A Year in the Life of a Photograhper

One of the biggest blessings in my life is being able to do what I love for a living. While there are definitely areas of my job that I would rather not do, I LOVE being a photographer. Being able to celebrate life’s major milestones over and over again is indeed a blessing.

Being a photographer in Ontario has it’s own challenges. We have less impressive landscapes than other areas of Ontario but after travelling quite a bit this year, I’ve realized that without the distraction of mountains and canyons, oceans, and the focus of photography can actually be on people. I can focus on capturing those moments, creating those moments that you’ll remember and that you will be the focus of those memories.

Plus we get all the best seasons, especially those glorious fall colours! In spring we can go to the Guelph Arboretum for cherry blossoms in your engagement or family session. In the summer we can head to Burlington beach for some super fun beach sessions, In the fall, everywhere you look has the most beautiful reds and oranges and yellow. Then those winter sessions which are few and far between are so magical! We are so luck to have the array of different seasons here and being able to capture everything from engagements to weddings to maternity sessions, and family sessions, and solo sessions. I have the best job in the world.

And I could not do what I love without the support of all of the local wedding vendors in the areas. This year every wedding was incredible and so special shout outs go to Cellar52, Cambridge Mill, and Langdon Hall, thank you for having such incredible venues in the Kitchener-Waterloo Region!

Thank you to all my couples, families, and entrepreneurs for supporting my business. For trusting me with capturing your life and you as you are, thank you!

The F Family // Lifestyle Bump to Baby Session

One of the best parts of my job is meeting new people and people who have a love for photography. I try to get to know my clients and build that relationship with them for two reasons. First off, my clients are some of the most amazing people, they are fun loving, creative, and kind and have a joy for life that I just love. Second, getting to know my clients helps me capture their lives on a much more personal level, creating a deeper emotion that I could have if I was just a stranger taking their pictures.

Some clients turn into friends and I get to follow along in their lives for the long term. Monica and Stuart are one of those couples. You can view the post about their distillery district wedding here. From their engagement session to their wedding and now I got to be a part of their pregnancy and welcoming baby O into the world. Their lifestyle bump to baby session included an hour maternity session and then about a month or so later a lifestyle newborn session in their home! I love this family so much and they created such a beautiful baby girl together.

From my own experiences with pregnancy and being a new mom I remember those feelings of hating being pregnant but also the excitement of getting to meet my new little one. To that first beautiful snuggle and all the quiet (and not so quiet) late night nursing. That beginning of motherhood is one of the most beautiful moments in life and I’m so blessed to be able to freeze these fleeting moments for some of my favourite people.

**Also side note: it is my firm opinion that every session should end with pizza.

The P Family // A Toronto Lifestyle Family Session

Okay do you know how I love gushing? I’m a huge fan of adjective. Like I really, really like them. Now you’ve been warned because I cannot help but gush about this family session.

First of all their house. I walked in to this stunning house in Toronto. From floor to ceiling I was already giddy. The natural light, the decor, it was all beautiful and I couldn’t wait to capture it all! Seriously… just wait until you scroll to the pictures of baby S’s nursery. Is it possible to be jealous of a baby? Well I am. Giving homage to her half Australian parentage, there are adorable pictures of baby animals hanging over her crib, and the cutest mobile I’ve ever seen. I loved it all. It almost makes me want to have another baby just so I can have this nursery… almost.

Second, their dog. Don’t hate me… I’m not a huge animal person. It takes me a long time to warm up to animals. But for some reason, Ocean had me at hello. She was the sweetest pup ever and baby S is so lucky to grow up with such an awesome best friend. Again, jealous of this baby.

And third, the family. Oh this family was so sweet! You could tell how in love and obsessed they were with baby S, and how could they not be? She was seriously the best behaved baby during any photo shoot I have ever done! I typically set aside 2-3 hourrs for a newborn/baby family session because sometimes the baby needs to eat, poop, pee, change, stop crying etc. But baby S was happy and content to be doted on by her parents and we were done in about 45 minutes. We had one little eating break but even then we got some great shots during that! Oh and mom and dad were so in love and so comfortable in front of the camera. Just before I would give a direction they would do exactly what I wanted them to, and that would be interact with each other and with baby S.

It’s hard sometimes to break the habit of the traditional family photo shoot where everyone is looking at the camera smiling in every picture. I love it when families just talk and laugh with each other. Those are the pictures worth having. Smiling ones are lovely too, but being a family is what you want to remember!

This family was a dream and I can’t stop staring at these photos!

In-home session tips:

• Have the rooms that you want to take pictures in cleaned is great, having your whole house clean is even better. I know it’s difficult but trust me, your stress level will go way down!

• Prepare for baby accidents and roll with them! Remember I have three children so you never need to apologize to me about messes and/or crying babies!

• Interact with each other as much as possible, I’ll let you know when I want you to look at the camera.

• Houses look different at different times of the day. When booking your session pay attention to your rooms and when they get the best light, it makes a world of difference!

• Be comfortable! You’re in your home, a safe, cozy place, these pictures are not as “formal”

Contest Winners // Alex + Evan + Del

First off, I love hosting photoshoot giveaways. Not just because I tend to boost my following but also because I get to meet really great people who I might not have met otherwise! When I first relaunched my business I held a giveaway for Southern Ontario. My existing followers did a great job of spreading the word and trying to get my name out there! It’s so hard to start over in a new city and so this photoshoot giveaway was the perfect opportunity to spread the word that I’m back and I’m here in the KW area!

*Fun fact: I actually grew up in Cambridge! I love being back in the tri-city area, especially since we are so central to so many great locations for pictures and amazing wedding venues!*

After my giveaway closed I entered everyone’s names into a random generator and I got the cutest little family! Alex and Evan are engaged (and hadn’t done engagement photos yet) and they have the cutest little baby girl Del, who just melted my heart. I’m such a sucker for chunky cheeks! Plus they also brought their fur baby along and we got to capture the whole family as well as sneak in some engagement photos!

I love how these turned out, they were so much fun to work with! We went to Victoria Park which is a really popular location for pictures because there is so much variety and beautiful landscape, but since I’m new to this area, I haven’t done any shoots there yet! I loved it! I love all the bridges and the willow tress and the klittle creek. I’m definitely excited to shoot there again!

Usually there are a few jitters at the beginning of the shoot when we’re first meeting and start taking some pictures, but not this time. Alex was a pro and you could tell that Del was comfortable in front of a camera! Evan was great and they all took direction so well and were just such a joy to photograph. I love seeing the relationships and personalities in front of the camera. Seeing the love that Alex and Evan had for each other and for Del was so cute and I had so much fun that we definitely spent more than an hour taking pictures! It’s so hard for me to stop when I’m having so much fun!

An Apple A Day // Fall Mini Sessions

I love fall mini sessions. If Christmas was in the fall it would be my favourite season ever but because Christmas is in the winter, I’m torn. Anyway, I love hosting fall mini sessions especially because here in Ontario we have (in my totally unbiased opinions) THE best orchards ever. If you don’t believe me just take a look below!

I am new to the area of Kitchener-Waterloo so it made sense to host some mini session for my first fall as a photographer here! I had so much fun with these families, my face hurt from laughing and smiling so much! I can’t wait to do them again next year!

I was able to shoot at Martin’s Family Farm and it was the perfect locations for fall pictures. As much as I love the changing leaves, nothing screams fall to me like an apple orchard. How awesome are those red apples on these trees? It was absolutely perfect. It was a chilly day sometimes sunny, sometimes cloudy but it all worked out so well.

After such a successful season and a lot of happy families, I can’t wait to have these mini sessions again next year!