03/05/2026
"A lot of people assume boys hate doing photos.
And to be fair… most of them walk in thinking it’s going to be a pain in the neck that they’re doing for their mother.
But once we get going, it's always a different story!!!
When Matthew came in for his consultation, his mom Melissa already had some great ideas.
Matthew attends the Breton Education Centre in New Waterford, where the school colours are green. He also has a little sister, Olivia, who is just finishing preschool.
Melissa had this idea.
Matthew would hold a sign that said “I’m just finishing.”
Olivia would hold one that said “I’m just starting.”
Simple.
Perfect.
We didn’t have little blackboards in the studio at the time, so after the consultation I ordered some boards from Amazon… and while I was at it I ordered a tiny green graduation gown for Olivia too.
Now we have them for future grads as well.
During the consultation I also learned something about Matthew.
He plays drums.
They have a band in New Waterford that practices once a week, and he’s into the heavier stuff from the 80s.
Metallica is his favourite.
Matthew was pretty quiet during the consultation. Very polite. But when the drums came up, I could tell that was the thing he was really excited about.
The night of the shoot Olivia came along too. It was my first time meeting her.
You know those kids who like to know things?
That means questions.
Lots of questions.
She noticed my knee cushion that I use while shooting on the floor and immediately recognized it because her dad works in construction and uses the same kind.
Before I even asked, she sweetly passed it over to me.
It was adorable.
They actually came in separate cars because Dad thought Olivia might not want to sit through the whole shoot.
Turns out… she absolutely did.
Unfortunately it was getting close to bedtime and she had to leave before the end.
She was not impressed with that decision.
Once Matthew had his suit on and we got moving, you could see him settling in.
A lot of people assume boys hate doing photos.
And to be fair… most of them walk in thinking it’s going to be a pain in the neck that they’re doing for their mother.
But once we get rolling, find a rhythm, and start creating something interesting, it usually becomes pretty fun.
For the main event we brought in his electric drum kit.
Quick note to parents: if your kid wants to learn drums… electric drums are genius. They wear headphones while playing, which means you hear almost nothing.
I learned that that day.
We set the kit up.
I put coloured gels on the background lights.
Turned on the fog machine.
Mom was behind the scenes running the fog like a professional stage manager.
Then I cranked up Whiskey in the Jar by Metallica.
Loud.
We shot through the entire song… twice.
You could tell Matthew loved it.
And that’s really the point of these sessions.
What makes your son or daughter them right now?
When you’re sitting with your coffee a few years from now, what do you want to look at on your wall and remember about this exact season of life?
The music.
The hobbies.
The personality.
The moment between “I’m just starting” and “I’m just finishing.”
But the most revealing moment of the night came from Olivia.
Matthew is a fairly quiet guy, and I was still trying to get a read on him.
Olivia, on the other hand, was trying very hard to do everything perfectly in her photos, so I was trying to loosen her up a bit.
Sometimes I’ll ask little kids about daycare.
So I said, “Who’s your best friend?”
I expected her to say another little girl’s name.
She thought for a second.
Then she pointed at her big brother.
That told me everything I needed to know about Matthew.
Because not every big brother earns that kind of answer.
