It's not very often that I photograph older kids but every time I do I have the best conversations with them. This family in particular has some pretty amazing kids, or really, young adults.


The oldest is incredibly smart and has a heart of gold. Even though she's had some pretty major challenges in her life she has big plans for her future. On top of all her challenges and school work, she's raising money right now to go to Kenya to help build a school.

Her brother is a skateboarding whiz. One of my son's favourite things to do is to hang out at the skateboard park and watch the "big kids" doing tricks so I loved hearing about all the cool things this guy is doing - and how quickly he learned them all.

The youngest has a huge passion for dancing. You name a dance style, she does it. We are fellow SYTYCD (So You Think You Can Dance for the uninitiated) fans - my guilty TV pleasure.


Given the way this summer started it's no surprise that sessions have had to be changed up because of the rain. But this is the first time ever I've had a session taken over by mosquitoes. When I arrived early at our planned location I went for a fairly long walk, looking at the light and choosing some great spots for our session, casually swatting the mosquitoes as I went. I wondered why I was at a gorgeous location on a beautiful sunny evening and there wasn't another soul in sight.

I made my way back to the car deciding we'd probably need some bug spray for the session. I met up with the family and took mom and the kids back to the places I'd scouted while her boyfriend went on a bug spray run.

As we're walking, I noticed I'm swatting mosquitoes a little more frantically then before. A few mosquito jokes and we keep walking. We get to our location, I look at the kids and their jeans are completely covered with mosquitoes. Hundreds. So we turn back and literally make a run for the cars. Never in my life have I seen bugs like that!

I wasn't familiar with the area but mom quickly came up with a new location and we caravan-ed over there. Thank you all for a great session. I loved spending time with your family.

Join me as I take one photo a week for the next year, each one capturing a specific aspect of our family life and my kid's childhood that I want remembered. You can read the introduction post here, an FAQ post here and all related posts here.

The third week of the month is either for taking a seasonal photograph or photographing part of our daily routine. Today we're going to start photographing our daily routine.

Assignment 7: Photograph your child sleeping.

Is sleeping part of the daily routine? I'd say so.

I love how each child sleeps so differently. Gracie used to sleep on her stomach with her bum up in the air and, even with all the photographs I take in a day, I don't think I have a photograph of that. So it's especially important to me to get a photograph of them sleeping today.


I had wanted to get one of her facing me but she woke up when she heard my camera clicking away. I decided I love this one anyway - the way she's totally stretched out with her right hand tucked up by her neck.


So then I snuck into his room to take his photograph sleeping. Except I remembered he had asked if he could nap in our bed today. He never asks so of course I said yes. He tried to give up his nap but every time he starts reading for his quiet time he falls asleep. I was going to retake this photograph in his own bed but he always sleeps this way which, in his room, means he's facing the wall. So I decided instead to be thankful he chose to sleep in our bed on the day I was taking the sleeping photographs.

And I specifically chose to do the sleeping photo while we still have long daylight hours. So if your kids are too old to nap (thank goodness mine still do!) you can photograph them first thing in the morning or at night before you crawl into bed.

If there's not enough light outside, turn on the hallway light and open up their door. Hopefully so the light hits their face. The orange colour of the light shining on them with the dark shadows in the rest of the room will really give a cool night-time sleeping feel.

This family was one of my all-time favourite families to work with. They laugh together and joke and then laugh some more.

This handsome little man had a bit of a rough first week so we did his newborn photographs a touch later than we normally would have.  Three to five days old is the ideal time to photograph a newborn, anything older than that and the babe usually makes me work hard to get sleeping baby poses. Not this little guy, he was a perfect model.


I think it had something to do with how happy and relaxed his parents are, and how truly happy they are that he is in their life.

This family's reaction when I stopped by to deliver their final albums is what makes me love being a photographer so much.

Beautiful name. Beautiful home. Beautiful family.

I've been thinking a lot lately.

About how I pick up my camera for other people's kiddos but lately haven't been very good about picking it up for my own.

About how my parents were so great about capturing the everyday photographs (and getting them into albums) when we were little.

About exactly what my room looked like when I was 7 (I don't know why but it's driving me crazy).

About how there will be months when I have tonne of personal photograph folders on my computer, and sadly, a month when I have none.

And I've come up with a plan. I hope you'll join me.
Things are still rolling around in my head but I'm starting to get things hammered out on paper. And I'm excited. Come back Friday.