At the end of this session, G’s mom said “It was nice to spend a few hours just admiring my baby boy”.  A nice reminder of how special it is to spend time with those we love doing nothing but watching them.

G is an easy one to admire – just look at those eyes! He was such a sweet boy to spend the afternoon with. He is smiley, inquisitive and expressive! He is also very loving – some of my favourite captures from the session are the ones of him and his mother.

Thank you for having me over to capture G at 7 months, Val. As always, I enjoyed our time together! Enjoy your sneak peek!

This shoot was another first for me.  It was a special shoot which reminded me of just how much I enjoy getting to learn the details about people.

I was contacted by Carrie to capture her family in the house that she grew up in. The focus was on capturing her father – both as an individual and in his relationships with his family. In the few hours that I was at their house I got to learn about a father, a pilot, a woodworker, a comedian, an organizer, a gardener, a reader, a loving grandfather, husband and a kind and patient man (among many many more roles…). This man is adored by his family.

This shoot was so special to me. I left inspired to think about what ways we can make our mark on the world and those around us.

Thank you Carrie and family for the opportunity to capture your fun and outgoing family.  It was a perfect way to spend a morning.

I photographed this family before we closed down for the holidays and I am happy to finally get to blog them!

The F family was so much fun! All of them were into getting some great photos and would do whatever necessary – climb trees, run up hills, wrestle with dogs. We almost lost M in a pile of mud.  However the belt she wore (which proved to be a good handle) and a husband with lightening quick reflexes saved us from this.

I’ve not had the chance to photograph many dogs, so the addition of Sophie was something new for me . Sophie was such a loveable, cuddly, snuggly dog – in our family we would call her a “love lump”.  She was a joy to photograph!

I also haven’t had the chance to photograph many teenagers. Photographing M was such a treat. She had amazing ideas for what we should do – and she was so interesting to talk to. Plus, she photographs beautifully – she is so photogenic.

Thank you F family for the chance to photograph your family. It is so obvious how much you love one another.

I spent a relaxing and fun afternoon with the S family today. I feel spoiled that part of my job is getting to know really interesting people – we had some great discussions about travel, renovations, labour and delivery and phone calls (jk) . They labelled themselves as boring accountants – they definitly aren’t.

And baby B was SO good to me. He slept for almost the entire time. He was adorable – when I changed his position, he would let out a little squeak, and then settle down again. And he was snuggly – which makes me happy.

Thank you M and K for the wonderful afternoon! I’m so happy that we finally got to meet.

Another beautiful baby! Little E was a doll – he has the sweetest cheeks and the cutest little nose. And a big gummy smile – I love big gummy smiles!

I was reminded during this session of the importance of capturing the process through the session. Some of my favourite captures happened while E’s Mom was trying to get him to sleep. His favourite place is her shoulder and you can tell.

Thank you D and J for having me over! You are such a sweet, relaxed family – I enjoyed my time with you.

This is my 3rd visit to  K’s house – and it was just as much fun as the previous 2 times! The last time I saw him he was a sleepy newborn and now he is a sweet, happy 8.5 monther. He was SO calm and content and smiley and interactive.

His mother had a vision of some black and whites for the bathroom. I thought for sure when we stuck him in the bowl he was going to howl – nope. His mother referred to him as the Zen baby, and I have to agree. He was up for anything and full of smiles while doing it (there was a slight complaint when we put him in the bear costume…but it didn’t last for long).

Thank you D and M for having me over again. I really enjoy your company and our conversations! (and thanks for lending me the Europe maps!) I look forward to our next shoot!

Enjoy your sneek peak!

Thank you to Giovanna for the storyboard template! (http://bellanimaphotography.com/)

This was another fun session. S and I go way back…to grade 7! We haven’t seen each other much over the last 10 years, so I was thrilled when she contacted me to come and capture her family.

It was a good thing that we had a lot to catch up on! 6 week old B decided that he was going to give us a bit of a challenge when we wanted him to sleep. All of the nursing, shooshing, rocking, cuddling etc. etc. gave S and I a chance to chat.

While we were waiting for B, I also had the chance to photography his big brother C. This 2 year old was a hoot! He was so full of energy, ideas, energy, games and energy. We played soccer, quoted “Cars” and he practiced his tackling.  What a sweet sweet boy. I love his cheeky little tounge in this capture:

And here is B giving me the warning look that this session is going to require some work

And finally (the cheeks!):

Thank you so much S and G for having me over. It was SO nice to catch up – can’t wait to get together again!

So I get to the end of the mini sessions, I have my last family and THIS is what I have to deal with:

They were tooo much fun!

This was the family that hosted the (what I hope will become yearly) mini sessions. They were just as much fun as the other families – and just as easy to capture! One of my favourite things about photography is capturing people as they are – especially when they are around those they love. It was such a pleasure to capture how the parents still look at each other so fondly (after 10 years) and how much they love their children for who they are. The kids were encouraged to run through corn fields, climb on tractors, chase after each other and ride on their parent’s shoulders.  I love that.

Thank you so much B and L for the superb day. To get to eat good food, drink good drinks, hang out with fun people and capture moments with my camera is a perfect way to spend a Saturday. And to A and R – you guys are so much fun and so adventurous…I can’t stop smiling as I edit your proofs!

Thank you!

And now your sneak peek (you’ve been patient…):

For my first set of mini sessions, I was totally spoiled. The C family were so so so easy to work with and obviously loved being with each other. Little J had missed his nap and S was really interested in playing with the trains- but they were so well behaved while they humoured me. S was patient with me and taught me about Blue Planet (and how to make eyes with cucumbers). And J had the sweetest little scrunchy cheeks when he smiled! He offered me one of my favourite moments during the day –  playing with milkweed pods. I loved watching and capturing him enjoying the “country bubbles”.

Thank you C and J for the session full of laughs! And thank you S and J for being the sweet boys you are – it was so much fun  capturing your personalities.

Enjoy your sneak peek! Your gallery will be ready soon.

When I book a family and I am told that they have a 3 year old and a 5 year old, I make sure that I get a good night’s sleep and that I am ready to entertain! I have my own 3 year old – and it is a WORKOUT doing a photoshoot with her. The minute she is bored, she is finished.

Well these 2 totally went against what I thought I knew. I got a good workout – but not from having to entertain them and get them interested in the camera. We ran around the woods, jumped off logs and chatted away throughout the shoot. They were both SO good at following suggestions – and they were patient as they waited their turn.  What a way to start a day of mini sessions!

Thank you to the M family for a wonderful morning. You are such a relaxed family – it was easy to capture your obvious connection.  A and M – I really enjoyed my time with you learning about Super Friends and Hanna Montana. You are both such sweet, adventurous and interesting kids – what a treat it was to photograph you!

Hope you enjoy your sneak peek!