Today I finally got the chance to write a review of photography session I did recently with Mattie C. (Mattie Chan: formerly known as Hopeless Romantic Photography). Now you're probably wondering why I'm writing a review of a photography session. Well, the thing is, is that it started out as a portrait session that I was getting done but then ended up being partially a dance photography session. How this ended up happening was that about a day or two before the photo session I was showing my dad some of the photos that Mattie had taken before and he suggested that I should bring along some of my dance outfits and pointe shoes just in case I wanted to use them during the photo session.
At first I was unsure about the idea but after some convincing I ended up texting Mattie to see what she thought about the idea beforehand, so that the idea didn't just come out of the blue. She suggested I bring them along so that we could try something new and boy would that turn out to be an amazing idea! So fast forward to the day of the photo session, we started out doing some headshots and portraits, which all turned out to be absolutely gorgeous by the way. Then about half way through we decided to try out some of the dance outfits, I began by doing a bunch of similar dance poses as I had done about three or four years ago from the Sharkcookie photoshoot, which I also did a review of if you wanted to check that out :)
Right away I could tell that Mattie was talented especially after she showed me some of the first few shots, as capturing motion isn't the easiest thing to do, especially since this was her first time ever taking dance photography! Mattie took us to some beautiful areas near trees and on a hill, as well as a lake for some of the shots, and they all turned out so well. In the past few years, while I have continued to dance I haven't been dancing quite as much as I had during my high school years, so I feel very fortunate to have taken both the photos from when I was still in high school with Sharkcookie and the ones with Mattie, as you can't turn back time. That's part of the reason I love having photos taken because it captures a different time period that will never be the same again. Having the photos taken by Mattie was wonderful because she came up with some really creative ideas for photos and came up with a bunch of different angles and places to take both the dance photos and the portraits as well as headshots. Also, she was really open to ideas and suggestions and very easy to work with :)
It was also nice to take photos in Vancouver since I find that I barely ever take photos while at home but when I'm on vacation I take hundreds of photos of places and monuments like the Eiffel Tower. I suppose this could also be because when you live somewhere for a long time, or for me my whole life, you always think that it'll always be there or that there's nothing that's significant enough to take a photo of. However, after seeing the photos that Mattie took it reminded me that there is a lot of beauty in a place I've called home for so long. I really enjoyed taking dance photos again because as weird as it may seem to say I missed taking dance photos even though I've only really done it once before. I guess it could also be because I just love any opportunity to dance in general haha.
Overall, I'm really happy that I chose Mattie to take photos for me, as she did an outstanding job and I would definitely recommend working with her and will definitely work with her again in the future. As I initially wanted to have photos taken by her as I found them all to elegant, timeless, and beautiful photos that I hadn't seen by any other photographers that I've come across through my searches in Vancouver. On top of that it was easy to coordinate and set up times/locations, and she spent a lot of time with me picking out wardrobe options and taking multiple different backgrounds and outfit changes. The photos also came earlier than expected to pick from, as it was before the big rush of all the summer weddings. However, it was really difficult for me to pick my top photos to be edited, as they were all so good!
The photo session went so well that my parents actually had couple photos taken by her about a week ago and I tagged along to help them carry their clothes and such, as my dad had generously helped me carry my stuff throughout my photo session :) Thanks Dad! They had a wonderful time as well and I can't wait to see their photos as well, as they went to the beach and also did a variety of shots outdoors near trees, flowers, and forests!
Also, on another positive Mattie posted some of the photos that she took from that day on her Instagram Story, which I was super excited about and touched by. Thank you so much for the wonderful photos Mattie! I then added these to my Instastory which you can check out at @dancenewsbc.
Overall, if there is any hesitation of who you want to have your photos taken by: wedding, engagement, couple photos, dance, portraits, headshots, or fashion; definitely check out Mattie's website. For those of you readers who don't live in Vancouver, Mattie also travels to other locations around the world such as Hong Kong, Paris, etc. :)
Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this review and I'll add some of my favourite dance photos and some portraits I had taken by Mattie down below, so you can see for yourself!
P.S. The photos that you receive from Mattie will be without the watermarks. I added the watermark of both Mattie's instagram and my name by myself, for credit of the photography and a preventive measure to ensure that they aren't used without permission by other sources :)
P.S.S. The hair and makeup was done by the wonderful Lara Parliament who was able to fit me in after a mix-up in scheduling. Thank you so much for the great hair and makeup Lara! :)
Here is the link to Mattie's website: mattiec.com
Mattie's Instagram: @mattiec.photography
Mattie's Portrait Photography Instagram: @mattiecportraits
Dance News BC Instagram: @dancenewsbc
Lara's Instagram: @beautybylaraxo
Lara's Website: laraparliamentbeauty.com
All photos are taken by (c) Mattie C. Photography 2018
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