The 30 days of Beautiful grand finale!

dress up

Playing Dress Up: Its cold and scary outside so we are tucked in and playing a major league game of dress up in what else? Momma’s wedding dress! Doesn’t hurt to also test out my new zoom lens. May your day be dressy and bright.

How to you turn 30 days of beautiful into a 100? Put it in the hands of a busy photographer/mom of two fabulous mess makers/all around overcommiter, that’s how! Anyhow, just in time for the holidays, I present the wrap up of our 30 days of Beautiful. Cheers!

best friends

Spirit Animal: I can hardly think of a better best friend for this little girl. Fast and fierce she kept me on my toes for the whole session. Here settled in her perch, surveying the prey.

curls

Honest – Its a very busy time and I am loving it! Today is just because. This is just the sweetest little smile and it brightened my day

diverse

A big little world – Not only is this a beautiful family but they brought two new countries onto my map, Malaysia and Rwanda. Its a big little world out there and I love it. 🙂

Fall light

From a distance – There is something intriguing about seeing yourself from a distance. A silhouette in perfect fall light. This is life.

kisses

A rapture in color – One thing that draws me to a photo is the blend of color and texture. This beautiful family hit it out of the park in rose, teal, blue, golden yellow and a nice neutral. This handsome soon to be big brother offers a sweet kiss as the focal point of twirl of unconventional but perfect fall hues.

new

In this moment – This is a proud portrait of a momma on top of the world. She has her new baby, sweet husband and is surrounded by love. I chose this image because you can feel the happiness in her eyes and smile.

three

Three of a kind – It was one year ago when I first photographed this beautiful family upon the arrival of baby brother J. Though fall is winding down and we are digging in for a warm winter’s rest, it is wonderful to reflect on the colors of change, the growth of life and the passing of time.

you and me

You and me: The light in your eyes is an amazing thing. Its reflects perfectly what you see and in a focused picture, you can see amazing detail in the light in your eyes. The room, windows, the sky, and…me. They say there are two people in every photograph. The one being photographed and the photographer. I am so happy and proud to be a part of your pictures and a part of your lives. Cheers to 30 days of Beautiful!

zoe

Best friends – On this undeniably beautiful fall weekend we made for La Hulpe for a little adventure with my daughter’s best friend. It is lovely to see how already at this young age they have such a strong bond. And of course there is their favorite tagalong. : )

 

 

Checking the blossoms: A trip to Sint Truiden

Promise
Promise

Well there is no doubt about it. Whether you are a bloom enthusiast or allergy sufferer, you know that Spring is in the air. With the upcoming apple blossoms session around the corner, I headed out to Sint Truiden for a little look-see. Wow, I was blown away! The cherries are in full bloom and next week come the apples.

I am proud to announce that the location has been confirmed at Domaine Truilingen in Sint-Truiden, the heart of the haspengouw apple growing region.  The trees are going to be beautiful with white-pink blossoms and they will be blooming perfectly next weekend. Not only it this a great place for family photos but also a fantastic day out. This small family business is situated in the castle domain of Truilingen. Here, apples and pears are grown in an environment-friendly and integrated way. During April they offer lunch and snacks in their beautiful tent set in the middle orchard. Definitely worth sticking around for. 🙂
We have just a few spots left. We would love to see you there! Following are a few shots from my little research trip yesterday. 🙂
Blossoms in Limburg
Ready to burst
Cherries
Cherries
Aisles
Aisles
This way
This way

Blue bells are ringing – a very special mini session among the blue bells in Hallerbos

Blue bells are ringing
Blue bells
Have you seen the blue bells blooming in the ancient beech forest in Hallerbos? It is one of those settings that is just so magical that it literally takes your breath away. Imagine a beautiful green forest carpeted with millions of blue bells. They stretch through the hills, valleys and ravines from mid April – early May. Spectators come in from all around the world to take a stroll in this lovely setting. Lucky us, it is just a very short drive from central Brussels (15 minute).
With a colder spring underway, I think we have just the right time to catch these beauties in full bloom on May 10. Amazing location for family photos as well as maternity or engagement. Following our mini session formula, we will offer 30 minute sessions and 10 images at the discounted price of 100 EUR. Hope you can join us!
Email or comment to reserve your space: BearandDragonPhotography@ gmail.com

Announcing our first 2015 mini session: In the Blooms in the blooming apple orchards at Limburg

In the blooms spring mini session
Well spring is upon upon us and it is a wonderful feeling. 🙂 For me, nothing puts a smile on my face like the early spring flowers that are the hallmark of warm weather and longer days. My first mini session of the year is inspired by this feeling.
The apple, cherry and pear orchards in Haspengouw are world famous and the local residents know how to celebrate them. Throughout April, events are held throughout the area including farm tours, “blossom terraces” and candlelit evening walks in the orchards.
Although Limburg is 55 minutes outside of Brussels, I was swept away by the ideas of photographing you surrounded by hundreds of acres of white and pink blooming trees. It is a beautiful location for family, maternity or even a love story session. April 26 is the culmination of the blossom events so why not make a day of it and join the Blossom Terrace and Promenade at Maanhof te Borlo. Fun!
I sincerely hope you join me on this magical celebration of spring and all that is to come.
Space is limited so please let me know very soon if you wish to reserve a place by contacting bearanddragonphotography@gmail.com.

First look: Rachel and Edith celebrate one year

Peekaboo
Peekaboo

I first met Rachel and Edith when Edith was a gorgeous two month old with huge blue eyes and way too many lashes. I was delighted to have them back in the studio to celebrate a year in the life of this lovely little girl. It was a quiet but sunny afternoon. The mood was relaxed and fun. It was such a pleasure to soak up the atmosphere with these two in their so cozy momma-daughter relationship. I hope you enjoy checking out these sweet pictures as much as I did taking them. 🙂

A safe place
A safe place
Giggles
Giggles
Pure love
Pure love
Up you go!
Up you go!
Rascal
Rascal

Share the love and win a FREE photo session!

Like, share and win
Like, share and win

Hey there stuck insiders. To bring a little cheer to these grey days, I decided to launch our first ever promotion. Check out our Facebook page here. Like Bear & Dragon Photography and share the promotion photo there (same as the above) in order to register to win. Already a fan? Just share the photo and you will be registered as well.

Winner to be announced on Valentine’s Day!

American Me

 

All the world to me
All the world to me

Its the fourth of July. If that doesn’t mean anything specific to you, let me tell you, its the American national day. Yeah, it snuck up on me too! It is sometimes conflicting to be an American abroad. Everyday I walk past building that are older than our Constitution. We may not have the best reputation around the world. The average American tourist is not exactly rocking the off-the-catwalk fashions. I digress. On this day, what do I want to teach my little ones about their American heritage? That I do not yet know. So today we are focusing on the food. BBQ anyone?

On a separate topic, my little darling boy is 8 months old tonight. Wow! Luckily he woke a bit early from his nap so I could snap some pictures. I love his expressions, early laugh and complete momma’s boy approach to life. Here’s to baby X.

Ta ta for now
Ta ta for now
Pages and pages
Pages and pages
Squishy face
Squishy face
Timeless
Timeless

I

First look: Newborn session with sweet Igor

These are the days
These are the days

Ahh the early days. Even though I have my hands more than full with my own two little ones and I treasure each milestone that brings them along in their development, I still manage to get baby fever everytime I get my hands on a new one. The sweet smell, little muslins, secret smiles. I love it. This was the same when just past newborn Igor joined us in the studio. A truly lovely new family and parents that made a great team. He is a lucky little boy and I am lucky too to be apart of it all. These are the days. 🙂

Little boys
Little boys
For the heart
For the heart
Onward
Onward
These are also the days. :)
These are also the days. 🙂
Full of light
Full of light