The O Family | Toronto Family Photographer

I spent an evening with this lovely family a couple of weeks ago – we stuck around the 'hood and actually found a few really great spots to shoot that I had never noticed before. I'm a sucker for pretty backyards and rustic front porches, but what I really fall for is a colourful garage! I can't believe we found such a gem so close by. Baby E refused to smile but she never failed to look at the camera – only her mom and dad were able to get the slightest smirk. The expression "old soul" suited her perfectly

 

The C Family | Toronto Family Photographer

Happy Monday! It's always nice to have some good online distractions as you ease yourself back into the work week – so here's a fun family shoot from a few weeks ago. It was during that crazy week where it would go from sunny to pouring rain in about 60 second flat, then back to sunny (I got caught in the rain at least 3 times that week!). Luckily, I arrived for this shoot right after a massive downpour of rain, only to find beautiful hazy sunlight, along with a pretty awesome family to go with it!

Baby G | Toronto Baby Photographer

This family is near and dear to my heart as we've become friends over the past 2 years. Last summer, they welcomed a fourth member into the family – baby G. We had a beautiful summer day for G's newborn photos. And 6 months later (on a much colder February day), I spent some time again with baby G. His mom and I agree that this is just one of the sweetest stages that babies go through. They're sitting up, but not yet crawling or walking. And they are still so happily entertained by the simple things – toes and feet, Sophie the giraffe, and of course Mom's smiling face...

Oh my, don't you just want to squeeze him!?! 6-7 months is a GREAT age for a photo session and I (although biased) highly recommend it. It's a time that goes by much too fast.

The G Family | Toronto Family Photographer

Happy Monday! As I've mentioned (and will probably keep mentioning), the site was down for close to six months so I'm working on catching up on some much-needed blog posts! This one goes back to June (yikes!) and features the winner of the Mother's Day contest I held with Trixie Boutique (one of my favourite places to shop, located here in Bloor West). Jennifer won a $100 shopping spree at the store and a family photoshoot to show off her new clothes (and her cute boys!). This makes me long for spring...

The L Family | Toronto Family Photographer

This was my first shoot of 2013 and what better way to kick off the year than with a family that is near and dear to my heart. Big sister Veronica was happy to show off her little brother Jason and gave me some great smiles and giggles along the way

The B Family | Toronto Family Photographer

It's been a crazy few weeks and I'm behind on my blogging! Here's a super sweet family that I met with at the beginning of May. Rowan is 9 months old and is absolutely adorable ... and her parents aren't too bad either ;-)   There were lots of kisses, hugs and giggles, exactly what I love!

Macaroni + Watermelon | Toronto Family Photographer

As a mom, one of the things I feel most guilty about is not taking enough pictures of my child. (Side note: What's with the guilt that comes along with being a parent!?! – a whole other discussion for another day). "Whaaaat!?!?" you say to yourself. How can you be a photographer and not take enough photos of your own kid? Well, it's actually pretty easy to fall into a rut of not taking photos. The light is bad. We're too busy. My camera is too heavy. I'm tired.  The list goes on. So lately, I've taken a new approach to the photography of my own family. Quality, not quantity. When my friends ask for tips on taking better photos of their kids, this is something I always suggest. Rather than trying to pull your camera out for every occasion, set aside time once every few weeks and spend a couple of minutes capturing the moment. By "capturing the moment" I mean, choosing an activity or event, and taking the time to document all the details. I'm using Robin's lunch today as an example. She's 18 months (almost 19 months) and I've only taken photos of her a couple of times in the last few weeks. Every time I look at her, I feel a wave of emotion. Pride (she's growing so quickly and doing more and more each day), laughter (she looks a bit ridiculous right now with her chubby cheeks and bowl cut) and this achy feeling which I can't really describe in words (my baby is not really a baby anymore). I want to capture her, right now, so I can look back in weeks, months, and years, and feel the same way I do now. To most people, photos of a kid eating her macaroni and watermelon aren't that exciting or spectacular. But to me, it's a glimpse into my life. My real life. Right now.

So after all this rambling, here's my tip for moms (or dads!). Every once in a while, stop and spend a few minutes taking photos of an "everyday" activity or task. Take as many photos as you can in those minutes. Stand back and get as much of the room as you can. Get in as close as you can. Shoot from every different angle you can think of. One of my favourite things to do is to take a shot looking down through our chandelier in our kitchen. Be creative. Shoot the details. If you are inside, what's on the walls or the floor? If you are outside, what's around you? Trees, flowers, signs, cars. When it comes time to put together a photo book (which I recommend you do!), you will be able to create a beautiful spread using multiple photos, which together tell the story of that time, moment, or event.