I had the pleasure of meeting Paola and her family at the studio recently for a family shoot.

Aren’t these the most gorgeous pair of kiddos?

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I met Oliver when he was just a wee slip of a lad.

He grew up to be a chubby, bubbly, smiley little boy who looks like he’s going to be breaking a lot of hearts very soon

When I arrived, he was waiting for me with his furry friend.

And then we got busy.

No better place in the world than a kitchen sink for a bubble bath.

Followed by a little styling.

He cleans up nice, yea? Some mommy time…And some Daddy time.And some family time.Thank you, Oliver and family. It’s been a really fun year!

This rolly polly dolly makes me yearn to have another.

This job is dangerous

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And what a year it’s been.

This year was the first year I got myself a studio, which turned out to be one of the best decisions I’d made to grow my business. While it’s been a scary milestone, I am so proud of this space that has come to represent my “style”, if there ever was one. When someone looks at a picture I’ve taken and is able to recognise it as my work, it is because of this space. It has allowed me to develop this “brand”, if you will and for that, I am truly grateful.

This was also the year I invested in my journey back to film. In that, I made so many new friends through Film is Not Dead. This was a pivotal point in my career as a professional photographer, the decision to incorporate this beautiful medium into what I truly believe now represents the soul of what my work has become. While I won’t ever give up on digital, I am arriving at a happy fusion of the two that not only is magical but makes me happy. And that has become essential to keep my going for art is a passion that burns fierce and too hot sometimes for me, so much so that I am easily burnt out (forgive the deluge of metaphors!). It is hard to stay genuinely inspired in a market saturated with the same ideas. However, each time I get a scan back, each time I commune with my fellow film shooters, this passion is reignited. For that, I thank my dear friend Catherine. Thank you for introducing me to your world, without which I would forever been content wandering idiotically through a wasteland of tacky mediocrity. And thank you, Jon, for being so REAL about it all.

Thank you to my family for enduring another year of half-assed being-there but always backing me 100% without fail because for SOME reason, you still believe I am capable of so much more because I AM.

Most of all, thank YOU, JTPA friends, new and old. I must also apologize for having sometimes been overzealous in my desire to please and to be perfect, and in that, succeeded miserably in achieving neither. I’m afraid the passion is also the poison.

Auld lang syne, 2011 and hola 2012.

Surprise me

Get ready for the happiest little twin boys in the world – because they have the happiest pair of parents. Figures

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There’s nothing quite like having a new baby. And a first baby.

The daily surprises (good AND bad). The constant wonder. Nothing else in this world changes your world from one second to another quite like having a baby. One minute you’re just plain Andre and Jessica. The next, you’re parents.

Welcome Baby Brooklyn. Your family is so happy you’re here.

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I met Tim when he was three months old, a cute, cheruby little thing that was the apple of his family’s eye. Since then, I’ve had the privilege of watching him grow into a precocious, happy little boy with the cutest little locks and a smile that can light up the whole room.

What’s more, Tim is going to be a big brother to a little sister soon! Congratulations to mommy Muge and dad Ozgur! Can’t wait to meet her next year

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I met Rachel, a fellow photographer, on my Facebook page a few months ago when I did a casting call for a personal project. And she has the cutest twin girls I’ve ever met!!

To repay her generosity for donating her family’s time to my “cause” (and for being So brave to let me style them the way I’d wanted to just for that ONE picture), I suggested we do a family shoot in Seattle.

I love you guys, just so you know. I’m sorry the girls weren’t feeling their bestest but they are still so darn cute.

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A brisk but sunny fall afternoon. My dear friends, the UW and several rolls of Kodak Ektar. Bliss!