I have been photographing this little darling since he was in his mom’s belly. Not only is D a handsome little guy (with the most beautiful, pouty lips!), mom is also oh-so-gorgeous! I had a blast at D’s session. I really enjoyed watching mom and D interacting and playing with each other. It is so obvious that D is the apple of mom’s eye – the love mom has for baby D is so palpable.

I promised mom that I will have a few of my favourites up on my blog for her asap. Baby A was a JOY to photograph. Maybe it is because I have two boys of my own, but somehow I get the feeling that I photograph way more boys than girls. So when little girls come in, I find it so delightful, especially when they have these cute little dresses! I really do live vicariously through my clients who have little girls!

I have been photographing this family for 3 years, and words cannot express how thankful and appreciative I am to have clients like the U’s. On days when running a business seems overwhelming, this family puts that little spark back and reminds me why I love what I do.

This little guy, J, always seem to love having his photos made. Even at his one year session, he was unlike most one year old boys – so willing and seemingly patient to be in front of the camera. Now, at 3, he has grown a bit taller, but still as sweet, gentle, and good-natured as ever.

Finally, here is J’s baby sister M. I’ve watched her grow from a newborn, and now, she is one! Happy birthday baby M! Thank you for making my “job” so much fun and so rewarding.

Personally, it’s been a taxing summer on many levels – some self-inflicted (e.g., training for the half-ironman), and some due to causes beyond my control (e.g., cold, wet weather). But, in spite of all that, there have been many joyous and champagne-worthy celebratory moments (e.g., completing that darn half-ironman!).

One such moment was when we stumbled upon a gem of a spot up in Collingwood (a gem to me anyway!). Our family was invited by friends of ours to go up and stay at their cottage (or chalet, as they call it). To me, cottage denotes lots of bugs, alcoholic beverages, lots of lounging around, and some body of water close by. After all, we should know since we have one up in Muskoka (which we only go in the Fall as I honestly just can’t get used to the cottage lifestyle!). So at first I was a bit wary of the notion. But am I ever glad we went!

My friend’s place up in Collingwood is so different from what we have in Muskoka. There is so much to do! The roads are incredible for biking, with breathtaking sceneries – rolling hills, miles and miles of beautiful green grass (or crop or whatever they are that look so beautiful, lol). The trails are magnificent – just endless. Best of all, it is pretty much a year round spot – Blue Mountain is just around the corner. I can just imagine our two boys and our two dogs having a blast up there. Simply a perfect vacation home. Here is a photo of what the chalets look like. There are ten units or so within this “complex” (for lack of a better word). All the units have a view of a spring-fed pond (was a quarry), which is clean and perfect for going for dips on hot sunny days.

I am just so enamoured with this spot!

Here are a couple of snaps of my friend’s daughter and my ham of a son.

I had the privilege of photographing baby K recently. What a ham! He was filled with smiles and toothless grins. Babies like baby K remind me of why I love what I do – creating memories in the form of artful portraiture.

Before I post the sneak peeks, I’m going to go out of my comfort zone and actually share a personal tidbit online. I had a (rare) moment to sit back and reflect on my photographic career this weekend. It’s been almost three years since I embarked on photography full-time – I was doing it part-time for quite some time. Photography certainly is quite a switch from my last career – i.e., high-adrenalin, fast-pace world of money management together with a steady, fat-ish paycheque. I mean, I spent 5 years accumulating various letters after my name – MBA, CFA – and couldn’t wait to have those letters printed after my name on my business cards. However, as I was re-ordering some business cards for Macy Mills Photography last week, I was struck by the irony of the situation – how I had to remove all those acronyms after my name for my photographic career. Those same acronyms that I spent years accumulating. Some days (being human after all) I do wonder whether I had wasted all those years, and whether I am doing the right thing by “following my passion.” Especially on days when running your own business seems like such a lonely and difficult pursuit. Loving photography is one thing; running your own business is another thing all together. Yet I recognize that part of why I love what I do now is because it is not easy – easy would be boring! Challenges keep me on my toes!

And then, when babies like baby K (and mom!) walk into the studio, I am reminded yet again just how lucky I am to be able to call photography my “job.” Essentially my job consisted of me playing with baby K! Yes, it is indeed worth all the other not-so-fun parts related to running my own business!

Here are a few of my favorites from my session with this jaw-dropping gorgeous mom-to-be. She was fun to photograph and such a wonderfully kind person, and, an animal lover to boot! What more can I ask for?? I can’t wait to show you the rest SC!