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.

The story of love is one with many different main characters, settings and languages. But the central theme in every variation is love, sweet love. Each version is filled with laughter and smiles, kisses and snuggles. It is the story that warms your heart and touches your soul.

The day is here.You have waited nine long months, your new baby is finally in your arms and you just realized you haven't scheduled your newborn portrait session. You are excited to have your family documented, celebrated and to leave your children with beautiful images that include you…

There are so many reasons why I love photographing families. Togetherness is one of them. Families go through life together. The ups, the downs, the in betweens. Families help one another together. Families love each other, together. Families spend time together. 

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…

If you are a mama, you understand. You understand the pure, fierce, undying love for your children. If you are not yet a mother, I promise you this, the moment you hold your precious baby in your arms for the first time, you will understand. One of my greatest joys as a photographer is capturing the love between a mama and her babies.

Squeeze. We squeeze our ways through life constantly. Squeezing in last minute appointments, squeezing through a closing elevator door, squeezing the ones you love. The squeeze of a hand is a silent "I love you" to the one who's hand is in yours. The squeeze of a shoulder tells the person, "I am right here by your side." The squeeze of an embrace brings instant comfort.

As mothers, we need to put aside our own insecurities. We need to be confident in ourselves and let ourselves feel as beautiful as we are to our babies. We need to get in more pictures so we can preserve more memories for our little ones to look back on.

Like a never ending hour glass, life is constantly moving. Each moment building onto the next, creating the memories of our lives. At times, life seems to move so fast. School, work, schedules filled with so many things that it can be hard to keep track of it all.

Days with a baby in the house are some of the best of days. The nights are long but the days are filled with giggles, smiles and lots of love. Every day is a day filled with wonder, new sights to see and new skills to master.