come as you are | Joon + Callum

i just could not be happier about these sessions.  i knew i would be providing something special for these mothers, but the impact it has had on me was unexpected.  i could say that it's been an honour to photograph the most deserving moms, but the truth is that each one of us is so very deserving in our own way, each session serving as a reminder of the grace and love we are capable of providing for our children, especially on our worst days.  we all have our story and our challenges that deserve reverence.  no matter what our journey has been, what we lack, what we yearn for, these photos prove without a doubt that our daily toils are not in vain.  there is beauty in the ordinary of the day to day. 

i am so grateful to have Joon be part of these Come As You Are sessions.  first of all, they are moving and it would be such a shame to not have some fond memories to take away from this beautiful home.  second, and more importantly, the heartache and hell she has gone through for and with Callum deserves to be recognized and celebrated.  it's been a long journey with health challenges many of us take for granted everyday.  whether you were born to be a mother or not quite so confident in this new and terrifying role, we can all agree that the adjustment period is difficult enough without the universe throwing your 3.5 month baby a curveball in the form of a rare congenital liver disease.  after his first surgery, Callum would suffer liver failure at 18 months and would require a transplant.  nevermind the typical worries of whether or not you are capable of breastfeeding or going back to work in a year, suddenly having to worry if your baby is going to receive an organ in time (or at all) or survive the surgery puts everything else on the backburner. 

today, you wouldn't be able to tell from the beams of sunshine radiating from his face, but 4 year old Callum has been one of the lucky ones to have received a successful liver transplant.  he has gone from 14 medications a day down to just 1 with monthly bloodwork to monitor his new liver.  you also wouldn't know Joon's heartbreaking struggle from her confident smile and dry humour, but you probably know now that you'd probably lose to her in a fight!  these stories are a perfect reminder to be kind to all we meet because we don't always know each other's story and the struggles we've had.

i'm so happy i managed to get Joon to do this session!  she was worried it might be too cheesy, as well as too vain, but that is neither my style nor the intention of these sessions!  after the battles you two tiny warriors have fought through, your love, your courage and your perseverance absolutely deserves its spot in the limelight.  you both are going to look back on these through the years and love me, HA!

Click Here to read more about Callum's story.
You might even recognize his sweet little face from on the back of Transit busses around the city encouraging all of us to become Organ Donors!

Enjoy!

come as you are | Sarah Jack + Eli

i really would have loved to start this series off with this session but it was a few days following the other two and i really needed to jump onto editing them before getting too overwhelmed.  Last year, I booked a session with Jayme Anne Photography for Mother's Day.  I loved them so much, I am booked again for the end of May!  I was so inspired by her Project Motherhood series to get MOMS in front of the camera, I decided to also contribute to getting more Moms in front of the camera.  Sarah, however, was the one that pushed me to really focus on the real deal, the maybe-not-picture-perfect-enough-for-Instagram deal.  her words, which i wrote down were:  "meeting moms where you are at, we don't need you to get dressed, clean the house or put on make up..."  this spoke deeply to me because, honestly, that is the photography i started out with.  ithe introduction of Instagram and Pinterest really changed our perceptions of normal as we were suddenly being inundated with everyone's highlight reel and strugginlg not to compare it to our normal.  we are expected to do EVERYTHING, be EVERYTHING, and never falter, never sweat, never show weakness.  that kind of expectation is debilitating and unrealistic.   

...so!  i'm trying to get back to that rawness and honesty, and what better time than in celebration of Mother's Day!  the rawest of the raw.  it has truly been a breath of fresh air!  in spite of how these first three sessions differ SO GREATLY from one another, i love how they still manage to praise the Mother and her story with equal respect and recognition that she, indeed, is doing her best to selflessly love her kids no matter how insecure she may be feeling, no matter how tired she is from whatever issues she may be losing sleep over, no matter what her current struggles may be...  i love that by showing a variety of Mothers in their everyday environment, moms will be able to relate in an honest way with one another and close the gap created by the highlight reels of social media.  by recognizing and exonerating the beauty of Motherhood's everyday imperfections, i hope to encourage a greater sense of empathy and support within community.  we have lost the village mentality.  we need to rebuild that!

this session was awesome because Sarah wanted to capture her morning with the boys.  it was an early wake-up call to arrive at 7am, but it was absolutely worth it.  as it was a Sunday, they were able to enjoy a slow quiet morning without the hectic chaos of the school routine.

eventually, as you will see, Sarah will get to enjoy her cup of tea.

enjoy!

Sarah, what a treat to spend the morning with you and your boys.
Thank you for welcoming me into your home and life.

xo

come as you are | Mother's Day Mini Sessions

 

recognizing + honouring
the everyday beauty of motherhood

no need for make up, dressing up
or cleaning up the house

just you, as you are
with the ones who call you Mom

This Mother's Day, my heart would like to honour + celebrate the truth of where you are at, right now, in your life as a Mother:

YOU, in your home, going through a few of your everyday routines with your little ones.

Nothing posed and nothing to hide, just the real moments: from the overwhelming mess + impressive tantrums to the intimate snuggles + whispered I Love Yous.  Let's document your Motherhood in all of its chaos and beautiful imperfections for you and your kids (and their kids...) to hold close, relive, and share for many years to come.

We are beautiful and we deserve to be remembered!

_________

$250 |  30 Minute In-Home Session
8 Spots Available for the month of May

Eat Drink Love in Mexico: Part I

Last Sunday, I booked a last minute ticket to Puerto Vallarta via Los Angeles.  Our family had been invited to the wedding of Rob + Jade.  I met Rob in Kindergarten and became especially good friends with him in the last years of elementary.  Jade, a few years behind, joined our school in grade 4 with the most adorable bangs and bob.  Highschool broke us all up.  While Rob disappeared into VC boy gang life, Jade contributed to me and Kevin's romance (the two ended up at St Pat's), being a carrier for our love letters or saving me a spot on the bus home from LFA to Richmond.  Little did any of us know that the two of them would find happiness in one another and that our lives would be intertwined once again thanks to our firstborns being only 2 months apart, Jade's incredible talent with hair, and ok Facebook.     Funny how having kids pulls you back with old friends!  Must be the primal urge to join in packs and form villages for survival and sanity...

We were excited to visit Mexico for the first time and with our kids whom we knew would love the cultural experience.  As winter approached as did the time to book our tickets.  Kevin had just lost his job and so our plans sadly fizzled out.  A week before everyone would fly out for the big day, I helped to design a few of the wedding stationery items.  Having Jade over to finalize and collect all the product really broke my heart.  Being the sweet understanding guy he is, Kevin pushed me to take the trip on my own while he would stay at home with the kids.  It was a very easy and very tough decision, but it was made.  Malcolm cried in the car as I waved good-bye to him, and I cried as I ran into the airport.  I would have never left my other two kids for that long at such a young age.  Actually, this was my first time going off on my own EVER and I could not have found a better ticket.  My ticket had a 24 hour overlay in LA on the way to and from Puerto Vallarta which meant I could visit my sister in Cali!  In addition, my good friends, The Stones, just happened to be enjoying a 2 week vacation in Puerto Vallarta at the same time.  They generously welcomed me to stay with them upon arrival and before departure to/from LAX.  And right smack in the middle of my visit, I would join the wedding party in their digs at wedding night's end.  Perfect.  

I arrived in LA at 7pm.  We stopped by Forever 21 to grab a hat and sunglasses (I completely forgot to pack my own…) and ordered Italian takeout.  It was a brief visit but such a joy to squeeze my big sister and blast old school HIP HOP down the freeway, just like the good old days when I would fly down to visit her in my pre-family days.  It's been 8 years!

The flight to PVR was FANTASTIC.  I DIDN'T HAVE ANY KIDS WITH ME AND I got to sit in peace with a coffee and a chocolate croissant and watch James Bond Spectre completely undisturbed.  In fact, I didn't even get to see the last minutes of it because the flight was over.  Luxury. 

We landed.  My head was tingling, electric currents seemed to be gently running up and down my arms as I walked through the corridors of PVR to its arrival gates.  I spotted Brock behind the glass and I ran.  I made it!  I was really here!  This was really happening!  I was in shock as we hugged and walked out into the blinding sunlight.  The heat started to sink in and it felt glorious.  We hopped into their Green Ferrari (a tiny little 90's style Chevy) and booted it to their Dad's high-rise condo... 

We headed out to Old Vallarta for dinner.  I sat in the back with the boys, checking out the architecture, the little shops and kids riding in the back of pick-up trucks, palm trees palm trees palm trees.  We parked and walked down "The Seawall", enjoying the warm evening breeze and a fiery sunset.  My diet for 3-4 days was Margaritas/Tequila Shots and Tacos.  I'm still not over it.  We took turns eating and minding the boys.  I took my Margarita in a TO GO cup because I had barely dented it and was already quite tipsy.  We took a walk around town, stopping into a bar that was advertising karaoke.  The boys bravely sang BEAT IT and LAND DOWN UNDER!  Definitely something to cross of their Bucket List!  

This trip was off to a great start…  Next up THE WEDDING!