The Pride of Prom

Coming from England I am not so experienced with the concept of Prom's. It makes me feel like time is passing by too fast when I say that I graduated high school 12 years ago! Prom's have begun to spread across the pond to England since I graduated but I definitely missed out. 

As a professional photographer in Toronto I have been well and truly introduced to the Prom culture and I love it! It was never an area of photography that had crossed my mind until a wonderful family in the Eglinton & Spadina area requested I come to their home to capture the Pre-Prom Party they were hosting for their daughter.
 
From the moment I arrived the excitement that fills this day was ever-present. I got talking with the young ladies mother and the sense of overwhelming pride was evident in every word she spoke.  

The experience of photographing these seniors at their pre-prom party was awesome. I had so much fun capturing each of the girls in their stunning dresses and then couples and family shots as their dates arrived. 
I was completely sold on this new area of photography and got straight onto adding it to my services list. 

A few weeks on and a very close family friends daughter was having her prom. I jumped at the chance to photograph this amazing family on such a special day. 
This was a different type of Prom shoot as it was not part of a pre-prom party but just the family at their home before heading out.

I knew before I arrived I wanted to capture all of the small details for them to treasure as they look back at these photos in years to come. 

When I used to think of Prom's my mind always went to the girl in the pretty dress with her date standing at the bottom of the stairs. Now I am experiencing these amazing days from behind the lens I am seeing that it is so much more. There is a real build up to the special day with mum's arranging hair, make-up and nail appointments. The mother and sister(s) join in with the prep sessions and are so excited for their daughter/sister. 

Of course this day marks so much more than just a good party with pretty dresses. For the parents this is a momentous occasion that is bitter sweet. It marks another step closer to their child moving off into the world and they still feel like they just dropped them off at kindergarden 5 years ago. 
It is so beautiful to see a mother and father's love wrapped up with excitement, pride, joy and hope for their child's future. The parents invest a lot of time, money and heart into organizing every little aspect that comes together to make their daughters day perfect!

As a little sister myself I completely stand in awe of my big sis when she gets dressed up for special occasions, especially when you are growing up and you dream about how one day it will be your turn. 

Of course a Pre-Prom photoshoot would not be complete without capturing the main lady! This particular young, soon to be graduate is a special person. She is full of life, crazy bright, ambitious, has a huge heart, is always wanting to help others and it doesn't need saying that she is insanely beautiful. This girl has her head on straight and has the most amazing parents who have nurtured and loved her into the wonderful individual she is. I am excited to see where life takes her and maybe capture more memories along the way.

The fact that they invited me to join in on this big day and celebrate it with stunning photos fills me with happiness. I feel so privileged to be present in these moments. I hope that my photos will be treasured and looked back on with love and fond memories. I hope that by capturing the little things my photography will spark memories they had forgotten and I hope I that they capture the story of each family uniquely. 

Until the next prom...