12 days old

Newborns are one of my favourite subjects to photograph but they are by far the toughest. You work on their terms, their agenda. You can't bribe them. You can't tell jokes to make them laugh. They may poop on you. They may spit up on you. You are at their mercy.

This little guy with big blue eyes was a charmer (and thankfully did not do any of the above to me). He won me over in the first few minutes but then he put me to the test. We had a long shoot and I thank his mom for being so patient. Little Tulley you are a lucky wee man - so loved. Every mother loves their child but you sometimes see a connection that goes beyond... I saw it here.

The most amazing...

big brown eyes, chubby little toes (I can never resist tiny feet) and a way of getting around that put a smile on my face - one of those make-shift crawl/walk kind of things that kids this age invent to get them from a to b... pure genius : )

This little gal kept me on my toes and brightened my day. Was a pleasure meeting this family and seeing how they adore their little princess.

Such a sweetie...

I LOVE my two boys. I've always been happy with boys, never really had a need to have pink in the house but after meeting this little gal, kinda makes me think a little girl would have been nice. She's a doll and her parents adore her - for obvious reasons. Thank you to an amazing family for letting me spend a couple of hours with you. Here are a few of the shots we got to tide you over until you get home from the sunny south : )





and I honestly don't know where this one came from because I don't remember seeing a single pout the entire time I was there - she was soooo good (but here's a little pout and I couldn't resist including it).

I love surprises, especially good ones!

When I book a shoot with a new client it's always a bit of a mystery. What will the family be like? what will they look like? will the weather cooperate? what will the location be like?... so many unknowns.

This past Sunday, I travelled to Toronto for a shoot. A shoot with new clients at a location I suggested but have never seen. You can't believe how thrilled I was when I arrived there to find out the location was AMAZING, the weather was ideal (mild, overcast... perfect in my mind) and a family with some of the most amazing red hair and freckles I have ever seen!

Thank you mom, dad and boys for a great shoot. Here are a few of my favourites from the morning...

Just a little newsflash...

I've donated 3 photoshoots to a contest running from now until April 2010. Do you think your baby/child is cover material? (I think every child is)

Each month for the next six, one child and one baby under one to will be chosen to receive a professional photoshoot and keepsake album. From those monthly winners, another winner in each category will be chosen to be on the cover of the 2010 New Parent Guide and School Age Guide.

All you have to do is drop off a toy or two non-perishable food items to one of the specified locations or make an on-line donation and then upload a photo of your child. Check out parentguide.ca for more info.

Maybe I'll be photographing your child in the coming months : )

No looking back...

I admit, I've been neglecting the blog for a while now - it's just one of those things that can fall behind when things get busy - but I'm back! I've had a change of pace lately - working on some commercial stuff and most recently my high school senior venture.

Here's my first senior - gorgeous, sweet and a natural model. Thank you Katelyn for weathering the cold, and giving me some great shots! I'm looking forward to shooting more of this age - they look when you ask, look away when you ask, there's no chasing, no bribes necessary... easy work and fun too! It's such an important age to capture - and those cap and gown shots don't quite do our seniors justice.
















Our nice days are now numbered so if anyone is looking for an 2009 outdoor shoot, contact me asap - we may be able to squeeze you in. Otherwise I'll start booking for the spring in a few weeks.

Here comes the rain...

So... still in Kingston. Still threatened by rain, I finish session two and start heading to session three. Windshield wipers are going and hoping for another clearing. Drizzle starts to fade as I get close and once again the rain stops. We start to shoot - another beautiful family, more gorgeous fall colours... what more could you ask for.

This time we get in about an hour before the rain hits. Just enough time. Yes, we could have went longer but I think we got what we wanted. Here's the last Kingston family and their adorable dog Clancy who was more than willing to pose for every shot!

(this little guy is going to be a heart breaker in a few years!)








Thanks for a perfect end to a great weekend of shoots.

Out of our hands...

The weather is something that I have yet to find a way to control. And yet it kind of makes or breaks a shoot. I have NEVER had to cancel due to weather - ever! I've postponed for an hour or two but never cancelled so when I woke up in the hotel room Sunday morning and looked outside to see wet pavement and light rain my heart sunk. Kingston was not where I wanted to be when I had to cancel my first shoot. We had been planning these sessions for some time now and I did not want it all to fall apart because of a bit of rain.

Then, something rather miraculous happened. The rain stopped just as we were about to head outside and shoot. Although it threatened us a few times during the next couple of hours, we got our shoot in - with seconds to spare before it started to rain again. We literally had the perfect window of time to head to a trail, take in some gorgeous surroundings, head back home for a change and snack and do a bit more shooting. And to be honest, although everyone tends to wish for sun, a cloudy sky produces the most beautiful light for photos and this day was no exception.

Here's the second of three family shoots from this past weekend. Another amazing family (I seriously lucked out on this trip!)

How fast they grow...

Why does it always amaze me? I have two boys - I know how fast they grow and how quickly they change but why, when I see it in another family, does it surprise me so much?

I travelled to Kingston for three shoots this past weekend and had a great time with some super nice families. I met this first family last year in Toronto at an extended family shoot at Riverdale Farm. A gorgeous family - adorable kids... what more can I say?

This little guy wasn't even walking last year - now he doesn't stop (except of course for the 30 seconds it took to take this shot).





And his two older brothers... well, they simply got more handsome.










Thanks guys for a great day and the chance to travel a bit.

No more waiting...

Not too long ago we were waiting for Oliver. Well, it seems Oliver didn't want to wait for anything and arrived 3 weeks ahead of schedule. I had the pleasure of meeting this little guy today and did he make me work! Can you tell he wasn't too impressed with me...


Afraid of missing something, this little trouper stayed awake for most of the shoot (would someone please tell these babies that we like sleepy shots). I'm stubborn though and won't let these babies win - no matter how good of a fight they put up. I'm posting this the night of the shoot because I'm afraid mom didn't think we got any - we did!

Yet another cutie...

Gorgeous blue eyes, chubby cheeks, that amazing baby hair that just stands straight up... this little guy has it all.

His mom contacted me months ago about coming to Stouffville for this shoot. I suggested we wait until he could sit on his own. I love photographing this stage... they can sit, are ALWAYS cute and still stationery (which makes my job a whole lot easier). How adorable is he!








And after loads of smiles, several wardrobe changes and a little snack, he decided to take a bit of a nap. Who can resist a sleeping baby?