noah & payten | whitehorse children's photographer

A few weeks back, just after the nasty rains were just beginning to think about giving us a break before the snow started to fly, I had scheduled a session with this fantastic family at Fish Lake. Unfortunately, not long into our session, we realized that the post-rain climate had made for perfect conditions for insane black fly breeding! The swarms were unbearable and after a whole-hearted attempt to create fun and relaxed images (with not a lot of success), we decided to wrap up for the time being and reschedule our session another day - away from buggy Fish Lake.

So this past week, we met up along my favorite stretch of the Millennium Trail in Whitehorse along the Yukon River. We walked, we picked flowers, we blew dandelion puffs and we even spotted a few sunflowers that some kind soul had planted along the trail. The sun was shining, the breeze was blowing (which meant NO BUGS!) and we enjoyed a wonderful stroll through the trees.

Occasionally, when the forces are working against us (like bugs, rain, cranky kiddos), we just finish up and continue the remainder of the session another day. I have incredibly high expectations for the variety and quality of image options for my clients to choose from in their session so sometimes, that means we get to hang out together one more time. That's always fun!! I love knowing that my clients are flexible and I do my best to be also, that way there's no pressure and everyone is relaxed and enjoying themselves. Plus everyone's confident that we're getting amazing captures from the time we DO spend together!

So without further ado, here are the images from both sessions with big brother Noah and his little sister, Payten.

Be sure to leave 10 comments below so this family can receive a special prize!!

kaitlyn | porter creek secondary school grad | whitehorse grad girls photographer

This is Kaitlyn. She actually graduated in 2008 but I have her to thank for planting the seed of this project in the first place. She is currently attending University in Calgary (studying Environmental Sciences - proving you can be nerdy AND beautiful!) She joined us on our very long, creative day of shooting and brought with her no shortage of ideas (and outfits!)

I have known Kaitlyn and her family since moving to Whitehorse...before that, in fact. I met her parents (who went to school with my husband) when I was pregnant with my youngest son and Kaitlyn's little brother, Christian was the first friend my oldest son Noah made on his first day of Kindergarten waaaay back in 2003.

She has clearly become a stunning young woman who is creating an amazing future for herself. She is putting herself through Uni with scholarships and busting her butt working (she has committed to avoiding student loans to achieve her education) so I think it's safe to say she's going to be successful at whatever she does.

Oh, and that photo at the bottom... well, she actually uses that gun. She's an avid hunter and goes out into the bush with her dad, Mike often. She might be a country girl (firearms and all) but what a knockout. She cleans up pretty good, no? lol

miriam | vanier catholic school grad | whitehors grad girls photographer

I don't think that this Grad Girls project could have been any more fun than it was. The girls who participated in the event were so keen, fun and easy to photograph! Is it bad to admit that when Miriam emailed me her photo I got kinda giddy about her KILLER red curls?? No? Okay good.

This is the incomparable Miriam. She has some deliciously lofty goals (remember this face, it'll be the face of our Prime Minister one day!) to take the world of politics by storm and turn it on it's head. She is a girl of conviction and is whip smart! She just returned from a whirlwind month-long backpacking adventure around Europe BY HERSELF! Clearly confident and unquestionably beautiful. Look out, UVic, you have no idea what's about to hit! LOL


Hair provided by Main Designs
Makeup provided by Teri Kington

behind the scenes | whitehorse children's photographer

Ever wondered what happens behind the scenes in my clients' homes where I create all the magic that is my photographic awesomeness? Well, wonder no more. Recently, I've been bringing my point-and-shoot camera along with me and my clients have been catching me in action! Check out my setup and how I make some of the images in my sessions!

of course, one of the single toughest shots on the planet is the "all eyes on me" group shot. I always feel pretty darned victorious when I achieve that... although, this isn't quite that shot. But you get the idea!

Stay tuned for more glimpses of what happens behind-the-scenes with Vanessa Falle Photography!

kyle and mason | whitehorse children's photographer

I have been trying to line up a session with this family forever. Their oldest son, Kyle is a real dynamo and getting to meet him was a much-anticipated event, let me tell ya.

This young man has been in and out of the hospital with some serious medical concerns in his eleven years. He was born a mere 4lbs 6oz. and was diagnosed with Scoliosis (curvature of the spine) at the age of five. It was also discovered that he also had a form of Spina Bifida Occulta with Tethered Cord Syndrome.

He has undergone not one but two spinal cord surgeries and in the time since those operations, along with relearning to walk thanks to many hours of physio and occupational therapy, it was also discovered that he had yet another challenge to add to his list : Muscular Myopathy.

He deals with daily chronic pain, hypertension, a heart murmur and mitral regurgitation.

Yet despite these ongoing difficulties, Kyle is a charming, confident and outgoing young man with a penchant for grossing girls out and being wickedly cheeky (and oddly charming at the same time! fart jokes included!!) He is very affectionate and loving (as seen in images with his little brother, Mason) and has clearly made peace with his vulnerability long ago.




While his mom, Tabitha says that days where his pain is manageable enough to allow his silly personality to shine through are few and far between, when they do occur, they are enjoyed by everyone lucky enough to be in his presence. Kyle, I hope that the doctors who are working with you help you find a way to have more silly days and far, far fewer painful ones.

Thanks so much for coming out to my farm guys. It was so wonderful to finally meet you all and to create such meaningful images for you to enjoy for a long time to come. ♥


If you know a family with a child living with a life-altering illness or disability, please put them in touch with Helping Hearts. This organization will connect them with me (or another photographer in their area) who will capture meaningful images like these to help them celebrate their little ones and hopefully find a little healing throughout the process of learning to live with some of the challenges imposed on a family during trying times such as these.

tattoos and piercings | whitehorse photographer

Sometimes I get invited to participate in some exciting, creative events and this time I had just finished a maternity photo session and happened to have all my camera gear on hand... so of course I got in there and played along. These incredible models were invited by the good folks at Triple J's Music in downtown Whitehorse to come out and show off their body art. One of my good friends and clients, Jen (see her maternity photos here) is the resident body piercer and she wanted images of body art in her studio.

yeah, those are piercings. Wild, no?


This beautiful young lady is the niece of Jordi, the co-owner of Triple J's (see her photos at the bottom of this post!)

This is Dan. He's the tattooer for Triple J's... he was also the other photographer on set that day. We had so much fun, didn't we, Dan?!?!

This is Dan's wife and portfolio. Lovely.

This is one of the owners of Triple J's. She was so fun to work with and um... HAWT!! lol I envy people with enough guts to get this much ink. Wow.

This beauty is Akiko. She was the resident makeup artist... Y'think?!?! ROWR!

anne & manuel | whitehorse maternity photographer

Okay, I know I say this all the time but I love my job. Maternity photography is so much fun because my clients are so happy and full of anticipation!! And honestly, how could a person NOT love that kind of energy!

This amazing couple was no different. Anne & Manuel were so warm, welcoming and so stinkin' funny! I can't tell you how much time we spent cracking each other up! These two are welcoming their first baby into the world later this summer and I know that he/she will be lavished with love and adoration... with a mom and dad so cool, funny and fun to be with, how can a kid go wrong!

We spent a portion of their maternity session indoors but then, since the Whitehorse weather was absolutely PERFECT (yes, sometimes the weather man is right), we headed outdoors to include some of the beautiful property that they live on in the images. I couldn't resist this image of them smoochin' at the woodshed. I think this is one of my faves from the day!

What a wonderful couple. I know the waiting is going to be tough for the next few weeks but it will all be worth it! Can't wait to meet your wee one! Thanks so much, Anne & Manuel for inviting me into your beautiful home.

Be sure to leave 10 comments below so this family can receive a special prize!!

griffin | whitehorse children's photographer

This is Griffin. He just turned four and he is one heck of a unique young man. His mom, Nicole got in touch with me through Helping Hearts and here is a little bit of his story:

Griffin was born in April of 2007 after a long and challenging pregnancy & delivery for his mom, Nicole. She dealt with a complicated disorder that threatened her health and safety as well as that of her unborn baby. After his much anticipated arrival, Nicole happily returned home with her new baby. Griffin spent the next two years reaching most of his milestones on the "slower side of the normal range". But it seemed that the older he got, the more slowly he reached those milestones.
"He was diagnosed with Global Developmental Delays, low muscle tone and Sensory Processing Disorder. These were red flags for some serious genetic conditions and genetic testing was warranted. Four months after Griffin's second birthday we finally had our answer..Mosaic XYY Syndrome. It was the root cause for all his issues the SPD, developmental delays, low tone, weak immune system and some other issues we may face in the road ahead."

There isn't a lot of information available on Mosaic XYY Syndrome and as far as she knows, Nicole says that Griffin is the only child in the Yukon with this condition. The availablility of treatment is very limited in Canada and there is only one facility in the US that specializes in genetic conditions as rare as this. His condition is referred to as "Mosaic" because the extra Y chromosome is only found on some of his genes, not all of them which is part of why his condition is so unique.

I spent some time with Griffin a few days before his session to help him adjust to me so that that when I returned a few days later, me and my interesting gadgets wouldn't be overwhelming. He's an energetic, talkative and very curious young guy with a keen enthusiasm for trains and really enjoys playing at the park on the jungle gym. We had a fantastic time together for his photo session and I know his mom Nicole will treasure these images forever.

Thanks for sharing your story with us, Nicole & Griffin. It was a pleasure to help you tell it and to get to know you both.