Simply beautiful...

You don't always have to travel far to get some gorgeous portraits. Sometimes the simplest backdrop is the most effective - just in your own home or backyard for example. That way you can really focus on the person without becoming too distracted by the surroundings. Often the places we are the most at ease are the best because they produce the most relaxed portraits - especially if you are shy or uncomfortable having your photo taken.

This beautiful series of images was taken at my client's home. Case in point. Gorgeous.

Baby on Board

Pregnant women always look so lovely (even though many of them don't feel that way!). It's wonderful to be able to capture that special bond between a mother and the new little person growing inside her belly. When they get a bit older and look back at the maternity photos, children are always fascinated to learn that it's them inside that belly. How did I fit in there?? Don't be afraid to take lots of photos! You won't ever regret it.

Thanks to Lena for letting me share this special time. Such a beautiful moment - you look fantastic.  I hope you treasure these images forever.

www.madhousephotography.com

Well,  I finally did it. I hit the button and now I have finally published the website.....   www.madhousephotography.com

Feel free to check it out. I hope you love it!  I can't wait to start adding more photos.

In the meantime, here's a new favourite shot from near Algonquin. I love these moody grey-blues...

Frogs & Snails & Puppy Dog Tails...

That's what little boys are made of. Or so the poem goes. It's true and I should know - I have four of my own. What mischief can 3 gorgeously rambunctious little boys get up to when you put them near the water? I took my friend and her boys down to the water to find out. She packed a carload of spare clothes and I readied myself to dive into the water after them.

They all survived the beach, but how would they do at the boat ramp?

Hmmm. That's disgusting, but at least Mommy doesn't know.

Or does she...

Here's a little action shot from behind the scenes. I had so much fun watching my friend corral her boys. And to my complete amazement we ended the day perfectly dry :)

Bonjour Paris!

How is it possible that you can wait in lines in the freezing cold with the wind blasting you for 2 hours and still feel happy about it? The answer for me is if at the end of it all I find myself staring down at the streets of Paris from the top of the Eiffel Tower, which is where I was lucky enough to be last weekend. Given that the weather was bleak (to put it mildly), I decided to take a different approach to photographing the tower. Instead of all those lovely romantic shots that are on every street vendor's postcards, I love this moody shot which I think captures the feel of the day perfectly.

Most awe inspiring place in Paris? That would be Notre Dame. 850 years old. That's 4 times older than any building in Australia. I know you've all seen the postcards of Notre Dame too, so here is a different aspect.

What was the funniest thing about Paris? The Moulin Rouge. Hilariously camp. I especially loved the part where the girl dived into the swimming pool to perform with 2 big pythons, but spent the whole time swimming after them to stop them from escaping. Best thing to eat - definitely NOT the food at the Moulin Rouge! I think my husband would say the French Onion Soup (and it was truly divine), but I would have to go for Laduree's macaroons (I even remembered to take a photo of the box before I devoured all of them).

Strangest thing about Paris - definitely this disabled toilet. Can you work it out?

Au revoir Paris!

Fall Glorious Fall

I love this time of year. After endless years spent living in remote mining towns in outback Australia where the only seasons are super hot and slightly less hot, I really enjoy experiencing four vastly different seasons. Okay, except for the 6 months of winter - that I don't enjoy so much, but I am learning to embrace it. My favourite season is definitely Fall. It is so beautiful to watch the stunning colour changes. I spent a weekend at Algonquin in early October and managed to capture a tiny sliver of this beautiful place.

Here comes the Bride....

I got married 16 years ago and spent the first 9 years of married bliss living in Australia. We moved around A LOT. On average once every year. Crazy. Then we moved to northern Mexico and lived there for 3 years (at least we only moved house twice then). Four years ago we came to Canada and have managed to stay in the one place THE ENTIRE TIME. That's some kind of record. The whole time since we got married I have been lugging around a honking big box with my wedding dress and a variety of wedding paraphernalia inside it. Every move for the last 16 years, my husband has asked me why I am bothering to lug that big wedding dress box around with me. With 4 sons and no daughter to take an interest in my dress, I have had no good answer. Until now.....

I am taking a course in wedding photography and one of my assignments last weekend was to shoot a wedding dress on a hangar. So my darling husband, here is the reason I have dragged that box half way around the world. I knew I would need it one day!

Here is the bridal bouquet I made for the photo shoot. I always thought it would be lovely to be a florist!

Albion Falls Engagement Shoot

I recently did an engagement shoot for Sherri Lynn and Thomas at Albion Falls in Hamilton. What a gorgeous place. A little precarious to climb down into in the pouring rain (as I found out firsthand when I scrambled down beside the falls with my ridiculously large golf umbrella and my ridiculously large camera bag 2 days before the shoot).

At least it was dry inside my car :)









Fortunately the day of the shoot was glorious sunshine, but I was stunned to find a guy smashing away at a fully assembled set of drums at the base of the falls. It turns out he was in the middle of shooting a music video to raise money for cancer research. Very cool.

I don't imagine there are too many engagement shoots I'll get to do where we have a live band serenading the couple!

The happy couple (minus the drums!).