You know how they say the cure for anything is salt water, be it sweat or tears or the sea? I believe that whole heartedly. I often find myself going to the sea for a bit of alone time, and I always walk away feeling extremely relaxed and rejuvenated. There is something quite magical about the sea, it's one of my absolute favorite spots to be, and right up there for as one of my favorite spots for maternity photoshoots.

The backdrop is simple, there is not much distraction, which draws the perfect attention to the expecting couple and that big, round, gorgeous bump! For this particular session, I drove up to Abu Dhabi to meet Kristina and Dewey. We split the session into two parts, and we shot first in their apartment, then made our way downstairs to the ocean. Kristina and Dewey are blessed to be living really close to the ocean, so it was a wonderful walk for the three (actually four!) of us together!

Kristina and Dewey, by now you know how much love I have for the both of you. Thank you so much for inviting me into your life and for trusting me with your family's most important milestones.

I still clearly remember the very first time Katrin and I spoke on the phone - I was on call in Abu Dhabi for a birth at Danat Al Emarat hospital, waiting for a call from my client to let me know she had gone into labor. Her call added so much joy to my day because of her warmth, her easy laugh and her over the moon excitement for welcoming her newborn baby! We were meant to shoot a maternity session together prior to the newborn session, but low and behold, little Finn had other plans and came Earth-side before his due date! This isn't the first time this happens to me, and it always makes me laugh from the depths of my heart - we can plan and anticipate, but our babies, and most importantly, God, may have other plans. 

One of my biggest lessons as a Birth and Family photographer has been to have Faith; that things work out for the best always, that if things were to happen they were meant to be, that God is in control of everything and always has my back. I didn't want this blog post to take a religious/spiritual turn, but I can't deny that my A-type personality that LOVES control didn't struggle (and sometimes continues to struggle) with these types of issues.

Alas, people come into our lives for a reason, and the day Katrin called me gave me a tremendous burst of energy that I was able to carry into my birth session with my client later on. Thank you Katrin!