A “year in the life” photography package isn’t for everyone.

It is an investment, for sure.

It means that we can get together multiple times a year (12 is the suggested amount, once per month, but really any amount works!) and document the growth of your children, especially if they’re in particularly dynamic parts of their childhoods (e.g. transition from toddler to preschooler, transition from early childhood to adolescence, etc).

I’ve got a really sweet photo story to share with you today: it was a documentary family session I photographed in Ottawa a few weeks ago.

This family was about to make an epic move: from Ontario to Saskatchewan!

So, they were just about ready to pack everything up and put it in boxes. We booked in the sessions as soon as we could possibly squeeze it in (on a Monday!), so that we could get some photographs of important things before they were all packed up.

Sarah’s mom, Ana, the matriarch of this family, approached me years ago to plan this photo-session, but because of timing issues (and later, Covid), it took us until this July to make it happen.

The idea was: document the family’s stay at their summer cottage, on Grippen lake.

I’ve been there before, because I’ve photographed their neighbors a bunch of times in years past. It’s a gorgeous place. Private, pristine, quiet…

And in mid-summer, that gorgeous green of the trees, couples with the deep blue of the lake…

As a photographer who is NOT a skateboarder (I mean… I tried for about a year so far… but you get hurt a lot, and I am not a huge fan of getting hurt 😜), I’m still learning what makes a good skateboarding photo.

I’m also trying to make sure I’ve got enough photos of the entire event - and not just the skateboarding photos - to flesh out the story.

There is nothing wrong with taking group photographs at a family gathering, and a first birthday party is the ideal occasion for that.

The only thing to keep in mind is that sometimes - if you have a large group - the group photos can take the focus away from getting truly candid moments, and capturing everyone’s true spirit and essense.

As long as there is enough time, though, group shots absolutely CAN happen :)

A couple of months ago, Tim Forbes and I had a photoshoot exchange: He photographed my family, and I photographed his.⁣

Now, for those of you who don’t know, Tim is one of the best documentary photographers this side of Ontario. He’s primarily a wedding photographer, and was actually my mentor. I shot an entire season of weddings as his second shooter in that first year of business, back in 2016.

He’s been in the biz for nearly twenty years, and it really shows! His work is perfect. (no pressure, Tim 😉)

This is an oldie but a goodie :)

I drove to Ottawa in early May of 2019 so that I could meet this beautiful family and take some candid photographs of them doing their thing.

They have three daughters, and we had already settled on a one-hour session in their home, during which time we would be able to take some photos both inside and outside.

Every time I check out the Kingston School of Art (KSOA) and its many programs, I am blown away by how much there is to do there for all ages.

I’ve often thought about registering for a course (maybe this spring?). They offer a range of courses, but the life drawing one grabs my attention. A few years ago, I did a series of life drawing classes with Diane Black at ArtNoise Kingston (not KSOA!). I really enjoyed it!

Anyway, KSOA offers youth and adult classes, including life drawing, illustration, oil painting, and so much more! This blog is all about one of their awesome community events - Paint the Town!

Anyway, KSOA offers youth and adult classes, including life drawing, illustration, oil painting, and so much more! This blog is all about one of their awesome community events - Paint the Town!

If you're new to the idea of candid family photography, you might have lots of questions. This blog answers some of the main ones, like WHY is candid family photography so fun and good?

Meet the Himmelmans. Their life is rich and varied, and includes lots of hockey, pankcakes, cat cuddles, and connect four.

What does a day in your life look like?

You might know that I have a passion for capturing candid family life. In this post, I will compare candid photography to other types of photography. I will prove to you that candid family photography is the BEST (and possibly most challenging) type of photography ever.

Kindness is everything, and spending time with family is true happiness. I spent a small snippet in the life of Irit and Mike, with their adorable toddler Leo in Ottawa, and captured a bunch of fun things they love to do together.

I even made a slideshow! Hope you enjoy :)