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Congrats to Maria and Dale, an easy-going and fun couple who were recently married at St. Patrick’s church here in Lethbridge, Alberta.

We started out with the guys over at the Lethbridge Lodge to get some photos of them getting ready and then I took some quick, casual portraits of Dale hanging out overlooking the garden area inside. I freaked Sherri out by sitting on the railing at the very top floor to get some of the photos.

Their wedding ceremony was held at St. Patrick’s church in the centre of Lethbridge. After their ceremony the sun came out just long enough to get the family photos and then we ducked inside for most of the other images. We had rain and hail and sunshine pretty much alternating all day! Maria and Dale had the idea to bring a bunch of umbrellas for their wedding party so they could get something fun despite the weather. I had actually been thinking the same thing and it’s really cool when we’re on the same level like that. In the image of Dale and Maria holding the umbrella, if you look closely you can see some white specks in the sky. That’s hail! This is where you really want weather-sealed gear. And maybe a helmet!

Their reception was held at the Grandstand, which had such a cool variety of little locations inside to use for photography. There were rustic-looking wooden areas as well as more modern places. We snuck off during the reception to get a few more images of Dale and Maria. Speaking of the reception, Dale had a surprise planned for Maria. After their first dance Dale and a friend set up a couple of guitars and amps and Dale sung a really heart-felt song to Maria. It was a really beautiful moment.

I arrived at Mary’s grandparents’ farm for her grad photo session and her grandfather showed me around. He pointed out a bunch of trees out the back and said, “This is where photographers usually like to take our photos”. Then he took me inside to where there were some photos hanging on their wall. “Here are the photos we’ve had in the past”. I replied, “Yeah, today’s photos won’t look anything like that”. We started out with some photos of Marys’ date’s family and then, when Mary was ready, we did a few of the two of them as well as Mary on her own.

It’s funny how it worked out with the hay bale. When I was driving in I saw a few and thought, “Hmm. I wonder if we could use any of those?” Then I saw that they’d put one aside specially for the shoot. The car is the same car that Mary’s grandfather and mother had both used to attend their grads. Mary rode to her graduation in a limousine with her friends, but we had to include the car in the photos!

Mary was really fun to shoot with and here are some of her images.

We did Sarah and Matt’s engagement session last August and we had a blast, so I was really looking forward to their wedding.  

On their wedding day we started out with the guys and they were joking around and great for candid moments. As soon as they were ready we dashed down to the Lethbridge Lodge, where the girls were to catch some quick portraits of them there. As we were walking back from the room I noticed a beam of light coming down from the skylights that lit Sarah beautifully as she walked through it, so I asked her to stand there for a moment and just ignore me while she played with her veil and laughed with her parents. I love how the light just made her glow. She looked stunning!

Their ceremony was at St. Patrick’s church in Lethbridge, which we’ve been to several times lately and it’s definitely one of the nicest looking churches in the city.    After the ceremony we took some quick family shots in the area and then went up to Lethbridge University, where their reception was going to be, for the rest of their photos. It was very windy that day and we were very limited in time, so it was a challenge to get great looking shots of the enormous bridal party—but we did it!    The girls asked to do a photo of them picking up Matt, which he resisted at first, but it ended up being a fun moment.

Their reception was at the student union ballrooms, nicknamed The Zoo, which we’ve done quite a few receptions at. It’s one of the more tricky venues in town to work at, with a black ceiling and mostly black walls. Well, it’s difficult for other photographers.       Anyway, there were funny and touching speeches with lots of laughter and tears and a really well put-together slideshow. We left them as the dancing was getting going and everyone was starting to party. Check out some of their images.  

Grace is a local model and a really fun person to have on a shoot.  Take a look at the photos and you’ll see what I mean!    I did this shoot with Jessica, whom I will be introducing on this blog very soon.  Grace was awesome to work with!  She was really naturally talented and hard-working, too.  I love how she was able to add her own flair to create something that really suited the clothes and environment.  It was more like she took on the role of a character and acted it out than just simply posed.  Very cool.  Check out the crazy clothing she wore when we hit the alley downtown!  It was so funny; she turned so many heads when we were setting up and shooting that scene.    One car actually drove past us, then stopped and reversed so the people in it could stare at her.  Lol!  That’s the first time I’ve had that on a shoot.  Hmm.  Perhaps if I dressed like that I’d get it more often.  What do you think—should I borrow that outfit for my next wedding? 

Congrats to Shaun and Pam!  They were married in May at Lethbridge’s Galt Museum.  After a moving ceremony filled with tears and laughter, we did some quick family photos on the steps of the Galt and then headed down to the river bottom for the rest of their portraits.  We’ve had a few large wedding parties in a row this year, so it was a nice fast session this time round.  Fewer people mean less time setting up lighting and that sort of thing, so we flew through the wedding party group photos in around 15 minutes and then were able to spend over an hour with just Shaun and Pam.   Just like during their engagement session, they were relaxed and easy to take photos of.  Thanks to Brad, the groomsman, for holding a flash for me and Jen, the bridesmaid, for braving the high-level bridge. 

Thanks also to Lethbridge Limousines, who stayed an extra 20 minutes or so after they were supposed to head back, so the whole wedding party was able to ride in style to their reception at the Italian-Canadian club.

Oh, check out the photo of the two flowergirls cuddling each other.  Isn’t that the cutest photo ever?  I love how their flip-flops match their dresses.  Too cute. 

Actually, we just shot their wedding, so I’m only going to post my four favourite photos from the engagement session.  And their wedding will be next! 

Pam was hoping to get some photos in the river bottom, but it was really blowing a gale that day.  We did get a few romantic images, sheltered behind the concrete pylons under the west side bridge, but then we headed into town for more sheltered areas.  I tested out a new location and some new lighting techniques and equipment.  Gotta keep everything fresh!    I love to experiment.  New locations, new people, new gear—it all gets my mind whirling with creative opportunities.

Shaun and Pam are a relaxed couple who were easy to photograph and here are some of my favourite images from their session.