Free Spirit Weddings

07/26/2026

I’ve been a professional photographer for 16+ years. I own more cameras and lenses than I care to admit… probably close to $60,000 worth of gear.

And yet… some of my favourite photos of my own family were taken on my old iPhone 14 with a $20 tripod and a little Bluetooth remote.

Are they perfect? Nope.

One kid blinked. One refused to smile. Someone got their hair pulled. There was definitely a fight. 😂

But that’s kind of the point.

I don’t do these little cellphone photo shoots because I’m trying to create perfect family photos. I do them because they’re an excuse for us to spend an hour together.

We take a few pictures, skip stones, play with the metal detector, chase each other around, and somehow those evenings end up being some of my favourite memories.

When I was growing up, there aren’t a lot of photos of me. It’s something I’ve always wished I had more of.

So maybe that’s why I do this now.

I want my girls to grow up knowing they were photographed not because everything was perfect… but because they were loved. Because they mattered enough for us to stop what we were doing and say, “Let’s remember this.”

Photos aren’t really about what you looked like.

They’re proof that you were here. That you belonged. That someone loved you enough to make sure you’d have something to look back on one day.

And honestly… I think that’s worth way more than perfect.

07/24/2026

Kind of a cool moment to spot my work in the wild!!! Came across this while walking my dog.... When I was planning this shoot, the goal wasn't just to take a nice group photo. We wanted the lawyers to feel approachable, genuine, and human....but they also want to know you can stand your ground when it matters.

That's why I lit it the way I did. The soft light keeps it warm and approachable, while the deeper shadow adds a bit of strength and edge.

07/22/2026

How I think through branding.... conversation to creative concepts

07/14/2026

Walking into a shoot like this is always interesting because I literally don’t know anybody.

Five people. Different companies. Different personalities. Never met.

Then it’s basically my job to somehow make them look like they’ve worked together forever.

That’s the challenge I actually love.

I’m watching people the second they walk in. Who’s shy? Who’s the loud one? Who’s uncomfortable? Who’s going to loosen everyone else up?

Once people stop thinking about how they look and start laughing, that’s when the good photos happen.

That’s the stuff I love. The camera is honestly the easy part. Getting people to forget it’s even there… that’s where the magic happens.

07/13/2026

I had her in a day camp that just didn’t sit right. So we ditched it. Now we bike around, get slushies, and I soak up these moments

06/16/2026

No reflector? Use your jewelry. Hold a silver necklace up to your face, then a gold one. Whichever makes your skin look more alive = your undertone. Warm (gold) → Spring or Autumn. Cool (silver) → Summer or Winter. Knowing that gets you 70% of the way to your season. Start there.

06/10/2026

Tonight at 7PM I’m joining one of the photography instructors at Mohawk College for a live podcast chat! 🎙️

We’ll be talking about my journey as a photographer, my lighting and creative process, and I’ll be sharing some examples of my work. It’s geared toward photography students, but anyone is welcome to tune in!

Come hang out. Link below. 👇

https://www.youtube.com/live/K1vc4-wkh6E?si=FxxJr43M5B6VVl4K&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAYnJpZBEyczFKdDRzNmNtUUp3OWZ0T3NydGMGYXBwX2lkEDIyMjAzOTE3ODgyMDA4OTIAAR4xVq6Ew4kLoZ1AQpzVh6rE_bQixlPmW55wHEDmKtF4BZqkx1VZsyW-nR7P7w_aem_GeNWVxT8BeObcNpEhhmusQ

Danielle BlancherBased in Hamilton, Ontario, Danielle Blancher Ph...

06/04/2026

For years I lived in black.
I told myself it was slimming. That it was chic. That black goes with everything.
What I didn’t realize was that I was basically disappearing.
When you find the colors that actually work WITH your skin tone — your eyes light up, your complexion glows, and there’s this magnetic quality that no all-black outfit ever gave me.
That’s not an exaggeration. That’s color theory.
If you haven’t explored your seasonal palette yet, it’s worth the time. It changed how I show up in photos, in person, and honestly — in how I feel.

05/29/2026

Quick demo: same pair of pants, different placement. When I put them at the smallest part of my body — my upper hip — it creates a point of contrast that shapes my silhouette the way I want.

In layman’s terms? Points of contrast are the lines in an image that draw your eye. They frame your body and tell the viewer how to perceive your shape. For me, I want that line at my narrowest spot — not lower, where I carry a little belly.

If you’ve ever looked at photos of yourself and felt like your pants sat on you funny, this is probably why. A lot of women don’t realize there’s actually a solution — it’s all about where the lines of your clothing land on your body.

This is exactly the kind of thing I walk my clients through before a shoot. If you’re prepping for a photoshoot and need help figuring out what outfits actually flatter you, send me a DM. This is part of my method.

05/27/2026

Quick & casual edit walkthrough using one of my own portraits (📸 thanks to for snapping this one!). Just a peek at my process — nothing fancy. I’m using as a plugin in to smooth skin while keeping texture intact, then finishing with some AI presets in . Clean, simple headshot edit — not a tutorial, not a masterclass, just me doing my thing. ✨