A Foggy Day and the Discovery of Dirt

It was a foggy foggy Saturday. But at least it was a warm November day. And Vince and I were grateful for that as we headed over to the beautiful Glendon College campus. We were really excited to meet Beth, Ryan, and their 20 month old son, Matthew. As the happy family approached us through the fog, I heard the cheerful gurgle of a delightful little boy.




At most family sessions, kids usually dictate the pace of the shoot and we were pleased that Matthew warmed up to us rather quickly - he seemed to enjoy mimicking the squat I was doing in order to photograph him at his eye level. Here is Vince's photo of him squatting down directly in front of me:



And here is the image from my camera... check out Matthew's cheeky expression!



Beth, Ryan, and Matthew were extremely easy to photograph. Matthew was clearly comfortable with the camera and the whole family seemed to know intuitively how to position themselves for great photographs. In this next sequence, Matthew sat for a family portrait but then he started to move away. Hmmm, I wonder where he's going? He shimmied over and over and over until he reached a spot where his feet could touch the ground. Then he calmly smiled for the camera. Vince got a great angle for the image on the bottom left of Beth and Ryan beaming at their smart little boy.




One thing that I noticed as I was going through the images was how amazingly Beth, Ryan, and Matthew walk together as a family. Seriously! I generally like to do a few walking sequences in a session and usually I find a couple of photographs that work well. With this family, I found image after image after image of them walking that were fantastic!



The fog made for some wonderfully moody photographs. This next one is one of my favourites:



Vince is great with framed photographs - he took the photograph on the right and I love the candid quality of the image.



Matthew fell over a few times on the wet ground during the shoot. He took it all in stride but... that. was. when. he. discovered. dirt. It's amazing when children discover something new... especially something as interesting as dirt. Matthew was drawn to it like a moth to a flame.






Matthew is such a little man! Look how proud his daddy is...




After rolling around in the dirt, Matthew really came into his own. He was so amused and expressive as we entered a pretty courtyard for our last sequence.





"Tea-time!"



I adore this next image but can't really explain why. I think this is what family photos are all about - capturing a fleeting moment so we can look back and remember. I love the expressions in this image - Matthew looking intently at the mounds of dirt, Beth looking at him with wonder (and perhaps a bit of trepidation that Matthew would dive fist first into the dirt), and Ryan laughing in the background.



Beth, Ryan, and Matthew - thank you for spending your morning with us. It was great to meet you and we hope you will love your photographs!

A Little Game of Hide-and-Seek and Lots-and-Lots of Leaves

There are certain people in your life who are constants. People you know you can depend on for sound advice, to never be judgmental, and to always be there for you. Sue-Lee and Johnny are two such people. I can't believe I've known Sue-Lee for over 10 years now. Sue-Lee and I (and Johnny actually!) went to the same high school but we didn't meet until first year university. We grew close throughout the years and I was so happy when Sue-Lee asked me to be a bridesmaid at her and Johnny's wedding. Fast forward a few years later... Sue-Lee and Johnny have a beautiful little boy and are expecting a baby girl in the next couple of months. Time really does fly - but thank goodness for constants.



Vince and I were so excited for this photo shoot. We met Sue-Lee, Johnny, and Maddux in beautiful Gage Park in downtown Brampton. It started drizzling a little so we ducked into the gazebo for a few shots.






We got just enough drizzle to make the gorgeous fall colours pop! Maddux had a great time trying to catch autumn leaves, shaking trees to make more leaves fall, and examining each of his leaves individually.




While Vince entertained Maddux with a little game of hide-and-seek, I took a few photographs of Sue-Lee and Johnny. Then it was time for Maddux to give his future baby sister a big kiss. Muuah! :)





Maddux has grown up so quickly and he looks like a little man in this next photo - definitely one of my faves.



My favourite part of the session was when Johnny threw leaves high above Maddux's head as the rambunctious 4-year-old tried to catch as many as he could. The expressions on Maddux's face were just priceless. I didn't realize how many leaves Johnny was throwing until I was going through the images afterward... talk about an avalanche of leaves!!









After all the fun, we played a little more hide-and-seek and had some sweet quiet moments.





Sue-Lee, Johnny, and Maddux - thank you, thank you, thank you for such a fun session! Vince and I can't wait to meet your new bundle of joy very very soon. :)