Baby Emelia was at born at home in the middle of the Covid-19 lock down. She is the rainbow baby of my beautiful friend Jaime and her husband Casey. Two years ago this month, their older daughter Ellie was diagnosed with the fatal brain tumour known as DIPG. I was able to photograph their family and beautiful little Ellie before DIPG changed their family. It was one of the most important sessions I ever photographed.
Now, we have a beautiful rainbow baby Emelia, and there was no better place to photograph her first portraits than under the first sign of spring, the gorgeous pink blossoms. They are a celebration of life and resiliency. After the cold and darkness of a long winter, beauty always returns.
Jaime spoke about her experience working with me and I asked if I could share this message with you.
“At this stage in my life, I live in the moment. Soaking up the memories and cherishing them. Photography is capturing each special moment in time and documenting each milestone. Emelia’s newborn stage was important for me to document professionally. Emelia is our rainbow, our beautiful sunshine after the darkest storm. Even though Covid-19 cancelled our maternity session, and pushed our newborn session a couple months later than the “normal” timeline, I’m so grateful to have these memories documented. To “get in the picture” with my girls, to remember the details of how small they were. I always loved and valued photography but after devastating loss of our oldest daughter, I truly understood how important photography is in our lives.
Photography has documented the life & legacy of our daughter Ellie who passed away from a rare and aggressive brain tumour. I am so incredibly thankful that I have the professional photographs of my family together. To be able to look back at the beautiful family of 4 and pass those memories down to my other beautiful girls Lizzie and Emelia. I hope that they can cherish the moments like I do, that they can feel connected to their big sister Ellie. I want my girls to see their big sister! Her silly faces, her hugs, her smiling eyes, her twirls, her beauty! I want them to cherish the wonderful memories. I want them to remember her legacy and see my love for my family on both sides of the realm. Family photography is the best investment I have ever made, and I am grateful everyday for the pictures that hang in my home to remind me of moments that I will cherish forever.
Ever since I was little I loved looking through old albums and being transported back in time. When I started my own family I became the mom that always was carrying a camera to take a million pictures of my girls. I was often behind the camera attempting to capture the world through their eyes. I love my snapshots and the images of all the little moments I’ve photographed. But hardly any pictures were taken of me with my girls.
This is why I vowed to always book photography sessions to document “us”, through every season of life. I look back on those smiles and my heart melts. Those beautiful moments in time that I will treasure always!
Thank you Kelsy for capturing these moments in time. Ellie, Lizzie, and now Emelia. Our family. You are incredibly passionate and have such an eye for seeing the beauty in everything. You came into my life in the darkest of times, picked me up and helped me through with your art. I’m forever grateful for your love and support. You have no idea how much I appreciate you.”
I know the value that photography has in lives in of my clients. I know the magnitude of a memory and how photography can bring us back to a moment in our lives. I am family historian, telling stories that only become more important as our lives change. This is the exact reason I wanted to become a family photographer, to capture the real, the beauty and depth of each family I document. There is nothing I rather do.
Thank you to each of you for letting me tell your personal story.
xoxo,
Kelsy
