Kym & Adam's Fall Leaves Family Session in the Park :)

Whoever thinks that little girls are less rambunctious than little boys, should spend a morning with Miss K! From the minute she saw us and came bounding down the path in the park, to the (approximately) one million times she ran in a circle around this big tree trunk to jump out and yell "SURPRISE!!!", she was a non-stop whirlwind of excitement :) We had so much fun chasing her around! Here are some of my favourite moments from our recent session..

The only thing that slowed her down all morning was when she discovered the fairy houses at the bottom of the tree :) She immediately went to work piling little handfuls of leaves up around them for protection.. this is maybe one of the cutest things I've ever seen!

 And then there was throwing leaves everywhere!

Miss K helped me take this photo of her Mommy & Daddy, which is one of my favourites of them together :) When we tried to add her into the picture though, there was more squirming and wriggling and tickling and giggling than you've maybe ever seen!

Totally worth it in the end though :)

Kym & Adam: We always have such a blast with the three of you, and this time we got to add "magical" to the long list of happy words associated with spending time with your family :)

xo

Jessica + Norman

Kites! Bubbles! Twins! Awesome Family Portrait Session :)

Twins - obviously - means two of almost everything. Not just two babies, but a double stroller, two cribs, high chairs, car seats, wardrobes. Maybe bunk beds when they get a bit older. And, as we learned in our recent family portrait session with Nicola & Andy and their twin boys, it also means twice the fun! See for yourself..

 I especially loved the way the boys would set each other off, and their giggles were contagious :)

If you've never seen the look on a child's face the first time he flies a kite, I highly recommend it. Absolute joy :)

 And then - bubbles!! So much fun!!

Time to relax a bit after all that excitement :)

 Nicola & Andy - no kidding, this was one of the most fun days we've ever had :) Maybe all your days are like this, but we felt very lucky to be invited along to capture the love and joy of your family! Thank you so much (and thanks for being so well prepared!), and can't wait to show you the rest of your photos!!

xo
Jessica + Norman

Baby on the Way: Andrea & Dave's Beautiful Fall Maternity Session at the Brick Works :)

We've known Andrea & Dave since they asked us to photograph their wedding a few years back - we loved doing their engagement photos at the Lakeview Restaurant, and their wedding day itself was both very personal and really beautiful (that's what happens when two designers get married, and their designer friends help out with the details!). So when they told us they were expecting a new addition to their family, we were so excited! And as luck would have it, the weekend we photographed their maternity photos at the Brick Works was also stunningly beautiful :) Here are some of my favourite images from their session..

My two favourite parts of this day: the way Andrea & Dave pop out of the orange backgrounds with their blue tops, and the amount of giggling that was done by all of us while Dave tried to teach Andrea how to do a "stoic" look ;)

 I love the reflection in the image on the left (below) :)

Andrea & Dave: we are over the moon happy for the two of you, and can't wait to meet your new little guy in just a couple of months! Then we can teach him how to be stoic too ;)

xo
Jessica + Norman

Katherine & Mike's Brick Works Family Photos :)

Katherine & Mike have two busy, active boys, so we thought it would be fun to do their family portrait session somewhere that they like to spend time playing together as a family. Luckily, the Evergreen Brick Works is not only fun, but one of the most beautiful spots in the city this time of year! Here are some of my favourite images from their session..

If this family decides to start a rock band, I'm pretty sure this (below) will be the album cover ;)

Julian is an engineer in the making - you can see the wheels turning as he builds rows of bricks or figures out how something works. Little Kiran takes the rows of bricks apart as quickly as Julian can build them, and has one of the most enthusiastic "chasing" smiles ever :)

 Everyone enjoyed the pond, where we saw a turtle and some ducks :)

Katherine & Mike: you and your boys were an absolute pleasure to spend the morning with! We had so much fun, and can't wait to make an album out of your great images :)

xo

Jessica + Norman

Spring Fun: Amanda & Sam's Family Portraits :)

When Amanda & Sam first came to Canada from Australia, they thought they'd stay for about a year. 5 years and two super-sweet kids later, and they're still here :) We recently had tons of fun hanging out with their family.. playing trains, reading (and chewing on!) books, and going to the park on a gorgeous early spring day. Here are some of my favourite images from this playful and candid family portrait session..

How sweet are those smiles?!

There was multilingual toe-counting (a first for me, and I have to say a pretty awesome way to count toes!), and Baby Sister patiently sat still for lots of kisses from Big Brother - super-cute!

Amanda & Sam: we loved spending time with you guys and your adorable wee ones! Thank you so much for having us over to capture this fantastic time in your family's history :)

xo
Jessica + Norman

Time Flies When You Do What You Love :)

So recently I took a breath in between post-Artist Project and pre-One of a Kind chaos, and realized that this May marks the 15th anniversary of the start of my business.. !!
At first I was shocked (surely I'm far to young to have a 15-year-old business! Haha), but when that passed I felt mostly two things: proud of how far I've come in those 15 years, and super-excited about what the next 15 or so will hold!

When I first started my business, I had absolutely no idea what I was getting into. No clue that I was signing up to work pretty much 7-day weeks, almost every week of every year. No concept of what it's like to get pneumonia and not have a drug plan or paid sick days, and have nobody who could do my job while I was recovering. I now know all of this, and wouldn't change a thing :)

15 years ago, I actually had a full-time job as well as a business. This was back in the days of film and darkrooms, and not being able to "fix it later" in Photoshop. I learned a lot from the people I worked with, and most importantly learned that I didn't want to work for a big company. Which is a great thing to know, because it's made me never regret how hard I've had to work since going out on my own :)

I haven't gotten rich in money, but can't even begin to count the riches in other parts of my life.. I've had the opportunity to travel to some amazing places, I've worked with such an amazing and talented group of people, and I've been able to chase my dreams and inspirations where they have led me. I'm filled with so much gratitude that I've been able to do what I love over these past 15 years.

This actually feels like a much bigger milestone than any birthday I've ever had - after all, birthdays come whether you actively pursue them or not ;) So to celebrate, and to spread some of this excitement around to the people who've made it possible, I've decided to spend the next 15 months giving little perks and bonuses to my clients! One a month will bring us right through my 15th year, with the final month being May of 2016.

The first one is immediate: I'll be exhibiting at the Spring One of a Kind Show in Toronto a week from now, and anyone who stops by my booth to say "Happy Anniversary" will get 15% off anything in my booth :) This will be my first time doing the One of a Kind show as an exhibitor, and I'm really excited to branch out into this fantastic community! The show runs March 25th-29th at the Direct Energy Centre (at the CNE), and I'm in booth M19 - hope to see you there :) I'll be sharing some work in progress pictures over the next few days on instagram, facebook, and twitter if you like the "behind the scenes" type of stuff. *use this link to save $3 off regular admission to the show!

As for the rest of the perks, I'll be sharing that information every month on facebook and twitter, so be sure to follow! I also have an email list that you can sign up for - here's the link for the Fine Art news and updates, and here's where I'll announce any specials for couples or family portraits.

A HUGE "Thank You!" to everyone I've worked with over the past decade and a half - many of you have trusted me with the most precious moments and memories of your lives, or the promoting of your own small business dreams, and many others now have my whimsical depictions of far-away places hung on your walls.. all of you hold a special place in my heart for the role you have played in allowing me to live my dream :) I look forward to seeing you sometime soon!

xo Jessica

Super-Smiley Baby Kayla at 18 months :)

Since we last photographed her for her first birthday, little Kayla has acquired lots more teeth and a huge vocabulary! She was up to over 400 words a couple of weeks ago, which means that everything you say gets echoed back, and everything she sees gets proudly announced :) She loves to colour and chase her kitty around for hugs, and by the time we'd left that day had added two other words to her repertoire: "Jessica" and "Norman" :D

She was also pretty awe-struck by the Christmas lights :)

 My new assistant, helping take a picture of Mommy & Daddy :)

 And THIS: Kym spent about a million hours making their Halloween costumes this year - with awesome results! (That's Rainbow Brite and Twink, for those of you who weren't 80's children ;) )

Thanks again Kym & Adam - I can't wait to see what new skills and words Kayla has figured out by the next time we see her! What a super-sweet little girl :D

xo Jessica + Norman

Solene & Jerome's Adorable Fall Family Portrait Session :)

Last weekend we had the pleasure of going to Riverdale Farm with one of the sweetest families :) From the minute we first said "hello!", Solene's beautiful smile absolutely melted my heart.. Jerome kept his smiles a bit more secretive, but when he shared them they were pretty adorable too :)
Here are some of my favourite images from this super-fun and relaxed family session..

When it comes to photographing families, these sorts of images are my favourite - the ones that aren't posed, but just show the family hanging out and goofing around together - and I feel like they're also the ones that actually capture childhood and the chaotic joy of having a young family the best :)

Not only did we visit some of the animals at the farm while we were there, but Cynthia, Jean-Pierre, and the kids had the perfect Halloween costumes to fit in with the barn setting!

Cynthia & Jean-Pierre: both of you and your adorable kids were so much fun to photograph - thank you for allowing us to capture these memories for you, and for having such a great group Halloween costume! :)

xo

Jessica + Norman

Baby Duncan and his Big Brother Sam :)

Kim is one of the very first clients I ever had, way back when I started my business at the dawn of the new millennium. This of course seems like ages ago now, and we've known each other through over a decade of "growing up" - both in our businesses and in our lives. I've had the pleasure of photographing Kim's gorgeous jewellery, as well as the beautiful fall day when she and Paul got married. More recently, we were there to photograph their first baby, Sam, when he was 6 weeks old. And now, the latest adventure in their lives - Baby Duncan :) Duncan is a very sweet and smiley baby, and Sam has taken very naturally to being a big brother.. it was so cute to see them together!

We started off with little Duncan on his own, showing everyone he's just as strong as his brother was...

Every now and then, Sam would jump in - he's a very busy almost-2-year-old and rarely stays still for long, but he's also very adorably fascinated by his tiny brother :) 

Sam & Baby Duncan also gets to spend lots of quality time with their Grandmother, who lives just around the corner..

Amongst all the chaos, there are also these lovely moments that define being a family - tickle fights, giggles, kisses, and reminising :)How sweet is that little face?!

Kim & Paul: It was such a pleasure to spend time with your family, and to get to know Duncan and Sam even better :) Through all the busy running around, I hope these images will remind you that there are also some moments that are still(ish!), and that even the busy chaos is beautiful and perfect :)

xo

Jessica + Norman

Baby Oliver's 3-month-old Family Trip to the CNE :)

What better way to spend an afternoon than with a couple of sweet little guys at the Ex? Cameron - the Big Brother at 3 years - had such a blast with rides, reptiles, dancing, bubbles, running, riding tractors, playing drums, and probably a million other things, that we could barely keep up with him! Baby Oliver - being less independently mobile so far - was easier to keep track of, but no less entertained :) How sweet is this little face..?!

I seriously can't remember the last time a couple of hours contained so many different excitements :)  

Sarah & Mike - thanks again for allowing us to tag along on your perfect end-of-summer day of family fun! I'm not ashamed to admit that we came home and had a nap after this ;)

xo Jessica + Norman

Sweet Baby Seija at 7 1/2 months :)

From the first time I met Baby Seija, I was struck by her intense gaze - it was almost like she was working really hard on figuring things out. And then all of a sudden, she would burst into smiles :) A few months later, she definitely still has the intense gaze, and still goes easily between that and a huge grin.. and now there are two shiny new teeth to show off with that smile :D Between the smiles and the big blue eyes, she completely charmed us when we were there to capture this super-sweet moment in her little life..

Seija's toes are pretty much her favourite thing in the world right now :) I love her pretty little beaded anklet too! 

 Here's that serious face ;) And then more smiles :)

Cheryl & Jonny - you guys have such a sweet little girl! Thanks so much for having us over to capture all her moods, expressions, and teeth :)

xo Jessica + Norman

{do you have a little one with a sweet smile you'd love for us to capture? Get in touch and tell us why this is the perfect time to photograph your family!}

Welcoming Baby Oliver to the World :)

Almost 3 years ago, we saw how naturally parenting came to Sarah & Mike when they had their first baby, Cameron. Now that baby Oliver has arrived, we noticed that big-brothering seems to come very naturally to Cameron :) Admittedly, it's not a huge challenge with a baby as sweet as Oliver! It was so amazing to watch the two of them together.. If Oliver started to fuss, Cameron would take his hand and sing to him, give him kisses, and coo "It's okay, Oli-bear" - and Oliver would immediately calm down :) We spent a lovely afternoon with the family.. here are some of my favourite images from the session..

 

 tiny baby parts, and Oliver's "Mommy's Friends Blanket" :)

to decorate the nursery, Sarah crocheted rainbow bunting, and Cameron made the cutest collection of animal portraits at daycare! 

If Oliver's first 13 days are anything to go by, this is going to be a pretty adorable year for the whole family :) I can't wait to see how much fun we're all going to have at his 3-month session!

Sarah & Mike: congratulations on your beautiful new baby boy! It was so great to spend time with all of you, and we're really looking forward to watching Oliver grow over the coming year :) And thanks again for the rhubarb!

xo

Jessica + Norman

{if you're expecting a tiny new addition to your own family and would love gorgeous maternity and newborn portraits of your own - email us now for more information! We also do gift certificates and registry - inquire for details!}

Michael & Saira's Sweet Family Portrait Session :)

Michael & Saira are an awesome couple, so it should come as no surprise that their kids are awesome too :) Full of smiles, and super-cuddly and sweet, they were a joy to hang out with. We even got assigned our own dinosaur names! This family also has one of the greatest book and record collections I've ever seen - which made for a fantastic setting for photos :) Here are some of my favourite images from the session..

Photographing siblings is my new favourite thing - I love how these images below capture the joy and struggle of having an older sister who wants to hug you, or a younger brother who can't stop grabbing for your hair :) 

How great is this rocking moose?! Pretty great, that's for sure :) 

something else that I love - those chubby little baby parts!

Michael & Saira: you and your little ones were fantastic and so much fun to photograph :) Thank you for sharing this moment in your lives with us, and I can't wait for you to see your finished album!

xo Jessica

{Looking for someone to candidly capture the childhood memories in your family? We'd love to do it! Get in touch to tell us what's special to you about your family, and why you'd like to capture this moment in your history :) }