Shannon & James

I'm going to contradict myself a little in this post. I don't usually do weddings... they're just not really my cup of tea. But when Shannon asked me to photograph hers, I didn't think twice about doing it because Shannon is more like a friend than a client to me; she was the first person to trust me with the photography of her family a few years ago. I couldn't imagine saying no to her... and I'm so very happy I didn't.

Shannon & James' wedding was fairytale lovely. It was out at The Briars on Lake Simcoe on the most gorgeous day last week; I really couldn't have asked for a better setting. But the best part was the couple itself, and the family & friends that were there to celebrate them. My favorite part of this wedding were the words spoken. From vows to speeches, I've never been a witness to so many great testimonials of love, respect & appreciation in one day. It was heart warming & inspiring.

But enough chitter-chatter.... here are a few images from the day!

I'm back!

It may appear as though I'm slacking on the blog-front, but I assure you it's completely unintentional! This week has been a busy one for me. I took a few days off to both plan & achieve a little office makeover as well as to upgrade my computer, which took much more time out of my schedule than I could have imagined. But it's all progress so all the hard work is well worth it!

There are two sessions that I should have mentioned (and peeked) a bit sooner than now but here they are at last... appologies to Brenda & Sarah for having kept these ladies on the edge of their seats as they waited for their sneak peeks!

I first had a session with Brody & Shafer who were as sweet as they were fun to capture. That middle shot may look like a serious showdown, but these two little boys were more friends than brothers and had me gawking the whole time!




I then had a shoot with Ella, who was positively a blast. I loved her for her multitude of expressions... just when I thought I'd captured them all, out came another little smirk as adorable as the last!



Enjoy the sneak peeks, Brenda & Sarah!

A Not-So-Gray Day

Well it may have been a gloomy day outside today, but not in my place because I got to spend my early afternoon with Maxwell, who came in like a little ray of sunshine.





This little peanut was all smiles & giggles and tons of fun. Now I'm not usually crazy about posey-posey-prop shots, but what's a girl to do when an opportunity like this arises??





That's just impossible to resist. Alot of clients are bringing their babies' bears along to their sessions lately and I have to say they're finding a sweet spot in photographs. In the end, it would likely be a shame to fail to capture kids with their very first friend!

Maddy Cutie

Today I met Maddy, a sweet little doll of a little girl. Like most toddlers, we started out a little shy....



And then things perked up, and we played some games and sang some songs...



And then had a little rest!



The cutest thing she did was take my little hand puppet with a bear for every finger, and gave every single one of them a kiss. Killer cute!!



This is my very very favorite shot. Know what I mean by doll? That's what I mean by doll! What a sweetheart!

Riverdale Mamas

I don't have any kiddos yet, so this Mother's Day, I decided to bask in everyone else's joy by inviting neighborhood mamas in for a complimentary portrait with their little ones.

I had So Much Fun! Here are a few of my favorite shots from that day.

When Shy is a Good Thing

My session with Callum got started on the shy foot...



Why do I love sessions that present a challenge like this? Let me count the ways! First, for every mood, there is a turn...



No child stays shy for very long, so shy is such a non-issue. The second reason is that kids that aren't immediately joyful will go through a slew of emotions which gives me an excellent opportunity to create a portrait study; something I am always trying to do.



Finally, it's the moments I'm able to capture when the child needs to be comforted; mamas always come in with their sweet cuddles, which creates the most moving portraits.



In the end, my session with Callum was a huge success, and I wouldn't have had it any other way!



(Contrary to this sticker, Callum was not Made in China. He was made right here in Canada!)

Mignonne Monique

Perfect pink little bouncing baby girl Monique came by last Friday for a session. I have a weakness for little girls, they're always the ones that make the clock tick harder by the time they leave.



It's not always easy to try to keep things fresh & original with little babies since there's only so many "moves" they have reserved for me, but somehow fun things always come up and mix things up a little. But above all, personality always make a great difference. Monique had great charisma that made her portraits unique and fun.

Adrian McGiggles

When Adrian came in last week, he was aaaaaall smiles & giggles. Honestly, all I had to do was hang about and click away; the finger puppets and other "aids" never had a chance to poke their noses out!





I loved the warmth in this family; they were so affectionate and so close, they were really a joy to capture together.

HAPPY MAMA'S DAY!

I put together a sweet slideshow to celebrate the art of motherhood. Click here to download it! Click run, then save, and enjoy!
The "ESC" key will let you out when you're finished.

Josée
xo!

*WILD* Ambition

For a while now I've been thinking about hosting a mom group gathering that would include portraits of the babies both as a group and a few individual shots. I gave it a shot with one mom group on Monday and I have to say, though I was a bit nervous when six strollers pulled up at the house that afternoon, those two hours were just pure joy & fun. Here's a peek at a few shots that I got that day...


Friendship is a highly underrated relationship in portraiture and it was my goal to right that wrong with this pet project. I understand it may be a little expensive to schedule portrait sessions for baby & friends, but when everyone comes together for a small fee, much fun is had and everyone benefits!



Mom group sessions last about two hours and include snacks. If you think your mom group might be interested in scheduling a session, e-mail me for more information soon; I'll only be booking one per month!

Prince Jacob

Just when I thought you couldn't get better than those baby blues, out came Jacob's little tongue for those smirky smiles that stole my heart.





I could have gone on all day with this little cutie-patootey!

Z is for Zadorable!

OK I made that up! But in my defense, qualifiers that start with Z are hard to come by. I'm going to keep this little cookie's identity under wraps by request, but here are a few sneak peeks for princess Z's parents!





Is there anything cuter than those little girl bloomers?? Those things kill me with cuteness!

Little Miss Lucia

When I opened my door to meet Lucia, I knew right away we were going to have a blast!



A wild and creative little girl, this shoot reminded me of how fun it is to work with little kids. Working with young children is always more challenging than babies, if only for mobility. But the rewards of spending time with a child and discovering their colors and their unique personalities is incredibly rewarding. When Lucia left, I'd made a little friend. I'll be glad to see her around the neighbourhood!

Makeover Day!

I'll be updating all of the galleries on my website today, so there are alot of funky things going on. They may not be available for viewing until tomorrow; so do come back then for a great brand new show!