They tell you it goes fast. Everyone says it, and you nod along thinking, sure, sure. And then you blink, and your baby girl is sixteen.

I still think about that night — Friday the 13th of August, a full moon, and a maternity ward absolutely packed with every expecting mom in the region going into labour at the same time. It felt like the universe had planned something big. Because it had.

After a very long 24 hours from the moment my water broke to the moment she arrived, on August 14th, 2010 at 2:31 a.m., my first precious baby made me a mom. We didn’t know what we were having, and honestly, I had convinced myself it was a boy. So when the doctor announced it was a girl, I was in complete disbelief — tired, emotional, and absolutely over the moon all at once.

I just never truly pictured myself having a daughter. And then there she was.

The Dream I Didn’t Know I Was Dreaming

From the moment she arrived, I saw the whole picture — shopping buddies, girlie shows on the couch, a friendship like the one I had with my own mom.

And what made that delivery room even more special? My mom was there. Her Nana. I will never forget her teary expression when she said, “You have a baby girl, baby girl!”

Three generations of strong women, right there in that room.

That moment planted something in me that still drives everything I do with my camera. The belief that these ordinary, extraordinary moments — the ones that feel almost too big to hold — deserve to be preserved. Not just remembered, but felt, again and again, long after the day has passed.

She Is So Much More Than I Ever Imagined

I see so much of myself in Chloe. But she is so much more than me, and I mean that with every piece of my heart.

She is hard-working and determined. She sets goals for herself and then surpasses them. She is a role model to her brother, who absolutely adores her. She is an incredible friend and the best daughter I could ever ask for.

This year, for her sixteenth birthday portraits, we chose the Lavender Farm in Ayr. Soft golden hour light glowing across rows of lavender and my beautiful baby girl standing right in the middle of it all. (Yes, I will always call her that. She knows.)

She has such a great head on her shoulders. With her love of science and that fierce, ambitious spirit, I genuinely cannot wait to see what the future holds for her.

In the meantime, I am still wrapping my head around the fact that she is learning how to drive. And if you know Chloe, you already know she has studied every practice test approximately a million times.

That is just who she is. She shows up prepared, she works hard, and she makes the people around her proud.

Why I Take Birthday Portraits Every Year

Every year, I photograph Chloe for her birthday. Not because I feel like I have to as a photographer-mom. Because I want to. Because I know what it means to have these images when time keeps moving forward and you want something real to hold onto.

I have seen firsthand — in the deepest, most personal way — that photographs are the tangible pieces we reach for when we need to feel close to someone. They are not just pretty pictures on a wall. They are proof that a moment happened, that a person existed exactly as they were, that love was present.

Sixteen years goes fast. I have the photos to prove it, and I am so grateful for every single one.

So, if you have been putting off booking that session — whether it is for your family, your growing kids, or a milestone that deserves to be marked — I want to gently remind you: these seasons do not loop back around.

The lavender will bloom again next year, but your child will not be this age again.

To My Girl, On Her Sixteenth Birthday

Chloe, I am so proud to be your mama.

You made me a mom on August 14th, 2010, after a wild, full-moon Friday the 13th, surrounded by the best people — including your Nana, who cried the happiest tears I have ever seen.

And yes, I will keep taking your birthday photos every year, even when you roll your eyes just a little bit. Because someday, you will be so glad we did.

If milestone portraits feel meaningful to you — whether for a birthday, a graduation, or simply because right now is worth capturing — I would love to chat about what that could look like for your family.

Reach out here and let’s make something beautiful together. Because you deserve photos that actually feel like you, and moments that are worth holding onto.