{ Mom }

I have the BEST mom, hands down, in the entire world !!   So everyone else, you may think you have the best mom, but … your wrong 😉

My mom is patient, incredibly kind, honest, compassionate, super smart, strong and beautiful in every sense of the word.  She has ALWAYS been there for Cheryl and I.  Always.  Every soccer game, dance recital, talent show, baseball game, track and field event, vollyeball game etc etc …. she was always there cheering us on.  Telling us that we can do or be anything we put our minds too.  She was a cheerleader in high school so the cheering she came by naturally, but always having her there meant more than she can imagine.  Not all kids are so lucky.  And I know how lucky I am to have a mom like her.

Her love is completely unconditional – which we both took full advantage of during our teenage years.  Sorry mom!  She never plays favourites with Cheryl and I.  In fact, she is insanely fair and always concerned about treating us equally.  Christmas time is a perfect example of this.  She has to spend almost exactly the same amount on both of us and if one of our presents is cheaper she has been known to give the other sibing cash to make up the difference!  It’s a sweet deal for us – lol !

My mom is selfless and so dedicated and devoted to her family.  She has taught me the importance of being independent, strong, and giving. She has overcome great odds to survive and in the process taught me about what truly matters in life, and the lesson of appreciating the people around you daily and living in the present.  My mom is one tough cookie.  When she was fighting her battle with skin cancer, she was still just concerned about Cheryl and I and how this would affect us….US.  Not her, not for a moment (well maybe a moment) but the rest of the time she was just worried about us and Don – I am sure Don wouldn’t mind if I referred to him as the other child 😉  We are and have always been first in her thoughts.  She is an amazing mother.   She is an amazing wife.   She is my best friend.

This summer, in two months to be exact, my mom will walk me down the aisle on one of the most important days of my life.  She has guided me, inspired me, and shaped me into the (pretty freaking fabulous) woman I am today.  I couldn’t imagine sharing that moment with anyone else but her.

Mom – you mean the world to me.  I feel so lucky to have you as my mother.  I am so thankful for you.  I hope one day that I can be an amazing mom just like you 🙂

Happy Mother’s Day !

PS – She is the best cook EVER and makes the best cheese scones and turkey dinners in the world.  True fact.

Baby { Taine }

It’s hard to believe how fast time flies.  As I get older I am quickly realizing that the years are passing at an increasingly faster and faster pace. Wish this in mind I know how important it is to value the things that truly matter and to appreciate the journey instead of solely focusing on the destination.

In my twenties I have learned so much.  I have learned what it means to love without holding back, to be loved completely for who I am, and to hold on to those close to me and treasure each moment spent with them as you just never know when they will be gone.  I have learned to focus on the positive and to chase my dreams passionately without letting fear or self-doubt get in the way.  I have learned how important it is to dream big…real big, and to know that it is not only a possibility, but a fate that is completely within my control.  This has been a time in my life where I finally feel that I am coming into my own.  It feels like I am finally in my element.  And I like it.

Darren and I are taking on new things, challenges, responsibilities and commitments to one and other and I could not be happier about it.  We are getting married this July and are in the process of buying our second house.  With 2 destination weddings this year and our honeymoon to Greece, things are going to be busy!

I have been working very hard to build a strong clientele base over the past year and a half and I am looking forward to the day when I can pursue photography as my full-time career.  I am getting really busy and have been proud about my progress to date.  However, I am still working part-time at the government, which has really helped allow me to build my business and to avoid a lot of debt at the same time.  I have worked for the government for almost 5 years now.  Holy crap.  Time does fly.  I have worked with a lot of fabulous people there and one of them, Shannon, just had a beautiful baby boy named Taine.  Taine was a dream to photograph!  He did not cry at all.  Not even once!  He was so intrigued by the camera, that he kept focused on me which was a nice change of pace from me doing everything I can to get the baby to look at me 🙂  His lovely mother Shannon is such a truly kind, thoughtful, caring and compassionate person.  I feel honoured to know her, and couldn’t be happier that she chose me for Taine’s first photo session!  Shannon, while we miss you dearly at work, I am so excited for this new part of your life for you and Tim and I wish your family so much love and happiness.

I hope I can capture your little man on ‘film’ for years to come!

xoxo

Hello Handsom!

Hello Handsome!

Here is a fun storyboard I designed.  I just found out that one of my previous storyboard designs was showcased on the Red Leaf Studios Boutique website!!! I love their work and I am a huge fan of their products, so this was such an awesome surprise for me!

Mom McNeillMay 8, 2009 - 12:49 am

Oh my gosh, the story board is fabulous – I love the butt shots – little peaches!

Kate HoodMay 5, 2009 - 11:22 am

beautiful as usual kim. every shoot is better than the last. i love these faded colours. babies….can’t go wrong with babies. you capture these little creatures very well.

ShannonMay 5, 2009 - 3:24 am

Kim – you are so very talented!! Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for capturing these shots of our dear son Taine. He’ll be 3 months tomorrow and the time is flying by faster than I could have imagined. He has taught me so much about me, about life and most importanly what truly matters. I am so blessed to have him in my life and so lucky to have these precious photos. Thank you Kim.

xox
Shannon, Tim and Taine

Lovely Guin

Guin is away on vacation right now, probably lounging on a fabulous beach somewhere.  Ummm jealous.  But I told her I would post these when they were ready – and here they are !
Guin is a fabulous realtor and wanted some headshots for her new website.  I hope you can’t tell from these photos, but it was a SUPER windy day and we tried really hard to get some shots where it didn’t look like she was caught in a tornado. Oh and that adorable little pup is Piglet. Seriously too cute!

Enjoy 🙂

Love it !

Love it !

LisaMay 2, 2009 - 6:52 pm

Hey Kim,

These photos look fabulous and she is beautiful!

So sorry about friday! I am still wanting to meet. I am excited to meet you.

When are you getting married? you must be getting excited? XOXO Lisa

j. shipleyApril 30, 2009 - 4:55 am

ooo, i love the tunnel shot and the one with grass and awesome jet lines in the sky. so cool!!

SeanApril 28, 2009 - 9:16 am

These are absolutely brilliant, Kim! It seems so effortless to you, but they’re professional and still fun, still creative. She must be delighted with them!

Tulips from my garden

I had picked a bunch of tulips from my garden and fellow photographer Sean Norman of Norsea Photography thought I should share some on here, so here they are !!

j. shipleyApril 30, 2009 - 4:55 am

green thumb i see…noice!

SeanApril 28, 2009 - 9:17 am

Oh my gosh, Kim, there is such an abundance of them! They look amazing, what a beautiful variety of colours and stages in blooming. Love, love, love that second one! I’m so glad you shared!

{ Jenny }

Jenny and I started emailing awhile ago about setting up a portrait session just for her.  She wanted to celebrate some major fitness achievements she had reached and so this photo session was a reward and recognition for all the hard work she has done.  Jenny’s boyfriend Josh dropped her off for the session, so we snuck in some photos of the two of them as well 😉

Our session took place at the lovely Hatley Castle.  This location is becomming a huge favourite of mine!  The grounds here are just incredible.  The castle is stunning and with so much texture and plants and funky doors … I am in photographer heaven!  We had amazing weather too, which is always a bonus.

Jenny was a little fireball of energy.  This little lady knew how to work it BIG TIME too.  I barely gave any direction and she just kept striking awesome pose after pose and really had so many great ideas.  She made my job a piece of cake …. Mmmmm cake.  After chatting about fitness and healthy eating through our session, maybe I should say she made my job a piece of celery.  Just doesn’t quite have the same ring to it 😉

We had a lot of fun exploring the grounds, sneaking into areas we weren’t supposed to (don’t tell!), and having lots of laughs.

Jenny you were so much fun to work with and you rocked the session in a major way.  Hope you love your photos chickie!  I think you look AMAZING !

xo

Rawr !!

Rawr !!

Too Cute :)

Too Cute 🙂

A big fave !

A big fave !

SeanApril 25, 2009 - 5:52 pm

Kim, these are all extremely gorgeous. I love the location as well, looks magical there! The first & second to last are my favourites from this series. Beautiful colours!