I love watching families grow. I've known the Sides for a long time, and I've been capturing milestones for them since 2018. They welcomed their son, Smith, into the family in October 2023 and he's the coolest little guy around — how could he not be with these two as his parents? My daughter, Isla, was born in-between Smith and their daughter, Evie, and it's been great to experience parenthood together as well as see our kids start to develop friendships with each other.

Smith's birthday is October 28, so it was fitting to do a Halloween-style cake smash for him. We combined the cake smash with a family session at SNAP Foto Studio on Stephen Avenue in Calgary. It's a fun space in an old heritage building, and there are numerous rental options to suit different types of sessions. Their rates are very affordable too!

It's always difficult to predict how a family session will go. It all depends on how the kids are feeling — to be frank, they don't care that you're trying to do a photo session or that these photos are important. They want what they want, and they aren't always going to cooperate. I try to help parents manage their expectations going into the session and focus on getting candid moments that capture the stage of life they're in. It can be easier said than done to let go and try to enjoy the moment, especially if kids aren't behaving how we'd like them to, but it's not worth stressing out either. I understand this even more now that I've been on the other side of the camera for my own family sessions.

Of course, we'll always try to get a photo of everyone looking at the camera, but don't be hard on yourself if the photos aren't like ones you see on Pinterest. Every family is unique, and these photos will always be special no matter how they turn out. When I sent Avery the selects gallery, she wrote back to me saying she'd laughed out loud as she went through the photos and she loved how they showed the chaos that comes with having two kids under three. I agree with her!