TESTIMONIAL FROM AN 11-DAY OLD NEWBORN SESSION 'Our entire photo session with Jennifer in December 2005 was nothing short of magical from start to finish. We were greeted at her home studio in the East end by her two toddlers: one bright-eyed and bundled up at the door in an enormous snowsuit, ready for adventure; the other calm and barefoot, standing in the kitchen with breakfast in hand. With soft, gentle brown eyes, he peered in intently at our daughter--a small sleeping bean-face virtually engulfed by fleece and a car seat--and then smiled at us, professing sincerely: "I love babies." I think I knew right then that this would be no ordinary photo shoot. We followed Jennifer upstairs to her studio and bedroom, two airy, bright rooms on the third floor. She allowed us ample time to unpack our gear and our daughter; in the meantime, we felt completely at ease talking with her. Jennifer possesses a unique understanding of the surreal world of brand new babies and their parents, evident throughout the session in myriad ways. She demonstrated sincere interest in our birthing story and empathy with our many new trials as new parents, offering details from her own experiences to reassure us. She marveled at our daughter's tiny features and limbs, as though seeing a newborn for the very first time. She helped us choose a few suitable outfits, dressed my partner in a black turtleneck reserved for the occasion (more appropriate for backgrounding the baby than her white business shirt), warmed up some blankets, and we began. The shoot went remarkably well, and lasted about two hours. Mabel was awake and alert for most of the session, kept toasty warm by a seemingly never-ending supply of blankets and a heating pad. Jennifer's studio is professional but simple. Those amazing photographs don't come from tricks and gadgets but from a genuine connection to and sympathy with her subjects, a keen eye, and constant, almost acrobatic movements in service of her art. It's no exaggeration to say that watching Jennifer take pictures is like watching an athletic event! The session time flowed easily, informally, and at its own pace--there was no rushing or urgency at all. We took many breaks for feeding (she had a station all set up), cuddling, and chatting. We even did part of the session in Jennifer's bedroom; the different environment definitely lent an even deeper intimacy and warmth to a number of photographs, especially the family shots. We received an impish little teaser shot of Mabel via email within hours, and the slideshow a few short days later, accessible online and set to beautiful classical music. It was clear that Jennifer was quite excited to share the photos with us--and justifiably proud of her work, as her attention to detail obviously showed. Predictably, when we saw the slideshow we both wept, completely overwhelmed with emotion. Within a week or two--and this was during the Christmas season--Jennifer arrived at our home to take our rather voluminous order, and trekked over again at least three times to deliver the many photographs and albums as they came in. In the meantime, she updated us frequently on email to let us know when our photos would be ready, and answered our barrage of questions clearly and promptly. In the end, each part of our order came in either on time or much earlier than she'd promised. I have looked at our album many, many times--perhaps hundreds by now!--and I am consistently awed by Jennifer's talent. With startling accuracy, she managed to capture not only the uniqueness of our daughter, but also my perceptions of her in those early days. In the photos, she is as I saw her then: alternatively fragile and vulnerable, alien and otherworldly, tiny and delicate but so hugely and wonderfully alive, with bright dark eyes and impossibly thick black hair. Similarly, I am often moved to tears by the photos of us holding her, by the love and sheer joy so plain and open on our faces. In the sea of feeding challenges, utter exhaustion, and ever-shifting emotions of our first weeks with Mabel, Jennifer's photos mirrored for us the simple truth and intensity of our love for her. The images have delighted us endlessly, and (if at all humanly possible) helped us fall more deeply in love with our child. We are truly grateful for the experience.' Ina Szekely, Toronto, ON |