Winter Family Session // Grey Highlands

I really love winter family sessions, getting parents and kids out into the snow and the cold… playing with sticks in the mud or ice, and warming up by the fire with some hot-chocolate. I may be romanticizing winter here, but as we’re knee deep in snow for six months per year, I feel I have no choice! Dave and I love to play outside with our kids in the winter (for a limited time), rolling in the snow, tobogganing, crushing up iced-over puddles and all that winter fun. But my favourite part is piling back into the house, removing all the extra layers of wool, coats and mittens, and piling onto the giant pillows in front of the wood stove. The kids help to throw some logs on the fire. And as our toes thaw out, we head into the kitchen to make steaming cups of cocoa.

Most Canadian families look forward to summer so much, and who can blame them? We get to skip on the 20min outdoor prep, and just send our kids out barefoot and naked. When we think of family photos, we think of summer vacations, green grass, lush trees and flowers in bloom. We think of the pink and golden hues of late summer evenings. But being as that half of our year in spent under a blanket of white, why not dive in and embrace that as well?

This winter was rather unpredictable and as I was heading up the road to this family session in the Beaver Valley, I was smiling at myself that the classic winter white images I had imagined were going to be replaced by classic mid-winter thaw. But the light was glorious as it came to rest upon this family home, a quaint renovated church nestled into the trees, with view to die for.

Kristie and Brendan are friends and fellow photographers who moved up from the city after finding this gem of a property. They photograph weddings most weekends but cozy up in their light filled home during the week, taking in the country air with their son and small flock of chickens. I’m tempted to name this blog post “Adorable Family” and you’ll see why below. Just adorable.

Want to book your own family session? 

Family sessions are 2-3 hours with prints and digital files a la carte. This is a relaxed family photography session, filled with activities that you normally do, like playing cards, baking, reading, making snowmen, foraging for berries, going on hikes. We’ll do it all. Let me come in document a fun morning or afternoon filled with laughter and possibly meltdowns. Its going to be beautiful. Contact me for more information.