Little baby N

Little baby N is really a phenom. Only 11 months, and walking up a storm. She's been up on her feet for months already. This happened with my first little one, Sarah, at 9 months, and she looked ever so funny walking along the roads of Castlegar with me that winter--everyone would stop us to exclaim because she was so tiny.

It's a holiday in Canada, so I found time to post

And what a lass to post about! Please say hello to little E. She's a big whopping 2.5 weeks now, but in these photos she was just a tiny bitty 2.5 days! I felt so honoured and pleased to get to spend time with this family again after doing Becky's maternity a couple months ago. E arrived all in a rush and gave her mama so little trouble during labour that they were back home--labour included--all in a day. (I know we all dream of perfect labours, and it's sooo nice to hear that they are reality for some lucky women.)

Little bitty E at 2.5 days old slept like a little log, and let me squoosh and fold and bend and arrange her. Isn't she just so adorable? I was at Becky's home for this one, and we had the sweetest light coming in a handy window, so some of these are natural light. I took my studio lights, though, and used them for most of the time. Newborn sessions with Jane Photo are kinda epic. We just take it slow and steady, and baby gets to eat every time she's inclined. It's so important not to rush, and for everyone to feel relaxed and comfortable since babies are so in tune with our moods. And while these special sessions do take four hours, on average, at the end the family has amazing images that they will treasure forever.

By two weeks of age, new little sprouts are just not newborn anymore. They are way more awake and "in the world." It's great to get them tiny, when they are still slumbrous and flexible.

Baby E was so sweet, and smelled so good, and made the most astonishing newborn coos, that I was just one melted in-love blob from the second I walked in til I finished editing their images. Oh wait...I am still a melted blob as I work on their order...I will never be over the sweet intoxication of this perfect baby.

We made this process entirely painless for dad. Just as he came in for the last few minutes of Becky's maternity, he came in for just the last few minutes of the newborn session. We got some stunning shots, proving again that dad doesn't have to suffer through the whole shebang. Of course he's welcome, but for the dads who aren't keen, it's nice to have the option.

Please, please leave comments for the mamas...they would so love your responses, I know.

Here's what mom had to say a couple weeks into her momdom:

What made you get photographs at 3 days of age compared to, say, two weeks or one month?

Jane suggested it! She mentioned how early on the baby is more bendy and still has all of cute little wrinkles on her hands, feet, and body... I wanted to have those in my pictures.

Did you know you were expecting a little girl?

We had no clue!! We guessed we were having a boy and we absolutely shocked when we saw she was a girl!

What is one thing E does that you never tire of seeing?

Her little facial expressions, there seems to be a new one everyday! I am getting to recognize her little expressions that she has for different situations, I just love it!!! Now I am just waiting for my first “real smile”!

Explain how you feel when you see E curled up with her daddy.

It makes my heart melt!! She already has him wrapped around her little finger, and I really see that when she is sleeping on his chest. The way he looks at her is indescribable!

What’s one thing you can’t start your day without?
Before her, I would have said a morning run and a coffee, now I would have to see a morning cuddle with her and my coffee!

What’s your idea of an ideal day?

A day with my family. When Ash has his days off we grab coffees in the morning and take Blue (the dog) for a walk with the baby, then spend the rest of the day hanging out as a family :)

This baby had the most luscious skin...and look at those lips and eyelashes!

Jane Photo had the extreme pleasure to photograph a second baby K recently. This little one is the pudgiest six-month-old baby boy with the sweetest loving mama any kid could hope for. Little K came into the studio, which can be somewhat of a challenge for little ones with all the new sights and sounds and funny feeling props. Dad didn't attend, as some of these photos--in particular the protective gargoyle ones--are meant to be surprises for him at Christmas. Mom didn't want any pix with her in them, though right at the end I cajoled her into being a prop for one of my famous shoulder shots. (I love these shots...they are always unique, and always somehow manage to show the love between the parent and child.) Little K was fine on his own--just the happiest, gurgling little dude whom nothing could faze.

Here are mom C's answers to my questions about her new son:


What was the most exciting thing about having a baby?
A~ looking in his eyes for the very first time and telling him i love him


Now that your little guy is 6 months old, what do you love best about him?
A~ how curious and social he is, talking and singing. and the topper? his laugh


This will be the first holiday season that K remembers. Do you have special plans?
A~ Nothing "special," just the start of OUR family traditions that will be special every year


What is K’s very favourite thing to do?
A~ he loves to watch birds


Is being a mother like you expected it would be?
A~ Being a mother everything is multiplied by a million--even how tired you are. But it is an internal feeling of ...... i can't even put it into words to do the feeling justice.

Woo hoo! I am actually posting on my blog!

Everyone, say hello to the divine Ms. K. Jane Photo met up with the R family on a beautiful autumn day just outside Vancouver. It was chilly, and we were a bit time-pressed, but we got many gorgeous captures. Ms. K is just two months old, and her loving parents couldn't be more pleased to have her in their lives--ditto for her grandparents, who are here from Malaysia. This baby had me twisted around her pudgy little finger within minutes...I just totally lost my heart. I half hope the R family will be calling me at 3 in the morning when Ms K decides to serenade them, lol. (I think I'm getting known as the baby whisperer.) As always, I'd love to have you leave some comments here for the families!

Here are the answers Mom generously offered to a few considered questions:

Did you know you were expecting a girl?
Yes, we did.


How was your delivery?
Easier and faster than I thought it would be. :-)


Is parenthood what you were expecting it to be?
Maybe a little more challenging than I'd expected.


What is your favourite thing about baby K?
Her pure existence? :-) It's hard to pick out any one thing (and also, she doesn't do very much at this stage) but I'd have to say her smiles are precious (and few and far between) :-D


What are you most looking forward to about the future with her?
Watch her grow up and see what kind of a person she becomes (hopefully a wonderful person and that something I did would have instilled that in her).


What one thing would you like other parents to know about having a first child?
No two babies are the same - take what other people tell you with a pinch of salt, do what works for you. And it's harder than you'll EVER know and *impossible* to prepare for! ;-)

The loveliest baby in Vancouver, I swear

Baby H came in to see Jane Photo last week with her loving mama and I wanted to share a few of her images with everyone.

Oh my goodness, what a sweetie. She just charmed me. It's not very often one can cajole a 7-month-old into a series of strange hats without complaint, but H was a little trooper no matter what we asked her to wear. Course we got loads of perfectly ordinary photos too, but the hats are a definite favourite of mine. Her parents just loved her images, and I do too. Thanks, L family, for choosing Jane Photo, and please bring your little cutie back to see me again. H is just a doll.

The wife and I grabbed a few moments yesterday in all the hubbub of a busy client season to take some portraits of each other. Sooo long overdue; I haven't had any portraits of me made for years (although some nice ones were captured by Janet Rerecich at our daughter's wedding this summer), and I love taking photos of Joy. She is so adorable. The trees were gorgeous. I think I can safely say that we've never seen such an eastern fall in Vancouver. The weather has been stunning all September and now all October, and there haven't been any of our usual wind storms to tear the leaves from the trees before they change colour. It's really red and yellow and even orange. We had fun playing in the leaves during our "fall in an hour" drive. I really hated being on the receiving end of the photographs, though...which is a good lesson to have every once in a while as I subject my clients to it nearly every day. We ended up at MountainView Cemetery where, on Saturday, they held the first Vancouver version of Day of the Dead. Such a great Mexican festival, and every year I long to go back to photograph its wonders and sorrows. Here is my tiny piece of it from yesterday. We lit incense for our moms and said a word for all our lost friends and family members.

The photos of me were taken by Joy Masuhara, as was the photograph of the closeup of the tree in the composite. She's great behind a camera, isn't she?

Okanagan Wine Festival

Such a sweet little getaway Joy and I had last weekend. It was great to leave the city, and great to be around all that nature. We stayed at the Summerland Lakeside Resort, where the suites were unexpectedly beautiful and sooo comfy--just right for curling up with a special squeeze and a book. I loved all the vineyards, and kept snapping pix to get just the right ones--who could go wrong at such wineries as Dirty Laundry and Therapy? I didn't drink, because I don't like to, and this has its benefits, of course, as I was the easy designate for driving, for instance, and had no hangovers. But I wish Joy had had someone to tipple with...but co-tippler or no, she was happy to play, and we had a delightful time together. She was very impressed with the quality of the wines, btw, and came home with 12 bottles--and oh yeah, I'm pretty sure she saw the Ogopogo.

And there are some very very lucky newborns upcoming. In Ollala (oh la la!) I bought the coolest dough pan which I'm itching to use for baby pix.

Evangeline Grace

On the subject of Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep and parents who will be having a rough time this Thanksgiving, I wanted so much to share these images captured just last week of tiny, adorable Evangeline Grace for her grieving parents, S and R. She arrived much, much too early, at 20 weeks, suffering from Trisomy 18. There is so, so much love evident in these photographs. Her sorrowing parents just sent me this email:

I meant to e-mail you and let you know that we received the dvd. The photos are absolutely beautiful! It was such a relief to receive them because the photos we took with our own camera in the hospital are very dark and it is very difficult to make out Evangeline in them. When we saw the photos you took it brought such relief to me that I will be able to see her forever now. The NILMDTS organization and you are such a godsend. I don't think most people realize how important it is to capture these special "angel babies' on film for the parents to be able to look upon them and spend special moments thinking about their babies. We are forever grateful to you and the NILMDTS organization for making our situation just a little bit easier. My husband I are were commenting earlier how it takes a really special and caring person to do what you do and to be so kind with a warm heart and warm words; we can never thank you enough. You are a true inspiration. ...We would love to share with others the photos of Evangeline.

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts,

S and R

Please, as always, feel free to leave a comment below about this or any other blog entry.

Before Canada's Thanksgiving holiday arrives this coming weekend, I wanted (again) to mention the great organization Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep. Jane Photo has volunteered for them for about two and a half years, and it has been my honour to be with many families as they go through an early infant loss. There are several Vancouver area photographers--and we can always use more as the service gets more and more known in our area. I am one of Vancouver's Area Coordinators, along with Gael Noel from Noel Photography; we organize things for the area, and help to arrange photographers for families.

A few weeks ago, Mary Frances Hill, a reporter for the Vancouver Sun, approached us to write an article, and it appeared on the front page. What wonderful coverage. They featured a little tyke I photographed for the organization earlier this year whose name was Noah Neufeld. Though his prognosis was dire, Noah was born alive and quite alert, as you can see from the featured photographs here. We were all pretty happy and celebratory that evening in the hospital, then saddened when Noah died 28 days later.

I know for a fact that this incredible family has helped Noah touch many, many more families as they have told their story again and again.

As families celebrate Thanksgiving this weekend, please take an extra second to give thanks for your kiddos, and to remember the families who have lost theirs this year. Our thoughts and hearts are with them.

You can find NILMDTS at .

The Vancouver Sun story, without its photos, appears at