for the love of moms 💞

Mothers’ Day fast approaches and I am so excited to be launching a contest to gift one über-awesome mama a free portrait session + print!

“A mother is she who can take the place of all others
but whose place no one else can take.”

~ Gaspard Mermillod

Moms are so often the ones organizing everyone else… capturing the kids on their first days of school or on vacation, ensuring they get pics of them with their dad, printing the shots of loved ones playing sports, at their recitals, and birthday parties… we know how important pictures are - hell, photos are within top three answers for what people would grab if the house was on fire! - and yet we moms are too seldom in them or, if we are, it’s an arm’s length selfie. WHY?

This Mothers’ Day honour the moms you love with the opportunity to be celebrated through portraiture.

A portrait session need not be intimidating… I will never ask for my clients to be anyone other than EXACTLY who they are, my aim is to always ensure a fun + empowering experience that results in authentic portraiture. One client described looking through her gallery with tears in her eyes and that her husband, upon seeing her + her portraits, said, “you finally see you how I see you.” 🙏🏼

From now through May 5/23 I’m running a ‘for the love of moms’ contest that will gift one session + print to a deserving mama (self-nominations encouraged!)! Submit your nomination here now! (see contest rules here)

no matter the stage of motherhood… every mom deserves a portrait she loves!

If not now, when?

~ Hillel the Elder

“ ‘Strength flows from grit and grace.’ A few months ago, I was scrolling through my photos and realized that the only photos of myself were impromptu selfies. Luckily Lori Maloney helped me rectify this issue. During the photo shoot we laughed, danced, and, in the process, captured both sides of who I am. I love these pictures.”

Nominate a mom you love today! I also have gift cards available and I can promise you that the gift or portraiture blows all other gifts out the water… we don’t need more cookbooks, or mugs, or flowers - of course they’re nice too - BUT… what better gift than one that celebrates our beloved moms by holding up a mirror so that they may see what we see in them… strength. authenticity. beauty. grace. Every mom deserves a portrait she loves.

All the deets are on the contest page… cannot wait to read the nominations - already feeling teary eyed thinking of the love that’s going to be poured into each nomination! 💞

With gratitude,

xo Lori

The Day of Transformation: an auspicious day for this announcement!

In astrology November 2 has the rather wonderful title of: The Day of Transformation. I didn’t know that until today but, in preparing to write this note, I had a peek and smiled at the synchronicity of it: that a project started six years ago, abandoned by the original creator in 2020, is finally ready - in its transformed state - to be published and purchased! <insert my happy tears!>

The first proof was BEAUTIFUL - wow, to hold something IN YOUR HANDS that you’ve worked so hard toward AND to feel it truly honours your subjects is pretty damned special. I did find a couple of small things I wanted to tweak… always in pursuit of a finished book we can all be really proud of! I expect to sign off on the final proof this week (I’m on the edge of my seat waiting for its arrival!)… which means: I’m NOW ready to take pre-orders for the book starting today through Sunday, November 15. Offering the book as a pre-order will allow us to get a volume discount, bringing the purchase price down and saving you on any shipping charges. Yay! 🙌

I am beyond thrilled to announce that I am now taking pre-orders for:
53 BIRTHDAYS: A PORTRAIT COLLECTION !

Book deets: an 8x10, 62 page hardcover book showcasing each of the 53 portraits on individual pages, with upgraded white end-sheets that add - as my daughter said - a gallery vibe, high quality pearl paper that ensures beautiful colour and contrast for these incredibly special portraits, a foreward written by a subject/author/friend/changemaker, a handful of wonderful quotes from people both within the collection’s pages and their loved ones, heartfelt recognition to those we’ve lost, and a whole lotta effort, heart & soul from yours truly! I am also really, really proud to have been able to produce a beautiful book while keeping the price to ‘$100 or under’, as I’d promised was my goal…book printing is new to me and I just desperately want for it to be accessible to all, especially given the current challenges we all face.

To purchase your copy(ies) simply e-transfer $80/book to lori@lorimaloney.com (no password required) with a note that includes your first and last name and the number of copies you’re purchasing (what a fun holiday gift for loved ones! 🤗) The books will be available for pick up in NW Calgary in early December (barring any delays because of Covid and/or postal delays).

If you’d like to arrange for a different payment method OR you will be unavailable to pick your order up in Calgary, please contact me using the email listed above and I’m sure we can work it out! 🙌

The book will be available on-line after November 15; however, the price will be higher, shipping charges from my publisher will apply, and no guarantees on a pre- Dec 25 delivery…I do hope you’ll get in on the pre-order!

This book of portraits represents so much….the joy of birthdays and what they might mean to each of us, the legacy of portraiture, the choice we each have to raise our hands when given the opportunity to participate in projects that might seem ambitious, and the tenacity & perseverance we can each summon when things don’t turn out as planned. I am beyond proud to be writing this note, to know that we crossed the finish line together, and that these portraits will live on in print. 🙏🏼

Whether you are a subject in this book, or someone who participated in the bigger Birthday Book Project, or if you are simply (wonderfully!) keen to support a local artist…I am deeply appreciative for each and every purchase.

My heartfelt thanks to the 58 people, across 53 birthdays, who raised their hands and allowed me the privilege of trying to capture a little piece of what they wished to convey; I hope you and yours LOVE what we’ve created together! I must also thank my family who have supported me throughout as I first exceeded the initial project’s commitment and then chose to navigate salvaging it. ❤️

…here’s to transformation!

xo Lori

Holly ❤️

In the Fall of 2018 I met Jon, a wonderful man and photographer. We were paired, at a workshop we were at, for a rather intense exercise...and a friendship was sealed. Shortly thereafter I had the pleasure of meeting his equally awesome wife, and instantly fell in love with her resilient, warm, and grateful spirit. (worth noting here is that while Jon & Holly were here for our first dinner together we received ‘the call’ from the vet saying that our precious, and very ill pup, Dixie, could not be treated...Holly was inimitable in her generous and caring support that night, and I remain deeply appreciative.)

For Christmas that year Jon gifted Holly a gift certificate for a portrait session with me; he’s a skilled photographer but thought she might enjoy the different dynamic of being photographed by someone she isn’t married to. 😉

A few months ago Holly received a diagnosis of Breast Cancer. It was a blow to her, to Jon, and to all of us who care for them. Shortly after receiving the news, Holly reached out to me to ask if we could secretly schedule her session...she wanted to not only capture “Holly, in that moment”, before any surgery or treatment, but she was mostly and especially keen to be able to gift images to Jon, her mom, and her kids for Christmas. With conspiratorial emails and texts, and help from her daughter Kenzie and niece Mary-Kate, we managed to pull it off with Jon none the wiser – a feat considering I had coffee with him a few days prior and had to be super mindful to not blurt out anything that might give us away!

We managed to shoot, she chose her images on the sly while on vacation with Jon in Hawaii, I edited them and got them printed, Mary-Kate picked them up and delivered them to Kenzie, and – BOOM – we got’er done before I left on my vacation & she started treatment. Women are truly incredible...and Holly epitomizes this!

I love this shot...I love how carefree Holly looks, dancing and laughing 😊. I love the joy I feel when I look at her here. May we all, even amidst the toughest of times, be able to tap into our carefree spirits the way Holly does. 🙏🏼

When I say ‘every woman deserves a portrait she loves.’ I mean it wholeheartedly. I also recognize that for many women the idea of being photographed is intimidating at least and uncomfortable at best...BUT having images of your beautiful self is so empowering – that chance to see ‘you’ as your loved ones do – and it is also an enormous gift to you and to all who love you. Providing this service to all women, and with very special reverence toward women facing or who have faced serious illness, is my heart’s work and my great honour. While I so wish I could go back in time to have professional portraits of my mom, portraits that she loved; it brings me comfort knowing that I can play a role in other women having images of themselves that show their badass, generous, kind, strong, resilient, graceful, and vulnerable natures…that show their authenticity.

Thank you, Holly, for your trust, for your inspiring nature, and for allowing me to share your beauty & grace with the world...all of it takes courage. I know I can speak for the collective when I say: we are sending you love & light as you embark on this new journey...you’ve got this! Thank you, Jon, for trusting me to create portraits of this woman you love…we couldn’t have known how special this gift would come to be, and I’m so grateful I was in a position to provide something special to Holly, to you, and to your family.

xo Lori

#portrait #warrior # cancer #breastcancer #resilience #courage #gratitude #woman #strength # beauty #grace #bnw #instagood #compassion #purpose #heartswork #fuckcancer #dancing #flowposing #canon #alienskin #yyc #studio #tombaker #wellspring #supportingwomen #lorimaloneyphotography #everywomandeservesaportraitsheloves

And she said: "...something BRIGHT :)"

Hurriedly getting errands done before the kids were off on Christmas break; we stopped in to a local favourite for a drink and to evaluate our to-do list…which is where I met Terra...

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Occasionally on workshops I’ve worked up the nerve to ask strangers to be in my photos, and I’ve certainly had clients who were referred and whom I didn’t know until they arrived at the studio, but what I’d never done is given my business card to a complete stranger and asked them to model for me. However, here was this stunning redhead whose entire being screamed * vibrancy and fun and openness and kindness * and I knew I’d regret not asking! So, I handed her my card, told her I was in the midst of relaunching/rebranding my portrait business, and wondered if she’d be keen to model for my portfolio build….and she said, ‘yes’!!

Prior to our shoot I asked her if there was any specific style or mood she’d most like - after all, our interactions with others should never be one-sided - and her reply was, “I'm thinking I would like something playful and upbeat! Laughter, smiling, something BRIGHT :)”

Given her hopes, I knew I wanted something fun as a backdrop. I stopped in at the fabric store and found this funky, metallic material that - depending on the light - sparkled with rainbow-goodness. When Terra arrived I gave her the option of a few backdrops but was thrilled when she enthusiastically chose the material!

Together we spent the morning chasing rainbows (literally —> CHASING…this material proved faaaarrrrr more challenging to light & photograph than I’d expected!)…there was much laughter while we chatted, and I love the images we created together and hope that she will too!

Terra, who is super authentic, couldn’t ever just ‘smile’…she’s wholehearted and real, as is her laugh which she broke out often and which filled the room. I can’t tell you the joy I felt in spending time with her.

Interestingly, for me, is that most of my favourites are from candid moments captured….moments that, while shooting at a wide open aperture (due to the rainbow chasing ;) ), I didn’t nail the focus but instead - wonderfully - captured the spirit in the room.

If you’re ever presented with a smile that captures your attention…like Terra’s did mine…don’t let the moment go without telling them. More smiles, more sharing, more kindness, and more connection…the world could use it!

Terra is an intuitive guide, helping people align/re-align with their core selves through a variety of modalities (Akashic Records, aromatherapy, reiki, and more - I’ll post her website below) and, given that we were also going to shoot for my #onething project for which she chose #love, I asked her to bring her tarot cards thinking that we could maybe incorporate them into that shot. I ended up using another image for the project, one that I felt conveyed #love in a less literal and more profound way (you can see it here: https://www.facebook.com/LoriMaloneyPhoto/photos/a.104128082974864/2061278767259776/?type=3&theater ), but I loved these too much to not share! It’s so important to me that, whilst building my portfolio, I was able to honour Terra and her life’s work…’cause, I mean, honouring the woman in front of me is my life’s work!

Terra’s reply when I asked what about #love resonated with her:

”Love is the highest vibrational feeling one can experience and emote. Love is kindness; it is strength; it is truth. Love is the answer to everything and the ultimate healing remedy. Where there is love there is no fear and no hate. Living in love means you are living from the heart and when you are connected to your heart, you are connected to your spiritual being and core truth.” Beautiful.

It wasn’t in this moment, rather it was earlier, that Terra had me pick a card and we pondered it together. Soooo interesting… I can’t wait to have a reading with her!

Terra is an effervescent soul who is quick to laugh and to have fun…but she is also deeply soulful. These last two images I think help portray her more serious side: the intuitive, thoughtful, and intentional aspects of who she is. Noteworthy is that her mission is to help you (us!) “live your passion, purpose and soul’s potential.”

As Terra recently commented, “the Universe is always giving us little nudges…”, and I feel so grateful that I listened to the nudge that day in December and asked her to sit for me. Life is full of opportunities and choices and blessings…and what a thrill when we indulge ourselves in all of them! Thank you, Terra, for your open heart and warm soul…after a tough month or two for me, you filled my cup! So excited for future adventures with you, both in your studio and mine!

xo Lori

If you’re interested in Terra’s work, her website is: https://www.heart2heartjourney.com and she’s on IG @heart2heartjourney and FB Heart2Heart Journey.