Unique Images Photography | Weddings | Portraits | Fashion » Wedding, Portrait, and Fashion Photography Blog

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:

As anyone who looks at my photos can tell, I am a big fan of colour, and sometimes I notice abstract colour themes running through the wedding day. This wedding is a good example, with cheerful pastel colours during the getting ready in the morning and then warm, earthy tones in the reception. I think it’s cool how the morning colours reflect a bright and happy atmosphere, while the dark woods at the reception give off a feeling of depth and a down-to-earth vibe that echoed in the speeches of the evening.

Have I lost anyone?

As you look through the photos you’ll notice that the sky is so different throughout the day that it almost appears that the wedding was photographed on different days. All-in-all we were pretty blessed with the weather, though. It poured down just as we were finishing up the portraits, but it cleared beautifully right in time for the ceremony and receiving line, before settling in for a damp evening once we were safely inside for the reception. Tara and Evan had decided to do their main portraits prior to their ceremony. They even exchanged rings in the backyard, before taking them off after the portraits for their ceremony. Tara had also brought along some yellow balloons to include in the photos and lend a whimsical feel to some of the portraits. I like the splash of colour they added! In the end I think the kids got to them after the ceremony and that was the last we ever saw of the balloons.

It was still raining when we got to the Ranche House Restaurant for the family photos and wedding ceremony, so we did all of the family portraits inside the Ranche House. We chose a room with rich colours and textures to it and I love how the photos turned out. Oh, and you might notice a mounted bison on the wall behind during the reception speaches and wonder how many photos I took with the horns lined up behind peoples’ heads. Let’s just say I was very well-behaved. Well, mostly.

Evan and Tara had asked for a big photograph of all of their wedding guests and I was going to go out onto the balcony of the Ranche House to be able to get them all into the one image. But the doors were locked and the owner couldn’t find the key! So, we cranked up a window leading to the roof and out I climbed onto the rain-slick wooden shingles, camera in hand. As I stood with one foot on either side of the peaked roof I could see peoples’ curious expressions looking up at me. I gestured behind me—”The door was locked”, I explained and they laughed.

As you’ll see in their photos, both Tara and Evan were clearly in love—and Evan is definitely one of the most openly-emotional grooms we’ve ever had, which is good to see! There are so many photos of everyone looking happy and really enjoying the wedding day and I dare you to watch the slideshow and not smile!

I always say that wedding photography is all about the people and the wedding of Ryan and Milena is a perfect example of this. Their wedding was a very intimate one, with just family and close friends. As you look through the photos you’ll see the love everyone had for one another—almost every image has someone laughing or crying, or both at once.

Milena, her mom, and her bridesmaids got ready at the El Dorado Hotel and when we walked in that morning Milena’s face lit up with a huge smile—it’s great when brides are excited and not stressed about their wedding day!

Right before Milena’s dress went on we quickly hopped across the road to the Playa Del Sol Resort where Ryan and the guys were getting ready to get some photos of them. That’s where I took the cigar photo. I’m not a smoker, but I liked the ironic juxtaposition between the cigars and the nearby sign.

Their wedding ceremony and reception were both held at the Summerhill Winery, on a terrace overlooking Lake Okanagan in Kelowna. There are only two ceremony images below, but you can feel the emotions in them and we have photo after photo showing their love for each other.

After the ceremony we did the portraits in a cherry orchard and the winery. There are two photos from the portraits that I normally would not include on the blog. One is from the family portraits, where Milena is joking around with her parents. I’ve never put any family formals on the blog before, but I love the interaction between them. The other image is a “smiling at the camera” photo (the first photo in the cherry orchard), but I love it because Ryan has a huge grin and just looks so happy. I didn’t tell him to smile at the camera; it’s a genuine smile.

As Jessica and I were leaving they took the party outside and danced to traditional music from their home country, whirling and laughing on the patio as the full moon rose over the lake.

Thanks to Leanne and Jordan for having us at your wedding! Jordan is actually an accomplished photographer himself and it is always an honour to be chosen to photograph the wedding of another photographer. Their wedding was in beautiful Banff and they flew up from their home in San Francisco to get married here. Aside from the ceremony itself their wedding was a bit of a break from the more typical, traditional schedule, with a reception lunch right after the ceremony and then a casual dinner in the evening. I think that this is the best of both worlds for a wedding, where you can still have all of those heartfelt moments during the ceremony and reception speeches and then later you can freely mingle with your family and friends and enjoy their company without having to sit through a set list of things to do.

Their wedding ceremony was held in the Banff Park Lodge’s Castle Room, with their reception and evening after-party at the Glacier Salon. Both rooms are very nice, with lots of polished wood in them and a decorative wall of molded glass showing a mountain landscape in the Glacier Salon.

Leanne had the biggest smile ever! She smiled so much, especially during their ceremony. Everyone else smiled too when she slipped up during her vows to her “awful wedded husband”. Poor Jordan. Lol! Jordan and Leanne had asked that I get photos of all of their guests as they entered the reception, so I set up a little area and quickly had them pose as they came through. I always get candid images of people laughing during speeches and that sort of thing as part of the day’s coverage anyway, but this makes sure that there is a professional photo of everyone who was there.

After lunch they had speeches and a slideshow, which alternatively had everyone laughing or wiping tears. Actually, I’m going to interrupt myself a bit and say how much I like weddings where the speeches are after the meal. That way all your guests are happy and relaxed and can pay full attention and you don’t end up with photos of them laughing with food in their mouths. As a matter of fact, although there was definitely a very relaxed and easy-going attitude at the wedding, I have to say that this was also one of the best-scheduled weddings I’ve been to. We never felt like we were rushed for time. From what I heard during the speeches, this was probably due to Jordan’s preternatural spreadsheeting abilities.

For our photo time we visited a few locations around Banff, capturing the gorgeous scenery of the mountains and the river. We also visited the Fairmont Banff Springs, which is an wonderfully elegant location for photography. I love it in there and it was a welcome break from the cold wind outside! After their photos we headed back to Melissa’s Missteak across from the Banff Park Lodge where the two met with their families for an intimate dinner before crossing the road to meet back up with the rest of their guests for the evening. We stayed to catch some candid photography of everyone having a great time there.

Congrats, guys! Here are a few of your images.

(P.S. Thanks to photographer Trent Ernst for assisting me again).

Corrick and Katherine were married in Waterton on a beautiful Alberta day.  It was amazing how well the weather and other things worked out for us; we had breeze when we wanted it and no breeze when it would have been a problem.  

This was a sort of destination wedding.  :)  That is, it was a destination wedding for many of the guests, who flew in from England and New Zealand to be with Corrick and Katherine.  Sometimes it seemed like Sherri was the only person with a regular Canadian accent!  

Corrick and Katherine were both wonderful people, happy and not afraid to express their feelings.  We have lots of photos of them with their emotions written clearly on their faces and there were tears from both of them before the end of the day.  When I was taking photos of Corrick right after he was ready I asked to do one of him looking serious.  ”Don’t smile”, I said.  ”Just look at me with a relaxed, neutral expression”.  Corrick looked up and grinned.  ”Umm, can you try for a more serious expression?  Not smiling this time.”  Corrick looked down and composed himself.  Then he looked up at me and you will see his not-smiling, serious expression in the images below.  ;)

They had awesome wedding rings, too!  The rings were custom made for them by the same company that made the actual rings for The Lord of the Rings movies in New Zealand.  There were many other cool things throughout the day that reflected their unique personalities. 

The atmosphere of the day was full of celebration and the reception was one of the less formal ones we’ve been to, in the sense that it felt as though everyone in the whole room was involved and not just sitting and listening from a distance.  

Sherri and I wish the happy couple all the best and I’m hoping that now that Corrick is living closer to Katherine’s parents, Bert will one day perfect his English accent.