Reconnecting with wedding clients after their wedding is one of the most special parts of my job. When I found out that Christina and Justin were expecting, I was so thrilled to see them again and photograph their early days in this new phase. Documenting new families at home is my favourite way to capture newborns, and I'm so glad to be sharing some favourites from this session on the blog today.
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.
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
It was such a joy to be invited back into this beautiful family's home to capture sweet baby Micah. I was there to photograph his beautiful big sister shortly after she was born, and it was so much fun to see her again as a lively toddler full of life! I've said it so many times, but I just love in-home newborn lifestyle sessions. Capturing sweet babies in their cozy home, being snuggled by their parents in the big bed, being loved on by their siblings in a familiar space with all the keepsake blankets and backup onesies at arm's length and ultrasound pictures still hanging on the fridge... it's my favourite. These sessions always include a mix of lightly posed photos as well as lots of candid moments and documentation of those every day routines that might feel repetitive and unglamorous in the moment, but will be so sweet to look back on. I'm so excited to be sharing my favourites from this adorable session. Enjoy!
I absolutely love photographing newborns at home, cozy and warm, with their families. Capturing babies in those early stages, as routines are coming together and bonds are being formed is so special. I try to keep it simple, go slowly, and go with the flow, which means these sessions can stretch out to 3 hours sometimes. But even the soothing/feeding/changing breaks get documented, and as a mama, I know those photos are extra special because it's those moments that make up our days (and nights!) for so long. Beautiful baby Luca was an absolute dream to photograph, and I'm so glad to finally be sharing my favourites here on the blog.
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!
I had such a wonderful time photographing this beautiful baby girl and her family in their gorgeous home. In-home newborn lifestyle sessions are always a treat for me, and this one was no exception. Ellie was a dream to photograph, and her sweet big brother Jack certainly kept me entertained! Here are my favourites from our session.
I came home from this session with serious baby fever! There was just something about sweet Stella that reminded me SO much of my Neve when she was a newborn. I so enjoyed photographing this lovely family at home with their new little bundle. Here are my favourites from our lifestyle session!
I loved this session so, so much. First of all, I adore Mallory and her beautiful family. They've been in front of my lens before, and you may remember the gorgeous Mal from the Project Ten session she helped me with awhile ago (she had just found out she was pregnant with Mila!).
Second of all, their home is flooded with the most delicious natural light. And you all know how much I love my natural light. : )
But most of all, what I love love loved about this session (and lifestyle sessions in general) is how real life just kept going. There was baking, there was snuggling, there was toddler cookie smuggling, newborn baby soothing, playing tea party on the floor and eating lunch in the kitchen. One of my favourite series of shots from this session is the comparison between dad quietly dressing baby in the nursery and mom wrangling her wild toddler to try and get some clothes on her before she runs away. Real life. : ) Of course as with all newborn lifestyle sessions, there's a big focus on baby alone in addition to the family moments, and sweet Mila got her moment in the spotlight. She was wide awake (though Mallory texted me a photo of her passed out just a few minutes after I left, of course!), but cute as a button. I hope the Kucharski family treasures these images for years to come. Here are some favourites from our session!
I still remember my wedding consult with Melissa and Will 3 years ago, when we chatted about their upcoming wedding day and all of the amazing DIY details Melissa was working on. It's hard to believe that since then, I've shot their wedding, their first "family" session with their new dog Parker, their maternity session, and now their sweet baby Oliver's lifestyle newborn session. It is such a gift to photograph couples and families over time, I feel like I am truly helping them tell their story, something I'm so passionate about doing. I simply loved this newborn session. Oliver is such a perfect little bundle, and the light in their home was delicious. Not to mention, Mr. Big Brother Parker was quite the character, insisting on his moment (s) in the spotlight. Melissa and Will, congrats again on the arrival of your sweet boy. Thank you for the honour of capturing so many special milestones along your journey! xo
A note about the suitcase photo below - I don't typically take posed prop shots with newborns, but this vintage suitcase was featured in Will and Melissa's wedding decor and means a lot to them. When I saw Oliver sleeping so soundly, I thought - hey, why not make an exception? I'm so glad we did because how cute is he curled up on that little suitcase?! Have no fear, mom was close by the whole time, and was cropped out. Safety first!
