Before the family grows | Stockholm family photographer

Happy Wednesday everyone :). Are we really in June already? It feels like life has really picked up speed this year and we have just been suddenly hurtled into summer. Anyone else feeling that?

I know it’s been quiet here on the Jolly for the last couple of weeks. I went home to Ireland last month and talk about burning the candles at both ends. It was a lot of late nights and early starts and constant catching up with friends and family. My husband and I even completed the epic Stairway to Heaven walk in Fermanagh. If you love walking, fresh air and wide open spaces as much as I do, I think you will be blown away by the wild beauty of this place. You can find more info on it here :)

It took me three whole days to recover from my trip home. No lie. I’m back to shooting and blogging now though until we go on our summer family holiday. I hope you enjoy the below family session, photographed here in Stockholm. This beautiful mom is about to have twins, so she quite righty thought she should have her family documented as they are right now, before the family gets even bigger. Like I always say, all stages are important.

Peace and love :)

The eyes have it | Stockholm portrait photographer

I often wonder if people realise how much their eyes reveal (believe me when I say I think about this a lot). The joy, the caution, the hesitation, the pain, the grief, the happiness, the love, the hardness, the softness, the wit, the determination, the insecurity, the empathy, the fondness, the curiosity, everything. It’s all there in the eyes. Your mouth can say one thing, but your eyes will always tell the truth.

The eyes is where my camera always wants to go. I want to really see that person and I want them to know that I see them. I want to get an insight into their soul. To boldly go where no photographer has gone before ;)

What do your eyes say about you, right now, this very second?

“The eyes have one language everywhere.” - Romanian proverb

An anxious April | Barnfotograf Stockholm

“Anxiety does not empty tomorrow of its sorrows, but only empties today of its strength.” — Charles Spurgeon

For most of April, for various reasons, I have had what has felt like a ball fo anxiety sitting heavily around my heart area. I won’t lie, it’s been a truly horrible feeling and not one that I’m used to. There have been a few factors at the core of all this anxiety and it seemed like the more I thought about them, the more powerful that ball of anxiety became. Each time I let my mind race, I was essentially feeding the beast. All those racing thoughts were contributing to the growth and power of the anxiety.

“There are moments when all anxiety and stated toil are becalmed in the infinite leisure and repose of nature.” - Henry David Thoreau

This Saturday just gone, I packed a rucksack with a book and some water and headed for my spiritual home - the woods. The time had come to get out of my head. With each step I took on the pine needle littered path, I became fully aware of everything around me; the sun rays through the branches, the gentle breeze, the birds singing, the snap of twigs underfoot, the budding trees, the colours around me. Everything. I was mindful. I was totally in the moment. And, thankfully, you can’t be completely in the moment and stuck in your head at the same time. I found a quiet bench by the lake and I lost myself in a book.

I left those woods feeling calmer, clearer and rejuvinated. I needed that reminder. When your thoughts are causing chaos in your body, you can always turn to Mother Nature for peace and inspiration.

I’ll leave you with some recent photographs from another beautiful walk in nature :)

April personal faves | Barnfotograf Stockholm

So Easter’s over and I didn’t die of a chocolate overdose. That was unexpected because God knows I hit the Cadbury’s Mini Eggs hard.

How was your Easter? Did you travel/spend time with family/do an Easter egg hunt/eat aforementioned eggs? The Jolly gang took a road trip with our freshly groomed dog. He is such a looker and he doesn’t even know it :). We had our first BBQ of the year with friends - always be wary of friends who top up your wine glass the minute you look away/leave the table ;). We hosted a Greek style Easter lunch (my husband wanted to do a different spin on Easter food) for the extended family. I really wanted to smash some plates as part of our Greek experience, but I wasn’t allowed (boooooooooo). For dessert, I made my first ever carrot cake and guess what? It was a resounding success. Trust me when I say no one was more surprised than I was ;).

I’ll leave you with some of my favourite personal photographs from this month.

Until the next time, folks ;)