MY JOURNAL

There’s something so special about capturing family photos in the comfort and familiarity of your own home. When you opt for a photo shoot in your home, you create an opportunity to capture moments that are uniquely yours—from a baby’s first smile or steps taken, to a toddler’s laughter and all the love shared between […]

Before lockdown, my brother and I never really had a close relationship. By nature he is shy and relatively quiet plus he has typical teenage boy interests; like PlayStation games, phone games and cricket. We had nothing in common to connect us like my sister and I have. This has always bothered me because I often worried that he may have had the perception that I love Megan more, or that I had no interest in being part of his life. This was one of the main reasons I brought my family over to Korea last year and during their trip I learned a lot more about his personality and how very funny he is, but we didn’t kindle a connection yet.

On March 13th I flew to South Africa for a long overdue visit. I hadn’t seen friends for over three years, I missed the African sun, I was set to attend a Jacki Bruniquel workshop that I had wanted to attend for years and I really needed a break. However I was not ready for the announcement of a hard lockdown for 21 days. It was scheduled to start on March 26, 4 days before I was going to leave.

Lisa & Louis (a South African couple) have called Gwangju home for the past 12 years. The couple met in high school and after getting married settled in South Korea. About six years ago they started their beautiful family. Being of South African decent and born in Korea, Lerene, Larkin & Lerissa, have quite a story of their own to tell their children one day.

The year got off to a slow start (which was quite alarming), but now I realize why. The universe was giving me the space to re-group. In this time I got to know myself a little better, identify where I was headed and what I wanted for my business. Also the kind of experience I wanted to create for my clients and re-evaluate my photographic style. This lead me (finally) to switch camera systems. It has been something I’ve been wanting to do for a few years now, but have been quite apprehensive about. I am in love with my new tools and the experience they give me!

Ishan and Sunayna are from India and ardent travelers. With baby’s arrival expected in early January 2020, they thought a baby-moon to Korea would be the perfect excuse to travel before the birth, and to binge on Korean cuisine and culture. It would also be a wonderful opportunity for a destination maternity session in beautiful Korea. When Sunayna (a photographer herself) contacted me about the pictures I was thrilled!

Danny is Korean and lives in the US with his wife Laura, a photographer herself. I was quite honored when she asked me to document this for her as she has such an impressive portfolio and has documented an adoption before. You can see more of Laura’s work here. When the decision was made to start a family, the couple opted to adopt a Korean child. Laura felt that God had placed little Joey on their path, she was perfect for them! On completion of the adoption process in February of this year, they contacted me to document their first couple of days together in Seoul. Our 1st location was at a nearby park with some pretty Korean architecture as it was important for Danny and Laura that Joey have a reminder of her Korean heritage one day.

Lisa has a special place in my heart because she was my first ever maternity client. I remember how nervous I was. I had a little book with poses drawn out, only one lens to work with and pretended that I knew exactly what I was doing when I had very little idea at all! But Lisa remained so calm and encouraged me every minute of that shoot, she made me feel so capable. I don’t think many clients realize that without knowing it, they teach us little things and impact our careers positively in numerous ways!

The first time I met the Billet family was for their daughter Briony’s newborn session and now she is already 3 years old!! I love seeing how all the children grow up and develop their own personalities, and little B is a cutie!! But on this rainy autumn morning I was not there for her, I came to photograph her new born brother, Griffin. I often try to photograph the newborns in their home (if the lighting conditions permit) because they are still so sensitive to the outside world. In their home they feel safe, it’s more convenient for parents and tells more of a story. Some day Griffin can see where he spent his first days and parents have a keepsake of this wonderful time (that goes by too fast) to look back on for many years to come.

It’s really cool how I get to watch families around me grow. How I get to see babies grow up to become their own, unique little people. When moms contact me and share the news that their family is growing, I feel so much joy for them and I get excited to share in the the next chapter of their happiness.