I am so so thrilled with how these photos turned out considering how impromptu this session came together! So happy to have captured a few moments with Tera's beautiful belly with Kat with just a few weeks before the big day. Love you both so much and can not wait to meet sweet Baby Tyde this summer!!!
You guys are the cutest pair
xo
There is a baby inside of me . My third delicious pie-to-be, baking to perfection within the confines of my body and soul. There is so much mystery surrounding a pregnancy, so many curiosities and questions that feel like they will never be answered...
And then they arrive. A few weeks early or a few days late, they finally arrive. They take in their first breath of air and proceed to try out their tiny little lungs.
I'm stuck in the mystery. I look at Moses and Chloe, 5 and 4, and feel like I have known them my whole life. Their personalities, once a tightly wrapped up present, now so obvious and fitting. Their physical attributes that continue to gradually morph as they grow older year after year now make me wonder even more what will this third one look like?!!! It's a little different with interracial kids because the range is much broader. The gradations of skin tone to the possibility of black hair, Moses' thick dark mousy brown mop, or Chloe's borderline blonde loose tresses… the possibilities are endless!
I vowed that if I had a third child that I would take tonnes of photos since I hardly have any at all with my first 2 pregnancies. I have kept that promise, even if it is me posing on my bed in front of my mirror while one of the kids stands and repeatedly presses the camera button. I had my first maternity session over the weekend with my good friend and talented photographer Lindsay Elliott. It was a bit of a collab. I sent photos of ideas I was hoping to get as well as scoping out the light at different locations out here at Centennial beach. She got everything I wanted.
One of the ideas I had was to be right in the water wearing some sort of loose and sheer drapery. I was over the moon when my girlfriend and talented seamstress Joanna Delaney offered to help me out with putting something together in between her busy schedule of wedding gowns and bridesmaids dresses.
So thankful that after a few days of rain, the afternoon's hot sun managed to warm the water up to a very pleasant temperature!
I love this.
Oh, Little One, who will you turn out to be?
Sometimes I wish I were more academic rather than creative, but on days like this where I can collaborate with other like-minded creators and talents, I know I got the better deal.
Alright. It is off to bed with me and this belly...
xo
It was a sunny afternoon when my cousin Nik introduced me to Stephanie at The Beach Grove Cafe here in Sunny Tsawwassen. It was 2010 when our bellies met, Stephanie pregnant with her first, Emilia, and I pregnant with my second. We drove into Vancouver on Saturdays to attend Prenatal Yoga and 4 years later here we are with our daughters in the same dance class and once again... both pregnant! She is due in two weeks and I am 9 months behind her. We seized the beautiful sunny weather and headed to Centennial Beach for an evening Family Session.
These last days as a trio are coming to a close and, soon, will be nothing more than a distant memory. As my family will soon grow from 4 to 5, it was a beautifully surreal experience to capture some memories of their last days as a family of 3. As difficult as it is to imagine what the mysterious little newcomer will bring to the family, it quickly becomes just as difficult to imagine your family living without this tiny new life.
One of the most rewarding parts of being a photographer has been the people I have met and the stories they have shared with me. I have had cried in the car following a handful of consultations and sessions, inspired and overwhelmed by the courage these clients have drawn on in the face of adversity. It is always a pleasure to capture the joyful moments for families and couples to remember, but for those trying to make lemonade out of lemons, I am both deeply humbled and honoured. The stakes are higher. For many of these clients, it is a turning point in their lives, and these photos are part of that first step towards healing and growing.
Rita is due any second now as I write this post. She was 36.5 weeks when we did this session a week and a half ago, we were lucky to have booked a day that worked for both of us before Christmas. These photos mark a new beginning for her, her beautiful daughter Verity, and their new baby, nicknamed Chickadoan! The aim was to capture their special mother-daughter relationship before the arrival of baby number two.
I feel like we got it.
Thank you Rita & Sweet Verity for welcoming us into your home and allowing me to capture these special moments for you. It truly truly was a great honour.
xo
Our Holiday Sessions came to an end and just as I was looking forward to planning Chloe's 3rd birthday, I received a small wave of last minute clients looking to book in time for Christmas, or in the case of two clients, booking before their bellies popped! Our first maternity session was with Katie + James. James came to me via our mutual friend and my neighbour Cait whom I had done maternity photos with earlier this year. After a few anxious months on bedrest, they made it safely through to the last weeks of their pregnancy and made sure to capture this very special belly 12 days before Katie was due!
We did some headshots to preserve her pre-baby glow. Many of us mamas are so hard on ourselves throughout our pregnancy, so worried of what we look like. It is often only after the baby has been born that we are able to see clearly how truly beautiful we were before being robbed of sleep and thrust into motherhood. We see ourselves through an overly critical lens and not for the amazing creatures we are. We lose sight of the strength and power of our bodies that are able to undergo such intense transformations in order to produce life.
In addition to the sweet and traditional photos of the Mama-to-be with her belly or with partner, I aim to capture these women in all their pregnant glory. Not only to celebrate the 9-10 months of sickness, headaches, bed rest, complications, physical aches and discomforts, etc.. but to remind them of their strength and give them confidence to go forth into the very scary world of motherhood.
Nobody wants to mess with a Mama Bear. (Or a Tiger Mom for that matter...)
We are Queens and We are Glorious!
(God, how I wish I had photos of myself taken when I was pregnant)
xo