Recreated Family Session in Antibes, France

The Backstory

This story begins back in January of 2018 when my 2 best friends, Dom and Janelle, came out to France with my family so we could all ring in the New Year together. They had been married for a little over 2 years at this point and since we were in such a beautiful place, we decided to make the best of it and do a fun anniversary-type session for them. We had a blast exploring a couple of medieval towns and got some incredibly beautiful images out of it. (10/10 would recommend an anniversary session in France, by the way… just in case you were wondering 👌🏻)

Fast forward two years later, Janelle was pregnant and they were unbelievably excited to become parents. Janelle was a rockstar and ended up giving birth to the most beautiful and healthy baby girl, Adaline (aka, my niece, Addie). She got to spend about one day with her before being rushed back to the hospital the following day. She spent the next 6 days fighting for her life but, tragically, passed away just 1 week after giving birth. It was a shocking and devastating loss… it should never have happened and she will be eternally missed by everyone who had the fortune of knowing her. She was an incredibly special person and was deeply loved by so very many. ♥️

The Present

Fast forward to the present and little Addie is now 2 years old. She is being raised beautifully by her amazing daddy and a village of family who adores the living crap out of her. She is the cutest, sassiest and smartest little thing – and is the spitting image of Janelle. I’m grateful every day that she left such a beautiful piece of herself behind for us in Addie. It has been the absolute greatest gift.

So, a couple of months ago, when we decided to take another trip out to Antibes, France, an idea hit me; why not try and recreate the session we did with Dom + Janelle the last time we were there. Addie may not get the chance to take another picture with her mom, but what if we could do something special that might help her feel just that much more connected to her… all while celebrating the beautiful life and bond that Dom and Addie are creating together.

I asked Dom what he thought and he responded that it was brilliant (if he was emotionally able to get through it 😅 …which I’m proud to report he did 💪🏻) and so off we went searching for the perfect outfit!

We wanted something that was going to be a nod to Janelle’s attire… but that was obviously age-appropriate and captured the essence of Addie’s personality. And after several hours of searching, I think we nailed it!

The Session

On the day of, we raced around the town and recreated as much of the shoot as we could. We, unfortunately, were shorter on time than expected and it ended up being a race against the sun. Since we couldn’t quickly find a couple of the exact spots we had used before, we used a couple of similar locations instead – so, like life, it might not be perfect – but it’s still beautiful.

I hope that these images will help this sweet girl feel just that much more connected with her mom. And also capture and celebrate the sweet bond that Dom and Addie share.

To Janelle, you are so missed. I wish you could be here, but I’m so grateful to have had your friendship. We will continue to keep your memory and spirit alive as best we can ♥️ love you forever girl.

I hope you enjoy these. And if you’d care to share, I’d love to know which recreation is your favorite! 🥰