Love - Kim & Jon

Last Saturday Omari and I attended the wedding of Kim and Jon. It was a beautiful day and we were all greatful as the ceremony was held outdoors at the Devonian Botanic Gardens. Kim and Jon included a butterfly release in their ceremony and it turned out beautifully. After the ceremony we headed over to the Japanese pavillion for our "formal" photos. We had a little fun tromping around the gardens and trying out some new ideas. Our couple needed to stop off at home to tend to their canine kids so we took a few family photos there, it was great cause first we stopped of to get some totally refreshing slurpees! Then it was off to the Millwood Golf Course for the reception where the party went on until the wee hours of the night.

Thank you Kim and Jon for including us in your special day. It was a pleasure photographing you and your friends/family :) I look forward to meeting up with you again when we view the photos together....for now, here is the sneak peek slideshow that I have compiled....Kim & Jon's Slideshow.

This weekend we start our super busy section of the year - and somehow I managed to promise to take the kids camping in the midst of it all! It's gonna be a fun ride so get ready to hang on tight. Now, I must go get some sleep so that I can make it through Saturday and Sunday's weddings.

Excitement - Amberlee and Danan

So I was off to the Sherwood Park gun range not so long ago for a fun engagement shoot with Amberlee and Danan. They wanted photos that reflected them so this was the perfect location. They brought along their 2 adorable canine kids to include in a few as well. We had a good time - except for the minor ant incident - We made a late meeting time and it worked out perfect, we had great weather and gorgeous light to work with. I look forward to what we will come up with for their wedding photos.....here are a few of my favorites...there are just too many to choose from...I know that the guest sign in book we will be making is going to look really good!

Excitement - Nicole & Jeff

Last Friday I met with Nicole and Jeff down on Whyte Avenue. We had some fun dodging the raindrops while we shot their engagement photos. I was thinking that it would be fun to just get drenched and take some cool shots but by the time we were near the end of our session the sun came out and there were blue skies. Thanks for hanging out with me guys - it was a pleasure getting to know you better. I'm looking forward to the fun we will have at your wedding :)

11 years.

Not too long ago Omari and I celebrated out 11th wedding anniversary. We went out to our favorite restaurant, Red Ox Inn, for dinner. The food there is always soo scrumptious and tops our list for food anywhere we have ever been. I got Nubian to snap this photo of us before we headed out...

Thank you to friends (past clients you know your included there!) for all the kind comments through Facebook.

I'm trying to get caught up on work now as I had maxed out our drive space and Omari has spent the last few days upgrading us.....

Excitement - Cassandra & Matthew

The other day I spent some time with Cassandra, Matthew and their 3 little ones. This couple is so very busy with 3 under the age of 5! They are all so very cute....I am excited to see them all dressed up for the wedding ;)

We met up at the Legislative Grounds and walked around just a little bit before the kids were tired so we just did a few more pics with my couple and then let the kids go jump in the fountains. This definitely was the highlight of their day - I'm so glad that Mom and Dad had packed them a change of clothes. Here are a few of my favorite pics from our time together - see you very soon at the wedding -

Love - Jenine and Tim

This past Saturday we spent a beautiful day with Jenine and Tim. They were married out on the Timber Ranch in Stony Plain. The Timber Ranch Trading Co. is a totally awesome facility which Omari and I really adored shooting in. I recommend this place to anyone who may be looking for an outdoor wedding venue. Jenine was a beautiful bride and I still can't believe the super long lashes this girl naturally has on her. So the ceremony was beautiful and the ranch was so great that we were able to do some fantastic photos there and still didn't even use all the little nooks and crannies available to us :) The weather turned out beautiful and we even got a small spot of rain which worked out great cause then we were able to do our cute couple under the umbrella shot. I loved the wonderful yellow field that we were able to shoot in and our couple did some great shots around the horses. Then it was off to the Woodbend Hall for their reception. The place looked great and the night was only hampered by a little noise from a quick hailstorm...otherwise it was great. Things moved along quite smoothly thanks to Michelle French from Behind the Scenes wedding planning.

Thank you Jenine and Tim for including us in your wedding day - it was such a pleasure to witness your celebration of love. Well I can't call this a sneak peek anymore cause your soo quick you've already come and chosen your pics....so here is the slideshow that I have complied for friends and family that haven't seen the pics yet...Jenine and Tim's Slideshow.

Excitement

On Tuesday I took a walk by the lake with a longtime friend of mine and her fiance. Teri and Jason are so sweet together and they make a cute couple. I am soo sad that I will miss their wedding in August but wish them the best day for a beautiful wedding. I'm glad to hear they won't be photographerless. It was a pleasure doing your engagement photos guys - thanks for the slurpee afterward :)

Excitement

On Sunday I took a walk through the park with Kirsten and Art. Along the way we stopped and took some great photos to celebrate their engagement. It was a super hot day but luckily down in the ravine with the trees and shade I'm sure it was at least 10 degrees cooler. Thanks for taking the time out of your house painting to meet up with me and I really appreciate your willingness to keep going to find the great spots :) We look forward to shooting your wedding in the fall.

A renewal of love...

This past Saturday we were off to Red Deer to spend some time with a past couple of ours. Last year on this very same day they were married. For those who follow my blog you will remember Angela and Greg as my most intimate wedding ever with just me, the couple, the minister and 2 church ladies for witness'. Well this year they renewed those vows with a big celebration - white gown, tuxes and all. This time their blended family was included and they had the same minister do their ceremony at the Crossroads Church in Red Deer. They included a sand ceremony this time and had the kids pour their own sand in as well, with all the colors it was really pretty. Then we toured around Red Deer to do some photos and we did get some amazing ones cause not only did we have alot of time to try out all the ideas we had in our heads but the weather was amazing as well. It was a warm day so we only kept the kids with us for a short time....besides it is difficult to get romantic with little ones on the go around you....and I am known for making you kiss - Alot! The reception was at the Holiday Inn in Red Deer. The room was decorated really nicely and here our couple had a few twists as well. They did their first dance together as soon as they walked in the room - then later after the dinner and speeches they did a family dance with the kids. There were 4 cakes - one large one representing the couple and 3 mini cakes for the kids - and they all cut them at the same time. Again, really sweet. I love how they tied the family in on this event and I felt so honored to be in attendance once again for their show of love.

Angela and Greg, thank you for your patience with both Omari and I - we loved how you were so willing to try out all of our crazy ideas. Once again, you'll see there are just soo many great shots when you come to view the images. You guys are such a great couple we wish you many more years of love ahead! See you soon.

For now here is the sneak peek slideshow....Angela and Greg's Slideshow.

a little walk

On Monday I took a walk around Beaumaris Lake with Shauna and Dave and their little ones. Their wedding is coming up quickly and we wanted to do an e-session/family shoot beforehand. The kids were alot of fun to work with as they really liked climbing and exploring. The sun was out and of course I am having a ball with my sun shots lately...I love how this one turned out with the lake in behind them.

A beautiful day

Last Saturday we celebrated the love of Melissa and Marc. Saturday ushered another beautiful couple into our lives and the weather was fantastic. I don't think anyone expected it to get as warm as it did though - I know I didn't. The bridal party looked fantastic as this couple commited themselves to one another on his parents property just on the outskirts of Edmonton. The yard looked fantastic with all sorts of beautiful flowers in bloom. Melissa and Marc had chosen to have some harp and cello music played in the background for their music and it was really lovely. After some great photos at this location our couple hopped into their uncles antique ford and we took off for the museum grounds to do a few more photos. Then it was off to the St. Johns Culteral Center for the party.

Thank you guys for entrusting us with your precious memories. It was great working with the both of you. I look forward to seeing you soon to look through all of them with me....for now, here is a sneak peek slideshow....Melissa and Marc's slideshow.

Family Time...

Last Sunday I spent some time meeting Leisje and her extended family. It was a little rainy but we met anyway as it is tough to get everyone together especially when they are not all living in the same place. While the rain was sprinkling down we spent some time at the Legislative building using the front where we could keep dry under the overhang. The rain let up after a little bit so then we got to head out and do a few shots in the greenery. Not all the family was comfortable being on the blog so here are a couple cute shots of Leisje and her husband and their canine kids...

Thanks for including me in your family time - it was a pleasure meeting everyone :)

Bryanne & Tyler

Last Saturday we spent a fun filled day celebrating the love of Bryanne and Tyler. This adorable couple was full of great ideas for their wedding day. First they started off with the ringbearer driving a 4 x 4 remote controlled car down the isle that had the rings in it. Bryanne had a fantastic hot pink streak in her hair and it matched the flowers along with the sash on her gown. After the ceremony at the Best Western Sherwood Park we quickly did some family photos then headed into Edmonton to the Whitemud Amusement park for some minigolf with the bridal party. That was fun for everyone except one of the groomsmen that was pretty disappointed that we weren't going to actually "play" the whole game. We did try to get at least a putt for everyone at most of the holes though...Tyler had purchased some cotton candy as well so everyone was nice and sugared up for us. You can see the energy in the slideshow when Tyler leap-frogs over the frog on the course :) The best part was when Bryanne actually won the "free game" putt at the very end of the course! After all of that excitement we sure weren't done. These guys had told me about some great location that they wanted to drive out to where there wasn't really a road....it sounded good to me....sort of.... Luckily they had rented some Hummers for their day so when we got to the "off-road" part Omari and I parked our car and joined the party in the Hummers for some 4x4 ing to our next location. I have to admit we did have some fun getting jostled around in the vehicle even though I was a bit freaked out when we hit the peak of the hill and you couldn't see down the other side cause it was that steep. Of course Tyler wouldn't take us somewhere that he hasn't been to alot already and knew that it was all good and I agree it was! Along with the great tunnel, we had some beautiful scenery to work with. I am so glad we had such a beautiful day too. Next on the agenda was a quick stop to Whyte ave for a few more couples shots by a sign they really wanted. I added in a "traffic going by" shot and a "phone booth" shot and then Tyler showed us some fantastic graffetti on the way back to the vehicles so of course we had to use that too. Then it was time to head back to the Best Western in Sherwood park for the Rock 'n Roll themed reception. Unfortunately we missed the guest playing guitar hero (they had it going to pass the time until the couple came back) but the kids had some great blow up guitars that they lugged around. Elvis was the M.C. for the night, the food was great and the dance was rocking.
Thank you so much guys for including us in your wedding day! It was such a pleasure to hang with you and your friends. I loved all the energy and great ideas for shots that you had...you sure made our job easy... I look forward to going through the rest of the images with you, I'm sure your going to have trouble picking your favorite cause there are a bunch of really great ones-your album is going to look SO good!

Here is the link to the sneak peek slideshow...Bryanne & Tyler's Slideshow.

Rebecca & Mitch....

Last Saturday we attended the wedding of Rebecca & Mitch. They had a beautiful Ukranian ceremony at St. Nicholas Church here in Edmonton. It was a little windy and chilly out so we stayed at the church to do our family photos. After a few snacks we headed into the Neil Crawford center to do some more photos with the bridal party. I loved shooting with this couple cause not only were they very cute and sweet - they gave us a tonne of time to work with them. We had so much time that Omari and I actually finished all the ideas we had in mind! Luckily the weather held up and we had some great storm clouds to work with and the sun even peaked out from time to time that afternoon. The reception was at the Millwood golf course so of course we stopped and took a few photos of our couple around the lake in that area. With some time left to spare the bridal party headed over to one of their favorite hangouts - Tim Hortons and sure we did document that too. Finally it was time to head into the party. I love hearing all the tales about our couples - I always feel like some long lost family member when it is all said and done. Of course the food was great and the DJ did a good job keeping the party going....it seems that everyone had a great time.

Rebecca and Mitch I will see you soon to view your photos. Thank you for entrusting us with capturing your memories on this special day!! We had a ball with the both of you and we so appreciated all the willingness you had to try out all of our suggestions. I wish you soo much love (and tonnes of babies...LOL...had to throw that one in just to tease them... u had to be there to get it....) Oh yeah, there is a sneak peek slideshow here - Rebecca & Mitch's slideshow.

A Tale of Two Amy's - Part 2

On Saturday we hung out with a great group of friends. Amy and Craig were married at the St.Albert Parish in a beautiful traditional ceremony. Afterward we swung by Red Willow Park in St.Albert for some family photos...we finished up quickly and just in the nick of time too as it started raining just as we were doing our last shots. I was glad the girls in the bridal party stuck it out through a few drops to get the last "formal" photo. This has to be the biggest bridal party that I have had yet with 8 groomsmen, 8 bridesmaids, a flowergirl and a ringbearer. They were a great looking bunch and a whole lot of fun to work with. The boys were all about the vehicles and they had some very specific shots that they wanted to put together so we headed out to a friend of their's acreage next. There we had some huge trucks that the guys had all brought in and a bunch of motorcycles. We did up those fun shots and then started in on my romantic work with Amy and Craig while the others went to get some food in the house - I was so thankful that the rain clouds disappeared and we had lovely weather to work with. Next we headed back into Edmonton to the Chateau Louis. I have never seen the place decorated so nicely. Amy - you did a fantastic job with this room! The party got going and didn't stop...everyone seemed to have a great time...young and old alike. The highlight of the evening for Omari was when he got to see a guy "burn" out his motorcycle. I guess it is some kind of tradition among friends who were at the party - one guy smoked his tire until it was just shredded - Omari was soo happy that he was there to capture it and couldn't stop talking about it for the rest of the night. Amy and Craig - I hope you are enjoying your honeymoon - I look forward to seeing you both when you come and check out the images from your day. Thank you so much for including Omari and I in your wedding plans - it was alot of fun working with the both of you! Of course here is a sneak peek slideshow to tide you over until you get back...Amy and Craig's Slideshow.

A Tale of Two Amy's - Part One

Two weddings, one weekend, two ladies named Amy.

On Friday we documented the celebration of Amy and Jim. It was a beautiful day and we took advantage of it making sure we got some great photos for them outside.

They were married at the Scottish Society Hall - it is a nice little out of the way place that you kinda gotta look for. With all the changes in Edmonton we now have the NW and SW areas when you hit the south side. Well this hall was in the new SW area and that had people confused. Eventually people found their way there though and the ceremony got underway. They had a bag pipper playing as they came in and left and the guys all wore kilts. Afterward we headed down to the Legislative grounds for some family pics. The front of the building was packed out with Graduating kids - so it was a good thing I don't rely on using the front steps. The grounds are so vast and there is alot of great greenery and architecture to use all the way around the building we had no problem finding some quiet spots to use. Omari did a great shot where he had the sun sparkling in between them as they kissed - I'm posting it below, definitely one of my new favorites from him!

Amy and Jim - thank you for including us in your day. It was such a pleasure to meet your family. See you soon to view the rest of your photos. For now here is a sneak peek at the highlights...Amy and Jim's Slideshow.

Full Swing.

So the season is now here and we are on the go. As we progress into wedding season it gets busier and busier :) I love it though and this year will prove to be one of our busiest yet. Last weekend we didn't have a wedding on the books so we enjoyed cleaning the house...yeah right...there wasn't any enjoying that part! Omari and I did volunteer to go off to the 2008 Canadian Chess Challenge though and we did a few team photos for them. Our son is involved with the Edmonton Chess Nuts so I thought this was a good way to give back to the program. Without model releases I won't put any of the teams up here but here is one of the other pictures that I like...this king and queen do not need to give me permission to use their image...

Afterward I decided we would go out and make use of the great weather. I wanted Omari and I to do some promo photos that represented us - so we got the boys to help us and headed out to a great hill down the street from our house. I had this image in mind that I wanted to get and we had alot of fun trying to get it to work. The boys were hot and grumpy before we even got out of the car - humm - first we set up an extra light that I knew we would need to make it work but the hill was steep so one of the kids had to hold it in place. Next I had Omari stand in place while I set the camera up on the tripod and had the other boy push the shutter button for us. Nubian kept snapping way more pics than we wanted and didn't let the flash recycle for a bunch. Nope he is not ready to enter the industry any time soon. But they did get a bunch of cute pics and a couple that I like. One we are using on Facebook and at the side of our blog here. Another you might see in circulation at some point. Here are a couple of what Nubian calls the "out takes". He's so proud of them!

Recently we were off shooting a ceremony at the Legislative grounds. Unfortunately there is no model release for this event to share images. There are some great ones though as we did a few formals at the Leg and then some more out at Shalom Park (out by Rabbit Hill). We had never shot there before and I was surprised how lovely the place was. I loved the rickety looking dock and the water as well as the hills. The couple had the building decorated really well too. The room looked great. I look forward to going to this venue again sometime.



I have also had the opportunity to hang out with one of our past couples. They just had a baby and we did some baby and family pics. I loved meeting Hannah! She was great for the photos and even fell asleep for us at the end so I could get some adorable sleeping photos. I was so excited to finally get to try out the baby on the towels shot. They are going to have a hard time narrowing down their choices cause I know I did. Here are a couple of my favorites from the session...You gotta agree she is a doll :)