01 May Celebrate your Stepmother this Mother’s Day
“A stepparent is so much more than just a parent: they made the choice to love you when they didn’t have to.” – Unknown
We’ve all seen the tropes perpetuated by Hollywood of the “wicked stepmother,” but this couldn’t be further from the truth. Our stepmoms are often the most selfless and loving people in our lives. They can be a safe haven when you need to talk to someone, but are not ready to deal with your biological parents. They love you as a parent, but can detach from that role a bit to give you sound, unbiased advice as a friend. They are on your side even when you’re a moody teenager, even while they patiently for you to accept them into your life as a parent or friend. They are there to celebrate all your achievements, from graduation to marriage. Heck, they will be there for you until they can’t physically or mentally can’t anymore, just like your biological parents. They are an extra adult in your life who chooses to love you and for that, they deserve your love back. So please, don’t forget to celebrate your stepmother this Mother’s Day. It would be a real shame.
In celebration of stepmoms everywhere, today I am going to share with you a shoot I did with my stepmom, Nicky. I had the pleasure of photographing her twice, once with my dad and once alone. Both times were so much fun! She’s the perfect example of a supportive stepmother. Over the many months of COVID lockdowns, I had a lot of time to reassess my life, including my photography and business goals. I noticed I wasn’t photographing who I truly wanted to photograph – women of all ages, sizes, and races. At that time, I was still very much learning how to take beautiful portraits and experimenting with beautiful models. Now, there’s nothing wrong with fashion photography and working with models – they are a hoot to work with and I hope to keep doing so, but on a lower scale. But, I always felt that photography has so much power if used properly, and I wasn’t using that power to my best ability. I am a pretty emotionally-driven woman who likes to focus on self-growth and I wanted to be able to share my beliefs through photography, which led me to focus on empowering women. When I switched directions, I was blessed to have some incredible women step forward and trust me to capture their beauty. One of my first shoots after many lockdowns was with Nicky. I had my fantastic stylist, Fatima, do both her hair and makeup. We used natural lashes from Laash Lashes. And I even went to Nectar Flowers floral shop to get fresh flowers as a prop. Check out Nicky’s transformation.
I absolutely love the after portrait! This is the one shot I wanted to nail with spring flowers. Fatima stayed during our shoot to add movement to Nicky’s hair using a blow dryer. I love the turquoise shirt she brought. I love everything about it. This shot made me very happy.
Here are the rest of the photos we captured together.
And here is my favourite photo of Nicky and my dad together.
I think Mother’s Day is the perfect day to show your love and appreciation for the mother figures in your life. That may be your stepmom, an aunt, a grandma, a female family friend, your adopted mother, and of course your biological mother. This year, why not celebrate her in a fun and memorable way with a Mother’s Day photo session? If you’re in the Ottawa area, I would be happy to organize a shoot with you!
To see my team’s work, click the links below:
Fatima – makeup & hair – https://www.instagram.com/beautytouch_byfatima/
Laash lashes – Lashes – https://www.instagram.com/laashlashes_hair_co/
Nectar Flowers – Flowers – https://www.instagram.com/nectarflowersottawa/
https://taplink.cc/nectarflowersottawa
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