Oceanside Paws and Pose

Home
Canada
Parksville, BC
Oceanside Paws and Pose

Capturing paws and moments in Parksville, Qualicum and Nanaimo | Pets and People | Back in the game after a break | DM for bookings

08/01/2025

I’ll be away the next few days, returning early next week to respond to messages and emails - thank you! 🫶

08/01/2025

We met at sunset, cameras in hand —
and I already knew it was going to be one of those sessions I have trouble leaving.

is a friend and fellow photographer I admire endlessly.
She’s magnetic in the gentlest way — warm, grounded, full of light.

She has that rare ability to soften people’s edges and bring out the best in everyone around her.

So it’s no surprise that when she picked up a camera, she carved out a beautiful life doing exactly what she loves:
creating, connecting, and keeping things honest — all while raising kids, wrangling funky farm animals, and sharing life with her husband.

This session was just for her.

A quiet evening, golden light, a field of tall grass…and Darla….
who, let’s just say, had opinions. 😂
She was delightfully stubborn — but with a little coaxing and a lot of laughter, we found the magic in her strong-willed little soul.

There’s something sacred about two photographers spending time on the other side of the lens together.
No rush, no expectations — just trust, presence, and a shared language that doesn’t need much explaining.

We sat in the field after, talking about photography, life, and how grateful we are to do what we do.

It filled me up in every way.

I’d photograph Stef a hundred times over. And if you’re looking for someone to capture your story with heart and soul — you should absolutely reach out to her.

07/30/2025

Summer at the cabin — mornings by the ocean, afternoons in the woods, sandy toes, messy hair, and the kind of laughter that echoes between the trees.

Kids grow fast. One day they’ll look back and remember swimming, chasing each other barefoot down the path, and their best friend — the old dog who never let them out of her sight.

She’s slower now, but still right there.

If you grew up with a dog, you know — they mark time differently. You measure childhood in their grey hairs and quieter footsteps.

These are the moments to hold onto.

The ones that feel small now, but become everything later.

07/28/2025

Full transparency?

Beach sessions always make me a little nervous. I know, it’s an unpopular opinion—but the light at the beach, even at sunset, can be wildly unforgiving. Harsh oranges, overpowering yellows… photos either end up glowing like fire or swallowed in shadows. And without flash? It can feel intimidating.

But then this family showed up.

They had travelled from another province, staying in a quiet little cottage right on the water. They chose me to photograph their time together—with their senior pup leading the way—and I felt so deeply honoured. Still, I braced for battle with the light.

And then… the sun dipped behind the trees.
Just in time.

If I had arrived even 15 minutes earlier, the whole beach would’ve been too bright. But instead, I got one of my absolute favourite light moments: that soft shimmer peeking through the trees. And yes, the family now knows just how neurotic I get about that because I asked them to shuffle around the beach at least a million times. 😅

Add two kids to the mix and, normally, a session like this could be full of unpredictability. But these two? They were magic.
They peeked behind my camera between shots, giggling, encouraging me, giving feedback (which, honestly, I trust more than most adults 😆), and by the end? They told me this was their favourite photo session ever. My heart is still puddled on the sand somewhere.

Their senior pup was graceful and wise, quietly pacing herself, letting us know when she needed space and when she was ready to shine. When she gave us that “nope” face, we laughed and moved on. When she lit up with joy, I dropped to the sand to catch every inch of that queen energy.

I’ve taken a bit of a break this summer, and coming back to this family as my first session in weeks felt like being gently pulled back into the rhythm of something I love.

This is just a tiny peek.
But soon, they’ll have hundreds of images from one of their favourite summer memories.

And I’ll carry this one with me for a long, long time. ❤️

07/16/2025

Mini Sessions in the Forest – 5 Spots Only ✨

It’s summer, and I’ve been missing meeting new clients — the joy of connecting with new pups and families, hearing your stories, and capturing the little moments that mean everything.

So I’ve opened up 5 weekday evening sessions before Sept — just enough space to welcome a few of you into the forest with me.

These sessions are peaceful, simple, and designed to honour connection — between you, your people, and your dog.

🐾 $150
🌲 30 minutes on a quiet Parksville forest trail
📷 15 hand-edited photos (extras available at $5 each)
👫 Includes 2 people + 1 dog ($20 for each extra person)
🗓️ Mon–Thurs evenings only

Your support funds our family’s own outdoor adventures and truly means the world to us.
Let’s create something beautiful — together.

DM to book.

06/26/2025

✨ New Pricing & Packages – I'd love your thoughts ✨

After a lot of reflection (and some number crunching), I’ve updated my photography packages and pricing. This was not an easy decision, but it’s necessary if I’m going to continue offering the kind of work and care I believe your memories deserve.

Behind every session is hours of editing, years of learning, website upkeep, subscriptions, gas, gear, and a whole lot of heart. I’ve built these packages to reflect the true value of the experience, while still offering payment plans to help make things more accessible.

💬 I’d genuinely love your thoughts – do the inclusions make sense? Is there anything missing you’d like to see added? I’m open to feedback as I fine-tune things.

I do this work because I believe deeply in capturing the bond you share with your pets and loved ones. But in order to keep doing it, the business side has to be sustainable too.

Thank you for being here – whether you’ve worked with me in the past, are thinking about it, or just love seeing these moments come to life. 💛

Here’s the new breakdown – let me know what you think!

*I offer a payment plan as well*

06/13/2025

Last from this set… and it’s harder than I thought to stop sharing.

Every frame felt like a little piece of magic—
the green of the woods, the spring flowers, that golden hush of light,
and the kindest human, making the quiet moments feel full.

I have a feeling this won’t be our last time together.

Cant wait to capture whatever comes next ✨🌿💛

06/12/2025

Sometimes we think we’re not ready—
like our hearts are still living in the space they left behind.

And then, a dog shows up.
Not the one we pictured.
Not the one we thought we needed.

But somehow, the right one.
With their own kind of wild,
their own kind of softness.

They don’t replace the last.
They just find us when we need them most—
even if we don’t know it yet.

06/08/2025

Some people have a kind of quiet magic. You feel it before they speak, and it stays long after they’re gone.

Annika is one of those people.

I photographed her last year with her previous dog — the one who cracked her heart wide open. The one who left too soon. And I’ve thought of her often since. Not just because she’s effortlessly beautiful, but because of the way she sees animals. The gentleness in her hands. The way she meets them where they are, without asking them to be anything else.

So when I saw that she’d taken in a foster dog, I watched from afar — quietly cheering her on through the early days. Baz was a lot. He had that untamed spark that comes with uncertainty and survival. And for a while, she wasn’t sure if she was ready to love another dog. But even in those early videos and photos, I could feel it building — that quiet thread weaving between them. That deep, unspoken pull.

And when I saw them together in person, I knew.
This wasn’t just a foster.
This was fate.
A heart dog, arriving in disguise.

There’s something sacred about witnessing someone love again after loss. It’s not easy. It’s layered and brave and messy. But when it’s real, when it’s meant — it shines. It shows up in every little gesture. The way her voice softens when she says his name. The way he looks back at her like he’s home.

I feel lucky beyond words to have captured both her first and second great love. To be trusted again — to be invited back into someone’s story after grief — is not something I take lightly.

Annika and Baz, you two were pure light. Thank you for letting me see it.

06/04/2025

🌞 Summer Sessions Update 🌞

I’ve been getting lots of messages about summer bookings (thank you! 🐾💛), so I wanted to share a little reminder about how I operate.

Photography is my passion project—not my full-time job. I’m also a full-time working mom, and this business stays joyful for me because I protect that balance.

I’ll be off for the summer but heading out on a few spontaneous camping trips, which means I don’t book sessions more than 1–2 weeks in advance. I know that’s a little different, but it’s how I keep things flexible and fun—not a job, but a creative outlet that fills me up.

I pour myself into every session: meeting you, connecting with your pet, and spending hours editing with care and intention. This is sacred work to me, and I only take on sessions where there’s a true connection. Sometimes that means I refer people elsewhere.

If you’d love to work together this summer, please reach out closer to your preferred date. I’m very likely to have room—I just can’t promise it too far in advance. 🐶📷

Thank you for understanding and supporting the way I do this work. It means the world. 💛

06/03/2025

She brought her two German Shepherds to our session, unsure if it would work. “They can be reactive,” she said. “They get overwhelmed.”

But I told her what I always tell my clients: There isn’t a dog I can’t photograph—as long as I know what they need.

And these two? They showed up. Not just physically, but emotionally. Wild, loving, a little chaotic—like brothers, though not by blood. Just two big-hearted boys who live and love together.

She was calm. Grounded. You could tell she’s done the hard work. Living with large, reactive dogs isn’t always easy—it means adjusting, learning, showing up even when the world misunderstands them. But she chooses them, every day. That’s not just ownership. That’s loyalty.

German Shepherds are intense. Brilliant. Misread. But when they love you, they love you with their whole being. And she meets them there—with patience, structure, and unconditional love.

This is what I live for—photographing the bond, the effort, the beauty in the real moments. If your dog struggles, tell me. I’ll be ready. They don’t need to be perfect—just loved.

06/03/2025

I rarely shoot anything but dogs as a focal point but I am obsessed with these 🥹💛

Address

Parksville, BC

Website

http://www.oceansidepawsandpose.com/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Oceanside Paws and Pose posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.