I had the pleasure of photographing little M and C (or is it K?? Should have asked – sorry mom!). I had so much fun!!! I think I may have had more fun than even the kids, lol. I really do adore these outdoor sessions. What a breath of fresh air for me (literally!). And though I do favour black and white portraits in general, I just could not help keeping some of these in colour. It was 7pm, the sun was setting, and the light was so beautiful. The colours, as a result, were so saturated and had so much pop.

Here are a few of my favourites from the session.

This totally cracked me up! Here is little M trying to plant a big one on his big sister:

And finally, daddy’s little girl!

Ever since the inception of Macy Mills Photography, I have been photographing in a studio out of my home (as many of you can attest to). Unless, of course, they were on-location or outdoor sessions. However, thanks to my clients, the business has grown to a point where it is time to have a home to call its very own.

To that end, I’ve been actively looking for suitable studio space for almost a month, and I have to say – it ain’t easy! There are so many factors to consider, with location being one of the most important. But then there is the issue of whether the structure is feasible for a photographic studio. Questions to ask – does it have high enough celings? If not, can the celing be raised? Does it have enough space for my needs? I need at least one shooting area – a main shooting area and another shooting area with a different look/feel, e.g., a higher key area and a lower key area. Ideally, the space will also have a nice backyard so that I can create a nice outdoor setting for outdoor sessions. I will also need a gallery room, where samples are hung and displayed. Then a kids’ play area, where they can relax if their parents are with me at their pre-session consultations or design consultations. One area will be dedicated to the projector so that I can present clients’ photographs during their in-person ordering appointments. Another important must-have is parking – the space must have adequate parking so that my clients do not have to go through the aggravation of trying to find parking spaces! The list seems to get longer the more I think about it!

I do tend to be so impatient, but this really is something where I’ll have to grin and bear it. I will have to keep reminding myself that “patience is a virtue!” This is such an important decision and tremendous undertaking that I want to do this absolutely perfectly (or as close to perfection as possible)! I am so excited about the prospects of having a dedicated studio space, but at the same time, just a little bit nervous! I am, however, convinced that a dedicated studio will enable me to serve you all even better, and give you an experience at Macy Mills Photography that you cannot get at another studio.

I will continue to update as things progress. Stay tuned!

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!

Ok ok…I do sincerely apologize for the lack of posts to my blog. This really is the toughest thing about keeping a blog – the updating that it requires to make it meaningful! Summer is always particularly tough as I try to spend as little time as possible in front of my computer. I do love love love the photography, but I have to confess here……I despise the uploading, the editing, the sitting in front of the computer stuff…basically anything that does not involve me holding my camera and working with my clients directly, I don’t like. However, I do actually like posting to my blog and putting up sneak previews. But the other stuff sometimes are more pressing so I end up sacrificing my poor blog.

At any rate, enough of my excuses. It has been a busy summer so far! (Or “unsummer”)

I had the honour of making some portraits for baby T. He was a happy little guy!! I can tell that he gets a lot of lovin’ from mom. His cheery disposition was infectious, and I recall being happy for the rest of the day after my session with baby T. At any rate, here are some previews for you mom. I hope your move went smoothly by the way. Talk soon!

This little one is super super special to me…….well, mom is special to me so I guess that makes baby D special to me too. Anyhow, this was a couple of months ago:

And today, baby D is 5 days old! Here she is:

Haha! “No take that big thing away from my face!” she says! But then after she warmed up…

Isn’t she so cute??? Here is one with mom:

with mom and dad:

And finally, here is one for all of you who have yet to see baby D’s beautiful eyes: