A beautiful sunny day, perfect for a Shell Ridge maternity session. You wouldn’t guess based on these photos that this day was filled with hiccups.

But first, let me gush over Ummul + Arif first. I know I say this about all my couples, but man, were they cute. Arif was the most doting husband, careful to gently hold Ummul’s hand with every step she took. The way he gazed at her with pride as she took her solo maternity shots was so incredibly sweet and heartwarming. I already know that this baby is going to be so lucky!

Shell Ridge Open Space

It was a perfectly sunny day when I met Ummul + Arif for a Shell Ridge maternity session. After doing some Instagram research, U + A chose this location and it was absolutely perfect! Having grown up in the peninsula, it was so refreshing to be able to photograph in different places and go outside of my comfort zone. I had seen photos of Shell Ridge on Instagram, but usually, the grass was dry, presumably because the photos took place in late summer or early fall. But upon arriving to find rolling hills of green, Shell Ridge almost felt reminiscent of parts of New Zealand or Iceland (from what I had seen in photos at least). It was absolutely breathtaking.

Back to the funny story. After finishing my session with Ummul + Arif, we said our goodbyes as the sun was setting. Afterward, I hopped in my car to find that my phone was completely dead. Apparently, I was running google maps all throughout our session. But I thought, eh, it’s fine I’ll just use the car navigation. To add to the fun, the car that I had rented (my car was in the shop for repairs) didn’t happen to have a navigation system! So, with it getting increasingly dark in an open space reserve in a city I’m not all too familiar with, I was starting to get a little spooked. In the end, I was able to navigate myself out of the reserve and found the nearest downtown area where I was able to locate a TJ Maxx, where I promptly bought a charging cable to charge my phone.

So kids, let this be a reminder. Don’t become overly dependent on technology and always have a spare battery.