Element Photography

One of the first emails I received from Erin told me alot about her and Grey. Outdoor enthusiasts, adventure seekers and nature lovers. One of the first emails stated plain as day “we love the mountains and we’re generally pretty simple people”. We are pretty simple, i love that! One of my favorite quotes goes a little something like this…live simply so others can simply live. Anyhoo, I felt like M and I should know these people, I mean they sort of sound like M and I.  Outdoors, check, nature, check, quadding, camping and fishing, check, check, check!! By the end of our time together I had turned Erin’s little girl Kyah into my photography assistant (its so fun to play make-believe with the kiddos) and exchanged numbers with Erin to attempt to turn our men into hunting partners.  Thanks for the great evening you two and even though the hunting trip did not work out just yet I am sure we will keep in touch!

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eeeeeeeeeeeeeeks!!           Kyah wanted to wish everyone a spooktacular HALLOWEEN!

Julie Anna loves Brad, she loves him a whole bunch. And you know what? He loves her back. Times ten. They have been married for a few years now and they are great friends of M and I.  They might be one of the cutest couples we know and mad about each other. And I think its sweet!  Brad has been working way up North, way, way, waaaay up North so their visits have been few and far between over the last couple of months. On a quick trip home back in September I kidnapped them for an impromptu photo shoot. Luckily JulieAnna has all the best connections and when I asked her for a vintage bike the evening before she delivered, no sweat.  I loved this session because we had no action plan. Completely footloose and fancy free.  We met up in a wild field with a red bike and a few ideas. Wandered around snapping photos for hours, as Julie and Brad enjoyed some quiet time together kissing and cuddling.  I am delighted with what we came up with!

A loooong time ago (okay early Summer not like pre-conceived notions..) I got a sweet little email from my university pal Nadine asking me to snap a few photos over Thanksgiving weekend of her little guy Daniel and family!  Two thumbs up for planning ahead, and of course I was excited to meet her new baby.  Turns out Daniel is a baby that is all business.  Quite the serious little fella he is. It sure made us giggle watching his expressions!  We had a great time catching up over a cup of tea, playing with Daniel, and enjoying the view from her in-laws beautiful Osoyoos home. Thanks again for the great afternoon!

Im so happy to post this blog today! So much anticipation from so many people I love it!  Plus this is the last wedding post of the 2010 season, and its going to be a gooder.

Where to start with these two? What a relaxed, fun-loving pair. I met up with Amanda and Dave early in the spring to spend a little time getting to know then and to shoot their e-session. And if you missed it you can see it ….HERE!  They were so easy to photograph and really up for anything, which makes my job so much fun! The girls started there day with hair and make up, as girls usually do. (note Amandas make-up was done by her friend Nicole…she has an airbrush ladies!)There was a quiet excitement in the air as they prepped that morning at Innervisions a salon in Oliver. Amanda looking radiant left the salon wearing one of Dave’s casual shirts, belted of course which I thought was so sweet. Later on we met them at the stunning St. Andrews by the lake golf course where they had rented rooms to get ready.  The mid-afternoon ceremony was held beside the lake, underneath impressive weeping willows. A gorgeous setting to say the least.  Amanda gave us loads of time to work with for photos so we were lucky to spend some time with them as the played with there little guy Jared. Capturing images of him chasing Amanda through the willows, cuddling with Daddy by the lake giggling and having so much fun blowing bubbles. Everyone jumped in the limo and off we went to enjoy the rest of the afternoon snapping some photos with the wedding party! Later that night we enjoyed a delicious dinner and laughed along with everyone as friends and family recapped the dating history of Amanda aka. Mom and Dave. Amanda’s sister Stacie shared one of the most touching speeches Im pretty sure any of us have ever heard. The room was so still and she had every single person hanging on to every single word. And instead of having everyone raise a glass to toast as the speech came to a close, she had everyone hug a loved one at their table. Well done Stacie, you are an inspiration thank you so much for your words.  Shortly after the slideshow, the music turned up a notch and moved everyone to the dance floor and I mean everyone (well except for little Jared who passed out after the slide show in his play pen beside the head table). They danced, sang and celebrated Amanda and Dave well into the weeeee hours of the night.

Thank you Amanda and Dave, your friends and your family making us feel so welcome and including us in your celebration!  On to the photos : )

October has been such an amazing month! Pumpkin Spice Lattes, gorgeous warm fall weather, crispy leaves, bonfires on the beach, delish’ turkey dinner with great friends, colorful mountainsides and wine fest. Throw in a couple of  canoodling couples and cute bambinos to photograph and that sums up  a pretty awesome month!

Here is a itty bitty sneak peek of what you will see in the coming weeks!

Meet the McLeans! Kirsten and Len joined me a few weeks ago relaxed as could be, anticipating the arrival of there new little baby.  Coming in just 4 quick days from that shoot! Meanwhile there little guy Brody tore up the play ground, laughing, making friends, and teaching me how to tie his shoes. As he grabbed the ends of two laces and punched them randomly into the air. Too cute!  We wandered around the playground chatting about how their summer was, if they had the nursery ready and what they had been up too lately. Brody, at two years old was not one to slow down he had me chasing him all over the park to capture his sneaky little grin. Great morning of fun and a few snaps to show off! Congratulations to you both, Im looking forward to meeting your little bundle soon!

When I arrived at Tanya and Jay’s home where the boys were getting ready they were hanging out, playing video games making fun of each other doing what boys do.  Jay looked great,  just happy to be spending a few hours with the guys but so excited to see Tanya. Meanwhile, the girls were gathered around Tanya as Raycne finished up her make up when we arrived at the Farinha home. There is a closeness between Tanya and her girls like none other, they laughed, cried and looked at her in awe that day and helped her every single way they could.  Everyone was so happy and so excited to see these two get married. What a great bunch of friends!

The ceremony took place on the beach under the warm summer sun with guests gathered around.  It was beautiful, short and sweet!   I love a big wedding party and this bunch packed big energy too!  Tanya and Jay and their friends play baseball in a local league during the summer months. During these evening games or weekend tournaments they have been known to get up to a little game called “flip-cup” with their ball buddies. Midway through the photo session the wedding party broke out some plastic cups, found a picnic table, and you guessed it….a short game of flip cup!  Girls WIN! Too funny! We snuck away from the group for a little while to finish off the session with some shots of just the two of them. Tanya was radiant, and Jay couldn’t take his eyes off his bride as they walked through the apple orchard hand-in-hand. The two of them cuddle and kissed and just enjoyed some quiet time together as we snapped away!  It wasn’t long before the wedding party found us and off they went to celebrate with family and friends!   Thanks again Tanya and Jay for including us in your very special day.