MW - Blog

Oliver Welsh Whitehead

2011-08-03T22:21:27+00:00

Suddenly photography doesn’t seem as important anymore. This past weekend, Cameron and I worked together to bring a new life into the world. After months of preparing, the journey was a bit bumpier than expected, but with the help of our midwife and the team at Lions Gate Hospital on July 30th, our little Oliver was born. On day four of this new chapter in our lives, it difficult to put into words the awe we are feeling. It took almost 2 days to put together this blog post, so I hope you enjoy the sneak peak into the new joy in our life. First snuggle with Mom. First snuggle with Dad. The new grandparents…think they’re happy? Oliver’s first morning at home.

Adventures in Pregnancy

2011-07-14T22:19:10+00:00

Shortly after I found out I was pregnant, I started wondering what the next 9 months were going to be like. What could I do, what couldn’t I do? Would I be sick? Could I hike? Could I ski? Could I do anything fun????? I did a little bit of research online, trying to find other adventure-mamas-to-be that enjoyed a healthy, active pregnancy. I came across one woman who did a three day backpacking trip at 5 months pregnant…but that was about it for any kind of adventure pregnancy inspiration. I decided to keep track of what I could and couldn’t do and promised myself I’d write this blog post for future adventure prego ladies. And so here I am at 39 weeks giving you the scoop! Clothing Technical clothing proved to be an issue throughout my pregnancy. I wasn’t interested in spend a boat-load of money on techy pieces one or two sized bigger than what I would normally wear, so I made do with what I had. Having a belly band was key, because they don’t make maternity hiking pants! I used a lightweight pair of OR softshell hiking pants for almost everything. They are really stretchy, and when paired with a belly-band you would have no idea I couldn’t zip them up an inch. I happened to have one long I/O merino wool shirt that didn’t show off any belly skin and one Prana sport-tank that I miraculously was able to stuff my chest into. My OR rain jacket has zippers down the sides, so I was able to zip up the front of my jacket and leave the sides open which proved to be quite handy on rainy days! Skiing I was able to ski up until I was about 26 weeks pregnant. Physically I could have skied longer, but the fact that I could barely zip my bib pants up and it was the middle of April gave me no choice but to hang the skis up. If you’re a bib pant kinda girl, see if you can borrow a jacket with a powder skirt and regular pants with an elastic waist. You’ll be able wear this get up much longer! I did a bit of ski touring earlier on in my pregnancy and felt fantastic. I noticed a big difference in my lung capacity, so this is where the understanding playmates came in handy, but other than that I felt great. With such a huge snowpack this year, the backcountry was pretty unstable, so I spent the rest of my ski days at the hill. In my first trimester, my energy levels were low, so it took a bit of convincing to get me out some days. When I did ski, I stayed well within my limits and abilities. By 6.5 months, I was definitely aware of my body loosening up and wasn’t feeling as stable as normal, so I adjusted my activity level appropriately, and stuck to the groomers. Climbing I was pleasantly surprised about how long I was able to climb for. I hung up my rock shoes at 35 weeks. Once again, the climbing I did was well within my limits. I chose to top rope and stuck to 5’6's and ‘7’s. For me, it was really just about stretching, practicing movements and working my arms a little bit. After a chilled out ski season and the additional weight gain, I was definitely noticing a difference in the strength of my upper body. I had to borrow a men’s harness, as my women’s specific harness didn’t fit for long. A women’s harness has a higher rise, so once I lost my waist, I needed a harness with a shorter rise that would fit comfortably under my belly. Your waist is gone - this is the incorrect way to wear your climbing harness! Ah, that’s much better…and more comfortable! When belaying, my partner climbed well within his limit, so that the risk of me having to catch a big fall was nil. It wasn’t until 35 weeks when my belly was quite a bit larger that I noticed any discomfort from my harness being weighted. And it was the same time that my belly would sandwich the rope into the rock when I climbed, which was uncomfortable enough for me to call it quits. I found ledges, overhangs and any other feature that you had to maneuver yourself around extremely difficult, even with a little belly. The balancy, face climbs proved to be much more enjoyable. Camping As soon as the weather got nice, we started camping. My first tent sleep was at 24 weeks and my last was at 36. Having a thick, good quality sleeping pad and pillows made all the difference. A thermarest won’t cut it! Now’s the time to splurge on that Xped 3” down sleeping mat. One of those coupled with a few pillows and you’re golden! Or, if your tent is big enough and you’re car camping, take that double air mattress. Just remember these are only good in the summer. Spring and fall the temperature drops too much and you’ll freeze sleeping on one of those bad boys. It is a little more difficult getting out of a tent a few times a night to pee, but if you love camping like I do, you just suck it up. During week 36 I started having dreams about giving birth in my tent, so that was enough to keep me close to home for the rest of my pregnancy. Camping at Sombrio on Vancouver Island. Sombrio beach, Vancouver Island. Hiking I’m almost 39 weeks and can still manage an easy 3km. Early on in my pregnancy, I got myself a leather pair of Zamberline hiking boots. Hiking while pregnant is much like backpacking. You’re carrying anywhere from 20 to 40 extra pounds with you, so having supportive footwear and hiking poles are key to a happy hiking prego lady. On week 27 I wore a backpack for the last time. I spent three days hiking and climbing in Skaha and my feet swelled up so bad that it took 3 days to recover. I realized that it was my body’s way of telling me to slow down and to take a load off! From then on, Cam carried all my gear, water and food and I just hiked with my camera. Week 36. The boulder field I decided against hiking. The way up would be one thing, but the way down would have incredibly difficult. So, I sent the rest of the gang up, and I hung out in the shade and took some pictures. Towards the end of my pregnancy, I’ve noticed my endurance really diminish. I did my last 5 km around 36 weeks and anything more than 2km requires a full rest day afterward. At 39 weeks, I’ve hung my boots knowing I need to conserve as much energy as possible as I’m going to need it for the intense physical activity to come…giving birth!

My name is Melissa & I am a wedding photographer.

2011-05-31T22:29:23+00:00

After 13 years of photographing weddings, I finally realized that I am a wedding photographer. I know it sounds silly coming from someone who has been in the business for so long, but I don’t think I was ready to embrace it until now. I think my denial stemmed from the years of hanging out in the darkroom at Fanshawe College, where I would have conversations with fellow aspiring photographers about what direction we would take when we graduated. Becoming a wedding photographer was the last thing on everyone’s list. But, wedding photography has changed a lot in 13 years. Gone are the days of lugging medium format cameras and bags of film around. I am able to be as spontaneous and creative with my weddings as I am with any of my other work. Plus, the truth is, I actually love it. I spend my weekends laughing with strangers during some of the best days of their lives. How great is that? And so, along with this epiphany, comes a new brand and new website, Amethyst Studios. From now on, you will be able to follow my wedding and engagement work on www.amethystweddings.ca and as soon as it goes live, the rest of my portrait work on http://www.amethyststudios.ca In the meantime, this site and blog will begin to change and will eventually only represent my adventure, commercial and editorial work. Thanks so much for following along - and make sure to check out the new site when you have a chance. Cheers, Melissa

Pleasure to meet you Kai!

2011-05-12T22:55:54+00:00

Here is a session I couldn’t wait to shoot! I photographed Peter and Katrina’s engagement in 2008, wedding in 2009, belly session in 2010 and a couple weeks ago, I had the opportunity to do their first family photo session while they were visiting Vancouver. We had a wonderful visit here on the North Shore and decided on a little hike through Lynn Canyon. Kai was so entertaining. This little man was full of happy, enthusiastic energy and wasn’t the least bit camera shy. His fantastic expressions kept smiles on everyone’s face, and needless to say, it wasn’t hard to create some great imagery. Enjoy!

Janine and Allison - A Beach House Wedding

2011-05-02T14:49:36+00:00

On April 9th, in West Vancouver, I had the privilege of photographing Janine and Allison’s wedding. These two had a gorgeous ceremony and reception at the Beach House at Dunderave Pier. Lucky for us, the rain that was forecast held off, so we were able to take advantage of the landscape around the restaurant. From the beach and driftwood, to the pier and backdrop of Burrard Inlet and Stanley Park, the photo ops really did seem endless! On top of that, these two ladies were having so much fun, it was difficult to put the camera down. Here is a small selection of the photos from the day. The full gallery will be up shortly! See Janine and Allison’s engagement session here.

National Accreditation in Couples Portraiture

2011-04-26T17:20:25+00:00

This month I recieved my National Accreditation in Couples Portraiture from the Professional Photographers of Canada (PPOC). I thought I’d take a second to send out a big thank you to all of my wonderful couples who helped me make this happen! Here are the images that got me the accreditation: Chantelle and Brent Dave and Mandy Amber and Tom David and Sarah Ryan and Amber Amy and Steve Martin and Tandi Chris and Andrea Rachelle and Chad Jamie and Ryan

A modern and classy twist on the stagette.

2011-04-07T22:36:38+00:00

I know a lot of brides that cringe when thinking about their stagette. Bar hopping while drinking out of straws shaped like male genitalia is just a little overdone to say the least. And in this case, my beautiful bride Janine for this weekends wedding, just happens to be marrying Allison, the other beautiful bride…so a traditional stagette wasn’t going to cut it! Janine had an idea to do a fun photo session and gave me a call to see I would be interested. Each lady was in charge of their wardrobe and then worked with their make-up artist to come up with a look that suited their outfit and how they were feeling that night. The venue was a fantastic condo on Beach Ave in Vancouver, and once the girls were all dolled up, they would hang out with me while I grabbed a few shots. Here’s are a few highlights from the session. Special thanks to Holly Hall, Karen Fekete and Teresa Coe, our amazing MUAs! Enjoy! Janine. MUA: Karen Fekete Danielle. MUA: Teresa Pippa. MUA: Teresa Fabiana. MUA: Holly Kirsten. MUA: Karen Tanis. MUA Holly Kathy. MUA Holly The ladies.

Roadtrip and Cruise to Mexico

2011-03-31T15:44:30+00:00

Last week I had the pleasure of joining my entire family on a cruise to Mexico. We drove down to San Diego (two very long days in the car!), hopped on the ship and spent 6 days traveling to Mexico and back. Although the trip had more of a relaxing flavour - we still managed to find a bit of adventure here and there. Here are some of the highlights… Enjoy! Cabo San Lucas. A little over the top touristy for me. So, we went to do some exploring… Who knew you could have so much fun on a lifeguard lookout? I set the timer and held the camera with my barefeet for this photo. I was impressed with myself! Found a decrepit old building. They’re always good for a photo or two. La Paz. Must less touristy. Nice to hang out in a town with so much character. I wish we would have spent a few days here. Notice there’s no one on the beach??? Killing some time waiting for the bus back to the cruise. You’ll notice that SPF 60 I’ve got on, really works!! My whole family. Damn we look good! We decided to take the long way home along the coast. Unfortunately due to a number of landslides, we didn’t get to drive the entire coastal highway…but got to see enough to want to do it again. This was taken in Northern California. How could you not stop in Redwood National Park? We didn’t have a ton of time here, but managed to get out for a quick little trail walk and see some massive trees. I like trees. The Southern Oregon Coast. The camping along the coastal highway is phenomenal. I can’t wait to spend more time and scope out the best spots!

Brian’s Grad Lifestyle session

2011-03-06T23:01:03+00:00

Why “Pork Chop Sandwiches” made my 18 year old brother laugh, I have no idea…but I didn’t really care - I was just happy to catch a great smile out of him! Brian is graduating from Belmont high school in Victoria this June, so we went out and did a grad lifestyle session in the Songhees rail yard. The rain held off and the sun came out just long enough for us to create some great images. Enjoy! Are you graduating from high school this year? Interested in a grad lifestyle session? to check availability and book your session. (Booking for spring 2011 in Victoria and Vancouver)

Janine and Allison at Grandville Island

2011-02-25T17:54:51+00:00

Have I mentioned lately that I love fun people? When you find yourself in the company of happy, fun people, work no longer seems like work…..it seems like fun! Last week, I had the pleasure of hanging out with Janine and Allison down at Grandville Island. Now we didn’t pick Grandville for the session just because it’s a super groovy spot. Janine and Allison shop at the market on a regular basis - and Janine actually used to work there when she was growing up….so naturally, it seemed like a great place for a lifestyle session. We spent some time sipping tea, shopping, walking and there was a moment of spontaneous skipping. It was a high energy day! Janine and Allison get married on April 9th - so we’ll have some wedding photos to share with you soon! Thanks for the fun ladies! Enjoy!

Snowshoeing Super Hero

2011-02-20T18:33:00+00:00

Last night we hiked up Dog Mountain in Mt. Seymour Provincial Park to catch the sunset over the city. It’s not often I pack my flash into the backcountry - but just for kicks, I lugged along. I had an idea for a photo, but need a bit of inspiration, so I told Cam I needed him to do something fun. After hammering out a few details, this is what we came up with. In between giggling fits, we managed to nail it after 3 trys. Which was great, because after that last shot, my lens and face took a pile of snow.

Training for the biggest adventure of my life

2011-02-08T20:22:46+00:00

My blog has been a little quiet lately, and it’s because I’ve been busy beginning preparations for the biggest adventure of my life…childbirth immediately followed by parenthood. I’ve been documenting my journey and finally have a small collection of images to share. If anyone has any tips on taking photos while giving birth - I’d love to hear them. That’s one thing I haven’t quite wrapped my head around! December 1st. The “holy $*@#” moment. A sudden good-bye. Eight weeks. Determined to do some ski touring. It’s crazy what something the size of a cranberry can do to your lung capacity. Twelve weeks. I know you may think I’m looking adoringly at my belly. I’m actually saying good by to my skinny jeans. Thirteen weeks. Cam and I decide we should do some reading. Ready to rock. The rocking chair given to my parents when I was born, sitting in anticipation. Seventeen weeks. Not much of a belly to show off…but there’s just enough there to make my jeans really uncomfortable. Low squats are all the rage.

Family photos in the snow!

2011-02-07T21:56:13+00:00

Last month I did a fun photo session with Karen and Steve and their beautiful little family. The concept was simple, get bundled up, head to the park and have some fun! Here are a few photos from the session:

Winter Solstice Full Moon Ski

2010-12-29T16:52:18+00:00

As my trips add up over the years, there’s one thing that becomes clearer and clearer. If you’re determined enough to adventure into the backcountry, regardless of the weather, mother nature will usually provide. Now I’m not saying she’ll provide the perfect place to pitch your tent or a bluebird summit day…but there always seems to be a moment of awe. A moment where you say to yourself, “this was totally worth it”. Last week, Cameron and I loaded up our backpacks and ski toured into the Salmo-Creston pass. (“ski-touring” is when you slap some really sticky “skins” to the bottom of your skis and they allow you to actually ski up the mountain with your alpine skis) Our plan was to do some skiing by the light of the full moon - if Mother Nature co-operated with us. We toured into Ripple Ridge Cabin, met a few fabulous cabin mates for the night and kept our fingers crossed that the landscape would light up. Yahoo! Skiing! Blue sky! Cam slappin’ skins on his skis. We were surprised how few cars were in the lot. Doesn’t everyone know the snow is amazing??? Yup, we were there! The full moon makes an appearance. The beginning of one of the most beautiful nights I’ve spent in the backcountry. Now, this isn’t my first full moon ski - and if there’s one thing I learned the last time around it’s that it’s damn hard to capture the magic with my camera. Loooong exposures and fast action don’t really mix that well. So, I got creative. I lit Cam up with his headlamp sitting on the ground…which could have turned out better if I had used a tri-pod. I posted this though, because you can actually see the shadows of the trees from the full moon and get a feel for what the light was like. Made it down safe and sound and set up this shot. Again - used an LED headlamp on the ground to the left of the frame and used the tripod I had left in the cabin. Best winter solstice ever!

Taigh Alem is finally here!

2010-12-20T16:39:04+00:00

Well, as you might have guessed, Dave and Jana finally welcomed their baby into the world. Taigh Alem was born last Sunday morning, and I feel blessed to have been able to meet him so early on in his life. Here are a few pics from our visit yesterday…if you’d like to see the full gallery, check it out here.

GT Snowracing to work?

2010-12-18T15:50:01+00:00

This photo shoot was a dream come true. Really. A few years ago when I lived on Stanley St. in Nelson, I would eat my breakfast and stare out the window watching half the town pass our house on the way to work. On one particular winter morning, I imagined seeing a man dressed in a suit commuting to work on a GT snowracer. Giggling to myself, I filed that image away in my brain waiting for the opportunity to shoot it. Well, three years later - I finally had that opportunity! My good friend Dave just happened to have a GT snowracer, and when I told him about my idea, he was more than willing to help a sista out. Here are the photos from our ridiculous session. Enjoy!

Snow. Snow. Snow. SNOW!

2010-11-25T23:37:01+00:00

I love meeting new people. Especially new people that do anything for the camera. Last Saturday I ambitiously strapped on my skis, and chased a group of snowshoein’ islanders up Hollyburn Mountain. It was my first ski tour of the year and let me tell ya - I earned the 4 turns I got in! The first part of the trail was great, but once we got into the aldery steeps - the trail was much more snowshoe friendly than ski friendly. Needless to say, I made it to the top and after making some hot cocoa, we got to the real fun….hucking ourselves into the white stuff. Those are some long, long legs. Kevin was so hardcore, he hiked up in his pajamas. Great form. For what, I’m not sure…

Dave and Jana are having a baby!!!

2010-10-28T00:29:11+00:00

Well, I’m not going to lie. Dave and Jana happen to be two of my best buds in the entire world. Now, I didn’t know them when they got married, so I didn’t have the honour of photographing their wedding, but I have been lucky enough to photograph these two A LOT of times over the last eight years. From their earlier days of marriage and my earlier days of photography to adventures around the globe…and now the excitement around expecting their first child. I didn’t have as much time with them as I had hoped…but just in case baby RL makes an early entrance into the world, I wanted to make sure I got a few photos of these two and their beautiful belly!

Cam was here

2010-10-25T00:48:50+00:00

It’s not often I just post one photo from an adventure, but I felt that this one really stands alone. We had just reached the summit of the second peak of the Stawamus Chief in Squamish yesterday, and Cam mentioned that he would like an “I was here” shot. While he was figuring out what he was going to do for the photo - I got this one.

North Shore Adventure Family

2010-10-22T18:13:23+00:00

My first North Vancouver adventure family! Last weekend I got to hike with Aimee, Layne, Cooper and their dog Skya. We met up at End of the Line - a groovy little general store outside of Lynn Headwaters Regional Park. From there, trail access is literally across the road, so after an espresso and a quick chat, we headed off for a morning stroll. What great company they turned out to be! Turns out Layne is a North Van local - so he was filled with great stories from cliff jumping in Lynn Canyon to the 180 day ski season he once had up at Cypress. Aimee and I realized we had some sort of adventure racing connection from the early 00’s…but never did figure out exactly what it was. And Cooper? Well we didn’t chat too much, but he certainly seemed like a pretty laid back little guy. He spent most of time bundled up, snoozing away…but woke up just in time for a few photos by the creek. Here are a few photos from the session…Enjoy!