When Anna from Mamoo Bags contacted me to do a lifestyle product shoot for their beautiful canvas tote bags, I was so excited. And I got even more excited when the bags arrived. They're absolutely beautiful, with such detailed stitching and adorable touches. I fell in love with them, and so did these kids! (And their moms.)
We spent a sunset evening on the beach, exploring as far out as the tide would go, and filling the tote bags with shells and seaglass. It was perfection.
Last September, we were very brave. We took our 2.5 year old on a three-week road trip, from Vancouver all the way to Joshua Tree National Park, and back. And we lived to tell the tale.
It's a very pretty tale. Portland, the Redwoods, Inverness, Venice Beach, San Diego, Joshua Tree, the Sequoias, Yosemite, and the Oregon Coast: here it all is.
It's a bit overwhelming to go through all my images from the past year. This is especially true when I'm limited to the rare moments my toddler is reading by himself (and yelling from his bedroom every two minutes, "I reading!"), which are quickly interrupted by his urgent potty breaks/questions about animals/requests for food. Being a mom is, of course, my most important job - and that's why my year-end photo review is coming a month into the new year.
[He just ran into my room and is testing gravity by letting his storybook fall on my keyboard. Over and over again. This is what happens: ui.iy|{!?>EWADFGK&$( This also explains why I have to mend the bindings of his books so frequently.]
2016 had some very exciting moments. I got to meet and be inspired by fellow photographers throughout the year. I had an article published in Click Magazine and several articles on different wonderful blogs. I started to focus on commercial children's work (which I LOVE). I also decided to cut back a little on work, since my little family comes first, and that was also inspiring because it gave me the chance to focus on clients that really understood and loved what I did, the real moments, the real things. And that was wonderful. I'm so grateful for all the people who chose me to capture the love and light in their lives in 2016.
& here it is!
You know that thing I do, where I photograph a session and blog it a few years later? Yes. Well, I'm not doing that today. This wintery, hot chocolatey, Christmas Gastown family session just happened a few weeks ago. And I love it.
November isn't usually my favourite, because it's a little bit like Narnia, when it was always Winter and never Christmas (except in Vancouver's case, it's always Rain and never Christmas). But occasionally, this month startles me with beauty, and this time the combination of winter & fall, with colourful leaves and blustering wind and thick winter coats, was completely magical.
(Side note, because I know you love it as much as I do: Averi's little outfit is from Leuie, which is very possibly the most adorable children's shop ever.)
Vanessa & Aaron probably have two of the cutest babies in the world. Let's just start off by saying that.
They weighed around 5 pounds each when I met them. That's the approximate weight of a honeydew, just to put it in context (yes I googled that), and I was a little bit in awe of their perfectly miniature hands and feet. I'm also a little bit in awe of Vanessa & Aaron, because I have no idea how they manage with two newborns, when I barely made it through with one.
But what incredible parents they are, and what a beautiful little family they have.
