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Stephanie and André were married in the beautiful Crowsnest Pass, on Stephanie’s parent’s property on the outskirts of Blairmore. Admittedly, everything about a metre from the main street of Blairmore is in the outskirts, but I digress. I’d been looking forward to this wedding since we booked it, because Stephanie and André sounded like a really fun couple. And so easy-going, too! In fact, when I let Stephanie know in advance that Sherri was pregnant and so I was going to bring our other second shooter, Jessica, Stephanie said, “If the baby comes during our wedding, you should go and be with Sherri. Don’t worry about us; you have your priorities.” Isn’t that the coolest attitude from a bride, ever?

Also, André’s invites were the most unique I’d seen. Why did that matter to me? Because it indicates that they’re both personally involved in the planning of the wedding and that usually means they’ll be more into their wedding on the day. There’s some wedding psychology for you.

Their ceremony was held outdoors in an area with a little pagoda surrounded by trees. It was a gorgeous location. Somehow it managed to have great views of the mountains and still be cozy and personal. After their ceremony we did a mini Coleman photo tour, hitting a couple of locations that André and Stephanie liked to get their photos. The reception was at Crowsnest Mountain Resort and we took advantage of the clear view of Crowsnest Mountain for a few more images of the bride and groom before heading into their reception. The reception was awesome! Touching, funny speeches, toasts with a liqueur that had real gold in it, and a really great vibe throughout. Plus, I love the colours in there!

After the main dancing, there was a surprise for the guests: one of the guests is a male bellydancer and he put on a show for everyone. I’d never seen a male bellydancer before and I didn’t know what to expect, but Viraj was a fantastic entertainer! If anyone is looking for something to spice up your wedding receptions (or other event), check out Viraj’s site HERE. I have so many photos from this time. It was really hard cutting them down to just the few I ended up choosing for the blog. Really, really hard. He was all over the place, first grabbing Stephanie and André and always building audience participation through the performance. I was sweating and tired just from chasing him around the room with the camera and I wasn’t the one doing all the crazy moves!

Ok, enough talk. Images are below.

Congrats to Jolene and Matt! They were married recently in Waterton, at the Bayshore Inn. Well, in the nice grassy area near Waterton Lake outside the Bayshore Inn. Of all of our couples these guys are right up there with the most laid-back and easy-going we have ever met. They were really great to work with and their guests were a fun bunch, too.

This was one of the rare weddings from this year where we have been there for the entire day, from the hair and make-up right through most of the reception, instead of just from the ceremony or when the dress goes on. I love being there for the whole process and catching all of the behind-the-scenes preparation and emotions. Jolene and her bridesmaids were getting ready at the Bayshore Inn and were a cool bunch to get photos of as they hung out and ate their Fun-Dips. I also popped over to catch the guys, who were at the Bayshore as well, and I grabbed a few images of them getting ready before we went down near the lake for some pre-ceremony portraits.

It was a great day for an outdoor wedding ceremony; sunny with a strong breeze to keep the heat down. After the ceremony we did their family portraits around the Bayshore area before heading off to the Prince of Wales hotel for the bridal party and bride and groom photos to take advantage of the fantastic views from there.

The reception was held back at the Bayshore, with the evening’s entertainment provided by Pyramid Entertainment—oh, and the guys’ dance-off.

Here are some of their images!

Last night I had the pleasure of experiencing a fantastic concert! Well, two of them, really. The concert was held at the Yates in Lethbridge with proceeds going to support the charity organisation Bridges of Hope, a very dedicated organisation of people who raise funds for the care of people in need in Africa, especially in Burkina Faso.

To be perfectly honest, I wasn’t really looking forward to this concert. I had arranged to take photos for the concert on a professional level, but I thought the music would bore me. I know, I know, how could I be such a cultural Philistine? But my main prior exposure to world music was listening to a friend’s new age music CD. And the music sounded like whales farting. So, armed with this utterly inaccurate view, I slunk off to the Yates Memorial theatre with my cameras.

Noumoufassa was supported by Joshua Reuben, along with vocalist Bridget Yarwood and percussionist Kurt Langrud. These guys opened the night and they played both original compositions and cool reworkings of recognisable tunes. They were a great start to the evening, blending virtuoso performances with a light, fun mood. They were joined near the end of their set by keyboardist and percussionist, Rex, from Noumoufassa, who added some funky bass to their songs. Then, after the intermission, Noumoufassa exploded onto the stage with highly energetic playing and acrobatic performances. I have to say that this was one of the best concerts I’ve ever been to in my life, and as a lapsed musician, I’ve seen my fair share. These guys put everything they have into their show and it really comes alive in the most incredible-sounding and visually-entertaining way.

Twice during the evening Daniel Zopoula, the founder of Bridges of Hope, came and spoke quite briefly about the organisation and their goals. He is a passionate and well-educated man, but not someone who rants or bludgeons you with emotionally manipulative speeches. One thing he said really struck home to me and that was this: when the 2004 tsunami struck the nations around the Indian Ocean, around 200,000 people died and many people in the world rallied to provide aid. Yet approximately 150,000 people die in Africa every month. To learn more, please head over to the Bridges of Hope website.

You can still catch the show at two more locations in Alberta, in Red Deer and LeDuc. For more information check out this link. There is also a little YouTube video you can watch there to give you a bit of an idea of the music. However, with no offense to the people who made the video, it really doesn’t come close to capturing the energy of the actual performance. You really have to see them live to appreciate the show. If you’re anywhere in the area, go. You’ll have a whale of a time.

These images are not really edited, because I haven’t had the time, but I wanted to get something up on the blog right away. Most of them are shot at around ISO 6400, with some at ISO 8000.

Congrats to Rick and Keely! They were married at The Norland Bed and Breakfast, which is a beautiful place for weddings in Lethbridge. It’s so green there in the summer! Their ceremony was outdoors with chairs set up on the lawn and a little pagoda for the wedding party to stand around. Rick and Keely had their dog there as part of the wedding party and I later asked a really stupid question when Rick requested some photos with the dog. I said, “Oh, that’s your dog, eh?” Uh, no, Mark, one of the groomsmen just felt like bringing his dog to the wedding. At the end of the wedding ceremony Keely’s dad played them a song on the guitar. I love her expression as she watches him play.

We stayed at the Norland for the photos, since it’s such an attractive and diverse location. Keely specifically asked for a huge group shot of everyone, so we did that first, with the help of her dad getting everyone organised. The whole wedding party was so easy to get photos of! And Keely was such a stunning bride I couldn’t go wrong. For one of the images below—the one of Keely and Rick with the reflection—there was a brief moment of confusion where I was saying to Rick, “Ok, serious shot now; no smiles” and he kept smiling bigger and bigger. He just heard the word ‘smile’ and thought I had been telling him to smile more! I ended up getting some serious shots, but I actually prefer the photo of him smiling.

Their reception was held at the Lethbridge Sandman Inn. The speeches for the evening turned out to be a bit of a roast Rick night, but he was laughing along. These are the best weddings, the ones with lots of fun, tears and laughing. I would be happy to shoot weddings like this every week.

We had an interesting start to the weekend. I had a wedding to shoot and my wife Sherri woke up with contractions two minutes apart. I texted my second shooter, Jessica, and told her that the labour was starting (the implication being that she may have to cover most of the wedding with someone else helping her, without me) and then called Sherri’s mum and asked her to come and be with Sherri. After that I left for the wedding, telling them to call or text me as soon as things started to really heat up and I’d drive in to be with Sherri, leaving my second to finish up.

Sherri went to the hospital and they told her that, yes, she was in labour, but she had a while to go yet. In the end, I shot the wedding for our contracted time and got to the hospital for the final three hours of labour. The couple were really understanding and even sped up their reception so we could get the important shots and then leave! They did their cake cutting, dances, and bouquet and garter tosses back to back. I certainly didn’t suggest this and Jessica would have easily covered this on her own, but they wanted to give me something in return for me being there for them that day.

When I got to the hospital I didn’t want to bring a camera. I wanted to be there as a father and husband and not as a photographer. Sherri and her mother pretty much told me to bring a camera though, so I grabbed a D700 and single non-zoom lens. I took a shot as soon as I arrived, to make sure I had the exposure and everything set. Then I left it on the side-table.

Sherri did really well. She did not have any drugs of any kind or really any medical interventions. Our main nurse was very nice and the obstetrician was great, too. The pushing part went from 11:15pm to 12:43am, when our baby girl was born. Sherri saw her and cried, “She’s so beautiful!” while I thought, “She’s kinda goopy and very similar-looking to other newborns”. I have since revised my assessment. I think the moment of birth, both visually and Sherri’s reaction, will be with me forever.

When she was born I was hovering over the N.I.C.U table as they examined her and Sherri called out, “Take photos!” So I scurried across the room for the camera. The images that I took were more from obligation than something that I took any thought about. I pointed and clicked. They’re not even cropped or properly edited. Funny how I feel more attachment to them than anything else I’ve ever photographed.

The N.C.I.U people said, “She’s so perfect it’s not even funny” and left her with us. We stayed there over night, since it was already very early Sunday morning, and we left in the afternoon. Here are a few photos. I’m holding some back to respect the privacy for the hospital staff in them.

This wedding was photographed on my behalf by my friend from Australia and wonderful photographer, James Day, while I was shooting another wedding. Check out his fantastic work at his website here. I edited the images, but since I didn’t photograph them you will notice a different style of photography this blog post.

Although I have met Amanda and Jeff I was not at their wedding, so I gave James a call and chatted to him about the wedding day. Here is Jeff and Amanda’s story, as told to me by James and then paraphrased by me for the blog:

“Amanda and Jeff were all about having fun and they were laughing and having a blast all day. I started the day with Jeff and the guys as they got ready at a friend’s place in Calgary. Jeff has actually been to NHL training and his groomsmen were all hockey buddies. (Amanda is also a pro beach volleyball player and recently she and her team won a big tournament in Vancouver). After watching the guys joke around and throw up (well, one of them, but we’ll keep those photos private for now ) I was off to join Amanda and the girls as they got ready at Amanda and Jeff’s place. Amanda was excited and dancing around to her R ‘n’ B music all morning. She’s also a fan of the America’s Next Top Model and every so often would strike a pose for the camera and really ham it up.

Their reception was wild! Once the dancing started up people were all over the dance floor and really getting into it. Jeff and Amanda had brought their dog to the reception and put him in another room, but from time to time he’d escape and run onto the dance floor. Throughout the night, Jeff was also defending his title as reigning beer-pong champ and I’m sure he kept his title. Thanks for having me at your wedding, guys. It was heaps of fun. ”

If anyone who was there has something to add, please put it in the comments area below! We can do the first ever community blog post.

Congrats to Jonathan and Sora, who were married recently in Calgary! We did a fun engagement session with them last February and I’ve been looking forward to their wedding since then.

These guys had two wedding ceremonies, both of them traditional ceremonies, though they were each very different. Jonathan has Ukrainian and Irish heritage and so the first ceremony was a traditional Ukrainian Orthodox ceremony at the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary church, which has to be the most ornate and decorative church I have seen in Calgary. It’s stunning! This ceremony was followed by a traditional Korean ceremony in the church’s basement and it was completely different in so many ways. It was a kind of organised chaos from the photographer’s perspective. For one thing the guests were standing up fairly close to the small stage area where Sora and Jonathan were and often I had to weave through people to find a new position. And there were so many different and fun traditions, too, such as family members tossing small items of food to Jonathan and Sora that they had to catch in a large piece of cloth. It was certainly an energetic ceremony.

After the ceremonies and the family photos we headed off for photos. We took a few around some old sandstone ruins for a while before going back to the Hotel Arts, where we did casual images without any real setup or posing, other than for the final image of Sora, where we went for a more stylish vibe. These guys were very cool to work with and, although we had to work quickly because of time, we did get a good variety of images.

Their reception was across the road from the Hotel Arts at the Endevour Arts gallery and this venue, like the one in the last blog entry, had been stylishly decorated with the guidance of Lisa Hanslip from The Wedding Planner. We weren’t officially covering the reception, though they had kindly invited us there for dinner. Thanks for having us at your wedding and all the best, guys.

Lots of candid, photojournalistic stuff for the blog this week!