Family
A day in the life of a Southern Alberta family
It was a beautiful Monday morning in June. I woke up in my converted car-camper (a Honda Fit) after a nice weekend camping in Canmore with my own family. I was excited to go and spend a day in the life of a family of four in Southern Alberta, not too far from Calgary. Their house and acreage were up for sale. They needed more room as baby number three was on the way and the house was getting a bit small. What better way to remember this time of their life than to have it documented at home before things changed?
When I entered the house for their day in the life photo session, little Natalie was staring at me with sleepy eyes. She was having scones and ‘tea’ with her mom while the boys were still lying in bed. I soon witnessed what I imagine is the reason why her favourite part of the day is breakfast. She got into her Little Sous Chef role and helped her dad make pancakes for everyone.
Raising little chefs
The two parents met in culinary school and are Red Seal chefs. They love cooking together. Since their kids just won’t stay out of the kitchen, they figured they might as well just let them participate in meal preparation. It takes a lot longer and it can make a big mess, but it can also be so much fun! Plus, it’s a great skill for children to learn from a young age. I was quite impressed later in the day when the determined two-year-old girl used her own little chef knife to chop garlic and parsley. Not a plastic or regular table knife—the real thing! Kudos to the parents for teaching their kids from such a young age and for the confidence they put into them!
Daily life on an Alberta acreage
The day went on with daily life. John and his dad both got a haircut and Natalie and her mom did some yoga together. Then the whole family spent some time outside with their beautiful horse Honey, looked at their garden and got the meat smoker going. After that, it was nap time for the youngest one. Her tired and soon-to-be mother of three joined her while the boys enjoyed some quiet time building a Lego car. When the nap was over, they had a snack of popcorn and started getting ready for John’s hip hop dance lesson at the end of the day.
Marie was very fun to have around for the day of shooting, she fit in and allowed us to be ourselves. Even my husband who does not normally like to be in front of the camera was at ease, and the children were relaxed and did not pose in a cheesy way. It is fun to have relaxed photos of our family to remember what our days were like at that stage of life.
Stephanie
What a fun day! Nothing extraordinary, just a family being themselves at home and enjoying some time together. Plus, I got to eat delicious homemade cheese ravioli!
Are you interested in having your own day in the life session?
I'm Marie-Pierre, an easygoing mother of two and a documentary family photographer. I believe we can all learn and grow from other people's experiences. Real life stories help us relate to each other, open our minds and feel better about ourselves.
this blog is a collection of featured client stories, tips, and articles on various family related topics. I hope you will find some inspiration!
