You may remember the Chamberlain family from not too long ago; I took their in home Christmas photos / pregnancy announcement photos in December. How far their family has come in less than a year. When I took their photographs in January 2017, Richard and Samantha had been married about a month. And now they stand to welcome a baby girl in just six short months. Ryan will be a big brother for the second time. (His little brother is this crazy toddler here.)

As with many of my first sessions last year, I learned a lot from this one. Honestly I think I was so comfortable with the Chamberlains that there was a lot I did right. Even if it was by accident! And I definitely had a ton of fun.

For example, in the photos above. Clearly I should have been paying more attention to the light. As I’d only been using my camera for four months, I didn’t have the kind of understanding of light that I needed in order to take great photographs. What is right about these photos, though, is the genuine emotions and connection that were captured. Nobody in the Chamberlain family noticed the light spots or blown out background. They loved the photos because they felt that their family’s personality had been captured perfectly.

This is something I still strive for as a photographer, even now that I’ve learned a lot more about light. The technical aspects of photography are undoubtedly very important, but what’s going to make a client happy is how their photos make them feel.

Even though I was a beginner a year ago, I did capture a few of images that are my favourite to this day. I use them in my current portfolio. I love the moment I captured. Richard is quite a bit taller than Samantha, but he knew just what to do to make this kiss work. I got lucky and captured it, and I love the romantic, dramatic feel of this image.