Maria's Lumiere Session

"I had admired the photographs of others on your blog for a while and longed to have my own session. Anticipating making a large change to the length of my hair prompted me to finally reach out to you. I thought that having more hair would probably work well with the romantic and dreamy feeling of the Lumiere photographs. The day itself was something I've never experienced before: the pampering at Strands with full makeup and hair styling, followed by the hours spent in front of a camera lens in far fancier clothes and jewelry than I get to wear in my daily life. I did not want to see the images as we went along that day, but I did wonder if my typically un-photogenic self would provide anything you could work with. The 'big reveal' session was jaw-dropping - seeing all those photos, displayed as art in a gallery was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. I thought afterwards that a Lumiere session could easily be compared to being an artist's muse for a day. It was amazing to see the result of your artist eye and to have you turn your imagination loose on each photo.  Thank you very much for exceeding my expectations!"

Happy Anniversary Paul and Romana

"Paul and I are celebrating our fifth wedding anniversary this year and so I decided to do a Lumiere session with Amanda as a gift for my wonderful husband and of course for myself too. I loved the session with Amanda, it was a lot of fun. Having my hair and make up done at Strands and the fantastic surroundings at Amanda's, it really made me feel special... and that's how Paul makes me feel too.

Happy Anniversary, Darling. Thank you for being such a caring, patient, loving, and just utterly super husband! I am looking forward to celebrating with you this evening - see if you can arrange the fireworks for us again... Love Romy"

I have had the honour of photographing Romana and Paul twice before and they are adorable together. It was wonderful to work on this gift with Romana. Thank you for a wonderful shoot.

Here are a few of my favourites from the shoot; there were some other beautiful images... but those are for Paul's eyes only...

Happy Birthday Mikayla

When Katy asked Mikayla what she'd like for her birthday, she said that had seen Tristan's Lumiere Portrait and that she too would love a portrait session. 

Mikayla and Katy came to see the photographs yesterday. I adore the shooting and editing, but this is my favourite part. I love seeing the joy, the surprise and sometimes, the tears. It is always hard for mothers to see their baby girls growing up so fast. And I think this is what Katy felt - a mix of emotions - she beamed at seeing her daughter look so beautiful but there was a little fear too about how quickly she is growing up. Mikayla's smile was pretty big too. I'm so glad that she loves her birthday present!

Vernon at Strands did a fabulous job with hair and make-up. And this Uno de 50 necklace was a gift. I have tried to wear it a few times but have not had the perfect outing or frock. But I think it is divine with this blue velvet.

Mikayla is a swimmer and had her team name drawn on her arm. At first she tried to hide it, but I thought it was a lovely way to incorporate something that is meaningful to her into her shoot.

A few months ago a beautiful, little orange boat appeared at the end of my road. I knocked on my neighbour's door and asked if I might be able to borrow the boat for a shoot. He said yes. So for three months I had been planning a shoot around this wee boat. When Katy booked Mikayla's Lumiere session, I thought the boat would be perfect for her. My mother helped me make the sail from Designer's Guild fabric and the buoy I had found on my beach. The day before the shoot I returned home to find the boat orange was gone!!! 

So, on the day of the shoot I had to build a boat... Again my mother came to the rescue and we built and painted this wee thing. I highly doubt it would be sea-worthy, but in the field I think it is perfect. And now, I believe things actually do work out the way they are supposed to. I love this little blue boat. It was far easier to move and is much better with the sail than the orange boat would have been.

 A little Photoshop et voila we are at sea...

Alexandra Mosher kindly volunteered to assist as the mast was a bit wobbly. And goodness me my feet were so filthy after traipsing back and forth through the field.

It started to sprinkle, but luckily it was the tiniest of showers and we were able to keep shooting.

And again before and after. I am really enjoying creating these composites. These adorable fish are made by Carla Marquardt. Their bodies are Bermuda cedar and their fins are sculpted from copper from the roof of the Anglican Cathedral. She has all sorts of other goodies too - you can visit her at Harbour Nights every Wednesday.

Thank you Mikayla for a wonderful afternoon! I do hope you enjoyed it as much as I did!