Challenging Myself

It really hit me. It knocked me over like a ton of bricks. And I vowed I'd do something about it.

I was at a friend's house last weekend taking some family photos, when she pulled a gorgeous picture frame off the fireplace mantel. It was filled with photos of her little boy as a baby. These photos were beautiful! They were of him sleeping, with a blanket over his head, all kinds of candid, beautiful moments. I asked Jen, "did you have these taken?" To my surprise she said, no, I took them.

That's when it hit me. I don't have ANY pictures of Cooper just doing regular, everyday things. The things he's going to want to see when he looks back at photos of when he was a baby. Instead, all I have are the posed shots. Cooper in a pumpkin. Cooper in a Santa hat. What kind of mother am I? Jen pointed it out: not all shots have to be perfect. They just have to be of your child.

I'm challenging myself both as a new parent and as a photographer. These days I don't leave the house without my point and shoot. And I challenged myself tonight to capture my little guy as he slept. I didn't worry about perfection, creativity or even that much about lighting. I just wanted to capture him.

Jen, I owe you one! Maybe when Cooper is older, he won't hate me for putting him in the most embarrassing positions for the sake of a photo.

So, here's to imperfect photos, but perfect moments.

First, the photos that will be the reason for my kid needing therapy when he's older.

Precious moments that I finally captured.

The McCabe Family

I love families. I especially love it when a family invites me back every year to take the annual photo...you can see how much the little ones have changed!

Kennedy is now an energetic 15 month old, and Luke is now the mature big brother at 4. So much has changed in just one year. But they are still sooooo adorable!

We had beautiful warm weather, unusual for November so we took advantage of it and headed outdoors. I had to be quick with Kennedy, she's so fast!

Can't wait to see them again next year! But I hope they don't grow too fast.

Kennedy getting ready for the take off! She's so cute.

Candice and Brad are Engaged!

I know I say this a lot, but I LOVE people who are both best friends and completely in love with each other. That's Candice and Brad. They totally click, they can read each other and you can feel how comfortable they are with each other.

We took advantage of the only sunny day in weeks and went to Brad's family farm near Alliston for the official engagement photos. We walked in fields and around the barns with a few adorable kitties following us.

Brad has this sort of protective way with Candice that I'm not entirely sure he's aware of, and Candice seems to come alive when she's around him. These two are a dream to shoot! I can't wait for the wedding.

Kimberlee and Nick are Engaged!

Kimberlee and Nick are the type of people who you just click with. I love people who love to have fun, and who love to laugh. I don't think these two ever stop laughing. That was the case as we spent the day shooting their engagement photos. I think my stomach was hurting from laughing!

Kimberlee and Nick's enthusiasm for all things fun is not only contagious, but it's also their theme for their wedding! This couple has some great ideas including a photo booth (Kimberlee told me she hopes someone moons the camera!), and they're hoping to serve street meat for their midnight spread! I love it!

As you can tell from these photos, they had fun, but they also adore each other. As a result of their incredible awesomeness, it was hard to choose just a few to post on the blog.

Enjoy!



Sometimes there is a photo in the bunch that makes my heart pound with excitement. This is one of those photos. I love the look Kimberlee is giving the camera and you can just feel the love! Rock it Kim!

Jenelle and Brandon are Engaged!

When it comes to photos and the fall colours...timing is everything. Jenelle and Brandon picked the perfect day to have their engagement photos taken at Sunnidale Park. The colours were vibrant and there was the perfect amount of leaves both on the trees and on the ground. A few days later all the leaves were off the trees after a huge storm.

Jenelle and Brandon are getting married next summer and they have the sweetest little boy who just turned one! Brandon was such a ham, something I love in people! He was game for anything and even volunteered to climb a tree.

Jenelle and Brandon, your wedding is going to be a blast!

Little Kaden, such a sweetie!

Ashley and Shawn are Engaged!

Ashley and Shawn are your lovable country folk who wanted a farm feel for their engagement photos. I couldn't resist going back to the abandoned, falling down barn I used for my sister's engagement session. True, the barn is pretty disgusting with dead birds, raccoon poop and what looks like 50 year old manure on the bottom floor, but beyond that the place is amazing to shoot in.

Next October Ashley and Shawn will be Mr. and Mrs.! You can tell the bond these two have. They are both quiet, a little shy, but definitely in love. Shy as he is, Shawn didn't shy away from kissing his Bride-to-Be anytime I asked him to.

We had some fun in the old barn....and I know these two warm country people will have a warm and lasting marriage!

They matched their outfits too! Love the boots.

Carolyn Anytime!

I am always excited, and a little shocked when people call me to take their pictures for their websites. It's a lot of pressure and I always seem to doubt myself. That was the case just last week. I had butterflies in my belly as I drove up the long, winding driveway of the most beautiful farm I've ever seen.

I was meeting with Carolyn Scime, a real estate agent in King Township. Carolyn is a country girl with city flare and one of the nicest people. She's launching her own website and wanted some photos that weren't so corporate. We used her gorgeous dog Zoe and the beautiful big horse Nick to show Carolyn's love for animals and the most amazing backdrop of the fall colours.

It was so fun running around the farm taking her picture.....and Carolyn believes she's never had a good photo taken of her...I think we changed that!

Carolyn's website is about to be launched, but for now, if you're looking for a representative, here's a link to her current site: http://www.lacebyrealestate.com/employees.html