t need to figure out what the year was

I think this is one of my faves:

And of course I had to sneak in a few of Chris and Adria

And one last family one, just for good measure

By Rachel Ludwig | Comments (2)

The Lemkes

November 28, 2007 – 8:27 pm

This session is from a family that happens to be some of my very favorite super-heroes. Mrs. Allana (as my son Ethan called her) played an incredible role in our lives. When he was just a wee babe (7-months old) he went to their home four half-days per week for babysitting. They not only opened their home, but also their hearts to him, and he became an honorary family member for the next 3 1/2 years. They have made the most amazing and lasting impact on him, and all of us. He loved going there, and not once did I have to worry or feel guilty for working. There simply aren’t words that can sum up my gratitude for everything they have done for us.

This family is one of such strong faith and integrity. I’ve been so inspired and humbled by them and everything they have done not only for us and our family, but for their friends/family/church/community. They are truly one-of-a-kind (or should that be five-of-a-kind??).

This turned into a mini-session as it was sooooo cold outside that day, but we still managed to get some great shots in between the kids running around to keep warm! I just loved the pink that the girls were wearing and the pop of color it added.

We got some great shots of the kids, this one was one of my favorites:

This one takes the cake I think…I can’t help but crack up when I see this one!!

Jakob is the oldest, and man does this kid have a good head on his shoulders. He’s such a good big brother:

I can’t get over how grown up Elias is getting…I think he’s going to be tall just like his Dad. He was such a ham on this shoot, it was so fun!

I just love this picture of Natalia….she is such a girlie girl and so full of spunk. Her and Ethan used to play dollies for hours on end while her big brothers were being homeschooled (But sshhhh! Don’t tell Ethan I told you. )

And Miss Noel…the baby of the family. She was pretty cold by the time we took her individual pictures, but we still managed to get a cute shot of her. She is positively adorable!

Not only are they amazing people, but they make a great looking couple too!

By Rachel Ludwig | Comments (1)

The Veldman Family

November 22, 2007 – 11:49 pm

Every once in a while, my five-year-old son Ethan asks me if super-heroes are real. And I always tell him that I believe there are lots of everyday super-heroes. The first few times I told him this, he looked at me funny and asked a lot of questions. Now he responds my naming some of my favorite everyday super-heroes. And Sarah is definitely one of them. I met her way back in highschool, and we’ve been friends ever since. It’s been pretty cool to see her blossom over the last ten years as a mama…and as mama to five! (see, told ya she was a super-hero!). And Mark, well he’s a pretty good guy too. And, he doesn’t complain too much about the long distance bills for Sarah and I’s regular cross-border telephone conversations.

I love PhotoSessions like this because it really gives me the chance to get to know the kids a bit better when I can take some pictures of them one-on-one. I tell you, these two older girls are going to make good mamas one day too. Blake, (who is the same age as Ethan - 5) was a total ham. And the two ‘babies’ of the family (who are 14 months apart…I did mention Sarah’s a super-hero, right??) Zander and Ava kept us all on our toes…but aren’t they adorable?!

I hope you guys had a wonderful Thanksgiving! I’ll be sending you a link to your slideshow in the next few days.

This was a fun one…it was pretty cold out, and this was the perfect way to warm up!

I still can’t believe she is 10! Crazy how time flies.

Because all five year olds like to jump, right?

This little guy was not so into taking pictures this time around….but I still think he’s pretty darn cute

And Little Miss Ava…check out those big blue eyes (and the mischevious sparkle!).

And two of my faves of Mark & Sarah that I just couldn’t resist. I always love the mom & dad pics!

By Rachel Ludwig | Comments (2)

Bart & Colleen and family

October 16, 2007 – 12:45 am

We went to Calgary to visit my husband’s brother, sister-in-law and their family for Canadian Thanksgiving this year, like we’ve done the previous two years. My sister-in-law happens to be an amazing chef, which is a great motivation for us to make the trek each year (and that is in addition to really enjoying their company!). Once again, we enjoyed several incredible meals and a wonderful time together. Thanks guys…you’re the best!

Each time we’ve been in Calgary I’ve been really wanting to do a photoshoot in the beautiful golden grass they have there at this time of year. So glad I finally got my chance and we got lucky with some unseasonably nice warm weather and (as the Calgarians claim, always) beautiful blue skies. I was so excited when I saw this location…the aforementioned golden grass, some haybales, and some perfectly graffited old silos. I knew it would be perfect for our PhotoSession!

For those of you who know Bart & Colleen, you might notice the addition to their family. Archie is their rambunctious, energetic, trouble-making, but oh-so-adorable Brittany Spaniel puppy. I tell ya, I thought my toddler kept me running…but I think this dog beats her hands down! But who can resist those sweet puppy eyes?

PS If you’re in the Calgary area and interested in a PhotoSession if/when we’re out their next, please send me an email and I’ll add you to my list!

My very last shot of the session…and as I like to call it, the Money Shot.

They kindly obliged me with an American Gothic pose for my collection!

This one totally melts me.

I love how this one pretty much sums up the girls’ personalities just about perfectly!

Look how handsome he is!

The graffiti R was perfect for Riley.

As was the D for Devon.

Unfortunately, the words GRAD 08 don’t happen to have L’s for Logan and Leah, but we made do.

And two more of the BFF’s

By Rachel Ludwig | Comments (9)

The Leyenhorsts

September 17, 2007 – 4:28 pm

This family is close friends of ours. As a matter of fact, I’ve probably known Jacoba the longest out of all of my friends, as our friendship dates back to our preschool years and many Saturdays of family swimming at the Canada Games pool when we were kids. I went to elementary school with Jacoba and Tim & I went to highschool with both Kevin & Jacoba. We got married one year minus one day apart and our oldest boys are only a few months apart and the best of buds. How cool is that?

So needless to say, I was honored when they asked me to take their family pictures. Here are a few favorites from their session in Fort Langley.

This one is one of my faves. Gotta love that after 8 years of marriage and three kiddos there’s still lots of laughter

A local toy store gave the boys these worms…and they were having fun making mustaches from them. Too funny!

And we can’t forget this cute little guy…who I think was quite convinced if he flapped his arms enough he might actually fly (easier than crawling, don’t you think?)

and the last one, one of my favorite family portraits taken on one of the old trains.