Chris & Rukhsana… the e-session
This session ended up being exactly the opposite of what I expected! I’d met the couple on 2 occasions prior to the engagement session and felt I had a handle on their personalities but man was I wrong!!!!! Rukhsana told my numerous times how she hated having her photo taken and that though she’s excited for the pictures, she was also nervous. So, me being me… I did my best to reassure her that we would work through it together and have fun! Now, Chris on the other hand is super outgoing and I imagined he’d be completely at ease during the session and I planned to use his playful and easy-going nature to help Rukhsana relax! Well……. as it turns out, Rukhsana rocked it like a model right from the beginning and Chris, well, by the end he was loosening up!!! lol!!! Thanks to you both for lots of laughs and a great session, and especially to Rukhsana for helping make it easier on Chris 
Looking forward to this wedding… and Chris… may I recommend some yoga? You guys are awesome!!!! Both of you! And you look great!
Turning one!!!
This little beauty had just turned one when I met her - recently enough to keep telling me how old she is by holding up one little finger!!! So incredibly adorable!!! I could have stayed and photographed her all day (and hung out with her super cool parents too) but after a while in the snow she grew cold and we had to call it quits. However in that half hour I had in the park with her I think I snapped more keepers than ever before in such a small span of time!!! She’s just such a perfect little model!!! I sure hope I get to watch her grow!!!
All my love… all my life…
Cam and Fiona’s wedding was absolutely perfect! From the fun and relaxed atmosphere during the bride prep to the colors and people in the wedding party to the amazing wedding cake designed and made by the bride’s brother to the most breathtaking location! The day began with champagne and chocolate dipped strawberries as the beautiful girls were getting ready and the boys outside playing on a ropes course while they waited to get dressed… the ceremony was so uplifting! Casual, it began with some of the most beautiful music as the entire congregation including the bride and groom sang for several minutes… It was a very personal ceremony in a room filled with so much happiness, love and support from family and friends. Entertaining stereotypes were shared about Aussies and Canadians (as the bride and lots of her family and friends in attendance are from Australia) and had everyone laughing… a bride and groom so incredibly in love… it would be impossible not to feel uplifted and so warm at this event! I honestly wanted to blog every last photo taken at the wedding but that would take forever… so here are a few! Congratulations Cam and Fiona and my best wishes for a long and happy life together!
Family session in the snow and a great new connection to a wedding dress designer :-)
This family was photographed on a lovely warm day with lots of snow. Now as Calgarians, this is a very typical scene for a photo session for the better part of half the year, but this family is originally from South Africa making the snow a much more unique feature. The majority of the family members have relocated here (though I can’t really imagine leaving all that sun and warmth for the cold!) but a couple members remain and were visiting at the time of this session. This particular element of the story really touched me: the Grandmother, who was rather ill a few years back, was here on her first ever visit to Canada - a journey no one expected she would ever be able to make. It was absolutely magical to watch her enjoy the snow with the energy and excitement of a child! The smile on her face as she played in the snow just warmed me!
The second wonderful thing that happened to me that day was meeting Lani (she’s the face in the photo with her husband and the frog!). Lani is a wedding dress designer based in St. Albert Alberta. Her exquisite vision for style, access to some of the world’s finest fabrics, established skill and experience, and commitment to her love of wedding dress design make Lani an amazing choice for any bride looking to have a dress designed uniquely for them. She not only designs and creates these masterpieces, but also lends her expertise in the form of consulting ranging from wardrobe consultation for a bride and her attendants all the way to assisting in the choosing of colors, flowers and decor to help give your wedding that perfect polished look. And, of course, she’s just such a nice, down to earth, fun person. I absolultely loved working with her on her family’s photos and I’m sure she would be equally wonderful to work with for a wedding 
Please take a moment to check out Lani’s fabulous work at the R O O Y Couture and Consulting website: http://www.rooycouture.com/
And now the photos
Hot engagement session… Mike and Amy!
Mike and Amy are absolutely a gorgeous couple!!! Very easy to capture beautiful shots of these faces… but what makes them both even more beautiful is their personalities! Genuinely lovely and unassuming couple… so totally into each other and fun fun fun!!!!! The second of 2 recent engagements sessions at the Falls and another wonderful couple willing to do anything brave and bold to get a great shot! Thanks guys for a wonderful afternoon. I’m sure the wedding will be amazing!!!!!
Jeff & Cara… in love!
Jeff and Cara so badly wanted a winter session for their engagement, but with the mild winter we’ve had it just didn’t seem likely… so we chose a location that was sure to have a least a little snow and lots of beauty! Jeff brought a very creative eye to this session and Cara had some wonderful ideas in mind about shots she loves! Together, we had a fantastic time and these two pulled off some amazing and brave stuff to get these images! Looking so forward to your wedding! Thanks for being so willing to try some crazy stuff and have fun doing it! Cheers!
Rob & Suzanne!
Rob and Suzanne contacted me to have some portraits done of themselves as a couple. Now, Rob was not super keen on the whole idea of being photographed but Suzanne felt it was time they get this done! Well – good job Suzaane!!! You guys look so good! I asked them both to just be themselves as the first reaction was to ask how to pose… being themselves was perfect!!! They are so cute! Suzanne could barely stop giggling, and Rob fell into the groove of the session very quickly!!! Thanks to you both!!! This was seriously one of the most fun sessions I’ve ever had!
Fiona & Cam Engaged!
Next, I introduce you to a lovely couple – Fiona and Cam. This was their e-session and their wedding will be coming up in March! Gorgeous couple… amazing and obvious connection… so in love! I can’t wait to see what the wedding brings, but for now… the soon-to-be-married Fiona and Cam!!!
Christmas photos!
Following my lovely week away, I came home and worked straight through a very busy family photo season. This kicked off with 2 gorgeous little girls, who, again, I’ve had the pleasure of photographing several times! This session was for Christmas letter purposes – to show the world how much they’ve grown! And have they ever!!! Too fast in fact, but more beautiful with each passing day!
The Lovely Perry Family… expecting again!
Between Thunder Bay and my next trip – I was home for 2 days… long enough to squeeze in my son’s third birthday party and one prenatal session! Meet Erin! She’s nearly 9 months pregnant here (yes… we waited until the last minute) and she looks AMAZING!!! Now this family has graced my blog several times over, and in this particular session they looked as wonderful as ever! Can’t wait to share the news and the photos of their new bundle soon!!! Hmmmmmm…. Will it be a boy or a girl??? We’ll all have to wait to find out! Including Mom & Dad!!!
Tbay to visit my best bud and her new baby boy!!!
November was a fun month for me… I took a little break after working hard on weddings throughout the summer and early fall and embarked on a couple of little vacations. The first trip landed me in Thunder Bay, to visit my best friend of about 15 years and to meet her 4month old baby! Now, this little one has more hair than any other baby I’ve ever photographed, and seriously – he was born with it!!!!! Adorable! I love you Kat & Dave, and now little Callum too! xxx
Stein Family
Sooooo….. I have a LOT of catch up blogging to do!!! The few weeks prior to Christmas were completely consumed with family sessions and getting images back in time for Christmas, and, my blogging suffered as I prioritized everything else! But, I have a little down time on the plane at the moment as I fly home from England, so I figured it’s a perfect time to do this!!! Starting the marathon of blogging is the Stein family, photographed on Halloween day. A lovely family referred to me by other previous clients it was a treat to work with these guys!
The Wedding of Naomi & Jeff
Wow! That’s almost all I can say when I think about this wedding!!! It was a perfect day from beginning to end… there were tons of lovely personal touches - such as the bride’s father actually performing the marriage ceremony, and just so much love and joy in the room from family and friends alike! Every detail was perfect and the bride, of course, stunning and absolutely radiant! What a beautiful day to celebrate the joining of such a beautiful couple! Thanks Naomi & Jeff for having me as a part of your day and I wish you many years of health, love, and happiness!!!
The Springmans
This family is always such a treat to photograph… this is the third year in a row I’ve done their annual family portraits and the gorgeous little girls melt me every time with their stunning looks and infectious smiles!!! Oh, and mom and dad are awesome too!!! This time though they challenged me as they wanted me to work inside their home… something I typically shy away from. But, they were wonderfully accommodating as I completely rearranged the living room multiple times and it left us with a look very unique from previous years. Thanks guys!!! You’re so wonderful!
A Father and Son session…
This was the first time that this father and son had ever had professional photographs taken of themselves together, so a meaningful session it was! Very “boyish” with a heavy focus on hockey jerseys and… splashing in the mud! I had a great time with you guys… thanks!
Rakowski Family
Another lovely fun family!!! A camera shy little guy (to start) and a little girl who LOVES the camera!!! A baby who couldn’t be any sweeter, and behind it all, mom and dad who are not only good-looking, but easy and fun to work with despite the chaos of young children and challenging weather!!! You guys were an absolute treasure to work with! Thanks for inviting me to do your family pics!!!
Nicholson Family
Another absolutely stunning family! This little guy started out quite shy, but as you can see it didn’t take long for him to warm up to the camera! He was fascinated by the water and his smile was so captivating!!! Such a sweet little cutie! And the little man could blow bubbles like a champ! I am especially lucky to have worked with this family as mom and dad are getting married next summer and I have been asked to be a part of that wonderful event as well! I’m so looking forward to all of our future work together you guys!!!
Hyde Family
This was a well organized shoot… everything was perfectly organized weeks in advance as one of the family members was in town for only a few days… what we didn’t plan for though was the weather! We had to modify a little from our original plan, but the end result was perfect!!! We managed to get a warmish day and an amazing snowy setting to work with! Just magical, especially given it was only mid-October! Thanks for all your patience and for being so willing to be outside in the snow! I’m so glad I got to meet and work with you all… you’re a lovely family!
Jenny & Lee… engaged ;)
These two are not only totally hot (my assistant that day actually whispered to me at one point during the shoot that this looks like something out of a Calvin Klein add), but so connected!!! You can just feel this incredible connection when they’re together… they’re so happy and it shows in their smiles, the way they look at each other, the body language… their eyes… WOW!!! I can’t wait to see what the wedding day brings! I’m so excited! Thanks for a great session! You guys really are amazing!!!
Brian & Stephanie… engaged :-)
Every time I add a new blog post I just want to talk about how fun the people are… and this is no exception!!! I need to challenge myself with some new descriptive words, but I am so lucky in that every single person I’ve ever worked with truly IS fun!!! Okay - time to try something different… Brian and Stephanie are a “brave” couple! We went out on the weekend in the cold weather for their e-session! Looking at Brian in his t-shirt just made me shiver but they trooped on and had fun (see… I can’t help it) regardless! I think we were outside for well over an hour, but they didn’t complain once and you’d never guess for how happy and connected they look in the photos (this is how they really are, so no magic!!!) Super lovely couple - I can’t wait for your wedding guys! Thanks for a fun session!!! Yes… FUN!!!
The Bolitho family
I love this family!!! They’re so happy… all the time!!! I met the baby girl when she was just a couple days old and mom looked as refreshed and happy as ever!!! No wonder the kids are so great! Awesome upbeat parents!!! Anyway……. a super fun fall family session complete with tossing tons of leaves and playing on the train tracks! Thanks for having me out to do your session you guys! You totally rocked it and you all look SO amazing (and happy - did I mention happy???)
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Scheidl Family!
This family was awesome to work with!!! The twins couldn’t be more different - one camera shy and one seemed to really like it! But both looked amazing! Mom and dad were a riot to hang out with, and they even played in the leaves for awhile (honestly - I kinda made them do it for my entertainment!!! It was hilarious, but I got a few great shots at the same time ;)) Thanks for all the fun guys, and for being such troopers through one of the first chilly mornings Calgary has seen this season!!!
The McLeod Family
So, one of the coolest things about my job is that I get to reconnect with people from my past! This family is a perfect example! I met Brad in high school and we’ve remained friends through the years, however, I haven’t seen any of his family since, well, I don’t know when!!! I have lots of memories of the family pooch Winston, and Marilyn’s AMAZING homemade chocolate turtles (you should seriously go into business with those!!!) along with countless other recollections that all came flooding back when I got to hang out with the McLeod’s again for this photo session. It was so nice to see you all again! And Marilyn… do I get a chocolate turtle this Christmas??? I might just hold your photos ransom until I get one… I love my job!!!
The wedding of Dawn and Phil
Dawn and Phil were married last weekend and what a gorgeous day it was! They were so perfect together - so much fun! You could just feel the love in the room during the ceremony! It has been so nice working with you both and I wish you all the best in your marriage! Thanks so much for including me in your wedding! Congratulations!!!
