Images of Hope | Calgary Photographer
Calgary Portrait Photography Studio | Jillian Faulkner Photography
One of the most common reasons why people book a professional portrait photography session with me is to document and celebrate a particular milestone in their life. They are wanting archival, high quality, family pictures that capture this particular moment in time that not only can be shared with family and friends but also displayed throughout their home as fine art prints. Celebrating a baby being born is by far one of the top milestone sessions I photograph especially when it’s a couples first born child! Whether they book into my portrait studio for maternity photos, a newborn session or a baby photoshoot, the session is all about this extraordinary little being that has entered into the world and brought so much love & joy!
Being able to document this fleeting time in a parents journey is such an incredible honour. The more parents, newborns and babies I photograph, the more I learn that for some, getting pregnant can be a real challenge.. I have had clients and friends share their stories about the struggle to become pregnant and was very surprised to learn that an estimated one in six Canadian couples actually face challenges in fertility.
Back in 2018, a very good client and friend of mine asked if I would be interested in photographing a featured family for Generations of Hope. I was truly honoured to be asked to capture some family portraits of the love this family had for one another, the love for a child they thought they would never have and to celebrate the success of their fertility treatments.
CHARLOTTE - 2018 FEATURE CHILD
% rate of the ability for a woman to get pregnant
Each year, Generations of Hope selects four families to feature at their Images of Hope Gala, which this year is taking place on Saturday May 2, 2020 at the Hudson Event Space in Calgary. This will be my third year taking family portraits of one of the families selected to be featured and I can’t wait to meet them in the coming weeks. It fills my heart to be able to meet and photograph these amazing families and to help share their unbelievable stories through fine art photography.
The Images of Hope Gala is very special evening where an exhibition of fine art portraits and multi-media stories featuring children and families who have received fertility assistance from the Regional Fertility Program in Calgary are displayed. Last year, Generations of Hope was able to raise over $60,000! By raising money, Generations of Hope can fulfill their goal of putting the hope of having a child within reach of all families, despite their level of income.
Unfortunately, Alberta Health Care does not cover fertility treatments, such as in vitro fertilization (IVF) which is why the Generations of Hope Fertility Assistance Fund is so very important to so many couples. IVF treatments can cost tens of thousands of dollars and therefore eliminate the possibility of treatment for those that are unable financially to seek treatment. Simply, the more money we can raise to help these families, the better!
CASSIUS - 2019 FEATURE CHILD
If you would like to attend the 2020 Images of Hope Gala taking place this year in YYC, you can purchase tickets here!
For those of you reading this post that are expecting your brand new baby in the coming months, I read an interesting article by an Albuquerque, NM Baby and Newborn Photographer talking about some of the benefits of hiring a Doula. Like myself, her days are filled with hearing about the incredible stories of how these sweet little newborns come into the world. Whether you are considering a Doula or not, I highly recommend you give it a read! Don’t forget to check back towards the end of the month to see the portrait session photos of the new feature family for 2020!
Family Photographer | Calgary, Alberta
Jillian Faulkner is a professional portrait photographer in Calgary, Alberta specializing in baby, child and family photography. She is an active member of the National Association of Professional Child Photographers.
To see more of her work, you can visit her portfolio below.