Last weekend the lemons let loose at their annual holiday party! Surrounded by so much a t h l e t i c  p r o w e s s I felt juuuust a little inadequate. (wooo first 10k achieved on boxing day!). Probably the most upbeat, stoked-on-life, goal oriented, and over achieving crowd I have had the pleasure to hang with – I loved it.  NO STRETCH PANTS to be seen, every one looked smokin’ hot in their holiday best ; ) And of course they rocked the socks off of the photobooth!

Thank you so much for everything guys!

** Check out the new element PRINT SHOP to view the complete gallery – find the tab at the top of this blog  **

Robyn my ‘home girl’ from MANITOBA!! holllllaaaa!

who love lululemon?? tell them – comment below!!

A property located on the Peninsula of Maple Bay that is very special to all of us at element photography is at risk of being compromised due to development of a road that will make the area accessible bringing in hydro, developers, off roaders, etc into this piece of forest reserve.  There has been very minimal public consultation and the municipal government is in a hurry to have the road laid.  To stop this from happening 2150 voters in the North Cowichan Area must sign the documents below. The cut off time is DECEMEBER 14 2012 2pm. Read on for more information + share with as many people as possible. Thank you.

(blog post below from  http://roadlesspeninsula.wordpress.com/)

Only when the last tree has died and the last river been poisoned and the last fish been caught will we realize we cannot eat money.  ~Cree Indian Proverb  

The Peninsula of Maple Bay is considered to be some of the most extraordinary land anywhere, so sacred and rare that last year private donations and funding from The Land Conservancy and CVRD made possible the creation of Sansum Point Park. Suddenly this largely public-owned land is at risk. A road has been approved that will bring hydro and developers into this wildnerness.

The voters of North Cowichan have less than 2 weeks to decide the outcome of a complicated issue. Put simply, there is a choice between two types of roads, one that will allow development, or a smaller road to serve as public access to what we believe should be mostly park land.

There are approximately 75 privately owned properties on the Peninsula. Of these, less than 15 are full-time residents. The residents use the forestry road as transportation. They believe, and we believe, that whatever happens to the road it must provide safe passage.

It will take time for the electorate to inform itself of all the details. It took a few billion years to create The Peninsula, we are asking for a few months to debate its’ demise. The Municipal Government is trying to race this “developer’s” road through with no public consultation. The voters need time. On November 27th Councilor Hartman proposed a motion that the deadline of December 14th be extended a month to allow the voters to be informed of all the issues. The motion was defeated. We want to know why the government is trying to race this road through with no public process?

If the voters of North Cowichan demand more time, it will then be possible to demand a public task force be created to conceive a long-term community plan for The Peninsula, including public access and thoughtful consideration for the preservation of this extraordinay land.

Presently the existing road is on forestry land. To build this “developer’s” road, North Cowichan will have to remove a significant portion from the forest reserve. To stop this from happening, 10% of North Cowichan electors, 2,150 voters, must sign an Elector Response Form. It must be submitted to the Municipality by 2 p.m. on December 14th, 2012. Forms can be downloaded off the Municipal websitewww.northcowichan.ca  and in this blog under Petition. Also they are available at the Municipal Hall north of town, (7030 TransCanada Highway) and The Community Farm Store in the yellow Garage in Duncan where they can be signed and dropped off.

The Electoral Response  Form process is cumbersome and flawed. It’s difficult for people to pick up forms. At this point there is no way around it, forms must be signed but a petition should also be valid.

IF ENOUGH NORTH COWICHAN VOTERS SIGN THE PETITION BELOW, WE HOPE THAT COUNCILOR HARTMANN WILL BE ABLE TO USE THIS PUBLIC SUPPORT  TO PROPOSE AN AMENDED MOTION THAT THE DEADLINE  for Electoral Forms be EXTENDED 2 MONTHS OR LONGER. 

PLEASE SIGN THE FORM AND THE PETITION BELOW. The petition will take a few minutes and is sent directly to the Mayor and Council.

FOR ELECTORAL RESPONSE FORMS, CLICK HERE (electoral response form)  -  Open and print the petition form. Please read carefully. Must be signed and handed in to the Municipal Hall or to the Community Farm Store across from the train station in Duncan.

FOR PETITION: CLICK HERE (https://www.change.org/en-CA/petitions/north-cowichan-mayor-and-council-save-the-maple-bay-peninsula-from-development)

PETITION DOES NOT TAKE THE PLACE OF ELECTORAL RESPONSE FORM

It’s that time of year again!

I’m really excited to kick off our annual Wedding Print contest for our happy newly weds! Below you will see my favorite portrait from each of our 5 weddings this summer.

All you need to do is:

1. Scroll down, take a good look at the beautiful photos, pick your favorite and then cast your vote at the very bottom.

2. Head back to the element photography facebook page and let me know that you voted!

The couples who achieve 150 votes or more will win a 11 x 14′ wedding standout portrait of their choice. Contest closes Nov 30 2012!

caitlin + sean

 corrine + edwin

sarah + jonathan

breeann + josh

 sarah + nigel

Leeeeeza! One of my greatest friends and best second shooter I could ever ask for. Supportive in so many ways and always the first to tell me “e your crazy…. but, IM IN!”. I count my lucky stars I met you so long ago at camera club for seniors (yes really). Thank you for another smokin’ wedding season!

This is what Leeza looks like doing what she does best : )

And this is the happy girl when I announce ”that’s a wrap!!” and turn the lens on her…. : )

And for ONCE (thanks to a comfortably warm Victoria day) we were not hot sweaty messes at the end of a wedding day – so I let her turn the camera on me too!

FARM SALE ya’ll!! This weekend element collaborated forces with one of my most favorite stylists/designers and junking partners Tacy at Highberry Dew. One of my very best gal pals who just happens to be a very talented interior and graphics design artist! And if she can’t find you the perfect piece she will make it herself. Really guys you should see her console + harvest tables. to-die-for!  Her sense of vintage style with touches of mixed media makes my heart go pitter-pater! Together we have worked on projects such as our styled wedding shoot at Bird’s Eye Cove Farm earlier this spring, her custom made packaging for my wedding clients and a few other styled weddings on the go for next season (fingers crossed!). When Kiona at Maven Creations invited us to participate in her annual farm sale – we looked at each other and JUMPED at it. This was our very first farm sale as vendors! We pulled out all kinds of bits-and-bobs for sale including such things as reclaimed wood caddies + trays, harvest tables, Roosevelt elk antlers naturally shed (Vancouvers own + largest in North America), old chairs, frames, chalkboards, antique dishes, linens, palette tables, bags + pillows. oh MY!  The tolix chairs were a big time hit – pick yours up at Bird’s Eye Cove farm.

We really enjoyed our day + had so much fun chatting with shoppers and making friends with the other vendors. Can’t wait for next year!

Have a look at the goods – and contact us if your interested in any items we have a few larger items left!

This weekend our fun friends Jeff + Shelia said “i do” on a sweet sunny afternoon at Providence Farm! Friends and family lit up the dance floor and whooped it up way into the wee hours of the night and Malcolm and I offered to set up a fun photobooth to document the crazy antics! What a stylish bunch ; )

Find element photography on facebook! click below and LIKE us : )

we’re a tad bit excited about April!

join us in our first styled shoot by sending us a photo of you and your sweetheart and a few sentences that tell us about you! Our final couple will be chosen by random selection on April 1 2012. Have fun!!

Share it on Facebook! Find element photography by clicking the logo below!

I’ve been on this cupcake baking trend lately. In honor of Vday next week, I thought I would create some sweet treats that I could share with my hubby and friends!  Last night I may have made my tasiest batch yet. I pulled out all the stops on this one and even broke out an icing bag and cake decorator how-to. I learned a new skill, it was fun and the lil’ cakes are so delish I wanted to share the recipe with you. Here’s a glimpse of the sweet pink treats…

Pink Velvet Cupcake Recipe
Makes approx 24 cupcakes
Adapted from Taste Of Home

Preheat Oven to 350 degrees

Ingredients

1 cup of butter softened
1 1/3 cups sugar
Pink food coloring
3 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk

In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar.   Once light and fluffy add your pink food coloring.  Start with a small amount and increase to reach your desired shade of pink.  Blend well with butter and sugar.

Add in eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Add in vanilla and beat well.

Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a separate bowl.   Add 1/3 of the dry ingredients to the batter and beat until well combined.  Add in 1/2 of the butter milk, beat until combined, followed by another 1/3 of the dry, then the remaining buttermilk and finally the remaining dry ingredients.    The batter may look a bit lumpy after buttermilk is first added, but beat well and it will combine nicely.

Fill paper lined muffin cups two-thirds full and bake at 350 degrees for approx 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Watch the cupcakes closely in the last few minutes of baking so that they do not over brown.    Allow to cool for ten minutes before removing from pan, then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.

My Favorite Buttercream Recipe

1 stick of butter softened
2 tablespoons of Crisco
1 two pound bag of powdered confectioners sugar – (I used about 2/3 of the bag)
2 teaspoons of vanilla
1 teaspoon of salt – (optional)
Whipping cream

Blend your butter, Crisco and vanilla together, adding in the powdered sugar and salt.   The mixture will be very dry.  Slow start adding your whipping cream, about one tablespoon at a time, until you reach the desired consistency.   I find that I prefer my frosting firmer for some recipes and softer for others, so I do not have a standard amount of whipping cream that I use.    Once you have reached the desired consistency, beat for 1-2 minutes until light and fluffy.

Click here for your own download printable copy of this reciepe!

My dad mowed our Manitoba back 40 on Christmas Eve. Just because he could. An out-of-the-blue decision turned out to be a family affair and so much fun! Fired up the old Cockshutt 20, with his family cheering him on and not a speck of snow to be seen –  he was happier than seagull with a french fry!

Look at that grin!! I love my dad, he’s the best : )

i love  j.crew. their style. their jewels – layers + layers of them. their photographs. their flats collections. their typography.

i even love the perfect size of their catalogue and how it fits in my purse, just right!

if there was ever a clothing company that could convice me that i could be cool too if I dressed like this…

its them. see what i mean?

brides - j.crew does weddings! get inspired. you can be connected with your own stylist from j.crew to help you coordinate your wedding party looks! they’re pretty much the best thing since, um sliced bread.

i wore j.crew pearly bracelets + my girls each picked their own j.crew dress.