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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:

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:

As well as getting wedding portraits in Banff, Guannan and Renee asked if we could do a second day of photography that would be more casual and would show a different aspect of the Southern Albertan landscape. So on our way back from Banff we stopped in Cochrane, just outside of Calgary, to create images that capture a taste of the rolling fields and rural life in Alberta. We ended up on a family farm on the outskirts of Cochrane and climbed through a barbed wire fence to sit on the fields and get our photos. The horses in the field were really curious and came right over to see what we were doing, hanging around until Guannan, who had stood in an ant’s nest and gotten stung, sprayed himself with bug spray. They didn’t like the smell of that, apparently, and wandered off to the other side of the field until we left, even though we tried to win them back over with apples.

Mike and Elva are such a fun couple! I have so many photos of them laughing. I love it when our couples are fun or obviously in love and these guys fit both categories, so it was a blast hanging out with them to take their photos. Although they live in Calgary, their wedding is taking place in Waterton and they asked if they could have contrasting engagement images—something with a more urban feel compared to how their wedding photos will be. So we visited a few locations in the city, often just walking around and taking advantage of whatever presented itself as a good idea. They even danced to a busker’s music in the middle of Stephen Ave! It was a pretty easy-going time.

Thanks for being so fun and up for anything!

Stephanie and Kyle are an active couple who love the outdoors and asked to have their engagement session in the Kananaskis mountains, which I was happy to do. Of course, I didn’t know when I agreed to it that I’d end up halfway up a mountain in a blizzard.

The Kananskis is a beautiful, peaceful area in the Rocky Mountains about forty minutes from Banff. During ski season there are people on the slopes, but this day we had the mountains almost totally to ourselves. Kyle and Stephanie had brought their skis and we started off with photos of them around the lift and on the hill, skiing. Then we went to a second location that Kyle had picked out. We parked our cars and talked about where he wanted to go. “There’s a ledge just up there that I think would be cool”, he said, waving his hand towards a flat, rocky area about ten metres up. “Oh, that would be no problem”, I replied. “I can even bring a load of photo gear”. So we started climbing up. It began to snow. After a minute we passed the ledge and kept going. I look at the ledge. I look at Kyle. “Yeah, there’s the ledge, up there”, he says, pointing out a speck of rocks through the pine trees, halfway up the mountain.

Kyle and Stephanie were kind enough to help me carry some of my gear, which they did with ease. As soon as we got to the ledge—which was really more of a scattering of rocks—we saw some darker clouds blowing in. I had time for about three photos before it hit us, knocking my light stand over and pelting us with snow. We retreated back down the mountain and spent the rest of the session around the river and the forest at the bottom. Stephanie and Kyle were awesome to take photos of—really easy-going and obviously in love. Here are some of my favourite photos from the day:

Chantal and I have worked together once before, on a Global TV commercial, and although it’s been a long time coming, we finally got back together for this speedy Calgary photo session. We chose a location on the south side of Calgary and when we arrived I saw they were doing some construction work. As soon as I saw the trucks there I thought, “Photo props!” The workers were knocking off for the day and they let Chantal clamber over the equipment in the name of photography, which was pretty cool of them. I suppose she’d have to try really, really hard to break one. I like the juxtaposition between the trucks, which are all dirty, imposing, and grungy-looking and Chantal, who . . . isn’t.

After doing some photos around the machinery for about forty minutes, I had one specific photo in mind that I really wanted to try out. It involved quite a bit of prep work, since we’d never actually done this before, so Chantal and I got to sit in the car with the heat pumping out while my assistant put it all together for us—thanks, Doug! I wanted to create a wall of fire effect behind Chantal and so I’d brought a pre-assembled wooden wall that Doug rebuilt and fixed in place. Then I set up my lights, called Chantal over from the warm car, and had two minutes to get the shot. And, yay, we got the shot!

I look forward to our next shoot, whenever that may be.

What can you do with a model in half an hour inside a small concrete room with a dirt floor?

Lisa had emailed me a while back to see if we could set up a shoot for when she was going to be in Calgary next time (she’s from Ontario) and after checking out the awesome work in her portfolio I was happy to make the time. Lisa was excellent to work with! Very professional and easy to get along with. We worked so fast in this little area and Lisa went through such a cool variety of poses. The grungy concrete box as the sun went down really lent itself to a dark kinda vibe in the photography and, even though that is a bit of a departure for me, I went along with the feel of the place and got the photos below. The last image is creepy, eh? It’s the shadow of one of my assistants holding a bit of wood we found on the ground, shaped like a knife. It’s a bit of a nod to a Joe McNally shot I liked. I’m only posting my seven favourites, but I actually got 29 photos in 32 minutes, with various lighting setups.

I’ve been wanting to take a couple into a car wrecking yard for nearly a year and a half now. About a year ago DQ Studios did portraits of Sherri and I in a wrecking yard, which was really cool, but it’s different being in front of the camera to behind it, so when Julie told me that she wanted something kinda edgy for their portraits I saw my chance.

Jake and Julie are a great couple and so cool to work with. It would be hard to get a bad photo of them! They were so easy in front of the camera and just so relaxed with each other and in love. We hit a few locations in Calgary, starting with a car wrecking yard and then heading north to see what cool locations we could use in the city centre. We ended up at Stephen Ave, which is such a rich location for photography, especially when they have the lights up in winter. Plus, the pubs and restaurants have really nice ambiance for indoor photos.

We are looking forward to their wedding this year. Here are some of their engagement images.

Coming Soon!