Strike a pose!

This birthday boy was like no other! Despite falling asleep while eating breakfast (just before his session) he got into the spirit of the session RELLY quickly. 

He is the only (and likely the last) 1 year old that literally sat down and posed for me. He looked right at me, smiled, made adorable faces and didn't try to crawl, walk or run away. MOST COOPERATIVE TODDLER EVER! Come to think of it...he might also have been one of most easy going newborns too! What a fun morning...with some wonderful memories captured. Enjoy your peek Mom and Dad!

Sweet, Sweet Summer!

As I type this my backyard is a soggy mess. We have had nothing but rain for the last 4 days in an otherwise GLORIOUS summer. Lucky for me I got to meet up with this birthday boy the night before all the rain began to fall.

What a great night we had...and what a cutie this little man is. He was all smiles for me and his bright blue eyes were just stunning. To end off an evening this little man celebrated his birthday in true summer fashion...running around outside and eating cake...in a diaper. So much fun to watch this little guy with this sweet treat.

Happy 1st Birthday!

Oh. So. Cute.

The more I photograph newborns the more I love it! This beautiful little girl made my job terribly easy. After hauling in all my equipment and props on a snowy morning I was ready to begin shooting....lucky for me so was Raina. She went staright to sleep as I posed her for over an hour without a peep. Not only was she a fantastic sleeper, but her big sister was a sweetheart that helped me out and watched the entire session. What a great morning I had with the family, it was so relaxed and baby Raina certainly picked up on it. She was peaceful all morning and a dream to photograph, so good in fact, that I even had time to get in some shots with her sister and the whole family! Take a peek at this sweet family!

ONE!

I have to admit, sometimes I get frustrated working two jobs. Being a teacher can be a 24/7 job, so adding children and a second job to the mix sometimes makes me a little, crazy! I stress out about about all the school things I could be doing (like report cards) while taking photos and think about editing photos while I am at school.

What I loved about this session was that when Samantha came with her mama for her one year cake smash session I found out her mom was a teacher too. It was so nice to have someone understand the demands on my full time job while trying to squeeze in time for my photography jobs. I had been feeling rather crummy the morning of this session because I have been dealing with a high number of last minute cancellations (which can turn my whole life upside down after I plan out the days in a given month I choose to shoot), but Michelle made it all feel a bit better. She made sure to let me know that she was in no rush for her photos to be completed (some people seem to think it takes me no time to edit photos) and that she was just grateful for the experience. She even went so far as to tell me not to bother with her photos until I had finished all my report cards. I think Michelle might just be my new best friend (LOL).

So, thank you Michelle for MY experience! You were a wonderful client to deal with!

Now for the fun stuff...birthday slideshow of sweet Samantha!


Untitled from Dana Morrison on Vimeo.

3rd Annual Cuties/Creatures in the Park

I love Halloween...I love to see little ones all dressed up in adorable costumes! What I don't love about Halloween is that most parents buy a costume and it's used once or twice. When I dressed my daughter up for her first Halloween I knew I needed to capture the cuteness and figured other parents would want to do the same - that's how I came up with my Cuties/Creatures in the Park mini session event. 

This years event was more than a little stressful on me. I booked up all 16 spots in less than 2 days (and about a month in advance), but was extremely disappointed when I started getting so many cancellations. It was discouraging to say the least. But, despite my frustration and the fact that my sister went into labour the morning of the sessions I was determined to make this year a success! The weather was amazing, the costumes were awesome...and I will forever remember these sessions because while I was shooting some real cuties my new nephew Harrison made his way into the world. 

Thank you to everyone that did sign up and attend the mini sessions on the Thanksgiving long weekend...it was a blast! I am already looking forward to next year.

And my favourite memory from the mini sessions....this gorgeous little man made his debut! 

Happy Birthday Sweet Leah!

It's hard to imagine that I won't get to see this darling little girl every few months anymore. The day I photographed Leah's first birthday session was exactly one year to the date that I met mom for the first time while shooting her maternity session. That year just flew by and now here we are...several sessions later Leah is now one!

This little girl is just so sweet, she reminds me of my son in the way that she is slow to warm up to new situations (my backdrops stressed her out the first time)...but when she gets comfortable and relaxed all you see are smiles and those AMAZING eyes!

It has been a pleasure being able to help document her first year and getting to know her family...a wonderful experience! I am so looking forward to seeing how much she changes and grows when we meet again!

Happy Birthday Leah!

More Mariah

I have photographed Mariah several times...and every time I do I swear she gets sweeter. Mom and Dad were so excited to get her photos done again that they even didn't mind booking with me on the day of her birthday party (a busy day for sure). We met early which meant it took a few minutes for Mariah to warm up...but once she did she rocked the session. She LOVED dressing up and was totally into picking her outfits and accessories. I had such a great time with Mariah! I think we got some GREAT birthday memories!