I’m aiming to blog a few of my favourite sessions from 2022, and this was the first one that came to mind. Katie is an artist and so it makes sense that her home and styling lend a beautiful, painterly quality to these images. I have been joining them every fall for years now and I always look forward to it immensely. In-home lifestyle sessions are among my favourites - there’s a relaxed quality to it, with kids who are in their comfort zones. I’m already looking forward to our next session.
Location, location, location!
One of the biggest decisions when it comes to your session is where it will take place, so I thought I’d detail what I generally suggest for options.
Things I avoid:
Crowded places. This includes parks, the walking bridge, frequently used trails, etc. The exception to this is urban shoots in downtown Fredericton.
Heavily manicured places. Mowed parks with benches, lawns, etc. This type of scene provides very little texture or interest. An example of this would be Odell Park.
Places with no open shade whatsoever - especially beaches with no cliffs/rocks, unless right at sunset.
Options:
Your home or property - I love shooting at places special to you! In-home sessions are among my favourites.
A place special to your family - a specific beach or spot you frequent that is familiar to your children. Occasionally I have clients who want a certain specific look or location, like the coast, and I’m happy to meet you there.
In Saint John/Rothesay - Spyglass Hill is my favourite place to shoot, especially in the evening. Beautiful fairy trees, tall grass, and a gorgeous view. I also shoot at Saint’s Rest Beach (at the beginning of Irving Nature Park) and have shot at a couple of other locations.
If you’re more local to me (including Fredericton), I require you to travel to my area unless you have special circumstances or want one of the above locations. Why, you may ask? I know these locations like the back of my hand! I know what time of day they look best, I know exactly where the light will hit, and my familiarity with these locations means your session will run very smoothly as I know exactly where to go to get the most out of it. I have two main locations I shoot at and I want to describe them below:
The river. This is a common request from my clients, and for good reason. When the river light is good, you just can’t beat it. This location absolutely shines from late July-late September. The pros: mosquitoes usually aren’t too bad out on the water. There is lots for little hands and feet to explore. The water is usually quite shallow from mid-late summer and perfect for wading. The rocks add texture and interest. There is a barn near the parking area that’s great for those who like it, and there are trails for variety. The cons: it’s a public area and I will always respect other photographers using the park, and there may be people swimming/sitting in the areas I usually shoot. If it’s not sunny, it’s not quite as magical, and if the water is high I don’t recommend it. Once the leaves fall, everything is quite bare. It is best at sunset; a 6pm June session is far too bright.
The farm. It’s not REALLY a farm, but it’s a private property I use that has a barn, an old white unoccupied house, and several outbuildings. The pros: this place is gorgeous from mid-May right through November due to apple trees, fields, and wildflowers. It’s more easily accessible to anyone with mobility concerns. There are apple trees on the property, so it’s got blossoms in the spring and apples in the fall. Lots of room to roam, so it’s ideal for active kids and dogs. It’s on a quiet road without much traffic. No other photographers use this property. And best of all, it’s gorgeous in any light. Cons: the bugs. There are a lot of bugs from mid-May onward, though in the late summer and fall they don’t bite, they just swarm. There’s no water aside from a small stream that dries up in the summer. The sun goes behind the hills before sunset so while it’s ideal for people with young kids who can’t stay out super late in the summer, you don’t usually get that orangey light.
I do have a couple of other local spots that I use for anyone wanting to change it up, though those locations do usually require a bit more walking. Generally speaking, shooting outside of my general area will result in a mileage fee in addition to session costs.
Have an idea and want to explore it? Please ask! These are not set-in-stone rules. We can work out a good location together.
Pea Point, Black’s Harbour
Client home
Local farm/field in June
Spyglass Hill, Rothesay, in June
Local farm'/field in July
The local river in August
Barn by local river, September
Local river, September
Saint’s Rest Beach, Saint John
Local farm/field, October
Local farm/field, October
Local river, September
Spyglass Hill, Rothesay, October
Local farm/field, November
Long time no chat
It’s been almost two years since I updated my blog! I’m not great at this website thing, apparently.
That being said, my biggest issue is my internet service. Anyone who has come to me for photos knows I live in a rural area, and uploading photos is especially taxing, if it even works. I have to go to someone else’s house just to upload galleries! So until I get this rectified, I’m unable to do the wonderful session posts I want to do.
Here are a few 2023 updates for anyone looking to book:
I’m about 3/4 full for the year. If you’re wanting a family session with me, please reach out soon to get on my list. I can either book a date with you now, or record your preferred month/season and reach out when we have a better idea of schedules.
As with 2022, all outdoor sessions UNLESS held at your home or a property special to you will be held in Fredericton Junction (the only exception being if you’re more than an hour away and can’t easily travel to me). There are numerous reasons why - I have access to gorgeous places that I know inside and out, and I know the light here in every kind of weather. I also dislike shooting in places with a lot of people (Odell Park, the walking bridge, etc.). Of course, I’m happy to discuss any special circumstances, but the default is your choice of locations local to me. Mileage charges apply for sessions away.
I am no longer accepting weddings unless they are short elopements or are close friends/family.
If you have any questions at any point about my sessions, availability, or something you’re wanting to try, just reach out! I am confident enough to say ‘no’ if it won’t work, and suggest someone who can help you reach your photography goal. But I’m also adventurous enough to jump on board with all sorts of great ideas. Happy 2023. <3
Child Portraiture: Why?
I want to show you two images that really hit me lately.
There isn’t anything mind-blowing about these photos to the average viewer.
But they show my children CHANGING. So much. Children change quickly at every age, but until they reached the tween/teen years, I didn’t see so much of their childhood faces slipping away.
This is one of the reasons I encourage people to get family photos done. But not only that - it’s why I will always encourage parents to take photos of their kids, with whatever you’ve got.
In fact, it was for this reason I hired a photographer 4 years ago.
In late 2016, I began to have issues with pain in my hands. After a few months of false diagnoses, I finally was told I had inflammatory arthritis as company to my Crohn’s disease.
Once I started treatment for the pain, things got better and I was able to resume most activities. But during that unsure time, the one thing that bothered me most was that I couldn’t pick up my 5-year-old.
So once I was able to again, I booked a photographer for family photos, and I told her one thing I absolutely had to have was some photos of me holding my youngest. Not only because I had lost that ability and regained it, but because I had no idea when the “last” time would be. I cherished those photos so much. I’m happy to say I can still pick her up at 9 years old (not as easily!).
What is it you want recorded? There are just so many wild and wonderful things kids do and look like.
Chubby cheeks and freckles. The way they twirl their hair absentmindedly. A toothless grin. A certain way you hold them while they still fit in your lap. A goofy smile. Those curls that may disappear with the first haircut. Dimpled elbows and pigtails and scars and a particular haircut.
Take those images, folks. Or hire someone else to so you can be in them, too. You’ll never regret having those things recorded. I look back on my own images so often. I think about the passage of time - like a river - how it cuts into the ground and trickles away so quickly. It’s not selfish to want to slow things down or pause for a bit. It’s not selfish to want images of your NOW. Maybe it’ll change quickly. Do it again next year. Buy extra phone storage. I guarantee the sweet faces in these following images have already changed so much since I took them. I’m so glad I took them.
A May Evening in Fredericton - Family Session
Remember last May? In our province, we were just beginning to relax some of our pandemic restrictions and after nearly three months of not working, I was able to shoot again.
One of my first sessions was with Olga and her family at her husband’s childhood home. If ever there was an evening when everything came together perfectly, this was it. The light, the location, the ease at which we moved from place to place - it was beautiful, and I came home feeling a fulfillment I’d been missing for months.
As an aside, Olga is the owner of Boho By O, a small business with gorgeous macrame accessories. You can see some of them in this session on her beautiful girls.
Let’s let these images speak for themselves.
So you have a family member who doesn't like photo sessions.
Disclaimer: I am using images from photo sessions randomly, not specifically from sessions where a client was hesitant to shoot.
I hear this all the time, either before a client books me, or before their booked session:
“My child/spouse/family member HATES getting their photo taken!”
I thought I’d discuss that a bit as I think it causes a lot of people to hesitate before booking photos, and as a family photographer, my ultimate goal is to have clients getting priceless photos regularly, since I believe in the value of these things.
First of all, I am not the least bit intimidated by a client who hates sessions. More often than not, somebody in the crew doesn’t like it.
Secondly, that’s OKAY. Nobody is going to judge anyone for being uncomfortable and wishing they were doing something else. I want to put that out there. I am not a photographer who will cajole, tease, lecture, or guilt anyone. Why? Because people are entitled to have likes and dislikes. I’m not personally offended by people disliking having their photo taken. I don’t even like it that much myself!
So you can rest assured I’m not going to launch into a lecture to your spouse about WHY they should get precious memories recorded, blah blah blah. I’m a photographer - other people are not. I totally understand why people aren’t as excited about it as I am. That’s okay!
Every year I have numerous people emerge from vehicles with tension in their shoulders, a grimace on their faces, wearing uncomfortable shoes and wondering when this will all be over. I want to validate that. It’s valid. It’s okay.
I want to tell you a few things about how I run sessions in order to maximize the time we spend together.
I’ve been doing this a long time. I don’t need an entire hour of your time unless that’s what you want. I am good at what I do. I can be quick.
I am a relaxed photographer. I am not pose-y. More often than not, your family will be asked to loosely congregate and be close. I will not shout out “PUT YOUR LEFT ARM HERE AND MOVE YOUR CHIN TEN DEGREES TO THE LEFT”. I’m not a Sears studio.
I take a LOT of breaks. They are short, because I don’t want to drag the session on forever, but kids are kids. Letting them run for sixty seconds is fine. If someone needs a hug, it’s fine. If a baby needs a snack, no problem. If we are shooting for 40 minutes, I promise it is not 40 solid minutes of cheek-aching smiles.
I do not require people to do things they are uncomfortable doing. I do prefer to have people close and touching. I understand there are all kinds of people in the world. Some of them are uncomfortable with the things I ask. So I ASK. I don’t force. I can still remember one child telling me “I don’t smile like that” when I asked if I could see their teeth. I was so impressed!
I try very hard to never make people feel bad. I will not comment negatively on clothing choices, posture, awkwardness, discomfort. I will not tease or make fun of people, ever. I don’t do it. I’m not there to convert people. I’m there to record your family.
I am an introvert but I like to think I’m a somewhat interesting person, and I LOVE talking to kids especially. I promise that I will do everything I can to create a relaxed atmosphere that is more like hanging out together than working.
I am not discouraged by active kids. Kids making silly faces or running around or acting wild? Right up my alley, because they are KIDS. They are acting like kids! Go for it! If you think your child is too wild for photos, try me. :)
I’m not embarrassed by making silly noises or singing songs (warning: I’m not a good singer) to get kids’ attention. I’m also not watching the clock, ready to shut everything down the second we reach our 30-minute limit. If a child needs time to warm up to me? No problem.
I will take any and all suggestions. If you have a child who is very shy and doesn’t like being spoken to directly, let me know and I’ll be sure to honour that. If you know your child will take some time to open up to me, let’s start 10 minutes early so I can sit on the grass and let them come to me. If your spouse is concerned about any aspect of this, tell me and I’ll help you figure out how to make it work. If your child has special needs, just let me know and we will work together with our respective expertise to make things go as smoothly as possible.
Finally, a few times a year a client will say “please tell me that wasn’t the worst experience you’ve had with a family”. I’m going to let you in on a little secret: clients ALWAYS view their session far more harshly than I do. Folks, I’ve seen and experienced pretty much everything when it comes to photography. And I have children of my own who have given me challenges during sessions. I PROMISE I am not judging you if your child has a tantrum or is uncooperative or says something rude. I promise. I am not going to judge your spouse for being uncomfortable and stiff. I’ve had all kinds of people and I respect that every single session is going to be a little bit different.
I hope this article helps you to understand my perspective on client sessions where somebody is uncomfortable or uncooperative, and that I welcome all sorts of sessions. I hope it helps you to relax and understand that sometimes, sessions just have to stop and pause for a bit. I hope you know that I have my own children and know that there are times when kids aren’t at their best. I hope it eases some of your fears that your own family’s challenges will be judged. And I hope you’ll book a session, get in the frame, and let me handle whatever is thrown my way. :)
Cheers,
Joni
The Arbeau Family
One of my many amazing mini session clients last fall was the Arbeau family. I’ll be completely honest and say I cheered when Amanda contacted me - having shot with them when both babies were born, and at their wedding renewal in 2019, I was so excited to see them again. And they did not disappoint. I got so much variety from just a 20 minute session! These people love hard and it shows. I somehow manage to get the most amazing, sweet clients and these two kids especially were just so wildly enthusiastic about their connection. I’m so looking forward to shooting with them again this year. <3
Ramona + Rick - MARRIED
Ramona and Rick don’t live far from me, but we didn’t connect until one night when my husband was working and his partner stopped to chat with her friend Ramona. As it turned out, Ramona realized who my husband was, and had been following my work for quite a while. “Tell her I want her to shoot my wedding!” she said. And a while later, she wrote and asked me if I would. Pandemic or not, they had planned on getting married with a handful of friends present, their children around them, at the mouth of a covered bridge that carried a lot of meaning. Um, yes please. Sign me up!
So last October the day finally arrived and it was every bit THEM. I had such a blast. It was casual and calm. They had a story for every aspect of the wedding planning. Pizza was being ordered as they headed home. I smile when I think about the little touches they made - rosehips. Wooden rings. A rocky riverbank. A phone to connect to out-of-province parents. Work boots. Cows watching from the field beside us. Wildflowers arranged from the fields near their home.
I’ll let the photos do the rest of the talking. Happy forever, Ramona and Rick!
2020 at the river, black and white
One of my favourite things to do in the summer (and fall!) is spend time at the river. We have several options - and usually we just drive to the river and walk through the trail and lay on the hot rocks.
But when we have an entire afternoon/evening, we pack up our little boat and motor, some food, some bathing suits, marshmallows, and head to another section. The first spot is wonderful - but this little corner on the river is MAGIC. The water is murky, the fishing is terrible, the sand is rough. But it is private and mystical and quiet. We watch beavers swim by. We swim, we splash, we put on sweaters when the sun sets and move closer to the fire.
I love these nights, and I love my spot on our blanket, watching my children experience childhood the way I have always dreamed they would. I document them, and for some reason, I’m really drawn to black and white for these sun-soaked images. I don’t know why. But I wanted to share my favourites from 2020. I hope you enjoy them.
2020
Long time, no chat!
My internet situation hasn’t improved, which means I’m not often motivated to spend hours adding photos to a blog post, but I wanted to update my blog anyway, so I’ll sacrifice. ;)
2020 has been weird, hasn’t it? It started out okay, and then, business-wise, I had a 10-week section of zero client sessions per New Brunswick business COVID regulations. I was able to reopen slowly in late May (with social distancing) and a bit further in June. Thankfully, my family remained healthy and we tackled the isolation and major life changes as well as we could. I hope you can say the same, but if not, I’m lending huge amounts of sympathy and care to those who have really struggling through this. It’s been a time.
Now it’s July, and sessions are picking up, with a fall that promises to be even more busy than usual. I wanted to update here for anyone who doesn’t follow me on social media - August is completely booked, and my list for September is full. October is nearly full. November has some room to add. So if you were planning to book a session, please contact me ASAP.
I’ve updated my FAQ section on my website with lots of useful information, and I’m working on adding even more client photos to my galleries as well as updated personal photos.
I’m not a website guru so the updates here are slow, but I’m working on it. I also have something new in the works that should launch in a few weeks so stay tuned!
May the rest of your July be restful, warm, sunny, and full of summer memories.
Clients 2018
It’s March, which is pretty much the usual time I manage to get my client photos together for a year-end (ha!) blog post.
I won’t carry on too much. I wanted to share a photo that stood out to me from (most of) my 2018 client sessions. I smiled the entire time I went through these.
Suffice it to say - I have the best clients in the universe. All of these clients, and zero drama. Thank you for an amazing year. Thank you for trusting me, for being patient with the weather, for feeding me, for listening to my endless chatter, for choosing me. I feel privileged with each and every client.
Here’s to an equally amazing 2019!
Monochrome River Portraits
Kids Were Here
As someone who takes photographs of her own children nearly every day - occasionally portraits, often documentary, but nearly always shots that include a child or two - I find it a struggle sometimes to take photos of environment sans people.
When I took the first photo in the spring, I was surprised by how I loved it. The dirty window, the rainbow, the smiling-but-menacing person. I began to occasionally take note of scenes before me that did not include a child - or did not include a child-specific area (toy corner, bedroom, etc.) - but told me that Kids Were Here. It is not a novel concept and not a new project. But it was new and novel to me, someone who shied away from photos depicting the echoes of children rather than the face, right there before you.
I did not look for these photos. I did not want to sort through hundreds to find a few gems. I did not want to miss my usual photography of my children in favour of something else. In fact, I only had to narrow this down from less than twenty photographs taken since spring. I waited for the images to come to me. Quietly, usually after a front door has banged loudly, kids leaving, moving on to something else. Or when they have gone to school and I go outside for the first time since the night before and see what they’ve left. Or when we have been together and they’ve run ahead, onto the next adventure. Simple moments, where I’ve felt the pull to get my camera because the scene is comforting and familiar in an active way, and not just in a there-is-kid-detritus-everywhere kind of way. I don’t quite know how to explain it, except - Kids Were Here.
Karissa + Max - Kars, New Brunswick Wedding
Well hello there. Long time no write! Life got busy and my internet is as slow as ever, so taking the hours necessary to do up a blog post was put on the back burner.
I thought I’d return with a bang, though, and feature some photos from the September 1st wedding of Karissa and Max. (Before anyone asks, I’m still not a wedding photographer - I have arthritis and I can really only commit to shorter, more casual weddings, so I have to turn down most inquiries.)
The day was amazing - bright and sunny, warm and cozy, but most importantly, it featured tons of laughter. So much laughter! Karissa and Max got married in their own way - with worship and communion, with little touches that spoke of their love, and with assuredness that makes me believe they are wise and practical beyond their years.
And off they go to Germany. Blessings, Karissa and Max. I think you’re going to be just fine.
November Wrap-Up
Guys, November was rough. I spent the first week laying on the couch, binge-watching Forensic Files, coughing and hacking with pneumonia. I struggled to keep up with client photos, let alone personal photos. But I got out once in a while. We captured the last late-afternoon light before the time change, did ballet in the living room, did freelensed portraits, spent lots of time walking over to the field, started getting out some Christmas decor, received a magazine with our photos in them, changed tires, and tried desperately to get out of a creative rut (still in it). All in all, a good month once I was able to walk more than ten feet without gasping.
(Also, someday I will be fully caught up on these. But not today.)
Best of 2017 - Clients
What. A. Year!
Guys, I have the most wonderful clients. I had a fantastic year shooting (mostly) families, with an engagement session, three weddings, mama & me minis, and an artist studio thrown in as well. I chose some of my favourites from my sessions - and you can see I tend to like unexpected and candid moments the best! I can't wait to see what 2018 brings. Sometimes I think it cannot get any better than this year, but just knowing that many of my clients will be back is enough to assure me it's going to be awesome.
Thank you, clients of 2017, for allowing me into your homes, feeding me, inviting me on adventures, taking me to new places, trusting me, hiring me, laughing with me, being patient with me, allowing me to try new things, and just generally being the best out there. <3
October Wrap-Up
October was...interesting. The weather was glorious, warm and inviting. I finished my job by month's end and reluctantly said goodbye to coworkers but happily said goodbye to the commute. I did a bajillion photo sessions and loved every single one.
I also developed a cough in early October (my daughter started with it a week prior). Hers eventually settled into a mild cold and then went away. Mine hung on, nagging, annoying, slowly getting worse, until suddenly at month's end I felt like I had a sinus infection and the coughing just refused to end. In November I finally went to the doctor after spending an hour and a half one morning blowing my nose and having coughing fits nonstop. Hello pneumonia. I spent a week binge-watching Forensic Files and moping on the couch. At the point of this writing (Dec 20 - I know, I'm SO behind), I still have a lingering cough. My son also spent a week feeling lousy with some version of this cold/cough, and my husband avoided it all thanks to his secret weapon - gargling with Listerine 3x/day when people around him are sick. He avoided it until this week when he felt a cold coming on, and spent about 24 hours with a sore throat and cough, and then it disappeared. Lucky duck!
All in all, October was good. We still managed another picnic on the river before a big rain took away our islands. We ate loads of apples, celebrated Thanksgiving, played with cattail fluff, saw the momentous loss of my husband's beard (it's coming back!!!), went on a haunted hike, and went out for Halloween as Indiana Jones and Kapow! Girl (and I was the Coughing Chauffeur).
I'd like to say November's wrap-up will be done this month but I can safely say I'll catch up in January. ;)
Happy Christmas and season's greetings, friends.
September Wrap-Up
Now that I am not swamped with work, editing, or sickness - I can try to get caught up on monthly wrap-ups!
I didn't take a lot of personal photos in September - I was usually working (a temporary job) and shooting clients - but here's a small sampling of what our last days of summer and first days of fall felt like. Hiking, many trips to the river (including swimming in mid-September!), kids starting grades 5 and 1, my beautiful son turning 10, my own birthday, apple picking, a magazine cover!!!!! and spending as much time outside in the waning sun as we could. September was hot and dry and I loved every second of it - I was born for summer weather!
It was a perfect start to our fall. Coming soon: October.
Into Something Better - Central Blissville - October 2017
Sleeping In The Forest by Mary Oliver
I thought the earth remembered me, she
took me back so tenderly, arranging
her dark skirts, her pockets
full of lichens and seeds. I slept
as never before, a stone
on the riverbed, nothing
between me and the white fire of the stars
but my thoughts, and they floated
light as moths among the branches
of the perfect trees. All night
I heard the small kingdoms breathing
around me, the insects, and the birds
who do their work in the darkness. All night
I rose and fell, as if in water, grappling
with a luminous doom. By morning
I had vanished at least a dozen times
into something better.
We as a group of artist mothers from all over the world are making it our priority to turn off the tv/video games so that we can give our children the sacred experience to connect with the fast disappearing natural world. We will freelens our adventures into the wild and share them through this monthly project.
Late October, carpets of leaves, oranges and yellows, fading green, angled sun, torn cattails with their fluff in the air. This is not our first ramble to the power line, and it won't be our last.
Click on through to see the next freelenser in our blog circle - Barb in Hawaii.
http://barbtoyama.com/blog/into-something-better-maui-backyard-chickens/
August wrap-up
Here it is October and I'm only now getting around to wrapping up our August adventures.
To be honest, my life has been so busy lately I have barely had time to take photos of my own kids. When I eventually get around to an October wrap-up, it'll be pretty sparse. I've been working a temporary job with a long commute, on top of my usual autumn client load, and just haven't had time to slow down.
Of course, something often comes along and forces you to slow down; in my case, it's a hacking cough that really isn't HORRIBLE, but enough to make me feel run-down, make my head pound, and cause lack of sleep. An afternoon of laying in bed helped perk me up, and while I'm editing a family session I decided to sneak in an August blog post.
We fled to the coast and picked blueberries and spent entirely too much time at the river (and yet not enough). Watched the sun set from Nanie's step, modelled some snazzy clothes, dressed up for acommunity parade. We made hodgepodge and spent a night at "the camp". We got our first taste of autumn apples and autumn breezes. We ate tomatoes still warm from the sun. It was a very very good month. I would certainly love to go back.
