Tracey McKeen Photography

Spring is just around the corner and I am sure many of you have been planning for those upcoming family sessions. The most frequently asked question is "What do we wear for our photos?" This is such a great question. The days of everyone wearing white shirts or black shirts for photos are long gone. Follow our top 5 tips for the perfect outfits for your family photos. 1. You want to make sure that all of the outfits flow together without having all of the family members weari...ng the same thing. When all of the outfits coordinate, you get cohesiveness in your images. 2. Look around your home at your current decorations. You might be thinking, "What does this have to do with photos?" It has so much to do with your outfit choices. These are the photos that you will use to hang up in your home. So you want to make sure that the coloured outfits in your photos match your decor. For example, is your home bright and colorful, rustic, neutral, etc. You wouldn't want to put up bright photos if your decor is neutral. 3. Layers are your best friend. Adding ties, scarves, jackets, necklace, fedora, etc. can add so much personality to your photos as well as some extra props to play with. Your little one may want to try on Dad's fedora or play with Moms necklace. Perfect photo opportunities! 4. Make sure to limit your pattern choices. If you want to include some patterns, try to aim for one person to wear it. Start your planning with this outfit and build around it. Try not to choose patterns that are overly busy and distract from the other family members. No camo ever! I love wearing camo but not for photos. Picture this, heading to the park where there is lots of natural foliage and your family blends into the background. It is impossible to avoid floating heads in the photo 5. Avoid clothing with characters or logos on them. I know your little one might want to wear their favourite Paw Patrol shirt or your husband has the most amazing monster truck shirt but like patterns, it will distract from the other family members and make the photo appear busy.

When the back of your camera looks like this before editing, you know you got the winning shot right in camera. This is my first outdoor family session of 2021! We took advantage of the beautiful weather and ventured out to some of my spots near Waipairous. I hope to host some more sessions out this way over the coming months. If your family has been wanting those breath taking mountain photos but do not want to go to the "tourist spots", let me show you my hidden gems in th...e back country. I can guarantee your family will have a blast while out there. PS. Look at that beautiful chinook shelf cloud rolling in just over the mountains :) So excited for a few days of plus temperatures

It has been a little quiet on our page for the last few weeks as I have taken the time to refocus, recharge and refresh for the upcoming wedding season. With so many weddings postponed from last year, this season is starting to fill up. Current restrictions are still limiting large gatherings, so I have found most couples have decided to go with an elopement or small ceremony instead of postponing their wedding again. These unions have become some of the most romantic and int...imate wedding ceremonies I have been blessed to photograph. Since the wedding industry seems to be taking a different turn, I plan to pivot with times and launch a new collection of elopement packages for the 2021 wedding season. These new elopement collections will have a little bit of everything that will fit what most couples are looking for during these times. If you have been sitting on the fence about what to do for your upcoming wedding, it is important to understand that restrictions for large gatherings may not let up any time soon and the future of the wedding industry at this point, is just so unknown. This is so upsetting to so many couples that have been planning their wedding day for so long. My advice would be to go ahead and marry your partner. Don't wait just because you feel that you have to please others or the need to have a huge celebration right now. Vow your love to each other with an intimate ceremony and celebrate with your loved ones at a later date. Let your vow day be something special for just the two of you.

What kind of Christmas traditions did you start this year? Or did you do some of the same ones from previous years? I decided to try oil fondue for the first time. I have to say it was a huge success and far less stressful than preparing a turkey with all of the fixings. I think I may keep this new tradition going over some of the holidays on 2021.

What a fun composite this was to make for the Smith Family! I may have to offer these next year What do you think?