I met Robin through some mutual friends. From day one it was one of those friendships that you dive right into the things that keep you up at night along with the things that are slowing breaking your heart in the world. We connected on a different level because we were going through some similar experiences at that time. Despite those hardships, Robin showed me from those first few moments how passionate she was for how big and beautiful life can be. And I am so grateful to know a woman such as her and call her my friend.
Robin, her husband Tony, and daughter Willow, are always soaking up life to the best of their ability. They are always on the go for work, chasing rodeos or jackpots, hockey games, and baseball games, etc. This can make it so hard to find time for family photos. So when Robin told me they had availability over the Christmas break this past year I knew we had to make it happen. (Can you believe these photos were taken on December 26th in ALBERTA?)
I knew having Robin’s horses in these photos would be meaningful, but I wanted to add something special for her. Robin lost her dad this passed year after a lengthy battle with cancer. So we brought a special image of him to the session, along with a framed image of Tony’s dad who had passed a few years prior. As your photographer I always want to bring out some special moments and emotion, and I thought this would be a bit of a personal touch for them.
Tony is the guy that loves to crack jokes and shoot the shit with the boys. He's the guy you're excited to see arrive to the party because you just KNOW it's gonna be a great night ahead. (Rose wedding 2022 anyone?)
You know the couples you meet that are literally the best of friends? That’s Tony and Robin. They are like two peas in a pod. They are always joking and laughing like no one else is in the room. It’s contagious. I am just so fortunate to always have such positive and fun people around me.
Willow goes to the beat of her own drum. To be honest, I wasn’t sure I had her buy-in for the whole photoshoot thing. Working through challenges comes with the job, and I love when we have break throughs. It’s always in the small moments that get you the biggest results. Once we did some standard shots we went back to the house to tack up the horses for Robin and Tony to go riding. That’s when Willow really started to come out of her shell. Actually, she started asking me to take her picture once she had her favourite animals around her. Guys, we don’t need the pictures that your kid smiles at the camera. Anyone can take those. We need the photos of the quiet moments when no one even realizes they’re being photographed. Those are the money shots.
MAKE THE TIME PEOPLE! I will literally do my best to accommodate your busy lives because I GET IT. And I get the importance of having images you can share with family, blow up for your living room wall, or print and save for many years to come.
Thanks again for following along!
-SJ
(Now booking for all 2024 seasons and I cannot wait to be your photographer!)