Sarah Jane Photography

This time of year family is everything. When hugs are at an all-time low I wanted to extend a virtual one to each of you and share my favourite family memories. https://www.sarahjanephotography.ca/family-love

Today I wanted to share a bit of love and joy. Here are some of my favourite LOVE moments! https://www.sarahjanephotography.ca/greatestlove

Sometimes family tree farm days include screaming babies and a really big tree

You living your every-day life is beautiful. And this time of year those quiet days at home with your people can be extra special. Especially this year. Sending love and hugs to you and your family this holiday season. https://www.sarahjanephotography.ca//lindsay-sue-reggie-an

These two wonderful people had a surprise ceremony last week and it was just lovely. Congratulations Lindsay & Tyler!!

Hey Friends! I HAVE A NEW WEBSITE!! I’ve been working hard this summer with my friends and mentors to create a beautiful website that best reflects how much I love photographing your real lives. I’m super excited to share it with you! If you have some time, take a look and tell me what your favourite parts are. I can’t wait to hear what you think.... Cheers and happy long weekend! www.sarahjanephotography.ca

What if I don’t want to slow down? I don’t know about you but change is uncomfortable for me. No matter what season of life I’m in when it’s time to change and branch off the path I’ve been walking it always comes with resistance. But out of this stillness I have been able to voice why photography is so important to me. My gram showed me that. (But that is a post for a different day.) I want the pictures I make to tell the story of your lives. I want to give you a witness to... your life and make pictures that you can share with the next generations to come. I want you to sit down and re-live your life, remembering the beautiful times and the sad ones too. I want you to smile over those quiet moments you shared with your family and be filled with joy over those big celebrations. I want your children to be able to hold pictures of you in their hands when they are telling their children about you. I feel the same way about weddings and celebrations of love. I want everyone to celebrate their love and families exactly how they have dreamed, but if I’m being honest I’m looking forward to the small intimate unions that come from this stillness that we have been forced into. These celebrations will still be filled with all the love and joy a large celebration would bring. This shift has proven very emotional for me. Imagine being in a room with seven other people, when there was supposed to be one hundred and the love of the ceremony was just as intense and beautiful. That the minister who hadn’t spoken for a few months couldn’t contain his excitement in having the seven of us there and spoke for forty-five minutes instead of the fifteen minutes planned. That the pictures of the guests placed in the pews and their faces on the screen brought instant tears to my eyes. And that you felt wrapped in the love emanating from the couple. It was a privilege to be in that room. I felt a responsibility to each of them to make honest pictures because this was their story and their history. This was their love. I’m sure this shift in my life is not over but instead of pushing against it so hard I’m working at recognizing the need for change and being open to the possibility that the change will not be so bad. xo Sarah

Remember your LOVE. I know right now everything is getting postponed and cancelled, including wedding days. It’s frustrating and heart breaking. I’m sad for all the cancelled plans. All the time and effort to plan the perfect day and now you are just unsure of what will happen. But today, and hopefully every day, remember the love that brought you together with the one that you chose to spend the rest of your life with. Everyone deserves to celebrate their marriage with their... family and friends and I really hope that the day will come when we can gather again in celebration. But if for just this moment, you can only celebrate with the one who said yes, then for now, that can be enough. Try to take a moment from the stress and just love one another with your whole heart and both your feet! Sending all the light and love to every couple who is working on a new plan to celebrate their forever love. xo Sarah

Now more than ever before we are spending more time with our families doing everyday activities. There is no extra social excitement or travelling. There is no play dates or visits with friends. We are slowing down and taking the time to just be present in our own lives. For me that's not always easy. I often feel anxious over the uncertainty of the next few months and miss making plans for adventures. But what I have been able to do more of is take care of myself and my fami...ly. I move so fast through life most days that I often forget to appreciate all that I have right in front of me. I had the beautiful opportunity to photography every day life just before everything went sideways. Lindsey, Sue and their boys allowed me to document them on an everyday Saturday and I had so much fun. These are some of my favourite pictures. I can't wait until I can visit again soon. Take good care of yourselves and your families... xo Sarah

True North Workshop Ticket Sales end March 27th!! There are just a few left...grab yours now!

My family brings me such joy and happiness. I love to tell my story and share where I've come from. I am the product of hardworking and caring people. I come from airplane pilots, businessmen and caregivers. I am an only child but one of almost a hundred grandchildren because my mother and father's parents had 28 children between them. They are my family. They are my sons family. I often have the privileged, and I truly believe it's a privileged, to be a part of other familie...s too. I get to document their happy moments, their challenges and sometimes their tears. I take this opportunity personally and work really hard to make pictures that tell their stories. My friend Nicole is one of the strongest people I know. From the very first moment we met I knew that our paths were supposed to cross. Over the past few years I've had the opportunity to meet her family and really feel like an honorary member. So any time I get the chance to come to a family event and make pictures for her I say absolutely! Her youngest son, Calvin, is my buddy. And he turned one this month! I was able to be a part of his family birthday party and these are the pictures that I made. Hug your family today and remember that there is peace and beauty right inside you and your family. xo

IT’S WEDDING SHOW SEASON! There is always a fun wedding buzz in January after all the newly engaged couples start to make their plans for their incredible days. And in Windsor that means Wedding Shows! I have been one of those brides excited to plan out my big day. I was full of ideas and had only one day to fill it with. So, I planned two parties! (But that story is for another post!) I went to many wedding shows, walked the isles filled with smiling helpful vendors and left... completely overwhelmed and unsure of all my plans. I’ve also been one of those smiling vendors. Excited to share my new work and talk about the many different versions of wedding days that were being planned. This year though I’m taking a bit of a break from the excitement. A wedding expo is a wonderful way to talk with every service you would need for your day. All at one event. But for me it also caused some anxiety and stress. I’m not awesome at small talk (as you may know), and large crowds plus talking about myself and my work in 60 seconds is very overwhelming. I’m much better at one on one conversations over a cup of tea or a glass of wine. So, I’ve decided to protect my mental health this year and take a different approach to meeting my couples. I’d still love to hear from you of coursejust with a bit more time so we can get to know each other and make sure we are the perfect match. But I don’t want this to discourage any of you who are heading out over the next few weeks to plan your wonderful day. Gather your people and go out there and have fun! After all that is what it’s supposed to be about right? A fun day filled with love and joy. Cheers to all the newly engaged and happy couples2020 is going to be a great year!

Do you have a favourite season? When I was a kid I just loved going to the park in the fall with my family and playing in the leaves. As an only child I spent many days with my cousins running through the forest creating our own adventures to pass the day away. I often daydream about how I felt as a small child. How it felt holding my mom’s hand in a store or snuggling with my dad on the couch. And how it felt to have no fear and just run free. As an adult I find that I often... hold in my true self and put others first. I get so busy and bogged down with my fear and insecurities. I focus all my energy on others and making sure the people around me are happyoften at the expense of my own happiness. I never want to shine too bright and overshadow anyone. But someone recently told me to let it all out and to be the shiny beautiful person that I am. I have been trying to find that fearless, joyful Sarah that I was when I was running through the forest with my cousins. I have been trying to laugh more and spend more time doing things that bring me joy. Jane For Joy is something I often say to myself. So I’m skipping my way out of this year and into 2020.

Yesterday was truly magical! I wish that every couple who said "I do" yesterday shared in this magic. I was honoured and so happy to be a part of this day.