“I look so beautiful,” said my daughter in a voice that was not quite a whisper, but soft and filled with a mix of pride, awe, and wonder. Her voice at that moment was one of the most beautiful tones I have ever heard. I wished I could just bottle it up to play again and again. I had just played her a slideshow I created from some images I captured a few weekends ago on a stunning Sydney afternoon. It was an ordinary afternoon spent at the park – not a planned session or a special occasion. True to my daughter’s nature, she had picked a sparkly dress even though she fully intended to climb, play in the sand, throw the frisbee, and get all sorts of dirty and sweaty. Since the dress sparkled, I grabbed my camera as we left but didn’t pick it up until we were heading home. The light was amazing so we went on a little walk along the wharf. It was a walk filled with the usual six year old shenanigans – twirling in the light, playing in some water, tossing the frisbee with her brother, and playing their favourite game of Sleeping Beauty. But something about that afternoon shimmered, creating a window that allowed me to capture my daughter’s spirit – her joy, exuberance, beauty and tenderness – in a way that I don’t get to see very often.
“Of course you do,” I replied. “You are beautiful.” She looked up at me with a huge smile that literally brought tears to my eyes. I tell my daughter she is beautiful a lot. But often all those articles about how instead of saying your daughter is pretty or beautiful you should tell them they are smart or hard working or strong make me catch myself. I do tell her she is strong and smart but I equally believe that children should believe they are beautiful – both girls and boys. But especially little girls. Our culture will always put beauty on a pedestal. I want my daughter to grow up knowing she is beautiful. That her beauty radiates from deep inside. That it makes her compassionate, strong, capable, and kind. I want her to believe in beauty and how it makes the world a softer gentler place when it is used for good and not evil.
She wanted me to play the slideshow again and again. I watched her as she watched and I hoped that the true to life, candid images she was seeing of herself were being etched in her mind somewhere. So whenever she doubted herself, or felt bad, or had a bad day, one might just pop up and she’ll remember how her mum saw her on that ordinary day. And her day will rise with the smile that crosses her face as she remembers she is beautiful.
I would love to capture the beauty you see in your child. Contact me to book a session.
It was one of those Sydney mornings where the weather could go either way. There were blue skies in one direction, rain clouds in another. We had all been looking forward to updating the family photos since I had last taken their photos right before little sister made an appearance. On Saturday, we had planned photos at home in the garden and then a stroll down to the Glebe foreshore for a casual shoot by the water. But by the time I arrived at their gorgeous new terrace in Glebe, the rain had set in. Since everyone was dressed we altered our plan and used the front balcony as our backdrop huddling under the overhang to shield us from the rain. Wrangling two boys and a one year old to stay dry and in one place is no easy task. But these fun spirited parents employed tickling and funny faces which did the trick! The result was relaxed family shots that capture genuine emotion, love and connection. Once the rain let up, the kids took the lead playing in the rock garden and teaching little sister that rocks and flowers weren’t for eating! When little sister had enough she made a quick escape out the front gate where she found the sunshine and more fallen flowers. We ended the session with some lovely backlit shots on the footpath with cuddles all around. Our Glebe foreshore portion of the session will happen in a few weeks pending good weather. I can’t hardly wait!
My kids are always in costume. On the street people always ask “What’s the occasion?” 99% of the time it’s just what they chose to wear. Personally I love it and will be so sad when this period of their childhood it over. Today was no exception – except for the fact that they both dressed from STAR WARS! My husband would be in heaven had he been home. So this day in particular called for some quick photos outside. I had my 35mm lens on my camera from some early morning shots and normally wouldn’t use it for candid portraits. I prefer to compress the background a bit more than my 35mm will allow. But sometimes you have to go with it when your kids actually want to take pictures! My daughter was more game than little Darth but 5 minutes and a potty break later I got these little gems. Treasures for years from now for sure. And I can’t wait to see people’s faces as they take on the city today!
I’d love to capture your little ones playing. Let’s make a date together soon!
October -what else could be more important than Halloween to a child? Halloween was my favourite holiday as a kid. My family usually had a Halloween Party, the school had a festival, there was trick-or-treating, pumpkin picking….the list went on and on. When we first moved to Australia not a decoration could be found in the shops. So sad! The Canadians were the only group throwing a Halloween Party – thank goodness for them. Fast forward four years and now there are decorations in the grocery stores, trick-or-treating in most neighbourhoods, and this year we had four parties to go to! We celebrated everywhere – in Pyrmont, the Botanic Gardens, Darling Harbour and Balmain. That made this American expat very very happy. It is still not as big as in America and I am not sure I will ever be accustomed to it being a Spring holiday but we had a great time. So for this month’s 5 on 5, here are a few snaps from our Halloween fun – from Halloween dance class to my little Ariel waiting on her trick-or-treating friends. Such fun Down Under 🙂
I’d love to capture your family’s special events. Let’s make a date to get together soon.
It has been birthday birthday birthday in our house. My daughter had been looking forward to turning five since the last guest left her fourth birthday party. We’d had a sticker chart countdown posted since the end of July. And I think the Frozen theme was picked sometime in May. Such high anticipation – even more so than Christmas! Being time poor with two little ones under foot, all Pinterest ideas went out the window. In flew party food picked out by my daughter – pretzels, popcorn, store bought “party only” cookies, marshmellows, blue jelly and apple juice. Tableware, balloons, decorations and the coveted Disney Store Elsa dress were lugged back from America by a willing daddy. Elsa and Anna were booked. And luckily, my daughter picked out the easiest of all the Elsa cakes I showed her. “Please don’t let anyone get sick” ran through my mind for weeks before the party.
Finally it arrived. And it was perfect. Thirty-five little friends graced the doors of the party hall creating the most beautiful sea of blue, silver and white with most of the little girls in their Elsa dresses. Upon the Arrendelle Sisters’ arrival, my daughter was so in awe she couldn’t even look at Queen Elsa. Elsa and Anna were sent by Fairy Crystal and they were simply magical. Music, dancing, “pass the snowball”, and face painting ensued followed by the most beautiful rendition of “Let it Go” sung by Queen Elsa and 35 little voices. My favourite moments though were the ones where I caught my daughter dancing by herself as if no one was watching – a sign that she is over the moon happy. Then it was time for cake. I think one of the best parts of birthday parties is looking out and seeing everyone you like and love singing “Happy Birthday” to YOU. And as a parent, it’s an incredible moment. I know my birthday girl felt special and loved. After the party she declared “her party was perfect.” That’s all this mum wanted to hear. Onwards to six as my daughter says. The birthday countdown has started again.
I posted many more than 5 photos for my 5 on 5 this month but please follow along and see what my friend Sharyn as been up to in September.
I’d love to capture your child’s birthday memories. Let’s make a date to get together.
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