We’re on our 8th year in Dubai and I have taken lots of and lots of pictures in and around town, with the kids in it, the landscape, the scenes. But we have not taken a professional family photograph. The kids are growing up fast and learning the lesson from my own family, moments are fleeting. The only and last time I had a photograph of myself together with my parents and all five siblings was when I was 17 and that was it.

I would like to start a tradition of documenting our life here in Dubai, even for every couple of years into a photo book.

The moment I saw Stephanie Hamilton‘s work online, I was in love. I am an old soul and I love the look and feel of vintage and nostalgia and warm colors. Her photographs are unique too – the color processing make the colors pop out differently and the photos, well, they tell a story. 

I told Stephanie of my wish to have her photograph my family way back in December but then I backed out thinking (I’ll be really honest here) – “I should really lose a few pounds (actually a lot) before I even embark on putting myself out there in public.”

BUT – I realized lately as with my recent post titled, putting mom back into the picture, that I should live in the here and now. And that all moms come in different shapes and sizes. I don’t have to be scared or be apologetic of how I look. I just need to get in the picture, with the kids, with my family.

And so I did.

…extra pounds and all.

The first leg of our shoot was in Safa Park, a huge green space in the middle of Dubai’s concrete jungle. My brother and sister who also live in the UAE was with us too. They are a big part of our children’s lives. I would want to capture that on camera, too.

At 4 pm, it was so hot at Safa Park and we were all sweating. I can’t believe how I waited till it’s already April! Nevertheless, Stephanie got good shots of us in the park.

After about an hour at the park, we were off to the beach. Our shoot was initially scheduled on a Friday but Stephanie was kind enough to check the location and told us, there was no way we could squeeze in the beach and have a good angle to take photos of because it was too packed! The weather and water temperature is perfect for swimming recently like maybe half of Dubai’s population is there or something.

We rescheduled for Saturday. And it was still crowded but not too much. We were lucky to get a spot, however, there are people in the background but that’s ok – it depicts a typical weekend scene at the beach here.

Benjamin couldn’t care less about the camera, he was too busy playing in the water!

I LOVE how the photos turned out. Stephanie’s photo shoots are very relaxed although I was really nervous before going – freaking out about which clothes to wear, makeup? hair? Those typical girl stuff. 

I ended up wearing the clothes most comfortable for me and what makeup? Everything melted in the heat! LOL.

It was a fun day and I am sure to cherish these photos and patiently waiting for the photo book now. I can’t believe Stephanie took all our good angles despite just meeting us for the first time. She certainly have an eye for this and great talent, don’t you agree?

What I liked most about the photo shoot session is that with Stephanie, you don’t have to strike a pose, per se. You just have to be yourself.

*****

If you would like Stephanie to capture your family’s precious moments, you can get in touch with her via Facebook or write her an email at nektar1111 at gmail dot com.