Sarah’s mom, Ana, the matriarch of this family, approached me years ago to plan this photo-session, but because of timing issues (and later, Covid), it took us until this July to make it happen.

The idea was: document the family’s stay at their summer cottage, on Grippen lake.

I’ve been there before, because I’ve photographed their neighbors a bunch of times in years past. It’s a gorgeous place. Private, pristine, quiet…

And in mid-summer, that gorgeous green of the trees, couples with the deep blue of the lake…

A couple of months ago, Tim Forbes and I had a photoshoot exchange: He photographed my family, and I photographed his.⁣

Now, for those of you who don’t know, Tim is one of the best documentary photographers this side of Ontario. He’s primarily a wedding photographer, and was actually my mentor. I shot an entire season of weddings as his second shooter in that first year of business, back in 2016.

He’s been in the biz for nearly twenty years, and it really shows! His work is perfect. (no pressure, Tim 😉)

I have been photographing Tiiu and Dale’s family for several years now. The very first time I saw them, Tiiu was still pregnant with her daughter.

It's been a joy to watch the kids grow, and develop personalities. So much personality!

This photo session was all about capturing moments with Grandma.

The girls have an amazing grandma.

She lives out in BC, but often spends weeks at a time travelling to Ontario to be with her granddaughters.

Some of the awesome activities that they do include swimming in the backyard pool, learning about flowers and gardening, eating yogurt together, and just enjoying each other's company.

I'll always remember this photoshoot.

A couple of months before the session, Lauren had been given the news that her beloved pup Moe, had a very aggressive type of cancer, and was only expected to live a couple of months.

Lauren hoped for the best, but feared for the worst. So, she wanted to make sure that she could preserve some memories with before he passed.

She rented a cottage with her sister at Rideau Ferry.

You might know that I have a passion for capturing candid family life. In this post, I will compare candid photography to other types of photography. I will prove to you that candid family photography is the BEST (and possibly most challenging) type of photography ever.

Documentary photography enters with a bang. She is the youngest sister. She has forgotten to wear shoes outdoors, so that her youthful feet are caked with mud when she steps into the dining room. She has a tangled mass of flowers in her hair. She reminds you of the fire in your heart.