I had a quick session with Angus, Kenneth and Calum MacKenzie following the Piper’s Ceilidh during Celtic Colours. After the finale, we beelined to South Haven to my old piping instructor’s house, and had a quick chat with her grandmother to ask if we could borrow her barn for a few photos. She thought we were a bit crazy, but laughed and said fine…as long as I would take a few photos of the boys in front of the barn on her camera. Not only are the MacKenzie boys super multitalented musicians, they’re among the funniest people I know. Like any good trio of brothers, they were pestering each other the entire session and laughing at the expense of the others (mostly Kenneth). The boys released an album, “Piob Is Fidheall” last year and it’s really great! They kindly allowed me to use a track for my year end slideshow and if you haven’t heard them play yet, make it a priority as they’re pure talent!

We laughed. Holy smokes we laughed during this session!! I arrived at the Gillis household and had a little visit before we started shooting. The kids were in fine form and every single thing that came out of their mouths was hilarious. The damn cat, the damn Leafs, general bathroom humour, you name it. Brenley had a mere dozen or so outfit changes lined up for herself (complete with a wide array of sequins to match the rural setting), and her mom Dawn joked that she thought perhaps she was part crow. Every 20 minutes or so, she’d disappear into the house and reappear in a new and fully accessorized outfit, much like Beyonce at the Grammy Awards. Madden is a natural comedian and he’s only a toddler…I can’t even imagine the things he’ll say when he realizes he’s funny! You don’t have to search too hard to see where the kids get their comedic ways…their parents are a laugh and a half! At one point the kids started killing themselves laughing, and when I turned around to see what was so funny, Dawn was cartwheeling across the lawn! I might just hire her to cartwheel herself through every session if that’s the reaction it produces!

This is the fifth year in a row I’ve been doing sessions with Kelly, Mike and the kids. I’ve seen their family expand and their kids grow up, and a trip to the East Coast wouldn’t be the same without a session with the ‘MacShep’ family. Kelly has been a great promoter of my work since day one and I’m always grateful to her for sharing my name and images, and making sure I have a busy schedule during my Cape Breton visits! Drea is one of the best behaved and sweetest little kids I’ve ever met, and it’s always a treat to take her photo. She also has a giggle like a machine-gun, which makes you laugh along once she starts! Jera is the squishiest little boy with a grin as big as his entire face, and he’s forever on the move…just like his mom. Mike and Kelly ‘get’ me, and always choose the best locations for their family sessions. This year we went to the Louisbourg Train Station, and it was the only year we had a session where it wasn’t freezing! We all bundled up in sweaters assuming we’d be frozen as usual, and it was like summer outside. Go figure.

Two images from my session with The Hicks Family during my last day on the East Coast. We were freezing in Fisherman’s Cove during our first attempt at their session, but our second try a few days later ended up much better! Here’s Angus, and Isla and Dave in a park just around the corner from their house in Dartmouth. Wait to see Kelly in the full post!

One image from my session with Ivonne Hernandez this evening before she heads back out on the road on Sunday.