Kananaskis Country Lifestyle Family Photographer
A Note from the Photographer
Can we talk about how stunning Kananaskis Country is in the fall? Golden leaves and light that makes everything look like a dream. It doesn’t get better for a family session.
This one? It was filled with the sweetest moments, and everything I love about capturing families just being them.
This documentary-style session was amazing. It is about who they are, mother, father, and daughters, at a specific point in time. We preserved their moments—giggling, twirling, snuggling, rolling in the leaves—you know those totally random moments you end up loving the most.
And that’s the most precious thing in the world.
I watched, listened, followed their lead and threw in some questions and suggestions to let the magic unfold naturally.
They are big-time huggers (my kind of people!). Hugs are the best in photos because they’re real—filled with love, connection, and that sweet chaos that makes family life what it is. It all tells a story, their story.
Family sessions like these remind me why I love what I do—getting to freeze time for just a second and give families a tangible way to remember how it felt to be right there, in that season of life.
Hugs, belly laughs, hair full of leaves, sneak attacks, shoulder rides, open fields, beautiful mountains, spectacular sunsets, and love, love, love, all day long!
I always say that a photo session is a conversation; we talk and hang out, and it gets your kids having fun and playing. As they take the lead, they explore and come up with the cutest and funniest things that make for beautiful candid, storytelling captures. How was your experience with that style of photography?
“Our experience with your type of photography was wonderful; the girls ended up playing and exploring exactly as we hoped they would, and their joyful and curious spirits came through in all of the gorgeous pictures perfectly. We love the hugging and the love that is displayed through the photos—we LOVE hugs and kisses in our family, and it truly shows in the pictures. We all also love to laugh, and we laughed so much just watching the girls play and run and also jump and hug us. It was beautiful spending time outdoors as a family and just being in the moment all together and appreciating the love we have for each other.
When people are comfortable and at ease I believe it comes through in the pictures and that truly happened for us.”
What were your favourite things about the location you chose?
“Our favourite thing about the location we chose was for sure the breathtaking backdrop of the rocky mountains and the gorgeous fall colours, as well as the fact that for a popular location we had it pretty much to ourselves on a beautiful fall evening. We loved when the sun started going down too and the golden light that shone as a result.”
“Valerie made us feel truly at ease and just let us be a family in our own moments.
We had an absolutely wonderful experience taking family pictures this fall with Valerie. Everything was so seamless, from the booking process, to meeting at the location we chose. Valerie was super easy going and her vibe completely matched our family’s. She was so good with our girls, and really captured beautiful, simple and meaningful moments with us in the mountains on an absolutely stunning evening. We especially loved the gorgeous photos she took of our girls – their personalities shine through the photos and they are exactly what we wanted.” – Kimberly
Want storytelling and natural family photos like these?
Valerie Richer Photography 
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