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Here are some more sneak-previews for the blog from 2011. I’ll be properly updating the blog soonish, with some major announcements thrown in for good measure.

Shawna and Ryan, Kelowna Wedding:

Bahar and Atta, Banff Wedding:

Maureen and Dave, Emerald Lake Wedding:

Margaret and Pat, Waterton Wedding:

Megan and Evan, Canmore Wedding:

Lyndsay and Simon, Calgary Engagement:

Lyndsay and Simon, Jasper Wedding:

Karen and Darren, Calgary Wedding:

It’s been a while since I updated my blog! I will get back into it again soon, but for now here are some previews of weddings and engagements I have photographed that will later be fully featured in their own blog posts.

Siobhan and Matt, Calgary:

Kent and Brooke, Calgary:

Raquel and Robert, Okotoks:

Theresa and Sander, Banff:

Lori-Anne and Randy, Calgary:

Kendra and Ryan, Lethbridge:

Jill and Bryce, Lethbridge Engagement/Maternity:

Nichole and Joe, Rocky Mountain House:

Jennifer and Jeff, Banff Engagement:

Gavin and Leigh, Kananskis:

Susan and Krister, Banff:

Melissa and Dan, Lethbridge:

Erik and Julie, Banff:

Shawnee and Cameron, Kelowna:

Atta and Bahar, Calgary Engagement:

Sergio and Parisa, Casa Loma, Toronto:

Jodi and Jordon, Rocky Mountain House:

Dedy and Linda flew out from sunny Jakarta, Indonesia, to brave a cold Vancouver, B.C. to meet me for their engagement session. Although the temperature in Vancouver was quite a bit higher than it was when I left Alberta for Vancouver, for them it was a huge temperature drop; but they were such troopers about staying outside. Since they were visitors to Vancouver we kinda did the tourist thing and went on a mini-tour of some of the city’s popular attractions.

We started out with a drive around Stanley Park and stopped at a couple of locations there. I wanted to get the Vancouver skyline in a photo with the mountains in the background, but Vancouver did the typical Vancouver thing and was totally overcast the whole time. Ah, well. At least they experienced authentic Vancouver weather! And we did still get the city and harbour in the background. Continuing along Stanley Park Drive, we stopped at the big hollow tree for a few quick, fun photos, before heading off to one of Vancouver’s several beaches. Since it was getting cold and dark I took them inside, into the Marine Building, a really quirky old place with amazingly interesting architecture and decor. It is one of the most unique high-rise buildings I’ve ever been in and we stayed there for a while getting photos before eating dinner together at a pub off the lobby. Linda and Dedy have this cute tradition where they swap meals halfway through so that they can try what they each ordered.

Dedy and Linda wanted to get some photos at Historic Gastown, so we drove there and did some romantic photos near the steam clock (yes, a steam-powered clock!) as well as some quick, fun photos in one of the many souvenir shops in that area. We finished our outside photography at Canada Place, while the cold wind whipped around us and then wrapped up our day by getting a handful of photos back in their hotel room in the Fairmont Waterfront (not to be confused with the Fairmont Pacific Rim, a few blocks away).

Their wedding is back in their home of Jakata and I wish them the very best with their marriage and new life together as husband and wife.

Jodi and Jordon are a really sweet Rocky Mountain House couple drove down to meet me for their engagement session in Banff. They were both so easy-going and just great to work with. I often tell my couples that it doesn’t matter if you’re not into being photographed, so long as you are into each other and these guys very clearly were. And they were really up for anything! They even stepped into freezing cold water! I’ve been in some cold water for various shoots and this was as cold as any I can ever think of—really icy!

We visited three main areas of Banff for these photos, staying outside of town the whole time. There is such beautiful scenery all around Banff—just add in one happy couple and you can’t go wrong.

I first met Darren and Karen at a wedding we photographed in Calgary last July and I’m really glad they booked us, since they looked like they were having a blast at their friends’ wedding—I can’t wait to see them enjoy their own wedding! They are two of the smiliest people I’ve ever photographed and their engagement session was really fun and easy-going, despite the cold conditions we had. Darren asked to do some sunset photos and so we hiked up a big hill in Calgary to get the best unobstructed view of the sun going down. Good thing Karen and Darren helped me to carry the gear—it was a long way!

I’m experimenting with talking less on the blog—lol!—so, without further ado, here are some of my favourite images from their engagement session:

Ok, that was a long blog post title! For those of you who don’t know what the ISPWP is, it is an incredible organisation dedicated to finding the very best wedding photographers in the world and holding competitions between them every quarter-year. I have always been honoured to be a member and to have placed in each of the competitions I’ve entered so far, coming in the top 20 wedding studios in the world each time.

Here are the images that placed for me this time round (in chronological order):

Robert and Raquel were a really fun and easy-going couple to photograph and I enjoyed the time we spent for their engagement session at Okotoks, around the big rock and a stream in town. I am looking forward to seeing them soon for their wedding!

Thanks to Megan and Evan for braving the wet weather for their engagement session at Elbow Falls in the Kananaskis. The rain wasn’t too bad, really, and it gave the greenery a great colour boost for their photos. Evan and Megan were a very easy couple to photograph—they were obviously in love and had a great sense of humour, too. I look forward to seeing you guys at your wedding next year!

I met Julie and Erik for their engagement session at the Fairmont Banff Springs hotel, where they will also have their wedding next summer. As I drove out to Banff in the pouring rain I was going over my various “Plan B” ideas, but thankfully the rain let up almost right after I arrived—yay!—and we were able to go out and actually see blue sky and sunshine. Not that being stuck indoors at the Banff Springs is a bad thing; it is such a fantastic venue, part historic hotel and part castle, complete with lichen-adorned stonework and marble halls. So we started out inside and then ventured out into the surrounding areas, taking advantage of the cleared-up weather to capture some of the beauty of the Banff Rockies.

Erik and Julie were a great fun couple, who were so easy-going the whole time. They were really cool to hang out with and I am definitely looking forward to their wedding back at Banff next year!

I’m pleased to tell you that I recently had eight of my images place in the International Society of Professional Wedding Photographers summer contest, giving me an over-all placing of 15th in the world. This is truly an international contest: out of the twenty place-getters, there are ten different countries represented! It’s great to see such a cool diversity and world-wide representation. I am honoured to have placed in among such skilled and talented photographers.

Although this is the summer contest, the deadline for submissions was earlier in the year when wedding “season” up here had only just started, so I am really happy to have done so well. I placed in these categories: Wedding Ceremony, Wedding Reception, Emotional Impact, Bride Portrait, Bridal Party Portrait, Engagement Portrait, Pure Art.

Here are my placing images: