To the Little Girl with the Camera in Her Hand – This One's for You
There’s something so magical about photography — not just the images we create, but the moments we preserve, the people we reconnect with, and the memories we get to relive.
Recently, I had a session that stirred something deep in my heart. It wasn’t just another engagement shoot — it was with someone I hadn’t seen since I was around ten years old. Her name is Cindy, and she was my friend back when I lived in Mississauga, Ontario. Back when life was made up of schoolyards, disposable cameras, and handwritten letters. Back when she was that little girl with a camera always in her hand, capturing every little moment she could.
That same little girl — now a beautiful, confident woman — reached out to me recently. She was coming to BC for the first time and asked if I would photograph her engagement session with her fiancé, Jeff. My heart jumped. Of course I said yes.
We met in Harrison Hot Springs, where she and Jeff were staying for their final two nights. Over dinner at the cozy Black Forest Steak & Schnitzel House, we caught up on 36 years of life. Thirty-six years. And yet, as I looked across the table at her, it felt like time had folded in on itself. Her laughter, her spirit — it hadn’t changed. I could still see that same sparkle in her eyes, the same joy and curiosity that I remembered so vividly from childhood.
Growing up, my family moved constantly — every couple of years, we’d uproot and settle into a new city. Friendships came and went. I kept in touch with many through letters (thank goodness for Facebook later on), but Cindy is the only friend from that far back I’ve remained connected to. Somehow, despite the 4,110.6 kilometres between us, we never truly drifted.
After dinner, we wandered through Harrison, finding little gems of light and scenery to start their engagement shoot. As if on cue, the rain began to fall just as we reached the beach — classic west coast. And then I saw the dock. It was perfect. Except for the police presence.
But anyone who knows me knows that when I have a vision, I’m going to make it happen — especially for a shoot this close to my heart. I explained the situation to the officers, and to my surprise (and relief), they let us access the dock. Picture this: rain misting around us, uniformed officers just out of frame, and Cindy and Jeff holding each other like the world had disappeared. It was Instagram vs. reality in the best possible way.
Cindy and Jeff were naturals — full of energy, laughter, and love. This was their very first professional photo session, but you’d never know it. Their connection was effortless, their chemistry undeniable. I couldn’t be happier that Cindy found her person. Jeff is warm, playful, and the way he looks at her — well, that’s the kind of thing every photographer hopes to capture.
This session was more than a job for me. It was a full-circle moment. A gift. A reminder of how beautiful and strange and serendipitous life can be. So, to the little girl with the camera in her hand, always trying to freeze time — this one’s for you. We may not have known where life would take us, but somehow it brought us back together, standing on a rainy dock in BC, photographing a new chapter in your story.
And I wouldn’t trade that for anything.
Athena
🍃Wild Sage Photography
