'for the love of moms' ...update! 💞

What a beautiful experience my Mother’s Day contest has been! Nominations came in from kids wanting to honour their moms, from girlfriends who stand in awe of women they love + admire, from husbands who - with humility - admit that they may have let too much time pass without doing something that was ‘just for her’, that his gifts of activities + gifts were almost exclusively family oriented, and from women who self-nominated because they aren’t ever IN the pictures… the diversity in circumstances was - unsurprisingly - as diverse as waves in the ocean… but strength, grit, and grace was woven throughout each nomination.

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Carpe Diem 💫

Mom had just finished her umpteenth round of chemo and was so excited to have gotten the doc’s blessing to go on vacation… as she got settled in the passenger seat I hugged her, told her I loved her and that I hoped they had THE.BEST.TIME. … neither of us having any inkling that our hug + goodbye on the driveway that day would be my last with her.

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Unsung Heroes 🙌

…a collective energy acknowledging that we are all better when we choose to respond with empathy and compassion… whether it’s holding the proverbial door open for someone with fewer resources, mentoring those who could use a little kindness + guidance, or sentencing someone who has broken the law. Every interaction has the ability to move those involved forward…or not. 🦋

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for the love of moms 💞

Mothers’ Day fast approaches and I am so excited to be launching a contest to gift one über-awesome mama a free portrait session + print!

A mother is she who can take the place of all others
but whose place no one else can take.

~ Gaspard Mermillod

Moms are so often the ones organizing everyone else… capturing the kids on their first days of school or on vacation, ensuring they get pics of them with their dad, printing the shots of loved ones playing sports, at their recitals, and birthday parties… we know how important pictures are - hell, photos are within top three answers for what people would grab if the house was on fire! - and yet we moms are too seldom in them or, if we are, it’s an arm’s length selfie. WHY?

This Mothers’ Day honour the moms you love with the opportunity to be celebrated through portraiture.

A portrait session need not be intimidating… I will never ask for my clients to be anyone other than EXACTLY who they are, my aim is to always ensure a fun + empowering experience that results in authentic portraiture. One client described looking through her gallery with tears in her eyes and that her husband, upon seeing her + her portraits, said, “you finally see you how I see you.” 🙏🏼

From now through May 5/23 I’m running a ‘for the love of moms’ contest that will gift one session + print to a deserving mama (self-nominations encouraged!)! Submit your nomination here now! (see contest rules here)

no matter the stage of motherhood… every mom deserves a portrait she loves!

mom and her three beautiful children in a studio portrait
mompreneur looking beautiful in a studio headshot with light blue background to compliment her dark hair and top and blue eyes
great grandma smiling as she looks toward the soft window light
anonymous maternity portrait of woman draped in white sheet in front of a wall length painting
black and white portrait of mom and daughter in fall foliage
a mom and her two daughters in a studio portrait with olive green backdrop
legacy portrait of beautiful mom posing in a floral summer dress amidst the green grass and trees
portrait of a forty-something blonde woman, crouching amidst the fall foliage in black bomber jacket jeans and aviator glasses

If not now, when?

~ Hillel the Elder

black and white portrait of a mom an daughter with the tree of life pendant and winter sweaters
‘Strength flows from grit and grace.’ A few months ago, I was scrolling through my photos and realized that the only photos of myself were impromptu selfies. Luckily Lori Maloney helped me rectify this issue. During the photo shoot we laughed, danced, and, in the process, captured both sides of who I am. I love these pictures.
location portrait of a beautiful red head mom with fall colours
photographer lori maloney selfie in whit v-neck and brown hair and bangs, with her studio and lights behind her

Nominate a mom you love today! I also have gift cards available and I can promise you that the gift or portraiture blows all other gifts out the water… we don’t need more cookbooks, or mugs, or flowers - of course they’re nice too - BUT… what better gift than one that celebrates our beloved moms by holding up a mirror so that they may see what we see in them… strength. authenticity. beauty. grace. Every mom deserves a portrait she loves.

All the deets are on the contest page… cannot wait to read the nominations - already feeling teary eyed thinking of the love that’s going to be poured into each nomination! 💞

With gratitude,

xo Lori

Dear sweet woman... 🌜🌝🌛

“You are so lovely and a magician with the camera.  I absolutely loved the pictures and cried when I saw them, it was an emotional experience for my husband as well.  He said “you finally see you how I see you.”  I cannot express to you enough how much I enjoyed the experience, your empowerment and warm presence having allowed for that.  It means a great deal to me that the smile on my face is authentic in those pictures.  I felt joy for just being me.  For having you help me celebrate it, well, there are just no words for the deep gratitude I feel.”

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IWD 2023

International Womens’ Day 🦋

A day to celebrate yesterday’s brave women, on whose shoulders we stand. A day to join in solidarity with the women raising their voices toward a more just society today. A day to advocate more openly for gender equality. A day to - intentionally + purposefully - dream of a better future for ourselves, our daughters, and granddaughters. A day to celebrate the enormous contributions we - WOMXN - make to this beautiful but imperfect world.

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pozole, sunshine + safer beauty... + a reminder of graduation goodness

for the food lovers, for the readers (or audible enthusiasts), for those wanting a touch of sun kissed, for anyone looking for safer beauty, and for the graduate in your life… a little somethin’ for everyone in this list of current faves!

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Mud + Mosaics

It makes me nostalgic thinking about all the ways we’re impacted + forever changed by the people who come and go throughout our lives… the music they introduce us to, their guiding principles that inspire us, their ability for humour during heartache that we try to emulate, the passed-down recipes shared that compel us to carry on traditions, the turns of phrase that stick with us and become part of our own vernacular, the books + ideas debated, the timeless photographs of that one moment in time, and experiences - good + bad - shared. Such a profound reckoning when we’re feeling sad about loss; the fact is that we are indeed a beautiful mosaic of so many micro + macro moments with the people who pass through our stories and THAT is a beautiful thing!

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True GGEM: Finnley 💎

The project of photographing impactful women we met along the way on our GGEM adventure would be wholly incomplete without the inclusion of this beauty, whose impact - on GGEM and in LIFE - is incomparable. ✨

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True GGEM: Toni 💎

“…despite our collective desire and Toni’s impressive driving - the ‘road’ was a lake in places and I’ll never understand how we avoided becoming irretrievably stuck in the quagmire of mud and potholes?! But, we DID manage to get turned around and subsequently opted to instead visit our local beach for the session.”

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True GGEM: Doña Esther 💎

Doña Esther is a formidable business woman… she grows veggies, herbs, and fruit for local sale + international export, while also farming chicken and quail. Her family is often around for meals, which she lovingly prepares and serves… I suspect there aren’t many - if ANY - minutes of her day that aren’t allocated to one chore or another.

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True GGEM: Mama Celia 💎

Mama Celia never married and runs the family home and business with her parents: they host families, like ours, when it’s their turn (the travel companies and Island government do their best to ensure equality in homestay revenue amongst the Islanders), they also farm sheep, and vegetables. She’s a sweet, quiet, humble, and committed woman…who also loves to dance (more on that below)!

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True GGEM: China 💎

China’s a kind, quiet, fun loving, and dedicated soul…always wanting to ensure guests’ comfort while working in 40 degree jungle heat🔥. She’s a busy mom and wife, working 6 - 7 days a week…

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True GGEM: Natasha 💎

True GGEM. Natasha.

“I learned this, at least, by my experiment: that if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.”

~ Thoreau

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Flexibility + Gratitude + Rumi Wisdom

While there is so much divisiveness in our world today, I am genuinely excited to see what incredible silver linings will emerge from these challenging times…we’ll be (🤞) stronger, more resilient, more flexible, more compassionate, and more willing - even after too many set backs - to get excited for tomorrow + beyond! 🦋

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