Ella's Tangled 3rd Birthday

How in the heck do I have a three year old?! I can’t believe it. She is a wild, stubborn, kind, wonderful, frustrating little girl. One minute she’s my little baby and the next she’s asking me if she can go to school yet. The adjustment from 1 child to 2 has been hard, some weeks it feels as easy as can be and other weeks, like this week, I’m wondering how I’m going to survive it.

I really enjoy pulling a party together - as stressful as it can be. Last year I swore I wouldn’t make it a big to do but here I was again, stressed up to my eyeballs because while I did have a theme idea - I had no clue how to execute it. And this mama likes to be balling on a budget so that was something to consider as well.

Enter Marta’s Tower! I knew I wanted a Tangled themed party for Ella this year. And Marta is the perfect Rapunzel! I rented all the decor from her & she helped me with the set design. She was ready to be as involved as I needed which is my favourite thing, because I still wanted to do some of it myself. The joy on Ella’s face made it all 1000% worth it, it was the best day ever! Thank you to everyone for celebrating with us and wishing Ella a happy birthday! Now to do it all over again for Leo’s 1st birthday in February. 😲

The Why Behind Wild Fire Boudoir

Absolutely without a doubt, the reason I shoot boudoir is for you. I want you to see your pictures and go DAAAAAAAMN. I want you to love them when you’re 90, I want you to print them in a book for yourself and I want you to post them on a dang billboard if you are so inclined. Current boudoir dates are now live, more info found here!

https://www.facebook.com/events/531189037705114/

When I first started photography, boudoir definitely wasn’t what I thought I’d be doing. In fact, the first time a client changed in front of me I turned 50 shades of pink. But here I am 5 years later saying hell ya, take your clothes off but also hell ya, keep em on. Do whatever you want, whatever it is that makes you feel sexy, alluring, strong, confident and yourself. Wear makeup or don’t (more on that later!), have one outfit change or 10 but really commit to being present for that hour. It’s definitely scary, you’ll definitely be nervous but it’s 1000% worth it. I’ve talked enough - here are what some of my clients have to say!

“Boudoir shoots have given me so much confidence that I never knew I had. You start with feeling butterflies in your stomach but end it feeling sexy and like you can conquer anything. It helps to have an amazing photographer that makes it so much fun. She just makes you feel comfortable in whatever way possible. I’ve done two shoots now and already wanna do more!”

— @luv_me_red

72 Likes, 4 Comments - Emily-May Photography (@emilymayphotographer) on Instagram: "I just wanna tell you a little story about this lil lady right here. She came in, shaking, but..."

“I just wanna tell you a little story about this lil lady right here.
She came in, shaking, but determined. I said alright deep breath, it’s time for you to see what I see.
This is not a photo of a girl. This is a photo of a woman taking control of her body. This is the revolution.
She looked into the mirror and she saw herself and everything she is. (About Alicia’s 1st shoot)”

— @emilymayphotographer

“When I first decided to go for a photo shoot, I was the most scared I have been in my life, I hated the way I looked and didn’t feel comfortable in my own skin but Emily made me laugh and encouraged me to do what was comfortable at the time! After the shoot when I saw those photos I fell in love with the person I saw, I wanted to be more confident with who I was and I had so much fun doing the photo shoot! So I did and second shoot with Emily and felt crazy comfortable!! If you see me today, you would not think that a couple years ago I was shaking in her studio, I owe my confidence to her! Emily is amazing!!”

— @alicia.shorty101

134 Likes, 12 Comments - Emily-May Photography (@emilymayphotographer) on Instagram: "Im blessed with bomb clients. 🖤 @kylahall #pop #pop #pop (The sound of our bodies cracking as we..."

“Emily always makes you feel like the goddess you should see yourself as! I was instantly comfortable with her and she was able to help move me around to capture my best angles and features! She is a dream to work with and everyone deserves to feel as beautiful as she makes you feel.”

— @kylahall

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“Your body is the piece of the universe you’ve been given, the place where love and joy and grief happen, where happiness unfolds. Do you really want to keep believing that it’s a horrible, ugly, lumpy thing? Do you really want to keep punishing yourself like that? ―Geneen Roth

On the heels of my illustrated 4th trimester bodies artwork collection last year I decided I wanted an experience like that for myself especially after turning 30 last December it seemed like a good time to look inward.

I’ll be honest my self esteem has taken a nose dive since becoming a mom, and like many I think I’ve gotten lost adrift in a sea of putting everyone’s needs before my own. Forgetting that before I was their mom I was someone. It was easier to just shrug it off and let shit go, and be really negative to myself and my body in a way I’d never talk to a friend if they came to me with the same worries & self doubts.

This experience of being vulnerable in front of the camera and ... ‘trying’ to be accepting of my own body has been very positive. I wanted to share what I sent Emily the day of the shoot:

“Now that I’ve had an hour to think about the experience I wanted to say thanks. Regardless of how the photos look, just the process made me feel really confident, and you are really great at guidance & encouragement. It was a really positive experience I would wish for anyone to get the chance to do. You should be proud of yourself, you have wonderful ‘bedside manner’ and really made me feel beautiful which I haven’t for a long time.” Which pretty much sums up my feelings.

When the makeup artist asked me who I was gifting the photos to, it felt nice to say myself. I was doing it for me, to reclaim some of the me that I’ve left neglected for a long time. There’s power in that and I’m glad I chose prioritized myself.

I wasn’t ever sure if I was going to share because... ya know... low self esteem and all that. (ive seen more skin at the beach so i think these photos are alright haha) But I truly think if it inspires someone else feeling blah’ about their mom bod to go for it, take the leap and do something like this for yourself it’s worth sharing. You don’t have to be magazine worthy to be worthy.” - @carryinglittlebee

“Oh my goodness I don’t even know where to start! I have never felt more comfortable in my skin than during the shoot! Nor have I loved my body more than when I looked at the photos. I couldn’t believe it was me! I felt beautiful and sexy and confident! Emily was so much fun to work with and she made me feel comfortable throughout the entire shoot. It was a super amazing experience and all the photos turned out beautifully! I definitely plan on having more shoots with her in the future!”

— @larissajames13

Day In The Life - Downtown Kamloops

A few of my fave stops in Downtown Kamloops with my family! When I first moved to Kamloops I lived downtown for two years and have so many wonderful memories from that time. I think that’s why it has such a special place in my heart - I’m in the business of making memories, after all! When Downtown Kamloops asked me to do a little story takeover my first thought was YES THAT SOUNDS SO FUN but also, uhhh are you sure you have the right person for the job?

But it was a super fun day! The kids cooperated, I got to check out some old spots (and a new one!) AND it only snowed a little bit.

Stop # 1 - Cocoa Dot Cakes https://www.cocoadotcakes.com/

I stop in at Cocoa Dot Cakes EVERY SINGLE TIME I am downtown. Finished a shoot at Peterson Creek? Better get a cupcake for the road. My fave - always and forever the red velvet cupcake. It’s legendary. There’s an awesome spot to sit and eat, it’s clean & bright and the staff haven’t grown tired of me yet. Yet.

Stop # 2 - The Modern Family Boutique (Formerly Lizzie Bits) https://www.modernfamilyboutique.com/

Another guilty pleasure store for sure! But I was actually on a mission because I needed to get Leo his first pair of Nooks! It’s a literal haven for parents in there - nobody looks at you funny when your kid is having a meltdown, which definitely happened that day. A mix of hand picked amazing brands, local products and courteous service. Seriously I’ve never walked in there without being greeted and looked after (and I’ve also never walked out empty handed.)

Stop # 3 - Kamloops Museum and Archives https://www.kamloops.ca/parks-recreation/kamloops-museum-and-archives

A new stop! A few folks had told me about the kids zone in the Kamloops Museum but I had never been. It was SO COOL! I think the kids could have played their longer but we were getting hungry. Definitely a must see and somewhere I will be visiting more often. Admission is by donation so make sure to check it out when you can.

Stop # 4- Hoja Mongolian Grill https://hojamongoliangrill.com/

We used to go to Hoja so much that they knew us when we walked in the door. Now that we have two kids date nights are few and far between but we occasionally make it out of the house. We were so hungry I didn’t manage to snag a photo of my food this go, but luckily I get pretty well the same thing every time. (Because it’s the best!)

We were going to go to Riverside Park after lunch but it started snowing (IN OCTOBER!) so we packed it in. Thanks for following along! What are some of your favourite stops Downtown? Let me know! There truly is something for everyone.

The Tapped Truck Collaboration

As much as I absolutely love taking photos, sometimes we as photographers can fall into a creative rut. Which is why I try every 3 or 4 months to be involved in a creative shoot that pushes my skill set forward and stretches the ol’ clickin fingers. I approach every shoot collaboratively - it is absolutely true that what you put into our shoot together is what you are going to get back.

I love creating with Ginger (https://www.instagram.com/gingerturleymakeup/) SO much, we’ve only known each other a year and have created and designed a handful of shoots together & shared clients to create a heck of a lot of art. I only recently met Summer (https://www.instagram.com/summertoews/) at a Mama’s night out where I was SUPER nervous to even be at the table. (Sorry ladies, it was my first evening in a long time without kids and I wasn’t sure what to do - except drink!) Summer radiates joy, confidence and just FUN and that’s the type of person you want to keep around. We knew we wanted to create something a little different with Summer & Dan (https://www.instagram.com/dantoews/) and were on the hunt for the perfect truck - enter The Tapped Truck (https://www.instagram.com/thetappedtruck/). Everything was falling together beautifully and I’ll be honest, Ginger did 90% of the organizing. She’s the best!!

I was also super lucky to meet the two folks behind Summer and Dan’s hair Amy & Brett (https://www.instagram.com/theblondesbrunette/ & https://www.instagram.com/kings.chair/) They came to the shoot location with us and Brett was the idea man behind the shot of Summer blowing the foam of the beer. Genius!! You could tell everyone was just as invested in this shoot as Ginger & I and the vibe was a healthy balance between LET’S WORK and let’s also all enjoy our time together. Check out the video & photos we created as a team to celebrate these two!