I met Hannah and Pat late last summer while photographing their maternity session. They opted to have their portraits taken in downtown Ottawa at the Rideau locks, where Pat proposed. I was so happy they asked me to document their growing family in the form of a lifestyle family session at their house. I expected to see a cute baby, and I did. What I didn’t expect was experiencing the most epic nursery ever!

What happens when both parents are super big fans of different stories? You combine both loves into one amazing nursery! Pat is a Star Wars aficionado while Hannah knows the Harry Potter books inside and out. They managed to blend both loves into one amazing nursery for their son Samuel. The giant sign over his crib ties both themes together, and there are so many little details throughout the room. This kid has no shortage of cool things to look at.

There are letters from Hogwarts dancing through the air as well as flying keys. Typography above the change table has lines you’d easily recognize from the movies with a nursery twist, like “Love you I do.” The felted Harry Potter mobile over Sammy’s crib was handmade, and pennants from the four different Hogwarts houses hang from the ceiling.

But of course no matter how great a nursery is, it’s always the baby who steals the show. Little Samual was adorable and so happy the whole time I was there. He was not shy around the camera and always looking right into the lens unless his parents distracted him. What I love about lifestyle family sessions is that nothing special needs to happen. Sammy played with his toys, had a couple changes, they lounged on the bed as a family, and made silly faces at him in his crib. It’s a small snapshot of life with a baby.

Thank you, Haggarts, for inviting me into your home and asking me to photography this exciting time in your lives!