You know that awkward, self-conscious feeling you get when someone is pointing a camera at your face and you're trying to look super cool and natural at the same time? Well meet baby Kyle. He has obviously never experienced this before. I mean, look at that first photo...that pose was all him. I think he gets his laid back ways from his parents, Mira and Ken. They were so calm and natural in front of the camera and just let their love for their baby boy shine through. They also didn't get mad at me for moving half the furniture in their apartment, which was a big plus ;) I seriously enjoyed every moment of this newborn session, editing and all, and look forward to seeing this little man grow!
Meet miss Leah! Newborn baby daughter to my wonderful friends Cait and Ryan. As you can see, she has the best head of hair! I honestly could have photographed it all day, and I think she actually would have let me. She was so well behaved and our session went so smoothly thanks to her cooperation. It was so fun to see Cait and Ryan in their new roles as parents...Peter and I were the first of our friends to have a baby so it was nice to see someone else yawning too haha! I look forward to many walks and playdates (a.k.a. protecting Leah from Levi's hugs and kisses) with this little one and her mama :)
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.
Oh hey there! This golden-haired beauty that you're about to see below is my cousin Megan. We are the same age and have grown up together playing house, Barbies, and boarding school (complete with a mean headmistress), and even made our younger siblings dress up and marry one another with all of our stuffed animals lined up there as witnesses. Now twenty or so years later she is about to become a mom, and I think its safe to say that all of those games were good preparation for her next phase of life ;) Oh yes, also that guy in the photos is her husband Danny and he is awesome too. He was more than willing to trek into their backyard that had like 3 feet of snow without any boots so we could get a few more outdoor photos. That's a winner in my book! Anyway I could rant for a while about these two because I love them, but I'll let the love and joy in these photos speak for themselves. This baby is already so incredibly loved and cherished and I am so excited to capture their sweet baby when he or she makes their appearance in April.
I knew I was going to have a lot of fun with Helen and Glendon from the moment they emailed me some silly photos of them modelling their maternity session outfits. These two clearly had a great sense of humour. And, of course, they didn't disappoint! We did their maternity session on a freezing cold February morning and they were crazy enough to brave the cold so we could get some outdoor shots. I was in a parka and I was freezing, so they deserve some serious credit for posing and looking amazing without any jackets! We had such a fun time, and I cannot wait to capture their baby boy when he arrives in April :)
This is my beautiful friend Cait and her sweet baby bump (P.S. she was 38 weeks pregnant during this shoot...doesn't she look AMAZING?!). When Cait first asked me to do her newborn session she thought she probably wouldn't want any maternity photos, but as she neared the end of pregnancy she changed her mind and I am SO glad! When you're going through it pregnancy can feel so long and often unglamorous and it can be hard to feel comfortable in your own body...or at least I know that's how I often felt. But in reality it is such a fleeting time and to me it felt hard to imagine that it had ever happened once it was over. I remember after Levi was born and was in the NICU, lying in my hospital bed and thinking how weird it felt that I was really by myself for the first time in so long. Cait, I hope you look back on these photos and remember this beautiful time of anticipation and closeness with your precious baby girl.
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 ;)
December is always an exciting month. The Christmas tree goes up, a tub (or two, or three) of candy cane ice cream makes its way into the freezer, we celebrate birthdays, wrap up presents and get to spend many days cherishing time with family. This December was extra exciting though because my baby sister got engaged to an amazing guy just before Christmas, and I can finally officially say that our family has the best siblings-in-law. That's right, be jealous. The Christmas festivities themselves were a little crazy with a toddler (remember how he was just a little immobile blob last year?!) but Levi loved all the attention and we are thankful to all the uncles, aunts and grandparents and others who helped keep him out of trouble. I hope that your holidays were both fun and restful and that your New Year is off to the best start!
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 :)
Oh November. We have a bit of a love/hate relationship. Actually, it used to be just hate until Levi was born last November. But this year we saw our little man turn one. It’s hard to believe! Peter and I are enjoying discovering more about his little personality and it is pretty wild how quickly he is learning new things. We had a couple of dicey weeks with his molars coming in and I felt like I was going to lose my mind once or twice, but I am lucky to have the best mother-in-law who took Levi off my hands for a few afternoons so I could regroup (also my mom will want me to mention that she was off saving lives in Ghana otherwise she would have helped me too)! I think we have one more 1-year molar to go and then I’m keeping my fingers crossed that we’ll be done with teething for a while! Anyhow, I am marching along with the project and I think making it through this month was a victory. Hoping I can blaze through Christmas and then January and finish strong!
From the moment Nicole contacted me I knew I was going to love this family. So easygoing, flexible and fun, all ingredients for an enjoyable session! And the cherry on top? Peyton’s amazing hair and the fact that she was constantly yawning, which just might be the cutest thing a baby can do. She is clearly so loved by her big brother and parents. Nicole and Chase made two under two look effortless (don’t worry guys, I know its hard work!) and made me feel so welcome and comfortable in their home. I was honoured to capture these memories for them and hope that these photos will one day transport them back to that wild and beautiful time that they welcomed their baby girl.
In November Courtney and Ren welcomed their beautiful rainbow baby into the world! I had the pleasure of capturing their maternity photos and was counting down the days until I got to meet their newest family member! I trekked out to their cozy country home and got to capture some special memories of their first days together. Of course, when little Fay found out that I was coming she was far too excited to sleep! Luckily Courtney already knows this girl like the back of her hand, worked her mommy-magic and after some cuddles and rocking we had the sweetest sleeping baby on our hands. I’ll let her modelling skills speak for themselves. Courtney and Ren, I wish you many blessings as you embark on this journey of parenthood!
I'll be honest, this week is off to a bit of a rough start. Apparently we have entered the season of temper tantrums and Levi is bringing them full force! So in the age-old tradition of stress eating I ate a well-rounded breakfast of M&Ms and leftover pizza this morning. In case maybe your week needs a little pick-me-up too (and if you don't have a 1 kilo bag of M&Ms in your cupboard), here is my favourite recipe for you. It is seriously the best cake ever...everyone who has ever tasted it raves about it. I wish I could take credit for thinking this recipe up, but I got it from my mom and its origins prior to that are unknown! The best part about this cake is that it makes a bundt pan AND a loaf pan from one recipe, so if you make it to give to someone, or take it somewhere you still have a little loaf to eat yourself!
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter
- 2 cup sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 2 1/2 cup mashed bananas (~6, I never measure!)
- 3 cups flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 package milk chocolate chips
Instructions
- Cream butter & sugar
- Add vanilla & beaten eggs, then bananas
- Combine dry ingredients, except cinnamon & brown sugar
- Add dry ingredients to wet, alternating with sour cream, ending with dry (in other words, mix in
1/3 dry, 1/2 sour cream, 1/3 dry, 1/2 sour cream, 1/3 dry)
- Pour 1/2 batter into bundt & loaf pans
- Mix cinnamon & brown sugar & pour 1/2 over batter in pans, then pour 1/2 chocolate chips over
batter
-Repeat layers
- Bake at 350F for 45-50 minutes
Phew! I wasn't sure this post was going to make it up, because I was SO inconsistent with my daily shooting this month. But when I started this project I told myself that if I missed a day I just had to fill it in with another photo, even though it was taken on another day in that month. Otherwise I'm not sure I would have taken on such a huge project...you need to give yourself a little grace sometimes! October brought the cold weather and a couple of colds with it. Poor Levi got a nasty viral rash from one of them (featured in many photos below!). It was super itchy and we had to smother him in calamine lotion. Luckily it wasn't chicken pox and not contagious, so the worst thing that came of it were a few dirty looks when I took him out in public. For Thanksgiving we went up to the cottage and enjoyed four days with family. This month we also celebrated Levi's first birthday with our families and he took his first steps (at his grandparents while we were out at a wedding, of course)! We had some fun dressing Levi up for Halloween...he was the cutest little lion and really enjoyed trick-or-treating to our next door neighbour's house, as you can see! Now we are just counting down the days until we can put up our Christmas tree :)
Being a mom is a blessing. We are gifted with these precious little lives that become so entwined with our own that it's hard to imagine life before them. It is also sometimes a bit monotonous, not very glamorous and at times frustrating (I'm assuming I'm not alone in this!). The thing I love about photography is that it is an exercise in observation and appreciation of what is right in front of you. As a mom it causes me to stop and think about the little things that I want to capture and looking back on the photos I have of the past year of Levi's life I am so thankful to have captured the little nuances of who he was at each stage.
I had the opportunity to capture Lindsey and her daughter Beth one morning in their home. It was so fun to document Beth and all the little things that make her who she is at this stage of her life. I look forward to watching this sweet girl grow!
I can't think of anything I enjoy photographing more than a brand new baby! So when little Olive joined this already adorable family I was beyond excited to document their first days as a family of four! Her big brother, River, was just the biggest bundle of energy and adorable-ness and her parents were so relaxed, natural and fun in front of the camera that they were an absolute breeze to photograph. This little lady already has a serious case of FOMO (fear of missing out, so those of you who don't keep up with tween slang); she did not want to miss a single thing the entire session, but her mom Alison managed to coax her to sleep at the very end so we could capture her peaceful little face and details. I could probably rant all day about how much I loved this session, but I will let the newborn and family sweetness below speak for itself! Enjoy :)
I have known the J family for many years (15 years to be exact!), and was super excited when they asked me to do some extended family photos for them while their entire family was in town. We met at a beautiful park in Stouffville, and even though it was pouring rain on our way to the session the skies cleared just in time for us to start shooting! As you can see from the photos below there's a lot of love in this family and they were a joy to capture!
Last week I had the pleasure of shooting some maternity photos for my grade-school friend Courtney and her husband Ren! I can't even remember when Courtney and I last connected, so when she got in touch to see if I could capture her maternity and newborn photos I was thrilled. They brought me to a gorgeous area in the Uxbridge trails (its the trail capital of Canada!). I can't believe I lived in Uxbridge for half my life and have never been to this spot. It was a beautiful sunset session and we had so much fun. They brought their dog Jack and he was basically an angel. I'm sad I didn't find an opportunity to sneak him into my car and bring him home with me! All jokes of puppy-napping aside, I can't wait to meet their sweet baby soon and find out if it's a boy or girl!
I'm not sure how to prepare you for the adorable-ness you're about to see below. Little Elias is just the sweetest little thing. He was almost 24 hours old when I met him and it's easy to see that his parents, Kristin and Jonathan were already head over heels for this little man. It was such a blessing to me to capture the first moments of this sweet family and I hope that one day Elias will be able to look back at these photos and see just how much he was loved, right from the very beginning.