.png)
Be sure to scroll down to the bottom for a slideshow of all our favourite images!
A camping trip is not necessarily the best place to bring your big-girl camera to take photos that tell stories. There are the obvious logistical issues … plenty of opportunity for expensive gear to be damaged with all that dust, water, rocks, and uneven ground around. Not to mention a clumsy photographer 😉
Add the 7 days without showers and makeup, backgrounds cluttered with camping gear and kids wishing for a break from a mommy with a camera, and most people will be tempted to let the camera have a vacation too … at home!
But our annual camping trip to the Okanagan is such an important part of our family’s makeup and traditions, that I knew I wanted more than the snapshots my iPhone could provide. We camped at Haynes Point (now called sẁiẁs) in Osoyoos for the first time when my daughter was just 2 years old. Our memories made in that place started with potty training her in the forgiving living room of Mother Nature. That year, the potty outside the tent showed up in almost every photo.
Through the years our photos have recorded the faces of campground friends whose names we’ve long forgotten, bicycles gain and lose their training wheels, and more inflatables than I care to remember. But I also see friendships deepen, kids becoming independent, milestones reached. So I took all my camera gear again this year. And I set out to tell the story of us.
I wanted to take photos that tell stories about the magical places kids can dig and sculpt out of sand and stones, without any regard for how wet or dirty they will get.
I wanted to take photos that tell stories about the warm lake water and how it keeps kids splashing and jumping and swimming and floating for hours and hours.
I wanted to take photos that tell stories about the peace and calm in your soul when you truly have nothing to do but relax and connect with those around you.
I wanted to take photos that tell stories about campfires, how the flames dance across s’more streaked lips as they tell another scary story.
I wanted to take photos that tell stories about disconnecting from our technology-filled lives, but still leaving room for a call or two to loved ones far away.
I wanted to take photos that tell stories about being without the comforts of home, and how adaptable we are as humans to different circumstances.
I wanted to take photos that tell stories about the beauty of Creation, and the end of every perfect day.
Can I take photos that tell stories of your family? Indoors or out, let’s capture what makes your family special.
Rochelle specializes in family portrait and documentary photography, including newborns and kids, in Vancouver, British Columbia. If you are interested in a family, newborn, or milestone session, please contact her for more information.
