Kenya and Eduardo’s first daughter was born at 42 weeks, everyone knows that one birth is never like another but often we make assumptions. Assumptions like "if the first was 42 weeks then there is a good chance the second will be too". So Kenya and Eduardo set their countdown clock to 42 weeks and set in to wait for their beautiful daughter.
We next met up around 36 weeks and did a great maternity session with Kenya, Eduardo and their beautiful little girl. Kenya’s pregnancy was going great and when most moms are getting tired and looking forward to the end Kenya was just hitting her happy groove.
The night of February 3rd/early morning of the 4th, 5 days before their estimated due date, little Olivia decided enough was enough. Kenya’s water broke and some small contractions started up. Kenya was able to sleep through the morning and get some rest as things tapered off. By that afternoon Kenya was hoping things would get moving and headed to the mall to do some walking. Naomi, (Kenya and Eduardo’s older daughter) loved walking the mall and didn’t want to leave but everyone managed to get home and get Naomi to nap. By evening, with things still slowly progressing and with Kenya’s water having been broken for a while, she tried some castor oil in hopes of jump starting some real action.
On the morning of Sunday, February 5th, Kenya woke up around 4:30am with some strong contractions that continued to build over the hours. At 7:23am contractions were every 2-2.5 minutes lasting 50-60 seconds and she asked for me to come join them.
When I arrived at 8am Kenya was laboring beautifully in the shower, thank goodness for hot water on demand as any normal hot water tank would never have lasted. Eduardo was getting the pool ready while Kenya’s aunt and grandma kept little Naomi busy. The midwife arrived and then the student midwife. Things continued to appear to be progressing and Kenya moved from the shower to her bedroom where Eduardo helped Kenya labor and deal with the surges and then Kenya moved to the birth pool. The second midwife then arrived and everyone was ready for little Olivia to be born.
At 11:35am the midwife checked Kenya to make sure that she was dilated and ready to push… To everyone’s surprise Kenya was 4cm dilated, not the 10 that was expected. It’s almost like at those words a switch turned off. The contractions stalled. Kenya got out of the birth pool and sat down for a chat with the midwife. Her cervix was not in position and she was not as far along as hoped for. Her water at this point had been broken about 35 hours. The midwife was unsure if the labor had been potentially just from the castor oil and if so a decision would need to be made. The worry was that if this wasn’t active labor then there was no way to know when it would start up on its own, and with Kenya’s water ruptured there was always the increasing risk of infection and stress on baby.
By 12pm a rough game plan was decided on, Kenya and Eduardo would nap for a few hours and then head to the hospital to augment labor. The student midwife and second midwife left and Eduardo asked if I wanted to leave and then meet them at the hospital later. I told him no, I’d like to stay and just hang out then I could follow them there later, I suggested having a talk with Kenya’s belly, to let baby know that they were ready to meet. Kenya and Eduardo went to their room and had some cuddle time. They talked to little Olivia and told her they were ready that she was loved. All of the birth gear was packed up and the midwife laid down for a little rest as well.
At 2:50pm Eduardo let everyone know Kenya’s labor had started up again. I joined them in her room and took a few more images. The midwife came to check Kenya as she was feeling pushy again and starting to bear down, Kenya was now at 8cm!!
Things happened very quickly at this point. At 3:26pm between very strong contractions Eduardo helped Kenya get to the birth pool. All of the midwife gear had been packed up as a transfer to hospital had been expected. I did my best to help the midwife and put the baby emergency gear back out as I had seen, while taking a few photos and the midwife also got more of the birth gear ready to go. There wasn’t time though to get everything ready, because at 3:32pm little Olivia was born. One minute she was having a contraction and the next little Olivia's head was out and then the next push she slid into the water and into the midwifes hands.
Almost exactly 4 hours earlier it had looked like Kenya would need to travel to the hospital, but instead little Olivia was born quickly at home just like planned. It was a beautiful birth and Kenya did so amazing, pushing only a few times to bring little Olivia into this world. I had many favorite things about this birth. Kenya’s grandma, her joy at witnessing the birth and her love for her granddaughter and great-granddaughter filled the room.
Eduardo’s joy as he met his beautiful second daughter. Little Naomi’s curiosity as she saw her baby sister. So much love was present at this birth, and for anyone who’s never witnessed a home-birth it’s hard to explain how calm and peaceful and beautiful it all is even when it's happening quickly.
A week after the birth I went back to Kenya and Eduardo’s to capture a lifestyle newborn session. It was a pleasure meeting little Olivia again and she even smiled while daddy held her.
I hope you enjoy watching Olivia’s birth story, I know I feel honored to have witnessed the amount of love that was present.
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When it came time for the birth Ashley had three midwifes in attendance, one being there simply as a friend because Ashley is that kind of lady. Most births start at night and often the lighting is not great but Ashely labored as the sun came up, supported by her husband, the midwifes and her cat. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a cat that caring during labor. With every contraction I got a dirty look from the cat that seem to be saying…why aren’t you helping her, and even though cat’s hate water this one was willing to jump on the side of the pool to try and help Ashley.
On July 8th after a total of 8 hours in labor, at 8:55am weighing 8lbs 8 oz and 21 inches long baby girl Everly Quinn rushed out to meet mom. (8 should be her lucky number) I can still remember the midwife reaching to check for a head and instead pulling a baby from the water. In one awesome push baby came earth side.
A week and a half later baby Everly came for her first photo session at my house. She was a dream to work with and such a little beauty.
I hope you enjoy their story as much as I have and if you’d like to see it unfold check out the video below. Congratulations Derek, Ashley and big sister Charlie on the birth of a beautiful baby girl.
If you have problems viewing the video, please click Here
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I went back through this year and pulled a few images from moments of love that I was grateful to witness and I hope you enjoy seeing what I saw.
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On their wedding day I arrived to a nervous bride who was warm, caring and surrounded by her amazing friends and family. Angela walked down the aisle with every eye on her and the only beauty possibly greater than hers that day might have been that of the couples adorable little girl. The weather had been flaky that week but the sun was out and the formal photos went perfectly. Their whole night was like a beautiful dream, the reception was beautiful and the amount of attention to detail was perfect.
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Check out the video to see even more beautiful moments from their wedding day.
Congratulations Angela and Jeremiah from Michelle at Luciddream Photography Inc. Thank you letting me capture your day for you.
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I captured big brother Liam's birth in 2013 and he was so excited to be a big brother.
I do believe that little Ethan is going to be as much of a heart-breaker as his big brother Liam.
If you'd like to see more of this family's story please check out the video. Congratulations Shelby and Andre on a beautiful growing family... can't wait to see if your family grows even more... ;)
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On July 30th, east of Edmonton, I caught back up with Rachael and Ivan and captured their beautiful backyard wedding.
They had so many cool elements as part of their wedding and my inner geek loved it.
She even walked down the aisle to the song from Mario Brothers and you couldn't help but smile and bob along to a classic melody. Even the weather was just perfect and despite there being a 70% chance of rain that day it held off until the reception started and everyone was in the beautiful white tent, seriously you couldn't have timed it better.
Check out the video to see even more beautiful moments from their wedding day.
Congratulations Rachael and Ivan from Michelle at Luciddream Photography Inc. Thank you letting me capture your day for you.
If you have problems viewing the video, please click Here
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The night before it had rained so much but the day of the wedding it cleared out and was beautiful and hot all day.
Congratulations Taylor and Keith from Michelle at Luciddream Photography Inc. Thanks for sharing your day with me.
If you'd like to see more of this couples big day please check out the video:
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Who knew April could be so nice out. Greenish grass lots of sun peaking out, you would have though it was May. Perhaps Dannell and Andrew knew something when they picked this April date to say their "I do"'s. Even the adorable sign bearer and flower lady made it down the aisle without issues.
The wedding was held at the Grace United Church and the reception at the German Cultural Centre. Everything was classic and beautiful. Many wishes for them to have an amazing and blessed life together.
Congratulations Andrew and Dannell from Michelle at Luciddream Photography Inc. Thanks for sharing your day with me.
If you'd like to see more of this couples big day please check out the video:
If you have problems viewing the video, please click Here
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We all went in at noon for a scheduled 2pm C-section but due to a few emergency C-sections Kim was bumped a few times. After waiting quite a while in admissions, around 4pm we were able to wait in a private room that the clients requested.
The idea of a C-section can be scary even when it’s planned but this beautiful couple joked and smiled and the love could be felt as they waited nervously for their turn to meet their stubborn little baby boy. At around 8pm it was their turn. There was smiles and excitement as well as a tiny bit of fear.
I hope those of you out there reading, and about to watch this, can see and feel that birth happens in many ways… families grow and love blooms. Dad took one of my cameras into the ER and was able to capture a few of those special moments that happen behind closed doors.
Luciddream Photography Inc. felt honored to be a part of this family’s story and I hope the beauty touches you. My hope is that other families will see that there is beauty in all birth stories, even when a C-section is part of the story.
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]]>Just 25 days before my own daughter was born on July 1, 2015 this family grew by one more.
Lindsay encountered stroke level high blood pressure and a long labor, but she did it with beauty and grace. The hospital staff didn’t seem to believe she was in labor as she silently turned inwards and welcomed the waves.
Although her labor may have not been what was on her birth plan, with the help of Paul (her husband) and Tracy (her doula) Lindsay delivered their 9lb beautiful girl.
After previous heartbreak and losses this family finally welcomed their little rainbow baby…Myra Rose.
Handpicked by her siblings in heaven Myra continues to put smiles on her parent’s faces and love in their hearts.
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On July 27, 2014 I had the pleasure of being both Doula and Birth Photographer for the lovely Zamzam. We were together a full 23 hours before little Niyah decided she should come meet us.
Zamzam’s birth was not only my longest to date but also the busiest. Her friends flew from the Toronto area to support her through her whole labor. Zamzam was never alone and her friends support was amazing. At one point she was getting a foot massage, leg massage and possibly hand massages from 2-4 women. I think perhaps Niyah held out as long as she did just so that her mom could realize how loved she is. Zamzam’s sisters who had flown from Toronto as soon as she went into labor made it there just after the beautiful Niyah was born.
Niyah also currently holds my record for the second biggest baby I’ve seen delivered. At 8lb 15oz this little girl came into the world extremely beautiful, and just like her mom her complexion was smooth and beautiful. Perhaps it’s all the vernix she was coated in but it’s rare that I don’t need to edit a newborns complexion. At the newborn session they are usually experiencing flaky skin… or acne or potentially even still a cone head from birth, but this little girl as you will see is such a beauty.
I was honored to be part of this little girl's passage earthside.
If you have problems viewing the video, please click Here
]]>We were able to sneak out just before the sunset to capture some beautiful engagement photos, despite the bride-to-be's moms concerns about the impending sunset I think these golden hour photos shine with color and love.
I'm looking forward to their big day next March.
Please email me if you have any issues playing the video.
]]>At 20 weeks pregnant Val and Jason discovered their baby girl was going to be very special. Val already had 4 children and Jason 1, and this new bundle was going to need to establish early that she was unique. Val and Jason learned that their baby had a condition called Gastroschisis. A very scary big word that means that some of the baby’s organs are outside of the body, and some part of the stomach area is not closed in by skin. It’s one of those conditions where no one was sure how bad it would be, what the health of the organs would be and if that was going to be her only battle.
Like all news I’m sure it was very scary for both Val and Jason. Val set up a facebook page for friends that wanted to know about baby’s development without her flooding her normal page. Baby Isabella was named and the journey to birth began.
At roughly a month before her due date Val and Jason traveled to Edmonton, from the Grande Prairie region, so that their baby could be born with the best available doctor’s close by.
I joined Val and Jason at the hospital the big day of the induction. As they waited to be induced in an adjoining room medical staff practiced and prepared for how everything would happen. The plan, as described to me, was for her to be induced, labor and deliver naturally in a nice room at the Royal Alex, baby would then go through a door to the adjoining room where baby would be assessed and if necessary stabilized. Dad and myself would be able to follow Isabella into the other room and mom would either be taken to see her or Isabella would be shown to her and then sent via “the stork”/ambulance to the Stollery Children’s Hospital. The overall outlook was that after about 10 days surgery would place the organs back in Isabella and then she would be closed up. Then if everything went great after 3-6 weeks she could be transferred to the Grande Prairie hospital, and then after a time she would be able to go home.
The induction went smoothly and with the help of an epidural Val was in great spirits. Val’s dad joined us, as he happened to be in the area, and we all bet on the weight of Isabella. With the last ultrasound saying she would be 4 lb 11 oz we all took guesses and then we all shifted our guesses down after the nurse cautioned that our guesses seemed high. (My original guess was right by the way.) The labor went beautifully and with only a few pushes Isabella came earthside. She was shown to her mom, and then taken to the adjoining room to be assessed. Jason and I followed Isabella and I was able to capture some great pictures of the process.
Not only was her weight great, she had no issues and didn’t need to be stabilized. As a result, once she was tucked into some bags to protect her organs, she had a few lines introduced for medical purposes and she was wrapped up and placed into her mom’s arms. First mom, then dad and then grandpa got to hold this beautiful baby girl.
After a short while Isabella was transferred to the stork and was taken via ambulance to the children’s hospital. I drove dad to the other hospital and shortly after arriving the surgeon was able to look Isabella over. He was greatly surprised that while manipulating her organs into a bag (the bag uses gravity to put the organs back in Isabella) she had a bowel movement. One of the big scary things about this condition is that sometimes organs don’t work, or require surgery’s to get them working, so this bowl movement was awesome.
Little Isabella was a fighter, despite there already being a baby with her condition in the hospital Isabella passed him and had her surgery within a week. She had a bowel movement not long after surgery, and despite the original timeline after only 2.5 weeks baby Isabella was able to go HOME, no extra hospitals…just home.
Because this was such a special story I made many trips up to the hospital so that her journey could be well documented. One day Isabella can watch her story and see that she excelled beyond doctors timelines and she will know that she came into this world a fighter and incredibly special.
There are some images of a graphic nature, and as such this may not be a video for everyone.
If you have problems viewing the video, please click Here
]]>That being said in Dec 2013 the Smith family brought home a beautiful baby girl. I was there only minutes after she took her first breaths and I got pictures of mom holding her baby girl for the first time and of dad holding his daughter. This lovely couple has two son’s already so this baby girl is going to have some adorable watchdogs. Within weeks of her birth the family came to me for a newborn session and I captured some of my favorite images. The image of daddy holding his little girl is currently being used in by an organization that speaks out against shaken baby syndrome. It’s a powerful image, beautiful baby in the strong arms of her father. I hope you like seeing these amazing first moments with her parents and her adorable newborn session in the video below the picture.
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If you have troubles playing the video please wait until you can use wifi or a computer. :)
Sam and Bailey Sam and Bailey Tie the knot.
More Pictures and a Video to follow...
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Liz, her adorable toddler and I all met up at the park and captured some great pictures. We did both boy and girl shots, and used white balloons so that I had both options to work with.
After that I got to peek in the envelope, emailed Liz’s brother the gender and headed home to make a gender reveal collage. The couple flew out to see family out East and between the picture and a cake that had been colored blue inside (courtesy of Liz’s brother) they found out that their little girl was expecting a little brother. Now they have the joy of preparing for a little man to join their family.
Surprise your having a BOY!!Liz and her little girl discover that a little brother is on his way.
Congratulations Rodriguez family!
]]>Ashley and Kent hired me to be their doula and also to capture some of the special moments during their son's birth. Here is my version of little Zephyr's voyage to join his parents:
On May 23, at 7:20 pm Ashley and Kent were just sitting down to a fat burger meal when Ashely’s water broke. She rushed off to the car and sent me a text while Kent got their food packed up to go. Ashley and Kent went home and proceeded to relax while watching Frozen. At 10:30 pm they went to get assessed at the hospital and were found to be 3cm dilated and 75% effaced. Against hospital suggestions they went to Ashley’s mom’s house to labor in a more peaceful relaxed environment.
Around 1am things picked up a bit and by 1:30am Ashley had said “goodbye” to the fat burgers they had eaten. As things were getting more serious Ashley was no longer able to sing through contractions and they made the decision to meet me at the Sturgeon hospital in St. Albert.
We met and they checked in to “Chateau Sturgeon“ at 2am. By 3am they were settled into their room and Ashley was 5cm dilated and still doing amazingly. She was in great mood and both she and Kent were still able to joke between contractions. Kent’s support was awesome. His loving comments and care helped Ashley through each contraction. Kent worked hard applying counter pressure and massage so that Ashley could focus on bringing baby Zephyr earthside.
At 4:00 am Ashley was laboring standing up leaning on the hospital table while Kent applied pressure to her back. Then it came time to check baby’s heartbeat again and two nurses took a bit to find him. Ashley got on the bed to help them and it turned out the little guy was so much lower than anyone expected at that point; and with Ashley being a first time mom (Labors are usually slower with longer pushing times) they held off on contacting the Dr. to come in. At 4:30 am Ashely was assessed as fully dilated and ready to push. Ashley and Kent’s love was obvious with each contraction and the joy of seeing his little boy crowning had Kent glowing. Ashley had reached down and touched their little ones head and she let out a little "oh" of surprise and was so excited.
Ashely was such a great first time laborer that with 41 minutes of pushing their little boy literally flew into the world. One minute she was pushing and he was starting to crown and with the next push he shot out; head, shoulders and full body shot out into the waiting nurse’s hands with one push. The Dr. never made it for the labor, arriving sometime later to check in on Ashely.
“True” labor is measured from when active labor starts… so she labored for roughly 3 hours, which is great for any mom and amazing for a first time mom.
1N9A5745webAshley and Kent's first little boy.
1N9A5645webAshley and Kent's first little boy.
1N9A5712webAshley and Kent's first little boy.
Congratulations Ashley and Kent, thank you for having me as your doula. Experiencing your story and seeing your little one “fly” into the world was a great honor.
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The long awaited video of this lovely couples son. As their doula first and photographer second, images start after little Zephyr came earthside.
Kent and Ashley welcome Zephyr If you have problems viewing the video, please click Here
]]>I was honored to share their big day with them. From Leisa getting married until late into the night this loving couple had a beautiful wedding.
The only hurdle for this wedding party was the -30 degree weather... yes it was a freezing one. A beautiful sky full of sun, and it was almost to cold to take pictures outside, but this bridal party braved the cold in just their tux's and dresses with wraps. I was in my winter jacket and lost the ability to feel my fingers, but it's hard to complain when you get beautiful pictures and the wedding party is without any jackets.
Chris and LeisaChris and Leisa on their wedding day. Before God their love shines.
If you'd like to seem more of this couple's story please check out the video.
-Michelle
Chris and Leisa On March 1, 2014 this loving couple joined their lives together before family and God. If you have problems viewing the video, please click Here
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She has a beautiful glow and I hope you agree this is one lovely momma to be. I hope you stay tuned to the next chapters of her story coming after the birth and after newborn photos.
Zamzam's maternity ImagesDue in June this beautiful momma is excited to welcome her first little one.
These are a few of my favorites from the session.
I hope to see them again soon. :)
On your wedding day your photographer will be with you potentially from the beginning to the end. They will be part of your memories and potentially a guide through some parts of a very important day. Your photographer should be like an extra friend for the day. Someone your comfortable with, someone that is professional, reassuring and capable of capturing your love in a style that your walls will display forever.
They need to add to moms comfort level and not distract from her doing what she needs to do. They also need to work along side fathers,Dr.'s, nurses, midwifes and doula's staying out of the way but capturing it all.
Enough about me, the groom is my cousin and his beautiful bride is such an amazing match for him. They are a warm, caring and affectionate couple who have set great life goals together. Mike’s best man was his best friend who he’s known for long long time online. This wedding was there second time meeting, and I think it speaks volumes about this couple and the willingness of the people who care about them to travel to share their beautiful day.
The wedding was in tropical Puerto Vallarta at the Hard Rock Café Resort. They had the wedding ceremony in a lovely concrete gazebo that looks out over the water, the reception was on the grass beside and the dance was held in the gazebo. A nicer setting would be hard to find. The sunset behind where they had exchanged their vows and I know this is just the start of a long amazing life together. I hope they love the photos as much as I loved sharing this big day with them.
Mike and JodieBeautiful Mexican Destination Wedding
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Baby BellaBorn December 29, 2013
This blog is a daunting thing for me. The irony is that for 10 years I kept an online journal. I was even published once in a booklet for the homeless as inspiration to them about what family could be.
But the true start of this story was when Shelby went into labor. She had a few trips to the hospital before they finally kept her there. Her Dr. checked her and guessed that the baby would be born at about 2-3am a good 7-8 hours from when he assessed her. I guessed it would be closer to 10pm as I knew this was a strong momma that may not be showing she was in pain but she was progressing nicely.
Shelby laboured with just a shot of morphine and dozed between contractions. When it became obvious that she was getting close we called the nurse in and it was go time. The nurses took one look and they decided who would be the “Dr” and who would be the nurse as there wouldn’t be time to wait for the Dr. In fact Shelby’s Dr. apparently flew down the Whitemud and then whipped down the hall past waiting family getting there just in time to catch little Liam’s shoulder and body. The nurses there did an amazing job and the Dr. stepped in like a pro.
Shelby did an amazing job of pushing and little Liam was born at 9:17 pm. Liam took to nursing right off and a proud papa watched over. The waiting room was full of family waiting to meet little Liam and to give Shelby and Andre some love.
This birth was my first captured at a hospital and the staff were a pleasure to work with.
And a big yay for Andre as he did a great job of supporting Shelby through her natural birth. Shelby may have done all the hard work but they definitely made a great team.
-Michelle
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]]>This couple met through their faith and found a safe place to keep their hearts here on earth...with each other.
Their big day will be in March 2014 and I'm looking forward to capturing their faith, love and laughter.
-Michelle
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]]>Most of you may not know that I have about 30 first cousins. Yep there's a lot.
And as a great cousin I love to capture their big days.
All that being said this lovely couple were great sports as we went on a nice long hike in St. Albert and we got some great images of them. And the best part is still to come... so stay tuned and in December there should be some great sneak peaks of a Mexican wedding.
If you have problems viewing the video, please click Here
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In May Luciddream Photography Inc. had the pleasure of capturing Jessica and Don's big day. Although it's been a few months I've just started doing videos for my sessions so I thought why not go back in time a bit to a beautiful couple and play around a bit.
So... here is a overview of their big day, I hope you enjoy the video.
-Michelle
If you have problems viewing the video, please click Here
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I hope to see little Oliver back for his cake smash and any other special moments in his life.
-Michelle
If you have problems viewing the slideshow click Here
]]>Kevin and Shawna are getting married in Las Vegas and I had the pleasure of doing their engagement photos, what a lovely couple.
I hope they have many years of happiness ahead of them and that they come back to see me soon.
-Michelle
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]]>"I spent the day in communication with Dani, knowing that tonight might be the big night. At 9:40 pm I got the message that her water had broken and around 10:30pm her contractions had slowed and they were off to try and sleep a bit.
At 12:30am the call came in and I packed up my stuff and headed out the door. I got to their home at 1:00 am and found Dani in the birth pool calmly breathing through her surges. Her husband and mother were at her side while their older daughter slept upstairs.
The midwife had arrived at the same time I did, and she assessed Dani at 5cm dilated. It seemed so calm, so serine and everyone just relaxed while Dani did the peaceful work of opening up for their daughter to come.
James stayed at her side and then joined her in the birth pool to help her through her surges.
By 2:00 am things were picking up, Dani was ready and everyone realized this wasn’t going to be a long wait. Little Molly was born at 2:21 am; Dani reached down and pulled her daughter up through the water and onto her chest. And moments later big sister Lyla came down and joined her parents and little sister in the birth pool while grandma stood by the pool a huge smile on her face.”
The whole thing went incredibly smoothly, with Dani only needing to push a few times. This homebirth was beautiful and peaceful and little Molly arrived into a calm home full of love.
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And big sister was able to get home just after Izabella arrived.
The whole family was warm and welcoming and I felt blessed to have been able to share this event in their lives. I hope to see them for future special occasions and to stay in touch to see these beautiful sisters grow up together.
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This was my first opportunity to shoot dance outside of a wedding, and I'm hoping for some feedback from the dancers as to which poses they love so that I can capture the best moments of my brides and grooms.
But learning aside I had a great time capturing something outside of my norm. It was great to see the couples whisking by...the swirl of the beautiful dresses, and I found the smiles of the couples infectious. I truly enjoyed capturing this event.
It's a flash back to the days of working for a large studio and being hired out to all kinds of events. Perhaps I should start picking up event photography clients.
-Michelle
]]>What customers don't see is the hours of scheduling the hours of prepping the hours of working on your photos. There's consultations, there's 10-30 minutes of image perfection multiplied by the number of files or photos you get. As well as delivery charges and product costs.
Add to this schooling as well as expensive software, expensive equipment and all those amazing props and backgrounds that were used to create your images. That's thousands of dollars, just on props, equipment and software. And the cost of a diploma, business licensing and taxes are another chunk. That's right I pay taxes, I'm a registered business who pays for a license and pays taxes as a business.
The point is that hour long shoot had set up time, consultation time, planning time, editing time and delivery time that you never saw. A full day wedding has me shooting for 15 hours. Had an hour plus of consultation time with you. And there will be 7+ hours of editing, product set up and design and then more time for delivery. When you pay me, your paying for 24+ hours of my time and covering the costs of travel and product costs. Anyone charging you less then $1000 for your wedding day is either robbing themselves, or you.
Would you go hire a plumber who didn't go to school? That chef who's training was cooking for his wife? Or how about having your taxes done by your 5 year old niece? She can add.
There's more to a good photographer then the ability to push a button. A good photographer takes good photographs. A great photographer understands that "Photography is a study in light and form. The composition of an image, is in essence, the representation and the interplay of light and form within the frame.". A great photographer captures more then just the picture, but also the emotions and truth of the moment.
Next time you hire a photographer, remember to ask questions, see their work and pay them what they are worth.
Not all "pros" are professionals.
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I'm hoping to share with you the new things going on in the Luciddream photography world.
Currently I have a Christmas Special on, check out the details on facebook.
I'm also excited to be stocking my props shelves with all kinds of new goodies. Can't wait to use them all.
-Michelle
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