... to when I photographed my girl's 6 month photos far away from Saskatoon... on the beach in Maui. That face melts my heart!
Saskatoon riverbank engagement session
I LOVE engagement sessions. This one is no exception! Can't wait for their wedding in June, which was my most inquired date this year.
We are on Social Media!!!
Hey! We are trying to be more active on social media! Our favorite has always been Facebook. Please check out our page, but we are getting busier on Instagram and more recently twitter! Our Pinterest account is a little more personal, but we have made some killer recipes from there recently.
Follow us here:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/memoriesbymandyyxe
Twitter: https://twitter.com/memoriesmandy
Instagram: https://instagram.com/memoriesbymandysaskatoon/
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/memoriesbmandy/
And I leave you with an image of my little boy about a year ago....
Throwing it back Thursday
I can't believe I forgot to post this session! This little cutie pie is a year old next month! I first met this couple about 6 or 7 years ago when I shot their wedding. Since we both had our girls, we became closer friends and now hang out all the time. I love it when clients turn into life long friends. It has been so awesome seeing their family grow.
Long weekends...
I hope you all had a great long weekend! This image says exactly how I feel about mine...
Tidbit Tuesday - A little bit about Mandy!
While doing my own search for a photographer for my annual family photos, I realize that so many photographers put very little on their websites about themselves. I find this so odd, because in my opinion, the person behind the camera is just as important, if not more important than their portfolio... so I decided to write a little something about me over the next little while. Every second Tuesday, I will write a little tidbit, naming the blog posts, tidbit Tuesday. So, my first tidbit... geeze, where do I start?! Let's keep the first one light...
Something you may or may not know about me is that I know 3 languages. Well when I say I know, I use that term very loosely, lol. English is obviously my first language, my second being French. I was in French immersion throughout my entire education, so I think if I went to Montreal I would be able to pick it up quite quickly, as I am super rusty. And the last language I picked up while living in Mexico: Spanish. I lived there for a year teaching English and decided that I had to learn some while living there, so basically I know the basics. I know how to tell a cab driver where to go, how to order off a menu, how to tell someone off, you know, all the basics that you would need to learn being a blond 19 year old female living in a Mexican town where we are the only white people. So when I say I know 3 languages, I can't speak them fluently, but I can totally get by, as long as you speak really slow! LOL. Well being a photography blog, I suppose I should include a photo! I photographed these beauties a few years back. Want to know something about me? Just ask in the comments! I'm an open book!
Thoughtful Mother's Day ideas
With mothers day right around the corner, I thought it would be fun to think of some thoughtful ways to spoil your mom, while spending next to no money. While Spa days and other expensive gifts are fun to receive, sometimes the most meaningful gifts of all are those where you don't need to spend a dime. On Mother's Day, we like to be spoiled. Even if your mom says she doesn't, she does. So, here is my thoughts on a day dedicated solely to mom, while spending little to no moula.
-Make her breakfast in bed! Even if you only know how to make toast. Bonus points for bacon and eggs or waffles with whip cream and fresh fruit! Don't forget the coffee!
-Pick her some flowers. Tulips are typically growing this time of year, so if you have some of these beauties growing in your yard, cut off a few stems and give them to mom! Just don't cut your neighbors flowers, as their mom probably won't like that too much.
-Make her a gift with things you have around the house. An all time favorite around here is anything to do with foot prints or hand prints and paint. When you are a little bigger, this idea may not be as cute. However putting time and effort into a gift is always appreciated. Even a homemade card goes a long way!
-Go for a nice long walk by the river or in a nearby park. Bonus points if you pack a picnic with her favorite sandwich and fruit.
-Draw her a nice warm bath, add bubbles, or salts to make it luxurious and leave her alone in there for at least a half an hour with a magazine or favorite book you have on hand (or borrow one from the library). Include some wine or tea to make it extra special.
-Make her her favorite meal for supper! And clean up the kitchen afterwards. Honestly this sounds boring, but just cooking and cleaning for your mom shows how much you care.
-You don't need to go out and buy fancy chocolates or treats, instead make some! If she loves chocolate, bake her a cake, or some chocolate chip cookies. Might be fun to bake these while she is in the bath and when she comes out, surprise her with some fresh from the oven baking.
-Give her an at home pedi/mani. Most mom's already have the polish! Give her a nice hand and foot massage, using lotion, and paint her finger nails and toes.
Lastly, make her feel special, and tell her how much you care. Even if that means spending a couple of hours with her, while keeping your phone in your pocket. And don't forget to tell her how much you love her! Afterall she did shape you into the awesome person you are today. The least you can do is thank her for it! So, if you are looking for something thoughtful to do or give your mother this Mother's Day, I hope this gives you some great ideas!!! Good luck! And Happy Mother's Day to all of you beautiful mama's out there!
Grad Season
Grad season is right around the corner and we only have a couple more availabilities! Here are a few images from past grad sessions.... I can't wait to photograph this years grads!
Anniversary Mini Sessions
Can you believe we have had our on location photography studio for 8 years coming up this May? Time flies! I am so excited to have come this far. Being a photographer in Saskatoon definitely has its ups and downs, but to all of my clients who have supported me over the years, you have made this journey worth traveling.
With an anniversary right around the corner, comes something really exciting! A charity event! As some of you already know we moved to Lakeview here in Saskatoon less than a year ago and love this welcoming community. We discovered that Lakeview school is in desperate need of a larger playground with the student population expanding. This year, we decided to do something to help out the folks over at the Lakeview Playground enhancement committee: MINI SESSIONS! We are offering the rare opportunity to partake in mini sessions with Memories by Mandy photography with 100% of the session fee going straight to the Lakeview Playground enhancement. We are so excited to give back to the community that has been so welcoming to us since we moved to the area.
Here are the details! Please email us to book your session: memoriesbymandy@shaw.ca.
The most emotional session of my life...
This weekend, I had the opportunity to photograph one of the most emotional sessions of my life. On Good Friday, I ventured to the hospital to photograph a beautiful mother, who has been battling cancer ever since the birth of her baby boy, 6 short months ago. She found out the bad news when they opened her up for a Cesarian during the birth of her baby boy and has been battling this awful disease ever since. She was recently given only a few weeks to live. I was asked to give this family, particularly the baby boy, some images of him with his mother, so he can have these memories to remember his mother by. I can't begin to describe how lucky I feel to be able to give this child this gift.
While I have always felt that photography was so important to preserve memories for any family, I feel like this session was the most meaningful session I have done to date. While the session itself was not the most ideal situation. Shooting in a hospital, having your subjects stricken with grief, mom, extremely weak, and in incredible amounts of pain. The images I got are not award winning, but they will mean more to this family than you or I could ever know.
I feel like this family has opened up my eyes to what I have around me. I always say I'm thankful for being in good health, but until you see someone in unbearable pain, you have no idea how lucky you are. Until you see a husband clinging to his wife with more hurt in his eyes than you or I have ever experienced, you have no idea how lucky you are. I often stress about small things in life, like making sure my kids are at their activities on time. Having a good work/home life balance. Having to meet deadlines, be at appointments, having a clean house. And the list goes on. After my session on Friday, I realize these things are not what is important. Don't stress over how high your kids can count before they turn 3, or keeping up with having a healthy supper on the table at 6:00 every night, or making sure the house is spotless every Sunday. Enjoy every single moment you have with the people you love. Spend the extra time tickling your kids to hear them laugh. Kiss your husband and squeeze him tight instead of nagging him to take out the trash. Call up a friend you haven't heard from in a while because life gets busy. Go and visit your sister who lives in another province. Let go of all the little stresses in your life and enjoy all of those little moments, which are actually the big moments.
I didn't ask the family if I can share their images, and likely won't, but I felt like I needed to share their story. I am so thankful of this family and having them allow me to give this baby boy a gift, a memory of his mother that he can take with him wherever life takes him. They have touched my heart in more ways than they will ever know. I will never forget them.