Waterloo Ontario Maternity Session

On Mothers Day Sunday, I met up with expectant new parents Isabelle & Brady for a visit and to capture some memories of this special time in their lives. We met up at Grey Silo, which is one of my favourite spots in Waterloo to photograph. The old barn buildings, trees, and bluffs make for the perfect backdrop for anyone looking for natural outdoor photos.

Isabelle and Brady haven't found out the sex of their little baby and its so obvious how excited they are to meet this new little person. As exciting as pregnancy can be, it comes with its challenges, from swollen feet and sleepless uncomfortable nights, to a new mum's ever changing body. There is no price parents wouldn't pay for the moment that arrives where they find themselves looking down at a beautiful healthy new baby that love created.

Having Maternity photos done is a wonderful reminder of the journey a woman goes through to achieve the ultimate gift of life. To be able to look back one day at who she was at that moment, to be reminded of all the wondrous changes, and to know a new life-love was growing healthily inside her tummy is absolutely magical. One day she will be able to show and share the photos with her child and tell all the stories of the pregnancy and how that precious life came to be.

Soon the baby will be born, and my beautiful client will regain her body. Maybe some of the memories of the moment-to-moment journey through pregnancy will fade, but it is my hope that these photos will help commemorate this beautiful time.

Here are some of the memories we created together:

Beautiful Maternity Session Kitchener, Ontario

Well, to be honest, I don't know where to start about this Maternity session. I mean, when something so good, SO magical, so beautiful happens, I almost want to keep it to myself so I don't somehow wake up a discover it was all a dream... This time, I can confidently say it wasn't a dream, and the magic was real. :-)

On this particular Sunday, I was joined at my studio by Katelyn McCulley-Hayden, who is a fabulous hair stylist at So Chiq hair studio in Waterloo, and Cassie Shuttleworth, an incredibly talented make-up artist hailing from Cambridge, Ontario. And so it began... Once an HRKVC bride herself, and now expecting a new arrival to their growing family, it was a privilege to have been asked to capture these maternity photos for her.

During the 9-10 months of a pregnancy, there are an infinite amount of changes and emotions that a woman will experience. With a changing body, (and having been there myself twice) I can vouch for having experienced feelings of confidence, feeling beautiful, powerful, and also the opposite end of the spectrum of those exact feelings as well.

Carrying a child is undoubtedly one of the most incredibly miraculous feats a woman will accomplish in her lifetime. I sometimes stop and think about the fact that we are GROWING a human being! From scratch. From something the size of a tiny little speck of dust!

Women positively radiate with beauty and power during pregnancy. I always gravitate towards wanting to create soft, pretty, romantic photos, and truly capture the magnificence of a woman's body, and her spirit. Whether its her first pregnancy or perhaps her last, inevitable, her body will never be the same as that exact moment in time. She will soon deliver her beautiful baby, and slowly and surely she will get her body back. It will be stronger, in some ways changed, but it will become her own again. Its always my hope that the photos I capture during these special sessions will be one day shared with that child, and the feelings of awe, and wonder can be shared. It may be when the child is still a wee person, or perhaps later down the road when they themselves are grown and experiencing the journey of a pregnancy. In my mind, I can hear the child say things like, "wow, I was in there!", or, "my mother was so beautiful I have no words", perhaps even, "I love my mom so much for giving so much of herself to me during that time"...

In any case, I do want to share with you some of the very special photos we created that day. I hope you like them just as much as I do. If you yourself are pregnant or have a friend who deserves to be pampered and photographed in all her beautiful pregnant glory, contact me for more details.

danielle@hrkvc.com
www.hrkvc.com
226-747-0177

A beautiful Cuba Destination Wedding

In November, I was honoured to travel with an amazing group of people to Santa Maria, Cuba for Brian and Chelsea's destination week. We stayed at Iberostar's mesmerizing Ensenachos resort, and I must say, this has blown all my previous visits to Cuba right out of the water!

I always love my time getting to know the bride and grooms friends and family during the week and this trip was no exception. This awesome group of people made me feel as though we had known each other for positively years! The week was filled with beautiful weather and surroundings that were perfectly landscaped encased by jungle. It was so lush and green. I highly recommend this resort to all who are thinking of travelling to Cuba. Such an incredible part of Cuba.

Chelsea and Brian's wedding day went off without a hitch and their trash the dress session a few days later was something absolutely magical. They are two of the kindest, sweetest most genuine people ever. I don't know how I get so lucky to work with the clients that come to me to capture their special day (or week!). I am truly one lucky and majorly blessed girl.

Here are some of the images I captured during their week. I'd love to hear your thoughts - feel free to leave comments or any questions about my destination wedding packages!

www.hrkvc.com
danielle@hrkvc.com
226-747-0177
Insta! @studiohrkvc

Christmas Studio sessions at Herakovic Photography!

Last weekend, at Herakovic Photography's new studio, we opened a mega can of Christmas here, did we ever have a blast! We photographed about 20 families, who came, smiled, laughed and threw snow around with reckless abandon!

We now have tons more space to work with in the new studio, and we definitely out it to good use! We invited families to bring cozy Christmas pjs, set up 6 Christmas trees, had a 10 gallon pail full of 'snow' and we let 'er rip! Thank goodness for shop vacs. We're certain we (and our clients!) will be finding snow around their house and in the dryer until Spring.

Here are some samplings of the fun we had with our lovely clients. Already, the wheels are turning for NEXT Christmas's portrait sessions and how we can go bigger and better!! #brainstorm!