Whew... what a week!

I had the amazing opportunity to photograph the students at my kids Montessori school, to help raise money for The Telus Walk to Cure Diabetes, as my 6 year old son has Type 1 Diabetes. I am thrilled to say it was a successful project in all ways, and we managed to raise $3300 for Super Team Niels in the process!

All in all I photographed 26 kids over 4 days, and had a lot of fun doing it. All the kids were totally game for the project - some a little more shy than others :-). I have chosen a handful of photographs (below) to share from that project.

On a side note, if you would like to see our 2009 YouTube video 'The Fabric and Faces of Diabetes', you will find it here...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ucIShVoAeg

And heck, if you feel like donating to Super Team Niels, you can do so here...
http://jdrfca.donordrive.com/participant/jenniferpearson

Thanks for reading and looking!

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Last Official Studio Session...

...and this little monkey made it soooooo easy. Not only was she so super cute to begin with, but she was just so darn happy! She must have known it was my last studio session (read 'My Path' below if you don't know what I'm referring to :-)), and she wanted to make sure it was a great one. The pictures speak for themselves in terms of her vibrant personality.

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A New Son & Brother

A good friend of mine just had baby #2 - and I couldn't resist popping by to take some photos, as I had done the same for baby #1. To get the two boys together (which is always tricky with a toddler) - I simply chatted about Thomas the Train and the Backyardigans with big brother - and voila - a sweet picture was born :-).

#1 - New friends...


#2 - New life...


#3 - Sweet boy...


#4 - Making use of a great nursery...


#5 - Who could resist...


#6 - Big Daddy...


#7 - Sweet sleepin' babe...

My Path

Ahhh... at last I am here.

At a recent workshop I attended in Atlanta, we were requested to ask ourselves, 'what is your path?'. In many ways, I had never really asked myself that question with regards to my photography. However, as soon as I asked the question - I knew the answer - and that is that my heart belongs to shooting all natural light, on-location (at client's homes or at various outdoor locations). This was so clear to me, as I had spent most of last year shooting away from my home studio - always gently nudging clients away from studio. For me, I love not knowing what to expect at each client's home. In essence - a new backdrop at every session! This allows for a fresh canvas so-to-speak, with numerous possibilities for creativity - both during the session and in post-processing after the session.

The other aspect of my path that I acknowledged is that I very much need and want to have a dedicated space (picture fabulous loft space somewhere in Toronto :-)). This would be a beautiful space where I would set up my office, consult with clients, and showcase my different product offerings and my work. This is very exciting, but obviously takes considerable planning before making it a reality.

For those that are still sticking with me in this longer-than-usual post - I would like to post some of my favorite on-location photographs - which will hopefully clarify for those of you reading - why shooting on-location with all natural light is the right path for me. Thanks for reading.

#1 - A great family with a fabulous bed...


#2 - A client's great bowl, blanket, and kitchen counter


#3 - New sisters - great purple bedspread...


#4 - Cutie-pie with Mom's lipstick...


#5 - Looking up from play...


#6 - High Park - lookin' out...


#7 - Ahh - what a great space to shoot in...


#8 - Making use of the artwork on the wall...


#9 - Fabulous grassy field on a warm summer day...


#10 - On older brothers bedspread - a favorite...


#11 - A boy in his room...


#12 - A bowl, a baby, some books, and a window...


#13 - A fun family game for anything...


#14 - Sweet babe and a great chair...


#15 - Gorgeous blue eyes in a sea of warm green colours...

A Good Night's Sleep

This was a rare Sunday morning shoot, that was due to start on the earlier side - 9a.m. - due to the fact that the 2 young boys were early risers. Alas, when I arrived and knocked on the door, it appeared that no one was home :-o! Not to worry, as Dad finally opened the door in his robe - with shaving cream still on and apparently Mom was still in the shower :-)! The good news, however, was that both boys had slept in until 8a.m. - which for me meant that they would be in good spirits.

What a great time we had. Everyone (including Mom and Dad) was in a great mood, and a good time was had by all. The focus was a little heavier on the younger boy, as we had shot his older brother at the same young age. Below is a sampling from our festive and fun morning...

#1 - Beautiful Big Brother


#2 - Can you say 'so friggin' cute!'...


#3 - Those eyes...

No Need for Plan B :-)

This was one of those sessions that started out very promising (before I started shooting :-)), and quickly went downhill from there... until... it went uphill once again to my great relief and delight.

My subjects were an 8 1/2 year old and her 4 year old sister (who I previously photographed when she was around 8 months). The younger sister had been asleep when she arrived, but woke up soon thereafter to her parent's dismay. She seemed happy at first, but had no interest in having her picture taken at all. Alas, it was fairly close to her lunchtime, so we thought perhaps she could have something to eat and all would be good. For the first 15 minutes of eating, this little girl was just not a happy camper at all - crying and fussing while being fed, and rubbing her eyes, indicating her fatique. This was not promising. At this point I said to the parents, 'we may have to think about a Plan B'. Having said that, Dad, older sister, and myself disappeared downstairs for a bit while the baby continued having her lunch.

15 minutes later, I come back upstairs to see how the baby is doing - and she is looking VERY happy. I still wasn't convinced that she was going to deliver, but suffice to say she did in spades. I posted two close-ups of her so you could get a sense of her impishness and energy. Her sister delivered from the beginning, and did not disappoint either. All in all, a long but successful session!

#1 - Woohoo!


#2 - Am I cute or what!?


#3 - Her beautiful older sister


#4 - Sisters...

Two Sparks

Over the Easter weekend, I shot 2 sisters - one of whom I had already photographed when she was a baby - like her sister is now. I remember the first sibling very well, because she really was so *sparkly*. I can see that it must run in the family, as sister #2 was full of spark as well. Overall, I enjoyed myself immensely with these 2 girls! Thanks for looking.

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