It was at a holiday gathering in a noisy restaurant with university friends in late 2007 that Aimée leaned over to me and asked me if we could photograph her growing baby belly sometime in the spring. It would be our first maternity shoot – Tim and I had just launched our wedding photography business earlier in the year. That maternity shoot was followed by a baby and family photo session several months later. And after that, we just kind of became their unofficial family photographers with countless photo sessions over the years – both planned and impromptu – photographing different things from formal portraits to capturing candid moments at social events – all the while, I might add, being fed really, really well fed by Aimée. We followed Aimee’s rising star with her personal blog Under the High Chair, which led to her being at the helm of Simple Bites, winning acclaim and garnering praise along the way. Tim and I have been rooting for her over the years, celebrating every award and accolade with Aimée, Danny and their family.
So naturally, we were overjoyed for Aimée when she shared the news with us of her cookbook deal with Penguin – and then absolutely bowled over when she asked us to consider photographing it. To be entrusted with the task of capturing the images that will go into a real heart-and-soul project for her is an incredible honor. On top of that, we just believe so much in what Aimée’s approach to food is all about – wholesome, delicious food that is sourced locally and seasonally without spending a fortune and involving the whole family. Reading her blog helped me gain some confidence in the kitchen and become a little more savvy about food. Look, up until I turned 31, I had never baked anything in my life. Suddenly within a year I was baking cakes and pies, from scratch; rolling out my own dough and getting inspired when rhubarb and local-grown peaches showed up in the grocery store.
We’re excited to be taken along for the ride in the making of Brown Eggs and Jam Jars: Family recipes from the Kitchen of Simple Bites, which is slated to come out in 2015. Head on over to Simples Bites to read all the book and Aimée’s vision and then sign up to receive news and updates because it’s going to be just awesome. Tim and I are so looking forward to photographing Aimée’s family and the sure-to-be delicious recipes and food…and eating it too!
