Inspiration

After a couple of years taking photographs of special moments and new arrivals I am constantly amazed at how I can be inspired with each new day. There are so many photographer websites and blogs that I follow and each one inspires me to take risks and try new things all the time. Here are just a few of the many photographs that have inspired me to take a leap and try something different. Thanks to all the wonderful photographers for sharing their talents with the world....they make it a little bit more beautiful everyday!

Some of my favourite on location shots...

Image by Apryl Munro - http://aprylmunro.blogspot.com/

Image by Square Peg Images - http://squarepeg.zoomphoto.ca/

Image by Fresh Sugar - http://www.freshsugar.ca/lucille/index2.php
Image by Little Button Photography - http://littlebuttonphotography.blogspot.com/
Image by Brian Roberts Photography - http://www.brianrobertsphotography.com

Some of my favourite studio shots....
Image by Stylized Portraiture - stylizedportraiture.com

Images by Jason Angelini - jasonangelini.com

Images by Angela Marvel - www.angelamarvelphotography.com

Baby Bum

Ok, so I am basically dedicating a blog post to the cutest little baby backside I have ever seen. Cooper was one of the sweetest and most adorable babies I have ever photographed. He has these big beautiful eyes and amazing skin...he is one gorgeous little man. In addition to being adorable he was also super cooperative. His mom is Apryl Munro, a fellow photographer (she is crazy talented, by the way) so this 6 and a half month old baby boy was camera ready. I put him in a basket, on a chair, we did an outfit change and then...since he and mom let me....I took pictures of his little baby bum! These pics just made me smile...so I thought I would share! Enjoy.

My little secret...

For a little over a year now I have been enjoying photographing everything from weddings to business headshots. I have enjoyed doing it all....but I think I have a soft spot (and perhaps an eye) for photographing children. Maybe it's the fact that I have 2 wee ones of my own, maybe it's because my full-time career is teaching children ages 3-11....or maybe, just maybe it's because I have the cutest subjects!

Jackson and his mom recently came by to take advantage of the studio setting to capture his birthday pictures. When they got here Jackson wasn't exactly ready for pictures...the poor little muffin didn't nap on the way and the unfamiliar surroundings made him less enthusiastic to shoot these pictures. I let Jackson go at his own pace and gave him his space....but he still wasn't convinced...so that's when I asked mom for a snack. You see, snack time is a perfect opportunity for me to get some great shots. It's one of the tools in my "how to photograph a little one" bag. A snack usually gets big smiles and shifts the focus to something other than the camera. That's when I swoop in and capture the child being a child rather than a model. And the best part is as they munch on their food I usually get a picture of them looking mischievous and totally adorable. Take a look at Jackson's snack time pics....you'll see what I mean...

Family Chaos

Picture a house filled with brothers, sisters, aunts, uncle and cousins gathering to celebrate a holiday. Infants, toddlers, school aged children, a tween and plenty of adults make up this family...this loud and boisterous Italian family. Now, consider that amongst the chaos of this family function I am shooting baby photos! That's right, I was crazy enough to do a photo session in the middle of all this madness...but this is no typical shoot. This is a shoot for MY family...my newest little cousin to be exact.

My aunt wanted to have baby Ava photographed in her baptism dress...and well, I couldn't resist shooting more than that! She was a doll...and LOVED sitting in my prop basket. This little girl handled all the madness going on around her and wasn't the least bit bothered by all the noise and commotion. We got some great shots...and I even managed to shoot a few pics of Ava's big sisters.

Aren't these girls sweet?

Strength

Imagine the joy you feel when you find out you are pregnant for the first time. Think of all the amazing moments that come with pregnancy...hearing the heartbeat for the first time, seeing baby on an ultrasound monitor and feeling those amazing first movements. Now imagine that at 25 weeks pregnant your entire world changing with the early labour and arrival of that baby. That is what happened to Sylvia and Jeff. What felt like flu symptoms ended up being little Kendra's arrival into the world.

Sylvia and Jeff spent several months at Sick Kids with their beautiful baby girl watching her go through surgeries, tests and procedures. These parents are amazingly strong. They have had to be brave at a time when they should have been preparing to meet their baby! It is that strength that seems to have been passed on to little Kendra. She is one strong little girl....fighting every step of the way. I can definitely see mom Sylvia in her little girl. All the courage that Sylvia had to summon those months she had to watch and wait for her little girl to get better Kendra has too. She fought hard and made her way home to mom and dad's arms 3 months after her early arrival.

I had the pleasure of meeting and shooting Kendra and her parents just days after coming home from the hospital This girl was amazing....she, along with mom and dad, let me do anything with her. After spending months being poked and prodded being placed on a window sill for a photo was no big deal to Kendra. Even when Kendra did cry Sylvia was able to calm her with her soothing voice and touch. Mom and baby have such an amazing connection and a strong bond that will last a lifetime.

As I write this post Kendra is back in the hospital. She is doing well but still needs a bit of support to transition back to life outside the hospital. Sylvia and Jeff have been busy with Kendra and have only seen a few sneak peeks of their pictures, so I thought I would share a few more for them and their family and friends. This is one strong family that I know will make it over this hurdle too.

Enjoy these shots of Kendra and her mom. Their bond is captured forever in these images.

Toddler Moodswings

Trying to photograph a toddler is always a challenge. If you ask them to go left they go right, when you want them to sit pretty and smile they do anything but...having one of these wildly independent creatures living in my house has taught me to be prepared for anything. So when I got the chance to shoot Rylee and Nolan's pictures I was prepared! I spent an hour snapping pics of little Nolan and working around Rylee's interest in getting her pictures taken. Little did nearly 3 year old Rylee know, that no matter what she did I was going to get the shots...a little patience and creativity and I got some great shots of her and her brother.

One of my favourites from the day is an absolute perfect representation of toddlerhood...it's a picture that really needs no explanation!

One of the moments I captured when Rylee was up for some direction. Such sweet, beautiful children!

Thank you Rylee and Nolan for such a fun shoot! These are 2 awesome kids!

Back to School

I have had the pleasure of spending the last 13 and half months at home raising my baby boy and sweet little daughter...it's been tough, exhausting, fun, rewarding and BUSY! On top of being home with my sweet little ones I have been invited into people's homes and to their special events as a photographer. I have had a great time being creative in a way that is different than my full time job.

While although today marks my return to teaching it does NOT mark the end of my busy schedule! I am still continuing to book photo sessions and event photography. So don't hesitate to contact me for your photography needs! I look forward to finishing up the school year and the summer of weddings and photo shoots ahead!

Cheers! And may you do what you love each day!