a guide to
YOUR STORY
DAY IN THE LIFE
BIRTH & FIRST HOURS
THE EVERYDAY FOR EVERY FAMILY
FROM LABOR TO FIRST MOMENTS
EXPERIENCES THAT ARE TRULY YOURS
THE JOURNEY, SPACE, & SUPPORT
NEWBORN IN HOME OR AT HOSPITAL SLEEP DEPRIVATION AND BABY BRAIN ARE ALL WORTH IT
C O N T E N T S
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MEET FELICIA
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DAY IN THE LIFE
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BIRTH
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FIRSTÂ HOURS
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NEWBORN
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TRAVEL
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PRODUCTS
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FAQS
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KIND WORDS
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FRIENDSHIP
Hi there!
I'M FELICIA
Be ready. I will likely hug you at the door. Because hiring me means more than hiring a photographer. I am here to become part of your family. Hopefully for a while. I will get to know you very well in the hours we are together. There will be talking, laughing, and sharing. Sometimes, oversharing, to be honest! I want to learn about what truly defines your family. When shit hits the fan, I will be there to empathize and agree that this parenting gig is HARD. And then we will laugh about our shared struggles as well. By having me be part of your family, you have shown trust in me to capture the most intimate of moments. Affection, joy and silliness, equally with tears, tantrums, and vulnerability. No rules, no expectations, no judgment. Come as you are, reality and all. I will hold your hand through everything. YOUR GUIDE
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MEET
your photographer
Felicia is a documentary photographer who believes that connections are important, normal is relative, and crustier versions of life deserve visual space in family photos. Felicia's work has been recognized for her ability to capture honest moments that are relatable, compassionate, and sentimental. As an instructor for family documentary photography, she works to change the mindset of photographers at the grassroots level to advocate for everyone's version of reality as photo-worthy. She encourages the sharing of these images so that it can inspire change in conversation and mindset. Within her community, she works with local children's hospitals to document early infant loss and still births, and with children hospices to document end of life journeys. Although she spent much of her early adult life as a geologist in pursuit of gem and metal commodities through the Canadian Arctic, the start of a family changed it all. Photos of rocks and landscapes were traded for photos of life. A Borneo native, Felicia found her way to Canadian soil during her teenage years and never left. She currently resides in North Vancouver, BC, in a well-patina'd 105-yr old house with her husband, two girls, and Schnauzer poodle best friend. When there is free-time to be had, she spends it running the north shore trails, developing the next advocacy photo project, or exploring the ever-fading Chinatown streets with her camera.
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Watched the video you made us the other day and what you did was allowed me to see the beauty of our lives and the everyday. This beauty IS happening every day but we are too IN it to SEE it. And now as I'm going through my day(s) with my family I sometimes recall your images and remind myself how beautiful the everyday truly is and how lucky I am to have it. This is my family. This is us. Without the gloss, or sheen, or shine. And ultimately, this is what I hope I can remember. This is what I will wish back a million times over when our children are older and our house is quiet. Thank you for capturing it so well. For giving us something to look on and remind ourselves that those are the years we will always want back. You capture it so perfectly and I am so grateful. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
#visualdiariesforlifestories
DAY IN THE LIFE
SHOW ME THE TRUTH, SO I CAN FIND YOUR STORY IN MY PHOTOS.Â
DAY IN THE LIFE BECAUSE NOTHING IS BETTER THAN REAL LIFE
Family life represented through aesthetically-driven, rose-coloured glasses has always been the standard. What if I said there is another way? A space where we can create memories that represent nuanced moments that are about YOUR reality. Unprompted and unposed, unapologetically. A Day in the Life session is for your everyday. You may feel like life is mundane but I promise you, it is okay just the way it is. There is uniqueness that is true to your family even in the most ordinary moments. The highs and lows that go into being your family will be captured in a way that it will look like no one else's. Don't wait until you realize time has gone by too quickly and there is regret. DO IT NOW. Do it for posterity.
"Owning our story can be hard, but not nearly as difficult as spending our lives running from it. ...only when we are brave enough to explore the darkness will we discover the infinite power of our light. When we find the courage to share our experiences and the compassion to hear others tell their stories, we force shame out of hiding and end the silence." BRENE BROWN
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DAY IN THE LIFE RATES SESSION FEES 4 hours - $600 8 hours - $1000 12 hours - $1250
Session fee is required to confirm your booking. Covers phone consultations, shooting and editing time. Slideshow of my favourite images (Artisan edit) to share with your friends and family. Product (digital and print) purchases are additional and can be made after your gallery is ready for viewing. Please refer to the PRODUCTS section (Page 20) for more information.
As a photographer myself, who constantly has her camera shoved in her kid's face, I wasn't sure how my son would handle having Felicia around for our half day session. I knew I loved her work, but I worried that all she would be able to capture was my kid, hamming it up for the camera with his "Chandler from Friends" grin. But my worries were all unfounded. We *adore* our fusion video and photos from Felicia. She was able to capture completely natural, hilariously accurate, and adorably imperfect moments from our afternoon together. I know I will treasure having these to look back on as my son grows and changes, and I suspect he will too. He asks to watch "his video" all the time, and giggles along with all the silly moments and antics that truly represent our family. Eran (Eran Jayne Photography) Day in the Life YOUR GUIDE
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nuances of everyday "All I can say with tears in my eyes is “thank you”. You are a true artist with an eye for truth telling. I can’t take in all the power in these photos yet, it feels like I’m not allowing myself to at this point. It's all still so raw. Some of the images from the birth and postpartum are hard to look at and process. But I still feel the beauty in them and I know looking back on these will bring me joy. Thank you for them now - while they are hard to look at, and thank you for them in the future - when they will bring me great joy looking back."
Maria Maternity Day in the Life, Birth, Family Day in the Life
OUR FAMILY LIFE IS PRETTY BORING. I AM AFRAID THERE WON'T BE MUCH TO PHOTOGRAPH. Remember, even the most mundane of moments will feel significant when you look back on them. You don't have to structure your day just for me, in fact, I don't recommend it. If it is low-key, then so be it. It is 100% you and absolutely worth documenting. You may not realize it now when you are in the thick of it, but it will become meaningful with time. YOUR GUIDE
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BIRTH
HOLY SHIT, LOOK WHAT WE MADE!
Felicia is so special! She immersed herself into an emotional, messy and unplanned time for our family and captured our baby's first hours perfectly. We forgot Felicia was in the hospital with us as a photographer. She felt like a member of our family and because she was so calm and loving, we were relaxed and real. What a gift to feel the beautiful emotions of that day over and over again. I know the photo collection will become more meaningful as time goes on and the memories of George’s birth and first hours home get fuzzy. It's perfectly ‘us', and we couldn’t be happier! Christina & Jay First Moments & Day in the Life YOUR GUIDE
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Felicia gave us the most beautiful gift for our daughter in a three-part series. Felicia folded seamlessly into the fabric of our family, never intrusive, as if she was always meant to be there. She captured my blessingway, our birth day and a family brunch a few months later - and now, looking back on the story she crafted for us, we get to relive all of that magic. And now I am excited to have her do the same again for our second baby. I highly recommend Felicia to anyone interested in capturing authentic and real moments in their day to day life. Megan & Johan Blessingway, C-Section Birth, Day in the Life
BIRTH & BEYOND home, hospital, birth centre, or anywhere, really.
Birth is an incredible paradox. In the
It is about the rollercoaster of emotions
separation of something that has been together
women go through and the way they
for nine months, there is both joy and relief in
experience it is never the same as another. It is
the cleaving.
about documenting and celebrating women’s bodies. It is the making of a family and the
Birth is so much more than the act of birthing or going through labor. Birth can be beautiful, there is no argument here. But photographing only the beautiful moments would not be a fair representation of what women tell each other when they swap birth stories.
redefining of an existing one. People who choose birth photography want the ability to process their birth journey down the road. The photos will help us see our strength, triumphs, and show the support and love that was given, no matter the outcome.
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IN PREPARATION
All births deserve to be celebrated in
I am here to document your baby's birth day as
photographs. Once you decide that is
honestly as possible, and without judgment. I
something you want, share it with your birth
aim to match the energy of your birth space
caregivers. As birth photography is not yet
and to be as supportive as I can of your choices
commonplace, you may need to advocate for
and journey, however it is shaping out.
your right to photography in some hospitals, particularly in the OR.
NEXT STEPS
COVERAGE
We will meet in person within a month or two
I am available for you at 38 weeks onwards.
before your due date to discuss call procedure
I will come when you are at 7-8 cm dilated,
details, unexpected outcomes, and to get to
but may come sooner if your previous birth
know each other.
history has been precipitous.
As soon as any symptoms occur, keep me updated and on any progress afterwards. Within the on-call period of 2 weeks before your due date (and after if you are overdue),
I will stay up to 2 hours post-birth to capture the first moments with your new baby/babies and any visitors that come by within that time.
please update me with any information from midwife/doctor appointments. YOUR GUIDE
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BIRTH RATES
FIRST HOURS RATES $300 SESSION FEE If birth is not your documentary focus, perhaps the very first hours of your baby's life are: new movements, exploration, sounds, cries, newborn exam and weigh-in, nursing, skin-to-skin, or better yet, visits from older siblings and extended family. For in-hospital or birth centre. Session fee is required to confirm your booking. Covers 2-hours of shooting and editing. Within the first few days, I will send you a few watermarked images to use for announcements. Photo credit would be very much appreciated! Product (digital and print) purchases are additional and can be made after your gallery is ready for viewing. COLLECTIONS: Mini Gallery of 20 images - $1000 Artisan Gallery of 40 images - $1350 Full Gallery (50+) images - $1500 YOUR GUIDE
FIRST HOURS
Oh my goodness. This is absolutely beautiful. You captured it so perfectly I want to cry! Sooooo obsessed with the photos. Thank you so much!
$1000 SESSION FEE 1 in-person consult and 2-week on-call time Session fee is required to confirm your booking. Includes a slideshow of my favourite images (Artisan edit) to share with your friends and family. Within the first few days after your baby arrives, I will send you a few watermarked images to use for announcements. Photo credit would be very much appreciated! Product (digital and print) purchases are additional and can be made after your gallery is ready for viewing. Please refer to the PRODUCTS section (Page 20) for more information.
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labor, delivery & love Birth is undoubtedly transformative and fear and worry is par for the course. Doctor or midwife, hospital or home, epidural or drug-free, vaginal or cesarean - the choices are many. In birth, awareness of what is (or not) within our control and how we have been supported through the process, will be stepping stones to finding self- acceptance for these big changes.
WHAT IF I HAVE A NIGHT BIRTH AND STILL WANT OLDER SIBLINGS TO MEET BABY DURING THE DAY? If visitors and siblings do not make it within the first 2 hours after birth, I offer an add-on of 1-hr coverage ($500 and 10 images) for this so you can have the first meeting captured too!Â
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NEWBORN No words to express my gratitude at Felicia's ability in capturing this moment in my family's life together. They were everything we hoped for and more. I went into the session wanting to encapsulate the emotion of our lives with our newborn son and I feel it all in the pictures. The video was also perfect, capturing all of our baby's different sounds, so I will always remember in my sleep deprived parenting haze. The session felt like Felicia was a friend coming by to visit us. It was lots of fun! Can't recommend her enough!
LIFE DOESN'T GET MORE REAL THAN HAVING A NEWBORN AT HOME Â ERIC CHURCH
THE ANTITRADITIONAL NEWBORN STORY Anne Geddes might well be on to something big for newborn baby photography trends, but we all know that life with a newborn is so far removed from babies in baskets and wraps, asleep in flower fields. Your newborn story is for when the adrenaline is worn off and sleep deprivation and fogginess set in. You are on autopilot, taking it hour by hour, feed by feed. Before you know it, weeks have flown by, a few growth spurts have happened, and it is time for their first set of vaccinations. The first weeks of a newborn is truly when growing happens the quickest, and with the combination of our exhaustion and the repetitive nature of awake/play, feed, sleep, it is remarkable that we remember anything from those days at all. This is where I come in - to help you document all the heavy lifting you are doing to help your baby/babies thrive and grow those cheeks, chins, and rolls. And for parents that are not firsttimers, to show you all the juggling while you shift to make room for this new life/lives.Â
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NEWBORN RATES SESSION FEES
With the exception of a First Hours session at the hospital or birth centre, Newborn Inhome Sessions are photographed as Day in the life Sessions. 4 hours - $600 8 hours - $1000 12 hours - $1250
Covers phone consultations, shooting and editing time. Session fee is required to confirm your booking. Includes a slideshow of my favourite images (Artisan edit) to share with your friends and family. Product (digital and print) purchases are additional and can be made after your gallery is ready for viewing. Please refer to the PRODUCTS section (Page 20) for more information.
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TRAVEL
TRAVEL MAKES ONE MODEST. YOU SEE WHAT A TINY PLACE YOU OCCUPY IN THE WORLD Â GUSTAVE FLAUBERT
Family adventures are such a big part of my family but most of the time, I am the one photographing them and never IN them. I want to change that for YOU so you can be in the moments with your family! TRAVEL SESSIONS IDEAS: Taking me with you on trips Having me travel to your home Reunions, adoption, family adventures, just because. Whatever the reason, if it is meaningful to you, I will be there with you, every step of the way.
TRAVEL DOESN'T BECOME ADVENTURE UNTIL YOU LEAVE YOURSELF BEHIND. MARTY RUBIN
TRAVEL RATES SESSION FEE - $1250 Unlimited hours of coverage in one day; custom quote for multi-day Online Slideshow to share Online Gallery to proof, share, and order products YOU PROVIDE All transportation Entrance fees to sights Room & board Food & coffee Hugs YOUR GUIDE
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adventures abound THERE IS SOMETHING GREAT IN BRAVING THE UNKNOWN.
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Artisan Edit (35+ of my favourite photos) $1500 Extended Gallery (have it all!) $2100
2 3
PRODUCTS
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CHOOSE A DIGITAL GALLERY
ADD VIDEO Fusion Film (video and stills) $500 Family/Birth Film (video only) $750
ADD ALBUM COFFEE TABLE BOOKS Linen-cover 20-pg, 6x9", layflat pages $375 HEIRLOOM ALBUMS 50-pg, 13x10" Linen-cover, photo lux pages with storage box $1250 Upgrades are available
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your story in your hands
layflat pages
foil // blind debossing ALBUMS
debossing on coffee table book
Debossing on heirloom album
linen fabric & hard cover
6x9" coffee table book
press print on thick lux photo paper 13x10" heirloom album
heirloom album storage box
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for your walls
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High quality prints on lustre photo paper. Calibrated to my editing screen. Perfect colours every time. 5 x 7 - $15 8 x 10 / 8 x 12 - $25 11 x 14 / 11 x 16 - $35 12 x 16 / 12 x 18 - $50 16 x 20 / 16 x 24 - $75
PRINT & CANVAS
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PROFESSIONAL PRINTS
Custom sizes and mats available upon request.
FINE-ART CANVAS 1.5" depth, fine-art gallery wraps. Hanging rings included. 12 x 18 - $375 16 x 20 - $500 20 x 24 - $575 Custom sizes available upon request.
1 hr complementary wall art design, additional time available at $25 / hour.
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This is not a session where you need coordinated outfits, let alone new ones! Wear what you normally do, even if it is your favourite t-shirt, stained from the years of love and use. Bring on the PJ's, house coats, mismatched fashion (children or adult!) choices. Just own your style in great comfort. It will be way more telling of who you are.
CAN YOU RECOMMEND LOCATIONS?
I shoot both in-home and onlocation, but regardless of the “where”, the more important question is – will this place be meaningful to you? Think of spaces that your family hangs out a lot in your home or places you visit as part of your ritual or routine. The connection between people is important, but if the environment can enrich the story, it will be even more meaningful!
WHAT DOES A DOCUMENTARY SESSION MEAN?
Documentary sessions mean capturing your family as you are. No posing, no direction, no props. I do my best not to alter the environment or influence your behaviour in any way. My job is to create photos that reflect your experience together, but as a friend, not a photographer with a camera. Sometimes I will quietly observe, other times I will join into the fun that your family is having!
WHAT SHOULD WE PLAN TO DO?
No plan is needed. Offer up a couple of options to get things rolling, and then, let the kids take the reigns. Allow your time together to unfold organically, with no expectations. Relax, enjoy, love on your family, and let me capture all of that. Allow yourself to be truly present.
WHAT IF OUR CHILD DOES NOT BEHAVE?
Please don't apologize or feel embarrassed. The heart of documentary is to own your family's truth. If you child is being who they are with me, as they would with you, then I cannot ask for more. Children are often the most authentic of the bunch; their actions and expressions are pure and unfiltered and that, to me, is gold. Please do not be alarmed if I document those tender or challenging moments as well, because family life is a full spectrum of joy and tears.
CAN WE HAVE TRADITIONAL PORTRAITS?
ARE THERE PAYMENT TIMELINES?
I get it - traditional portraits are important too! Please let me know ahead of time if this is something you would like. We can spend 5 to 10 minutes at some point during your session to do a few camera aware shots. Please note that this is not guaranteed, as some children are just not willing or feeling up to it at that moment.
There is a rough timeline. The session fee is required to confirm your session at the time of booking. Payment for product is due when your gallery is ready for viewing, typically 1 to 2 months after your session date. If you wish to order print products, payment will be required before your order is sent to the professional lab.
FAQ
WHAT SHOULD WE WEAR?
WHAT ELSE ARE WE RESPONSPIBLE FOR?
Food and coffee/tea please! And if we are going to a park or an activity that requires entrance fees, those will be covered by you as well. If yours is a travel session, you will cover travel time (how many days it takes to get there and back), travel (flights/trains etc.), and accommodation costs. If it is your home - a bed or couch would be great!
On average, it takes 1 to 2 months to complete your session. I edit everything by hand, image by image, and the postprocessing is just as important to me as the actual picture taking. I will work as quickly as I can to get them to you, with care and attention.
WHAT IS PRINT PERMISSION?
When you purchase high resolution files, I am giving you permission to make any prints at any size for personal use. In the rare case that printers require proof of this release, I can send something in writing to ensure permission.
HOW WILL YOU USE OUR SESSION'S PHOTOGRAPHS?
I am a big advocate for sharing photographs about real life because it can help normalize moments that are not as visually represented by traditional family portraits. The more we choose to be honest and less ashamed, the sooner we can let ourselves be seen. For this reason, I will ask for you to share and to give me permission to share the photos I have created for you. I may also use your images in my marketing and educational material. If I wish to use your images for commercial or editorial purposes (magazines, stock photography, licensing to third parties), I will seek permission on a case-by-case basis.
DO YOU ACCEPT PAYMENT PLANS?
Absolutely! If you prefer a payment plan, please let me know before we sign the client agreement. We will include the details of the schedule and payment instalments in the addendum so that we will both have a record of it.
ARE ALBUMS, PRINTS AND VIDEO ADD-ONS ONLY?
Yes. It's simple really - choose the digital package you want, and then add any print product afterwards. If you want video, you do need to let me know BEFORE the session so that I can film some footage to create your fusion slideshow.
WHAT IF I DON'T WANT TO SHARE? OR DO?
An industry standard model release allows me to use the images for any reasonable purpose for my portfolio and marketing. That being said, if you give permission to use these images, but do not wish to have your real names used in connection with them, I will respect that request to retain your family’s privacy. If you wish to share, I ask that you give photo credit (either through the use of watermarked images or mentions). This will help others like you find me.
FAQ
HOW LONG BEFORE WE SEE OUR PHOTOS?
WHAT IF I HAVE TO CANCEL/RESCHEDULE?
DO YOU OFFER DESIGN SERVICES?
Your session retainer serves as a non-refundable fee. If you cancel more than 7 days before your session, the retainer may be transferred to a session at a future date within the calendar year. However, if you cancel less than 7 days before your session, I reserve the right to retain the amount in full.
Yes! As long as I have a snapshot of the wall(s) of interest, we can pick your favourite images and I can design a mock-up of what it can look like as a finished product. That way you'll get a really good sense of how they will look like once mounted for display.
KIND
W O R D S
DAY IN THE LIFE
Sarah + Adam
Felicia's pictures are so lovely and I really appreciate having them done - this feels like a very strange, transitional time in our family's life, somewhere between babies and children, sickness and health, moving house, change of season, and on and on. Im so glad Felicia documented it all in such an authentic way. I would love to have her back again in the future.
DAY IN THE LIFE
Cassandra
Ahhhh! I love it! My first thought was "Oh. That's what I look like? Tired and overweight and frumpy and in need of my roots being touched up." But the more I watched it, the more I stopped seeing that. I just saw us and it's real and probably for the first time since having kids, that I'm looking at photos of myself with them and what I look like doesn't really matter to me....because that's really not what anyone else is focuing on. I see this and thin yah, it's crazy chaos but I wouldn't want to be anywhere else. This is exactly how I want me kids to remember their childhood.
DAY IN THE LIFE
Kim + Steve
Tears...happiness...filling. Felicia, you are the most giving photographer. We can feel you in our documentary, which makes it even more special. The details you capture are perfectly poignant!! Wow! We cannot thank you enough, what memories! You got us! Looking forward to more time with you as we grow older and wiser. We can't stop watching. Thank you.
DAY IN THE LIFE
Diana
We were blown away by how much Felicia was able to capture!!! She showed us what our family looks like in all the subtleties and through her ability to find beauty in the mundane. I realized how easy it is to miss so many details when you're in it. We are so grateful to have this part of our life documented so we can continue to relive it in years to come. We've watched the slideshow many times and I see something new every time I watch it. You did such an awesome job Felicia, thank you so much!!!
BIRTH
Liz
The stars aligned such that Felicia was able to be there to photograph the birth of our son and am I ever grateful it worked out. Felicia was a wonderful, calm presence and is talented beyond measure. She captured the many moments of a very quick birth so beautifully. There are photos that I will cherish (and a dozen more that I would happily frame and display) and the video she created is just priceless - and really captured the emotion of the birth so perfectly.
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Let's be friends! https://www.feliciachangphotography.com 604.961.6592 info@feliciachangphotography.com FB: feliciachangphotography IG: @feliciachangphoto