Christine & Ryan

This past Saturday we went out to Beaumont to join Christine and Ryan on their wedding day. They were married at St. Vital Church and it was a beautiful ceremony. This couple has 2 adorable little ones and they sure added their personalities to this occasion. They were in alot of photos cause they were just soo cute! I loved the red sash that Christine had on her dress, it is always a treat to see a bit of color on a wedding dress. The light at the church was beautiful with the huge glass windows by the alter, everything seemed to glow just a bit. Afterward we travelled back into Edmonton to the Citadel Theatre to do our "formals". We had the family join us and then we walked around a bit with the bridal party. Thankfully some family members took the children so that our couple could have some alone time - I'm all about getting you to be romantic in front of the camera. You can check out their slideshow here - Christine and Ryan.

Thank you to the both of you for your patience and willingness to try a few new things :) The images look great and I can't wait to show them all to you! Much love to your family...

Promo Video

Omari and I had a presentation we did at the University awhile ago. Unfortunately we had a few technical glitches so it didn't go as smoothly as we would have liked. I thought I would share the promo video that I made to show there.
Check it out here....
Thank you to all those lovely clients who provide us with model releases to make this stuff possible :)

I had a fantabulous time scrapbooking this past weekend. I haven't work on my own family photos for about a year now and that was way too long for me. I went to a great event which is held once a year called Scrappin for Scouts - and they raise funds to help out one of the local scouting groups. It was a success as it has been in the past and I was really happy to be one of the teachers at the event. Everyone was able to sign up for 2 free classes and I enjoyed the 2 I attended. In one we made a cute 2 page spread and in the other we made the cutest little wooden book ever. I am having trouble now deciding if I should fill it with photos and give it away as a gift or keep it for myself!
I heard about and signed up for another fundraising scrapbooking event in May. It is going to be held over the National Scrapbook Day weekend and all the proceeds will be donated back to Y.E.S.S (Youth Emergency Shelter Society). For more info check out http://www.supportyess.com/. Let me know if you plan on attending, it would be great if they could sell out this event! They will also be holding some great classes there and I will be teaching one again.

Such a sweet message...

In the fall I had the opportunity to fly out to Ontario and photograph my favorite Aunt's wedding. She married Jeff the toy store owner - if you recall - in a spectacular "rainbow" wedding. So my Mom and I went through the photos together and picked out our favorites. I created a storybook as I my Mom wanted to give that as her wedding gift to them. I guess they recieved it on the most appropriate day...Valentines Day....how sweet is that?
I missed my Aunt's phone call but got to hear how pleased she is with the book on my messages. I also got this very cool email from my new Uncle which I thought I would share just cause I like it so much, especially the heading they gave it :)

Wedding pics...The Book Of The Year Award Goes To Trina !

Good Morning Trina. All we can say is WOW,WOW,WOW. Did I forget to say WOW!. What a spectacular way to capture our weddingthan through this book. It is nothing short of stupendous. Betty and I were just amazed at the great choices that were made in arranging the wedding album. You amazed us with the slide show and now with this!. We are truly impressed. I hope that all of your clients get a chance to see what you did for us and that they will choose this style to go with, becauseit really does make a very lasting impression. I was joking with your Dad last night on the phone and I said that I would have to go to Chapters and pick up some additional copies for everyone that wants one. He said that only Indigo was carrying them. You are an extremely talented artist and we are very blessed to have you do this for us. Thank you just doesn't seem enough for what you did for us.
Love Betty & Jeff.

Thanks guys. I appreciate the kind words and I am super happy that you like the book! I think everyone should have some kind of beautiful album to remember their wedding day. Something they will love to look at again and again and remember the romance and fun of the day. I appreciate the patience you had in waiting for your pics as well. I know I hate to wait. Lots of love, hugs and kisses to the both of you and all the kids!!

Felicitea Grand Opening

The store front in the evening

We were able to stop in to Felicitea on Sunday while they had their grand opening. I must say that I was very impressed with this little tea lounge. I would have never thought of putting the purple and green together but it looks fantastic in here - very relaxing with the dark brown furniture. It has an inviting atmosphere and the bubble tea is the best! We took a few pics of course and I look forward to returning soon to try some more bubble tea flavors. Best of luck on this cool venture Karen and all the staff at Felicitea!!

Our food - minus the bubble tea which Khaalid was drinking.I'm soo honored to have my pics front and center when you come in the door.

I met up with Chito and Anne while I was there and got to give them their wedding package. Anne is helping out in the tea shop and she is doing a great job running around even with a pregnant belly in tow :) It was so good to see them again and I look forward to doing some belly shots in the near future.

Brandi & Blake

On Saturday we attended our first wedding for 2009. Brandi looked great with a wedding dress trimmed in red. The bridal party were real troopers braving the cold with us for some formals outside - and it was cold! Cold enough that my camera equipment was slowing down due to frozen electronics after a few minutes...good thing I have Omari who keeps the batteries warm inside his jacket and another camera tucked away to switch out with. The day was great despite the temperature and the sunshine made it even nicer. When we got out and the sun was low in the sky I just had to make use of it's rays in my images. I love how these pics turned out. The ceremony and reception were held at the Royal Executive Inn in West Edmonton and the food was delicious. Brandi and Blake had their first date and he also proposed at the Sawmill restaurant so to commemorate there was some steak sauce from the Sawmill on each table. I tried it out and it was very tasty. I forgot that Brandi is a cousin to Candice from Candice and Ray whom we met not long ago when we photographed their wedding so I was a bit surprised when I saw them come walking into the ceremony. It was neat to recognize so many people whom we had the opportunity to meet during this previous occasion. What fun to work with them all again - I honestly feel like some long lost cousin :) . For the party there was a DJ and a live band so things were rocking along. We always notice that there is a different energy that a live band brings to the night. It is fun to listen to for sure and a nice break to have the DJ switch out with them between sets.

Thank you for including us in your special day Brandi and Blake. It was a treat to spend the day with the both of you! Many warm wishes to the both of you for the years ahead. See you soon to go through your images. For now here is a sneak peek - Brandi and Blake's Slideshow.

Oh Yeah, FYI - Felicitea is now open! I can't wait to go and check them out... I'll try to stop in there this weekend...The address is...15047 Stony Plain Rd. Edm. AB ....and they are open....Mon-Fri 9:00AM-9:00PM Sat 10:00AM-10:00PM Sun 10:00AM-9:00PM.....with the official grand opening this Sunday Feb 10 at 10 am..... I wish Karen and her partners alot of luck with this venture!

Hanging out with Hannah

What a great smile!

I had the wonderful opportunity to visit with another brand new soul this morning. She's only 3 months old and her family is soo in love with her, it is easy to see why. It's cold outside so we stayed toasty inside to get a few fun shots. I have photographed this family before so today was Hannah's special day but of course her big brother wanted to get in on the action too:) Of course who am I to say no - they are soo cute together! Bonnie and Wade will be test driving my new client proofing site so that is a bit exciting too as they have so many great shots to choose from.

....Bonnie, I hope I spelt her name right - I never actually asked you how to spell it....

Not sure if she wants to hold hands.

Checking eachother out.

Such cute little toes!!

The Models

Remember I talked about shooting some models with a bunch of other photographers when we were in Florida. Well I had to get the girls some of their images so I have a couple to put here online. We headed out to the Tampa university grounds in the morning and did a shoot there with these three ladies. They did well considering we (Omari and I) don't ever do models. We were trying to go for the relaxed casual look we are know for and they kept posing and changing their face everytime we clicked the camera. It was kinda funny to us. In the end we did get a couple that I really like....

Alison wasn't a "model" per say but has been a photographers assistant for awhile. She did well on the other side of the camera. We liked how easy it was to get her laughing and chatting with us.Julie wore this wedding dress not long ago at her wedding so it was fun for her to get dressed up again for some more pics.
Cindy brought along an entourage with her which included her little son. He was hungry but managed through the shoot with us without too much complaining. He even lost his first tooth on our drive back to the hotel (it was already wiggly).

Much thanks to Stephanie who coordinated the morning shoot and Alicia who coordinated the afternoon. Both were a great time!!

Scrapbooking Tips...

I was deleting old files while waiting for some data to transfer this morning and I came across these scrapbook tips that I used at a class once. I thought it would be fun to post them here on the blog for all those new scrapbookers out there :)

Important things to remember:

Journaling is the heart and soul of your albums!! Scrapbooks are created to remince with your photos. Without the stories or information your memories will be lost whether you have made beautifully decorated pages or not. You could work 6 hours to create a gorgeous page that will tell nothing about you or the photos on the page or you can create a page in 20 minutes with words that will go on forever.

Error on the side of simple. It is far easier to add to your scrapbook page than it is to undo your work. Very easily pages become overdone and the decorations begin to overtake the photos. The object of scrapbooking is to enhance your photos and stories. Unless you have a special event to highlight, it is best to place your photos down, then add the stories, then if the page looks like it needs something else…then add some decoration.

Try to create a decorative edge, border or title rather than to just “splash” stickers and die cuts into every blank spot on your page. Your page will look cleaner and more “professional”.

Tips:

* Match the colors you use on the page with the photos you are using. Generally it is not appealing to mix bold colors with pastels. Try to keep softer colors together and brighter colors together. Of course there is always exceptions to every rule.
* Try not to use more than 3 colors per page as the colors start to overwhelm the eye. Remember we are enhancing the photos.
* Decorate more on the pages using 4 or less photos if you have only a little journaling to add then decorate less on the pages with 5 or more photos so as not to distract from the pictures and their stories.
*Cropping will allow you to add more photos to the page but you must remember not to crop out all the details of your life. It is a good idea to leave one “whole” photo for each situation to show the area in which the event takes place. Remember that the photos with the price of gas in the background and the cars show the era of time we are in. If you take all the excess background out you are also editing how your family will be able to view their history, let them see the “yucky couch” you once had.
*Memorabilia will enhance the stories in your scrapbook with variety and interest. Treat them as decoration; things you put in are generally detailed and/or colorful and you won’t need to add much more color to your page once the photos and stories are along side.
*Keep the photos and memorabilia separate. Do not let the photos overlap the memorabilia as it can contain acid that will harm your photos.
*Newspaper deteriorates very quickly. The best way to preserve an article is to copy it onto acid-free paper.

Bridal Fantasy....

Wow, Thanks to all the wonderful couples who stopped by our booth on Sunday. I have enjoyed talking with a few of you who have already called today and look forward to meeting even more couples in the near future. Sorry to some, who I know were upset when they found out that we are booked for their date. We are definitely now booking into 2009 and the summer of 2008 has very few Saturday dates left. Call to check your date availability soon. This was Omari's first year joining us at the booth to hand out our fliers - he was amazed, as was I, with how many brides told us that they have checked out our site already. Thanks for taking the time to browse our work and give us all the fantastic comments, our heads "swelled" just a bit ;)

My Sister-In law Shauna did a fantastic job helping us out again. I always owe her a huge Thank You by the end of the day. She took this pic of Omari and I at our booth. Thanks again Sis!

And the winner is.....Marzena M.

Out of the 250 people who entered to win our basket of scrapbook supplies my son Khaalid pulled out her name. Congratulations!



There were alot of unique booths at the show this year. Among them stood out a fantastic carriage that I haven't seen before. Check out http://www.horsesence.ca/ to see this amazing way to get around on your wedding day - you get to be Cinderella for real! I look forward to one of my brides using them. Nope there is no compensation for this plug - I just loved it soo much I had to pass the info along.


This is a busy week with a few photo shoots, client meetings and yep still some retouching to do. I will try to get some more of those Florida pics online when I get a chance. Thanks again for taking the time to stop in and read my chatter!!

E-session

Last weekend I got to spend some time with Tanya and Mike while we took some pics to document their engagment.

First we went to the park and had a little fun walking around. It was really neat because I had the opportunity to go to the firehall with them next - Mike is a volunteer firefighter. We had a great time finding ways to include the firetruck in our pics with them. I'm looking forward to their wedding coming up in a couple months.

Tomorrow I'll be hosting a booth at Bridal Fantasy here in Edmonton. If your going - make sure you stop in to say HI.

TTD in Florida

So it was freezing cold in Floridian standards :) Of course this was scheduled on the coldest day of the year for them...so we weren't in the water long. I think the shots turned out great for Rosalind - she was soo fantastic to work with and very brave to get right in the water for me! I felt really honored to do this shoot with her.

10 years in the making

This year was Omari and I's 10th wedding anniversary.

Some of you know the story of how we got married and didn't honeymoon cause we had a little guy already and didn't want to take him along or leave him behind - as well, Omari started work the day after the wedding. So, way back then I decided for our 10th anniversary we would go on a cruise with the kids (yep, I planned on having 2 right from the start). After years of planning - I finally got my wish!! For Christmas this year we went on a fabulous 7 day cruise with Carnival on the ship called Freedom. The ship took us through the Carribean where we stopped at Cozumel, Caymen Island and Ochos Rios. The food of course was fabulous and we all way over-ate all the time. It is funny to see my pics at the start of the cruise and the end cause I gained about 15 to 20 lbs in the week! My favorite part of the trip was not having to cook of course :) Thankfully the weather was great the whole time. The kids totally enjoyed hanging out in Camp Carnival so Omari and I got to have some alone time as well (this was the original plan, so I'm glad it worked out). It was nice to just find a quite space on one of the decks and just sit together looking out at the ocean. The staff on the ship were fantastic as well. We made friends with out servers Daniel and Felix - Daniel showed the boys new tricks each night at dinner, much to their enjoyment. I soo appreciated the housekeeping staff that came in each morning and evening to tidy up our room and even left us the famed "towel animals" to enjoy. I would recommend cruising to everyone as we all had soo much fun!

Khaalid took this pic of Omari and I on the ship one night at the beginning of the week.
Our Cruise Ship - The Carnival FreedomOur room - an inside stateroom with bunks for the kids.Our awesome dining staff on the ship.
L-R: Nubian, Trina, Daniel, Khaalid, Omari and Felix.
After our cruise we headed up to Kissimmee in Florida to a vacation villa that we were meeting Omari's family for the remainder of the holidays. I was worried about this leg of our journey because I booked the house online and as you all know - sometimes the internet doesn't quite give you all the information as to what you are really going to walk into. Once again I thanked God for leading me cause this house was an incredible vacation spot!! We walked into to a spotless home (I was worried about insects but didn't see any) with a TV in every room (so great cause everyone could watch their own shows with no arguements), 5 bedrooms (enough for us all to have our own space), an outdoor heated pool (the highlight of the kids stay - they practically lived in it), and even laundry (of course we had a tonne to do after cruising for the week before) and an internet ready computer (another of the kids favorite things to do was sit on the internet going around to kids games sites). All I could say was WOW. I will totally recommend Florida Villas and Homes to anyone who is making a trip to Orlando and area. This house was all the site said it would be and more. The whole trip was so successful - it all went smoothly. I kept waiting for something to go wrong and nothing did.

Khaalid enjoying the pool in the back yard.Omari watching one of the TV's in the living room.
Me with the kids in front of WonderWorks.
L-R: Trina, Nubian, Khaalid and Davu (my nephew)

On the last leg of our journey Omari and I attended a Wedding Photographers Convention in Tampa. It was nice because we got to leave the kids with their Grandma back at the house in Kissimmee. We got to meet all sorts of top notch photographers from all over the world. Of course we did a little shooting too. A little later I will post some of the images we took while we shot brides, some models and even got to trash a dress in the bay.

So stay tuned....first I need to do some major unpacking.....

Happy 2008 everyone!! I'm looking forward to more great images this year!

A couple of weekends ago...

This post is a little overdue as I have been focusing on getting a bunch of work done for clients anxious to have things by Christmas...that is now caught up. So here are a few images from 2 e-sessions I did awhile ago both were at the Muttart Conservatory. The place is shutting down for renovations in January so it was nice to get in and enjoy the greenery now.




First is Cindy and David - they are a fun couple getting into a very busy 2008. Not only are they tying the knot but they are also adding a little one to the mix :) I'm sure it will be a very exciting time! Cindy, I hope you are getting alot of sleep now cause I know from experience that you are going to need it.

Next I met up with Destiny and Chris. I have known Destiny's family for quite awhile and even took Destiny's Sweet 16 pics and her Grad pics. It is an honor to photograph her engagement and wedding to come as over the years she has become my adopted niece. Not only did we take pics inside but these guys decided that they wanted pics in the snow as well so we headed out. Unfortunately we didn't have the packing snow they would have liked to get into a great big snowball fight but they did shovel handfuls and kick snow at eachother anyway.

Well this is my last post for 2007 as I have promised my family that I will take a break from work and give them some one on one time. Merry Christmas everyone and Happy New Year! See you in 2008 - I look forward to many new exciting images with all of you!!!

Trina

Christmas Info

I just wanted to let you all know that I'm shutting down our office for the Holidays. I will check email and phone messages periodically but we are taking some well deserved family time and going to a photography conference too. This will be from Dec 22/07 - Jan 8/08.

The current retouching list:

Chito & Anne - ready for pick up
Heather & Travis - your book has arrived!!
Jeannette & Rob - ready for pick up (minus the bragbooks :( which we will keep waiting on)
Teresa & Osman - in the lab

Holly & Ryan - in progress (this is another big wedding order so it could take me awhile)

Antonia & Kenton - waiting
Anita & Brad - waiting
Esther & Joel - waiting
Betty & Jeff - waiting
Candice & Mike - waiting

Santa Claus is coming to town :)

On Saturday I had fun taking pics of kids sitting on Santa's knee. The TopCo Kids Christmas party went well and I got alot of great expressions from crying babes who didn't like the strange man in red to the kids who adored Santa and couldn't keep from hugging him.
I'm getting ready to do a shoot at Eastglen High School to help put together their school brochure. I'm sure it will be an interesting shoot - I'm glad I will have Omari with me to get these teens smiling :)

The wedding update:

Anne & Chito - Ready for Pick up
Jeannette & Rob - Prints in the Lab - still waiting on bragbooks from the printers
Heather & Travis - still waiting for your storybook from the printers
Teresa & Osman - In Progress

Holly & Ryan - waiting
Antonia & Kenton - waiting
Anita & Brad - waiting
Esther & Joel - waiting
Betty & Jeff - waiting

Thanks for your patience to all!! Slowly but surely the work is getting done and I'm close to back on track for due dates ;)

So Exciting!

Congratulations to Tanya and Mike!!

They are the lucky 100th couple that have booked with us. As we (Creations) are making their final payment, they happily bumped up their package to one that has everything that she would want ;) Stay tuned in to see their pics as the wedding is not even far away - it's in March 2008.

How exciting that we made it to our 100th booking before 2008! I feel so blessed to have all these wonderful couples to work with. Thank you to all who have put their faith in us. I LOVE my job!!

Yep we are now booking into 2009 as well - so if your considering us - make an appointment to discuss your plans we'd love to see you.

The retouching line-up...

Diane and Adam - ready for pick up

Chito and Anne - at the lab (if all goes well they should be ready early next week guys - I know Anne is soo anxiously waiting)

Jeannette and Rob - in progress

Teresa & Osman - waiting
Holly & Ryan - waiting
Antonia & Kenton - waiting
Anita & Brad - waiting
Esther & Joel - waiting

Cathy & Glen...

Awhile ago Cathy and Glen were married. She wore a fabulous red dress and I was a little sad that she wasn't comfortable with the model release idea cause I knew that she would look soo great. Well after picking up their images the couple decided that they were OK being on the blog so here are 2 of my favorite pics as well as a link to their slideshow - Cathy and Glen's Slideshow.

They had a super hot day and it was tough to keep going with the pics but they trouped through and we got some great memories for them. The asian theme that Cathy chose was very pretty and the red dress was the most unique idea that I have seen for a bride yet. Cathy and Glen thank you so much for having us photograph your wedding day it was a pleasure meeting you, your family and friends. We wish you alot of love! I do look forward to seeing you again for family pics :)

The update: We haven't moved on the retouching line up really - Louie and Anne have alot of pics in their package and it is taking me a little while to get through them so please bear with me.

I have been keeping quite busy with family pics and engagement shoots. With all the nice weather the season has lasted longer than usual. With lack of model releases though I don't post their images online - I must remember to ask everyone to sign them when they come to pick their pics cause there's been some really cute families.

This past weekend's wedding went really well. They had a wedding day that focused around the kids and it was alot of fun. They also decided to forgo the model release due to the amount of children around but I will leave you with this cute frog pic that I just love...it was a bit of a tough shot cause the little critters didn't like to sit still!

Take 2 minutes today to remember...

In Flanders Fields

By: Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae, MD (1872-1918)

Canadian Army

IN FLANDERS FIELDS the poppies blow

Between the crosses row on row,

That mark our place; and in the sky

The larks, still bravely singing, fly

Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

Loved and were loved, and now we lie

In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:

To you from failing hands we throw

The torch; be yours to hold it high.

If ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow

In Flanders fields.

Seeing Sydney

Last year we met Chrysten & Ken when we were invited to photograph their wedding. This year I got to meet thier brand new daughter Sydney. She is such a doll! What a great baby she was for getting her photographs. I just couldn't stop touching her cute little fingers and toes so of course I had to photograph them :) Funny cause she kept grabbing hold of my finger but we had a tough time getting her to hold onto her Mommy's. Thank you Chrysten for letting me see Sydney - it was a joy to take her pics! You make a great Mom.

Now - an update on our wedding retouching -

Diane & Adam - ready for pick up

Cathy & Glen - ready for pick up

Jamie & Mac - ready for pick up

Heather & Travis - in the lab (book at the printers too)

Louis & Anne - In Progress

Jeannette & Rob - Waiting

Teresa & Osman - Waiting

Holly & Ryan - Waiting

Antonia & Kenton - Waiting

Anita & Brad - Waiting

Thank you once again to everyone and their patience. I look forward to seeing those who's orders are ready for pick up.

Tea for Two at Felicitea

Omari and I had some fun playing with tea the other day.
Karen - a friend of one of our bridal couples - is opening a tea shoppe in the West End soon and it's name will be Felicitea. She wanted some fun pictures of tea leaves to decorate the walls and gave us the opportunity to get creative for her. Omari thoroughly enjoyed this assignment! I had a fun time as well and welcomed the change from our people shoots. Karen was a little surprised when she came by and sort of expected us to plop the tea down and shoot it - the whole production lasting maybe 15 mins....1 1/2 hours later....we were helping her pack back up to go. It was fun to create and not have to rely on the subject to "work" with me. Product shooting is definitely not my cup of tea LOL but it is fun to do on occasion...Omari on the other hand may add a new wing to our business in the future just for him and this kind of shoot :)

I will post when she does her grand opening so that all who peek in our blog can check it out. Here are two of my favorite images...