Daniela Berkhout | Niagara newborn, child, family, teen, maternity and wedding photographer | Niagara Photographers » Niagara Photographer | Niagara Photographers | Niagara Wedding Photographer | Niagara Baby Photographer | Niagara Newborn Photographer | Niagara Child Photographer | Niagara Children Photographer

My son Mackenzie came up to me a few weeks ago with an issue he had. He apparently went through my blog and counted the number of photos of him compared to those of Alex! He actually had the exact number, I can’t remember what it was, but it was quite obvious that there were more photos of Alex on my blog than him. Kids love making their parents feel guilty don’t they? Well, I explained to Mackenzie that if only he would let me take his photo - I would have more of him to post!! He’s always been a tough one to photograph and pretty much runs when he sees the camera……except for recent. Mackenzie actually wanted me to take his photo!

With the busy season wrapping up, I took the opportunity today to take some photos of Mackenzie. OMG…..I’m in love with them. How cute is he? He  loosened up and forgot about the camera and I was actually able to capture “Mackenzie”. Christmas has come early for me! Thanks Mack.

and a few with Alex in them:

one of Alex:

and look…one with the two of them together…Christmas really has come early!

This is going to be a long post…are you ready? I had the incredible pleasure of photographing Tanya and Chris’s wedding at the Cove, Atlantis Resort, Bahamas. What an amazing location for a wedding and an amazing wedding it was!

It started off with an outdoor welcome party Friday night at The Dig for their 125 guests. Everything was so colourful - the tables, the fire dancers, the band and so were Tanya and Chris! This is a couple with true style….seriously.  Chris - you know how much I loved your shirt! 

Details. Details. It’s all about the details. You have to love a bride with hot pink shoes! 

Tanya was such a trooper and up for anything. My thought was you can’t get married at Atlantis and not have some photos at the aquarium - right? Well, for anyone who’s been there, the Atlantis Resort is huge! To get from one location to another can be quite the trek and perhaps not feasible for bridal photos. Unless you have a bride like Tanya! She had her flip flops on and I swear, I could not keep up to her! From the Cove, we headed to the Royal Towers where we went to the aquarium for some shots. We were literally there a few minutes and then we quickly moved on. Doesn’t she look like a beautiful mermaid here?

We made our way to the shark tunnel (that was a walk in itself). An Atlanits employee was kind enough to bring us their the quickest way possible.  Again, we were literally there a few minutes and then quickly made our way to the next location! We got such a variety of photos and it’s Tanya that made that happen.

These photos were taken in the main lobby of the Cove, which is a site to see in itself. I love how the light is hitting Tanya’s face. Isn’t she beautiful? And her dress…..GORGEOUS!

What a setting for a ceremony. It was perfect.

It was getting dark and the clouds started looming in.

There was a storm approaching but it sure made for some dramatic photos - don’t you think?

The pool area at the Cove had these teak canopy beds lined up. I thought it would be so cool to have one of the beds on the beach for some photos. I was told Bob (father of the bride) could make it happen! He made it happen. Thanks Bob!

There was a brunch for the guests the next morning at the Fathoms Restuarant. How gorgeous is this?

I have to share this photo….it’s one of my favourites! The dessert table was set up right against the aquarium.

I think this fish has a sweet tooth!

Tanya and Chris - it was a true honour and pleasure photographing your wedding. I enjoyed meeting your family and friends and everyone was very welcoming. I wish you all the best. Here’s to a life together full of health and happiness.

This is the only photo I have of Darby and I from the Bahamas.

I know - it’s only our shadows, but isn’t it cool?

I can’t wait to share some of the wedding photos from Tanya and Chris’s wedding! It’ll be a while though..I have some catching up to do. I’m getting to all of my emails and phone calls this afternoon after a photo session. If you’ve contacted me and don’t hear from me by the end of the night- call or email me again!

I’ll be away from November 13 - 19th. I’m off to the Atlantis Resort in the Bahamas in the morning to photograph a wedding. I’ll be sure to share photos as soon as I can!

I haven’t shared a session in a while. This fall has been crazy busy and I’ve had so many amazing sessions with incredible, incredible families. I wish I could share them all right now!

I loved this session with 6 week old Hayden. When mom told me they live across from the beach - I knew exactly what I wanted to do. This was two weeks ago on a brisk fall day. We bundled Hayden with layers upon layers upon layers! It was quite windy so we weren’t out there for very long. 

I adore these photos….just adore them.

 The way Nora and Marco looked at each other during their engagement session melted my heart. 

It was obvious that these two were so in love!

Nora looked incredible on her wedding day. Isn’t she beautiful? And she has the most amazing eyes.

Nora’s silk dress was gorgeous!

Their reception was at Chateau des Charmes so it was only appropriate to incorporate a wine cork in the ring shot.

I’m back from cruising on Royal Caribbean’s Mariner of the Seas where Alex danced on board with her dance school Miss Dar’s School of Dance.  What an incredible week -it was perfect in every way - the company, the food, the service, the weather, the islands, the entertainment - just a perfect trip. There were 75 of us in total and we had a BLAST.

The dancers will never forget this trip - what an opportunity. They danced on the main stage twice and I couldn’t get over the amount of people that were there to watch them dance! They also had a choreography session with the professional dancers from the ship. 

I didn’t see much of Alex! All of the dancers hung out together and took advantage of all of the activities on the ship, including their nightly hang out spot - The Living Room and Fuel - where they talked, made new friends and danced until 1:00 am every night! The parents had just as much fun as the kids as well!

Having fun in Grand Caymen

This one was taken in the Bahamas. I was on a mission to find a hammock in the middle of no where overlooking the ocean. Three of the teenage dancers are in this photo (don’t worry girls - I’ll get this printed up for you!)

and finally…on stage at the Savoy Theatre

Thank-you Miss Dar for organizing such an incredible trip and experience for our children - they will never forget this trip nor will the parents.

I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving Weekend!

I’ll be away from October 11 - 19th - returning all emails and phone calls on October 20th.

Alex is dancing on a Royal Carribean Cruise Ship with her dance school. How cool is that? Of course, I can’t let her go on her own - can I? I’m not sure who’s more excited - Alex or myself! This really isn’t the best time of year from me to be going away, considering it’s my busiest. But I’ll be more than ready to take on the next few crazy months with some down time next week.

Back in early spring, I was asked to speak at a PPO meeting (Professional Photographers of Ontario). I was completely honoured and thrilled to be asked, but I didn’t think it was something I could do. I’ve never been able to speak in front of others - the thought alone makes me ill to my stomach.

I decided however, that it was something I needed to do, both on a personal and professional level. The presentation was yesterday. I spoke for 3 hours - THREE HOURS!! At first, I seriously thought I was going to pass out - but I did it. And you know what? I think it went really well! I received many kind emails last night and this morning thanking me not only for the presentation but my openness.

I had a friend ask me “Aren’t these photographers your competition? Why would you tell them your tips and tricks?” Well, the beauty of photography is that we all see things differently. We all have our own personal style. Other photographers will take what I’ve told them and put their own personal touch on it. I think it’s very important to talk and share with your peers and yes, your competition. It will only make us all grow as photographers.

I met some great photographers, not only from the Niagara area, but from Hamilton, Oakville and London. I would like to thank Robert Nowell for this opportunity. It actually turned out to be a great day and a great dinner afterwards.

You know….I’m so proud of myself. I faced my fears. I did something that completely terrifies me. I truly reached a milestone yesterday - on a professional and personal level.