at-home: the Santos Family

Sunday, March 26th, 2023

I had photographed the Santos family a couple of times when Stephanie reached out about a midsummer shoot. She wrote to me that they had recently found and moved into their “forever home”- a beautiful Victorian in the sprawling hills of Peterborough- and she was eager to document a typical summer’s afternoon.

I was already excited because Steph’s style and general aesthetic is unparalleled in its beauty and as a fellow Virgo, I really appreciate her attention to detail. Not to mention, it was going to be a sunny summer day out of the city and in the rolling green hills, and nothing brings me greater joy than being in nature with my camera.

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I pulled into the laneway and let out an audible sigh as I glimpsed the house on the hill for the very first time (and truthfully, I stopped my car to take a few shots). I drove up the winding drive and arrived to a very warm welcome into the most beautiful home and an offer of tea. Heaven.

We began with a few shots of the kids around the house- playing on their beds, showing me their impressive climbing skills and their even more impressive (and fearless) jumping down. They showed me their bursting bookshelves and took a seat to flip through their favourites. The upstairs stained glass window overlooks the laneway and this is where the kids sit and wait for a glimpse of Dad arriving home after work. I remember having my own seat where I waited for my dad and the nostalgia of it all pulled at me.

With a quick change, we were off into the backyard, the afternoon sun still bright but starting to dip behind the tall trees. It was one of the those perfect summer days, where the sunshine feels warm and dry and everything seems to hum quietly with heat. The kids were excited to be outside and eager to run around the yard, but they didn’t dare venture too far as they knew the barbeque had begun roasting their favourite lamb skewers.

With skewers in hand and salty juice dribbling down chins, a picnic was set-up in the front yard. The front of the house overlooks the surrounding hills and the view is something quite extraordinary. You almost don’t know whether to gaze at the gorgeous house itself, or turn around to see the verdant landscape behind. So I did both while the kids ate their fill of lamb and tired themselves out playing on the hill.

Our last stop of the shoot was the garden towards the back of the house. Rows of tomatoes and lettuces lined raised boxes and each kid was excited to personally taste the progress of their vegetables. If there is one thing I will never tire of… it’s children in gardens. And it was in this bountiful setting that Steph and Mike insisted I stay for dinner, where they served more grilled meat, fresh roasted veggies and chilled rosé. It was the most perfect summer afternoon filled with all the abundance of a warm family home and it was incredibly easy to see how the Santos’ can picture their forever in this wonderful place.