We celebrated Tara and Pat's engagement with some beautiful fall colours near Nichol's Oval and the Otonabee River in Peterborough, Ontario. The backdrop of the leaves and river led to some absolutely gorgeous photos. What could be more Canadian than a maple leaf and lots and lots of colour. Can't wait for your wedding next year! 

Want to get out and enjoy the crisp fall air and beautiful leaves? And update your family photos at the same time? We have just the thing for you!  Our annual Fall Mini Photography Sessions are here!  This year we will be at Nichol's Oval Park in the east end of Peterborough. It's an absolutely stunning park. The location is perfect for us as parking is good, and there is a playground for the kiddies after they get their photos taken! There are lots of props and a free pumpkin for each child!  Come on out for some great photos.

This family was fun!  I enjoyed a boat ride to their beautiful family cottage on Stoney Lake near Peterborough, Ontario. Meeting this family for the first time, and getting to know them a bit before starting their photo session. After fishing the dog out of the lake (who fell in trying to get out of the boat - don't worry, he was fine), and then playing with the kids for a bit, we started our session. I love the way they were all relaxed in front of the camera and how the kids interacted with me and with each other. This session was a blast!

I had the opportunity to join this couple and celebrate their engagement with some beautiful photos at a gorgeous fall location in Havelock. There really is something about fall photography!

Using the late afternoon sun, and the beautiful glow from the corn field, I created the perfect atmosphere for this lovely couple's engagement session. A walk through the corn, their beautiful dog Tess, and a red tractor led for a fun photoshoot!  I just love September!

When this couple contacted me and asked if I could do a photoshoot at the vintage Roseneath Carousel to celebrate their first anniversary, I immediately said yes!  The Roseneath Carousel is absolutely gorgeous. It was built in 1903 and has been lovingly restored. It is fully operational and you can actually ride it. The personalities of this couple suited the Carousel perfectly.

A vibrant and hot late summer day in a beautiful backyard in Havelock, Ontario was the scene for Peyton and Chris' wedding. Everyone came together to celebrate their day with fun and games, and a wonderful ceremony in a field while a guitarist gently strummed along. The newlyweds were up to some great sunset photos in the fields surrounding their home. Thank you for letting us be a part of your wedding!

I was very honoured to be asked to capture the 90th Birthday celebration for this amazing woman who has touched so many lives. She has raised 8 children, has 13 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren.  The room was packed with people wishing her a very happy birthday. I could feel the emotion in the air. 

We were very happy to be a part of Jenn and Cindy's wedding in late August. Even though mother nature did not cooperate and the ceremony had to be moved inside due to heavy rain, the sun definitely shone for this couple that day. Their love and commitment to each other was evident and to capture this celebration was a true honour.  Congratulations Jenn and Cindy!! 

It's that time of year again when we start thinking about fall and back to school. Of course, with all the ads and items in the stores, how can we not?  And, at CatsMac Photography, we are gearing up for our annual Back To School photography sessions!  So, grab your new back to school clothes and backpacks, and come join us for some great photos!

I had the opportunity to meet these wonderful grandparents and photograph them and their grandkids! The backyard was absolutely stunning and was a PERFECT backdrop for our photo session. The kids were charming and very cooperative. It was so nice to have a wonderful evening celebrating two of their grandkids' birthday, as well as a family reunion.

I blogged about newborn lifestyle sessions vs newborn in-studio session last month. We've had a number of inquiries about lifestyle sessions and decided to offer a limited time 20% discount on lifestyle photography! We come to your home and photograph your activities with your newborn and other children. This is a great way to celebrate the birth of your baby, get some stellar photos for gifts, and relax in the comfort of your home at the same time. We bring props to use as well! A discount and we travel to you! What could be better? 

 Of course as newborn photographers we definitely offer this style of newborn photography to our clients in the Peterborough area and beyond.  We do however also offer an alternative type of newborn photography, which is a little lesser known, but just as beautiful and amazing as an in studio newborn session.  Lifestyle newborn photography. And it is becoming one of our all time favourite sessions.
We’d love to take some time to introduce everyone to this style of newborn photography and go over the many benefits that this relaxed newborn photo session has over it’s in studio counterpart.
Timing is everything when it comes to newborn photography.  For an in studio newborn baby photo session we like to try and get the newborns into our Peterborough Studio before they are two weeks of age.  When we are looking to obtain those sleepy, posed shots the younger the baby the better.  A baby that is fresh and new is much more likely to provide us with a deep sleep allowing us to work with their tiny bodies to achieve those uber adorable shots.  They are also very flexible at this age and quite enjoy being curled up and cozy while asleep just as they were in utero.
Time is also key during an in studio newborn session because it’s important that we wait until the baby is settled into that nice, deep sleep before we start to work with them.  This process can be lengthy and patience is everything. 

However, during a lifestyle newborn session the element of time does not hold as much weight.   The lifestyle newborn shoot focuses primarily on the interaction between the new baby and his family and surroundings and is much less centred around obtaining the perfect pose.  Therefore having a baby under two weeks of age become less important.  This is particularly helpful for Mothers who contact us once their newborn baby is over that magic age for traditional newborn photography.  Just because a baby is a little “older” it no longer means you have to miss out on those precious newborn moments! And, if everything play out right...we will try to get some of those cute newborn poses using baskets and other props! It's a win-win situation.

The location for your upcoming newborn session might also have you thinking about whether a studio photography session or a lifestyle shoot is the choice for you.  All of our studio sessions are conducted at our in home newborn studio.  We have everything here that we need in order to provide you with a great experience for your baby’s first professional photo shoot!  Our studio is stocked with all of the props, back drops and posing tools that we need.  The space has great light and is small so that it can be kept nice and warm to keep your baby comfortable during his/her session.  Parents have a cozy spot to relax during the shoot.  All in all it’s a great place to come for your newborn photo session.
However the thought of travelling with a newborn can be daunting for some new parents, especially in the winter.  Lifestyle newborn sessions are conducted in the comfort of the clients home. And it's especially handy if you have other children, who can play in their own home while the session is taking place. Of course, having siblings relaxed and happy will make for some great photos of them with the newborn too! Having your photo session take place in your home provides a level of intimacy and a personal touch to your lifestyle images that might be missing from your studio session.  Imagine having images of your baby in his/her own nursery or snuggling with Mama in your favourite chair.  Documenting beloved books, toys and that surely wonderful wardrobe some babies acquire before they are even here?!  These small details make your newborn’s photos even more special for years to come!

Of course most clients also want to capture some darling images of their new family dynamic during their newborn photo session.  Whether it be photos of baby with Mom, Dad, big brother or sister or all of the above, these treasured family photos can be obtained during both studio sessions AND in home lifestyle sessions.  However the resulting look is completely different.  Which you prefer is entirely up to you…..

It is true that during a studio session the light is controlled.  We know what to expect in our home studio.  We know that the light comes in big and beautiful at a certain time of day and that our studio lighting will light the room just as we need it. Our newborn clients will be sleeping peaceful, bathed in the light during their stay with us.  An in home lifestyle session cannot obviously offer the same kind of assurance.  Clients often come to us concerned that their home will not be bright enough, not be pretty enough. However, all we need is a bright window (not necessarily facing south). And, we bring all our portable studio lighting, so, in a pinch, we can imitate natural light.

SO there you have it.  A little 4-1-1 on the difference between your studio newborn sessions that we all know and love and the lesser known newborn lifestyle sessions that hopefully we will all get to know and love just as much, if not a wee bit more!
And the very best part of a lifestyle newborn session….if baby sleeps then we can still get those ooey gooey posed newborn shots…no matter where we are!

We had a rather unusual and touching request a few weeks ago. A young woman contacted us asking us to capture some photos of her and her horse, who was very ill and due to be put down.  Odie was only 8 years old, and suffering from a cancerous tumour of his kidney. Of course, we said yes. Photography, is all about capturing a special moment, a bond, and making it personal and creating a memory.  We were worried that Odie wouldn't be up for walking around for photos, and would prefer staying in his stall. But, on the day of the session, he was given his pain killers just beforehand and was feeling pretty good. We decided to walk him gently around the barnyard and field. His owner watched him closely and let him tell her when he'd had enough. We managed to get some amazing photos of the love between these two. The bond between them is so visible. Odie will be forever in our thoughts.

Choosing the perfect wedding photographer for your day. This is such a big decision in the wedding planning process. The wedding photographer has a huge role on your wedding day and during your wedding planning process. They are there to help you plan and make sure the day goes smoothly, capture your big moments, and give you gorgeous photos that tell the story of your day so you can relive it and pass the photos on to future generations. So with that decision comes plenty of questions. There are important technical questions to ask your photographer like…

• How much will it cost?
• How do you dress?
• How long til I get my photos?
• What gear do you use?
• Do you have insurance?
• Who’s your second shooter?

Etc… but all of these questions tend to lead to similar answers from photographer to photographer…
This doesn’t make the decision process of finding your perfect, dream photographer any easier, does it? 

I believe you should absolutely love your photographer not only for their work, but for who they are as a person and why they do what they do.This is a vendor that’s going to be pretty involved in the wedding planning process and sometimes you’ll be with your photographer more than your new husband/wife on the wedding day. They are also in charge of the most important thing, the memories through way of photographs and telling your story. So I believe whole heartedly that while you are at consultations that not only you ask the recommended basic questions, but you also take the time to get to know the photographer to see if you guys click well (which will definitely help you trust them!). Here are a few example questions to ask to that will get different, unique answers from photographer to photographer…
1. What is your favorite part of a wedding day?
Is it the party, dancing part? The ceremony because it’s beautiful to see two people commitment to forever?
2. What is your favorite thing to shoot?
One photographer may like shooting details and portraits, while someone else likes shooting the photo journalistic parts of the day like the ceremony and being a fly on the wall.
3. Why did you become a wedding photographer?
Because they didn’t have wedding photos and want to be able to give others this gift they never had? Because they just absolutely love love? Weddings get them jazzed?
4. What do you like to do in your free time?
Do they knit? Do they take salsa lessons? Spend time with family? Play in a garage band with some friends? Community orchestra? Check out new bars on the weekends with friends?
5. Favorite wedding day memory?
The time the groom wrote the bride a surprise song for her and sang it? When the bride and groom had a pizza truck come in for everyone to have pizza because their first date was to get pizza? (That would be an amazing wedding memory in my book.)
Every photographer will give a different answer to each of these questions and their answers will really help you see if you click and like them as a person. If you look at these consultations as more of like a date where you are seeing if you not only trust them, but like them too, you’ll be able to make an easier decision when it comes to choosing a wedding photographer for your special day.

My favourite memory is this photo below. The bride and groom and their daughter are releasing butterflies!

I had this wonderful man contact me asking me to do an anniversary photography session as a surprise for his wife. Even though it was not a special anniversary (it was their 8th anniversary) I jumped at the chance to meet this couple and give them some great photos to celebrate their love. What a beautiful and special gift. His wife was please. We did the shoot at the location of their first date, Little Lake Cemetery.  You might think a Cemetery is a weird place to do a session, but I can see why they had their first date there. It was very, very peaceful and serene. Even though the end of life is all around you, love is such an important part of both life and death, that to acknowledge their love and shoot a session there was my way of honouring life itself. And the views of Little Lake in Peterborough was astounding. Here are some photos from their anniversary shoot. 

As if wedding planning didn’t have enough decisions to make, right?! Now it’s time for your engagement session (Which is going to be super fun btw!) and you have NO IDEA what to wear!  Should you wear the blush maxi dress? Or the white cocktail dress? Should his tie be navy blue or light grey? Should we do a rural location or an urban downtown area? I totally get it! So many decisions! Here are 5 engagement session outfit tips I think every bride should use to help start making decisions on their engagement session outfits! ​

​2. Dress It Up 
Who doesn’t love an excuse to dress up?! I love any excuse to dress up and your engagement session is the perfect excuse to do so! Nothing looks more chic, high end and classic then two sweet people in love dressed up for their city engagement session! Also, who doesn’t love a guy in a suit and tie!? Your fiancé will look so handsome in a suit and tie! With these outfits you’ll be all dressed up and ready for a dinner date or drinks after your session! 

3. Coordinate Looks, Don’t Match 
Outfits will look the most cohesive and put together if they coordinate and don’t necessarily “match”. You should both wear a different dominate color within a similar color family. For example, this photo of Sharon & her fiance, Justin,  during their Engagement Session.  Sharon wore a beautiful sleeveless blue print dress that had a summer colour undertone. Justin coordinated by wearing a solid light green top and navy blue pants. (Don’t they look perfectly coordinated? And with the background too.)  This shows the viewer focus on how happy they are. This is a great example of coordinating to make the outfits flow together. I recommend for the bride to choose her outfit first and then coordinate from that! ​

5. Bring Your Confidence! 
Make sure you wear flattering silhouettes for your body shape! Make sure you wear things that fit well and aren’t too big or too small. Longer sleeves help remove focus on arms and heels help create a long leg line to give you legs for days! And don’t forget to smile! Nothing is prettier or looks better than a smile! ​

Bonus Tip – Bring a Fresh Bouquet!
If you want your photos to have an editorial feel, bring a fresh bouquet of flowers! It adds a special touch to your photos and I and plenty of other photographers haven’t met a fresh bouquet we didn’t like. 
I hope these quick tips and suggestions helped you get started on brainstorming ideas for picking those outfits! The most important thing at the end of the day is that you both feel comfortable, confident, and true to yourselves!

Most commonly asked engagement questions; Do I need engagement photos? Why do I need engagement photos? What are the benefits of engagement photos? Which I totally understand! Most couples don’t understand the benefits to the extra portrait session before their wedding. You yourself may not understand or may not know if it’s necessary or may be afraid to be in front of the camera, etc. I think engagement sessions are not only fun, but are super important to have and reap tons of benefits like having more professional photos, practice before the big day, getting to know your photographer and more!
More professional photos of the two of you.
You most likely don’t have many professional photos of you two together. There is something special and great about having photos of you two that are professional & high quality level. Like throw in frames, hang all over your house, kind of beautiful photos. (and post all over Instagram type of gorgeous!) As life gets busier, it becomes harder to come across time to have professional photos taken of you two. This is your chance to have photos that will be shared and treasured for a lifetime. 
Establish trust with your photographer. 
It’s a great time to establish trust with your photographer. There will be no questioning how working with your photographer will be. You already know!  This will add extra comfort on your wedding day knowing you trust your photographer and your photographer has your back. If the timeline runs behind or it’s cold this means the portrait session has to go quickly. Since you already know how to pose and work with your photographer, there will be no need to take up time to teach you all of the basic poses cause you had stress-free practice earlier in the year! “Hey John, grab her waist pull her in and go home!” If you’ve had an engagement session with me, you already know what that means and you’re set for your wedding 
A great time to get to know your photographer and for your photographer to get to know you better too.
The most important reason to have engagement photos is to get to know your photographer and vice versa. Your engagement session will be a relaxed 1-2 hour session where you can just be yourselves and get to know one another. You can see how they work and we can see how you guys work. We know what to say and how to work with you so we can get natural poses and genuine smiles. When it comes to your wedding day, getting beautiful portraits becomes more comfortable and easier because your photographer knows you two better individually and as a couple. It’ll be like 3 friends who happen to have a camera with them!
They can be used for gifts, save the dates, and more.
You can use the photos for announcements, save the dates, gifts, etc. Many times, couples will use the photos for the save the dates and social media announcements and countdowns! Everyone loves mail and it makes it even better when it’s a beautiful photo of two people they love! And you can’t forget to buy prints to give to your parents (parents love pictures of their kids!) and to have hanging or on display as decorations at your wedding! Another thing I like to suggest to my couples is having an album made of their engagement photos so they can use that for a guest book! 

Engagement sessions can be a lot of fun and they help get you used to the camera! 10/10 would recommend. You won’t regret it!

​ If you really want to simplify it, lifestyle photography is a type of candid photography (although truthfully it’s so, so much more than just candid photos).  Lifestyle photography aims to capture people in real-life situations with genuine emotion and in a matter that is a combination of photojournalism and fine-art. 

​ The goal of lifestyle photography is to capture a story; uninterrupted and with the utmost care.  Lifestyle photography is perfect for weddings, birthing, newborn, family and maternity sessions. And, lifestyle photography can have a place in your life beyond those yearly photos or special events photos such as: decorating the Christmas tree, bringing home a new pet, learning how to skate, a special birthday party, a new baby..and so much more. 

 If you are the type of person who wants to capture the raw, natural emotions of life; those fleeting moments that you wish you could hold on to forever, then lifestyle photography is the right fit for you! Our lifestyle clients are relaxed, fun-loving and understand that candid photography, unlike posed photography, is a true representation of who you are, what you look like and what you are feeling at that very moment.  Lifestyle photography isn’t for everyone and that’s okay!  While we’d love to photograph you, we want to photograph people who we know will be relaxed and care-free in front of our lens in order for us to provide you with the best possible experience.