I met up with Beth and Shane at Pinafore Park in St-Thomas, where we started their engagement session in the woods with their little guy Carter before heading off just the two of them. Our next stop was Hawk Cliff Woods - breathtakingly beautiful and the perfect setting with that golden hour sunlight glistening over Lake Erie. We finished our shoot in a picturesque hay field, where Beth and Shane cozied up in the back of their pickup truck as the sun continued to set. One final spontaneous stop on the side of the road produced one of my favourite shots of their session, with Beth and Shane literally walking into the sunset. An all around beautiful session that I'm so happy to be sharing favourites from today!
London Ontario Wedding Photographer | Kate & Matt's Elm Hurst Wedding
Kate and Matt's beautiful Elm Hurst Wedding was such a joy to document. From their intimate first look to their dreamy outdoor ceremony tucked away in the woods behind Elm Hurst to their bonus sunset portrait time, their entire day was perfectly planned and beautifully executed. The Elm Hurst is one of my favourite venues - everything is in one place, and it is stunning, full of charm, and offers so many gorgeous backdrops for photos in any season. Here are some favourites from Kate and Matt's special day.
London Ontario Family Photographer | Extended Family Session in the Woods
Extended family sessions can be a lot of work - both for the family (who needs to coordinate a million outfits, plan around nap time and travel logistics and all show up clean, happy and on time with fingers crossed for good weather because if not you have to do it all over again) and for the photographer (a lot of names to remember, people to pose, kids to keep smiling and engaged, and family combinations to photograph). But guys, they are worth it. Trust me. Because at the end of what might feel like a chaotic couple of hours, you will have photos of all of you together. In focus. Not taken by cousin Jim's self timer (no offence to cousin Jim's self timer). As kids get older and teenagers go off to college and families move to different cities and provinces, these photos become even more priceless. And even though it's more work than your typical 4-person family shoot, it's something I really love capturing. What's more - an extended family session can be a great way to save money by killing two birds with one stone, as they say (what a terrible expression). Do you and your siblings all want a few fun family photos without each booking a full session? Go in on an extended family shoot together and get a photo of the whole group on top of your individual family shots. What grandparent doesn't want a framed photo of all their beautiful grandchildren? There is so much richness in documenting multiple generations all together. Here is an extended family shoot from last Summer that I just loved.
London Ontario Wedding Photographer | Allison & Shawn's Sunset Country Engagement
I photographed Allison and Shawn's beautiful sunset engagement session on a golden Summer evening last year. We met on their country property and took photos with their favourite tree and their beloved dogs before heading out to a nearby field drenched in warm sunset light. Here are some favourites from the session!
London Ontario Wedding Photographer | Mark & Melanie's Highland Country Club Wedding
I'm so happy to finally be sharing my favourite images from Mark and Melanie's beautiful Highland Country Club wedding. It was a beautiful day filled with so many love-filled moments - my favourite of which had to be when their baby girl Summer walked halfway up the aisle as the cutest little flower girl. Mark met her halfway and scooped her up, and I may or may not have teared up behind my camera. So sweet.
Second Shooter: Melissa Pushelberg
Venue: Highland Country Club
Florals: Buds and Blossoms (Laura Fehr)
Name Tags: Paper Cloud (Abigail French)
Makeup: Chatters (Jenny Reid)
Hair: Chatters (Jenny Reid)
Bride's Dress: Petrov Bridal
London Ontario Newborn Photographer | Baby Liam's In-Home Lifestyle Session
It's no secret that I love newborn lifestyle sessions. I know what it's like to be so wrapped up in the newborn stage, exhausted, elated, frustrated, completely in love, and did I mention exhausted? One diaper change rolls into another, the laundry pile gets higher by the minute and it can feel like you are feeding that baby all day long. You want to snuggle and kiss that soft baby skin non stop, and yet you'd give anything for a long, hot shower. There's nothing quite like that fresh baby stage, and I am passionate about helping families capture just a snippet of this special, fleeting phase. Baby Liam was a dream, and I just loved this session - the sweet, quiet snuggles, and all the routines in between. Here are some favourites... you'll notice I had trouble narrowing them down, haha.
London Ontario Family Photographer | Sister Love
I just love this sweet family and their three gorgeous girls, each with her own strong and beautiful personality! As a mama of two girls myself, I have a soft spot for sisters, and these three won me over instantly. Lucky me, I've had the pleasure of photographing them several times since this first session, and look forward to seeing them again soon. Here are some favourites!
London Ontario Wedding Photographer | Mark & Melanie's Port Stanley Beach Engagement Session
What a beautiful day it was for Mark and Melanie's family engagement session in Port Stanley. I got to meet their sweet girlie Summer and photograph them having fun as a family, as well as some couple shots as they celebrated their engagement. I can't wait to blog their beautiful wedding, but for now here are some favourites from their beach engagement session.
London Ontario Wedding Photographer | Claire & Mike's Star Wars Themed Engagement Session
I thought I was coming to shoot a beautiful Spring engagement session, but it turned out I was coming to shoot a beautiful Star Wars themed Spring engagement session. ;) Mike is a die-hard Star Wars fan, and showed up with lightsabers and the cutest little cake toppers. We had a blast exploring the blooms around Springbank Park, and of course, documenting an epic lightsaber battle. Here are some favourites from their session!
London Ontario Photographer | 2016 Favourites
I've been sharing my 2016 favourites on Facebook and Instagram for the last few weeks, and I've loved reminiscing about such a fantastic year of photos. For those who have been following along, you'll notice several images in here that were not featured in my daily favourites posts. But I'm weak and unable to narrow down things I love, so I simply could not exclude some of these images, nor could I keep sharing daily 2016 favourites into the Summer. So here are some of the images that spoke to me the most in 2016 - images that made my heart sing because of the emotion they evoked, or because of the artistic process that went into making them, or because of that golden delicious sunlight I am always chasing, or because I get that feeling when I look at them, that feeling that reminds me that I am so lucky to do what I love, and that makes me want to keep capturing moments and creating art through photographs for as long as I can. <3