Melissa Shearer Photography

Melissa Shearer Photography Capturing the first hello and all the memories youll make together!
▫️maternity ▫️birth ▫️family

The most underrated prep tip in family photography isn’t about outfits. It’s about the state everyone is in when they ar...
09/01/2026

The most underrated prep tip in family photography isn’t about outfits. It’s about the state everyone is in when they arrive.

A hungry, thirsty, rushed kid doesn’t hand you a real smile. Neither does a rushed parent. Stress travels straight from the car to the camera, every time.

Preparation isn’t about arriving early for the sake of it. It’s feeding everyone beforehand, packing water and snacks, and bringing whatever comfort item keeps a meltdown at bay. Leave the house calm and the session starts calm.

📸A note for other photographers reading this: this is worth adding to your client prep guide, not just saying out loud once at booking. Clients forget verbal advice. They remember a checklist.

One caveat worth knowing. If a session includes a rented location, or falls under a mini or specialty booking, there’s little to no buffer for a late or unsettled start. Those run on a fixed clock, so preparation matters even more.

➡️ SAVE THIS for your next session. Send it to a client who tends to run behind.

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No greater love ❤️ Burlington Ontario motherhood photographer, Burlington family photographer, mom and son photography s...
09/01/2026

No greater love ❤️

Burlington Ontario motherhood photographer, Burlington family photographer, mom and son photography session, motherhood photography Burlington Ontario, All Who Wander Flower Farm photography, flower farm family photography Ontario, mother and son photoshoot Burlington, emotive motherhood photography, outdoor family photography Burlington Ontario, authentic motherhood photography Ontario

Back in July, I cohosted The Motherhood Atelier with my partner in mischief, Ashley | Ontario Maternity & Family Photogr...
08/28/2026

Back in July, I cohosted The Motherhood Atelier with my partner in mischief, Ashley | Ontario Maternity & Family Photographer + Educator . This is the very first The Motherclickers Collective workshop and content day where we not only prioritized education for the eight amazing photographers who joined in our 1-hour workshop “Where Art Meets Authority”, but also designed four absolutely swoon-worthy sessions focus focussed on maternity and motherhood.

Kaylee Stevenson perfectly fit the bill for our Lavender Maternity Goddess decked out in Trista Smith and hair and makeup by Magnificent Makeup | Bridal Team

And we cannot forget our absolutely gorgeous location - ＷＩＬD ＢＬＵＥ ＡＣＲＥＳ who not only have a gorgeous photographers playground, but are just some of the best and kindest people! 💜

This day couldn’t have gone any better and truthfully it’s just the tip of the iceberg for things we have planned for Motherclickers- so stay tuned, because we have biiiiig goals.

➡️✨ Will you be joining us at a future Motherclickers event?

Back in June I cohosted the 11th Cultivate. Capture. Connection. Event. The theme of each of the four shoots was “inspi...
08/23/2026

Back in June I cohosted the 11th Cultivate. Capture. Connection. Event. The theme of each of the four shoots was “inspired by childhood stories”.

This particular session was loosely inspired by the Adventures of Mr Frog & Mr Toad. We wanted to explore simple boyhood memories of hanging out in the forest with a picnic lunch and fishing in the river.

Huge thanks to 𝘊𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘳𝘢 Muileboom’s wonderful boys for playing along and helping bring this vision to life!

Cohosts All Who Wander Flower Farm & Hamilton LifestylePhotographer

Photos by me ✌🏼

You don’t need to be photogenic.You need to feel comfortable enough to forget you’re being photographed.There’s a BIG di...
08/19/2026

You don’t need to be photogenic.

You need to feel comfortable enough to forget you’re being photographed.

There’s a BIG difference.

Because most people who tell me they’re “awkward in front of the camera” aren’t actually awkward. They’re uncomfortable.

They’re wondering what to do with their hands.
Whether their kids are behaving.
Whether their outfit looks okay.
Whether I’m getting anything good.
Whether they look like themselves.

And it’s really hard to be present with your family when half your brain is busy worrying about how you’re being perceived.

That’s why I care so much about what happens BEFORE your session.

I want to know you. I want to know your kids. I want to know what matters to you, what you’re nervous about, what you want these photographs to feel like, and what would make the whole experience easier.

I want the outfits figured out.

I want you to know what to expect.

And most importantly, I want you to trust me enough that when we actually meet for your session, you can hand all of that over to me.

You don’t have to perform.

You don’t have to know how to pose.

You don’t have to make your kids behave perfectly.

You just get to be with your people.

Because the photos I love most almost always happen in the moments when you’ve completely forgotten about me.

That’s the whole thing.

Trust first. Great photos follow.

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There’s something just so dreamy and cinematic about this maternity session… what film do you think the series could be ...
08/17/2026

There’s something just so dreamy and cinematic about this maternity session… what film do you think the series could be a scene from - TELL ME in the comments below! ⬇️⬇️

Take me back to PEI and more sessions like this one! 😍Taken at a retreat in Prince Edward Island in 2024 hosted by Krist...
08/16/2026

Take me back to PEI and more sessions like this one! 😍

Taken at a retreat in Prince Edward Island in 2024 hosted by Kristen Borelli - Toronto Photographer and Educator 🤍

JUST STOP ✋🛑Please stop trying to control every little aspect of your session and let the magic just FLOW.Stop trying to...
08/14/2026

JUST STOP ✋🛑

Please stop trying to control every little aspect of your session and let the magic just FLOW.

Stop trying to helicopter parent your kids… don’t do this, don’t do that, smile, look here… is it any wonder why you get awkward smiles and kids who dread annual sessions?

Here’s the thing nobody tells you: the second you start micromanaging, your kids feel it. They stop being themselves and start performing for you. And performed smiles look exactly like what they are… fake.

Unless it’s a safety issue, just let them be. And let me direct. That’s literally what you’re paying me for.

The sessions that turn into wall art? They happen when you get out of the way. Let your toddler run. Let your kid make a weird face. Let the baby cry for ten seconds before someone scoops her up. That’s not a ruined photo. That’s the real thing.

I’m not there to document a version of your family that behaved perfectly for twenty minutes. I’m there to catch who you actually are together, messy hair and all.

So next session… hands off. Let them be kids. I’ve got the rest ✨

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There’s something about the end of summer that makes me want to hold onto everything a little tighter.The warm skin. The...
08/13/2026

There’s something about the end of summer that makes me want to hold onto everything a little tighter.

The warm skin.
The sandy toes.
The way she still fits perfectly, tucked into your arms.
The way she closes her eyes when you hold her, because for her, this is still the safest place in the world.

One day she’ll be too big to scoop up.

One day summers will look different.

One day you’ll look at a photograph like this one and realize you’d give almost anything to step back into this exact evening for five more minutes.

Not because anything extraordinary happened. Because this was your life.

Her little body against yours. The sun disappearing over the water. Nowhere else either of you needed to be.

And maybe that’s what photographs are really for. Not proving we were here. Helping us remember what it felt like while we were.

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Thanks victoria for a) being willing to stick out a scary forecast, and b) being willing and eager to actually get in the water because you knew the photos would wind up like this one 😍😍😍

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