DJ and Erica were coming up on the due date for baby #3 and couldn’t decide whether to get maternity photos or newborn photos.  So in the end, we did both!

You’d think the first session would be all about the belly, but their two little daughters – Becca and Bella – had different ideas.  Bursting at the seams with energy, ideas, and just awesomely crazy hair, it was hard not to make them the stars of the show!  But we did get manage to get some pics of the belly, and even squeezed DJ in for a shot or two.

It wasn’t long thereafter when news came that the Seales had welcomed a little boy – Andrei – into their family.  Within a week, we went back into the studio so that we could catch Andrei while he was still in the “brand new baby” phase.  Brand new baby he might have been, but this little guy was unreal – lifting his head and looking around like he was already a 2 month old.  Both DJ and Erica are avid volleyball players, and naturally wanted a shot of the little guy with a ball.  But his strength of neck + his strength of will made it super difficult to get the shot, as he kept pushing himself or the ball away (ironically, he had no qualms about hanging about with a football though…).

Between the fun shots with the girls, to the cool maternity and newborn shots with DJ, Erica, and Andrei, it was a tremendously enjoyable shoot.  It was also neat to witness/be part of what sometimes feel like the overnight transition from big belly to little, new baby.  Congrats to the Seales family!  Only a handful of many, many shots I liked:

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Even though they moved away shortly after their wedding several years ago, it hasn’t felt like I’ve been all that removed from Deepak and Michelle.  Whether it’s working with their extended families for portraits, or seeing them again at Deepak’s cousin’s wedding, or bumping into their families at weddings because the East Indian community in Winnipeg is so tightly knit, it just seems like I’m never more than a few degrees of separation away.  This time when they came back to town, there were no degrees of separation at all as I took them down to the studio for a shoot of their new little boy Rayan.

Like most babies his age, Rayan was extremely tactile.  It was fun just watching his extreme fascination with the red wicker stools and the fuzzy orange chairs that we have in the studio.  I’m sure they look better than they taste, but he didn’t seem to mind their flavors either way.  Between the furniture and his chewy giraffe, he couldn’t be bothered with the green stuffed animal/monster that his parents have been using as the unofficial “reference chart” for his size.  Another thing I thoroughly enjoyed was this little lick of his hair that would casually flip up during the shoot (I still find it hard to believe that Rayan was apparently one of the “balder” babies in the family).

It was great working with Michelle and Deepak again, and if they stay true to the patterns in their families, I can’t help but wonder if Rayan will soon have a sibling in the family portraits…?    But before we jump ahead of ourselves, let’s share some pictures from this session:

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The past year or so has given me the distinct pleasure of seeing a lot of my wedding couples from the past and photographing them again as they transition from a couple to a family.  I fondly remember working with Tiffany and Ken on their engagement shoot – it was one of the very first times I’d ever pulled out lighting for an on-location shoot and I recall fumbling around a bit and smiling politely as I did a little “learning on the go”.  I’d like to think I’ve since gotten a bit better with my lighting, and though I’m sure I had my share of bumbling around again, hopefully they found the shoot a little smoother this time around!

At least Emily didn’t seem to mind – for being just a little one, she was amazingly patient with me as we started out shooting at the St-Boniface Basilica and ended up in the studio.  From what I could tell, Emily seems to take after her mom’s sunny elegance and her father’s cheery expressiveness – she had some of the most expressive eyebrows I’ve seen on an infant, and she would made this great little face every time she was anywhere near facing the sun (with Ken’s acting background, I’m sure she’ll have no shortage of inspiration for expressions).  It was great to meet you Emily!

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I was excited when I got Crystal and Shane’s e-mail: not only was it a chance to work again with one of my great former wedding clients, but also in that they were keen to participate in this maternity series idea I’ve had floating around for awhile.

At this first session, Crystal was about 5 months into her pregnancy and, for the most part, was hard to tell that she was even expecting! I look forward to documenting her progress as she gets closer to term.  Some sneak peeks from the first session:

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I love having the time and freedom to mess around with different styles and lighting setups for headshots.  This was the case with Kevin as we took our time in the studio trying out different looks in the quest for some good shots.  For someone who’d never had their portraits taken before, Kevin seemed pretty comfortable in front of the camera.  With creative license and an easy subject, it was a very enjoyable shoot.  Some of my favorites from the session:

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