SHI Photoblog

MOVING!!!

2011-07-21T08:56:00.000-07:00

I finally have a new blog!! I only be posting to that blog so please update your feeds and follow me here

See you on the other side!

NEW BLOG

Thurday Thoughts on Friday

2011-06-24T07:47:00.000-07:00

Oops, I'm a day late in blogging, sorry! I have a bit of a personal blog for you today, Yay!!

I have been a bit caught up in working in the yard with Mark. As you know in Calgary you never know what the weather is going to do so when you wake up in the morning and the sun is shining you have to take advantage of that.

If you know me at all you know that I do not have a green thumb at all!! I love flowers and having a beautiful yard but I am just hopeless in keeping it up. Either way Mark and I decided to clean up our front yard a bit this year. We have added stone around our front tree with some little flowers and then again around our front bay window. Adding stone isn't as easy as you would think it to be. Lego has led us on, thinking that building something simple is as easy as snapping it in to the large green plate. Thankfully I have an awesome husband who takes the time to do the job right! And now we have a great looking front yard that we are both proud of.
It is so exciting to me watching these flowers grow, I almost feel like a proud mama. Who knows if everything flourish's this year maybe next year I will attempt a vegetable garden :)

These photos were taken with my little point and shoot, nothing fancy.

Jergnome finally has a home!!!! I have had this gnome now for about a year and a half and he has spent that time at the back door looking out longingly. Well Jergnome you are finally happy in your dirt! :)

Trista Prenatal Photos

2011-06-20T07:16:00.000-07:00

Meet Trista, Jason and Riley! They are expecting baby girl number 2 in about a week or so and Trista looks amazing! I can hardly wait to meet this little girl but in the mean time enjoy some of my favorites from their prenatal session!

Thursday Thoughts - Perfect Family Photo

2011-06-16T13:24:00.000-07:00

As I sat last night and watched Boston win the most coveted trophy I realized that the photo that gets taken right there on the ice is a moment that they will never forget. Now I'm not going to compare how winning the Stanley Cup and Weddings are similar (as they are not) but when they all gathered to get their team photo taken with the cup at center ice I thought to myself that that is the perfect family photo. I heard numerous interviews with the players talking about how their team is like a family. They have such a long season and then to go through 4 rounds of playoffs all 7 games, they have a bond that could never be broken. For those of you who know me, know that I did tear up during the celebration last night. I am a tried and true Flames fan but I was pretty happy when Boston won! Literally blood, sweat and tears go into winning that cup and when the player skates to center ice with Lord Stanley to initiate the photo, it is like a dog pile. They are pretty much right on top of each other and all smiles. Though they might be toothless smiles covered by a giant playoff beard, it is an awesome photo! Do you think that if I brought the cup to my next wedding while doing family photos that the reaction would be the same?? :) Everyone so close and a smile from ear to ear. Somehow I don't think it would have the same effect unless it was a hockey family.

Congrats Boston!! 39 years in the waiting! Calgary will be next year!! :)

As I can't blog without photos, I have added some of the pictures I'm talking about from previous years so you can see what I'm talking about.

Boston 2011

Chicago 2010

And because I couldn't post without a photo of Calgary 1989

Enjoy every moment of your glory Bruins and I hope that all those riots in Vancouver don't overshadow your celebration!!

Leo 2 years old

2011-06-13T09:42:00.000-07:00

Leo is now 2 years old and I can't believe where the time has gone! I know that I have said this probably about 100 times but I absolutely LOVE photographing families throughout the years. Documenting their growth and especially giving them memories for a lifetime. The Gillan family is like my own now and I'm so thankful that they ask me to come over every year to take photos!

Although the weather wasn't the nicest this day we still made the best of it and found a few puddles and played in the park for a bit. Here are a few of my favorite memories from the day:

I think that swing shots might just be my favorite!! This one is my fav from the day!

Nate & Lisle Married!

2011-06-06T08:10:00.000-07:00

It has finally come!!!! Nate and Lisle are married! My first Wedding of the 2011 season and I couldn't have asked for a better couple, day or event! Like I mentioned before Nate and I go way back to our high school days and I couldn't be happier for him! He has found a perfect girl to spend the rest of his life with! I'm so excited for them both to start this very exciting journey! Looking through all my photos I still get choked up, yes I did, I cried at the ceremony. The nice thing about being the photographer is you can hide behind your camera and no one will ever know!! :) Probably one of my absolute favorite moments is when the groom see's his bride for the first time, weather it be walking down the aisle or as a first look. Emotions are on high and they are pretty much worn on your sleeve. Here are a few of my favorites to tell the story of the day!

This shot of Nathan was taken by my awesome second shooter Jonny, who is now in Prague!

Meet Mike and Paulina!

2011-05-31T13:06:00.000-07:00

I can hardly wait for Mike and Paulina's Wedding! I feel like I have known this couple for years but in reality we only meet a few months ago. They are both so much fun and so much in love, what more could a photographer ask for?! I just love how their photos turned out and thankfully there are still some really generous people in Calgary! A neighbor of Mike and Paulina's said that it would be no problem if we used his truck for some of the photos. Have a peek below to see some of my favorites from this session!

On a side note I will be updating my blog very soon. This is so long overdue and thanks to a very close friend who told me to get on it, this next month I will be working on upgrading this blog. Please watch for a new blog coming soon!

Thanks!

Kathryn - Glamor

2011-05-20T10:38:00.000-07:00

So I'm kicking off the long weekend with an absolutely stunning girl. You may recognize Kathryn from a previous session that we did in Drumheller about a year ago. Kathryn just had a birthday and finished yet another 30 day hot yoga challenge. What better way to celebrate than to get some glamor shots done. This particular afternoon there were 4 of us hanging out in a really close friends condo, the 4 of us play basketball together so you can only imagine how much fun we all had!

"You have made me feel more beautiful that I have thought possible!"

Kathryn you are beautiful!! I'm just glad that I was able to make you see it through your own eyes.

My friend and business partner Catherine did the hair and make-up for the day and did an outstanding job! If you are interested in booking one of these sessions or have any questions please send me an e-mail I would love to hear from you!

Jay & Brenna Day After Session

2011-05-19T11:13:00.000-07:00

I had the absolute pleasure of spending the following evening after the Wedding with Brenna and Jay and here are some of my favorites from that session:

The Hardy Party Wedding!

2011-05-13T17:14:00.000-07:00

The long awaited blog is finally here! After breaking my computer then my Husband's 3 days later and then building a new computer I am finally up and running again instead of limping along. Actually I am still slightly limping from my knee surgery but I am thinking about walking some stairs this weekend and starting slowly to go back to yoga next week. :) YAY!!

I know that I have probably said this about all the destination weddings that I have been on, but I am starting to understand that spending a week on a beautiful island with some incredible people you are going to make some unforgettable memories!

Brenna and Jay planned an extraordinary week and capped it off with a beautiful Wedding! Now I was not the official photographer as Brenna and Jay wanted me to actually enjoy the day, which I was more than happy doing. With that being said I double dare you to try and take the camera out of my hands :) I spent the morning with all the girls getting ready and I absolutely LOVED it! I couldn't have felt more like part of the Wedding!!! All the girls were so inviting and one of them actually did my hair for me (as I am very special in that department). Thank you so much for all the memories! As these are memories that one will never forget!

Here are a couple of my favorites that tell the story of Brenna and Jay's Wedding!

I was able to snap a few of just the girls before we all headed to the ceremony.

When everyone arrived in the hotel room Brenna and Jay had put together a little welcome package. In this package were some ridiculously awesome glasses!

My Papa and Step-mom.

The beautiful site

Brenna and Jay surprised everyone with fire dancers. These guys were awesome!

Probably my favorite photo from the day!

Brenna and Jay's day after session coming soon!

Meet Kat

2011-05-02T14:13:00.000-07:00

I have never met someone that I bonded so quickly with. I had only met Kat once before we did the photo shoot and I am excited to say that for my first official Boudoir session it was Awesome!!
Kat has been nice enough to let me post a few of her photos from the Boudoir session.

Thank you so much Kat! I hope that your Husband enjoys his Anniversary gift!

For anyone who is interested in one of these session please send me an e-mail. I will officially be offering Boudoir Sessions around the end of this month so keep your eyes peeled!

Meet Catherine & Dave

2011-03-21T13:41:00.000-07:00

I love love! Especially when a couple is so in love that it is infectious. That is how I felt after hanging out with them one afternoon, actually I see them more often than that and this is how I always feel.

I have know Catherine now for probably around 12 years, we went to High School together and had played on the same basketball team while growing up and even to this day we still play on the same team with all the other girls that we played with growing up. I was lucky enough to spend a week with this couple in Cuba this past November and really got to know Dave, and I came to the conclusion that these two compliment each other so well! I am so happy for them both and can't wait to share their very special day with them! They are going to be absolutely jaw dropping gorgeous!! Just have a look below and you will see what I mean!

Happy Wednesday!

2011-03-09T16:25:00.000-08:00

I know that you are all probably wondering "Where oh where is Carla??" Well from what I thought was going to be a relaxing winter has actually been really quite busy! I don't want to give too much information away just yet, but I am literally being pulled in 3 very exciting directions. All of which to be blogged about very soon I promise, and you won't want to miss it!!

I leave for Mexico in 2 weeks exactly for my Step Sister's Wedding. Now over the last few years we have actually gotten to know each other very well and I am so excited for her and her husband to be! I don't really like calling her my step-sister because she feels like a sister! The sister that I never had growing up, and now we all get to take a family vacation. I honestly haven't been on a holiday with my Dad since I was in Grade 4, which was a VERY long time ago, this trip is so long overdue and I can hardly wait. Of course I will be taking a ton of photos while I'm there so I will be posting those once I'm back.

March is going to be full of Madness so you will want to keep checking back as this is my favorite time of year!!!

Because a photographer's post is never complete without a photo...

This photo was taken by the fabulous Vicki of Cala Photography and I honestly laugh every time I see this photo. Our poor dog who really doesn't appreciate what we are trying to do.

Hope this put a smile on your face this Wednesday!

-C

Chris & Suz

2011-02-22T12:25:00.000-08:00

This has probably been the most anticipated photo shoot that I have ever done! Suzanne and I have been friends now for around 12-13 years. Crazy!!! I can't believe how time just flies, it seems like yesterday when we were playing intramural floor hockey in High School, and now it is already the next chapter.

I am so excited to be part of such a special day for my Best Friend! I can't promise that I won't cry but at least I can hide behind my camera ;) This coming New Year's Eve will be the best ever!

I had so much fun hanging out and laughing with you both and I can hardly wait for the big day!

2010 Favorites!

2011-02-08T12:22:00.000-08:00

Well, because I was so indecisive in my last post I had to split them into two blogs. Here are my favorite photos from the 2010 couples sessions and family sessions.

Thank you so much everyone for all the support that you have showed me and because of it 2011 is looking to be a very exciting year!!!

2010 Wedding Favorites!

2011-02-08T12:06:00.000-08:00

Wow! I thought that this was going to be an easy blog post, what I have found is that I love each and every one of my couples and families! Everyone of them holds a very special place in my heart and each day is so unique to them that I found it very hard to pick a very few favorites.

These first photos are from a Banff wedding that I helped second shoot with Terilee.

This next photo is from another wedding that I helped second shoot for the very talented Vicki.
This little guy stole my heart!

Now in no particular order here are some of my favorites.

I'm sorry for the super long blog but I just couldn't narrow these down anymore.

Martin & Lynn

2011-01-25T19:52:00.000-08:00

What a perfect way to end my season! A New Year's Eve Wedding is such a perfect day to get Married!! To ring in the New Year with all of your closest friends and family on such a very special day is so momentous. Thank you so much Lynn and Martin for including me!
Every little detail had such a special meaning behind it and I loved learning about each and photographing them. My absolute favorite detail definitely had to be the garter! Lynn's family is Scottish and she had her garter hand made for her with her family tartan, and that is just one of the many details that you will see below.

Lynn's cape was also hand made for her. Knowing that it would be a little cooler during the day, this was the perfect addition to her beautiful dress. Lynn's little flower girl had a matching one that was so cute and kept them both very toasty. I wished that I had one :)

My favorite!

This beautiful little flower girl did an outstanding job!!One other little detail to the day, the dress that she wore, Lynn wore 20 years ago for her Aunt's wedding when she was the flower girl.

Lynn and Martin opted for a first look and I just love when couples decide to do this!

The boys decided that Martin needed a little cool down, but it was just a joke! ;) Certainly made for some funny photos.

Now one thing that I really liked was the sand ceremony. This wasn't just your normal sand ceremony it was actually a blending of each of them. Lynn was born in Saudi Arabia and Martin was born in New Brunswick, the sand that they are combining is sand from where they were both born. I just love all the extra thought that went into planning this special day!

Lynn and her brother showing off their family tartan! :)

Scott & Karen in Varadero!

2011-01-24T21:03:00.000-08:00

So the day after the Epic Wedding on the beach we headed into Varadero to do a session with just Scott and Karen. I love just hanging out with the Bride and Groom, this was my favorite part! Enjoy just a few of my favorites from this session.

Karen & Scott CUBA!!!

2011-01-24T20:29:00.000-08:00

I have no words to describe what this week in Cuba meant to me. New friends, a beautiful Wedding and memories that will last a life time! Scott and Karen are so very kind and special and I don't think that I will ever forget this very exciting week! I hope that these photos will tell the story for me as words can not even explain.

I think that Karen is just glowing in this photo!

The handsome Mr. Aiden!

First Boudoir Session

2010-12-14T14:12:00.000-08:00

This blog post is not for the faint of heart! Just kidding. A couple of months ago I asked a very good friend of mine if she would be interested in taking some fun pictures. She, always being up for an adventure had no problem what-so-ever with helping me out. I couldn't have asked for a better model. My friend is one of the strongest, confident women I have ever met and I'm proud to say that we have been friends for over 10 years! I have always wanted to do photos like this but wasn't sure how comfortable I would be, and after shooting for 3 hours I am very excited with the way the photos turned out!

I am happy to say that I will be offering a Boudoir session in the New Year. If you are interested in booking please contact me, but otherwise all the details will be up on the website in the New Year. For now enjoy a couple of photos from this session. Feel free to leave me any feedback you may have with regards to this new road that I'm about to venture down!

Meet Martin & Lynn

2010-12-11T15:13:00.000-08:00

I can't believe it but Martin & Lynn will be married in 23 days! We took their engagement photos on one of the last days that the weather was really nice in Calgary. Hard to believe but these were taken at the beginning of November. Yes I know I'm a little behind on blogging but alas here are a couple of my favorite from their session:

Kevin & Leah Wedding

2010-12-09T21:24:00.000-08:00

So excited to finally post this! Kevin and Leah opted for a first look and it was so much fun! Even though I had already spent the morning with the girls, I think that I was almost just as excited/nervous as Kevin to see her. I just love when couples opt to see each first, there is just so much extra emotion in those photos and it is GLORIOUS!! Mark and I had so much fun spending this very special day with Kevin & Leah and here are a couple of my favorites from their day:

Cuba Sneak Peek

2010-12-01T12:18:00.000-08:00

Many, many more to come, but for now here is one of my favorites!!

Elyse

2010-11-23T15:10:00.000-08:00

I fell in love with this precious little girl right off the bat. She has a smile that could make anyone smile and I think that papa might just have his hands full when this doll gets older. I had such a great time on Halloween with this great family! I had such a hard time narrowing down which photos to post, so I apologize if this is a little long, but I promise that it will make you smile!

Jacob

2010-11-23T14:18:00.000-08:00

This little guy was so ready for this photo session! Every time I raised the camera up to my eye he would slap on a gigantic smile. This photo session was so much fun and the weather couldn't have been better! For a late October session temperature to be in the double digits is unheard of in Calgary. Here are just a few of my favorites from the session:

Has to be one of the cutest pumpkins I have ever seen!

This is probably one of my favorite photos from the session, we were playing peek-a-boo but he always made sure that he still had his eye on me!!

Meet Cam & Megan

2010-11-07T10:22:00.000-08:00

Cam and Megan meet while going to school at the University so what better place to do their engagement photos than where they first met! Cam and Megan were so much fun to shoot and hang out with and they were total naturals in front of the camera. These 2 might just make a Chicago fan out of me yet :)
Here are a couple of my favorites from our day:

Dobek Family

2010-11-03T20:39:00.000-07:00

This is one of the most generous, adorable, loving families that I have ever come across and I am so lucky to live right beside them!! Bridget and Basil have 6 beautiful children and when I heard that this particular day in October was going to be 20 degrees I insisted on taking some family photos in the park that is right next door to us both. Here are a couple of my favorites:

Helping Hands Art Exhibit

2010-10-26T21:13:00.000-07:00

So a few weeks back I was contacted by Carie of Helping Families Handle Cancer, and she informed me that I had been chosen to be one of 100 local artists to be featured in their first annual Art Exhibit. I was needless to say ecstatic! Not only am I helping out a great cause but someone might actually outright purchase my art. I have actually never been to either an art show or The Big Rock Brewery and it was so fun! I ended up donating a portrait session and a framed photo of an old school truck and I was told that my photo went in the first 15 minutes!!! This was such an awesome experience and I am looking forward to helping out again next year!

Here is a photo of the awesome set-up of my Portrait session done by Carie of Helping Families Handle Cancer.

Calvin & Shayna

2010-10-22T07:24:00.000-07:00

We couldn't have asked for a more beautiful day in Calgary at the begining of October! I guess summer just decided to show up a little later this year. I met Calvin & Shayna at a local park in Calgary and had so much fun! The colors in Calgary during the fall are just so yummy and Shayna & Calvin were total natural's in front of the camera! I now have to wait 9 whole months for their wedding, but for now here are a couple of my favorites from the day!

Kevin & Leah Sneak Peek

2010-10-20T21:59:00.000-07:00

Kevin and Leah got married this past weekend and it was amazing! Here is a quick peek at a few from the day.

Curtis & Karyn The Real Deal!

2010-10-20T12:53:00.000-07:00

I can't even begin to explain how perfect Curtis and Karyn's Wedding Day was! Karyn was BEAUTIFUL and Curtis couldn't frown even it he tried! The whole day was pretty overcast with dark clouds, and not the light ones that threaten a sprinkle, these ones were threatening a torrential downpour, but this didn't matter because once we got to the location for the wedding party photos, the clouds just opened up and we had blue sky for the whole photo session!! Mark and I truly enjoyed every minute of your special day and felt like family! Thank you for everything! Here are only just a few of my favorites from their unforgettable day!

Laura & Paul Engagement

2010-10-14T20:04:00.000-07:00

You might be thinking to yourself, we already saw this couple on their wedding day. Well because Laura and Paul lived in Ottawa before the Wedding and are now living in Korea we had a very small window for an engagement session. Regardless I couldn't let them get away without some casual photos of themselves, and by this time they were total pros! Here are a couple of my favorites!

Meet Scott & Sonja

2010-10-08T20:45:00.000-07:00

I have been just itching to post these photos. I fell in love with this record wall quite a while ago and wanted to use if for photos for Mark and I but because that probably isn't going to happen anytime soon Scott and Sonja were kind enough to let me shoot them here and I'm so glad they did!!

I feel like a lot of my posts recently start with "I know so-and-so from high school" and yes here is another one!! Scott and I went to High School together, and he and Sonja are getting married next year. It is actually a little weird how many little webs we have found in which we know each other or friends of friends or even family!! It really is a very small world! We were lucky enough to have a couple of nice days string together to get out before winter and snap some photos of this ridiculously good looking couple and even Norman too! He brought his A-game and sometimes just snuck his cute little puppy face in the background.

Here are just a few of my favorites, enjoy!!

Sonja's friend did an amazing job on her make-up!!

I couldn't resist posting this one, Norman was just sitting so nicely all by himself.

Paul & Laura Wedding

2010-09-29T15:23:00.000-07:00

Finally I get to post Paul and Laura!! I always wait until the Bride and Groom see their photos before I post anything and because they are all the way over in Korea, it took slightly longer than normal. Either way here they are!! I had the absolute pleasure of capturing their very special day for them and love all of their photos. Laura and I go all the way back to high school and I met Paul for the very first time a week before their wedding and honestly it felt like I knew him just as long as I have known Laura.

Paul and Laura had a small intimate Wedding and like I said before I am so honored that I was there to capture all their moments. Here are just a few of my favorites:

This little pirate flag is the invitation to the party at which Paul and Laura first met. Paul kept this!!! So cute and such an awesome memory for them to always look back on and remember when they first met.

The Epic Moondance!

2010-09-28T14:59:00.000-07:00

So Amy and Sean tied the knot in Las Vegas over the holidays but also planned a party so everyone could celebrate with them in Calgary. Knowing this family for pretty much my whole life, there is NO way they could get away with only having a ceremony in Las Vegas! You may recognized Amy from a family session that I did last year with the Thomson Family but like I said earlier I pretty much grew up with this family so it was amazing getting to spend the day with Amy and Sean!

Amy has her own business, Illuminate Makeup as a hair and make-up artist so she looked just beautiful!! Here are a few of my favorites from their Moon Dance!

Jeff & Kari Engagment Session

2010-09-23T13:03:00.000-07:00

Kari and Jeff, must have been model's in a previous life as they totally nailed it! These two are a photographers dream!! Jeff was so sick but you would never be able to tell just by looking at these photos and Kari is beautiful and has a totally infectious smile!
They just got married this past weekend in Vegas and are having their reception in a couple of weeks. I can hardly wait to snap their photos all over again. Enjoy a few of my favorites from their engagement session (and yes the sun did actually shine a few times this summer):

Curtis & Karyn Sneak Peek

2010-09-21T12:25:00.000-07:00

Curtis & Karyn are off gallivanting on their honeymoon, here is one photo from their amazing Wedding day.

Kingston

2010-09-17T17:19:00.000-07:00

Kingston entered the world into A LOT of anxious arms! This little guy came right on time but not fast enough for some, he is so precious and will be loved unconditionally by many MANY people!

Julie and Jermain have been one of the many people who constantly support me and my passion and Julie is an aspiring photographer herself, and a great one at that. You can check out some of her stuff here. I totally felt honored when she asked me to come and take photos of her new family, I just love watching families grow and I can't wait to capture more of their special moments!

Gardner Family

2010-09-02T08:39:00.000-07:00

I couldn't have felt more comfortable even if I was in my own house, Katie met me at the door and then 5 minutes later we were having a dance party in the front room to Keith Urban. The Gardner's are probably one of the most kind, generous, and fun families I have ever met, and I'm sad that I only got to spend 2 hours with them. I went out to their farm in Crossfield and finally got to shoot in a Canola field and I just love so many of their shots! I'm so glad the we endured the weather as you will see the pictures turned out great!

This was such a special moment! Usually I don't like to get in the way for these but I couldn't resist. Alex called Lisa over just to give her a kiss, and say that he loved her, I'm pretty sure that I had a couple of tears running down my cheek, that is why I like to hide behind my camera :)

Popowich Family

2010-09-02T08:32:00.000-07:00

I am getting to know this family very well now, Shannon is the loving sister to one of my upcoming Groom's. After I shot their engagement photos Shannon contacted me to get some memories of her family and I was more than happy to!! Shannon and Jonathan have a little guy named Charlie who stole my heart, and I'm pretty sure that Charlie is going to grow up and be brilliant as he totally blew me away with everything he did and he is only 2 and a half. It took me a while to narrow down my favorite's, but here are a few:

Nathan & Lisle Engagement

2010-09-02T08:28:00.000-07:00

Well Nate and I go way back to Grade 10! I'm not going to tell you how many years that is because I want to feel young forever!!!! :) Nate and Lisle are the first ones to actually contact me about booking their Wedding for 2011, and I was more than happy to be part of their day! The only downside right now is that I have to wait until next year now. Here are a couple of my favorites from our session the other night:

Josh & Jelara

2010-09-02T08:24:00.000-07:00

Well hold onto your seats as this Wedding was Awesome! Josh and Jelara had such an amazing day and I am so so happy that Mark and I got to capture this for them. From bulldogs in a dress and tux to a re-built GTO made their Shabby Chic Wedding extra special with all those personal touches.

Stacey & Nathan

2010-08-21T12:11:00.000-07:00

I have been anxiously awaiting this day now for a year and it didn't disappoint! Like I said in their engagement session blog I feel like I have known Stacey and Nathan for years and I totally feel like family now.

Stacey and Nathan got married at the breathtaking Riverview B&B with a little help from Dream Wedding Productions Ltd, and everything was beautiful!

One of the best parts about this job is that when all is said and done, they are no longer clients they are friends!! Enjoy!

Seriously breathtaking!

Such amazing girls!

This photo is so much fun!

These next two photos are my absolute favorites from the day.

Their beautiful reception held at the Deerfoot Inn and Casino was decorated perfectly by Stephanie and Sheila from Dream Wedding Productions Ltd.

I just love this picture of Stacey and her Grandpa!

Shabby Chic Sneak Peek

2010-08-11T20:31:00.000-07:00

Just a quick sneak peek of Josh & Jelara. Stay tuned for more from their Shabby Chic day!

Laura & Paul Sneek Peek

2010-08-03T14:54:00.000-07:00

Just a little teaser from the Wedding I shot on Saturday. Keep checking back for more!

Stacey & Nathan Sneek Peek!

2010-07-27T18:11:00.001-07:00

I had such a hard time choosing just one photo, so I treat you to 2!!!

Meet Curtis & Karyn

2010-07-23T20:17:00.000-07:00

Perfect light, perfect location and perfect couple are the ingredients for a ultimate perfect engagement session! After Karyn looked through her photos I said I was glad she like them, her response was, "No, I LOVE them!" Thank you! You have no idea what that means to me :)

Curtis & Karyn are so easy going, always smiling and just a super couple! I can hardly wait until your wedding day!

I tried to narrow down my favorites as much as I could, here are just a few:

Did I mention the light was awesome!

Spencer 365 days old

2010-07-23T14:41:00.000-07:00

Okay so I'm slightly behind on posting this session, Spencer's Birthday is actually on St. Patrick's Day but in all fairness I didn't actually take these photos until the end of June so that Calgary's weather would co-operate with us. :) But alas I have finally got it posted!

So I might be a little biased but I love this little guy!! I don't think that I have ever been around him when he is truly miserable, AND when you put him down for his nap he giggles because he is more than happy to nap. Mark and I always have so much fun when we get together with them.

It took me quite a while to narrow down these photos to blog, but here are just a few of my favorites:

Bear

2010-07-05T13:54:00.000-07:00

Meet Bear, he is a 10 week old Rag Doll and full of pep! I had so much fun this afternoon chasing this little guy around the yard. Here are a couple from that afternoon:

Kevin & Leah Engagement Photos

2010-07-02T14:18:00.001-07:00

Meet Kevin & Leah. I was so excited for this session, from the first time that I met these two it had honestly felt like we have known each other our whole lives. They made my job so so easy as they were so natural and comfortable the whole afternoon! Here are a couple of my favorites that I would like to share with you:

I can hardly wait for the Wedding Day.

Hoodoo Yoga

2010-05-31T10:07:00.000-07:00

About 3 weeks ago my friend and I took a little trip out to Drumheller and decided to take some fun photos of her doing some yoga posed on top of the hoodoo's. The landscape there is really quite amazing and I totally take advantage of the surroundings that we have here in Calgary. If I drive an hour west I'm in the middle of the mountains and if I drive an hour east I'm in the middle of the desert with hoodoo's everywhere! Anyway it was a little chilly but Kathryn is a trooper! Not one peep about how cold she was and didn't even groan when I said just hold that chair pose a little longer! :) Kathryn and I completed a 30 day challenge at the end of February and I wanted to document this accomplishment for her in a fun way. Here are a couple of my favorites.

Laura Maternity

2010-05-30T09:01:00.000-07:00

So finally after one weekend of a blizzard, the joys of living in Calgary, we were able to convince mother nature to allow us a small window in which to shoot this awesome soon to be amazing family. Sam and Laura brought their 'A' game this day and she def knew how to work the camera! I loved capturing this special time for them. Here are a few of my favorites.

Laura had her makeup done my Mac and they did a fantastic job, her eyes popped in every photo!

Laura sneek peek

2010-05-17T20:33:00.000-07:00

I couldn't wait to post this one!

You aren't going to want to miss this post.

Leo

2010-05-17T09:55:00.000-07:00

I can not tell you how excited I was for this session! I was asked to photograph Leo when he was just 3 weeks old and now a year later. I love this family! It really is special when you are able to capture a families growth through out the years, and he is such a cute little guy who has football in his future!!

Thank you so much Dawn and Gary for asking me to come back, these are the moments that make me love my job!

Exciting times!!

2010-05-07T20:52:00.000-07:00

Have you ever been so excited about something that when it actually comes time to do it you don't want to because then it will be over? Almost like a good book, you are mad when you come to the last page because you really don't want to be finished, well this weekend is kind of the beginning of my season and I am pumped! I don't want to spill the beans yet on what I'm doing but my camera is going to be in my hands for the rest of the weekend!

I promise that you are going to want to come back to check out what I have done, what I am doing and what I'm going to do! This year is really very exciting, I have some really amazing clients and I have actually booked some time for myself to do things for me! I know that is totally unheard of but I have friends that are going to be keeping me accountable and you will not want to miss that either :) I know the suspense is probably killing you!

For now you will just have to make due with this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghy4D98fNsw&feature=player_embedded

Above is our video that we made for a contest while we were in Vegas, the prizes that we could have won were really quite amazing. We didn't win but we have this awesome video and 5 days of memories of running around like crazy people in crazy french costumes!

Matt & Bonnie

2010-04-20T14:18:00.001-07:00

FINALLY!! Matt & Bonnie have been together now for 6 years and they couldn't have met in a cuter way. Matt and Bonnie were both going to school in Calgary and Matt volunteered for "Safe Walk", now "safe walk" is a student operation within the school. They make sure that you get to your destination safely during the evening hours, and the rest is history!

I was not the official photographer so these are just a few of my leisure photos from their day!

This guy was awesome, he made hats, flower baskets, pretty much anything. You will see later on in the photos that he made a special hat.

I loved the sheets!

Bonnie & Matt had a tea ceremony later on in the day, just before dinner, where they served tea to everyone. I love experiencing different cultures and it was so nice to see part of Bonnie's culture integrated into the day.

Bonnie's best friend from High School!

Yoga on the Beach

2010-04-12T16:16:00.000-07:00

So while we were in Cuba, I wanted to do a little photo shoot with me doing some yoga poses on the beach. This was probably the part of the trip that I was most excited for. As some of you already know last month I did a 30 day yoga challenge and was really impressed with some of the results that I had seen and super happy with actually finishing! So I wanted to somehow document this milestone in my life and what better way than doing some shots on the beach in Cuba! I asked Mark to take some photos at sunset as I wanted to get some silhouette shots too. I had so much fun doing this and love most of the pictures, it is really hard looking at them as I am so critical of myself. I didn't even think about how hard it would be to actually balance on the sandy beach, especially with a pretty strong wind and you couldn't really focus on one spot in the distance because nothing was still everything was moving which totally threw my balance off. Something I'm going to have to work on. ;)

Anyway here are some of the photos from our little project in Cuba

Sneek Peek - Yoga on the Beach

2010-04-08T19:40:00.000-07:00

Just a sneek peek of some yoga on the Beach, more to come very soon!

Jelara & Josh

2010-03-26T17:55:00.000-07:00

Jelara and Josh are such a cute couple, and are so clearly in love! They have 2 of the cutest bulldogs, Lilly and Bailey, that brought their 'A' game to the shoot and def rocked it.

I had such a great afternoon with them and really can't wait until their wedding! Calgary's weather was really quite nice for a early March day. Here are a couple of my favorites:

CITY CHAMPS

2010-03-23T09:12:00.000-07:00

So this past weekend the ladies Basketball team that I play on won the city championship!! Yeah that's right we are 2010 CALGARY SENIOR WOMEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPS!! So exciting! I have played ball with these girls for as little as 11 years and as long as 15 years, we are pretty much family! I have played in this league now for 4 years and couldn't think of any better way to spend my Wednesday and Friday evenings from October to the beginning of April. We played in 3 games this weekend and worked our tails off and played amazing! Our final game was played against the reigning champion for like the past 3 years (I think) and 2 of the girls on this team actually coached some of us when we were younger. Our game ended up going into overtime and we won by 2 glorious points!! This is the first (but not the last) time that we have won this league and I'm just so proud of each and every girl that is on the team and even the ones that are on adventures overseas, we miss you!

These photos were taken right after we won, you couldn't wipe those smiles off of our faces. There are a couple of girls missing but you were with us every step of the way!!

Also I wanted to give a HUGE shout out to all the family and friends that came and cheered us on this weekend!! We love every single one of you and love seeing your smiling faces!!

Georgia

2010-03-22T20:04:00.001-07:00

I love the name Georgia and I love the fact that she was all smiles for the whole session! I have never seen a baby smile so much and it was great. She loved all her little hats and my favorite was the bear hat at the end of our session. Here a a few of my favorite of little miss smiles!

Haven

2010-03-22T19:34:00.000-07:00

I'm a tad bit behind in my blog posts but what else is new :) I'm terrible at keeping up with blogging, but it is one of my 2010 business goals to stay current with it! You can all yell at me if I have been neglecting my blog! I recently had a photo session with Haven, I have never seen a baby sleep through so much hustle and bustle and we even tried to wake her up. By the end I got a few sleepy eyed shots.

WPPI - Las Vegas

2010-03-18T09:17:00.000-07:00

I have been home now for almost a week and I am still reeling from WPPI. This was my first ever year going to this conference and WOW!!! What a great experience! I went with 3 other great friends and honestly had the best girls trip EVER! I had never been to Vegas before so that was kinda exciting as well, but I soon learned that I wouldn't loose any sleep if I found out I never had to go there again. The amount of information that they fill you with and resources to use is so overwhelming. I have so many things that I'm going to change and so many cool products that I'm going to be implementing to my business. This was a HUGE eye opener to me for what I want for the future of my business, so make sure you stay tuned as I will be blogging more and not just about photo sessions that I have done but also my crazy busy life that mostly consists of life, sports and photography. I know you are thinking LAME but let me tell you, the stories will not be boring!

So while we were at the WPPI conference my friends, Terilee, Vicki and Sophia decided to enter a scavenger hunt contest put on by Finao where the first prize was worth $40,000. We had so much fun putting this together and hunting around some questionable parts of Vegas. Don't get me wrong it was frustrating at times and distracting but in the end we have documented a great memory that can never be erased! Thanks so much ladies for the sore stomach that I went to bed with every night from laughing uncontrollably, I will never forget this!

Click here to view the video

And of course I can not post without a photo, here is a photo of all 4 of us at Jasmine Star's Ghetto Fabulous class.

Yoga Challenge

2010-02-15T12:07:00.000-08:00

So for those of you who don't know, for the past 25 days I have been doing a yoga challenge, I am coming into my final week and felt that I should share part of my experience. First of all you are probably wondering what the heck is a yoga challenge? Basically in black and white you challenge yourself to take 30 classes in 30 days, but Kathryn, my crazy partner in crime, and I knew that with playing basketball and having a very hectic schedule that 30 days is a row was setting us up for disappointment. We had talked to a couple of teachers in our studio and they told us that the challenge is more of what you challenge yourself to achieve. We decided to do 6 days a week with 1 day off, and after day 26 we are thinking about continuing into March.
About half way through we were told that our practice was so strong that we should be giving our bodies a bigger rest, although that was an amazing compliment, we had a goal in mind and are set to achieve that! I'm actually sad that we only have a week left of our challenge because I don't think that I have ever felt better in my life! I love the bond that both Kathryn and I have built over the past couple of weeks and I don't think that I could have done this without her. She really is a true inspiration and seeing her smiling face at 5:30 in the morning made me remember why I was there!

More to come but for now, I had an inspiring moment and just wanted to share!

And because a photographer's blog would be weird without a picture here is a photo of Kathryn and me at one of our many epic basketball tournaments.

Todd & Joy

2010-02-14T16:40:00.000-08:00

So I am finally feeling like I am putting a dent in my backlog of work, here is Todd and Joy. Joy is my cousin and I was an attendee of this wedding, I learned earlier in the season that "taking a break" and leaving my camera at home is not very fun! So for this wedding in Medicine Hat I brought along my trusty pal and made sure to document the day. Here are a few of my shots from their day:

Nevaeh is my second cousin and she just loved dancing, especially in her new kicks!

Shawn & Alyssa

2010-02-12T16:43:00.000-08:00

Yet again another long overdue blog post that should have been written and edited in the summer, it really is sad how some things just get put on the back burner and there they sit. It's not that you don't care it just isn't as pressing to look after them, well this year will be different! I know it has probably been said a million times but I am going to try my darnedest :) to stay true to my word!

Anyway I helped Vicki with Shawn and Alyssa's wedding in August (yeesh). I have never seen someone so organized! Alyssa was on top of it and because of that her day ran perfectly smooth. She had a 4" binder that was color coded and categorized that she had been putting ideas into since she was a little girl. She should most definitely go into some kind of event planning! Only in my opinion :) Anyway here are a few favorites from their very special day!

You can probably tell by the next two photos that I love shoes! They add such a personal touch to the day.

Alyssa's 94 year old Grandmother busted a move on the lino better than my husband ever could! She was so cute and just loved to get up and move.

Alex & Siobhan

2010-02-06T15:50:00.000-08:00

So this post has been a long time coming, I helped my friend Vicki second shoot this wedding in Banff in September of last summer. I know, I know, I'm so far behind, but hey I have blogged twice today so that should count for something right?

Anyway this couple was so great, you honestly couldn't wipe those smiles off of their faces and they just loved to have fun, with whatever came their way! I have never laughed so much with a couple on their wedding day and that was very special.

Here are a few of my favorite memories from the day:

We ended up running into a fellow who has been traveling the country. He was from Quebec and insisted that he have his picture taken with these beautiful girls! He was quite funny and will add a story for Alex and Siobhan to tell for many years.

This was honestly what the whole day was like, my stomach hurt the next day from laughing so much!

This, that and the other

2010-02-06T08:41:00.000-08:00

I think that I'm so far behind that I am actually lapping myself. So much has happened in the last 3 months and so much is going to be happening in the next 2 that you guys would be missing out on so much of my exciting life that I just have to blog about it! :)

I am going to finally be editing the photos that I helped second shoot with a friend this past summer, so make sure that you watch for those, I promise they will be up soon. My goal is this weekend, but I'm going out for breakfast with my Grandparents so I'm not promising that they will be done today, as I'm sure that my husband and I will come home and be so full that we will lay on the couch for the rest of the day and maybe watch my new favorite show Ch uck. If you have never seen this show I urge you to watch. I got the first season from my brother for Christmas, he knew that my husband would like it (nice eh) and wasn't too sure about me. I honestly would crave watching this show, it is definitely worth giving a try!

For now, that is all that I'm going to tell you, you have to have a reason to come back and read more right!

And a photographers blog without a photo for a post is just not fun, so this picture below was taken by my husband when we went to a corn maze in Calgary.

Stacey & Nathan E-Session

2009-12-29T17:51:00.000-08:00

So Stacey and Nathan are getting married this July and I can hardly wait. I had so much fun with these two on a chilly day in Calgary. This was my first winter shoot and I absolutely LOVED it!
Stacey, Nathan and Riggins (their cute little dog) were such troopers for the afternoon, although Riggins hung out in the truck for a better part of the shoot. These two are so cute and always smiling, although maybe it was just chattering teeth that I thought was a smile, kidding :) I honestly feel like I have known these two for years and I can hardly wait till the wedding. Here are a couple of my favorites from the afternoon.

I just love this sequence of laughing pictures!

Riggins! He was such a natural in front of the camera!

Kayden

2009-12-17T12:42:00.000-08:00

I had the pleasure of capturing this cute little guy's 3rd week of life and many wardrobe changes! I just loved all the little outfits Kayden had and they all had a reason behind them. His parents are HUGE Flames fans, and who isn't, I could have taken pictures of this little guy in his cute little jersey all day!! Katrina was telling me that when they first found out that they were pregnant the first thing that they bought was this flames jersey, I'm pretty sure that is something that I would do! The cowboy gear is because his Dad rides horses and bulls and just won one of his recent competitions in Tilly and the blanket that he is laying on in the bucket, his Grandma made it for him. I just love when there is meaning behind pictures and why they are the way they are, it just makes it so much more special. Here are a couple of my favorites from the day:

Wade & Stephanie Wedding

2009-11-09T12:12:00.000-08:00

So Wade & Stephanie were the last Wedding that I had booked for this season and I couldn't have asked for a better way to end the season. The day was full of emotion from the moment the Bride arrived. Wade & Steph were so relaxed and so ready to have fun and just enjoy whatever came their way!
Here is their story:

This awesome picture was taken by my amazing second shooter Julie, I just love the expression on both of their faces.

Stephanie has a background in dance, so it was only fitting that Steph and her Dad did a choreographed father daughter dance.

Keyana

2009-11-04T15:10:00.000-08:00

I had the absolute pleasure of capturing some very special moments of this very tiny girl's 2nd week of life. Cleon and Natalie welcomed Keyana into the world with very loving arms, and this baby girl has no shortage of loving family!

Cleon works for my Dad and is probably one of the biggest Jamaicans I have ever seen, and let's just say that I'm glad that he is my friend. Natalie is an RCMP and owns a gun, so needless to say when this gorgeous little girl is old enough to date they shouldn't have any problems keeping prospective boyfriends at bay.

Keyana had some of the wildest hair I have ever seen on a newborn, she had a natural mohawk and it was so cute!

I love this family like they are my own and I'm so excited for their new little family and all the adventures to come.

Hannah & Bruce

2009-11-03T13:02:00.000-08:00

So I have now finished my very first wedding season and have so much catching up to do. Over the next month I will have hopefully have caught up on everything and updated all of you with all my new pictures and adventures. I have so much to share, but first things first, here are Hannah and Bruce.

This couple was so much fun! Everyone was so laid back and totally enjoyed the whole day and what a perfect day it was. Here are a couple of photos that reflect this couples very memorable and perfect day!

This photo was taken by my amazing assistant and cousin Julie Shierman.

Sneak Peak - Hannah & Bruce

2009-09-29T21:19:00.000-07:00

Just a quick sneak peak of a wedding that I shot a couple of weeks ago. Yes I know I am behind but I'm pretty excited about all of these images that I just couldn't wait to share them with you.

Jon & Jana Lamb

2009-09-15T20:10:00.000-07:00

Jon & Jana are finally married and it couldn't have been a better day for it. The weather was perfect and the acreage didn't even look like it had a massive hail storm which wiped out ALL of the flowers the week before. As everyone scrambled to recover what they could for this very special event, it turned out to be a perfect day for the very happy couple.

As I post a few of my favorites they are over in Europe enjoying their honeymoon. I can't wait to hear all about your travels!

Their cake was done by cakeworks, and it was so very cool, and most important very delicious. I have been to a couple of weddings now that have a cakeworks cake and they definitely do the best job. I highly recommend them if you are looking for a wedding cake or even a birthday cake.

Jermaine & Julie

2009-09-01T20:21:00.000-07:00

So I have known Jermaine for close to 10 years now and he is married to a very fun and beautiful Julie! I love these two, they are so much fun, so caring and easy going. They truly love life and most importantly they love each other. This shoot was for their one year anniversary and you can see that the honeymoon stage isn't even close to being over.

Catherine

2009-08-31T17:39:00.000-07:00

About a month ago a really good friend of mine contacted me and asked if I could do some head shots, and below is what was produced from our afternoon of the blind leading the blind. As this being the first ever head shot shoot that I have done and Catherine never having done anything like this before, we were both laughing like crazy the whole time.
I had an absolutely amazing time! It was so much fun feeling like we were kids pretending to be a model and a high class photographer, well maybe I was just pretending but Catherine definetley brought some blue steel!
I really hope that you do pursue this possible opportunity as these pictures are gorgeous!

This one is my favorite!

I just love her eyes in this one.

Thomson Family

2009-08-10T18:15:00.000-07:00

I had the extreme pleasure of spending the afternoon with one of my favorite families! You may recognize some of the people from a previous session that I did of the Metcalf's.
I had an absolute blast seeing everyone again and for some it has been more than 13 years since I had seen them. I'm so glad that Kelly (my second mom growing up) contacted me to get some family pictures done for them.
Here are a few from the afternoon.

This is the whole Thomson family.

These two wonderful people are the reason for this beautiful family!

My dad and Keith who is like a father to him.

And here is the family that I grew up with. I used to always ask 'when are we going to the Metcalf's?' I could hardly wait to go over to their place, and when they moved out of our neighborhood it was about a 45 minute drive I seriously could hardly contain myself in the truck. I have sooo many memories with this family and I love every one of them like a sister/brother!

Paul & Jamie

2009-07-28T09:43:00.001-07:00

It had been almost a year since I did their engagement photos and I actually missed them. They are so natural in front of the camera and were so excited for the day. It was an absolutely flawless day thanks to their all their hard work and awesome wedding party!

Both Terilee and I had an amazing time and loved every minute of your special day!

Canvas Alert!! I would def blow this one up big!

This one is also a Canvas contender.

I have to say a very special Thank You to my AMAZING second shooter and very good friend that was up from California to visit family. She was more than happy to help me out and went over and above her call of duty. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Jon & Jana

2009-07-28T09:39:00.000-07:00

Jon and my husband have been friends now for around 10 plus years and when he jumped out of a dishwasher box to propose to the love of his life, it was perfect. Jon and Jana are so cute and very much in love and I can hardly wait to shoot thier wedding in less than 2 weeks.

This one is def my favorite, I loved playing with the lighting.

Bruce & Hannah

2009-07-20T14:46:00.000-07:00

Wow I am so behind on blogging, this is totally unacceptable!

I had so much fun with these two and they were so natural in front of the camera. Hannah and Bruce definitely brought their "A" game and totally knocked it out of the park (sorry Bruce I had to). I know they will rock it on their wedding day. I can't wait and it is really coming so quick. Here are a few of my favorites from the day.

Bruce loves baseball, so it was very fitting to take some pictures at a diamond.

So gorgeous! You are going to stop everyone in their tracks on your wedding day.

Maricar & John

2009-07-07T17:13:00.000-07:00

So I met with Maricar and John one afternoon downtown for a couples session, and within the first 5 minutes I quickly realized that even though Calgary has over a million people, it is one small city! I went to junior high with John who was actually referred to me from Kari (a great friend and a previous bride), small, small world! I just loved hanging out with these 2 for the afternoon and I just couldn't get enough of Maricar's eyes! Here are some of my favs from the afternoon.

Wade & Stephanie Engagement

2009-06-30T10:39:00.000-07:00

I had so much fun with these two, you were such troopers getting into that freezing cold water. And there is no way that you would ever have been able to tell that the water was so cold because they looked like they were actually enjoying playing in the waterfall.

I can hardly wait until the wedding day, they are both gonna look absolutely stunning! Just knowing that they are willing to sacrifice the body for the photo makes me even more excited for their big special day! Here are some of my favorites from the day.