A few weeks ago Alex and I had the opportunity to join Ben on one of his many trips up north into Buffalo, NY. Around these parts my husband is now known as the "Buffalo Soldier" because he has been up there so often and he actually does come from Africa!
We flew into Buffalo and then took a hired car to travel further north to the Niagara Falls. First we had a look from the American side and then we crossed the border into Canada to have a look there and also to spend a night in a hotel right by the falls.
Although the surroundings feel like you've stepped back into the 70s and there is no beauty there (actually it is pretty ugly) the falls are spectacular. And I'm sorry America, but the Canadian Horseshoe Falls are better!
The next day we had special reservations for a helicopter flight over the falls. This was a surprise for Alex, who had been wanting to fly a helicopter ever since Ben got to fly one in the summer. But I think when it did happen, he was flabbergasted for most of the experience.
I had enjoyed the same flight in probably the same helicopter 15 years ago - never in my wildest dreams would I have thought I'd be doing it again in my lifetime, let alone with my husband and son! I am so blessed! After the adrenaline rush of the flight, we drove towards Toronto but stayed in Oakville outside of the city with friends, who were kind enough to offer us their spare bed.
We really enjoyed the Toronto area. One day was spent sightseeing around the city. We enjoyed a city tour in the Hippo Bus, which is a unique 40 passenger vessel that offers land and water tours of Toronto. Super cool!
Once I had cleaned up my camera after an unfortunate pigeon poop incident (Can you believe it! Thank heavens for disinfectant wipes!), we had lunch in a teeny-tiny Japanese Restaurant, which we just happened to stumble across - absolutely outstanding!!! You couldn't swing a cat in that place but still they had about 9 small tables that were busy all the time.
After lunch we took the subway to Union Station, which is undergoing major renovations. It is a beautiful building! And I love the experiment in the subway with the moving trains and the weird lighting. From there we went to the CN Tower (via a little detour where we almost landed up in a sex expo, with our 4 year old in tow!). Alex loved and still loves the CN Tower! He had no issues standing on the glass floor. Ben on the other hand...
We had a lovely time on our mini-tour, I'm glad we had this opportunity to show Alex another part of the world and add another country to his repertoire.
Enjoy the many, many pictures!
Just over a week ago I met the F. Family and had an absolute blast taking pictures with them at our local Sims Lake Park - I love that place! Every time I go there I notice a new little nook.
The F. Family is highly photogenic and they chose the perfect colours for and autumn session, the pictures are so natural and I did more or less no posing...I prefer my clients to relax and be themselves, I don't want to direct each frame. I prefer to let things happen and see where it takes us.
Little Miss H., the daughter of the family, was clearly the "boss" and she did really well despite her initial disappointment at having to do pictures outside??! ;-) I think in the end she enjoyed herself though and she made my life pretty easy. Her smile is utterly contagious! And from many of the pictures it is very clear that her parents adore her.
Thank you dear F. Family for giving me the opportunity to take these gorgeous pictures of and for you, I hope they will be cherished and enjoyed for many moons by many eyes. I hope we'll get another chance to get together in the future, you guys are great!
Last Saturday I enjoyed the company of Baby Girl J. and her parents in my studio and we had lots of fun together. She made it through 3 wardrobe changes and still left with a little smile on her face.
At first she wasn't too sure about this lady with the black machine that made a clicking sound and let off a flash of light though, every time I repositioned her or wiped her tears, she got a little upset. But in the end I think I won her over with a few peek-a-boos and funny sounds as well as lots of "Twinkle, twinkle little star" singing.
I was so excited to see the tutu that I had made months ago, in action. I think the pictures are adorable and her expressions are classic! And apparently the giraffe ribbon was very tasty too. Her traditional Indian Sari was amazing and so beautifully made, it was a piece of art and just wonderful to photograph!
Thanks for coming to visit me sweet Baby Girl J. - I look forward to taking some more pictures of you and your family and guests on your 1st Birthday!
