I mentioned in my last post that I had the privilege of trading with two other extremely talented photographers in June. I started with the second because I seem to love chaos, but now I want to share my session with the first, which was a special session as it took place on my 30th birthday and was a Fresh 48 session for a sweet little girl who had been born earlier that morning at BC Women’s Hospital.

Kathy Lui of Kathy Lui Photography approached me months ago to ask if I would be interested in trading with her, and I immediately accepted! Near the beginning of June she did a dream-come-true sunset beach session of me and my family and produced just breathtaking images which will hang on my walls for years to come. In return, she asked if I’d be willing to come to BC Women’s Hospital and do a Fresh48 session for her when her daughter was born. Now, if you haven’t noticed yet, newborn sessions and photographing newborns is my absolute favourite. If I had to pick one thing to photograph for the rest of my life it would be tiny, squishy, fresh little babes. At that point I didn’t have an in-hospital Fresh48 session under my belt yet, so I jumped at the chance.

Kathy expressed that she had wished she had done a Fresh48 Session for her older daughter, but for personal reasons wasn’t thinking about it at the time, but would really love one for this little babe. Now, the nature of Fresh48 sessions is that you’re sort of on call for up to two weeks. It’s not like birth where you have to drop everything and go at a moments notice, but you do need to be able make arrangements pretty quickly depending on when baby arrived. Being at home with two children this meant doing a bit of a dance for me. I had to have about three different childcare options lined up depending on what day of the week the baby was born. We had a good idea of when baby would come as she was being induced. She texted me early the morning of June 21, my 30th birthday, that baby had come early that morning and we arranged for an afternoon session.

The best thing about this session, for me anyway, was that their older daughter hadn’t met baby yet, and I was there to capture the first moment she saw her. And let me tell you, I’ve never seem more awe, amazement and joy on the face of a two-year-old. She crawled onto the bed with mommy and daddy where they sat holding her little sister and looked down at baby, then up at her parents with the biggest smile I’ve ever seen, back down at her sister, then back at her parents with the same smile, over and over throughout the session. It was such a beautiful moment, and I was so honoured to be able to capture it for their family.

What a special way to spend my birthday, capturing another family welcoming their sweet babe into this world, and this sweet little nugget left me with baby fever despite having a six-month-old who is the captain for Team No Sleep at home. And that’s part of the reason I love sessions like these! Being a part of the joy and excitement of welcoming a much-anticipated little one is like nothing else. It reminds me of the overwhelming love I felt for my kids the first moment I held them, and of the gift that they are to my life. It also makes me want more, so maybe for my husband’s sake I shouldn’t do these sessions too often!

Want to see more brand new squishy babies? Take a look at another Fresh48 session!

Wondering what exactly a Fresh 48 session is? Read about what makes them unique!