Erin Wallis Photography Blog

My answering machine says I’m booked up until the end of June… What that actually means is, I’m shooting between 1-3 shoots per day. What that actually means is… I’m busy. Very busy…but who isn’t really!!! I am really enjoying photographing so many wonderful families, and fabulous people! Here are a few more family images from Denise and Steve’s family session last week. To all of you waiting patiently for your discs, and your finished products… I am incredibly grateful, as it means that I can continue to capture these images for other families as well!!!

Our session started off with great big crocodile tears, and ended with laughter.
It was an incredibly windy day accross from the Salmon Point Pub in Oyster River, but we decided to go ahead with the session anyway… The boys were so spirited and fun, that it made my job, incredibly easy!!! Here are a few of my favorites from the day.

Perfect. Beautiful. Amazing. Babies are just soooo wonderful.

Last summer a great couple, Amanda and Curt purchased a gift for their equally amazing friends Shauna and Gene. Last week, I shot their family photographs, loved them, and loved their images too!!! I thought I’d share a few of my favorite images, from a fabulous family session last week. What a great family!!! What wonderful children… what a perfect shoot.

He’s loved dogs since… forever.
Loved our dog Brandy that accidentally bit a little girl, and wound up on a ‘farm’… has begged for more family dogs ever after… no one would get him a dog.

He moved back to the Vancouver Island from far away baseball playing shores… and that’s when it started. The obsessive dog talk. Suddenly, he had the entire family convinced that we needed to buy a dog for our mom. I was apprehensive, as my mom had clearly stated that she did NOT want a dog. He was most certain, that she was delusional and really did want one.

He called me daily with dog finds, he texted me with every new breed, new location, new idea… he finally succeeded in convincing mom she wanted a dog. “ok” she said more confused than anything. He found the perfect dog…. he was going to get it for her… the phone calls stopped… no more texts… where did he go? Everyone thought he must have given up. I knew, however, that it was never about getting mom a dog. But more about filling a childhood dream, of a boy and his dog.

A week later, I got the call. He had driven to Gold River from Nanaimo (directly past our family home in Campbell River, Vancouver Island) picked out “Digsy” and knew instantly that he would NOT be dropping him off in Campbell River, but keeping him forever.

That’s the thing about boys and dogs, sometimes, it just makes sense for them to be together.

Often we get caught up. I get caught up in the whirlwind of life.
Thing move so fast, messages coming in, voicemails, call backs, drawbacks, driving here, running there…. Life isn’t prone to slow motion. Life doesn’t slow down, unless you do. Unless I do.

Sitting here at my computer desk, coffee already cold, sun streaming in through the trees… I meet up with my old friend Nostalgia. Periodically, unexpectedly, and often uninvited, we find ourselves face to face. Today it began with an email I got from a good friend and amazing artist Jennifer Jayden, which began with, “it’s been a while and although we haven’t chatted in ages you cross my mind lots”.

While looking back, I am brought to amazing memories of my days at sea. My time spent bobbing around the globe, bumping into so many incredible human beings, spending split seconds with people that seemed like an eternity. I’ve been revisiting photographs taken at the time, over the span of nearly six years of my life… one thing is brilliantly clear, I didn’t miss a thing. My dad once wisely wrote to me during my travels “soak it all up, Once gone. Gone.” And soak it up I did, as well as document it. All of it.

These images are not just travel images to me. They are a reflection of not only remembering the places traveled to… but more for the people who traveled there alongside me. Each image, brings back such a flood of memories, smells, tastes… brings back sailing into Venice for the first time with Sharon Stanley… “girl, you are going to freak out”. (and I did) Wandering around Santorini with Lucille, our hearts so full, I thought for sure there was no substance in the world that was strong enough to contain it. Running around at the Great Pyramids of Egypt with Paul, touring Barcelona with Irene. Halifax with Caro, Cassie, and Abri… Anguilla with Kim and Kim. The Caribbean with the Kim Miller… Papeete with Jen. Vietnam, China and Japan with Dave.

People have asked me where my favorite place has been, or which country was the best… and I do have my favorites, but most of the time its the memories that go along with the place, the people, the experience as a whole, and not just ‘the place’ that makes it so special.

In a place where life is just moving so fast, I often find it helpful to reflect on not only where I’ve been, but the intricate connections that have sustained and fueled me along the way. Here are a few of my most precious memories.

How did I end up with a website?
How did I end up with business cards?
How did I wind up with a blog?
The answer, is incredibly simple. Jeremy Latham.

I worked as a photographer on cruise ships for a number of years, not exactly as glamorous as I had invisioned, but completely worth every moment. Each contract would be between 6-8 months, and I would come home to Vancouver Island in the summers, photograph a few weddings, and head back out to sea for the winter months. Often when I would return home, I was unsatisfied with cruising, somewhat tired of the endless parties, the warm weather, exotic countries, and late night beverages on the outter decks of the ships (crazy I know).

Jeremy and I had already been friends for a decade. He knows me. He gets me. So one sunny summer afternoon in between contracts, I gave him a call. I noted that I wanted to do something different. Something else, something more. I was over ships. I was ready for change. I wanted him to design me business cards. He said no.
I begged him. He said no.
I didn’t understand his resistance.

Thankfully, he knew a whole lot more than I did about starting a business, with a background in marketing and all kinds of experience. He knew that what I needed was a website and then business cards could follow. In the beginning, my website consisted of 10 photos. It was simple… but it was exactly what I needed to get going, to start my business.

When I have a technical question, I call Jeremy.
When I have a business question, I call Jeremy.
When I go through a breakup, I call Jeremy.
When I need my website overhauled and updated, a new blog, more business cards, or new computers… yup, I call Jeremy.
I am lucky that his girlfriend is wonderful, and doesn’t mind my constant harassing. I also value that we’ve gotten to be closer over the years as well. So how fitting, that while staying with Bridget and Jeremy in Vancouver, while updating my website and creating a blog, I also photographed them as well!
Jeremy, you are such a valuable part of my life!

The last few weeks, my baby sister (who at 18 is no longer a baby) has been a part of an incredible musical theatre performance “Seussical” The musical is based on a series of Dr.Seuss stories, and is charged with quirky characters, vibrant colors and lots of fun!

Who knew that a handful of high school students, and a few choice teachers could create such magic.
Auditions started in September 2007, with approximately 50 students trying out for only 19 spots. The chosen 19 practiced 3 times a week for the following 6 months, twice weekly for choreography, once weekly for vocals. All of their dedication, certainly paid off!

Thursday night, I took my two nieces to the performance. At ages 8 and 5, I was really hoping they would be able to make it through without getting bored, or falling asleep! Near the end of the performance, the youngest looked up at me with a look of dread… “is it almost over” I thought “oh no, they didn’t like it” then she said… “I don’t want it to end!!!” ahhh, it was a success.
You know you’ve done something special when a 5 year old can sit on the edge of her seat, singing along to songs she’s never heard. You know you’ve got a hit when an 8 yr old comes out saying… “Auntie Erin, I think they are right… when they sang that song that said… think how lucky you are.. we are really lucky, aren’t we.” We most certainly are!

I can promise you, that my high school grad class could have never pulled something like this off.

The shows were sold out for their 6 performances, with 176 seats each night! I believe they could have sold out for another few weeks. You could feel and see the amount of hard work, dedication, passion and heart everyone had for the project. What an amazing, talented and creative group of kids. What a wonderful performance. I cant stop thinking that in a world of instant messages, and instant gratification… how blessed we are that there are still incredibly talented human beings out there, willing to work hard and share their gifts with us all.
How lucky we are.

Thank you to everyone involved and for Timberline for putting on such a wonderful performance, and for letting me see my baby sisters theatrical talents soar!

I used to work as a lifeguard/swimming instructor.

I would end up at the pool, irritated to be getting into my bathing suit, dreading the cold unfriendly water. Pick up my clipboard, scramble together a lesson plan and head down the deck begrudgingly. In every instance, no matter how bad my day had been, regardless of what kind of foul mood I was in at the time… as soon as those little people saw me, and started chirping in “hi teacher” with their ears poking out of their swim caps, goggles too big and crooked… it would have been inhuman not to brighten up. It was impossible to be cranky with 5 year olds eager to learn, eyes wide with excitement and anticipation. I would crack, smile and even laugh.

They got me. Every time.

My swim instructing days are long since over, and I often missed the innocence and pure beauty that kids bring to the world. How fitting then, that I photograph children now on a regular basis.

Yesterday I was having a bad day, one of those days. I was trying to pull myself around, pull my boots up… when along came Meigan and it all melted away. What a gorgeous little creation. What a joy to photograph. I hope you enjoy a few of my favorite images of a spirited, wonderful child, who in a blink of the eye, melted away any negativity and made me forget all about myself.
What a fabulous job I have, and no, I don’t miss the pool.

Wedding Venues in and Around Campbell River
I get asked all the time about locations to be married near Campbell River.
Here are a few of my favorite locations. Hopefully they will be of help while choosing wedding venues.

Campbell River Venues

• Vancouver Island Beach House



• Oyster Bay Resort
• Ocean Resort
• Strathcona Park Lodge
• Haig Brown House
• Dolphins Resort
• Painters Lodge
• Mount Washington

Quadra Island Venues

• Taku Resort
• April Point Resort

Courtenay & Comox Valley Venues

• The Filberg Grounds
• Kitty Coleman Woodlands Gardens
• Crown Isle Golf Course