Bryce & Rebecca: An Engagement Session to Make You Melt--Part I of II

Get ready to melt ladies! This couple will make you want to throw on a scarf and boots, grab your man, scout out a field, barn, or any other rustic, fall setting and let yourselves fall in love all over again. Oh, and don't forget to bring along a photographer who's a sucker for romance, hint, hint. Not the cheesy, gushy sort that makes me gag, (I'll refrain from naming specific authors or movies, because you don't want to get me started) but the truly romantic kind that blends the passion and beauty of a strong woman with the devotion and honor of a steady man.

Think Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy if you're the genteel type, or William Wallace and his bride Murron if you prefer a little more edge than a curt remark with your romance! I like both forthe record! Anyhow, I digress. I'll stop now and just let you drool...or dream...the latter being a little more keyboard-friendly if you ask me!

This middle one is a favourite of mine. It reminds me of the moment when Elizabeth meets Mr. Darcy in the field at dawn in the new version of Pride & Prejudice. I've always preferred the BBC version, but that particular scene, with the sun glistening off the dew in the damp meadow, is pretty gorgeous. Kiera Knightly never hurt anyone's eyes either...wish I could look like her in a wet field!!! HA...fat chance of that happening!

Can we GET anymore photogenic people??? Sigh....

Becky & Bryce could not have coordinated better to compliment each other and their natural surroundings. Plus, I'm a HUGE fan of scarves as accessories both in front of and behind the camera (great for protecting the gear when shooting in the rain--see my Tofino shoot for more of that!!!). Being madly in love never hindered a great photo shoot either!

Stay tuned for Part Deux coming Friday and in the meantime, if you're from the Okanagan, I'd love to know if you can guess where these were shot! (If you already knew where the shoot was taking place please hold off on guessing!)

An Island Wedding: Josh & Seija

Rain is not an element I particularly enjoy...at least not the getting wet part. While living in Vancouver I waited out many rainy afternoons in my dorm's 'sunroom', huddled up next to cool, dripping panes of glass at a coffee shop sipping something warm, and as often as I could, soaked in the warmth and soul of Burgoo's food and cozy atmosphere--at a window seat of course. More often than not, however, a great deal of my rainy days in Vancouver were spent in the pitch black as hours of darkroom time were clocked day after day. Rain and darkness were very much a part of my Vancouver years, and now that I live in California, I try to soak up as much sunshine as I can in order to make up for lost rays. It's been a long time since I could see the good in getting downright drenched by a Pacific storm, but this September, rain was redeemed!

Just over a month ago, I had the sheer pleasure of being thoroughly soaked while photographing my friend Seija and her husband Josh as they very gallantly braved a Tofino lashing and froze their newly-wedded socks off. The ceremony was supposed to be held outdoors on the beach, but Storm Season had officially arrived on Vancouver Island's western coast and so an intimate ceremony was held in the warmth of Long Beach Lodge Resort's great room.

An island wedding was truly appropriate for this Kelowna couple who hail from Prince Edward Island (Josh) and Vancouver Island (Seija). Neither were too daunted by the coastal weather and I was blown away by how willing Seija was to shoot in an utter downpour, especially with a reception to follow.

And I, for one, had an absolute blast! It's one thing to find yourself sopping wet in the middle of a city street on your way to class or a meeting, but it's another to find yourself liberated by weather and enjoying the elements in all their glory. I realised that for me, being outside in the rain while being surrounded by nature (as opposed to an urban environment) was freeing rather than aggravating. Even while my fingers were fumbling to grip my camera (all weather-sealed, thanks to Nikon) and water was cascading through my jacket, I can recall feeling as alive as I've ever been and couldn't help but thanking the Creator for such tremendous beauty.

Seija & Josh, thank you so much for enabling me to be a part of such a unique and dramatic occasion, and I hope that the way you both embraced the storm in order to produce something beautiful to cherish will prove to be more than just a metaphor for your marriage.

To Seija & Josh and a Beautiful Storm!

Jen & Johnny's Wedding!

Ahh, back at my desk. The one in my house. NOT the makeshift one on the ferry from Vancouver to Nanaimo, nor the lap-based one at YVR, YLW, YWG or any number of airports across the countryside, and not at any one of the 12 other places I stayed while on a 25-day trip to and fro across British Columbia and Manitoba. No, I'm finally back here at my desk in California where I can work in my pajamas and no one is the wiser.

That being said, I would like to thank everyone over this past month who hosted me in their homes and kept me warm, fed, and happy. It's easy to get cranky when packing and repacking every other day, but good friends and hosts make the nomadic experience as pleasant as possible. My husband, Will, also deserves a great deal of thanks for not just putting up with, but challenging and encouraging me in my traipsing around. This last trip was the grand finale in a bout of traveling that had me gone 5 weeks out of 9 from mid-August until now.

During that time I had twelve shoots, only one of which made it's way to the blog, and so I must also thank my faithful readers for putting up with my inconsistent nonexistent posting habits. After a long absense from my desk, I've returned and promise to faithfully unveil this fall's latest work!

To begin, I thought I'd post my final summer wedding, which happened to be the wedding of my cousin Jennifer to her new husband Johnny. They were (and are) gorgeous, fun, and oh-so-in-love, which made photographing them a dream, but the fact that it was a family affair made the shoot that much more special to me. I claimed 'personal moments' at various intervals just so I could let myself tear up for a few seconds!

All right, enough details. I'll stop rattling on and let you get to the goods! Enjoy!

Little Jennifer--you were such a stunning bride and I love you! Johnny--welcome to our crazy family!!! Everyone else...please post your thoughts/comments/well wishes to the happy couple below!

A Concannon Picnic: Jeremy & Krista

It's hard for me to believe that picnics are still to be had at this time of year. Where I'm from, friends and family are pulling out their sweaters, prepping their yards for the fall, and churning out the heartiest of recipes. Here in the Livermore Valley...not so much. Sure, fall is around the bend, but so far as I can tell, September in this neck of the woods means the grape harvest is upon us, and that makes me one very happy camper!

But back to picnics. The other day I had the pleasure of providing Jeremy & Krista with an engagement shoot at Concannon, one of Livermore's premiere vineyards and one of my favourite places to bring friends and family when they roll into town. The grounds are beautiful and beg to be dined upon, and so with a bottle of one of Concannon's refreshing whites, I photographed Jeremy & Krista on a perfect not-so-summer, but feels-like-summer day. Technically, summer's got until September 21st, but who's keeping track.

With that said, please raise a glass of whatever you might be sipping, and toast to Krista & Jeremy and their upcoming nuptials! Enjoy the photos!

Celebrating one year: Laura & Jason

Today is the first anniversary of one of my dearest girlfriends so I thought I'd celebrate by posting not-yet-seen photos from their wedding day. Laura and I were bridesmaids for each other last year, our weddings being only 6 weeks apart, so naturally we were up to our ears in everything wedding-oriented, especially photographs! As one of Laura's bridesmaids, it would've been tricky to do the photography, so she made arrangements for a photographer to cover the day, and for me to do two shoots featuring just her and Jason alone. Our pre-wedding shoot was one gorgeous morning in Kal Park overlooking the lake, and our day-of shoot was snuck in between the ceremony & group photos, and the reception. My new husband and I joined Jason & Laura at a predetermined, out of the way location, where I was able to spend a few moments quietly photographing the new bride & groom and where the four of us could celebrate all our newly-wedded bliss together. I was all OVER the map last summer, and didn't have a chance to blog about this shoot, so I thought I'd use Laura & Jason's first anniversary as an occasion to feature a few photos from their wedding day.

Congrats Laura & Jason and here's to MANY more years to come!

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