Baby Ben - super-sweet at 9 months :)

Janine & Jon are two of the sweetest people I've ever met, so it should come as no surprise that their little guy is also an absolute darling :) For baby Ben's first family portrait session, we had a perfect sunny fall afternoon in the park, where he showed off many skills as well as a couple of tiny teeth..

 Jon is a photographer, so I'm sure by this point Ben is a semi-professional lens examiner ;)

What a smiley little guy :D

One of the coolest trees I've ever seen, and a great background (thanks Jon for the recommendation!)

 Next we headed back home for some indoor photos..

Janine's experience as a stylist came in handy creating this adorable nursery :)

  Janine & Jon: We are so happy for you and were thrilled to get to spend the afternoon with you and your sweet little guy :) Thanks for allowing us to be a part of this amazing time in the history of your family!

xo

Jessica + Norman

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

Sweet Baby Henry at 3 Months Old :)

It seems like just a few days ago that we were photographing Baby Henry's debut when he was less than a week old, and now all of a sudden he's 3 months old! Older brothers Cameron and Oliver still think he's pretty great, and so do we :) Here are some of my favourite images from our most recent summery session with the whole family..

Cameron is pretty much the family joker, and had so much fun tickling his younger brothers!

It was definitely one of those days where being near a splash pad was a great idea :) Henry's still a bit tiny for that kind of excitement, so he just chilled out in the shade :)

Sarah & Mike: we can't believe how wide-eyed and smiley Henry has become in such a short time! We had a blast at the park with you guys, and can't wait to see you all again soon!

xo

Jessica + Norman

Welcoming Baby Henry to the Family :)

We recently had the pleasure of meeting Baby Henry for the first time :) As a third brother, he has been born to experienced parents and two very excited older brothers! Things were a bit chaotic at times (as all parents can relate to I'm sure), but wee Henry just took it in stride. Here are some of my favourite images from that day..

Sarah is an amazing knitter, and made this gorgeous blanket. She and Mike both made Henry's sign using the yarn left over after the blanket was made :)

Daddy entertaining the two big brothers while we spent a bit of time with Henry :)

I love his perfect Superman pose (below), his wee smile, and of course - the tiny baby toes!!

(I'm not the only one who thinks his toes are pretty great!)

I love the range of expressions in these last images - Oliver's at an age where he's quicker than 4 adults and kept "escaping", Cameron is an old pro at being photographed and can be quite the ham, and Henry - apart from one big yawn - just chilled :)

Sarah & Mike: as always, it was a complete pleasure to capture this exciting moment in your family's history. We had so much fun photographing and being entertained by your three sweet boys - the two of you are doing an excellent job :) Can't wait to see you soon to show you the rest of the images!

xo

Jessica + Norman

Leslie & Rommel's Laughter-Filled Wedding Ceremony :)

What stands out in my memory from every time we've been around Leslie & Rommel is the laughter. These two are not only totally in love, but are obviously also full of joy, and they bring it out in each other and everyone around them. This past Thursday, they got married (finally - after 14 years together!), and their ceremony was no exception - I don't think I've ever seen a bride and groom laugh so much before, during, and after exchanging their vows :) If this day is anything to anticipate the rest of their lives together, then Leslie & Rommel are going to be very very happy!
Here are some of my favourite images of the day..

I especially love this image in the front lobby of city hall - the nail art background
suited these two perfectly!!

 I love personal details - Rommel is a DJ, so his cuff links were - of course - cassette tapes! He also got his name embroidered in his classy bespoke suit (love the lining!).. and Leslie's wedding ring and earrings were a gift from her grandmother :)

I love this image of the newlyweds :)

Leslie & Rommel:  Your wedding ceremony was lovely and full of smiles and laughs all around.. we can't wait to see you again tonight to celebrate with all your family and friends!

xo

Jessica + Norman

Maureen & Matthew's Winter Engagement Session at the Distillery District :)

Maureen & Matthew are one of those couples who almost seem to have a language of their own.. they don't exactly read each others minds - but it's pretty close ;) To spend time around the two of them isn't to feel left out of this close circle though, it's actually the opposite: they are both so warm and personable that we immediately felt like we were part of their secret gang too :)
There were two things I particularly loved about Maureen & Matthew's engagement session (other than the fantastic locations!) - the first was how cozy and snuggly they were together, and the second was how often they made each other laugh :) Here are some of my favourite images from their session..

One of my favourite places in Toronto this time of year: the Distillery District :) It's hard to beat the atmosphere of all those little lights, especially with a cup of hot chocolate keeping you warm!

Maureen & Matthew: you two are adorable and were such fun to photograph :) We can't wait for your wedding day!!

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 Oliver's First Halloween :)

It's hard to believe that it was already a few months ago when we hung out with Baby Oliver and his family at the CNE for his 3 month session, but time flies and now at almost 6 months old, we got to see him dressed up in his first Halloween costume :) He was the sweetest fuzzy little skunk I've ever seen! Fall leaves are also a new thing for him, so it was super-cute to watch him discover the joys of them too..

Big Brother Cameron was a Canada Goose this year, and did some spectacular flying around the park, along with occasional  pauses to pose and show off his great wings!

I love these colourful fall family shots :)

When I asked Cameron about his new hat ("What kind of beaver are you?"), he didn't hesitate before answering that he was "an honourable beaver" {this is why I love working with kids!} 

Talk about time flying, it was almost 7 years ago now that I photographed Sarah & Mike (aka Mommy & Daddy) for their engagement session in this same park :) 

Sarah & Mike: We had lots of fun running around in the fall leaves with you two and your little guys :) It has been such a pleasure capturing the past 7 years for you, and we can't wait to see Oliver's first teeth come in!

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

Welcoming Baby Wyatt to the Family :)

When we photographed Natalie & Chris' gorgeous autumn lakeside wedding, Baby Jack (as he liked to be known at the time) was just taking his first steps. Well - time flies - and now Jack is grown up enough to be a big brother to the new baby in the family - Wyatt :) Jack's a lot quicker on his feet now, but he did take some time out to chill (however briefly) with his new little brother. We spent a lovely evening with the four of them, hanging out at the beach at the family cottage..

 Wyatt is the most relaxed and patient baby in the world, and he was easily entertained while the four adults took turns chasing after Jack (who took his Superman responsibilities quite seriously!)

As you can see, we all had a blast! Thank you so much Natalie & Chris for inviting us to document this exciting new time in your family's story :)

xo

Jessica + Norman

{want unique art for your walls and amazing memories for your family?  Email us now to book your family portrait session!}

Dawn's 21st Birthday Party at Angus Glen Golf Club

We recently had the pleasure of photographing a 21st birthday party for a lovely young lady. Dawn and her family were so gracious, and threw a fantastic party. The evening had a very art deco and jazz feel to it, beautifully designed by the talented Sara Baig (of Sara Baig Designs). There were lots of pretty and delicious details, and a jazz duo setting the mood... I'm going to start off with a few images of the details just to show you how luxurious it all was!

And here's the beautiful birthday girl, blowing out her candles..

 Dawn's Mum & Dad started the dancing off with cha-cha style!

 And then of course, there was the photo booth :) Once they got over being shy, everyone seemed to enjoy picking props and posing away!

Miss Dawn - you have a really fun group of friends, and an amazing family. It was an honour to be with you to capture this celebration as you enter adulthood - we hope you had a great time, and we wish you all the best for your 21st year!

xo
Jessica + Norman

{We love capturing any event that combines pretty details with happy memories! If you're planning a special event that you want captured with a fun and artistic eye, please get in touch!}

Planning and Day-of Coordination: Sara Baig Designs
Stationary: Felecia Cagle
Venue: Angus Glen Golf Club
Event Styling, Decor & Florals: Sara Baig Designs
Cake & Desserts: The Wedding Cake Shoppe
Jazz Duo: Tara Davidson
DJ & MC: DJ Knoxx
Photography: Jessica + Norman, Jessica Lin Photography