A New Blog.

This is a little bit sad; but, this will be my last post on this blog. I recently updated to a new blog and so I am saying goodbye to this one that has served me so well over the last few years.

To view my latest work and get in touch please pop over to www.karijeanne.com. Thank you so much for your support!

Engaged: John & Raelyn

She sank into his arms - it was obvious she felt safe in them. He whispered in her ear and brought a smile to her lips - it was obvious he'd do anything to make her happy. The love between these two - it was obvious.

It was such a joy to spend the afternoon with this beautiful couple.

On Self Doubt.

I absolutely love when I receive compliments for photos I've taken. Love it. Warms my little heart when someone takes the time to tell me that they really liked a shoot I did or better yet when the people I've taken photos of tell me that they love their photos. It truly is the best feeling in the world.

But then....

A little while later - self doubt kicks in. And I get this sinking feeling....and a voice in my head asks...what if I can't do better than those photos? What if that is the very best I can do? What if someone hires me expecting great photos and I can't deliver? What if I can't come up with new poses? Or locations? I lucked out and it was a fluke I got those great images - I probably won't be able to do it again.

Sometimes that self doubt can be paralyzing.

But then...

It pushes me. To do better and be better. For my next shoot to be even better than the last. To put time into coming up with new poses or locations. To understand my camera more. To research and learn as much as I can about photography so I can be better. To push myself more than I thought possible - closer to the photographer I want to be. Learn from my mistakes and become better because of them.

And, maybe, its a good thing I have that little voice of self doubt. So that I don't become complacent and be fine with the same level of images - with not pushing myself to improve and strive for more. So that I don't settle. To provide images I'm proud of but do even better the next shoot.

It's a bit of a balancing act.... to not drown in my self doubt and become lost and hopeless but to use it as motivation to carry me forward.

And when I am drowning - I cling to my life raft and he helps pull me through. 

Photo from our shoot with Melissa Jill.

Nanaimo, BC

Last week I had the amazing opportunity to take a trip out to Nanaimo, BC with my mom to watch my brothers hockey team play in the Western Canada Cup. After a very dreary, snow covered, non spring like April I was more than willing to hop on a plane and get away to greener pastures. The island didn't disappoint. We watched a lot of hockey but thankfully we had a lot of down time to go and explore. I love the west coast - the trees, the ocean, the character, the charm. Everything. This trip did nothing but expand my love more.

We had a little bit slower pace of life for the week we were there and it helped us to really take in and enjoy our surroundings. So thankful for this trip.

I took out my SLR for our day trip to Cathedral Grove but for the rest of the time I documented our trip with my iPhone. Some highlights....













I may have gone a little instagram crazy....

Cathedral Grove

This week my mom & I are in Nanaimo, BC to cheer on my brother at the Western Canada Cup. The games are fairly spread out though so we have lots of down time on our hands. We decided to take a drive up to MacMillan Provincial Park to see the trees at Cathedral Grove.

We pulled off the highway, parked, and from the moment we stepped foot onto the path it felt like we stepped into another world. A magical one. One with giant tower trees, moss growing wild, bright pink little flowers, and so many different shades of green.

It was incredible.

The overall amazingness was hard to capture in photos. So I focused on capturing all the little details that make up this beautiful grove.

Telling Stories

I recently read Love Walked In by Marisa de los Santos. It was a wonderful book but there was one line that jumped out at me as soon as I read it. It went something like this...

"Clare realized that while she was the main character of her own story and all these people are supporting characters in her story - each of the supporting characters is the main character in their own stories and she was just a supporting character to them."

*The above quote is me paraphrasing the jist of what I read. In typical me fashion I returned the book to the library and forgot to copy out the actual quote and now cannot find it anywhere on the whole wide internet. Of course. Ahem. I digress.*

This quote jumped out at me immediately - I loved how this portrayed the whole 'walk a day in their shoes' idea in a way that was so much more understandable to me. It is so easy to get wrapped up in being the main character. We are so focused on our own stories that we forget to be the best supporting character we can to those who are in our lives. We forget that everyone else has their very own, very different, story they are living.

I think that maybe that is why I like photography so much. The ability to step outside of my story for a moment, an hour, a day and capture someone else as the main character of their story. To put my story aside and really focus on telling someone else's story. To give them a tangible reminder of that chapter of their lives - to essentially say that their story is one worth telling. That it matters.

Photographer is one of my favourite supporting characters to be. Always such an honour to be part of someone's unique story.


*photos from last year's photo shoot with Amy & Jordan*

Maternity Photography: The Bergsma's

I can barely believe that it was only a few months ago we did this family shoot to announce this pregnancy and now Robin is only a couple weeks away from her due date!!! So exciting!

This family is so wonderful - loved being able to capture them as a family of four before they become five!