Element Photography

Catherine + Ryan are thiiiiis close to welcoming a wee one into their family. And I mean thiiiiis close! It was a race, me against the babe…who would finish first?? Me as far as I know! Catherine and I graduated together from the U of S in Saskatoon a few years back. I photographed their beautiful wedding in Prince Albert, SK and now I got to photograph them on the brink of the arrival of baby #1!

I really enjoyed having these two infront of my lense again, repeat customers are the best! The new stage they are at in life is so exciting and it was so great to catch up with them too! We met up on Vancouver Island when I was visiting my family for a holiday. i love Van Isle.

Catherine was so relaxed and radiant during out session, laughing along and only struggling when I asked her to “stand up, sit down, no stand up again”. Im sorry for this Catherine, Im a little naive when it comes to the art of sporting a bump. oops! The lovely momma-to-be was at the 8 month mark during out shoot at Genoa Bay Marina. Im no expert on bumps but she rocked a perfect 8 month bump if you ask me : )

M + me thank you again for the fun dinner date at our favorite place to grab a bite, the Shipyard! Sending you all our best!!

cant wait to hear the news!!

element is on FACEBOOK! become a fan and keep tabs on us!

PS. August photo session are completely booked up, September weekends are full and October is quickly filling up too!

The finale, PART 3!  Thank you friends and family for all the fantastic and creative comments, so far! I love the feedback! bestfollowersever.

A quick re-cap just incase you missed it, first we revealed Mitch + Michelle’s stunning farmyard portraits in part one. Then in part two we saw them tie the knot! For the last segment of the longest series of blog posts to hit element yet (I love it I love it!!) we get to show off the highlight reel of images from M + M’s live guestbook. It was so much fun to co-ordinate this during the cocktail hour. Michelle had lined up so much help for us to keep the process running quickly and efficiently. We thank you SO MUCH! All we got to do was laugh with the guests and shoot them with their creative messages for the happy couple. It was brilliant!!

Thanks M + M for the best day. Michelle for being so creative, your attention to detail made it an absolute joy to for us to photograph. Thank you both for your long standing support over the last few year, thank you for trusting us with your wedding day and for being so gosh darn awesome. xx

We saw their portraits in part one, now lets see them get married!

 Get on top of life, find us on FACEBOOK!!

Next up M + M decided to do a LIVE guestbook using a PHOTOBOOTH! The highlights next in PART 3! be the first to know : )

There was WAY to much good stuff to pack into one post. This beauty’s coming at you in 3 parts. yes-i-said-three.

Late Friday morning I arrived at Michelle’s home as she was getting the final touches on her make-up. She was radiant, the atmosphere calm as she described her morning with the her girlfriends. I remarked on that her townhouse renovations looked great!  Michelle had worked so hard tackling many DIY projects while Mitch was finishing his hockey season in Norfolk to make her space more comfortable, warm,  to feel like their home. I gathered her dress, jewels and shoes and got to work.  ”I LOVE them, they are exactly what I wanted” I heard her exclaim to her sister as Natalie walked in with bouquets of lucisous and oh-so fragrant flowers from polka-dot-door. Snapping away silently I reflected over the past 3 years that I have been lucky to get to know Michelle, and then Mitch. Amazing to think how far this couple as come and the distance their love endured as Mitch resided in the US 8 months of the year. M + M met at a Canada Day pork roast in the summer of 2008 an annual event hosted by the the Fritz family. That summer brimmed with excitement of new love and camping trips with family and friends at Mable Lake. Before they knew it summer was coming to a close and off to New York Mitch went to pursue his hockey career. Michelle so committed to regular trips down to see Mitch with suitcases full of beef jerky and other various frozen game for Mitch and his room mates. One particular trip sticks out in my mind, Mitch had been called up to play with the NY Islanders and he invited Michelle to come down to spend some time with him and watch him play. I received this frantic phone call at work, “HELP ME!! Im in Madison Square Garden. Mitch is going to play tonight, my boyfriend is going to play. There are so many people, I dont know where to go. Where do I get my ticket? Mitch said I would be able to get them, there would be a VIP booth for me to errrr or something. gah. Erika what-am-i-doing-in-madison-square-garden? I dont even know how to watch hockey”. One long runonsentencewithnogaspforair. She was wiggin’ out a little. Small town girl with big town dreams, the girl was standing in the heart of NYC without a clue. “Michelle, this is SO exciting. What are you wearing? Whats NYC like, do you feel like Carrie? Go get a drink, then find the ticket. Pull yourself together lady, go on”!!

It was on one of these trips down to visit Mitch, that he gave Michelle a stunning diamond ring and asked her to marry him.  The plans were set for June 2011 and the planning got into full swing! 18 months flew by in a flash as they prepared for their future and for the wedding date.

Mitch + Michelle selected Arosa Guest Ranch to host their wedding celebration. A tranquil setting nestled in the rolling hills atop Anarchist Mountain with gorgeous panoramic views has special significance to them.  Fritz estates the former property of his grandfather, lovingly remember as Bumpa surrounds the ranch area. We took advantage of Bumpa’s land for Mitch + Michelles first look. I love it when a couple choose’s to do a first look together and photos are wrapped up prior to the wedding ceremony!  These two gave us 3 incredible hours to work with them for their portraits. GAH. spoiled. Thank YOU! We had so much fun with M + M trucking around to many special locations that the couple had selected themselves in advance! Photos wrapped up just as rain drops started to sprinkle. Just a tease though, as the sky cleared again for a bright and beautiful outdoor ceremony.

But mother nature can be crrrrazy and wasn’t quiet finished with us yet!

Everyone was tucked away in the white tent surrounded by phenomenal details. Tables full with plates of delicious warm food as the sky opened up and the rain showers came down.  Propane heaters were lit, guest changed out of summery dresses and into their tights, woolies, camo and plaid. We cuddled up under blankets and listened to the stories of Michelle + Mitch shared by the wedding party and parents. They were roasted and toasted and laughter filled the tent!

It was just before the speeches began the the sky cleared momentarily and a bright beam of sunlight pierced through the clouds. ah! A perfect double rainbow arched over the valley in view for all to see. A sign of a promise just for the newlyweds!  M + M ran out into the sunlight and shared a little dance, and a little love as the cameras fired away!! ummmm could we have asked for anything more perfect?

Michelle + Mitch, Liza and I were thrilled to be part of your day. Thank you so much for having us!

ceremony/reception – arosa guest ranch resort

florals – polka dot door flowers + gifts

catering – Tina + Glen McWallner

band – Young’uns

makeup – Christine Fritz

Are you still with me??!  Go on then, leave the newly weds some LOVE! Comment below : )

OH stay tuned for ceremony + reception details, annnnnd…the crazy photo booth highlights coming later this week!! FIND US ON FACEBOOK and be the first to know

Meet the Paolera’s! Mike, Jenn and their three rascals Kyle, Jordan and Rhys! What a great night we had tromping around the farm together on the eve of my birthday. The boys smiled for the camera, tackled each other for the camera and even did a little kung fu for the camera. You could say they got their exercise in that night for sure! And Rhys he really had the most “fun” of all. Teasing me mercilessly about how much “fun” he was having as we wrapped up the shoot. So just when he thought all the “fun” was over…I stopped them for a couple more, juuuust for Rhys since we were having so much “fun” and all!! hehe gotcha ; )

I have to give huge, huge props to Jenn for keeping it fabulous amongst all the testosterone she is surrounded with each and every day. Is she cute or what? Not only is she sweet and fab but she is also ruling the roost while her hubby is undergoing basic training with the RCMP in Regina. It was really important to Jenn to get the family snaps completed before he took off to Saskatchewan. A great reminder of the fun times at home to get them all through the 10 months ahead. He left only a few days after the shoot! Its proof that its never ever to late to pick-up a new skill, profession or trade and re-invent your day to day. I totally admire Mike for his ability to recognize a great opportunity for himself and his family. Jumping in with both feet! SUCH a great example for his boys.

don’t ya think?

Little Marina only 12 days old for her first photo shoot! My youngest model yet : ) She preformed exceptionally sleeping for almost the entire shoot! She didnt even mind her mom switching her in and out of her outfits one bit. In fact I think she kind of liked it a little. The little girl has more clips, bows, and hairpieces than I do. What a doll! It was a super relaxing afternoon with Danielle and Brad chatting away about there first 2 weeks with a newborn in the home. Everyone is adapting to the changes and doing great! Marina is even making appearances with her mom at the office every once and a while!  Thanks for the fun afternoon, on to the photos : )

PS. the fun polka dot blanket is made by Lil’ Bo Peeps - Baby Boutique and can be found at Bloom

RAD GRAD photos are here!  Chris and Cassidy were looking great styled head-to-toe in clothing and accessories from Unity Clothing + Boardshop in Osoyoos! Thanks again to Racyne Farinha for providing make up and hair for Cassidy!

And thanks everyone for all your fun entries!! Happy Grad Chris and hope you have a great summer!! Good luck next year!

these accessories provided by the transients of Osoyoos, NOT from  Unity!

the AWESOME surprise gift item from UNITY!

Chris got to pick one piece of the outfit he was wearing to have for keeps! he went with the sweet DVS kicks