by Sarah | Engagement Session, modern photography
It definitely doesn’t seem like it but two years ago this very day, I married the most wonderful man I have ever known. Two years ago, we brought our two families together, Canadian and Scottish, and danced the night away. We were married in the late afternoon on the grounds of a 16th century ruin called Spynie Palace in the highlands of Scotland. It was everything I ever imagined it to be, and seeing as how I had planned the whole wedding from abroad, I definitely did have a lot of imagining to do. Upon arrival in Scotland, I had been wondering whether being a wedding photographer had spoiled me for feeling the emotion of all the festivities, worried that since I have been to more weddings than most people will attend in their lifetime that the magic I see in my couple’s faces wouldn’t be there for me… I remember visiting Spynie the day before the wedding, my very first in person visit to the ruin, and bursting into tears, overwhelmed with the grandness and the history, and the fact that my dear friend Hope (my photographer! www.h2photo.ca) and her husband and their beautiful baby girl were there to meet me. Truly, I would get my magic and emotion and it made me really happy. It really does seem like yesterday, but I guess that’s what old people say so I will try and avoid the cliche 🙂 I do get asked often what I like about my specialty and although it’s hard to pinpoint just one aspect, one part of what I love, it really is all about the happiness for me. To be enveloped in that love for a day is something I revel in, something that feeds my soul. The love that I felt that day for and from all my friends and family still resounds within our life today.
photos by H2photo www.h2photo.ca
In honor of the Cotton Anniversary that is 2 years of marriage, I did some crafting! I found some wicked cotton fabric and utilized my sewing machine to make a cottony card! And in keeping with our soon-to-be bedroom theme of woodblocks and type sets, I used transfers for a really luxurious pillow specifically for him!
You´re better then the best\ I´m lucky just to linger in your light\ Cooler than the flip side of my pillow -uncle kracker
i love you so much!
by Sarah | Engagement Session
I’ll never forget meeting Mandi. She was a referral from one of my 2011 couples and she was so exuberant and excited that I couldn’t help but feel the same way. When I saw her gigantic wedding binder, I knew we were going to get along just great! (My own wedding binder is still a prized possession!) Speaking with her at the consult was like talking to an old friend and I was thrilled when she and Ryan chose me to document their day. Mandi told me she definitely wanted a winter engagement session and she wanted it to revolve around snowboarding, a mutual love for the couple. I did some research and found the perfect hill for the shoot. All three of us definitely got our exercise from clambering up and down the bunny hill and as a result of their enthusiasm and skill, I got some terrific images. I had such a blast and I am so excited for their August wedding!
by Sarah | Engagement Session, modern photography
Well friends it has just been too long, my list of sessions has been piling up and I have neglected my blog! Onwards and upwards though, my goal is to get my whole huge list down to zero by the end of this week. For the most up to date version of my work please check out my facebook page www.facebook.com/YYCmodphoto
AJ contacted me a few months ago for session to commemorate her first year of marriage. Not only was I excited to hear that they would both be in traditional Indian garb, but also that AJ is a lover of architecture and requested the best that Calgary had to offer. I definitely have noticed a huge increase in the amount of interesting and beautiful buildings in Calgary just in the last few years and it was a treat to be able to combine the beauty and colour of this amazing couple with the clean solid lines of the buildings. Aside from a run in with Calgary’s “most high profile building” -insert cough- the whole shoot was brilliant, and lit to perfection. Enjoy!
by Sarah | Engagement Session, modern photography
I had the good fortune to meet Amie and Brandon a couple years ago when I photographed their friend’s wedding in Vegas. Brandon was in the wedding party and was immediately someone that I knew I could count on to make everyone laugh. I was delighted when I heard that they had gotten engaged and even more so when they booked me right on the spot. I love when that happens! I think how Brandon proposed is one of the coolest I have ever heard about. He is a big fisherman and so, he created the perfect plan to utilize the PERFECT lure…. and what might that be you ask? Well, the wedding ring of course. Yes, there is an actual fishing lure called the wedding ring! How cool is that?! He found the opportunity to put his plan into action when they were on a family camping trip. Brandon was fishing and slyly asked Amie for the aforementioned lure. She didn’t really think anything of it, knowing that that is indeed a lure he uses. Still, as she rummaged through the tackle box, something caught her eye….. Sure it was the wedding ring packaging but inside, it was definitely NOT the lure. Carefully placed inside was a spectacular diamond engagement ring. Fast forward to our session, and we chose Kananaskis as our backdrop. Amie and Brandon spend a huge amount of time outside, hiking, snowshoeing, you name it, so it was only fitting that we head out to the mountains. They can attest to how amazing the scenery was by the fact that all I wanted to do was keep shooting. I cannot wait for their Lougheed House wedding in June! Enjoy the sneakpeek!
by Sarah | Engagement Session, modern photography
In honor of International Women’s Day I am giving you a little piece of my past! I am the creator of a photographic collection of stories called ‘she was stunning. a collection of her stories‘. Before I was headfirst in weddings, ‘she was stunning’ was my main business, started simply as a portfolio project when I attended the Alberta College of Art and Design. In a nutshell, the collection chronicles the universal experiences of everyday women. Even though I don’t sell the products anymore, the stories are and will always be a part of me, and something that I know I will continue to revisit for years to come. Happy International Women’s Day!
‘It started with just one thought. One idea. What if women were portrayed as they are: insecurities, doubts, triumphs, liberations, ups, downs, strengths, independence, all in photographic form. It was a project that continues to remain a source of inspiration and one that challenges my thoughts and feelings on a daily basis. Every day there are successful, intelligent women waiting by the phone even though they promised themselves they wouldn’t. Every day there are women conquering their fears and achieving the impossible. This collection strives to celebrate all that women are without judgement and hopefully with a little bit of laughter.
Thank you for sharing in my passion.’
by Sarah | Engagement Session, modern photography
As soon as I received Vanessa’s photography inquiry about their upcoming wedding, I knew we would get along great. Vanessa is Canadian but her fiance Tim is a Brit through and through and they are currently living in Manchester, England. My husband is also a Brit (Scottish to be more specific, complete with the accent!) and I have yet to meet another inter-national couple that I didn’t connect with; that I didn’t instantly adore. There just seems to be this underlying bond that stems from the accent to the humor to the cultural differences to the dreaded, complicated immigration sagas. I met with Vanessa in person and after more than enough chat about our common situations and life in England, I was beyond thrilled to be booked for their gorgeous Buffalo Mountain Lodge wedding in Banff. After a whirlwind trip that included Australia, Tim and Vanessa touched down in YYC for a week of wedding planning and an afternoon esession with me. We spent our time exploring the mountains and woods of Canmore, getting to know each other and of course capturing some engagement photographs. I think the best moment of the shoot came from a bright idea of mine to throw snow up in the air, hopefully catching big flakes falling softly. Can you see it? How beautiful right? Ah yeah. Not so much. The snow clumped and fell like a ton of bricks. We did however get a huge laugh out of it but alas, the last image is an homage to this hilarious FAIL. Enjoy!
