Coleman Family

Peter and Emma were given a gift certificate for a portrait session with me. They wanted to wait until Mia was at least crawling but then some unpredictable weather forced us to reschedule several times. They even came to my home for a session and as they arrived, it was glorious sunshine, but by the time they walked up the stairs, the sky darkened and as soon as we started shooting, it grew so dark and rainy outside we decided to postpone yet again. Then they decided they wanted the beach, but they realised the sand and a baby are not always the best combination so they chose the Botanical Gardens which was the perfect location since Mia could run around and not get too sandy.

The gravel was great fun to pick up and toss in the air.

And the flowers were sort of irresistible too.

I was a bit smitten by her sweet wispy red curls - I just loved her colouring and sweet disposition.

Emma and Peter kept trying to get Mia to do her very funny cheesy grin that she does at home for the camera, but I was grateful instead she shared her real smile - so from the heart.

These two toys are Mia's favourites. As soon as Emma held them up, she came running up to grab them. When she chose her fave teddy, Emma teased and held Monkey as if he was hers, and sweet little Mia did not like that idea and so even though it was a struggle, took both.

Mia went on a trip to New York with her parents and they took her to FAO Schwartz. As soon as she walked in, she spotted the monkey from a distance, ran up to him, pulled him off the shelf and pounced on him. She wouldn't let go of him and so Peter and Emma realised they had no choice but to buy him for her.

The teddy bear was bought by their family friends, Jan and James, for Mia's arrival into the world. They make sure to take good care of him as he came in a very special box and they would love to pass him onto the grandchildren!!

I love how Mia, the monkey and the teddy all almost toppled over.

Back to being obsessed with her hair - can you believe how beautiful her curls are?

At the end of the shoot, Mia was rewarded with a lollypop. It was so sweet as she offered it to me, and then didn't even realise she could eat it at first.

She figured it out soon enough and there was no turning back.

Thank you all for a gorgeous shoot. I love the Botanical Gardens and you bringing the toys made it so special for Mia. It was a beautiful evening for your beautiful family. xxxx