Choosing to use a midwife for all of my pregnancies was easy. They encouraged home births, but also delivered in the hospital if that's what I needed or prefered. They answered all my questions, about epidurals or trying with no meds at all. They met with me, got to know me, and literally helped me every step of the way.I didn't realize how much I needed these kind, gentle and knowledgeable ladies until after my baby arrived. They inspired me, pushed me and cared for me.

Before I became a mom for the first time, I realized that raising children would involve many emotions - joy and happiness, sadness, confusion even. What I didn't realize is how young they would be when I actually had to let go. In my mind I figured this moment would be like in Gilmore Girls when my 18 year old daughter went off to college but she still came home every weekend for Friday night dinners.

I remember the studio was bright and welcoming that Friday afternoon. I prepared the room while listening to my favourite soundtrack from the movie Like Crazy. It was so calm and peaceful, and those feelings continued after this little bundle arrived…

 As a Niagara newborn photographer, I’ve compiled a quick list of links to help you guide you through the process of creating natural newborn portraits, how to choose the best photographer for you, how they’re created and some suggestions on what to do with your finished pieces.

So, what happens after your portraits are taken? Let’s say you’re sitting on your chair, looking lovingly at the images of your brand new baby wrapped up cozy and beautiful on your computer screen from home. There are 25-30 images, and each one seems to be even more gorgeous than the next. You want to take these from a screen and put them on your walls, but you have too many questions...

We all have things that we cover our walls, bookshelves and coffee tables with. Maybe it is paintings that make us swoon or words that remind us of what we want for our future. Maybe it's magazines, novels or favourite movies. The most amazing thing that we get to fill our homes with are images captured when we’ve spent time with the ones we love the most.

Recently my family went through a very difficult time. We've been torn apart, and I don't know if we'll ever be able to rebuild what we've lost. At first I kept most of it to myself, but now I realize that being able to talk to my close friends, and asking for help, has made a huge impact on how I'm dealing with it all.

They say that the eyes are the window to the soul. When working with newborns, you don't always get a calm, awake baby. Even more so, you are not always able to capture awake images with eye contact. In those chance moments that you do, the results are always captivating. They are usually among the parents' favorite images in the gallery. They stop a viewer in his or her tracks, and elicit a reaction.

This little peanut is a true gift, as she's the daughter of a cousin of my husband's.  Stephanie brought her brand new, lovely daughter to our Grimsby, Ontario studio to create some natural, organic images of little Violet.  We took our time with her, allowing for baby-led posing and simple timeless portraits.

During pregnancy and leading up to the birth of your child, your life is filled with excitement, preparation, planning, anxiousness, and usually anything but calm. For first time parents, these emotions can be magnified even more because every step of the journey is unknown.

There is nothing that makes a newborn baby look smaller than being cradled in her daddy's arms. In daddy's arms, she is protected and safe. Darling Hannah recently came to the Reflections of Life studio for her newborn session. Her parents, Leslie and Jeff, are so ecstatic to have her in their arms…

There are a lot of different ideas of what things are the best medicine. "An apple a day keeps the doctor away." "Laughter is the best medicine." Water, sleep, wholesome foods. All are strong contenders in the race for the "best" medicine. Of course, it depends a lot on what you are trying to treat. But I think that the best medicine for a happy, full life is love. And a lot of it.