Sacha Blackburne Photography

Baby Colton

2012-01-25T18:00:00.000-08:00

Jennifer and Todd were surprised and overjoyed when they discovered they were having a third child. While not planned, they had always thought they wanted three children within a short time frame and this certainly was that. Big sisters Tessa, who is three and a half, and Keira, who is nearly two, were thrilled to have him join the family and love to help change nappies and put him to sleep. I was so pleased to meet him having photographed Tessa and then Keira when they were each the same age, as well as their mama bear when she was pregnant. Keira doesn't quite understand how gentle she needs to be just yet and must be watched to keep her from "petting" her little brother a little too roughly, while Tessa is an old pro at this and is quite a little mummy, forever instructing Keira on how to behave around Colton and loves to help whenever asked.

It's funny as I have been dying to shoot a newborn in a cute hat forever but never had a hat of the right caliber. This darling one was a baby gift for Colton from some family friends and was hand crocheted by Sarah of Crocheted Creations and is simply adorable. Recently I watched this rather amusing (but also verging on cyber bullying) series of videos by a woman who was clearly mocking a type of newbie photographer. It was so sickly sweet it was scathing and one thing she pretended to love, but obviously doesn't, is newborns in cute hats. So I did shoot despite seeing her video and yes, perhaps it has been done before a ton, but perhaps there is a reason for it - they look darn cute! So I am proud of my first newborn in a cute little newborn hat - I just adore Colton in it and how it adds a whole new element of cute, even is she is not a fan, I am.

Despite usually being a great sleeper, Colton was awake for the entire shoot which does not happen to me often, but of course the atmosphere is completely different when there are older siblings around so we just ran with it. He kept making this little scowly face so I said I was waiting for him to soften. His mama told me that adorable little scowl is his little face most of the time and she loved it and wanted to be sure I captured him looking cross too. She said she can just hear the questions he must be asking himself about this noisy world around him And noisy it will always be with his tow big sisters - no hope for quiet for this little guy. His expression made me smile, for our son, Oslo, frowned for the first five months of his life and I was tormented that I couldn't get a good picture. I wish that I had had Jennifer's heavenly attitude and accepted that this was just him at that age and loved the pics of that little sensitive-to-light expression. Jennifer says the scowly ones are her faves and I have to say, I think I agree.

I had photographed both girls with the rings on their toes too so Jennifer was keen to be fair and capture Colton's little feet in the same way. My sister does photo books and I just love the idea of all three shoots being in one album to show the ways in which they were similar and those in which they were different. So delicious to have been organised enough to capture all three babies in their first weeks - kudos to Jennifer and Todd!

At 26 weeks, Jennifer had a scare and because Keira had come at 30 weeks, she was sent to Canada with the family for procedures to prevent preterm labour. But after six weeks, she was given the all clear and they returned to Bermuda and this perfectly healthy baby boy was born at full term at 8lbs 5ozs adn 20 inches long. All the earlier stress and worry evaporated and the family feel so blessed to have him in their lives at long last after having thought he would arrive at any moment for 14 weeks!

Thanks to the five of you for a lovely shoot - I adored the little hat, the grumpy expressions and the madness of a houseful of children - it is what expresses love most in my mind. I love your saying you shared with me that "the days are long but the years are short". That really sums up what having a family is about - such juxtapositions of feelings and I am so happy we were once again able to hold on to these precious newborn days with Colton. Congratulations on your family finally being complete. xxx

DeVika's Maternity Session

2012-01-24T08:24:00.000-08:00

Expecting her first child has come with a host of emotions for DeVika and she wanted to capture this special time in her life. Most overwhelming has been the complet unconditional love and adoration she already feels for a person she has not even met yet, nor does she even know if this little love she is so smitten with is a boy or a girl. But DeVika believes life is a story and what better way to begin this new story than by capturing it from the very beginning. Sadly, DeVika's lovely hubby, Mark, was not able to come to the shoot as we had to reschedule so many times due to weather, and on the day that it was sunny, Mark was buys, but in retrospect, DeVika thinks this may have been a blessing, for she feels the images express her personal bond and connection she has with her unborn child and although this feeling is something she has not been able to express in words, she feels these images capture it precisely.

DeVika's paternal grandmother sadly passed away in 2009 and this baby would have been her first great grandchild. Keeping her grandmother close to her, as well as close to her unborn child, during this process was immensely important to DeVika. One of the last things her grandmother gave DeVika was her wedding dress which represents a very happy moment for her husband and her, and to some extent, her grandmother's presence in their lives forever. The expecting mother brought her dress to the shoot in the hopes of somehow incorporating it even though she obviously could not wear it while so heavily pregnant. I wrapped her gorgeous dress around her bump, enveloping the baby in all that happiness and everlasting love and I simply adore the result.

DeVika brought along loads of pearls for the shoot - some were from her beloved grandmother and others were loaned to her by Mark's Aunt Janet, who they are sure will be instrumental in their child's life. An extremely important aspect of raising their child is keeping family close at all times, no matter how far away they are.

DeVika's grandmother also gave her this beautiful and deeply sentimental emerald ring. While pregnant, DeVika's wedding rings no longer fit her finger so she wore this special ring to hold the place of all that love.

I was so excited when DeVika brought along the scan - these funny little print outs always make it so real - that there really is a person actually growing inside, and it is not just a beautiful bulbous bump on its own!

DeVika - I love these images we made together and so I am so so happy that my art form and creativity matched so perfectly what you had wanted to evoke in these photos. It means so much to me that we were able to achieve that ideal and I really appreciate your total trust in my artistic vision. Wishing you much love and luck with the birth and look forward to meeting the little love bug for our newborn session! xxxx

Cousins

2012-01-20T08:48:00.000-08:00

Sisters Lindsay and Laura decided to get some shots of their children for the grand parents for the holidays. After five long months away for medical reasons, Vovie and Vavo, what the kids call their grandparents, were thrilled to be back spending time with their four grand children and loved the photos. Lindsay and Laura decided Fort Scaur would be a fun location for the kids to run around and play and we were blessed with a gorgeous day. All four have their own strong personalities but when they are together, you can feel the love shared among them.

Brandon is a great big brother to Sydney. He is so great with all the little ones and loves to get them hyper. Sydney looks up to her older brother and loves it when he is around. You may recognise these two from Laura and Andrew's wedding!

These two are much closer in age and love to ham about together.

Brandon is very artistic. At sixteen, he is all about loving his bike and socialising.

Five year old Sydney is the mother hen of the group. She is nurturing and likes to be in charge and is full of sweetness.

Kyra plays well with others but prefers to be in her own space playing with arts and crafts. She tends to be shy and reserved but she is quite the comedienne as well.

Seven is the youngest of the four. His mum says he was just meant to be here - that he is an old soul adn is very loving. His name means born in July and complete. He is the last of the grand children so there are two girls and two boys and each sister has one of each - perfection.

Sydney and Kyra are just three months apart, with Kyra being the older of the two. Lindsay and Laura always joked about how fun it would be if they were pregnant at the same time and it actually happened and was quite a surprise as Lindsay was told it would be difficult for her to have children at all and Sydney was a surprise to her mummy and daddy too!

Thank you all for such a playful afternoon. Loved that we captured so much of what childhood and the relationship between cousins is all about - enjoy this closeness you all share - you are very lucky! xxx

Oslo's Christmas themed birthday party

2012-01-14T18:43:00.000-08:00

In typical us fashion, we had Oslo's birthday party quite a bit later than his big day, though this time it was more planned than usual. Firstly, Oslo wanted to have a Christmas themed party and since his official day is in mid November, we thought it might be a bit over keen to be fully Christmas kitted out that early, plus one of his dear friends was away and not returning until December so we waited until it it was the proper holiday season. We asked all his guests to come in Christmas costumes, and Oslo was insistant on dressing as a reindeer since he had this weird reindeer-horns-and-nose-thing that was all white. But then, the day before the party, we realised he had nothing to go with this (very bizar and ugly) head dress (thankfully!). So we tore the house to pieces and finally decided upon an elf as his character given what we had in the closets. He wore a green shirt of mine with his school belt and some old tights of mine with knots in the toes to help them fit a bit better. Not sure how they felt inside his cowboy boots, but he is not one for complaining if he thinks it is the right look. I used the old wee cedar Christmas tree skirt as his neck ruffle, and found buried in a ski bag his mad hat - must be Ben's from a previous life but we loved it and think it made the outfit!

I decided to copy Oslo and dress like and elf as well, though truth be told, I was also disorganised and had originally planned on going as Mrs Clause, but then discovered that I also had not a thing to wear that was even close - odd this hadn't twigged sooner than the night before the party. But I was able to pull something unflattering together and Oslo liked it since it made us twins so as long as he was happy, so was I.

Luckily, I had seen a Santa suit costume when I was out shopping for the advent calendar and it was not even that expensive. I knew we would use it a ton since we love dressing up, so at least Ben, who tends to be the chief entertainer at the parties (I am chief make-things-prettier), it was only correct that he be well kitted out.

At the last moment, instead of going as an elf, Indigo went as an angel as that was what was on hand in her wardrobe too! Her Auntie Amanda very sweetly came over to help prepare and she dressed her, secured her wings and made her halo - she looked like such a little sweetheart.

The other reason Oslo had decided to have a Christmas themed party, aside from the weird reindeer hat that never even made an appearance, was because years ago, this sleigh came into our lives. Oslo decided it was perfect to have his guests put presents in as they arrived and so I had been planning on how to make it a feature of the garden decorations. My friends know this already, but I am mad about all things old and charming. Ben is forever saying how I love other people's rubbish and that I am a bottom feeder and I do adore the expression about one man's trash being another man's (or my!) treasure. So one day, I was driving the kids to school and saw at the bottom of some friends' drive this sled out with all their rubbish. I couldn't believe they would be throwing it out so thought I would drop the kids first and if it was still there on the side of the road when I returned and the trash truck hadn't taken it away, I would grab it for photo shoots. So half an hour later, it was still there in amongst all the bags of rubbish so I pulled over and loaded it into my car. Nearly killed myself as it weighed so much and Ben was furious when I did my back in. But I was thrilled and couldn't wait to incorporate it into clients' holiday card sessions. That night, the phone rang and the friend who lived up the hill from where I picked up the sled accused me of stealing. I went all hot and tingly and was so embarrassed and confused. It was out with the rubbish, I blubbed, but he insisted they had just set it out and had gone up to the house for the decorations but when they returned ready to adorn it, it was gone. I wanted to die. I stammered that another friend had stopped too as she wanted it as well and she was the one who insisted I took it, but he didn't stop sounding furious at what a thieving fool I was. I was so mortified - not that I took it for I am all about recycling and am not above re-using someone's discarded items, but that I had mistaken it for their trash. I kept asking why it was surrounded by trash bags and right on the curb rather than set back a bit but he kept on and on. In fact, every time I see them, they still mention it. Turned out, that he was just pulling my leg (and every other nerve in my body - I was traumatised with guilt) and that they had indeed tossed it as it was rotting. It had been a prop in his mum's shop which had closed and it was just rotting in her garden. So this gorgeous tossed out sleigh finally had its day to shine as the key feature at Oslo's seventh birthday party. I dressed up Bunny and Pandy in their holiday best and they led the way on their Radio Flyer trikes and Rudolf the red nosed reindeer balanced up front on the handle bars wearing a nose left over from Indigo's Circus party.

I have recently discovered pinterest.com and it is seriously addictive and time consuming. But it is also amazingly inspiring and helps to wake up the creative in me from shoot ideas to entertaining to crafts with the kids. I have folders for everything. These cute little reindeer cupcakes were stolen from a pin and they were just darling to look at. Sadly, they were actually rather revolting to taste. It is a long story, but we went shopping late and the gluten free flour we always use was all out and so I bought some alternatives. The muffins were not ideal and then, it was very late the night before the party when we were baking and by the time I was making the icing, it must have been 2am ad Ben and I were beyond ready to go to bed. I asked Ben to taste the icing and he said it was fine. It was not. It was so disgusting, I cannot imagine what I had done wrong. All I used was butter, cocoa and agave syrup. I think I may have added a little ground up flax seed for thickening but to be fair, it was gross even before I added that. But at least they look pretty in the pics and hopefully somebody will pin these images and make better tasting ones than these were.

By contrast, these were probably the best tasting gluten free brownies ever made in the history of baking. Those dimples in the middle of all of them is a blob of fudge that sank to the bottom and caramelised into gooey divineness. I made them in heart and star shapes and although they were not as artistic looking, a couple cherries and some Christmas balls made all the difference. And I am smitten with my Christmas present to my self of these lovely mercury glass cake stands - can't see them too well in these pics but believe me, they are gorgeous.

One thing I had not planned on that day was rain. It poured on and off all day. I was gutted. Of course nobody else minded, but to me, who is so visually driven, I could not set the scene I had hoped for nor was I able to make it as magical as I had planned for my little boy. Poor Oslo kept checking the sky for me just before his friends arrived for I had brainwashed him into thinking it was important that it all looked perfect. Once they were all at the party, nobody could put their gifts in the back of the sleigh, and we spent most of the time throwing tarps over the sofas and carpets I had set up outside and racing bedding from the daybed back inside.

I love outdoor settings using indoor furniture so you can imagine how it offended my sense of the aesthetic to have these ugly tarps covering the scene half of the time. I know I should have been thankful this is the first party in seven years when it rained, but of course I was not thinking like that on the day - I was feeling smited!!

Nonetheless, despite the rains, the guests did come (part of me wished we could just reschedule, but it was all done and there was no turning back). I love this image below of the Ghost of Christmas Past serving up popcorn.

In between showers, we were able to be outside and enjoy the (damp) setting. One other thing that was different about this party compared to all the others we have had for the children was that there were a lot of friends from Oslo's new school invited. Previously, it has been all family friends so the party ends up being as much a party for the adults as the kids. I hadn't specified whether or not it was a drop off party, and I didn't even give an end time as I like people to stay late and order pizza and light a fire and roast marshmallows, but it ended up mainly being a drop off party, perhaps because that is what people are used to. Some of the kids literally jumped out of their cars and I didn't even meet the parents which made me feel how old Oslo must be now for that was a sign if ever there was one. Made me realise I am one seriously precious mama bear, though that is not my intention at all. I like to hang at parties as I like to get to know the other parents and also just to watch all the cuteness and interactions. But I suppose when your child is going to a larger school and the parties are a little more frequent, that is how one rolls - I just haven't been in that situation before so am a total newbie at the whole kids drop off thing. It was great though and luckily some parents did stay which I was thrilled about. Not that I said a word to any of them for I was stressing so much about the weather, but I like to think they at least appreciated my Christmas tree shaped nibbles and hopefully each other!

Ben wasn't trying to trick any of the kids into thinking he was Santa. He was clear he was Oslo's Daddy just wearing a suit like Santa's, but in perfect Ben style, he saved the day with his entertaining. I had bought all these darling little wooden boxes for the children to decorate before heading out on their scavenger hunt. I put them in this red felt sack that appeared out of nowhere miraculously and Ben sat on the daybed and played Santa, making all the kids sit on his knee to retrieve their box. I was in fits of giggles, as were all the kids. He used a mock Santa voice (actually, a mildly creepy one but it was funny given what he kept saying) and asked each child what he or she wanted for Christmas. In the beginning, the poor sweet hearts would answer honestly, listing computer games and teddies and all things typical. He would bellow out a laugh, say he would look in his sack to see what he could find. He dug around and then whipped out a box. "A box!" he would say dramatically, and then send that little on on her way to the decorating table before the next ~~victim~~ child would climb on his knee and go through the same routine. By the end, some of the kids would say all they wanted for Christmas was a box, and it was just too funny the way it all played out. I am sure I am not telling it right so perhaps just take my word for it that you would have laughed too.

The decorating stations were all a buzz with creativity. Loads of mess but lots of fun.

It's so funny because at Indigo's party, I took more photos of Oslo, and on Oslo's special day, I took more pics of Indigo. Not meaning to in either case, but all I can think is that the birthday boy or girl were such tornados of excitement, that it was easier to track the sibling who was less of a whirlwind.

Ben organised the most incredible scavenger hunt. There were two teams - one working in the front garden, and the other in the back garden. I had made flags with a Christmas tree on one, and a star on the other which were their team logos. Ben had written obscure clues on bits of paper and tied them in hidden spots about the place and each team had to work together to figure out where the clue led them to in order to find the next clue.

It is a bit tragic I didn't get any shots of the kids finally finding their destination. Both teams' clues led them to the old sand pit that is now filled with stinking decomposing seaweed that Ben leaves in the pit as a holding station until the rains have rinsed the seaweed sufficiently before he adds it to his organic garden as fertiliser. He buried two of my beautiful antique wooden boxes in this seaweed - filled to the brim with beads, crystals, marbles, river stones, and other treasures. The kids all were very diplomatic and shared the loot evenly amongst all the teammates and they filled their own wee boxes as much as they could.

As I mentioned, we weren't able to get the usual gluten free flour we usually used - for those who are gluten free, Pamela's Pancake mix is the miracle maker and makes everything just taste better. Sadly, we couldn't buy any so I found 4 different alternative brands but I am sad to say that none of them even came close in comparison. In fact, the cakes were even bigger disasters than the reindeer cupcakes. They were pretty much raw in the centres, and totally dried out and tasteless on the edges. But at least in the cake's case, the icing was actually delicious so we found plates with licked off remains - I don't think there was a single guest who ate their cake. Bless Oslo and Indigo's poor deprived hearts, they claimed to think the cake was good - I don't know if they just wanted it to taste great because it was our party, or if their goal posts are just in such a warped position given their limited diets, but either way, they were deeply grateful and complimentary of the inedible creation. Just made my heart melt. But at least they looked pretty and perhaps there are people who only look at this blog and don't actually read any of my senseless babble and they will think we are domestic gods and goddesses after all!

I am obsessed with garlands at the moment - I just think they make things look so festive so am using them everywhere.

Ben's sense of Santa fashion is all about comfort first...

My sister, Amanda, very kindly took these photos during cake time. I am always so very thankful as I do sometimes wonder if the kids will forget parts their childhoods (the bits with me!) if I am not in any of the photos to help them remember. Of course, like anyone my age, I cringe when I see pics of myself as I still see a 22 year old babalicious, but photos remind me that this is indeed not the case.

Couldn't resist including this sweet little series my sister took of Indigo.

When I was 12 years old, my friend Tiffany and I spent our summer in Canada in a pedalo out on a lake eating peanut butter and pickles and practicing how to whistle. Every day we practiced. And now I use it when I need it and it is one of the best tools I have.

Love these pics Amanda took of me with my little love bug. The light is not great (never been a fan of grey day hooded eyes) but the emotion is still there and I treasure them all the same. Gave me a glimpse into my clients' happiness, even when the light was not glowy, that they still loved their images. I love these. Thank you Amanda! xxx

After the cake, I could finally relax. The kids just raced around and had fun with nothing organised and I sometimes think that is the best part of any party. And I could finally sit down and relax and enjoy just watching Oslo have fun on his special day.

And everything gone at the end of a party is always satisfying too (obviously not the cakes or reindeer cupcakes, but everything else!). And the mess - I just love the mess - not for all the cleaning up that lays ahead, but for the memories of the fun that was had - that is worth all the work before and after.

So glad you had such a fun day my sweet little seven year old boy - it was fun and no amount of rain was going to take that away from us! Love you xxx

Kenneth, Sharon, Aaron & Adrian

2012-01-13T08:21:00.000-08:00

This was the first ever photo shoot for this family and they felt it was long overdue. Sharon turned forty a few months earlier and decided they might as well do it now before she and Kenneth turned into legitimately "old" people, though my feeling is that will not be happening any time in the near future! It took a lot of convincing the three boys in her life to come out and pose for photos for they felt it was such a "girl" thing to do, but I think once on the shoot, they realised it was more about capturing some real moments and having fun as a family. Apparently Kenneth felt awkward during the shoot, and Sharon was praying this did not translate in the photos, but I felt none of that and just think he looks gorgeous! The boys were a little shy at first too, but by the end, they all were pros at being themselves and hopefully it was a fun enough experience to do again!

These two have a great relationship with each other. They spend all of their free time together playing make believe games or video games. Aaron is a fierce defender of his little brother in the school yard and very protective and nurturing. Adrian looks up to Aaron, who can do no wrong in his eyes and the brothers have a lovely way together.

Aaron's life ambition is to be a professional footballer and play for Real Madrid and he and his little brother are often found kicking the ball around outside together.

Adrian is most happy on days when there is no school, when he can sleep in and when he does get up, spend the day playing video games and eating chocolate!

The family chose Cooper's Island for the shoot location as it is their favourite beach location and they have spent many a happy time out there in the remote paradise.

Thank you all for such a gorgeous shoot - the weather was delicious, the setting exquisite and all of you just such fun and open to all my ideas - I think it paid off and Sharon, I can't believe that if you want to do another shoot, that your boys will give you such a hard time next session given how great they all look in these photos. All the best to you xxx

Lana and Baby John

2012-01-11T05:39:00.000-08:00

This beautiful mama bear is my ever so amazing assistant, Lana, and her perfect baby boy, John. Lana has been a life saver over the years and I am the first to admit that my business would be nothing without her. She picks up all the pieces where my scatty artist type lacks and completes the picture. Lana was told by doctors that she would never become pregnant on her own and that it was unlikely she would ever be able to conceive, even with medical intervention, but they were willing to try if she and her husband wanted to try. But the couple accepted that having children together was not part of their future and they found so much happiness in life together that it never concerned them. So when Lana discovered she was pregnant last year, nobody could have been more surprised. She was in total shock, and then when she saw the little heartbeat on her ultra sound, she began to cry and understood what a miracle she had within her. Sweet Baby John has changed her in so many ways and I have loved being able to see her so happy. I was honoured to photograph them together in his first weeks and Lana wanted the shoot to capture that intimate time that she shared with her new baby at home. When her husband went to work, it was just the two of them with nothing else around and it was those moments she cherished most and wanted to freeze forever.

The beautiful bobbin lace was given to Lana's grandmother by her great grandmother and her grandmother sewed the decorative Russian lace to a sweet and simple piece of linen. It was sentimental to Lana and perfect for the shoot - I love it when clients include things that are so personal.

Dearest Lana - thank you so much for sharing such a special time with me. Your sweet baby boy is just darling and I am so happy for you and this new journey you are on. I know all my clients understand why we are so behind - what better excuse than a bouncing baby boy??!!! Love you oodles xxx

No Better Excuse

2012-01-04T07:31:00.000-08:00

So assuming there are actually people out there who look at this blog (one can dream), and assuming you have been utterly unimpressed by my lack of posting, I thought I would need a pretty good reason for the radio silence. Well, given it was the holidays, the kids were off school and Ben was off work, I decided to shut down my computer all together too. But that is not the main reason. The real reason for my disappearance is that Santa answered the children's prayers and brought two little special souls on Christmas morning and we have all been so smitten that there was not time for anything else but love love love.

Oslo's letter was hilarious - very elaborate with all sorts of flaps on it with "more info" and "fun facts". Sadly, Santa did not wake him or show himself to either of the children, but their answers of black and white kittens were answered.

I let Indigo sound her letter out herself so think Santa got the gist, albeit probably not without difficulty.

The children woke up ridiculously early after a crazy late night - it was a wonder they did not have melt downs all day but I suppose with the excitement of Christmas, who has time to behave badly from over tiredness? Indigo was still in her party dress for she was asleep when we arrived home so looked quite the glam girl on Christmas morn. They saw their stockings were filled so b-lined straight for them when Oslo nearly tripped over a box on the hearth. As he was lifting the scroll note from the ribbon, we all heard something inside the box move... the kids squealed as a wee paw emerged through a small hole in the side of the gift. They both shrieked in synch "A kitten!"

As they opened the box, a darling black and white kitten emerged. Indigo instantly recognised her as the one she had bonded with at the SPCA a month earlier. She couldn't believe Santa knew which one she had loved so. And to their surprise, another kitten slithered out of the box nervously - this one all black - and slinked off to hide before they had a chance to say hello.

Oslo read the beautifully scripted letter from Santa - his cursive writing was unexpectedly neat - and he spoke of how much love the children have in their hearts to give to these furry babies. He said the little black and white kitted was called Po (children instantly picked up on the Kung Fu Panda reference) and was outgoing and adventurous and playful, while the all black fluffy one was called Bindi and she was timid and had had a hard start to life but he knew the children would teach her in time to trust.

As soon as she was out of the box, Bindi would hide - she went to this window later when she was a little more comfortable but she was still happier to watch rather than participate. When we did capture her to cuddle her, she was so incredibly soft that we could barely even feel her fur - she is divine. And the second we'd touch her, a little purring motor started loudly and she adored the affection.

Po was instantly into everything and very confident, strutting about the place like she was in charge. She'd run up to the children and nuzzle them, but only for a second before she dashed off to check out some new smell.

Cairo was definitely dying to chase the kittens but remained under the daybed at our command.

Po discovered the doll house first. She looked so funny inside - she was a giant compared to the wee doors and windows, and speak nothing of the furniture that was thrown about in her wake.

But it was Bindi who moved in permanently. At first she was on the ground floor and knocked over the Christmas tree but then she decided the second floor master bedroom was more her style. She broke two of the posters off the four poster bed and made it her own - it was just so heart warming to see her sweet figure in the house and we have now renamed it the kitten house instead. My only fear is that they are three months already so what happens when they grow even bigger - wil they just keep trashing the house or will they accept that they need to leave home at last?

I absolutely adore how different their two personalities are. One so full of fun and adventure and cuddly as can be, while the other is very nervous but so utterly loving and snuggly and soft when she trusts. I think they will both teach the children so much and although I am usually against kittens when there are so many adult cats who need homes, we think Santa made the right choice given the age of the the children and how much joy they will bring to their lives.

I have loved that it has gotten a little colder recently so they are always snuggling up to each other when they sleep which just breaks my heart.

How cute is this simultaneous yawn - I love them!

So hope these two little love bugs are excuse enough for not posting at all over the holiday period. Promise to get back into it and so much to post both on a personal and professional front so watch this space. In the meantime, hope all of you are enjoying your memories of the season as much as we are. I may have to control myself to not post about these two a little too often but if I do, please accept my apology in advance. I did google at what number of cats one becomes a crazy cat lady and most sites did say four was the beginning. So four cats, a dog, two kids and one hubby will be our limit at least for a while and I will let you know if give in any further to my tendencies toward officially becoming a crazy cat lady. xxx

Hats

2011-12-22T08:56:00.000-08:00

We have just returned from a whirlwind trip to snowy (and rainy) Vermont! We just did a wee tester holiday to see if the kids were even going to enjoy the snow and skiing. They loved both so we will go for longer next time and plan a little better, but sorry for the lack of posting - we are now home for the holidays and I have so much to do, but just had to share these snaps I took yesterday before we piled in the car to leave the mountains. I actually found these delicious hats here in Bermuda at that Nepalese shop in Dockyard. They kept the kids (and me much of the time) toasty warm when the temperatures dropped. We experienced several seasons in just five days - was pretty amazing, from rain and balmy temps to fat snow flakes and then below zero temps when freezing is at 32 turning everything to sheet ice! Brrr. But it was fun and we are definitely going back. Can't wait to get to the other holiday pics but so much to do before then so these will tide me over until then.

Hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday season so far. xxxx

Sarah, Daniel, Natalia & Alejandra

2011-12-06T17:13:00.000-08:00

I was so thrilled when Sarah asked me to photograph her family. First of all, she is a dear friend, but secondly, Sarah had taken one of my photography workshops so she knew all about what it takes to make a session great. She totally entrusted me to come up with wardrobe and props and the result was fabulous. They live right on a golf course and spend hours out on the green enjoying all that space so it was the perfect location to capture the girls doing what they love most - racing around the course loving life and being children.

I started out draping Alejandra in chandelier crystals and Natlaia in loads of pearls I had picked up at an auction. But I think the chandelier beading was a little itchy and so Ale swapped them out for another necklace of mine that didn't overload her quite so heavily. Just adore the look of those pettiskirts and the dripping jewels - so glam in a childlike dress up way - so many memories it brings back for me and hopefully so many memories it is making for these girls.

Love the flower crown on Ale though she also became a bit unimpressed with that later but at least we captured a few with her wearing them as they are so dreamy.

The sisters are close friends and happily play together for hours. They are full of imagination in their games and it is darling to secretly listen to their games.

I found this chandelier at the same auction where I bought the pearls and these trees just on the edge of the golf course were windy and wacky and perfect for hanging the funky fixture. The chairs belong to the girls. One their Bermudian great grandfather made for Sarah when she was a little girl, and the other, Sarah and Daniel had made for Natalia when she was born.

I love this series - Ale moving in for the kiss and Natalia trying not to react - so adorable.

Natalia is 4 1/2 and although she used to be so super hyper and full on that she ran circles around her mother, she has now settled down into the sweetest and most loving big sister. She is thoughtful and kind and constantly talks about how she wants to make sure she is being beautiful on the inside (clearly she has no worries with what is going on on the outside!). She is a real treasure for her parents. She is still full of energy though and loves the outdoors so burns it all off with constant bike riding and running around the expansive golf course.

I have to admit, before I had children of my own, I was not one of those people who went all gooey every time they saw a baby or child. In fact, at parties, I tended to veer as far away from where the littles were playing and never understood what those people were feeling when they started sighing and gushing about adorableness. Now that I have my own children, I obviously worship the ground the walk on, but I also really feel fond of most children as well in a way I didn't before. But there are one or two children, for no reason at all, who do actually in fact make me feel gooey inside. I have no idea why this connection happens and it really is only a handful of kids, but Natalia is definitely one of them.I used to feel bad that it wasn't with every child, but then I remembered my own childhood and I distinctly remember certain adults loving me noticeably a little more. And it made me feel special. It wasn't many people, and others took a liking more to my sister (ok most of them did - she was just the most beautiful ever!), but the handful who cared more for me meant more to me and I felt that connection. So perhaps that is what I have for Natalia and I doubt she even notices me or feels it, but I believe in the future, we will have a special something and I am thankful for that. I would love to psychoanalyse why it is. Is it those darling dimples that make me want to swoon, or is it something less superficial and more meaningful like her cheeky little mischievous personality that reminds me of something in myself? Whatever it is, for some reason, I just love love love this child.

Alejandra, or Ale as she is nicknamed, just turned two a couple of weeks ago. She is fiercely independent with a strong character that both tests and amazes her family. She is adorably cuddly and affectionate and like her sister, is high energy and never seems to get tired, even long after Sarah and Daniel are ready to flake out. She is so funny right now for she is just on the cusp of speaking and is outraged that she is not quite fully understood and chatters on none the less. She absolutely adores her big sister and would like nothing more than to sleep cuddled up with Natalia in her big sister's bed. She longs to be older so she can better keep up but I think she does a pretty amazing job anyway, despite her size and age.

I also found these darling little bottles at an auction - they are like mini decanters so I filled them with glitter and the girls had such fun.

Aren't these so pretty - I want to do millions of glitter shots now - just glorious!

Poor Ale had a slightly harder time. She didn't understand that she was not meant to put her lips onto her hand before blowing so by the time any air left her lips, all the glitter was so gooed up with dribble that no sparkles flew anywhere. She was a little frustrated and I can't imagine it tasted that great either. She was a good sport about it and found other ways to entertain herself with all that glitter!

In preparation for the shoot, the girls had gone flower picking with Sarah earlier that day. We almost forgot about them and when we did remember, they were all wilted and squashed. So we used them at the last minute as confetti and it was so pretty.

I also brought along my parasols which the girls simply adored. The image of them in that late afternoon sun with their pretty parasols is just so dreamy.

Thank you all for such a divine shoot - just loved the setting and the light and most of all, you guys - you are the best and I was so honoured to be able to capture your beautiful family - love you guys oodles! xxxx

Count Down to Christmas

2011-12-01T21:43:00.000-08:00

I love the idea of an advent calendar. Aside for the wonderful feeling it builds up of waiting for the anticipated arrival of Christmas, and all that this holiday brings with it, it also gives a chance to enjoy something in small doses, one day at a time. Last year, my friend Susannah sent the kids the most amazing Jacquie Lawson advent calendar online. But then I got to thinking (and pinterest-ing) about doing a real advent calendar. Since our kids cannot really do sugar, the whole mini calendar with chocolates was out of the question. So I decided I wanted to do a hanging one with a wee present each day for them to open. In a way, it makes so much more sense as then they can enjoy the present each day rather than what it is like on Christmas day or birthdays when all the pressies come at once. The final presentation is so much better than I imagined in my head. I had envisioned pegging the pressies on a ribbon near the fire, but then I ended up making these amazing dangling garlands with the left over bits from our first ever proper Christmas Tree and hanging the numbered gifts on each of their garlands. For Ben, I decided to give him a wine advent calendar. My father is a master of wine and has the most amazing online shop so I rang him and asked if he could make a selection of special wines for various occasions from the casual dinner at home to the posh celebratory kind. So every day, the kids will open a gift, all more magical as they are brown paper packages tied up with strings (la de dah de dah). The best bit is for me... watching them and the wonder in their faces and the excitement of what is inside each. Such fun!

I used some paper that had wrapped some art I had framed so was recycling the paper and cut up old music paper with pinking shears for the numbers and used this glorious gold pen I found in an art shop. Three presents left to go and I ran out of the twine and had to race all around searching for something that I would have thought so very basic. I just love the rustic simple feeling of the gifts. Feels like an old fashioned Christmas.

There is something about sheet music that is so beautiful to me - perhaps if I could read it fluently, it would lose its mystery and romance, but as someone who hasn't taken music theory since I was a child, sheet music is more like art than writing to me - beautiful.

And the best bit is that the plug for the lights happens to be linked to a light switch so the kids can light up their calendars whenever they want. It just makes the room so magical - I am in heaven.

I actually started with Ben's number cards first. I knew I wanted to do hearts but thought the figures would not show up on top of the notes so I cut out 25 hearts with stiff pinking shears, and then had to match those sizes with the brown paper with the ever stiffer shears. I actually have a massive blister on my thumb from cutting out 100 tags. But worth it for they are so lovely and I now have romantic notions of doing this every year if they promise to keep their number tags.

Again, since Ben's were first, I decided to metallic spray his twine to for that extra something - bit silly really since you cannot tell at all and was just giving myself more work. Luckily learned my lesson for the kids' ones so theirs were more simple. But at least I didn't have to wrap Ben's bottles. Next year for the kids gifts, I am thinking perhaps brown paper bags instead??

So I am a bit sleep deprived at the moment. I had to wait until Ben had fallen asleep last night before I could lug up all the wine from its hiding place and set it out. I don't know why I bothered doing it last night as I was so excited for all their faces that I barely slept so I might as well have gone to bed earlier and just done it when I woke up before dawn.

I really can't say enough about how great my father was with the wine order. He was amazing at working within my price range and I cannot recommend him highly enough for all your Christmas wine orders - he just gets what we like and recommends such delicious and yet affordable wines.

So I had Ben bring the children in this morning after I had turned the lights on. He was completely surprised too which I loved and the kids were almost in shock at first, not really understanding what it was. But at bed time tonight, they couldn't stop talking about it and spent half the afternoon guessing what was in the packages.

Today they each received ornaments. The first few are for the tree since we never had one before this year so need a few larger special adornments. They felt so important finding just the spot to hang them. At the end of the 25 days, I will hopefully do a post of their gift every day - will see if I can manage to shoot them every time but fingers crossed as such a special memory, especially if this ends up being the first and last year I do it!

So happy count down to Christmas - I am so in the spirit this year, I simply can't contain myself! Happy holidays to you too xxx

'Tis the Season

2011-11-30T19:25:00.000-08:00

If you have been following this blog for a while, or if you are a friend of mine (or an ex facebook friend perhaps, given my "banging on about causes" tendencies), then you are well aware of my attitude towards the environment and that every wee effort makes a difference. Perhaps you read my post last year about Oslo's Tree, and then later, Indigo's Tree, or even the year earlier when I wrote about our perfect tree. If you did see any of those posts, then you may remember that I have never (at least not in my adult life living away from my parents) had a real Christmas tree. I just thought it was a small area I could make a stand and always felt that our sweet little Dr Seuss trees were plenty festive. But this year, Oslo's birthday party is a little late because he decided he wanted to have a Christmas themed party. And the main thing he requested was to have a real Christmas tree. We went back and forth on this and finally he agreed that we would try it just this year so we had experienced it and so that the house looked extra special for his special day. I wish I had photographed us going out to get the tree - we were such novices, it was quite funny. Oslo picked the most beautifully shaped tree and we couldn't be happier. The next night, after we had figured out how to work the stand and I had attempted to put the lights on the tree, Ben lit a fire, I put on some carols and we all decorated the tree together. It was such a special evening and brought back memories of my own childhood and the wonderful ritual of adorning the tree.

I divided the balls into baskets so the kids would feel it was all fait. Most of our balls were pretty small as we had only ever had such wee trees, so I did have to buy a couple boxes of larger balls, but luckily we also had some gorgeous hand me downs which since my post last year, I have found out came from my lovely friend Sarah! Check out my post on the elaborate advent calendars I made as I have a few more ornaments in the early days gifts for the kids.

It was really very dark as I only wanted the fairy lights on so it was impossible to focus, but even though these photos are a bit blurry, I still love them.

The star is also from Sarah and is so natural and rustic - I adore it. But the top of our tree seemed really tall until the next branch and the poor star looked very lonely so we gave her a couple angels to keep her company.

After the tree was done, or rather when the kids were done, they roasted some bread on the fire - bit gross as it never actually became toast so much as raw and burned at the same time, but it was a fun activity and added to the excitement of it all. I made the garland out of fairy lights, bells and ribbons - very simple and sweet.

I also put fairy lights in the doll house (deserving of a long post another day!) and it give the home such life, like people are wandering about inside, living busy lives.

This is the tree by day with and without light on - amazing the difference the lights make.

I also decided I wanted to do some other simple crafts. I spray painted some mixed nuts and put them around candles in the living room. Why is it something so simple can suddenly make a space feel so festive?

Not sure if any of you have heard of pinterest, but I have started using it to get ideas for shoots and share them with clients when just my words are not enough. I then collected ideas for Indigo's circus birthday party and now for Oslo's Christmas themed one. It can be a little obsessive and I have been known to stay up a little too late just getting swept up in all the beautiful imagery. But one also stumbles upon fabulous crafts and I just had to do these. I sort of changed it from the original but I simply adore them and how they are in keeping with my advent calendar number tags.

I picked up the crystals in a box of things at an auction and this was the perfect use for them.

Originally, I tried them with this Christmas ornament but think the chandelier droplet is so much dreamier.

The morning after I made them, I noticed a moth had decided to lay her eggs on the ribbon. I didn't have the heart to wipe them away so they are still there, and I am interested to know how long it will be before we have a whole slew of baby moths flying about our living room.

Here is the whole room so far - I am sure I will obsess a little more and add things, but still want to get a cedar and decorate that for the den downstairs - that will be load of reds and golds instead of the natural colour palette.

Happy decorating - no matter how you celebrate, enjoy these times with your family and friends - it really is what life is all about and I just feel so blessed to have the good fortune to even agonise about whether or not to get a real tree or a substitute one in a pot. Either way, the holidays are about love and laughter and of that I plan to have lots. xxxx

Twin Sisters - Emma & Victoria

2011-11-25T17:30:00.000-08:00

How divine is it that there are two of this beloved little face - it is like double happiness all the time. I had never photographed twins before who were more than 2 weeks old! I just loved it and Emma and Victoria were absolute delights. Their grandmother, Liz is seriously devoted and wanted to capture them at two years old. We went to her home where the girls felt very at home, for they even have their own bedroom with two identical cribs!! We laid out a blanket in the garden and just had a fun afternoon. I brought parasols and tea cups plus necklaces and hats so there was much to play with.

It was actually usually quite easy to tell the two apart as Emma can't bear to wear anything in her hair whereas Victoria is happy with one in her hair most of the time. I brought these sweet little flower clips which didn't last long in Emma's hair but even Victoria was a little curious about what exactly it was in the beginning.

I am so in love with their little smiles and pudgy toddler hands clapping together - yum!

I wasn't kidding when I said two cribs! That is one devoted granny they have - lucky girls!

This amazing big bed is also in their bedroom. The girls are so sweet and were really ready for bed at the end of the shoot.

At least they seemed like they were ready for bed until they both wanted the same book - then they very much woke up!

Thank you Liz for asking me to capture your gorgeous granddaughters. It was such a fun shoot - I adored working with twins and really think their little personalities shone through. xxx

Michael, Sophia, Ravi, Vidya & Inana

2011-11-23T07:25:00.000-08:00

This family are dear friends of ours and so I especially enjoyed capturing their love and the kids who are growing so fast that it is alarming. One always notices more in other people's children the speed of childhood spinning past, even friends who one sees often. Sophia and Michael are good about documenting their family each year and they like to send out a holiday card which I look forward to, even when I took the photos! Michael travels so much to teach that scheduling was a challenge but we squeezed it in before he disappeared again and so glad we did and that we were blessed enough to have gorgeous sun and great light. Sophia came over to chose her sofa and decided upon my newest addition to my collection of mad antiques. I was so thrilled such dear friends were the first shoot on it, and oddly enough, they were the first ones to shoot with my new pink sofa last year too! They always do such a great job of dressing in a palette that suits the scene. I adore how they chose golds this year to go with the sofa and it just looks dreamy. The family love to play and have fun dressing up and are all about experiences so this was just another to add to the repertoire.

Ravi's name means "Sun" in Hindi. He is growing taller ever second it seems to his parents, but is stil their baby boy. He is one of those kids that is just always smiling and always full of happiness in his heart. He is a good friend of my little boy, Oslo, and so I spend a lot of time with him and he is just a sweet heart. He adores Lego, fishing and Uber Strike computer game. As his mum describes him, he is an awesome free spirit and an evolved unschooler. I actually loaned him one of my shirts which we pinned and I think it looks so dapper on him.

Vidya means Knowledge in Hindi and she was Bermuda's very fist home water birth! She was born with the caul which is a sign of good luck. In medieval times, the appearance of a portion of the amniotic sac remaining on the head was considered an open that the child was destined for greatness. And when you meet Vidya, although she only just turned four, you feel her presence and confidence and know she will be someone some day. Before her parents eyes, she is transforming into Josephine Baker and it is her second name - they have started calling her ViDiva since she is such a rising star already!

Every time Vidya comes over, she asks if she can dress up. She is particularly smitten with my veil that I wore at my wedding which I made out of a mosquito net!! I simply adore this image of her - I almost wish I had one like this taken on my wedding day! She is also wearing my fabulous Indian necklace I found in Nova Scotia - so happy all my goodies are helping to make magical imagery. She also borrowed one of my pettiskirts which are just so full and fun and make any little girl feel special.

Dear sweet Inanna, a curious bunny, who is growing stronger and wiser for still enjoying her momma's milk. She was named after teh Goddess, Inanna of ancient Sumaria who was a divine being and had the power to heal. There is something serene about this child and I believe she could be a healer one day. Although she is only 18 months old, she seems wiser than anyone I know. I feel a special connection with this little one who is a very slow warmer upper, but has recently started reaching out for me to hold her and my heart just melts away. I was there at her birth and photographed the incredible moment when she was born very quickly in a pool of water into her daddy's arms - an incredible experience to be a part of and as a result, I feel we two shall always be a part of each other.

Sophia and Michael are an impressive couple in so many ways. First of all, one can't help but notice how distractingly beautiful they are. But beauty is of course only skin deep. But their beauty runs thick and deep and they are dear friends of our family. They are both so impressive in their passion for their work - they work together running Lotus, are raising this beautiful family together, and are even more in love now than before children.

Michael is an international yoga teacher and presenter for structural integration with Thomas Myers and runs Mindful Integration. He travels a lot for his work and we never cease to be in awe of all he has been up to on these journeys. Sophia laments that he hates grocery shopping, but the fact that he utterly adores the children and is totally hot more than makes up for it! You may recognise him from his home away from home, Juice 'n' Beans, where he is addicted to their curries and shakes.

Sophia is one of these women who is so impressive and so passionate that she can almost be intimidating. I was intimidated before I became close to her - she used to dance professionally for the Dance Theatre of Harlem and since she returned to Bermuda, she has brought so many alternative practices to the island and made them mainstream, from Pilates to Feldenkrais to Birth Doulas to home births. She is the founder of The Bermuda Integrative Health CoOp and Lotus but still is ready to be on stage at any moment and plans to dance and perform for many more years. She is happiest when she is empowering wormen and their families to have beautiful birth experiences. She was my doula for Indigo's birth and I just love that each of us have been there for each other at one of our children's arrival into the world. She has not had a straight eight hours sleep in seven years but this does not prevent her from having boundless energy and she loves the idea adding yet another baby to their family. For now, she is totally smitten with the three blessings they has been gifted already, and has loved every minute of nursing each of her little ones until the next one came along!

I love that Sophia borrowed a dress I bought off emoo for shoots. I have been longing to find an opportunity for someone to wear it and it was perfect for this setting.

Thank you so much to the five of you - I love that you always trust me and are open to whatever ideas I might have. So glad it was your family to Christen my new sofa - it looks just divine and you all dressed perfectly to make it such a beautiful scene. Love and much gratitude to you all for your friendship. xxxx

Ryan, Jenn, Josh & Ryley

2011-11-22T09:57:00.000-08:00

This family holds a special place in my heart as I feel like I have been with them since the beginning. I photographed Jenn and Ryan's wedding, then have captured their family photo every year since and even done a one on one workshop with Ryan. He is the recorder of everything their family does and so he wanted to be able to capture better photos during the year between their annual sessions with me so that their family back home could get a real feel of their lives here in Bermuda. We have done beach shoots and a couple at Ft Scaur and always around the kids birthdays but this year, they felt inspired to do something a little different. Since both Jenn and Ryan work, they spend every weekend together as a family and pack it full of adventures to make up for the limited time during the week. They try to take the kids to new locations and so it made sense to make an outing out of the photo shoot. We went to Spittal Pond, where none of us had been in a long time and it turned out to be the best location - I was thrilled with the variety of backdrops and the adventure it provide for the family.

These two were so cute together. And they loved the miniature chairs I brought along - my uncle made these when I was a child and I remember adoring them when I was little and so it is always fun to relive my own memories through other kids.

Couldn't choose between the black and white and colour versions of this photo - just so cute with his arm on her shoulder and holding hands and both looking gorgeous - heaven.

Jenn found hightops for all of them and they just make the outfits - really sets the stage for the kind of people they are - colourful, fun yet casual and relaxed. Love love love.

Four year old Josh, or Joshua Giraffe as he is nicknamed at home, is all boy. He adores sports like golf, hockey and soccer and his fave is wrestling with his Daddy any chance he can get. He also loves to spend time practicing his ABCs and numbers on paper after paper after paper and the bigger the paper, the bigger the letters become. He is amazing at drawing families - be it monster families, hurricane families and he even drew a darling family portrait. As soon as there is a group of anything, he instantly declares it a family and gets very specific about which is the Mummy, the Daddy the baby sister and the big brother.

Although Ryley's hairband did not last long, I do so adore the shots we did get with her wearing it - again, such a simple detail but just makes the portrait special.

Ryley Roozle or Ryley Roo is one of extremes. This little two year old will be overflowing with happiness, terrifyingly mischievous or when it all goes bad, she deteriorates like the little girl in the poem with a curl in the middle of her forehead! Her parents always tell her how lucky she is that she is cute. She has no fear and can take a tumble and just get up and keep going. She is obsessed with play dough, though her idea of playing with it entails taking all the colours out of their separate containers, mixing them all up together , sticking markers or crayons into the multi coloured blob, and then stuffing the new creations back into the containers again before starting all over again.

the day after our shoot, Jenn was going to be heading out to the Philippines to work on a Habitat for Humanity project for a few weeks. She decided to make a wee cut out of herself and stick it on the globe to show the children where she was going. It was so adorable watching them grasp the concept and talk about what she would be doing - just a beautiful thing.

I have photographed the kids with their favourite toy Lion and Monkey before and I know that Ryan has a habit of recording their growth in comparison to their beloved friends so we obviously had to get at least a few shots of the kids with their animals.

We wanted along the paths until we reached the casurina forest. One of Josh's darling family portraits had really struck a chord so Jenn had painstakingly transferred the picture into felt and made it into a family flag. The kids really loved to point out who each person in the flag was, especially themselves.

Jenn had been inspired by some other shoots where the clients layered their clothing and was aiming for a real autumnal feel to their session. She did an amazing job of coordinating outfits and sending me snaps of the planned wardrobe. And somehow, she managed to dress everyone in their favourite colours, and it still all be in keeping with a certain palette.

I think I loved this hat more than the hair piece if that is possible - so much so that I asked if I could use it for shoots once Ryley has grown out of it. Can you get over the lashes on this child? They are long and curly and her sweet blue eyes sparkle - such a honey.

These simple wooden balance bikes are the kids faves - they adore to ride them around their garden or on outings and they are so good for helping children learn to get their balance in preparation for riding a big kid bike.

The kids both just had their birthdays so they had a combined super hero party and Jenn's mum made all the kids capes and masks. Ryley and Josh love theirs and they even have their initials on the backs, with pretty different fabric on the inside.

At this stage, Ryley had had enough and wasn't keen on doing even one photo with her super hero gear on. But I even love capturing the meltdowns as it is all part of life and that is what I like to capture at its most pure.

Josh was such a darling and came to the rescue like a true hero and cuddled his baby sister to make her feel better.

Once we walked back to the car, Ryley felt a little better so we tried one more fun prop just as the sun was getting gorgeous and golden.

Thanks to the four of you for once again, and amazing shoot - I think they are getting better and better. Loved the location, the styling, the props and most of all, the love your family shares. xxxx

Ian, Jeanine & Dylan

2011-11-20T12:50:00.000-08:00

Ian, Jeannine and Dylan decided to go for the Sacha Surprise for their family photos as they were looking for an alternative to the typical beach shot. They wanted images that were artistic and editorial rather than a traditional family beach shot. Living in Bermuda, they are constantly taking photos at the beach so they longed for a completely different look. Since Ian works outdoors, he didn't relish the idea of taking photos in the hot sun. Jeannine had always loved the shot of me and my family with the pink sofa in the garden and our glam outfits so it made her question why people tend to throw on matching polo shirts and khakis for photo sessions. She tells me it is no more natural for a family to be wearing matching casual outfits than formal ones so she wanted to have fun with the whole contrived scenario and dress up. Apparently Ian wasn't thrilled when Jeannine told he he was going to have to wear his tux in the heat but it looks so great on him, she insisted. And so glad she did - I adore this shoot and their look. So thank you all for glamming it up for the shoot and making it such a special event - I think it was well worth all the effort.

I set up the scene in my front garden and the light was so glowy that afternoon, it almost looked fake - I was of course in photo geek heaven!

We then moved to the back garden to have a swing on the hammock. The light was more subdued there but I actually like how it adds a little moodiness to the photos, especially since these were more the family having some cuddle time.

Jeannine borrowed my fabulous dress since she adored the fabric and detailing and was sure it would look as amazing in black and white, which it does!

How darling is Dylan's kilt? They bought it for him to wear to a wedding in Scotland last year so were thrilled he had another opportunity to wear it, and this way, it will always be remembered, even after he grows out of it.

When we came to the front garden again, the light was dreamy so we pulled out some of Dylan's fave toys like his adorable blue car and his favourite puppet, Horsey, plus a groovy blue truck from Jeannine's own childhood.

I also dug up some of the chandalier pieces which are always fun to play with and Dylan put on my waistcoat which I love for shoots.

One of my fave props to add to shoots is this antique camera I picked up in Nova Scotia last summer. The old fashioned workings naturally captured Dylan's curiosity.

This pic below may be one of my faves of the whole shoot - how darling with all those hands - just heaven.

And of course, like all boys who come to my house, the antique child sized car was a hit. He even tried to see if he could make it run before getting on board!

Thanks so much to the three of you for going for the Sacha Surprise. I love how much we can capture at my home setting and it all looked so unique - I love the way you dressed and how you collaborated so thank you thank you for helping make my job so creative and fun. xxxx

Nicola, Werner, Emma, Daniella & Andrew

2011-11-18T07:28:00.000-08:00

You may have seen yesterday's post on Emma and Sparky but here are the images with the rest of the family. I went to school with Nicola so it was such a delight to meet her gorgeous girls and see her hubby again and in particular, be able to capture some special memories of all of them together. Since horses are such a big part of all of their lives, they wanted to have at least a few with Sparky as well, and then the rest, they loved just being outdoors for they have a passion for nature.

The children loved to give Sparky treats, and he was in Heaven with all the apples and carrots he was given that day. Even a nibble on little Andrew's toy truck was worth a try.

I love these fluffy things. No idea what the plant is called and most people I know have no idea either, though everyone seems to have a made up name they give them. It was like it was snowing when the children shook them which was such fun.

Emma is eight, Daniella six and Andrew two and a half. He is a little energy ball so a traditional portrait of the three of them was just not going to happen. But they had fun piling on top of each other and Andrew loved being the one on the top of the castle and tumbling down.

At one year old, Andrew took a distinct liking to raspberries. While on holiday in the UK, they went raspberry picking with Nicola's grandfather, whom the children call "Big Grandad". Andrew would eat an entire punnet and so these were the perfect treats to bring at the end of the shoot. How cute is that when they are all on his fingers and just so much more fun to eat that way - love love love.

Thank you all for such a cool shoot - I loved the location and all you brought to make it special for your family. Great to see you so happy and the next generation of love bugs. xxx

Pony Love

2011-11-17T07:38:00.000-08:00

Emma was given a rocking horse from her grand parents when she was only 18 months old. Since then, she has been horse mad. She started riding at age three and now, at eight years old, has blossomed into a competitive little rider on Bermuda's equestrian scene. She has grown very attached to Sparky (otherwise known as Happy Feet!), the pony she rides often at Hinson Hall. He is beautiful, with one blue eye, and one brown eye. When trying to decide what sort of shoot we were going to do, I was so thrilled when Emma's mummy, Nicola, chose to set a scene that was very personal to them. Of course Emma doesn't usually ride barefoot in a floor length dress on a bare backed pony, but for the photos, they agreed. I was so happy they trusted my vision for I am beyond smitten with the results. So much so, that I really couldn't narrow the images down to a manageable size so please forgive the massive post. And this is only part one - part two with the rest of the family will be on the blog tomorrow!

I imagine Sparky isn't called that and Happy Feet for nothing - he was definitely very frisky and right at the beginning of the shoot, he took off and sweet Emma fell from him with nothing to grip onto with her legs. But she was so clever and held on tight to the reigns which her mother had wisely kept on, even though I happily would have had him entirely free from those too! So she fell elegantly and painlessly and as poor Nicola sighed, remained fearless which I can see, for a mum, is a little nerve wracking.

Emma climbed straight back on and was ready for more. I loved listening to how Nicola coached her daughter and how Emma listened so intently.

They chose to do the shoot at Penhurst Park, which is directly opposite Hinson Hall and I was thrilled by this gorgeous location that I had never even been to before. It was so lush and wildernessy!

Emma's six year old sister, Daniella, is also a rider, but I think watching the fall frightened her and the idea of being bare back left her a little more unsettled than usual. But I loved the image of the two of them on the horse together - I found those dresses in my closet from years ago. I had bought the wrong size so had to get the smaller one and since they were on sale, it was not too painful an acquisition. But they just look darling on the girls - I had to pin and tie them in the back as they are actually knee length on me, but the shaed was perfect for the organic and natural feel of the shoot and Sparky's colouring.

I love being a photographer when I get to do these creative shoots. I am not just an artist with my camera, but it was so fun dressing the girls, styling them and doing their hair in twists to fit my vision of the dream. It all came together so beautifully and I couldn't be happier.

It is funny, for even as I look at these photos, it looks like it was all so easy and natural. I feel exactly as my vision was but when I remember how intense it was during the shoot, I would never have imagined the results would feel so serene. But it is such a good example of the power of photography that with hard work, one can achieve a feeling. I hope I captured how Emma and indeed the whole family feel about horses. Even if these photos do not capture the every day, they capture the emotional experience of loving such gentle, agile and intelligent creatures and how one's life is better when shared with these beautiful animals. Thanks for such a wonderful shoot xxx

Oslo is Seven

2011-11-16T18:55:00.000-08:00

They say that life is made up of seven year cycles, and that the first seven years are the most important in terms of hard wiring the child and laying the foundations. I read a book about raising boys and how the Lakota Indians believed the first seven years are focused on the mother, and then the next seven on the father, and the third seven on a mentor (hopefully a good one). Not sure what happens after that, but all I know is that I have had the most amazing seven years with my not so babyish baby, but I don't believe that powerful bond of love is diminishing any time soon - in fact, it just feels like it is getting stronger every day. We have been through so much and I feel the connection we now have, and all we share is so hard earned and therefore so much more appreciated. At night time during thankful time, he insists we do the "hug of the day" as he has named it. He wraps his legs around my waist and his arms around my torso and squeezes just the right amount and tells me all he is thankful for in his life, from the small and expected to the big hearted and surprising. He claims he is not a fan of kisses so we nuzzle more, and hug lots. Over the years, his distaste in kisses has hurt me, for I long to smother him from head to toe and have to control myself not to, but it is funny, for on the rare occasion he does kiss me, or let me kiss him, it has all the more power, like a rare gem that has much more value due to it's rarity. This little boy is full of wonder, intelligence, spirit, fun, earnestness, cheekiness (in a cute way), and I just adore spending time with him. I know they say you can pick your friends but you can't pick your family but the person Oslo has turned into is really someone I would seek out to be a close friend. He is utterly loyal, so quirky in his humour, creative in his vision and so very wise in his observations. I am so so incredible proud of him, and more than anything feel beyond blessed to have him a part of my life.

I have never really had too much of a problem getting older myself. I didn't mind when I turned 30 and I was almost elated at turning 40 earlier this year knowing how I am so blessed in all that I have in my life. But there is something about the kids getting older that hits me in a way I hadn't expected. And sometimes it isn't even a birthday that sets me off. Just after Oslo's sixth birthday, he lost his first tooth and I have to say, that really did a number on me. It was like such a stab in my heart that the hands of the clock are flying in circles to the right and there is no way to ever make them turn left or even slow down. He was so excited he nearly wept, and I was so devastated that my baby was getting grown up teeth that I genuinely did weep! And when I say he lost his first tooth, I mean he literally lost it - in an apple that fell overboard into the deep blue ocean. So when the Tooth Fairy came, she hid his money in his pillow case so he had a hard time finding it too - talk about tit for tat - goodness me, you would think a distinguished fairy like herself would be above that sort of thing but I suppose Oslo should be grateful she didn't hide his loot at the bottom of the sea!

Christmas last year was heaven - the kids really really got it for the first time and were so able to participate in the preparing and the giving rather than just the receiving. Oslo wrote his own notes for the first time and noticed although there weren't any presents under the tree with that paper, that he knew he had once seen we had the same paper as Santa - what an incredible coincidence - Santa and I clearly both have fabulous taste!

As you can see, Oslo's hair tends to get a little long at times - frankly, most of the time. He won't let me cut it so I have to chase him with scissors which is really safe parenting for sure. Most of the time, I manage to get him to agree to stay still long enough for me to trim the hair out of his eyes to prevent any sight damage, but then he tears off leaving that ghastly mullet at the back - I try to tell him how last millenium it is and he just doesn't care. So bit tragic at times on the hair style front, but a cutie pie all the same, no?

Recently, the penny has really dropped for Oslo on the reading front. He started a fat book yesterday afternoon and it already almost finished - he is getting a little addicted and I can see it getting annoying if he keeps it up but for now, I am so so so excited, I don't quite know what to do with myself and I would happily let him get away with not doing a million things he should be doing, as long as he was reading instead. We are all the more thankful since he used to be dyslexic. The first year of school, he seemed fine but at the end of the year, I started noticing his finger was never on the right word and the more complicated the books got, he started to make mistakes. I realised he was memorising the books when they were read in class and when I tried to get him to sound out a word, he would sometimes guess just from the first letter and be totally off, but more often than not, his eyes would roll into the back of his head (I thought he was pulling that teen garbage on me ten years early!) or worse, toss the book out of frustration. We found a dr in NY that summer who said his eyes were unable to track and so couldn't follow the words on the page. He worked his magic, gave us some exercises and suddenly Oslo could see the words on a page - it was a miracle. But at that stage, he was starting P2 and to protect his self esteem, we didn't insist he start back at the beginning again. It was hard going for he had absolutely no sight words under his belt at all and didn't even know how to sound out. He guessed everything since that was his habit and when sounding out finally did come to him, he had to do so for even the most simple words like 'and' and 'it'. So we were so tortured - we even considered holding him back a year. But over the summer, we kept at him and his reading and we started to see a change. He stopped guessing and sounding out so much and started seeing words in their entirety and really reading. It was such a break through and these last couple weeks, he has gone from reading well but still having to be forced, to us not being able to get him to put a book down. I am so thrilled - I don't quite know where to put all this happiness welling up in me - it is just gushing everywhere and splashing on the walls and floors and in people's faces - madness. We are just so very very thankful for this journey he has made and are so very proud of how he stuck it out - judging by his current obsession - it was clearly worth it.

This is the hammock in our back garden - love love love it! Hello bum!

One of Oslo's favourite things to do is to bake. He has a natural knack at knowing how much of things to put in without using a recipe - particularly tricky when cooking gluten, dairy and sugar free! He is such an outdoorsy kid, but give him the option of staying in the kitchen, he is there every time. Perhaps it is the results that come out of the oven piping hot and full of yum that keep him so keen but either way, such a cute little passion.

He learned how to waterski this summer with Kent Richardson who is the best teacher on the planet. We love him so so so much! Big shout out to you Kent at Robinson's Marina.

How cute is this shirt - Heather Nova brought it back for him when she was on tour in Oslo. It is one of his faves.

More teeth dropping out to add to my breaking heart! The Tooth Fairy upped her game and noticed when Oslo started brushing and flossing more often - she started leaving pretty little fresh water pearls - she is some fancy fairy! And boy does he want to keep those teeth extra pearly white even more than ever now!

Us being us, we are of course not having Oslo's birthday party anywhere near his actual birthday as that would require far too much planning. But we did have a wee family / god parent thing at home on the day which was lovely. First I brought out his one to grow on candle at tea time and we ate that cake in one go and had the most lovely selection of teas which the kids drank from my dainty collection of eclectic tea cups. It makes it such a special occasion when we are using family silver and posh china - just love the feel of these tea parties.

After dinner, the kids all made toasts with their glam crystal glasses and I brought out his proper cake with the seven candles. I am getting much better at icing now - this one was simple agave, organic cocoa and goat butter with a dash of almond butter to stiffen it - divine!

Since he has become so obsessed with books, he has been reading in terrible lighting conditions half the time. I came up with the genius idea of a reading light which sweet Ben traipsed all around town looking for and finally found. It was a hit. So before even all the guests had left, Oslo already had his nose back in a book utilising his cool new gadget.

Happy birthday my sweet darling boy. You bring so much inexplicable happiness to my life. Describing all you are and all you share with us is like describing what clouds are to someone who has never seen them - it is just not possible to describe. I am so proud of you, so smitten with watching you grown up, so enamoured with spending time with you. I am so thankful I finally pulled back from being a workaholic to discover I am actually a mumaholic. And you are addictive. Thank you for being you - you are so much more in complexity and life lessons than I ever could have imagined if I had been asked what I wanted in a son. I thought I knew, but I didn't - but you have shown me. Thank you for seven years of bliss and I don't believe you will leave me these next seven like that naughty man in the book said you would. I know you better than that. But I can't wait to see what the next seven yearsvhave in store, teeth dropping, book worming and all. xxxxx

Andrew, Navi & Darshan

2011-11-14T07:48:00.000-08:00

Andrew and Navi moved to the island five years ago, shortly after their first anniversary. They thought they would only be in Bermuda for three years and never imagined having a baby here. But since sweet Darshan was born, life here is dreamy in Bermuda, though their big family back in Toronto are missing them terribly so they decided to book several mini sessions to be able to send regular updates with photos documenting the beautiful stages of their darling baby boy.

Andrew loves to find fun outfits and accessories for Darshan so the wardrobe was courtesy of Daddy shopping online at some random hour of the night.

The great think about mini sessions is that they are at my home where I have loads of fun props like the miniature car and vintage suitcase - his hat and shirt just completed the look - so darling.

Darshan was born in Feburary and named after Navi's grandfather. They also liked the meaning of his name which can be translated to "sight" or "vision" in Sanskrit. Everyone thinks he is the spitting image of his daddy, but little do they know that his personality is just like mummy.

I couldn't decide between these two variations of processing so thought I would include both sets.

Thanks to the three of you for coming over. Darshan is such a little love bug and think we captured loads of magic in such a short session - can't wait to see him when he is one! xxx

Heather Nova on Tour

2011-11-04T02:56:00.000-07:00

I have been meaning to do a post on Heather Nova's new album, 300 Days at Sea, ever since it was released in the spring. But I never seemed to be able to find the time to write all I wanted to say about the album, and indeed her music. She is honestly one of my favourite musicians. Of course there are songs out there that rip my heart out and are a fave of all time not written by her, but Heather's music consistently touches me and makes me feel awake, alive and all prickly inside and out. She has eight studio albums, and they are all very different but consistently good - Just love her! And although I also happen to love her as a person, I actually loved Heather's music first, long before I'd even met her. I will never forget being in my teens and with my best friend's family on their boat. We stopped off on an island where their friends lived and as we sat around on the deck, I heard this glorious singing voice rise up over the chatter. I didn't even know the people who lived there but I stopped the conversation to ask who on earth was playing on the radio. "That's my daughter" the woman said. I was reeling. I think it was her first album, Glow Stars, that was playing and in that moment of first hearing her, I was hooked. I didn't actually get to know Heather for another decade and a half, and she'd made many more albums since my first exposure and all of them I had not only purchased myself, but I was such a die hard fan (creepy, right?) that I bought her cds as gifts for friends. I have actually since found her music to be much more complex - I don't always love a new album on the first listen. But the more I would play it, the more the poetic lyrics and haunting melodies would wrap themselves around me and tie me into knots. And now that I am so much more than an over keen fan, but also a photographer who has been honoured enough to shoot her last couple album covers and promo shots, and most importantly, a dear friend, I feel ever more tied to her music. Yet now, I am even more in awe that this person, whom I know and love so well, can disappear for a few months and produce such heart breaking songs, that are wise and raw and make my life a little richer. So thank you Heather for your beautiful music, for your trust in my ability as a photographer, and most importantly, for your much cherished friendship.

Not sure if you ever saw my post on her previous album, The Jasmine Flower, but shared a few photos from that shoot too. There were loads more but did a smaller post then as I had just started my blog and was feeling my way. This shoot we did in two sessions - a summer one at the beach and my home studio, and the second last winter out in Somerset. I adore so many of the shots so had to share them all! Of course, the fact that Heather is such a pro made my work so much easier - she is a dream to photograph.

I seriously developed a crush on Heather as I was processing these images - her look is like her music - complex in the many emotions expressed at one time - haunting, wise, intelligent, wry, and of course, obviously, so very very beautiful.

So thank you Heather for your trust, your friendship and from all of us who have loved listening, your music. Much love and appreciation and happy trails on this latest tour!!! xxx

Miranda, Johann and Ethan

2011-11-02T05:19:00.000-07:00

The photo session was a gift at Miranda's baby shower from all her wonderful friends whom she has met since moving to Bermuda. She and Johann moved to the island five years ago and met only weeks after arriving. She is form Canada and he is from South Africa but they were married in South Africa. Sweet Baby Ethan came along the following summer but the new parents decided to wait until he was closer to his first birthday before they used their photo session gift certificate. Ethan is smitten with sand so the family wanted to find a location where they could do some grassy shots first before he was covered. We chose Warwick Playground and the beach below which was ideal.

After we were sure we had enough clean family shots, Ethan was allowed down onto the sand to play. They have had so many fun family days at the beach so they wanted to be sure the photo shoot captured all the elements of those memories, including the messy sandy ones.

Hello purposeful face plant!!

And sand munching!

And showers of sand...

I simply adore this series - sorry I couldn't narrow down which one to post - was just too much of a story in all of them together!

Daddy - what is that on your head??

Best way to find out is surely to eat it...

Thank you all for such a fun shoot - loved your family and the relaxed attitudes to whatever unfurled! Think as a result, the photos are magical and capture so much of the good times you have all shared together. xxxx

Colby, Jeffrey and Jalen

2011-11-01T12:59:00.000-07:00

Colby has a real love of photography, though her husband, Jeffrey, syas it is much more of an obsession. She always has her camera ready to go so that she can capture every precious moment in baby Jalen's life. She refuses to miss a single moment or milestone as she knows it will only happen once. However, this means that she is always the one behind the camera and, like me, never in any of the photos. So she decided to book a family photo shoot to make sure Jalen has memories of her with him as well.

You may recognise Jalen's mummy and daddy from when he was a newborn but it was definitely time for some updated photos.

Jalen has such an amazing smile but in order to capture it with a camera, Colby has learned that she has to run around and capture those candid moments when he is having fun and grinning from ear to ear, for as soon as she tries to get him to pose, that darling smile disappears. For this reason, Colby told me she decided to go with me to take the photos and I was flattered when she told me she believed I had the ability to capture those special candid moments she so loves.

Jalen was definitely a very busy boy who did not do sitting still so a traditional shoot was out of the question. But we did lots of fun things in the Botanical Gardens from looking for fish to g-forces to chasing bubbles. It was an afternoon of fun that Colby was able to enjoy with her beloved boys.

Thanks to the three of you for a fun shoot. I adore the Botanical Gardens and love that you brought along a few props that always bring a smile to Jalen's face. It was the perfect spot for him to run around freely and capture all of you having a wonderful time as a family. So wonderful to see the kids grow up so thank you for coming back to me! xxx