Shelby McGibbon
Shelby is the founder of Heart & Gable Photography, a lifestyle photography studio based in Canada. Specializing in maternity, newborn, and family sessions, she is known for her warm, documentary-style approach that prioritizes genuine connection over posed perfection. A mother of three, Shelby built her business around a simple belief: that the quiet, in-between moments are the ones worth keeping.
For Shelby McGibbon, the founder of Heart & Gable Photography, the lens has always been a tool for capturing quiet, in-between moments. Based in Sherwood Park, Alberta, her journey began over a decade ago when she started second-shooting weddings alongside her husband. It was the raw emotion of photographing people that truly captured her heart — and the later reality of hours spent fixing newborn flaky skin in every gallery.
After years of raising her three children, Shelby felt the pull to build something of her own. She transitioned her business to focus exclusively on lifestyle maternity, lifestyle newborn photography, and family newborn photography. Today, her calendar is full, but getting to this point meant solving a problem that every working parent-photographer knows all too well.
Shelby Photography Work (Before & After)
The Editing Bottleneck
“The hardest part is the work that happens behind the camera,” Shelby admits. “Sessions themselves are the easy, joyful part. It is the editing, the emails, the admin, and the never-ending culling that quietly eats into the day.”
Before discovering Evoto, editing newborn photos in a single gallery could take up to eight hours, with the majority of that time spent painstakingly retouching skin on newborn flaky skin, peeling, and baby acne. It was the part of the process she dreaded most, and it frequently bled into precious time that was supposed to belong to her family.
| Metric | Before Evoto | With Evoto |
|---|---|---|
| Time Per Gallery | Approximately 8 hours | Approximately 2 hours |
| Biggest Time Sink | Manual retouching for newborn flaky skin | Handled with one-click tools |
| Gallery Turnaround | Delayed and unpredictable | Consistent and on track for improvement |
| After-Work Availability | Often editing late into family hours | Present and available for after-school time |
Newborn Photography: The “Invisible Retouch” Experience
Shelby’s photography style is rooted in connection over perfection. She wants her images to feel real and lived-in rather than overly polished, which is exactly why she hesitated before trying an AI editing tool — even for work that centers on newborn photography editing.
“What won me over was the control. The skin retouching for newborn flaky skin and peeling has sliders so you can dial the effect up or down to exactly where you want it. It is not a one-size-fits-all filter that plasters the same look onto every image. It enhances the subject without erasing what makes the photo feel real.”
With Evoto handling the finishing touches, Shelby can focus on what matters most. As a family and newborn photographer working in lifestyle newborn photography, she knows that the smallest details carry the most weight. Infant and baby skin tells its own story — newborn flaky skin and peeling, baby acne, the redness and blotchiness that come with those first days of life, and the delicate skin around the nose that can look distracting in an otherwise perfect frame.
For these, Shelby relies on Evoto’s targeted one-click retouching tools in her newborn editing workflow: blemish removal, skin tone correction, newborn skin tone refinement, and background cleanup — each adjustable with a slider so the result stays natural, never over-processed. What used to take eight hours now takes about two.
Note for readers: Evoto offers a dedicated suite of tools designed specifically for newborn photography, with gentle newborn flaky skin retouching, baby skin smoothing, nostril cleanup, and more. Try For Free
Growing Together: More Than Just Time Saved
For Shelby, Evoto is more than just a time-saving tool; it is a true partner that has supported both her business growth and her personal well-being.
“What Evoto gave me wasn’t just time, it was headspace. I am taking on more clients now because I actually have the capacity. The turnaround is better, the quality is consistent, and I am not running on empty by the time a gallery goes out.”
That mental space allows her to focus on what she does best: building genuine connections with clients. She invests in those relationships long before picking up her camera so that by the time she meets with a family, the interaction already feels comfortable and familiar. During sessions, she watches for the real moments, like a laugh that sneaks out, the way a parent looks at their newborn, or the endearing chaos of a toddler who is completely finished with photos.
The editing happens seamlessly behind the scenes. When parents open their galleries, newborn flaky skin looks soft and natural without a plastic finish — even in tight crops where careful nostril cleanup keeps small distractions from showing up at delivery. Clients review images in their own time and space, and the reactions speak for themselves.
Shelby Photography Work (Before & After)
“I regularly hear from clients about those moments,” Shelby says. “The tears, the excited text messages I get right after a gallery goes out, that is its own kind of magic.”
A Future Built on Presence
Shelby’s goals remain deeply personal. She envisions weekends completely free for the family, with no emails, no editing, and absolute presence.
“It all connects. A better workflow means more time, more time means more presence, and more presence means the life I actually want for myself and for my kids.”
For other parent-photographers struggling with a heavy editing workload, her advice is simple: “Don’t overthink finding the right tools. Just start. You got into this because you love it, and the right tools should help you keep loving it without burning out or missing your kids growing up in the process.”
With Evoto quietly handling the heavy lifting behind the scenes, Shelby is doing exactly that: capturing the moments that matter for her clients while fully living the moments that matter with her family.
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