Fall Love

I love being a photographer for many reasons. One of them is the people who come in to my life for a session and end up becoming friends. I’ve always felt very strongly about having to have a connection with my clients to really truly capture the magic. I have had some pretty amazing couples trust me with their weddings and engagements and I love the friendship that is also created.

With the way the last 20 months or so have been with a pandemic looming over us, needless to say its been quite the rollercoaster for me as a photographer. With restrictions coming in and constantly changing, I needed to be flexible. It has been a long road, and finally we’re at a place where I feel like life will resume, but it has been hard on me creatively. I figured out that I need creative sessions to fill up something in my soul. A session thats 100% for me. And I have learned that even during busy time, actually especially during a busy season this is needed.

I asked this couple and was hoping they’d be up for a little creative session. I had the privilege of meeting them last year and shooting their elopement. They were the victim of the ever so changing rules of covid and opted for an intimate backyard ceremony instead of their planned wedding, and I loved meeting them. We kept in touch and I knew they’d be perfect for the session I was envisioning.

We met on a gorgeous afternoon amid the craziness of a fall schedule but I needed it. Adding more to my queue of editing at the time maybe wasn’t necessary but I needed this for me. We laughed, we caught up, and had a lot of fun, and I was so happy with how these images turned out.

Rooftop Love

As a photographer I am constantly inspired by my environment. By what I see on social media, what I watch in movies or read in books. And every so often I have found I need to do sessions that are just for me, meaning I do the model call and set it up, no money is exchanged, I just get full creative ability to execute my vision. I have found especially in the last 2 years in this pandemic, that it is important to take this time for myself.

I met Khira & Brandon a couple years ago when I shot their wedding. We instantly connected and they are pure magic in front of the camera. I had them in mind when I was planning this, and was over joyed to have them say yes to being my models.

I was envisioning a rooftop session, and luckily we have a really great spot to do that downtown Calgary. This was my first time shooting here, and needless to say I loved it. The vibe was exactly what I wanted and it was perfect. Best part was we had it all to ourselves and had a blast.

Here are a few of my favourites!

Carli + Greg

I have always loved weddings, whether I was a guest or in the wedding itself, I always found myself watching the photographer. I soon realized that being a wedding photographer was one of my biggest dreams, and obtaining that goal is still pretty surreal to me. It is an absolute honour to be chosen to capture your day.

One thing that’s for sure is that planning a wedding is a big task, and this pandemic has provided many obstacles for most couples. I know personally I’ve had to help couples find new dates and make sure to be really flexible. And this couple was no exception to running into problems with their initial plans.
After having to postpone for a year, Carli & Greg were fortunate to have restrictions lifted just in time to have their dream wedding this past August.

Now these two are close to my heart as Carli is one of my “baby” cousins. So naturally, I was so excited and honoured to capture their day. They spend their weekends adventuring together, and their love of the outdoors is one of the many things that brought them together. When it came time to find their venue, somewhere outdoors with the mountains surrounding them was their ideal spot.
And Cheekeye Ranch in Squamish BC, was that perfect location.

a moody day complete with a rainbow

The morning of, I love starting the day with the bride and her tribe getting ready. It is such a fun part of the day and definitely has a lot of emotional moments you don’t want to miss. It definitely helps set the mood for the day, I mean whats better than a morning with your besties, champagne and fancy dresses?

It’s also a great time to capture the details of all the pretty things.

Carli waited to put her dress on until she arrived at Cheekeye Ranch where she used the bridal suite on the grounds. I can assure you there were no dry eyes in the room as she walked out in her amazing Grace Loves Lace dress as a bride for the first time. It was a really special moment between her and her maid of honour. With final touches done by her mom, she was ready to go see her groom.

They decided on a first look which followed with reading their personal vows to each other with their fur baby. I thought this was incredible, I’ve had a lot of couples do a first look, but never a vow reading, and I loved it. This was such a romantic and intimate idea. I stepped back to give them their privacy, but you could just feel their love and adoration for each other in these. I love when my couples take time together just for themselves on the wedding day. I think it is really important to take a step away and just spend a few minutes being present with one another.

After their vows we met up with rest of the wedding party for some group photos. These are always filled with a lot of laughter. We ran a bit short on time from some minor delays in the morning, but still managed to sneak away for some intimate couples shots before the official ceremony began. I loved the bridesmaids mismatched dresses. Such a fun trend that I hope sticks around.

A beautiful wooden arch adorned in the most gorgeous wild flowers was the centrepiece for the ceremony.

It had been raining earlier in the morning, and the clouds were still hanging around, but the sun broke through right as the ceremony was beginning and the light was perfectly shining down on Carli and her parents walking down the aisle. As an extra personal touch, half of the ceremony was performed by one of Greg's childhood friends who was ordained for their wedding . He spoke the most beautiful and inspiring words and declared them husband and wife.

Shortly after the ceremony the party officially started, and kept on going. Under a big tent we laughed, cried a little and had the most fun dancing the night away. Speeches were made, songs were sung, and Carli & Greg were reminded how incredibly loved they are over and over again. It was such a perfect day, one they’ll remember forever.