I left these photographs in colour for a change of pace, plus I am loving the fresh look! The colour of the grass is so saturated and creates such a beautiful backdrop.

Here she is playing tug-of-war. She gets to be at the end as an anchor because it's her birthday! We also had a game of kids between grown-ups - I think I may have gotten rope burn, lol!

Finally, here is just a little panel I put together for H - happy birthday!! You are too cute!

Before I begin photographing a client, I always spend at least 5 minutes letting go - I want to start all my sessions with a blank canvas and without any pre-conceived notions. Once the session begins, my mission is to create my most heartfelt photographic artwork. I let my heart and soul take over, and I trust that by doing so, the end result will always be satisfying and successful.

The photographs that I present here today are a few of my favourites from my wonderful photographic session with newborn A (9 days old!) and his lovely family. These six portraits speak to my heart directly, and is yet another testament that good things come about when I pour my heart and soul into my work. I love these portraits, and I hope you do too. 

The problem with me is that I think a lot and talk a lot, and I find writing to be way behind my thoughts. Like today's post. I've purchased a studio space since October. Granted, it needed a LOT of work, and I mean a lot. Construction began almost immediately, and continued well into February before it was ready. I had to contain my excitement because a part of me was quite nervous about this venture - nervous but thrilled at the same time. 

I purchased a bungalow and converted it into a studio by knocking down most of the walls within and raising the ceiling height. The bungalow originally had 8 feet ceilings, which would have been extremely restrictive given my massive soft boxes and studio lighting equipment. Not to mention that I would feel that something was on top of my head as I am used to higher ceilings at my home. The contractors removed the original ceiling and somehow managed to raise it to 10 feet, cathedral style. We had to re-shingle as the old shingles were falling apart. Of course, we had to repaint the interior walls as well. Another huge but important investment was for the audio/visual equipment. I used a fantastic company called sparkAV (www.sparkav.com), and they put in a state-of-the-art A/V system. With this system, there are speakers through the studio, a Blu-Ray player, a ceiling-mounted projector, and a beautiful screen situated right above the fireplace. The whole idea is that when, you, my esteemed client, comes back for your ordering/viewing appointment that your photographs will be displayed via the projector onto the movie-like screen, whilst music is playing in the background. It will be like watching the best movie you've ever seen - a story about your family. I believe that this will take the "client experience" to a whole new level!

I've been shooting in my new studio since the latter weeks of March, though the studio is not yet completely finished. The walls are still empty as I attempt to find the perfect photographs to adorn them. The outside of the studio needs a lot of landscaping, which will begin next week. The landscaper has been hired, so it is a matter of getting things planted (I am no good with planting at all!!). There are little things that are needed - a coffee table, more studio samples, etc. It is still a work in progress! I keep wanting it to be "perfect" before I unveil the studio, but I know so many have been asking about it and wanting to see photographs. 

So yesterday, I took a few minutes to take some snapshots of what the studio looks like for now. As the outside gets landscaped and as the walls get updated with my art work, I will update my blog with more photographs. Speaking of wall art, I am excited to be offering a few new and exquisite frames. I have four pieces of art that are currently being framed in these said frames - they will knock your socks off! 

Viewing area:

Shooting area - I can use either studio lights or the natural light (north light!):

Gallery:

Most would agree that I am sociable and chatty, but when it comes to blogs...I have to really WORK at it! 

Enough of my babbling. I would like to introduce this precious newborn little girl. She is pure perfection - perfect size, perfect temperament, perfect model! I know mom and dad have been waiting anxiously - so without further ado, here are some of my favourites from our session.

Here are some of my favourites from our session. I will be in touch shortly!

Speaking of paraphrasing, I want to showcase here the first newborn at my studio for 2010: little newborn baby E! Her big sister A now has someone she can boss around! 

Well done, C and R! As always, it was a pleasure to see you. I will be posting your maternity set within the next few days as well (yes, order is reversed, I apologize!). The banana cream pie recipe will also be coming your way shortly! 

I hope you love these as much as I do!

Here is a mom and dad who are expecting their first baby (how exciting!) in early January. I think I can pretty safely say that she is one of the fittest moms I've ever photographed (you know it C!). She can run circles around me, and as most of you know, I am not exactly a slacker when it comes to working out!! One thing for sure, they will have no trouble keeping up with their little baby! Congratulations again C and T!

After they left from baby E's session, I once again reflected on how it is people like L and N that make my work feel so much like fun. Clients like L and N carry me through the tough times of running a business. Yes, I absolutely love what I do - I love making art for my clients, where the subjects are so near and dear to their hearts. However, the flip side is all the business "stuff" that I have to deal with, the unglamorous side of my work if you will. 

So L and N, thank you for being who you are, and for allowing me to be a part of your lives. You know I speak from the heart when I tell you how special you guys are to me. In the meantime, I wanted to post a few of my favourites from E's session.

And here, looking very serious and pensive:

This session was suppose to be a "Fall Session." Though it was technically still fall, we don't often think of mid-November as being that fall-ish. However, the weather Gods were with us that day, for it was a beautiful morning with nice, soft lighting. The leaves were still scattered on the ground, and the hues still hinted at Fall. 

Mom, I know you are anxious to see these, so I hope I do not disappoint! 

Little C loves playing hide and seek! Here dad and C were hiding from.....mom!

Finally, I LOVE this family portrait. Would love to have a portrait like this of my two boys, two dogs, and husband.