I feel like I should exclaim: I AM BACK! But that may be a bit too bold and wild for me - so instead, picture a little wave and a big broad smile -
"hey everyone, welcome!"
Some of my most treasured memories exist because someone in my family believed they were worth photographing.
Long before I ever imagined starting a photography business, I was the person with a camera in my hands, documenting everything I could.
Growing up in Mississauga, Ontario, I was lucky that much of my family and close friends were near by. Some of my favourite memories were made around crowded kitchen tables, family celebrations, and long drives adventuring here and there. Thankfully, so many of those moments were captured.
I grew up surrounded by people who believed every season of life was worth remembering. Because of them, I have photographs that don't just remind me of what happened—they remind me of how it felt to be there.
That, more than anything, is why photography has always mattered to me.
My own photography journey began with a little Canon ELPH camera in the 90's (>.<) when I was a teenager. I took it everywhere and friends and family can attest to the fact that I photographed every. single. thing. Then one summer, my uncle surprised me with a Canon PowerShot Pro 1. It was one of the most generous gifts I've ever received, and it completely changed the way I saw photography.
Not long after, I discovered Flickr (IYKYK). At the time, it was one of the most vibrant online photography communities. It became so much more than a place to upload photos. It was where I learned, where I shared my work, where I found inspiration, and where I built friendships with people who simply loved seeing the world through a camera as much as I did (and 2 decades later, we're still connected!).
Photography followed me through every stage of my own life. I photographed weddings and engagements while I was in university, experimented with product photography, wandered cities with my camera just for the joy of it, and documented everyday moments simply because they felt worth remembering.
Photography wasn't something I did.
It was part of how I experienced the world.
As the years passed, life naturally became fuller.
Life brought me my love, my doggos, a home to care for, a career that demanded so much of me; while motherhood brought my two incredible children. I never stopped taking photographs, but my camera (phone) became almost exclusively focused on my children and our family life. Looking back, I think that's simply the nature of those early years of motherhood. They're beautiful, exhausting, and wonderfully all-encompassing. There isn't always much room left for the parts of yourself that existed before.
As I resigned to that, and photography just being part of my past, I was pleasantly surprised. Last year, my husband gave me a camera.
It may seem like a simple gift (his wife loves photography, duh!), but it became so much more than that. It was an invitation to return to something that had always been part of me. With his encouragement (I mean, a swift kick out the door with friends and photo walks, while he held down the fort at home), I picked it back up—and it really was like riding a bike.
Slowly, I carved out time for photography again. I started noticing the little moments that pass so quickly, photographing my children with fresh eyes, and remembering just how much joy I found behind the camera. Friends began asking me to photograph their families, then small events, and before long I realized something that had quietly been waiting for me all along.
I had found my rhythm again.
And maybe more importantly, I had found my way back to myself.
When I look back at the photographs I treasure most, they aren't always the perfectly posed ones. They're the images where someone is laughing a little too hard, a friend looking off into the distance lost in thought, where a child instinctively reaches for a parent's hand, or where everyone is simply together. Those are the photographs that shaped my own memories, and they're the kind of photographs I hope to create for others.
My hope is to create images that feel honest. Photographs that tell your story in a way that's true to you—not perfectly posed, but genuinely lived. The kind of photographs that, years from now, will transport you back to a feeling, a season, or a moment you didn't yet know would become so precious.
If my approach resonates with you, I'd love to hear your story. Whether you're celebrating something big or simply wanting to preserve this season exactly as it is, it would be an honour to create photographs you'll treasure for years to come. There's never any pressure—it never hurts to start a conversation.
I truly believe we can find our way back to ourselves in simple, honest ways.
For me, it was through photography.
Thank you for being here at the very beginning. I can't wait to share more stories, more photographs, and all the beautiful little moments that remind us why preserving our memories matters.
Headshots of me taken by Ajay P - Smile for a Cause for the South Asian Autism Awareness Centre (SAAAC)
