Just towards the end of the second lockdown, I had my first 'Through the Window' session and it was so incredibly special. It had just been Zoryans 2nd B-Day the day before and since I had the incredible honour of being there when she welcomed him into this world, I really wanted to see him and capture some memories for them.

I've been photographing them for the past three years, seeing all three of her children grow older with each passing year and reminiscing of all the different seasons I've seen them through just truly fills up my heart. Creating memories for families to look back on will forever be my passion and mission.

I asked Elina to share her thoughts about what her experience has been shielding during the second lockdown and here you can read a bit from her beautiful heart:

"Lockdown two wasn’t a surprise for me. I hoped that it wouldn’t happen, but it wasn’t as big of a shock as it was the first time. It did bring a feeling of sadness though as the hope of seeing my mother, grandmother and my sister and her family this year was pushed back yet again. I am grateful that I can talk to them and see them every day online, but I desperately need their hugs. It made me appreciate my family even more and put more meaning into hugs with my husband and children.

The weather getting colder meant that it was harder to get children to go outside, so we did more indoor activities and had to find new ways to be busy, getting my younger children involved in everyday activities, rediscovering old toys and books. Finding out about our library’s Ready Reads service was a blessing. Even though we couldn’t go to the library, which used to be one of our favourite places to go to, picking up bundles of books regularly and not knowing which ones we would get every time made it more special and exciting

I did miss seeing friends, even though I didn’t used to have a busy social life anyway. But those few friends that I saw regularly had always grounded me and sharing ideas and experiences helped to get through difficult times. I missed the kind of conversations that couldn’t happen online but were born through just hanging out together and feeling each other’s presence and reassurance.

This lockdown was also a learning time for me about my eldest son’s feelings. Not being able to see his friends and stopping tennis - the only activity he did with other children face-to-face, was tough for him. We wanted to help and fell into a trap of thinking that letting him see his friends online through games was a good idea. We quickly realised that it wasn’t and in fact made him more distant from his family while not bringing him closer to his friends either. We had to have a lot of conversations and discussions with him searching for a better way to stay connected and foster friendships, but staying true to yourself. This wasn’t easy, but helped me understand what he felt. If missing my friends was tough for me, I could understand how much harder it was at his age, when friends are a big part of life. Realising this and having a deep compassion helped a lot to reconnect with him and start exploring the true meaning of relationships and the ways to find a balance in life."