xo

Steph

It was early 2000. I had read an article about a band that Thom Yorke highly recommended. I was working at HMV at the time, and my new friend Kris and I both ordered this album. It took forever to arrive. It had this weird little alien on the cover of this blue cardboard sleeve. I had no idea what to expect. I was house sitting for some family friends at the time. so I went to the house. Put it on their high end stereo. Turned it up. I had a friend over. I really wanted to experience this album that I so looked forward to. We both laid on the floor, and I closed my eyes. From the very first reverse looped vocals that faded into the signature sonar blips of Svefn-G-Englar, I was entranced. I had never heard anything like this before. Had never felt so much from an album before. I laid there transfixed. Stuck. Immobile. For over an hour.

This would be the beginning of my relationship with Sigur Rós. Today was another milestone. Today was a global stream of their new album Valtari</a>. My favourite record store, Listen, was hosting listening party. I felt inclined to attend. To experience the album for the first time with like minded fans. But as the time grew nearer, I found myself wanting to experience it for the first time alone. I grabbed the laptop, a blanket, and some headphones. I went into my father’s backyard. Laid down beneath the clouds, and then closed my eyes. Once again I found myself immersed into the music.

The music is very reminiscent of Ágætis Byrjun. It is also a more ambient record. A solitary sounding album that I am glad I experienced in this way.

In an era of digital everything, I find that sometimes I just don’t dedicate myself to the experience as much as I used to. We are now in a time where life is multitasked. We don’t have time to dedicate an entire hour to simply listening to a record. 10 minutes to truly appreciate a piece of art. 15 hours to enjoy a great book. We hardly have enough attention to watch a 2 hour movie without checking our phones.

Our media consumption has changed. We now consume at a much higher rate than ever before. We see hundreds of photos a day. We hear music everywhere we go, sometimes over 100 songs a day. We watch video clips, making sure that they aren’t over 5 minutes long before we even start. We read in blocks of 144 characters, or in small chunks.

We forget that sometimes it isn’t the media that matters. But the feeling. The memory. The experience. If I think back to all of my favourite songs or albums, they all have a story. An experience behind it. Every time I hear that song/album I am reminded of that story. That experience.

I am a professional photographer. I photograph weddings and portraits. I am good at what I do. Ultimately, it isn’t how great my composition and lighting are. It doesn’t matter how good my equipment is, or how I post process my work. In the end, it is about the feeling. The memory. The experience. These images are pieces of our lives. Pieces of our relationships. They chronicle our moments. Instances, that when looked back upon, remind us of the experience. That time in our lives.

Little did I know 12 years ago, what the year 2000 had in store for me. It turned out to be one of the key transitions in my life. And that year, will always remind me of Sigur Rós. Of Ágætis Byrjun. Of Flugufrelsarinn. It was a year of growth, discovery, heartache, and so much more.

I anticipate this year to be another year of transition. And I vow to experience it. To pay more attention to life. To music. To art. To my craft. To my family. To my friends.

I don’t want to skim through life. I want to dedicate myself and my time to living.

I want to create. And I want to feel what others create.

- Shaun

The number one question we get asked about engagement sessions is: “what should we wear?”

You might want to curl up with a coffee and give your self a minute to read through this one

For me, it’s a little hard to answer because I’m definitely not the most stylish person.  Too be honest Shaun is much better at it than I am. I genuinely ask him for his opinions all the time.

However, I do know that the impact of what you wear and how you feel during the session can make a huge difference in how the images turn out!  Positive, fun loving energy shows when it’s natural.  If you’re having a session done with your fiance/best friend, you already know what the feeling like is inside, we get to show it off through photography.  That’s why the most important part of what to wear is wearing something that you feel wonderful and confident in.  Something that is comfortable and fits your personality.

I’m not saying that what you wear is the most important thing to consider, nor that it’s a good idea to wear fancy clothes that you’d otherwise never actually wear from your closet… i’m only stating that if you feel amazing during your session, inside and out… There is no way that you will not absolutely positively, fall in love with the photographs we’ll take of you.

To help, there are a plethora of resources out there these days… just be careful.  They can get addicting

First….Pinterest!  Here is a style guide for couples.  Second is Polyvore! I’ve just recently disovered this site so I’m not finished with the learning curve yet… but it’s a great fun resource!  It allows you to play around with different ideas for outfits.

Here are some common rules that photographers commonly give out.  Keep in mind rules are made to be broken, and start small… pick a simple favourite item and go from there.  (I have to admit I didn’t make these layouts..I found them online after doing some research)

RULE #1 – No Matching 

It just ends up looking awkward… a big blob of black sweaters and 4 legs… or something like this

RULE #2 – Complimentary Colours

Complimentary colours are excellent.  Some of my favourite colour combos are shades of beige with pops of coral and navy (e.g., jeans), and grey and yellow.

A great resource for inspiration is ColourLovers.  Click on “Palettes” and then scroll through until you find palettes you love.  Here is a great example of a palette that would work well for a couples’ session. That palette inspired these outfits.

RULE #3 – Solid Colours and Simple Patterns

Solid colours and simple patterns look amazing in photographs.  Bold patterns can be very distracting in photographs if there is too much going on, but if it’s balanced with solid colours it can look amazing.

Here is an example of how to break this rule.

RULE #4 – Layer & Accessorize

Layering is a great way to add color and something extra to an outfit. It also is a great way to build an outfit into multiple ones. Think cardigans, sweaters, ties, blazers, scarfs, and tights.

Accessories are the finishing touches. Earrings, necklaces, bracelets, shoes, belts, and ties.

RULE #5 – You Should Look Like You

Don’t go way out of your comfort zone for your shoot.  Most people tend to already feel a little awkward at the beginning of their engagement or shoot (don’t worry, once we get started it fades away. promise)  For example, if you are a jeans and t-shirt kind of guy, think twice about sporting a suspenders and a bow-tie.  Instead, maybe go for a casual collared shirt (maybe paired with a a loose tie) and some canvas kicks. (If you are a bow-tie and suspenders kind of guy, rock it out, maybe add in a fedora to kick it up a notch!)

FAQs

Should we bring a change of clothes?

Two outfits can be awesome and can bring a little more variety into your images, especially if we’ve got a couple locations planned out.  That being said – you need to be super comfortable changing in public for this to work. It also takes up precious time. Usually, we time engagement shoots for golden hour. Golden hour is the magic time of day with the absolute prettiest sunlight, but it only lasts for so long in Edmonton! This is why layering can be an awesome idea. Lose the blazer and tie half way through, and presto: new outfit!

Should I get my Hair and Makeup Done?

This is totally up to you.  It depends on your budget and how comfortable you feel doing your own hair. It also depends on what you are using these images for (invitations, signing album or images for your home).  For makeup, you can always schedule your makeup trial for earlier that day!  Do we think you should get your hair and/or makeup done.  Honestly, only if you want to!  And if you do… we have a handful of artists who we’re happy to recommend to you.

What About Props?

Props can be a fun way of bringing another element into your engagement session, but unless they serve a real purpose they can also take away from the two of you and your relationship.  So, if you are addicted to reading old novels… bring them along!  Have a favourite coffee shop or bar, we’d be happy to meet there and take some images with your drink. Want to use your images for a save the date or for table numbers? Bring a framed image or a chalkboard.  Got engaged at a picnic?  Let’s have a picnic!

Just make sure to keep in mind the most important part of the session is the two of you and your relationship

Most of our engagements sessions are just us and our clients hanging out exploring a new area of the river valley amongst the trees or in an open field just outside the city.

Will you tell us what to do in front of the Camera? 

Of course we will.  We know how to set you up in the right light, in a flattering way, and how to tweak a few things so that an image looks complete. But don’t worry, we don’t pose you so much that you feel awkward.

Alright, I hope you found this mouthful of a blog post helpful.  Please let us know if you have any other questions at all, feel free to send us an email or call!!

- Steph

After weeks of rescheduling their session due to rain, we were finally able to meet up last Monday.  It was definitely worth the wait for the gorgeous sunlight.  We had a great time hanging out with them.  They’re fun, gorgeous, and so easy to joke around with.

See you in a few weeks!
- Steph

- Steph

- the Scades

Maui is an incredible place.  Friendly and breathtakingly beautiful.  The locations were endless it seemed.  We did a few images on our trip around the road to Hana, and then we did some at Erik’s favourite beach. It was fantastic spending the week with them, especially the adorable Charlie.  Here are some of the images from the session.  Look for some more Landscape images in the coming weeks.

- Steph

Their first date was at West Edmonton Mall.  And as they started their date at the Red Piano bar, so did our session.  We continued throughout the mall all the way to Galaxyland for a few, up to the movie theater, and then a few other spots.  It was a great place to spend some time with this couple who is getting married in Nicaragua.  After West Ed we went to the Muttart Conservatory to get some images with the Pyramids.  Adam has become very interested as of late with the original pyramids and thought it would be a great area for the remainder of the session.  While we were there we also took out the long board and got some images of them together.  Here are a few images from their session, we hope you enjoy.  Have a fantastic wedding in Nicaragua.

It was a wonderful day.  Amber and Mike had permanent smiles, and the day was sunny and warm, with just enough snow left for some lovely winter wedding images.

They were married at OLPH church in Sherwood Park and after the portrait session, their reception was held at the Coast Edmonton East Hotel with Paul from Premier DJ’s.

You can also take a look at a few more images from their wedding here.

On Friday, the day before a wedding, we received our pre-ordered Fuji X-Pro 1 camera.  This is a mirrorless “Pro” level camera aimed at professional photographers wanting a “smaller” than SLR body and Pro level image quality.  It features a classic rangefinder look, and a rangefinder style viewfinder.  But this version is teched up considerably.  In addition to the information heavy rangefinder-ish viewfinder it has the option of having and Electronic Viewfinder (EVF).  It also features a killer sensor that lacks an Anti-aliasing filter which makes it super crisp.  Add is some other great advances and you have the potential for a great little camera.

We decided to test it out on it’s first wedding this past weekend, and I was pleasantly surprised.  It is a very unassuming camera, so people are less likely to notice or pay attention to it when you are wielding it.  The viewfinder allows you to compose based on extra information.  And it is comparatively quiet when it snaps away.  I ended up using the camera a lot more than I had anticipated using it, and when all was said and done, there was over 700 images on the camera.

Ultimately, it is a camera that will be used to supplement the big, fast and Powerful DSLR cameras, but it is a camera that performs very well and the image quality is very impressive.  Is this a camera for everyone?  No.  It is perfect for street photography, event coverage, travel, and it worked surprisingly well for the portrait session as well.  But it requires patience, and attention.  It slows you down, somewhat necessarily.  The focus is accurate and crisp, but not as quick as an SLRs.  It’s composition style encourages you to think a bit more.  It can shoot 3 or 6 FPS if necessary, but I chose to shoot in single shot mode.  It is a camera with quirks, and interesting features.  A camera that takes a while to get used to.  But it rewards.

I have never been an EVF fan, but the combination viewfinder allows you to take an image with the rangefinder style view, and then it displays the captured image inside the viewfinder.  You don’t have to look at the back of the camera to see the result, allowing you to keep your eye to the camera.  A very unique approach.  There are so many different ways to shoot and use this camera, that I am sure it will continue to impress.

I have included some image samples from the wedding below.  Unfortunately, as it is still very new, RAW support in Lightroom or Aperture is still not available, so I had to use an inferior RAW software for these images.  The images have also been modified as per my usual workflow, which involves sharpening, contrast adjustments, color shifts, and adding grain, and BW conversion is by my usual method.  So please keep in mind, this isn’t for pixel-peepers, but more for people to see how I used this camera to approach a wedding.  So here are a select few images from the day, and a couple the day before (out and about).  And look for a full post from this wedding and this great couple in the next week.

- Shaun

-Steph

Megan wanted some snowy winter pictures at the University of Alberta as she loves the old buildings on the grounds and spent many days studying…as well as sleeping in convocation hall while studying for her English degree.  It’s a good thing we waited until this past week to do their session… we finally had some snow to work with.

She wore a super cute red jacket and a scarf with her family’s tartan, and then changed it up with an amazing shawl from Darren’s Grandmother.  It worked beautifully in the winter photographs and trees.

It’s easy to see how important family is to these two, and that’s something Shaun and I always love seeing when we photograph weddings.  Congrats you guys!!!

- Steph

Their wedding is coming up in March and with a couple as fun loving as these two, I’m sure their wedding is going to be a blast.  Here are a few images from the session.

- Steph

They are so FULL of love for each other, it shows within the first few minutes spent with them! Their litte girl Casey is a doll and looked adorable in her pigtails

Thanks for spending a chilly afternoon with us, and props to Casey for sticking it out for as long as she did!

- Steph

Melody and Darren’s dynamic was a ton of fun.  They were so easy to be around I left feeling like I’d like to set up another hang out date

Here are some of the images from their winter engagement session.

- Steph