Imagine that one moment in time, you wish you had captured forever.
I often think about the one photo I wish I had. The one photo I could never go back and get. It was an hour after the birth of my first child. I was at the birth centre when my mom came to meet her grandson for the first time. She came into the room, sat on the side of my bed and gave me a look I will never forget. A look of love and pride.
She always told me how proud she was of me, but this time she didn't say it. She did not need to. The expression on her face said everything. This moment – meeting her first grandson and the love written all over her face was immeasurable. And so very precious. At the time, my mother was dying.
She was too weak to hold my son. I knew it took everything she had to make the trip to come see me. Two weeks later, she was admitted into hospice and passed away a few days after that. She held on so that she could snuggle her grandson. I wish with every fibre of my being I had a photograph of the moment she met him, of the look on her face when she saw me.
Forever etched in my mind’s eye, this experience taught me the necessity to live in the moment and the invaluable artistry of photography in capturing a moment. A moment worthy of being engraved in time. I will never be able to ask my mother what I was like when I was a toddler – what I did to infuriate her or my antics that made her laugh out loud. I cannot ask her what my first day of kindergarten was like or how a typical Saturday unfolded when I was 10 years old. The desire to capture these moments, to be cherished and revered in years to come, is my passion. It is why I do what I do.
We cannot share those images with our children if they don’t exist.
After I had my son, I knew if there was anything I was going to do that took me away from home, I needed to love it wholeheartedly. I left my career as an Engineer and followed my passion for capturing birth. As my kids grew, I realized just as important as the day they were born are all the little moments of raising them. The tender moments of love, the little sparks of joy, the challenging moments that bring insight - the moments that when I close my eyes now only flash before my mind.
I have been an award-winning documentary photographer for over 15 years, specializing in birth and motherhood for 9 years. I have captured nearly one hundred births, at hospitals, in birth centres, and at homes. I feel blessed to have found what I am passionate about, something I do not call work.
I love travelling, riding rollercoasters, and running off a dock into a lake. I love bike rides with my kids, hikes in the river valley, hanging outside in my backyard and having fires. I love Saturday morning coffees with my husband. I love when my son comes out of bed and quietly joins us and when my daughter comes downstairs grabs a small side table to rest my coffee on, so she can climb onto my lap for snuggles.
The simultaneous birth of my son and death of my mother transformed me. It was a life-altering experience no words could ever capture. It is my honour to briefly step into a moment in time in your life, whether it is an extraordinary occasion of the birth of your child or an ordinary Saturday with your 3 rambling kids and spouse, and write your story, your love, your joy in still images. Although love lives on, whether we see it or not, it is my vision for you to have a tangible keepsake that you can revel in, share with your loved ones – your children, grandchildren and the generations to come.
A Few of My Favourite Photos
This is my most precious photo I own.
It is the only photo I have of my mother and my son. He was just 4 days old and my mom had just come over to my house to bring me a small flower arrangement. She was very sick, and this was the only time she ever held him. They both laid on my couch for an hour together. He was so content, he didn’t cry and together they laid side by side snuggled in love.
Saying that I regret not having a birth photographer present for the birth of my son, is a huge understatement. This is the best image I have of me and Harry on the day he was born.
Walking down the aisle was one of the happiest and most significant moments of my life. I balled the entire time. I felt like I waited for this moment my whole life. I spent most of my 20’s single and watching my friends get married. I knew that getting married and having kids was something I truly wanted.
The birth of my second, my daughter.
This was the very moment I found out she was a girl. IT WAS THE BIGGEST SURPRISE OF MY LIFE and I have a photo of it! I was convinced for nine months that I was having another boy and I remember telling my photographer that if this baby ends up being a girl, to be ready!
Breastfeeding for me was never easy.
Especially at the beginning of my motherhood journey. Losing my mother when my son was just 3 weeks old, stressed out and grieving I simply could not produce enough milk despite trying absolutely everything. This was the only photo I have of me breastfeeding my son with an SNS system. I used this system for most of his first year of life and it was one of the best decisions I ever made. We went on to successfully breastfeed for the entire first year of his life.
My kids are now 8 and 10 and we LOVE to ski together. I hired a documentary photographer to capture us on one of our trips to Panorama and this is the four of us skiing together in one frame! This is one thing we all love doing together and something that both my husband and I grew up doing.
When my kids were young, I looked ahead to the time I am in right now. The time where we can do things together as a family, adventuring, playing. THIS IS WHAT I LOVE MOST ABOUT TODAY. The simple, easy, time we spend together.