It's a busy Thursday morning around here, but before I get into it, I have to tell you a little story... 

Two years ago, I went for a barre class at the Grand Opening of The Dailey Method studio in Ottawa. On my way out, I went up to Sarah, the studio owner, and offered to do a few photos for her. She kindly said, "no thanks, we're all good!" (She said it in a much nicer and more professional way...)

I made it my mission to impress her with my photos; wooing her, if you will, using social media. Also I kinda wanted to be her friend, as creepy as that sounds. 

A few months later, she was in. She messaged me saying they would love a few photos and headshots for the crew! I worked my tail off to make sure they fell in love with every single photo in the gallery.

After three years of annual photoshoots for the Ottawa staff & studio, tomorrow I board a flight to California to be the official photographer for the 4-day owner's retreat. I can't wait to meet the owners from Dailey studios all over the world (did y'all know there's a PARIS studio?! So cool!). 

Good things come to those who hustle, folks. Good things happen when you respectfully don't take no for an answer. And magical things happen when you work incredibly hard and serve your clients to the best of your ability at every. single. opportunity. 

It will be my great delight to share some photos from the Dailey Method Retreat when I return next week. Until then, I'll be soaking up some serious sunshine and filling my tanks with inspiration from this amazing group of go-getters.

And if you're a Dailey owner and you're heading down to California this weekend, be sure to introduce yourself! I can't wait to meet you <3

Last week I shared a few tips for choosing a location for your engagement photos, and I was so glad Ariane and Brandon put them to use. One of the things I mentioned was to choose a place you would actually go on a Sunday afternoon stroll -- in this case, somewhere pup friendly and scenic.

We ended up at Lime Kiln Trail off Moodie Drive on a cloudy but beautiful evening. I am SO excited for September to hurry up and arrive so I can see Ariane and Brandon all dolled up as bride and groom. Their brunch wedding will surely be perfection! 

For now though, a few of my favourites from their engagement session in the woods...















UGHH, my fave right here:




Ariane, you are so insanely stunning! Please please model for me always <3




Friends -- I'm all jacked up on engagement sessions these days because this is the start of the busy season. I'm excited to be sharing MORE content in the Engagement Series, but if you want to get caught up, here's what to missed last week:

The couples from any given year meld together in my mind as a sort of "wedding photography yearbook." I can picture the 2014 brides as if they were a graduating class, all lined up with their stunning bouquets and happy smiles. 

It's now 2017 and I've shot my THIRD maternity session for a 2014 bride. They were married in the same year, and they're adding their first little bubba all within a few months of each other. My heart basically explodes with the news of every pregnancy announcement, can't you tell?

Today, I'm sharing a few photos from Barbara & Patrick's cozy in-home maternity session. It seems like just yesterday we were meeting up at the beach for their engagement photos, or driving to Montreal for their wedding. And when it comes to in-home sessions, there's no place I'd rather be than their super modern, freshly renovated home in Quebec: 


We kicked off our Tuesday morning session with a pot of decaf espresso, using some crazy tin contraption that Patrick pulled out of the cupboard. I won't lie, I kinda didn't believe this thing would actually make coffee...but it did!




Barbara's tiny bump is so cool and suits her so well! She will be an AMAZING mama. 


(I know this because she's one of the best dog moms I know...)


The magic tin machine makes coffee!






We don't yet know if this little peanut is a boy or a girl -- I am dying to find out! 



So soon we'll be adding a little baby and re-taking this picture!




No joke, I took the picture on the right just to be able to show husband this insane mantle -- I need it in my life.





Upstairs in the nursery, the light poured in through the windows and filled the entire room with happiness. That little baby is going to love it here <3







Time to talk about that half-canoe? Obsessed! It's from Indigo, friends. That's right, I asked. 








Baby started kicking right when this photo was taken, which made for the biggest, realest smile. It's the perfect place to end this post.