It's Been Cold All December

I know because Angela and Damien's engagement shoot was December first. They decided to have photographs made where Angela works--the Cancer Agency--and at City Square, the mall. They were a hoot to work with--the kind of couple one could only refer to as "game" when I suggested a grocery cart--and I'm so looking forward to the pleasure of capturing their June wedding.

In the Early Whispering Hours

In the early hours of Christmas night, when snow fell softly across the city, Angel was born to her loving, longing and brave mama. Although the studio is closed for the holidays, I felt it was important to be there with Angel's mother as Angel joined and left their family.

I made photographs of beautiful little Angel for the organization Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep, a non-profit foundation dedicated to creating infant bereavement photography. I was honoured to be with Angel's family at this difficult time in their lives. Angel was so wanted, and well loved, and will be sorely missed.

I have taken the following text from the Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep website, where the sentiments are expressed more eloquently than I could possibly tender them:

Pregnancy and birth are miraculous journeys. This amazing time of life is full of mystery, anticipation, joy, hope, and wonder. Feeling the powerful energy of birth and new life, watching as a new family is born unto each other. These things humble and amaze. These are the things that we celebrate when a baby is born.


But there is another aspect of pregnancy and birth. There is an unexpected place in this journey where some families may find themselves. When a baby dies, a world is turned upside down. There is confusion, sadness, fear, and uncertainty that cannot be explained. There is sorrow where there should have been joy. During this time, it might be impossible for families to know what they might need in order to heal in the future.

This is the place where the Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep Foundation gently provides a helping hand and a healing heart. For families overcome by grief and pain, the idea of photographing their baby may not immediately occur to them. Offering gentle and beautiful photography services in a compassionate and sensitive manner is the heart of this organization. The soft, gentle heirloom photographs of these beautiful babies are an important part of the healing process. They allow families to honor and cherish their babies, and share the spirits of their lives.

We're Taking a Break!

Just a short note to say that the studio is shutting down from tomorrow, December 19, until January 7! Time for a well-deserved rest after an exceedingly busy time since March!

I hope everyone has very happy holidays and a happy start to the year 2008! The Naughties are almost gone already, and we'll be into the double-digit years in no time. Where did the time go?

A Lovely Group Visiting from Overseas

These women and men visited Vancouver a couple of weeks ago and found every sort of weather imaginable. Crisp sunshine and cold; heavy snowfalls (when they got stuck trying to get back to the city from Whistler!) and absolute torrents of rain and wind that cancelled ferries and flooded the city streets.

But it was a total pleasure photographing them, and between rainfalls, we got some stunning photographs.

Cheers to them, and wishes for a contented new year back in their home countries.

A sad time for M and J

A couple I'll call M and J contacted me recently through the auspices of Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep, for whom I shoot remembrance photography, in hopes that I'd be able to photography their newborn when he sallies forth into the world sometime in the next month. Little N has been diagnosed with the chromosomal abnormality Trisomy 13. I quote from the website livingwithtrisomy13.org:

Also called Trisomy 13 Syndrome, having a third (extra) number 13 chromosome, occurs about 1 in 5,000 live births. Trisomy 13 children have multiple abnormalities. Some include heart defects, brain defects, cleft lip, cleft palate. The most severe are visual abnormalities, omphalocele, proboscis and holoprosencephaly. Because of the many abnormalities, we believe all of these children are survivors if they reach their mothers arms. They are true miracles of life. Many only survive outside their mothers womb a few short minutes, hours or days. While others can go home and survive months. Sadly, many of the children with Trisomy13 (Patau Syndrome) do not reach their first birthday.

At 29 weeks along, M and J know they are having a son. They have an older boy, D, who is just the sweetest little guy ever. When they visited my studio on a frigid evening recently for a few maternity photographs, even though it was bedtime little D managed to be nothing but engaging for the whole hour and a half. Quite an accomplishment, I'd say, and I'm so pleased he's able to be involved with his tiny brother's life. Even if he's too young to remember all this, he'll have these photographs.

All during the session, M was feeling, and seeing big strong kicks. Little N is definitely a fighter.

I wish M and J days of peace ahead. I am honoured to be in their lives.

We've Got a Swell New Look

Well, it's been a long process, but we've finally changed our name, made it legal, and are raising a glass of champagne!

I used Jane Eaton Hamilton Photography when I started out because I already have a great reputation as a Canlit writer (author of six books), and wanted the name recognition to carry through. But it's just too darned hard for folks who aren't hooked in to my reputation to remember, so thanks to some prompting from my youngest, we're now the snappy and bright Jane Photo! Officially! No more long-winded addresses to type! It's tons easier for us, too.

With the new name, we needed a new logo, so we're brand spanking new there too. We got out our design pens and went to work, and we love the new colours, blue and brown, the new packaging (yum...polka dots and stripes) and the the new splash page on our websites. We're introducing a custom customer service site over the next few weeks too, so stay tuned. When you book your session, you'll be sent to your own personal site that has tons of groovy stuff to help you keep unpuzzled and organized regarding your experience with us.

This time of year is when all the backend work of running a photography biz happens...the site updates and so on. We all take a close look at what is working, what could be improved, and get moving on the latter. So look forward to more sweet new changes as the new year clicks over and brings us more winter with a bright new 2008.

This is also a big thank you to all our clientele for allowing me and my team to be there to photograph the important moments in your lives this past year. For many of you, couples from Florida and Texas and Japan and Singapore and England and France, and lots of locals, those were ecstatic--weddings, birthdays, capturing just an ordinary day in your life--and for others those were tragic--couples who lost babies whom I photographed for Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep--but none of you were less than cherished on my end. I don't think photographers tell you enough, so let me say it: It is truly a deep honour to be in your lives during their important, heartfelt passages.

A special thank you goes out to those whose infants and toddlers I photographed this year, just because, well, because as you all have figured out by now, I'm kid-crazy. Totally over the moon with babies. I am not sure why babies charm me so, but it is, I think, mutual--they seem to know and respond to the warmth. It is like the late and great Jane Rule once wrote, and I only paraphrase: They reach in and wrap a string of lights around my heart. It is a delight beyond measure for me to be able to spend time with your kiddos, and to make great art of them to hang on your walls. I want to see their images even bigger in '08...30"x40" or 24"x30". The canvases, especially in black and white, look so flipping awesome. Each one of your kids struck sparks in my heart in '07, and I have melted, and smiled, and laughed out loud, more times than recordable. How can I even thank you for the joy of that? I look forward to seeing many of your babes again this coming year, and to meeting the many new ones who will charm my cockles in '08. You have no idea how excited I am! I've got great new props and ideas and lenses and talents, and I look forward to many fulfilling sessions in your homes and my studio.

Cecile

Tried some painting with light last weekend with Cecile, our model from Paris who is in Canada just for one semester. This lovely image is the result.