When you’re a university student, this time in your life is a pivotal moment.  This is the time when you are figuring out who you are and which path to take in this journey called life.  The great thing about life is that we can always change course but for many people, university helps to shape who they are going to become both personally and professionally.  I love working with students because after the session I always feel more alive and free. It takes me back to my youth and the feeling that anything is possible.

Jahrusha is no exception, a student at the University of Toronto, she is an inspiration to me and I am proud to have been able to capture her with my lens.  Watching Jahrusha evolve  from a teenager into a woman has been an amazing thing to witness.  She is hardworking, passionate, caring, and has a bundle of energy.  Jahrusha brings light to any room she enters and  has many great qualities that I hope one day my daughter will possess.

Being a university student can be though, especially when you are away from family and friends and learning to navigate life on your own.  Bloom sessions make a great gift for any university student or high school senior, it captures such an important time in their lives, a time when they are blossoming and growing beyond measure.

I know that no matter which path Jahrusha finally takes she will blaze a trail for many others to follow.

Celebrating life and love,

Gina

p.s. I was in natural light heaven, I love her condo and want to claim it for my studio.

In my initial consultation with any client, I discuss the vision that they have for the maternity session.   We go through what the client has in mind and I throw out different ideas, then we work together to create a concept for the shoot.  I have always been hesitant to suggest doing a nude maternity session but it has been something I have wanted to shoot for some time and have been waiting for the right client.  So you can imagine my surprise and excitement when I got the go ahead to do a mix of nudes and casual shots.

I definitely think doing nudes when you are pregnant allows me as a photographer to capture vivid details of a fleeting moment in your life.  I am very thankful to this client as she allowed me to step outside the box with her and do something truly creative and different.

Thank you for being bold, so together we could create something beautiful.

Gina

Makeup Artistry done by: Rina Deutsch

One definition of natural is…

ii) having undergone little or no processing and containing no chemical additives: natural food; natural ingredients. 

About six years ago I don’t remember the exact moment, but something shifted in my life and I became obsessed with everything organic and natural.  I was so interested in natural products that I started my own skincare business and before long realized that I was in way over my head.  I was not a chemist and did not have the capital, the knowhow, or the absolute passion to make the idea into a reality.  So I closed that book and picked up my camera.

When I made the decision years later to start a photography business, I knew I wanted it to focus on natural images and that is why my brand at the time was Natural-Modern-Beautiful. (I’m getting to the point, I promise.)

Recently, though I feel that Natural has become something lost in marketing.  Everyone and their mama has a natural product.  Natural is such an overused term that I don’t feel like I know what it means anymore.    Take a simple thing like dish soap, you can encounter ten or more brands that claim to be natural, the problem is one has a natural scent, another is natural in colour but yet the product itself may not be natural.  I’ve noticed that many photographers use the term natural as well. I feel in photography it’s just as ambiguous as dish soap, to me the word does not carry much weight anymore because it is extremely overused.

So, why this rant about natural you ask?
I have been looking at my work as a photographer/artist and asking myself where do I see my photography headed.  I feel a shift happening and I am moving away from natural in some sense.  The dictionary also defines natural as…in conformity with the ordinary course of nature; not unusual or exceptional.

I have decided I want to focus on work that I feel is exceptional and maybe even a bit unusual.  I have been drowning in the sea of natural because there are just too many brands with that “claim” and what does it all mean anyway?

I am focused and will be working hard from this moment  forward to produce images that are unique, images that focus more on connection and the people in the images.  Images that speak to my soul, Images that are artsy and that you may even find in Vogue magazine.  I am challenging myself this year to leap outside of my natural and conventional box.  Hopefully you will take the leap with me.

Celebrating Love and Life ,

Gina