So many memories were lived and captured there.

So it was only fitting that we would be photographing it one last time, as her own son celebrated turning two.

I met them in Newburgh on a beautiful sunny day in June.

Soren was at the age where toddlers are both curious and a little bit shy.

The first photographs we took are of him clinging to mom’s leg, which is completely expected at this age <3 And also adorable.

Picking meaningful family activities to photograph

The first question we always discuss with families is: “what should we do during our photo-session?”

Lots of families already have pretty solid ideas of what they can do to spend some time together, while I snap the photos. Some families aren’t sure. That’s okay, too. This is why we have a fun consultation before even putting pen to paper (by which I mean… booking a session 😜 no actual paper is involved, it’s all online).

Occasionally I take time out from doing family or wedding photography, and I document local events and activities happening around Kingston.

Last year, Kingston-based educator Katherine Morlog began a weekly skateboarding drop-in workshop for girls in Kingston to learn to skate. These sessions were held Thursday evenings at Daly Street Skate park (on Daly St, across from the Rideau Heights Community Centre).

It’s a fantastic initiative for many reasons.

Girls are waaay under-represented in skateboarding. It’s intimidating for girls to get into it, because it’s mostly boys and men who skate.

Today I’ve got a super special story for you!

The kind of heart-melter that you can’t help but get a little emotional about.

It’s the story of baby Leo, born during the pandemic, the second sibling to be born to surrogate mother Kera, and to be joining the family of Uli and Alex, two fathers from Italy.

It brings the term ‘blended family’ to an entirely different level! 😍

Here’s how documentary newborn photography is different from the traditional studio newborn photo experience:

• it can be done anywhere - especially in your own home!

• there’s no baby ‘age limit’ - babies can be just a day old, or they can be a few months old! Each phase of a baby’s life is precious and can be documented to preserve cherished memories for a family. Whether it’s those baby wrinkles when they were just hours new to the world, or the chubby thighs as they started to fill out from all that yummy milk.

• it doesn’t take nearly as long - candid photos of babies and their families enjoying their time together don’t have to take hours. Some families choose to document a “Day in the Life” with their baby, so that we can capture many activities, especially if they have older children, too. But many families with a newborn and no older siblings are perfectly happy to spend just an hour swooning over their little one, and we get dozens of beautiful memories captured from this experience.

Right away, I loved this family. I couldn’t stop photographing Leo, this adorable 3-year old with the biggest, gentlest eyes. He was an instant muse. And then, I met his baby brother, Ezra, and I couldn’t believe just how expressive this tiny little baby’s eyes were, too! This obviously runs in the family.

Of course, a documentary session needs to capture the everyday moments. If every single day of your lives, you hop on the subway, then transfer to the streetcar, to get to your favourite place… then it would be a serious error not to include at least a bit of those moments in the Day In the Life session.

For some families, this is just as obvious as breathing. For other families, this idea is a bit more novel. They’re used to more traditional types of photographs, so capturing simple things like walking down the street seems like… photos you would discard.

I got to see these wonderful children for a brief moment in time this year, whereas their parents get to watch them grow each and every day. Day by day, their hours are filled with fleeting moments. But the fact that I only get to see them briefly every year or so, gives me a distinct advantage. I focus on what few other photographers see: the fleeting, unorchestrated moments that make up a life.

This is the magic ✨

Puppies are playful. They make toys out of any old box or blanket that comes their way. They chew on things they shouldn’t, and generally get up to lots of mischief. Luckily for Juno, there were lots of loving hands to guide her into safe and fun mischief, as opposed to dangerous mischief.

Let’s talk about shenanigans now. That first photo of the two dogs whizzing past little Lauren is one of my favourites! And later, when the kids are playing in the deep hole dug by one of the dogs… I have a feeling this photo will be one that will make this family smile in about 20 years.

You don’t have a personal photographer following you around all day.

So you tend to miss or dismiss those many moments which define your character and shape your life.

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?

Moving house with kids can be stressful. Shawn and Christen did a spectacular job of keeping their two young girls entertained and excited on this day, with Herculean effort. There was lots of running around, but most of all - lots of fun! Enjoy the slideshow I created and get in touch for your very own Day in the Life session.

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 :)

Documentary photography enters with a bang. She is the youngest sister. She has forgotten to wear shoes outdoors, so that her youthful feet are caked with mud when she steps into the dining room. She has a tangled mass of flowers in her hair. She reminds you of the fire in your heart.

One of the amazing and wonderful women who made it that much better during my PhD was Jen. She was doing her post-doc at that time, and we quickly grew close. (At first, I just talked too much, while she tried to get her work done efficiently so she could go home to her then very young daughter).

I grew up in communist Bulgaria, which means I really do not like to break the law, or any rules. I get nervous around police-officers, or border-crossing people, or even security guards (perhaps especially security guards). One time, as a teenager, I got pulled over for speeding, and asked to hand over my license and registration. My hand shook so terribly that I had to lean it against the open window when handing the office my license….

I didn’t realize it back then, but this was one of the sessions that would shape my career in photography. It was after this session - during which I didn’t once glance at whatever lighting equipment I had brought - that I realized I probably do not NEED all that equipment I had planned on acquiring.

The transfigurative moment that flits in with just the smallest change in circumstances - a baby descends a few inches through the birth canal into the open world - is a wondrous thing. One moment, there is no one there and the next - there is a being that demands all your attention. Of course that being was there all along, but it was encased, enveloped in warmth, and quite undemanding of his parents' time and efforts.

Insofar as social media exacerbates social isolation because of feelings of inadequacy (think of all those ‘perfect’ people, places, lives), documentary photographs offer a way forward. They offer honesty. They tell a story of each person and each family just as they are, in all that makes them human, flawed, relatable.