meaghan + mark {expecting}

I feel a little silly posting these photos now because Meaghan's beautiful bump turned into an incredibly adorable little boy named Rory about a week ago. I'm so excited to meet their new bouncing baby boy but I would feel sheepish showing up without their maternity photos. So on this rainy, grey day I settled into the cheery work of editing Meaghan's maternity session.

Today also happens to be the last day of my free trial of Alien Skin Exposure 3. It's a program I've been playing with that makes digital photos look like film. Basically, you open up your digital file and the program allows you to choose from a long list of films (from polaroid to kodachrome to holga to slide!) and magically your file is transported back to 1973!

As I was going through Meaghan + Mark's photos I felt a vintage vibe from some of their images... something about our bright, sunshiny day and their good looks. So what you see below is something a little out of the ordinary for me - heavily processed photos that look more like the decade I was born, than when Rory was born. :)

*you can right-click 'open in a new tab' to see 'em big*

the janes

A sunny morning in Shubie Park. A beautiful family. I don't think these pictures need much more of an introduction... other than an "oh my goodness how gorgeous are these children!?" I can't wait to meet the new little one!

maria + ben {let's dance}

Here is the last installment of Ben + Maria's wedding. Did I mention that their reception was in a potato storage barn? It was nothing short of incredible... and, let me tell you, these people know how to have a good time! :)

All the bridesmaids and groomsmen danced their way into the reception. I love this one of Ben carrying his bride.


Maria having a good laugh over her maid of honour's speech and slideshow.


To get the bride and groom to kiss, you had to roll a barrel of potatoes the length of the head table. This guy had no problem.


Ben had a slightly harder time.


But he got his kiss!


The first dance was nontraditional in that it was a slightly faster tune... which suited these two perfect as you can tell they love to dance and are really good at it!


And if someone is going to cut-in on your first dance, she better be as cute as this... :)


When your son has too much to drink, all you really can do is laugh!

cindy + mike {in love}

There is one obvious thing that every photographer should have tucked under their arm when walking out the door to a shoot. Yes, that would be a camera.

And, as I pulled into Hemlock Ravine to meet Cindy + Mike and was excitedly thinking about grandiose wide angle shots with tall, sweeping trees, what realization do you think punched me in the stomach?

I forgot my camera. I had a bag full of lenses but... no camera.

I know! How in the world does a photographer do that? Forget your camera?! It's like walking outside to go for a run and realizing you're still in bare feet, or putting milk and sugar in a steaming cup of hot water and as you take a sip - whoops! No tea bag.

How I managed to do this still confounds me. I've been feeling so happy and grateful about how the bigger picture pieces of my life have finally been falling into place that apparently I was becoming careless about the details... you know, like bringing my camera to an engagement shoot.

Cindy + Mike were such good sports. Mike immediately shared a story about he and friend drove two hours and then hiked one hour into the woods to go fishing only to discover his friend forgot his fishing pole (thank goodness I'm not the only one!). Mike saved the day by lending his back-up fishing rod to his friend.

Luckily, Cindy is a photographer as well who just so happens to have the good sense to shoot Nikon and was smart enough to bring her own camera to her own engagement shoot - basically saving the day. What a relief!

But of course, for the first little bit I was thrown. My camera is an extension of me and I reflexively switch aperture, shutter speed, and ISO without even realizing I'm doing it sometimes. To have to stop, look at the controls, compose through a different viewfinder... I wouldn't say I was terrified but I will definitely admit to unsettled.

So it was a great relief to see that despite using somewhat unfamiliar tools, I was still able to get a few fantastic shots of Cindy + Mike. In the end, I learned two lessons with the obvious one being don't forget your camera! The second one is it's not because of my gear that I get great images, it's because of me and the wonderful people I work with. A fancy-pants camera enables but doesn't create.

ANYway, enough about me. Cindy, along with being a photographer, is also an herbalist. Mike works in forestry. Between the wee plants on the forest floor and tallest trees, they pretty much know everything. It was a pleasure to spend an hour tromping about the woods with them and listen to them talk about what's what and why. To top it off, these two have an unmistakable bond that made my job (even without my camera!) pretty darn easy. Can't wait for the wedding you two!

maria + ben {getting ready}

There are so many great shots from Maria and Ben's wedding that it's practically impossible to decide which ones to post. Here are a few from before the ceremony.

While Maria and her bridesmaids were getting their hair done, I asked her three little nieces to come outside with me for a mini photo shoot. These girls were so fun, so well-behaved and as you can see - brimming over with personality!


Maria and her maid of honor leaving the... what do you call a place that does make-up? Beauty parlour? Well, whatever it's called, Made You Blush was a really neat place to photograph because inside the walls are pink and the floor has pink polka dots!


I loved Maria's dress so I took a lot of pictures of it... as you can plainly see. The first shot was one of those situations where as a photographer you look around and go, "Yikes! There's no light in this room!" and then you remember to never under-estimate the power of a bedside lamp.


These shots of Ben and the boys are Dave working his magic. Remember in the last post how I said their day was epic? Well, it doesn't get much more epic that using a private airplane as a backdrop!


Ben and his lovely mother (also taken by Dave). So sweet.


Stay tuned! I'll be posting a few fun ones from the reception in a day or so!

maria + ben {say i do}

When I think of Maria and Ben's wedding, the first word that immediately jumps to mind is Epic. And yes, I meant to type that with a capital 'E'.

Where do I even begin? Maria is stunningly beautiful. Ben is handsome with a smile that lights up a room. Both their families are so warm and welcoming. They got married in Johnville, New Brunswick where the scenery is so pretty you feel like you're in a story book. We took pictures in a hay field and Maria stood on a hay bale! And they jumped on a trampoline!! Have you heard of a couple being so laid back that they're totally cool with jumping around on a trampoline!? And get this too... *dramatic pause*

The reception was in a potato storage barn!

Dave and I shot for 14 hours and literally took a gazillion pictures, give or take a few. We got so many amazing shots that it's hard to know which ones to post... so I'll start with the ones that give me goosebumps and go from there. :)

Maria and Ben: I hope your lives together are as magical, happy and beautiful as the day we spent with you playing in farmer's fields and dancing in a barn. Thanks for inviting Dave and I to capture your special day.



A gorgeous ring shot by Dave.


And talk about magical - here Dave captures a bumble bee doing it's thing while Maria and Ben pose in the background. When I saw this one, my jaw dropped!


If you right-click 'open in new tab' on this one, you'll be able to see it better. This was taken around midnight when I asked Ben and Maria to come to the entrance of the barn with me because I just knew this image had to be snapped. I told them to stand in the middle of the doorway and 'snuggle in' and they posed in this perfect embrace. To me, this image is definitely the cherry on top of a day already full of amazing photos and memories.