Scott and Shannyn – September 10, 2016

An early fall wedding on Keats Island where these two spent many summers. Their families both have cabins on the island and they know every inch of it! Travel is by golf cart, and they had the most gorgeous spots picked out for their photos. Barnabus is simply one of the most beautiful venues I have ever been to, and the boat rides, golf cart bush wacking, wharves and love. What an adventure this day was! The groom and groomsmen wore kilts and the brides were in the most beautiful aqua color. A special thank you to my second shooter Ryan Knight for all his help shooting this wedding!

Melinda and Darren

I met with Melinda and Darren earlier this year, and was so excited to photograph their wedding. They shared that they were a blended family and had been busy in the last ten years raising their family. They literally had no pictures done of themselves or their family, so were excited for this special day!

They specifically asked to have their photos down down by Hopkins Landing as there is a bench there in his grandfather’s honor. Darren grew up along this stretch of beach and his family has deep roots there! We all could not believe the color of the water, I’ve never seen it this spectacular tropical color! Darren told me he specially ordered a formula to sprinkle in the water to have it magical for Melinda! He is the sweetest!

Congratulations Darren and Melinda! The day could not have been more perfect!

Awesome Vendors:

Daily Bloom Flowers by Sandie Lanskail
Hair and Makeup – Shy Beauty by Sabrina Samy
Bride’s Dress – Champagne & Lace – Abbotsford

Piotr and Laura

There was a threat of rain that morning, and July on the west coast can be unpredictable! We had good luck on our side and just as the bride and her bridesmaids were heading out to the ampitheatre in Porpoise Bay Provincial park, the skies literally opened up to puffy white clouds, and turned vivid blue!

The ampitheatre was a perfect setting for a wedding, moody westcoast vibes amongst the evergreens and ferns. It was officiated by the brides foster mom that travelled all the way from Texas!   Did I mention the groom is a tattoo artist? You can find evidence of their amazing style throughout the day. So much love everywhere! It was perfect!

Vendors:

Sandie Lanskail of The Daily Bloom for gorgeous flowers!

Fresh Air Photobooth  – (by Fresh Air Photography)

Congratulations Piotr and Laura Barker! ~16.07.2016~

Nicole

I was booked two years ago to do a maternity shoot for Nicole. Sadly, that never happened as she went into labour prematurely and delivered Mackenzie! Fast forward two years and she is expecting another baby this July!

She wasn’t going to do a maternity shoot this time, but I think I talked her into it. It may be her last pregnancy and this needs to be celebrated, and recorded. Personally I can hardly recall what it was like to be pregnant as its been a long time since I had my babies. So, we put together a quick maternity shoot as I was only in the Okanagan for a few short days!

A Stormy Summer Beach Wedding – Shannon and Troy

Summer 2015 was a draught. Hot and dry, with a huge forest fire burning in our inlet! August 8, 2015 was the one and only day we saw rain. It was so welcome, moody and full of drama! The perfect summer rainy day stormy wedding!

Personally it was a challenging wedding for myself, as I shot  the wedding, as well  was a bridesmaid! What a challenge! This could not have been done without the amazing skills of my second shooter – Stacey Krolow Photography.
Makeup – Tanya Plows, Hair by Carlee Benner, Liz Paul and Sam Fleet

Being in the Flow

Dakota Ridge. Its in our back yard. I discovered it six or seven years ago with my friend Jessica Huntington, before the road was consistently plowed. It is another hidden gem on the coast if you haven’t been before. The ultimate winter recreational place to go! Once you hit the snow line   you feel transported to another country!

We were there for opening day which was last Friday. The cat and grader were finishing up the parking lot for the public. Chains are recommended always to get to the top, but it is possible to make it up in an all wheel drive or 4 wheel drive vehicle.

The quonset warming hut and the the nice big sign greeted us the the head of the trails. Apparently the volunteers have been very busy blazing new cross country trails for the cross country and skate skiers. We were there to snow shoe, and just enjoy the morning!

Nancy, Jessica and I have been friends for many years. Its pretty safe to say we are all, in some way, adrenal adventure junkies! And we hadn’t had a chance to get together for quite some time. The scenery was just amazing!

We actually were talking so much and so fast that we thought we would try to be more meditative and just listen to the silence. Um, that didn’t last the full minute 😉

In total we did a couple of loops, 6k, and broke trail in some spots! what a great workout!



The cameras did come out. A lot. It truly is breathtaking to be up that high in the alpine! (thank you to Jess for the Iphone shot of me, and Nancy for trying out the big camera!)

We finished up in the warming hut, with the essential snow shower’s care package that Nancy prepared!

What an incredible day! Thank you to Nancy’s husband Craig for snapping a shot of the three of us!

As we were leaving we ran into a student that Jess knows. She explained that she was actually doing a paper on what this special experience is called. She said it is “being in the flow”  and “having a high quality recreational experience.”  And yes, I’d say it was!