Lavender Farm - Mommy & Me Session, Kitchener Ontario

A few weeks back I was fortunate to photograph at a very popular venue in our beautiful region - The Lavender Farm! Surprisingly this was my first visit despite living in the area for many years. It was magnificent! I'm so thrilled that my gorgeous client asked for this as their photo venue for her Mommy & Me session. It turned out perfectly!

Aside from the nicest weather we could ask for on a shoot day, my client clearly put a lot of thought into selecting just *the* right wardrobe to style this session. I am so in love with her tulle skirt!

Mum and her little "mini-me", all decked out and fabulous, hit the fields for some exploring! I'm completely in love with the images we captured, and over the moon that she has these super special memories to share with her daughter one day. It won't be long before Mum is able to go back and look upon how tiny and curious her little baby girl was and I know she will cherish these for years to come. It was wonderful getting to spend time with these two pretty ladies. :-)

The Lavender Farm, which is actually located just outside of Kitchener in neighbouring Ayr, has acres of beautiful land covered with both white and purple lavender bushes... I made sure to stop into the store to say hello and purchase a bunch of fresh lavender to place near my bed. It smells heavenly! The day we visited the staff was all set up to distil some lavender oil using sprigs right off the bush not 10 feet away! Amazing!

This was such a memorable photoshoot for me. I'd love to hear what you think of this Mommy & Me photo session. And if you ever get the chance to visit The Lavender Field, bring your camera! So many stunning photo opportunities, and it's a venue you'll definitely want to bring out of town visitors!

Kitchener Mermaid Cake Smash - I'm One Now!

I have to talk to you about bucket lists. :-) Many of us photographers secretly have a "Bucket List" of sessions we dream of photographing one day. And when that special client comes along and plucks at your heart strings requesting one of your beloved bucket list sessions, there is only one thing to do! Go big or go home! lol

I present to you, one of my bucket list sessions! A Mermaid Cake Smash & Splash! For those of you who don't know what this is, let me explain...

Firstly, a Cake Smash is a photoshoot that has become wildly popular over the past 5-7 years. It is done when a wee babe is turning ONE, and along the way has become a silent rite of passage you could say. Photographing this milestone is an absolutely wonderful way of capturing some glorious memories of a big stage in their life. The toddler years are coming, and they will continue to change and grow so fast. It's great to have memories like this. They could come in handy one day at their wedding..... ;-)

At my studio, it starts off with a few portraits in one outfit, and then we change the Birthday Boy/Girl into a special outfit that usually matches any theme we have put together. There are tonnes of birthday themes parents can select. It can be anything from child's current interests, so something that might be currently trending to their very favourite foods! This year Unicorns, and Doughnut Smashes have been wildly popular. Once adorning said outfit, we plop a beautiful and tasty cake in front of the Birthday boy/girl and let them smash and/or eat to their hearts content, all while I photograph the excitement! We finish the session of with a Splash in my customized, toddler sized claw foot tub, which is always requested by parents!

I always seem to have best results when children have had the opportunity to play with food at home, get a little messy and have fun. But that isn't always the rule! I have definitely had some "smashers" come in with little to no experience having something as grand as a cake in front of them. Those sessions are usually pretty hilarious, as myself and Mom & dad sit on pins and needles with anticipation for what comes next!

In this particular blog post, I will show you a MERMAID theme! Ooooh am I excited to show you! Little Miss B was absolutely wonderful during this session. She laughed, smiled and played. Her big brother was such a cutie! The whole family came to celebrate and I think it's safe to say we all had a very good time. :-) A very big thank you goes to Mum for helping plan such an awesome shoot, finding the perfect outfit and accessories and in the process, knocking one off the ol' Bucket List!

Tell me what you think!

Beautiful Sunset Maternity Session in Kitchener, Ontario

A few days ago I received an email from these gorgeous clients of mine. It was strange because I had literally been thinking of her the day before! It turns out their baby has arrived and it made me realize I needed to blog their stunning Maternity session AND of course book their baby boy in for his Newborn session! I cannot wait to meet their little man on Sunday and create some memories for Mum and Dad to show him one day.

We photographed at Huron Natural Area in Kitchener one evening. It was while we were having a heat wave, which I'm sure will one day be referred to as "the heat wave of '18". The air felt like fire. lol Oh and did I mention the bugs? My goodness. But my brave clients they didn't flinch, they didn't complain, not a word was said about the heat or the bugs! Amazing! And so are the photos we captured that evening. I am so in love with the outfit Mum put together for this session! She looked absolutely stunning. Paired with fresh hair and gorgeous makeup, it just all came together so perfectly!

I often run promotions during the summer including a mini-Maternity session with booked NewLife newborn sessions because to me, it's just such a wondrous, beautiful time in a woman's' life. When I reflect back on my pregnancies, I didn't always feel beautiful or pretty, and at times, I wanted my body back. But I'm definitely grateful to have photos of that part of my life to look back upon and see the miracle taking place. And you know what? I think I look stunning and am so happy I have those photos now! I want that for my clients too! I have also shown my kids photos of them inside my tummy and I love the look on their face. You can see their little minds turning trying to figure out how it all works. lol

I hope you enjoy the photos from this Maternity session. I'd love to chat with you if you happen to be expanding your family soon!