Spring has always been my favourite season. To me, spring blooms with the promise of growth and new beginnings. And of course, cherry blossoms.
The origin of cherry blossoms in Vancouver dates back to the early 1930s when a Japanese immigrant named Riichi Shibusawa, who was a prominent member of the Vancouver Cherry Blossom Association, donated 500 cherry trees to the city.
Shibusawa's gift was a gesture of goodwill between Japan and Canada and was intended to commemorate the Japanese-Canadian soldiers who fought in World War I. The cherry trees were planted in Vancouver's Stanley Park, and their beauty quickly captured the attention of locals and visitors alike.
Over the years, the cherry blossoms in Vancouver have become an iconic symbol of the city's beauty and diversity. Every spring, the cherry trees bloom, and their pink petals create a stunning display that attracts tourists from all over the world. The cherry blossoms in Vancouver are not limited to Stanley Park. In fact, the city is home to over 40,000 cherry trees, which can be found throughout the city's neighborhoods and public spaces. Each year, the Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival releases a map that highlights the best locations for cherry blossom viewing in the city.
Spring this year in Vancouver has been full of rain and gloomy days, but on the rare occasions where the rain stops just for a bit, the cherry blossoms make for a dreamy and breathtaking backdrop for a photoshoot!
Lynnea first reached out to me back in February with the idea to surprise her partner, Amit with a couples shoot in the spring. I was 100% on board and ecstatic! A photoshoot is one of the sweetest gifts you can get for your partner (and yes, I might be a teensy bit biased) - think about it: you both have an excuse to dress up for each other, turn it into date night, you get to try fun poses together, and then after the photoshoot you can find a nice place to go for dinner since you're all dressed up! And of course, within a few weeks you'll have a beautiful gallery of photos to scroll through that you can print out and look back on in the future.
I doubt I will ever grow tired of exploring Vancouver during cherry blossom season. My goal is to do a photoshoot at every point on that cherry blossom map. For this shoot with Lynnea and Amit, I suggested UBC campus since Lynnea also wanted to get some graduate portraits done. UBC has beautiful cherry blossom trees but also a wide selection of backgrounds that make for some really nice portraits!
Lynnea's white dress and Amit's complementary outfit went perfectly with the soft pink hues of the cherry blossoms. Her hair clip, in my opinion, is the small yet perfect accessory that harmoniously ties their outfits with the dreamy cherry blossom background. It's all in the details!!
A couple of interesting facts about Lynnea and Amit:
1. Amit was a child actor and was on the YTV show “Mr. Young”!
2. A year before Lynnea and Amit met, she worked across the street from where he lived. He would often walk his dog right where Lynnea would be working.
The easy and relaxed nature of Lynnea and Amit when they are together made capturing candid photos extremely easy. Amit is really good at making Lynnea laugh, which anyone can clearly see in these photos!
They brought some props along to set up a mini picnic for this shoot and I went wild. Can you think of anything that screams romance louder than picnic + cherry blossom? Ya, me neither.
Kind words from the couple
Anne was absolutely on-point in executing my vision for this surprise photoshoot for my partner! We felt so comfortable shooting with Anne, and she was so helpful with informing us of what poses would look best if we felt unsure. The pictures turned out perfect and I couldn’t be happier with the quality, editing, and the creativity she put into the shots! I would 100% recommend Anne for anyone looking for a photographer for any type of shoot.
Lynnea and Amit, I am immensely grateful for the privilege to be your photographer once again. It brings me immense joy to be a part of your love story, capturing this special moment that will forever be etched in your memories. I am excited to see where your journeys will take you both and look forward to documenting more milestones in your beautiful love story.