To keep things consistent with my last post, another huge overshare here! This fun family was getting ready to celebrate their littlest member's first birthday and thought a cake smash and sink bath session would be a great way to start! Despite the fact that we messed with his nap times a little bit, James was in fine form and was a rockstar when it came to the cake smash. He wasn't afraid to get his little hands dirty, and definitely ended up with a pretty decent sugar high! And, of course, it goes without saying that a sink bath makes me over the moon happy as a photographer. It was so fun capturing everyone loving on and celebrating this sweet boy. Happy first birthday James!
Hello friends! Things have been a little crazy around here, but I couldn't wait to share this beautiful family with you. Baby girl Emma surprised her parents, Peter and Madeleine, by showing up several weeks early. We decided to hold off her newborn session a little while to give them time to settle in, and when I met Emma she was the sweetest, roly-poly 2 month old. Perfect age for a sink bath, am I right?! Her big brother was so proud and an excellent assistant to dad during her bath time. I loved capturing this little routine and now I'm thinking sink baths may need to become a regular part of my sessions...I'm hooked! I'll leave you to scroll through the images below and trust that you'll feel the love this family has for one another and their sweet new addition!
I had such a fun morning with this little family of three in their beautiful, bright home. They were super kind when I was 15 minutes late because I couldn't find their house (my dear friend Google Maps led me astray)! Matthew found me knocking on the door to the wrong house, where luckily no one was home! When I finally did arrive I met baby girl Kaya, who is only 6 months old and already sitting and crawling...she was always one the move! Her parents certainly have their hands full with this sweet little lady. The combo of giant windows and her gorgeous eyes gave us some beautiful images. Matthew and Vanessa were so full of love for their sweet and spunky daughter, and I just loved capturing these memories for this family.
Brace yourselves, folks. There is a whole lot of perfect, chubby 8 month squish below this text. His name is Abdullah, and along with the cutest role-poly little baby bod, he is also sporting a pair of gigantic, expressive brown eyes. I'm actively holding back from writing all of those adjectives in CAPS LOCK by the way ;) Abdullah and his parents, Daniel and Sadaf, were in Ontario visiting family (they hail from Australia), and wanted to take the time to freeze this adorable and fun stage in their family's life. Like my Levi, Abdullah is (or hopefully was by now!) a terrible sleeper, so Daniel, Sadaf and I bonded over mutual understanding of the tortures of long term sleep deprivation and I tried to pass on some hope that maybe he will start sleeping at 10 months like Levi did! I had such a fun morning with this laid back and loving family, and I'm now seriously contemplating making 8 month sessions a thing :)
It's been quite a while since I've posted any personal photos, so here is a little glimpse into our spring! I haven't felt super motivated to shoot in our home since finishing my 365 in February, but I think the warm weather and spending time outdoors is bringing that desire back to me. Watching Levi discover all the things the outdoor life has to offer has been a lot of fun, and has also had the added benefit of exhausting him so we are getting some good naps these days! Also all this humidity is making his curls just amazing! This spring we celebrated our second Father's and Mother's Days, took Levi bowling for the first time, spent the long weekend at the cottage and (one of us) started falling asleep in strange places. One of my goals this summer is to learn to do video on my big camera, so stay tuned for some super amateur vides of Levi ;)
Oh heavens. I apologize in advance because this is a LONG blog post!!! This family allowed me to capture so many beautiful moments that I just couldn't choose. Between a gorgeous old home, a spunky and fun 2 year old and an incredibly sweet newborn baby boy, this session was what dreams are made of! Little miss Millie (the cutie in the pigtails) was so much fun to hang out with. She didn't hesitate to warm right up and enjoy her time in the spotlight, which I think is very evident in the photos of her below! She was a darling big sister to baby Woodrow, giving him lots of kisses and trying to calm him when he cried. Woodrow was the most adorable little squish, with plenty baby chub since he arrived 2 weeks past his due date! He slept so well and was such an easy model. Niki and Chris (parents to the two cuties) were so incredibly kind and seemed to navigate life with two littles with and admirable amount of grace and humour. If you haven't gotten the gist, I really enjoyed my morning with this family, and I hope you can feel the love they have for one another in these photographs!
You know you have a photogenic child on your hands when a 15 minutes session produces basically an entire gallery! This is what happened when I got the beautiful miss Lainey in front of my lens! Lainey's mama is my cousin Katelyn (the other beautiful lady in the photos), and we got to see each other for a family baby shower, so we just quickly took a few minutes to do a mini 7 month milestone session for Lainey before the festivities got started. Honestly, I could have captured this girl all. day. long. I mean, look at those baby blues! And that smile! Stop. I can't even handle it. And this was right before nap time, which as we all know is not when most babies are at their best. I'll be quiet now and let her sweet face speak for itself. Scroll all the way down, you won't be disappointed! Have a happy Friday friends!
I met miss Caleigh when she was 3 months old, and I definitely forgot what a sweet stage this is! She's as beautiful as baby girls come, with a beautiful head of hair (complete with an endearing little bald spot in the back!), some gorgeous long eyelashes and cheeks for days. I have to say I have been getting so lucky with all of the older babies I have photographed lately...they've all given me the sweetest sleeping shots, which are much harder to come by once the newborn days pass! Caleigh was in her Fisher Price lamb swing when I got there, the same one we have, and it brought me back to the days when Levi was tiny enough to fit in his (insert crying emoji). I never felt like each stage was passing as quickly as it did, and I still find myself thinking that the current stage will be much longer, but it never is! Natalie and Justin, I hope you treasure these photos of you baby girl and that they will bring you right back to the days of bald spots and chubby cheeks.
If ever there was a blog post to convince you to have photos taken of your 2 month old baby, this is it! Little Celeste was so sweet and smiley, gave me some beautiful eye contact and was just a dream all around to photograph. Seriously such a wonderful age to capture! Her parents Danielle and Matteo were so fun to work with, and naturals in front of the camera (we know where Celeste got it from!). Celeste's name was chosen partially because her parent's loved the sound of it in English and Italian, since her daddy is from Italy and it's where her parents met. I had such an enjoyable afternoon hanging out with this new family and learning their story. I know Celeste will only add to her parent's already beautiful adventure!
Photographing newborn sessions for first time parents is such a special privilege. To be able to come into their home, witness and capture their first days as parents is an honour. There is still a lingering sense of disbelief and awe that this is real life! Jenna and Daniel were so enchanted by their beautiful baby boy, Hunter, and I think he was pretty amazed by them as well! He spent some time just studying his mama's face at the beginning of our session, and it was the sweetest thing (exploding ovaries over here!). If you're searching for some nursery inspiration, you need to check out Hunter's...bright and beautiful space with a monochromatic palette and adorable woodland accents. I had so much fun shooting this delightful family in their home and to witness their love for their newest family member.
You all know how much I love photographing newborns...but I think I equally love the older babies! I met up with Bennett and Jenn and their 5 month old baby girl Bailey on a chilly morning in March to capture some beautiful memories in their home. Bailey was full of sweet smiles (as well as some drool haha!) and has the most beautiful blue eyes! Seeing her chewing away on her chubby hands and Sophie the giraffe took brought back so many memories of Levi at this stage. Her parents just love their little lady to bits and it was an honour to capture this fun stage in Bailey's life for them!
Say hello to baby Matthew, his big sister Alexandra and their wonderful parents, Adina and Mike. This family was such a pleasure to photograph...Matthew was so perfect and content and gave me some super sweet poses as he moved his hands wherever he pleased! Big sister Alexandra was quite possibly the friendliest two-year-old I've worked with, and although she was not one to sit still for the camera we got some really fun, candid moments of her being herself! My favourite is the one of her cute little face peeking through the curtains. I just love love love capturing toddlers in all their energetic glory! They are so uninhibited and joyful and these qualities can make for some truly memorable photos :) Adina and Mike were super laid back and game for whatever I had in mind, and I had a wonderful time playing with all the beautiful windows and light in their gorgeous home. I wish them many blessings as they enjoy these first days with their new baby boy!
Say hello to miss Bea! Her family's beautiful and charming old home was the perfect setting for Bea's newborn session. She was five weeks old, but as you can see that didn't stop her from sleeping through most of our time together! As you will note below, big brother Wally was a bundle of fun and energy, and although he kept insisting on "no pictures", he still somehow managed to give me a few of my favourite toddler shots to date! I think it's safe to say we were friends by the end :) Their parents certainly have their hands full, but in the most wonderful of ways! Congratulations on your sweet girl Caitlin and Blaine!
This family was every photographer's dream. Kind, laid back, well dressed, white walls (my fellow photographers will appreciate how much easier this makes our lives!) and so much love. Julia had given me the heads up that their son had a lot of energy, and he did not disappoint! He was constantly on the move and provided so many great moments that I had a hard time choosing which ones to post, so as you will see below I posted all of them (not actually, but close!). Julia and Daniel are expecting another baby boy in just a few weeks, and I am confident that he will be both well loved, and well entertained ;) Julia and Daniel, thank you for welcoming me into you home and trusting me to capture this beautiful time for your family.
Here you have it folks! The last few weeks of my Project 366. I kind of stuttered through the last month, rather than finishing strong, but such is life, and I'm still proud that I completed it! I'm not sure what I'll do now. I like the feeling of not having to force myself to come up with a new idea every day, so I am going to enjoy shooting our life only when I feel inspired for a little while. I'm thinking that I may do another daily shooting project for the 100 days of summer, but we shall see! To any who have cared enough to follow along, thank you! I enjoy sharing my work and have seen so much growth in my art over the past 12 months. Now please brace yourselves...there is a lot of Levi happening in this post!
It was a grey foggy morning when I pulled up to this family's home after a bit of a sketchy drive (because of the fog, not my driving skills!). But as you can see there was nothing grey or dreary going on once I walked through the door! I was greeted with so much warmth by Kassandra and Brent, as well as by the littlest cutie who was running around sans pants! Both boys totally ignored my camera which was a real treat, and we captured some beautiful, candid memories of them enjoying time together, with their parents and destroying a beautiful cheese board. There was also a very patient kitty thrown into the mix somewhere. It would be crime for me not to mention their gorgeous home...it was the perfect setting for an in-home family session and I will be stalking Kassandra's beautiful blog, Little DeKonings, for decor inspiration for many years to come! If anyone has any suggestions for how to convince my husband to redecorate our entire home, please send them my way ;)
Are you feeling it yet? That sense of impending doom when you realize that winter is really just beginning and is going to last foreverrrrr?! Well friends, fear not, because this family is going to show you how properly handle a freezing cold Saturday morning in the comfort of your own home. That's right, don your sweats and some cozy socks, break out an elmo snack catcher, cuddle up with your favourite people (and pets) and you're good to go! If your favourite people are a squishy baby boy and a sweet-as-can-be toddler, even better. Seriously though, Vanessa and Scott have the sweetest little guys and were the warmest and kindest people you could ask to spend a freezing cold Saturday morning with! Here's to hoping the rest of the winter's in-home family sessions are this cozy! Keep warm friends :)
