Last Day of 2008

I want to wish all my couples and families a very safe New Year's Eve tonight!

2008 has been a year of heartache and tragedy for me. But I've laughed more and found more joy this year too. Everyone who I've worked with has been an absolute pleasure and for that I'm truly grateful! I've made so many new friends and have more new and wonderful opportunities than I can count. I have been truly blessed through meeting all my couples and clients and want to thank all of you for that!

Cheers!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

I just want to wish EVERYONE a very Merry Christmas today and hope Santa was really good to everyone.

Best wishes, glad tidings and God Bless!

All this SNOW!

I was REALLY excited about the prospect of having a White Christmas!

Blissfully I anticipated the powdery white flakes and was so happy when I saw it starting to fall from the sky!



Then reality hit... I couldn't go anywhere! I had to have friends rescue me with their 4-wheel drives and rescheduled appointments I had made! Unbelievable!



But look at how beautiful the scenery is! I do still LOVE IT!

Scenes from Tulum

The Mayan culture is absolutely fascinating and I made a point of going to Tulum while I was in Mexico to witness the 'architecture' and learn more about these intelligent ancient people.



Their way of communicating and telling stories are memorialized in the wall etchings with such amazing detail. Years of weather have worn away a lot of the designs but you can still make it out:



Every building was constructed according to the rising and setting of the sun so that the light would mark the days of the calendar. Absolutely fascinating!




They not only constructed the buildings according to the sun, but also aligned the roofs with the actual horizon! Although they may look slightly crooked to our human eye, if you were to align it with the horizon you would see it's perfectly straight! I'm just in awe!



It boggled my mind to learn how the Mayans created their own calendar, how they determined the world was, indeed, round (centuries before the explorers set out in their ships), how they learned about the planets and the solar system and so much more!

I just LOVE history!

Bonnie & Mike - Mexico Wedding

To say the least, photographing Bonnie & Mike's wedding was a last minute event but also one of the most exhilarating experiences, not to mention THE MOST FUN I've had with any other couple and their group of friends on a destination wedding EVER! For them, the most important thing was that EVERYONE enjoy the experience - me included. So... I did!

However, the challenge for me was that the bride did NOT want pictures taken of her.... no scheduled engagement shoot, no fashion bridal shoot, no shots on the beach... nothing. THAT was a first for me! Bonnie didn't even want shots of her getting ready! So EVERY shot I took was completely photojournalistic without any direction or encouragement from me. As a matter of fact, I had my zoom lens on all the time so that she wouldn't even see me coming!

Here's the wedding day:













Everything was absolutely perfect the day of the wedding! It was warm and sunny, the view was breathtaking, and most importantly, both Bonnie and Mike enjoyed themselves surrounded by their closest family and friends.

Thank you Bonnie and Mike for having me at your wedding. Not only was the day fabulous, but the entire trip you made me feel as though we had been friends forever! I will never forget your hospitality and genuine warmth!

Stay tuned for the "festive" photos of Mexico...

Grace Ormonde Wedding Style

With all that has been going on the past few months, I have been remiss in letting you know some GREAT news!

Grace Ormonde Wedding Style Magazine has given me the great honour by selecting me to be in their Platinum Listing! This list consists of all the top wedding professionals from around the WORLD so I am thrilled to be a part of this very elite list.

Grace Ormonde is based out of the US and if you're not familiar with this magazine, it is BY FAR, the most prestigious publication dedicated to the beauty of everything 'wedding'. If you are in the "Planning" stages of your wedding, please be sure to pick up your copy at any major book store or magazine shop.

John Valk BMW / Ducati Grand Opening

This past Saturday I had the privilege of attending John Valk's Grand Opening of his new store on Grandview Hwy! I scored a new riding jacket too with the hefty discounts they were offering!

(this ISN'T the one I bought... I'll show you that come spring)


It was also the unveiling of the NEW Ducati 1100S! It looks relatively like my 696 Monster but much more powerful. Definitely not something I'm willing to play with! My bike has more than enough torque thank you very much...

Larry Campbell and another minister from Ottawa (I can't remember his name... how bad is that!) were on hand for the ribbon cutting...


The Ducati rep and his "lovely assistant" unveiled the new Monster... (I was so excited!)


And here it is!.....


Just look at those wheels, the Brembo breaks... ahhhh! So beautiful!



The entertainment they had was quite unique! African drummers and dancers were on hand and the performance was exhilarating! But there was a reason behind the "African Theme"...


... John Valk and his crew are planning a 36 day ride from Cape Town, South Africa up the eastern coast of Africa, past Malawi, through the Mojave desert and ending somewhere near the supposed region where mankind was said to have begun... HOW INCREDIBLE WOULD THAT BE!!! For more information, check out the details on his website www.johnvalkbmw.com

A bit of a set back

Well, I'm back from Mexico and it was INCREDIBLE! However, upon my return it appears I've scratched my corneas and I have been bandaged up the last few days with antibiotic gel. It's nothing serious and it'll heal rather quickly. However, it will affect my workflow so I'm going to be a few days behind in getting things out. If you've left a message or email, I will get back to you as soon as I can!

Mexico

I'm heading to Mexico first thing tomorrow morning and I doubt I'll have a chance to keep up with my blog. If I don't immediately respond to your emails or phone calls, it's probably because I'm out shooting or catching some "me" time.

When I get back I'll DEFINITELY share some of the images from the wedding!

OLE!

Jayna Bussiere

Remember this name! Jayna has done all the makeup and hairstyles for all my Fashion-inspired Bridal Shoots the past few months and she is AMAZING! There is nothing she can not do! Very rarely do I meet someone who can do both makeup and hair as well as Jayna. AND her personality makes her SO MUCH FUN to work with! Jayna always stays during the entire shoot and is ready for touch ups, runaway hair spritzes, a complete "look" change and a LOT of cajoling!

PLEASE check out her site www.jaynamarie.com and call her RIGHT AWAY! Jayna ROCKS!

Kirsten & Greg - Engagement

Kirsten is a fellow photographer here in Vancouver and is planning a very small, intimate wedding in January. I LOVE intimate weddings and I jumped at the chance to work with someone in the industry! For their engagement photos we went to the Royal Vancouver Yacht Club where most of their time is spent. Kirsten has been into sailing since she was a child and Greg shares her passion so it was a propos to be around the water and a multitude of boats. I can't WAIT until January!





It was a chilly day, to say the least, but both Kirsten and Greg were troupers and they managed to stay both warm AND dry! There was a slight drizzle but nothing that we couldn't handle.

Jacklin McMynn - Bridal Shoot

Hycroft Manor is ALWAYS an amazing place to photograph highly sophisticated and gorgeous brides. Jacklin definitely falls in this category! These images really bring out Jacklin's beauty, warmth and inner joy.




I think both Jacklin AND Graham were a bit surprised as she was getting her hair and makeup done. Graham had never seen her so 'done up'! I think he was a little worried (hee hee) but he LOVED the final results! Jayna Bussiere did an AMAZING job (as usual)!










At this time of year in Vancouver, it's difficult to find much greenery let alone greenery that isn't soggy. But we found some beautiful ivy that contrasted well with the outside wall.