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 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.

I’m still in disbelief. I almost deleted the email by accident on my iphone. I paused a second and instead opened it without reading the subject line in full. I burst out in a fit of giggles (alone) in the coffee room at work. I stared at it for what felt like an eternity as it sunk in. I was just chosen by Weddingbells Magazine as “One of the 25 most inspiring wedding photographers of 2012″. say whaaat?! me? so fun. Thank you Weddingbells.ca for being so supportive of photographers like me and for the acknowledgement.

Make sure you check out the link. There’s a heck of a lot of talent going on over there!

Thank you to my brides + grooms for your quirky creativity! High fives everybody and back flips (if I could). Thanks for the massive support!

Little Raegan decided to arrive a little earlier than planned, she wasn’t about to miss out on the holidays. Born on Dec 22 2011 she was home in time to enjoy the holiday celebrations! Erin, Graham + Kyah were so happy to welcome the new little pink bundle and being that it was the holidays there were lots of extra hands to help them get settled in at home. Talk about adorable nursery, felt owls, woodland critters and a plush bear rug to pull it all together! A little outdoors lady in the making, she even had some red plaid ones-ie to show off! At our session Raegan was just 10 days old. She slept through nearly the entire afternoon – I love when they do that! After we wrapped up it was apple cider and cuddle time for me. And I may have fallen just a little bit more in love with her! Such a little doll, she is but i’ll let the photos speak for themselves.

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i’m loving all the goal setting i read about online in early January. Something so refreshing about it all. So I decided to start my own! With the new year kicking off with a big move to Vancouver Island, new jobs for M + myself things are off to a rockin’ sort of DREAM BIG start. and we love it! I’ll round off the post with some photos of my family absolutely killing the first annual Pfahl family Christmas photobooth. i hope you laugh, a lot. we did!

1. spend more time with M + my family

2. eat clean (trendy but what the heck)

3. develop regular workout habits

4. keep in better touch – call all my friends + family more often..facetime, skype, emails, texts or good ol’ snail mail. Im going to make it happen!

5. be positive

6. invest in slideshows for my clients

7. learn more about flash + lighting

8. attend CPhA conference with my dad (i skipped out last year)

9. take another thai cooking class

10. go on a missions trip

11. book fall/winter holiday with aeroplan points

12. start making designs for house plans – dream big?!

13. lend a hand  to my friend Sara around bird’s eye cove farm – however i can be of most help. Water girl??

14. plan to make more time for life – work a little less!

15. allocate more quality time in prayer + the word

16. laugh daily, and try to race M to be the first to make the other laugh daily. we’re slightly competitive so this should be fun!

17. start pinning new ideas for a blog rebrand + reVAMP!

18. plan a spring trip to Manitoba + another Christmas trip. Lots of babies coming in 2012 to cuddle : )

19. DIY DIY DIY! give my new home some style. good thing M’s handy!

to all my lovely friends and clients,

there is a rumour about town that m + e are picking up their roots and relocating to Vancouver Island.

it’s true!

First off i’d like to say thank YOU for supporting Element Photography in Osoyoos for the last 4 years! Many many many of my clients have become my friends and these unexpected friendships have brought me so much more joy that I could have ever imagined!  M + I are picking up and moving to the island to be closer to family as well as some new opportunities for both of us. While it was a really hard decision to make, we are ready to start a new adventure.  We are really excited for what the future for us holds for us on the island and cannot wait to catch up with old friends!

Element Photography will be taking limited Wedding bookings for the 2012 season in the Okanagan and beyond. Please contact me at info.elementphoto@gmail.com if you would like to have a peek at our wedding collections! I will be sure to give lots of heads up when I am back in the Osoyoos area for those wishing to book couples or family sessions. July 1st trip already planned…stay tuned for more details!

For all our commercial clients – Liza (Osoyoos local) will continue to service all your needs on a regular basis. Get connected with her by dropping an email to info.elementphoto@gmail.com.

to EVERYONE – please come to our party : ) because our friends are AWESOME they are hosting a LAST HURRAH at Sol Grill in Osoyoos Saturday starting at 4pm. Please come for a drink with us, share some fun memories and indulge in the tastiest appy’s. We look forward to seeing everyone!!

This is a season of change for me, a start of a new beginning and the start of something fresh. An opportunity to step back a bit from the pharmacy world and take more time for myself, my husband + family, my business. i am excited!

“whatever you do, work at it with all your heart” – Col 3:23

e

PS. convoy across the country to Manitoba for Christmas begins Dec 22. m + e coming to a small town near you. looking for warm beds and warm meals. friends beware! photos to follow…

I could photograph erin, grey + kyah every year over and over. I will never tire of their gorgeous-ness. ever. And now the Allen’s are expecting!! More stunning babies to come! This is what early Decemeber looked like in the Osoyoos area. We had hoped for a snowy session, but there was no winter wonderland to be found in the south Okanagan. Instead we still found patches of green grass : )

A session filled with red plaid, wooly socks, touques + mittens, static-y hair, shortbread and hot cocoa. This ones a favorite for sure!

This was my last photo session before the Christmas holidays! Thanks to all my clients and supporters for the wonderful year, we wish you all the happiest of seasons.

be blessed!

e

Please excuse the hiccups, twitches, rapid eye movements, umm’s and gahhhs. Its realllllly hard to talk to a camera. Honestly, how many times can i say “awesome” in 53 seconds?? Awkward much? hehehhe

Quick re-cap…

How to play

1. Find your favorite bride + groom on the element photography facebook page in their “CONTEST” album

2. Click the LIKE BUTTON to cast your vote. No need to do anything else. easy peasy! No comment votes required. But feel free to leave love!!

Thanks for playing : ) Happy Hollllla-days!!

An email popped up in my inbox last January with the subject line ‘love food’. who me? Why yesss I do! So I opened it up and was greeted by a warm email from Todd the owner/manager of Shores Lakeside Restaurant + the Sol Grill here in Osoyoos.  Sol is one of my favorite restaurants to hit up for nice night out with Malcolm and my friends. I love the quiet atmosphere, delish appy  menu, the vaulted ceilings and the stunning views of lake Osoyoos. Shores is the best for breakfast, hands down! Todd was looking for some food photography highlighting some of the tastiest dishes from both Shores + Sol. I stepped out of my comfort zone (food photography was a first for me) and  jumped at the opportunity to help out a friend! Below is a peek at the droolworthy menu and the 3 small plates that always appear on my table.

My top 3 favorite things from the Sol menu are (drum roll please…)

#1 spinach artichoke dip

#2 white french onion soup au gratin with poire williams, roasted garlic + gruyere cheese

#3 edamame with blue crab stuffed wontons

Osoyoos can turn into a bit of a sleepy town this time of year so Sol is giving you a reason to have a night out on the town…

WEDNESDAY  + THURSDAY nights starting at 430pm Sol is featuring a tasting plate + a 6 oz pour of an Okanagan Valley Wine for $12

(the tasting plate has 6 items including the prosciutto wrapped aspargus pictured below and my fav the french onion soup!)

***AND FOR element photography readers….FRIDAY + SATURDAY nights mention “element photoshoot” and receive 10% off!!! Valid until Jan 15 2012, and excluding New Years Eve***  THANK YOU TODD!!

i feel a little date night coming on….hey Malcolm??

Jumbo prawn cocktail!

Chef Nelson with my #1 favorite – spinach artichoke dip!

new york steak + lobster tail!

butter-garlic wings!

prosciutto wrapped asparagus!

mecca burger!

veggie pizza!

Don’t forget!!

WEDNESDAY  + THURSDAY nights starting at 430pm Sol is featuring a tasting plate + a 6 oz pour of an Okanagan Valley Wine for $12

FRIDAY + SATURDAY nights mention “element photoshoot” and receive 10% off!!! Valid until Jan 15 2012, and excluding New Years Eve

Carrie, Lloyd, Austin + Gerica are shiny, happy people! They are a blast to be around and their door is always wide open to friends. I’ve been blessed to get to know Carrie + Lloyd through friends at Living Way Church in Oliver. Now we attend the same bible study on Wednesday nights and M and I have learned so much more about them and about our faith as we dive into the Word together. Carrie and I had been trying to set up a date for photos casually for a long, long, looong time. Finally one day she caught me after church and there was no more beating around the bush. “Sunday, next week. 3pm. Oliver back 40.” be there or be square! It was a date. Sunday rolled around and we scampered off into the fields to dodge poison ivy, roll around in the grass, laugh alot and maybe take a photo or two. The Cooper’s braved the elements as the sun dropped over the mountain things started to get a little ummm hypothermic. But we survived!! Great conversation flowed and dinner of butter chicken and samosa’s filled up our bellies. (Lloyd is one heck of a cook!). Mmmm mmm good!