Over the past couple of months, I have been working and collaborating with my dear (and long-lost) cousin, Ginger who recently moved to Toronto and we have since rekindled our friendship. We have always loved spending time together, but you know, life just gets crazy and before you know it, it's been 10 years since you've seen each other!
Now living in the same city, babies the same age and a shared passion for art and photography, it was sort of a no-brainer we would be messaging every single day and driving all the way across the city to see each other on a regular basis. I feel so grateful to have a kindred spirit as we go through this journey of motherhood and stay-at-home-career-business-women/photographers.
So the Saturday before Mother's Day, Ginger met us in the crowded High Park area in the early hours of the morning to beat the crowds and catch the best light of the day. After several weeks of hunts to find the perfect Magnolia tree, we decided on High Park. But it became obvious (with the full parking lot at 7:00am) that we'd have to find a quieter spot. It was sort of ridiculous there with so many people and their cameras. And the funniest thing was that we had perfect strangers standing around watching, holding a reflector and several even taking our pictures!!! We sort of felt like celebrities....
The pictures are amazing, my cousin is truly an artist far beyond me. She just has such an incredible gift. When she sent them to me the other night, I was just bursting with gratitude while simultaneously laughing out loud. Our children are hilarious and charming and mischievous and I feel like she really captured all that. I had to stop part way through the gallery viewing and send her a glowing message. I was so thankful. We've never had family pictures like these. Ever.
The pictures really do look idyllic, but I have to be honest. On Saturday, after a few hours of photographing, we left the park, covered, COVERED in dirt, soaked to the bone and sweaty. Magdalene (and the stroller where we had strapped her in) were covered in yogurt. Here's a few funny tidbits from "behind the scenes:"
1) The very first two minutes of being in the park, Gabriel laid down in the dirt under the Magnolia tree and started rolling around in it. It was then a shuffling game of how to avoid getting dirt on his white shirt, my white dress or Jordan's tan pants. By the way, his shirt is now officially destroyed after face-planting on the sidewalk only minutes after the photo shoot was over. And my dress... will never be the same.
2) About 10 minutes in, it started raining and we had to hide under the reflector. A good reason to bring one I guess.
3) There were no less than 5000 people in the park that morning, crowding every single tree, although not so much the magnolia.
4) We got down to the lake, away from the crowds but "the paparazzi" with their telephoto lenses found us, again, snapping pictures while Ginger worked. Who are these people???
5) I was sweating, sweating... Had to keep taking off my scarf, jacket etc.
6) The children ran for the water immediately, the last shots of us as a family are there, after that, we were really all too wet to take more.
7) Except it started raining. Again. This time, we were officially done.
Can you believe that? My cousin is amazing. I cannot believe she got the shots she did with all the craziness going on, the kids running around, the water, the crowds.
Thank you cousin, for capturing the moments and giving them back to us so beautifully!!
xo
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