This adorable family contacted me on a Monday to ask if we could do newborn photographs, and by that Sunday, we were able to get together safely and make this happen.

That’s one of the most wonderful things about being a family photographer - having magical things like this pop up on your schedule unexpectedly, and having the flexibility to say YES to them :)

So let me take you through the story of this documentary photo-session, and show you some of the photographs we took!

It’s a bonus that this session happened in the summer. I think we can all use some summer magic right now, wouldn’t you agree?

Starting off with some snuggles

Portrait of little boy during family session in Kingston Ontario

Father holding his newborn son and giving a kiss to his other son

Father and his sons cuddling during family session in Kingston

Right away, I loved this family. I couldn’t stop photographing Leo, this adorable 3-year old with the biggest, gentlest eyes. He was an instant muse. And then, I met his baby brother, Ezra, and I couldn’t believe just how expressive this tiny little baby’s eyes were, too! This obviously runs in the family.

We quickly got our shoes on and went outside in the backyard for some fun! (But not before we snapped a photo of mum, adoring her sweet baby)

I love the quiet moment in which mom and dad gaze at their adorable baby. Those moments are precious.

In The Backyard Awaits More Fun!

dad holding new baby boy in their backyard

Baby lying in the grass during a family photo session in kingston ontario

It’s hard to believe this baby was under ten days old at the time of this photoshoot. I mean just look at the way he’s holding his head up on dad’s shoulder!

And that cute baby foot in the grass? I just couldn’t resist. Look at those tiny toes!

Mom watching her son climb the fence at their house during a family photo session

little boy playing in a hammock during candid family photo session

Family of 4 huddled together outside while viara mileva takes candid family photos

In the meantime, big brother Leo did some climbing, peeking over into next door’s yard, hung out in the hammock, and found a cool fly. Lots of adventures to be captured in just a few minutes of backyard play! That’s exactly what happens during a candid photoshoot.

Baby Ezra looks deep into his mommy’s eyes. What a cutie ❤️

At some point, we decide to head to the nearby park: Friendship Park. It’s just a short walk away! But first, we need to get hats on everyone, because it’s very sunny and hot today. Getting a hat on baby proves to be quite easy. He’s too young to protest yet. I remember my kiddos hating hats, but not quite at his age.

candid family photos getting ready to go for a walk

mother putting hat on newborn baby to go out for a stroller ride

Alright, so now that everyone has their hats on, it’s time to go for a walk. We take some photographs to preserve these memories. Mom, pushing the stroller. Dad, holding Leo’s tiny hand.

family of 4 crossing the street together during candid photo session

father holding his sons hand while walking to the park in kingston

family walking to the park during their photo session with Viara Mileva

Along the way, we must stop to smell the flowers. 😂

Friendship Park Has Many Activities

Like every good local park, there are things to climb, games to play, sticks to throw, and so much more! This image of Leo playing with the basketball on a patch of grass is one of my favourites:

Nava Alex Leo and Ezra Family Photos May 2021 210530102013.jpg

What happens when you put a 9 day-old baby in a stroller to go to the park? What happens is the baby falls peacefully asleep. Which gives mommy and daddy more time to spend with Leo, watching him play, and snuggling.

mother and father giving their son a kiss while playing at the park

little boy being silly at the park, candid photo of him being upside down

little boy rolling around on the ground laughing during family photo session

And sometimes it’s nice to just sit back and relax on a park bench while the kids play. Parenting is hard work. You’re constantly on the go. So any opportunity you have to take a moment for yourself is a golden opportunity.

Family of four relaxing and enjoying in the park

Getting Some Time On The Basketball Court

Leo loves sports. He brought his basketball, hoping to get a chance to play. So when the people at Friendship Park who were playing tennis went for their water break, we quickly took this opportunity to shoot a few hoops!

Child playing basketball in the garden with his father

Taking Advantage of the Play Structures At the Park

After our basketball time was up, we headed to the play structures for some sliding. All kids love slides, and Leo is no exceptions.

Short aside: did you know that growing up, many of the slides in communist Bulgaria were made of cement? Yup. Cement. If you went down too many times, you’d get holes in your pants! 🙈

Kid loving his climb on the slide playing in the park.

I found it difficult to narrow down on which images to keep, because Leo shows so much emotion on his face in so many of these! So I kept a whole bunch.

Boy playing with his mom dad in the park

Dad hanging on the hanging bar in the park.

Leaving The Park To Go Home

Leaving the park can be a really difficult thing for kids. I remember my own kids - especially my oldest - would really struggle with these transitions. We gave him a 5 minute warning, sometimes even a 10-minute warning, and nothing really made it easier.

Leo handles leaving the park pretty well, though. As you can see from the photos, he was a happy little camper. He practices his jumping, and knew exactly when to stop when he reached the end of the sidewalk.

Boy jumping on the street going back to his home.

Child standing on the end of the sidewalk

Back Home: Snuggles and an Outfit Change for Baby

Home time means baby wakes up, hungry. That’s usually the case, right? Infants feed all the time. (This is normal, we now know. No longer do we believe that it’s natural or ethical to keep babies starving for three or four hours just because the doctor said so).

So baby Ezra woke up just in time for us to recreate an old photograph of the family “sleeping” on the bed together. Ok, no one was actually sleeping in this one, but it was really fun nonetheless. Then baby got a bit fed up during the outfit change, because let’s face it - who likes shirts being put over their heads?

Family sleeping together with happiness on their faces

Mom changing clothes of her new born son

Family Story Time

I miss those days. I really miss the days when we would sit together and read books to our kiddos when they were little. But I get to relive those moments each time I photograph a family like this, enjoying story time.

Boy reading book with his mom dad and little brother

Family hugging together - Mom dad and children

Someone’s Watching Us…

So, while we’re doing story time, the family’s adorable kitty - Suzie - got curious. She got pretty close to me, which I was thankful for, because I had a change to take this gorgeous portrait of her.

Suzie takes a moment to pose for a portrait

Time To Leave!

The two hours I spent with this happy family just flew by. Honestly, it’s always so much fun chasing the moments that you forget to check the time. I was sad to go, but happy that we managed to create so many memories for this family, so that they will always remember the late spring when baby Ezra was born, and Leo became a big brother.

Here are Leo and dad, waving me off :)

Nava Alex Leo and Ezra Family Photos May 2021 210530113049.jpg

Documentary Family Photography is magic. I never stop marvelling at just how many amazing families are out there in our beautiful city of Kingston, and beyond. It’s always so humbling to be welcomed - for just a snippet of time - into each of these families’ lives.

I hope I can capture more moments in this family’s life in the future! ❤️

One of my favourite images of the entire gallery was this one of Leo, holding daddy’s hand while crossing the road. He’s so happy after having visited the park, and had a snack. Life is good!

A new baby brother, lots of fun at Friendship Park, and storytime with mom and dad | A family session in downtown Kingston