London Ontario Wedding & Portrait Photography | 2014 Favourites

I've so enjoyed looking back on 2014 over the past few weeks and highlighting some of my favourites over on the Raw Footage Photography Facebook Page. Today I'm compiling those 20 images into a blog post and resisting the urge to add 20 (or 100!) more to the list. I am notoriously terrible at narrowing things down, and in the past my "yearly favourites" posts have included a ridiculous amount of images. I love all of my clients and feel attached to every session or wedding I photograph, so picking just 20 photos from the whole year was so hard. But I tried to pick the images that really speak to me as an artist, images I'm especially proud of and really represent my style and vision - either because they capture incredible natural light or raw, genuine emotion ... or both (my two favourite things to photograph!). Here are my 20 favourites from 2014 in no particular order!

London Ontario Maternity Photographer | Laura

If you're a past wedding client, you may recognize my stunning friend and second shooter, Laura. My brides and grooms-to-be getting married before September will be getting to know her, as well. Laura is a talented photographer and I'm honoured to have her assist me for many of my weddings. She is sweet and hilarious and absolutely glowing as she expects her third baby, a little boy after two beautiful girls! I'm so happy for you Laura, and so thankful you let me drag you out for photos. Here are my favourites from our little maternity photo adventure!

London Ontario Maternity Photography | The Fletchers

This session is close to my heart because it features some of our very best friends. We just love these guys so much, and can't wait to meet their newest bundle, another sweet baby boy. This time around, we went for an in-home lifestyle maternity session and I had a blast capturing Evan and Melissa playing and snuggling with handsome little Teagan (aka Neve's BFF). Here are my favourites from their session!

London Ontario Maternity Photographer | Vincent & Marie-Helene

My husband and I both met Vince at around the same time. It was a long time ago... I was 14. Obviously, my husband and I were not married (or dating) at this point. : ) I have scrapbooks filled with photos of the three of us galavanting around Montreal, where we all lived at the time, hanging out on Mount-Royal, stuffing fancy pizza into our mouths, aimlessly wandering around the Old Port, bowling on a rainy day, etc. For a big part of my adolescence, I spent almost every weekend hanging out with those guys. I still spend every weekend with one of em' -ha. : ) David and Vince eventually became roommates and the best of friends. Needless to say, we love Vince. And we love that he found someone so sweet, wonderful and fun who makes him so, so happy. The two of them paid us a visit in February and I was so honoured to be able to capture some maternity photos for them. Vincent and Marie-Helene are truly our dearest friends and we are so, so excited to meet their little bebe, who should be here any day now!

London Ontario Maternity Photographer | Steve and Colleen's Indoor/Outdoor Session

I love it when couples opt for two different locations within one session, because we end up getting so much variety. For their maternity session, Steve and Colleen chose to do some of their photos in the comfort (and warmth!) of their own home, and some in a snowy field. It was snowing quite heavily in London that day, and at one point the giant snowflakes felt more like rain than snow, but we braved through it, and I'm so glad we did. The snow adds such character and uniqueness to their photos! Steve and Colleen, thanks for trusting me with capturing this special time - wishing you all the best as you embark on this new adventure together! Here are some of my favourites from the session! -xo

London Ontario Maternity Photographer | Will and Melissa

I love this couple so much! They have given me the great honour and pleasure of photographing so many special milestones in their life, from their wedding, to the addition of their adorable dog Parker, to their maternity session to their newborn lifestyle session. Truly the greatest compliment and joy for a photographer. We shot their maternity photos on a beautiful Winter afternoon on a Christmas Tree Farm just outside of London. The sun was glowing so beautifully, and we were able to capture some delicious golden light (my favourite!). Here are some of my favourite images from our session (Stay tuned for their newborn session coming up on the blog in a couple of weeks!).

London Ontario Family Photographer | 2013 Portrait/Family Favourites

This is the third and final 2013 Favourites post. You can see my 2013 Wedding Favourites here and my 2013 Couple/Engagement Favourites here. I have not included anything from my 2013 mini sessions in this post, as I've already grouped my favourites from those in recap posts after each round of minis. In this post you will find favourites from all portrait sessions (Maternity, Family, Newborn, Child, Individual Portrait) as well as a handful of favourites from some of my Project Ten projects. I have tried to include at least 1 favourite from each full session I have photographed, so hopefully everyone who has worked with me this year will see a little snippet of their session represented. Can I just say, narrowing these down was HARD! In the end, after picking an initial favourite from every session, I went with my heart and selected images that most represent my style and vision - capturing light, emotion, and keeping it simple.  Enjoy! :)

( Psst... That first photo is from a self portrait project from January 2013, the only real self portrait I've ever done.)

London Ontario Maternity Photographer | Mackenzie & Marco

We headed downtown for Mackenzie and Marco's sunny evening maternity session. I had a blast with this laid-back pair exploring alleys and pathways and capturing this special time in their lives as they prepare for their new little bundle. Marco and Mackenzie, I wish you all the best as you embark on this new journey. Here are some of my favourites from the session. -xo

London Ontario Maternity Photographer | Natalie's Grand Bend Beach Session

My beautiful friend Natalie is no stranger to this blog - I had the honour of taking her branding photos awhile back, and then helped out with her creative pregnancy announcement last Winter. And then there was our fun little location scouting adventure turned mini session. I've also had the pleasure of being in front of her lens several times. The photographer's plight is often that you take photos of everyone else, and have none of yourself. But I can truly say that I have managed to escape that trap thanks to Natalie's amazing talent and our love of shooting... each other! :) A little while ago, we headed to the beach for an evening of photos. We had an amazing family session (see Natalie's blog about it here), and then as the sun was dipping down, we did some maternity photos in the water. It was supposed to storm that evening, and I'm so glad we took a chance on the weather, because it turned out to be a beautiful (albeit a bit windy!) evening.

Nat, I cannot BELIEVE how close you are to the end (or should I say, the beginning!). You are rocking that twin baby bump my dear, and you are positively glowing. I cannot wait to snuggle those two little boys. Love you guys! -xo

London Ontario Maternity Photographer | Leili

The lovely Leili is the photographer behind Leili Heidema Photography in Fort Smith, Northwest Territories (which just so happens to be a place my husband and I have always dreamed of visiting together!). When she contacted me about doing maternity photos for her and her husband during their short London visit, my heart skipped a beat. It is always such an honour when another photographer chooses me to capture their memories, and maternity photography is my favourite. We met in a quaint little organic cafe before heading out to an overgrown field. It threatened to rain during the entire session, but the first drop didn't fall until we were saying our goodbyes - talk about perfect timing! Leili and her husband are simply adorable, and I had so much fun hanging out with them. Leili - thank you so much for trusting me with documenting this very special milestone for your family. I wish you the very best as you prepare to welcome your little bundle! xo