I am sure you have all been absolutely beside yourselves wondering why I haven’t been blogging… As it turns out, having a full time job takes up a lot of time and energy! Who knew?! Although I have still been working on my business a lot, it just usually happens between 9-11 pm, soooooo I may have been choosing to sleep instead (or watch Scandal, but whatever). In all seriousness, I am working lots, but finding it hard to carve out time to share. I have been turning to Instagram more than ever lately because it is quick and easy (if you don’t already, go follow me! @brittanyvanruymbekephotos).

Buuuut I thought it was about time I shared my April favourites, and looking back on the month it was awesome. Our little G turned ONE. I can’t even start talking about that because I WILL. NOT. STOP. All the usual reactions: “Time is flying”, “Why God, why?!”, “Is this for fucking-real?”, you know, normal mom thoughts.

Photographically I don’t think April was a strong month for me. It was kind of dark and dreary despite it being Spring, and I don’t know about you but I was definitely over it. I shot less frames in April than any other month in the past 2 years. It was also my first month back to work, and the hours between dinner and bed time just seemed to disappear into housework, meltdowns and meal prep. I don’t know why I feel the need to justify myself, because I’m pretty sure that describes everyones life, but alas… I’ll stop talking now.

Happy First Birthday Gryffin. You have completed our family in the most perfect way. You are smart, hilarious, mischievous, exhausting and so full of joy. I can’t wait to see where this beautiful life takes you.

Happy Friday ya’ll!

B

March was so good to us. We took a little family vacation, the boys moved into their shared room, Gryffin took his first steps, we had countless living room battles, and their bond grew a little bit stronger every day. As I prepped for my first Life At Home Workshop, I was trying to find the words to describe why I document our family so much, and why this means so much to me, and I think the month of March is a great example of how special our little life is. It is full of routine, new experiences, milestones being met and our everyday shenanigans. As much as our family vacation was amazing and will definitely stand out in our memories, it is surrounded by days of pure normalcy. Nothing spectacular happened on those days, but they are equally as important to me as those 7 days in Florida. They hold so much more for me, and the images from those days will forever remind me of the beauty of our everyday life and how lucky I am to be living it.

March was full of beautiful things like: our Wednesday trips to the library…

Seeing our boys exhausted from a day at the pool…

Watching them take in all the wonder of new experiences…

Having unlimited time with both Mom and Dad for a whole week…

Finding ways to keep them both occupied in an airport and on the plane…

Returning home to our normal routine and a few new beginnings…

Watching big brother take care of his best bud…

Getting glimpse at what school in September will be like…

Taking first steps…

And every other little moment in between.

I hope you are seeing the beauty in your everyday too. Because amongst the chaos, the school drop off, the diaper changes, the dirty dishes and the commutes, there are so many moments worth remembering. If you are interested in hosting Life At Home: A Photography Workshop For Mom’s, please contact me at brittanyelizabethphoto@gmail.com to book your spot!

I am really excited to be sharing this blog post with you today. Today is Cystinosis Sunglasses Day, a day to raise awareness about the very rare genetic disease Cystinosis. After a long 2 years of doctor hopping, inconclusive tests and frustration, our dear friends Katelyn and Adam learned that her son, Alan, was born with this genetic condition and that their life would forever be changed.

Cystinosis is characterized by a build up of the amino acid cystine in the body, which can cause all sorts of health concerns, most notably kidney and vision problems. Many people with cystinosis wear sunglasses the majority of the time due to the increased sensitivity of their eyes. At this point, there is no cure for cystinosis.

In order to function and grow, Alan must take medication every 6 hours in order to keep the cystine levels in his body at a manageable level, adding up to a whopping 23 doses a day. That is every 6 hours for the rest of his life. No exceptions. On top of that, he must receive 6 sets of eye drops throughout the day to help clear the cystine. Due to the disease, as well as going 2 years without a diagnosis, Alan will grow at a much slower pace than others.

Although Alan has cystinosis, he is so much more than his diagnosis. He is one of the smartest kids I know, impressing me with his language skills every time I see him, and showing me on the map where all of his family members live. He is creative and imaginative, making breakfast out of dirt and rocks in his play set. He can dance like no other. And my God, he is strong.

Last summer, Katelyn asked me to document an hour or two of their day as she was writing a piece for a magazine and wanted to include images that reflected Alan and his big spirit. In honour of Cystinosis Sunglasses Day today, I am sharing a little glimpse at our morning together in the hope that this might raise a little more awareness about cystinosis and to shine a light on this amazing, strong family. Katelyn and Adam, you are both such amazing supportive parents to Alan, and he couldn’t be in better hands. And seeing how Alan has blessed my friend and made her this courageous and fierce mother makes me so happy.

If you want to learn a little more about Cystinosis visit the Cystinosis Research Foundation. If you are local to Ontario, and want to donate to or get involved with this cause, check out the Liv-A-Little Foundation and read Olivia’s story. Even if you are unable to donate, please help raise awareness today by snapping a selfie of yourself and/or your kids and post it to the Cystinosis Sunglasses Day Facebook Page and use the hashtag #cystinosissunglassesday on social media.

February is always a rough month. The rush of the new year is over, the days are short, and the weather is cold. I am thankful everyday for the beauty I see through my camera, because without it I would not be the same person. Documenting our days is not always easy, and sometimes when I am lacking inspiration I get these thoughts in my head about it being insignificant, or that no one cares, or that they aren’t good enough. But I am so glad that I push through those days, because at the end of the week/month/year, I have something so special to look back on. So many memories documented, so many moments recorded: proof that it really does matter. How lucky am I to be the one who gets to see this every day? How lucky am I to be able to go back and re live it? How lucky am I to have tangible memories to share with my boys when they are older?

Next month I am launching my first introductory photography course for Moms, called Life At Home. It will focus on learning the basics of photography and documenting your everyday at home with your children. Be sure to join my Newsletter if you are interested in joining me!

Here is our February. It is not perfect. I felt like I was in a major slump for the month, but it still yielded some amazing memories for us to look back on. And that is all that matters. Whether anyone reads this or looks at the images is insignificant, but these moments together and memories made is what life is all about.

My Spring calendar is filling up, so if you’re looking for a family photographer in Chatham-Kent, email me at brittanyelizabethphoto@gmail.com to reserve your spot! Also, if you’re wondering whether my children ever get dressed, the answer is no. 😉

Xo, B.

This family literally lit up my day when I met with them. They are obviously very close, extremely loving and supportive of each other, and they knew how to have a good time. Anyone who knows them would tell you the same thing. They set up this session as a gift for their mom, and as you can see she was absolutely glowing and so happy the entire time, being surrounded by her children and grandchildren. Everyone was genuinely happy to be spending the afternoon together, and although some of them were a little reluctant to get their pictures taken (cough – Dave – cough), it was obvious how much fun they all have together. And coming from a blended family myself, they hold a special place in my heart. There is nothing I love more than seeing families come together and welcome everyone in with open arms.

Thank you to the DeBakker Family for having me – you really made my job an easy one! I hope you are all still loving the images from your fall session.

See how much fun they are?! If you are interested in Spring Family Sessions, email me at brittanyelizabethphoto@gmail.com to reserve your spot!

Does anyone else feel like it was JUST January 1st, and now all of a sudden it is MARCH?! March!

One of my goals for this year was to improve my storytelling ability. I think I am beginning to see some improvement in my individual images in this sense by including more in the frame to tell the story, focusing on particular details, and embracing the reality of our life right now. But, part of my goal was to try to shoot stories in a series, maybe 5-10 images that can be put together to tell the story rather than just one. As you will see below, this is something I still need to work on.  I am hoping to do more of this and share these mini stories on the blog, instead of spamming you with a month’s worth of unrelated images all at once! I have been trying to find brainstorm a creative way to share my 365 project this year, but alas here I am on month 3 and haven’t blogged anything! So in the interest of time, I am just going to share my monthly favourites. And we all know I cannot cull down images to save my life, so this post is full (of pure cuteness, in my expert opinion).

Without any further ado, here are my January favourites

Jan. 1

Jan. 2

Jan. 4

Jan. 5

Jan. 9

Jan. 10

Jan. 13

Jan. 15

Jan. 16

Jan. 17

Jan. 18

Jan. 21

Jan. 22

Jan. 25

Jan. 26

Jan. 30

Thanks for stopping by for a peek! If you are looking for a Storytelling Photographer Chatham-Kent, let’s chat! I would love a chance to tell your story.
Xo, B.

As I gear up for the busy 2017 Spring season I am hustling trying to get all of my 2016 sessions blogged. If you are interested in booking a session for the Spring, get in touch sooner rather than later as I am only taking a limited number of sessions this year!

So here we go, back in time to a beautiful October evening. This was my second year in a row photographing this family, and there is no greater compliment than returning customers! Miss G has grown up so much, and her little giggle and sneaky smile are what every mom dreams of. And those curls!! She was actually so adorable showing me her bedtime routine, tucking Daddy in and rubbing his back, and like a good Dad does, he played along with her every step of the way.

Thank you again Hart Family, I hope these moments are treasured.