“You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You’re on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the one who’ll decide where to go…”
— Dr. Seuss

I cannot imagine how it feels to be getting ready to have a child ready to fly from the nest. I am simply not there yet, thank goodness. Photographing Jane and her wonderful multi-talented, rugby-playing, university-bound (in quick succession as they are nice and close in age) girlies was a real treat. We spent a couple of hours in one of the spots discovered during a photo walk of Hamilton, or the “busy city” as the ladies used to know it by. There were some interesting additions to the shoot, including not knowing when the next bird was going to strike us, but there were also laughs and a tear or two. I hope the big university move goes well for you Allie – good luck to ya! Enjoy frosh week and all that university has to offer. Jane – I will call you when I’m there in a few short years.

Here’s one of the proud mama and her girlies:




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  • Jane Carson says:




Summertime |Burlington Photographer|

Posted on August 22, 2010

spidery goodness

How is your summer going? With the gorgeous and hot weather, we’ve enjoyed our holiday time so much. My favourite time this summer, apart from being near water, has been the exploring we’ve done. I have to share one of the places that we have seen with you. It’s not historically significant or even that important otherwise, but man, was it fun! We spent a good hour in there and these were some reasons why:

Antique/rummage store with home-made sign (that you can barely see!)

There was a rambling house on the property that doubled as a depository for the china and small items. I chatted with the storekeeper for quite a while and found out that their amazing collection of things was amassed over a period of forty years!

if you needed a teacup or a mug, there were thousands to choose from!

There were so many things outside and most of them were wonderfully rusty.

wrought iron galore


even the bottles had their place


licence plates from every province spanning a century


Sad Iron?

It was truly a photographer’s dream: eye candy everywhere. I vowed to return the next time I’m nearby!




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Photography brings me into the lives of people during their most important life moments, such as when they promise to share their lives and shortly after a baby is welcomed into the family’s world. It’s a joy to see a family grow, especially one that I’ve had the pleasure of photographing before! Adrienne and Mike met their little girl a few weeks ago and I recently spent a morning photographing their new family of four. I remember their session from last year vividly ~ we shared so many laughs with Master M and his famous piggy noises! And just a short year later we are celebrating their new family member! Enjoy.




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I can’t think of a better way to celebrate one’s birthday than by having a photoshoot. That is exactly what we did and we ventured down to Toronto’s Graffiti Alley. What a feast for the eyes! Before the arrival of our gorgeous models, fellow photographer and friend Andrew and I explored the alley. I love the complexity of graffiti – it is at once whimsical and so carefully planned. Here is a sample of what we saw:




Kudos to Daniela and Sonya who braved a very hot day to join us. Check out these fabulous shoes!!

They looked gorgeous while striking some serious poses while climbing onto various things and venturing into some interesting areas of the alley!






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Robert Browning had the sentiment right, but it’s not until you see two people who are so in love that they cannot help but smile as they look at each other, that you think that this is what the quote really means. On Saturday, I was honoured to witness and capture the memories of Andrew and Tricia’s wedding day. It was heartwarming to see how they shared their love with their family, friends and community, and how they were embraced and loved right back!




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It began with the scent of the sea air. There is no way to describe it, other than coming to the Island. It’s a visceral memory, one that surfaced as soon as we drove over the Confederation Bridge. My family and I are here for two weeks with nothing much other than relaxing as a goal for our stay. We have previously stayed in and toured Anne’s Land, so this time around, we wanted to get to know other places on this little piece of heaven. So far, we have had to make some difficult decisions: which beach to go to for the day, whether to paint sea shells or go for a cup of the best seafood chowder we have ever tasted. Then there were the dilemmas of which ceilidh to check out in the evening….

The kids have also found new friends: some local and some from as far away as Maine and California. The beauty of childhood has erased the distance between them and they have become fast friends.

One thing I know for sure: I will miss the beauty of the Island and its people…




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“I’m glad we had the times together just to laugh and sing a song, seems like we just got started and then before you know it, the times we had together were gone.”
— Dr. Seuss

Aaah, families! What a difference when a family of two becomes a family of three…

I met up with Jaclyn and Alko and their little man yesterday and we had a whirlwhind of a shoot at the Hidden Valley Park here in Burlington. They were game for a lot ~ including a high chair in the middle of a flower field and bracing against a bit of drizzle toward the end! I love how this shot emphasizes their closeness. And the most important little person is in the middle :)




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Tricia and Andrew warned me that they did not know what to expect before their e-session last week. There were a few butterflies about stiff poses and such, I could tell. So, I just said that we would enjoy the walk together and that’s exactly what we did. We ended up having such a nice evening ~ not too hot and not too windy, as we explored the Hermitage ruins in Ancaster. I did not know that this spot held special meaning for the couple until they mentioned that they visited the Hermitage on a frosty day in February shortly after they were engaged. Serendipity!

Tricia and Andrew’s photo set brings a smile to my face as it reminds me of their almost palpable connection during the session. The easy silence between them, the slow and natural smiles that happened along the way as they glanced at each other, and the way they nestled in each other’s arms wherever we stopped.

I hope these bring a smile to your face too. I am looking forward to sharing in your celebration next month!






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A beautiful day, a couple whose eyes sparkled when they looked at each other and a gorgeous natural backdrop….what else could we ask for? It was hard to choose the following photos for Lindsay and Mark’s sneak peek ~ there were so many memories of the day. The finishing touches, the tender words spoken to Lindsay by her mother as she was getting ready, the smiles shared between the newly minted Mr. and Mrs. and the laughs shared by the wedding party all came to mind. And who could forget the post-ceremony and pre-dinner wedding party snack cooler. What an AWESOME idea!















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What a beautiful day! I had the chance to visit a few of the places that will provide the backdrop to Lindsay and Mark’s wedding next week. One of them was the Knollwood Golf Club in Ancaster, where the couple will host their family and friends after the ceremony. We were welcomed and loved exploring the grounds and the clubhouses freely. So many photo ideas are swirling in my head! Here is one of the photos I took today. This room was set up for a wedding ceremony and it was simply beautiful. As I uploaded it, I thought that the chairs waited so patiently to change two lives forever. And now, I can’t wait until next week!




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