one of the ways i am most excited to celebrate this milestone month in my business is by sharing fifteen of the most valuable lessons i’ve learned in my fifteen years as a photographer. fifteen tidbits of magic, if you will.
this morning’s lesson is a particularly fun one. and it applies to both photo sessions and life/parenthood in general.
when in doubt, just add water.
whether it’s a bathtub, a sprinkler, a lake or a puddle, when you’re faced with boredom or bad moods or just looking to brighten up a day, a little bit of h2o is very often the perfect solution.
it’s like magic. (and you all know how much i love magic.)
so many of my favorite sessions and photos include soaking and spraying and splashing and i wouldn’t want it any other way. if your family loves water too, let’s talk about some of the fun ways we can implement it into your lifestyle photography session this summer — i’m imagining a backyard pool party. paddle boards on the beach. an epic water balloon fight. an overflowing bath of bubbles… the options are endless.
one of the ways i am most excited to celebrate this milestone month in my business is by sharing fifteen of the most valuable lessons i’ve learned in my fifteen years as a photographer. tidbits of magic, if you will.
with mother’s day yesterday and all of the feelings that can come with it, this one feels especially timely to kick off the countdown and share today.
there is no such thing as the perfect way to parent. everybody is doing their best.
being invited into families’ homes and lives is a huge privilege and one i take very seriously. it is such an honour to get an intimate look at the many amazing different ways that people parent.
like the dad who jumps on the bed with his kids, and the one who makes them all every single morning.
the mom who carefully dresses her little ones in matching outfits, and the one whose toddler is known to frequent the grocery store in his halloween costume all year long.
the parent who breastfeeds, and the one who nourishes their babe with a bottle. those who stay home full time and those who leave for work every morning. the one who riles the kids up and the one who has a grounding presence.
like the early risers and the night owls. the silly parents and the serene ones. those who feel like they’ve got it together and the ones who feel like they’re falling apart.
there is no single right way to do anything in this life, and i’m here for celebrating every way that we can create a little magic with our families.
so much love to all of you who, like me, are just doing your best to raise good humans and have a little fun while you’re at it.
you’re doing a great job and i am so thrilled to get to tell your stories.
want to know the secret to an amazing family photo session?
simply embrace the idea that everything that happens is a piece of your story worth celebrating.
it’s that easy.
the preschooler climbing your back while you change your toddler’s diaper? leave her up there (and make her giggle while you’re at it)! sooner than you think, she’ll be far too big for that.
the remnants of days old nail polish painted on tiny fingers or toes? one day you’ll be so thankful for this sweet reminder of their littleness.
that post nap bottle you’ve been trying to get your little one to drop? it will be a distant bittersweet memory before you know it, and you might even miss it a little bit.
the tears that may come, as they often do with little ones and authentic behaviour? there’s no rush. take a moment to scoop up your kiddo for a moment of connection and before welcoming them back into the fun.
the abundance of love and joy and chaos and laughter and tears and snuggles and mess mixed into these sleepless days? priceless.
these “imperfect” moments in your ordinary, beautiful days often become the ones you miss most, and i’d love to help you hang onto them long after they’ve unfolded for the final time.
when i say there is magic in your chaos, i absolutely mean it. it’s there in your calm too. and in every little moment in between.
i want the photos you have to remember these days by to be beautiful and honest, to celebrate the calm and the chaos and all the in betweens as well. to show not only how good you looked, but more importantly, the ways you filled your days and loved each other too. your life isn’t just picture perfect smiles. it’s so much more: connections and emotions and all the tiny moments you never want to forget.
i can’t think of a better time than this one to be seeking out the best bits in your days, and despite the challenges of this past year, the beautiful moments in these unprecedented times deserve to be remembered. whether you look back on the images tomorrow, next month, or years down the road, i hope you’ll remember the magic of these days above all else.
your family is worth it. you are all filled with magic. i can’t wait to show you all the ways.
last april, as the snow melted and people began venturing outside more, we decided to add some fun to the sidewalk in front of our house with a little chalk obstacle course. it was so fun to peek out the windows and see people of all ages hop, run and spin as they passed by.
this month we decided to create a course for even more people to enjoy. we packed up our chalk on a day off and headed to the kids’ school to make some magic.
we don’t get to see as many people using it as we did on the sidewalk out front, but stop by whenever we go to the park, and are hopeful it’s getting some use by all of the kiddos this week!
if you decide to make your own (we hope you will!) there are really no rules!
here’s a list of the actions we included (and a few others the kids hope to incorporate into next year’s course).
hopscotch
follow
jump over
stomp
balance
spin
right foot hop
left foot hop
star jump
run
shuffle
skip
gallop
bear crawl
we’d all love to see what you create if you give it a try — tag me on instagram with your creations!
twelve months ago, as the world was shutting down around us, i made a conscious decision to look for more magic in my days. when the days were tricky, i chose gratitude and finding joy to cope with the uncertainty around us. sometimes that meant noticing little glimmers of goodness that were already there, and on days when we couldn’t find any, it meant making magic ourselves.
one of the activities that we did to create some magic during those initial weeks at home was painting on our windows. i’m happy to report that one year later, our lovely little rainbow still happily welcomes every single visitor to our front porch.
if you’d like to create your own, all you need is: some acrylic paint in the colours of your choice, dish soap, a paintbrush, a piece of paper and some painter’s tape.
rainbow window painting
1. prep your paint. fill small containers with 2 tbsp of acrylic paint in each of your chosen colours. add 1 tsp of dish soap to each colour and mix well.
2. prep your window. cut a heart shape out of paper. using painter’s tape, tape the heart to your work surface. remove taped heart from work surface and trim heart, leaving a 1 cm tape border. stick heart to window and use painter’s tape to protect the trim alongside your window.
3. paint the window. using your paint and dish soap mixture, paint rainbow a rainbow (or half of one like i did!) over top of your tape heart.
4. remove tape. peel away tape from heart and window trim.
5. enjoy! add a bit of joy to your view, day or night.
whether it’s the way the sun shines in through your window, finding the perfect heart shaped rock on a walk, or a rainbow painted on your front window, i hope you find some magic in your days this week.
be sure to tag me on instagram if you decide to try out this tutorial! i can’t wait to see what you create.
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