maudieblog

New Blog!

2007-11-29T13:48:00.000-07:00

All new blog posts can be found at www.alanmaudieblog.com

Wedding - Lindsay and Josh

2007-11-14T10:35:00.000-07:00

An event of this size takes the combined efforts of many different artists and vendors. More importantly it takes a skilled event planner to take an event like this from concept to reality. The team at Table Talk created what some didn't think was possible. They are world class in my books.

While attending this event felt like being in a movie, it was still a real wedding with two great Calgary families coming together to celebrate a marriage. From my front row seat I can report that this is a great couple, with lots of very close friends and family. I felt privileged to record this day in their lives.

This is getting wordy, so if you want to read more about it the Calgary Sun covered it last week here. I'll get on with posting some of my favourites.

Lindsay likes shoes.

The bride ready to go. I don't remember what she was looking at, but the resulting pose sure looked good.

Lindsay and her dad share a moment on the aisle.

While the paper work was being signed.

Leaving the ceremony.

The wedding party.

View from the head table.

Center piece.

That's how you eat cake!

It snowed during their first dance.

This couple is so hot their rings melted into the ice!

e-session - Kellie and Mike

2007-11-07T07:44:00.001-07:00

Kellie and Mike's session was delayed a couple months due to a broken ankle suffered by Mike. So what was supposed to be a late summer shoot, ended up being a late fall shoot. This time of year is really growing on me. There aren't any leaves left (on the trees), but it still looks really interesting in areas. In the end though, if you have a couple with good chemistry it doesn't matter what the location is, or what time of year it is. Kellie and Mike are a good example of that.

Wedding - Casey and Cal

2007-11-02T09:18:00.001-06:00

Winter struck Lake Louise a few weeks ago just in time for Casey and Cal's wedding. It added a bit of drama and made the whole area look pretty, well pretty. It was a lot of fun exploring the Chateau (called the Fairmont now), which I hadn't been to in a while. Casey was a great sport and stayed outside for the portrait session as long as her toes would allow.

Casey's dress was made by her mom.

Cal getting some help from his mom with the suspender things.

Hydrating.

During the ceremony.

I was so happy that the lake was calm.

e-session - Amahny and Sam

2007-10-25T12:45:00.001-06:00

I think Amahny will have a tough time topping this birthday. The city looked amazing and so did these two. We strolled through Princes Island and it felt like a movie set. Thanks for letting me crash your party guys!

Wedding - Maggie and Tyron

2007-10-23T13:20:00.000-06:00

Sometimes the "love in the air" at weddings is so thick it feels like you are moving through warm water. Maggie and Tyron's wedding felt like a therapy session for the heart. It was my last Calgary wedding for 2007 so it was nice to end on a good note.

One of the flower girls waiting for the bride to get back from the salon.

Dad checking to see if the girls had arrived yet.

Maggie before the ceremony

Hands down, the "sharpest dressed" award went to the ring bearer. Not only was his tie slightly epic, but.....

... he rocked a cape! I could see the wheels turning in some of the men's heads. One of the guys I talked to named Kevin was visibly disturbed at being out dressed by the youngster:)

Exchanging rings.

Maggie's parents during the ring exchange.

It was a bit past the prime of fall, but there was still a bit of colour to be found.

Spruce Meadows reception.

Tyron's parents as the couple entered.

The first dance.

Father of the bride during the first dance.

Wedding - Jarret and Tyson

2007-10-17T12:14:00.000-06:00

Ok, I realize that it's been a full 2 weeks since my last posting, but I just assumed after the blogging madness of September everyone was getting sick of me. Actually, I had a wedding in Salmon Arm / Sicamous (B.C.) on the Thanksgiving weekend and then caught up with my family in Whitefish for a week of RnR.

Anyways, onto Jarret and Tyson. I always love going back to B.C., since its where I spent the first 20 years of my life. There are so many little differences from Alberta. I guess mainly it just feels like home. The Sicamous area is so scenic, and I had been eagerly waiting for this wedding all year.

12 hours of photography produced a lot of images so here are just a few of my favourites.

Jarret getting into her dress.

The final OK from mom.

Jarret's dad just after giving her away. He reminded me of the scene in movies where someone tries to patch a hole in a dam wall with a piece of gum. It was great to see a father love his daughter so much.

One of the toughest things about being surrounded by beautiful scenery is you tend to feel a bit guilty for setting up photos like this using a rusty old wall, but I just wouldn't have been able to live with myself if I hadn't used it.

Tyson's groomsmen. I told them if they ever start a rock band, I have the cover, they have the hair.

The girls.

Jarret's parents own/operate the local grocery store, so we definitely needed a "attention shoppers, groom's on special in aisle 4" shot. I think this photo is also pretty symbolic of how marriage works, but I won't go any farther because eventually Suzanne will read this.

We didn' t have one single location planned and basically just drove around until I found something interesting. Thanks to Jarret and Tyson for letting me do my thing.

There were some great images from the reception, but this is getting long so I will end it with these two. Jarret's dad surprised her with a lip-syncing of Ring of Fire (Johnny Cash).

Their reaction to him walking into the room. Hey kids, don't read Tyson's lips.

e-session - Lana and Tim

2007-10-04T21:44:00.000-06:00

Apparently the Engagement Session Gods were happy to let us proceed last night (ya, I am back to actually blogging recent stuff). There were storms going off everywhere, but they just seemed to keep missing us. It was cold too, but there was some really interesting light and Lana and Tim were game. Fun times!

Wedding - Deb and Brennan

2007-10-04T10:58:00.001-06:00

Cozy and elegant is really the best way to describe Deb and Brennan's wedding at the Post Hotel in Lake Louise. It was the kind of wedding where I was jealous of the guests because they looked like they were just having so much fun.

Brennan's sister.

You have to love dedicated people. Grandma, was not going to miss this wedding even if it meant she was going to get there a little early.

This is the library in the Post Hotel and the same room they were married in earlier. It had some great window light that contrasted nicely with the warmth in the rest of the room. Doesn't hurt to have a beautiful bride too I guess.

The Post is world famous (not a cliche, but seriously world famous) for its wine cellar so we needed to explore that a bit. I was a bit nervous moving around in there with my gear to say the least.

e-session - Lesley and Kevan

2007-10-02T07:18:00.001-06:00

I'm really looking forward to this wedding next summer. They have set the date, but don't know where the actual wedding will be yet. After getting to work with them for a bit during this portrait session I am sure their wedding will be a lot of fun to photograph regardless of where it is.

e-session - Traci and Patric

2007-09-30T09:52:00.001-06:00

When you get caught up in the daily grind of life it is pretty easy to forget how fortunate we are living in this part of the world. I met up with Traci and Patric last week out in Bragg Creek for a portrait session and it was beyond scenic. At one point we had huge drops of rain falling while being bathed by sunlight at the same time. Too much!

I had a tough time turning this into a BW and dumping all the color.

Wedding - Jill and Cory

2007-09-26T10:11:00.000-06:00

The good times kept rolling on Saturday in Golden where Jill and Cory got married at the top of the Kicking Horse Ski Hill. After the ceremony we headed down to Golden to for their portrait session. Cory and Jill found a few really good locations for me and we stumbled upon a few more. We had a great time and the wedding party busted out tail gate snacks on numerous occasions. Thanks for the pepperoni! Always feed your photographer:)

Shoe through a shoe.

The girls before the ceremony.

Father of the bride.

Wedding - Anna and Aaron

2007-09-26T09:56:00.000-06:00

The weekend of September 15th was probably the best weekend for weather of the year. I was lucky enough to be in the mountains to photograph and few weddings and we even sneaked in a hike in with the kids.

On the Friday I photographed Anna and Aaron's wedding in Banff, NP. More words below.

Mom's after the ceremony with their bubbles.

These two are avid hikers so their portrait session had to include some pretty big landscapes.

The reception was at Storm Mountain Lodge so we did a few portraits in front of their cabin before catching up with the rest of the party in the main lodge.

e-session - Jennifer and Michael

2007-09-25T14:22:00.000-06:00

Sometimes things just click (ya, no pun intended [isn't it annoying when people say that? sorry]). Jennifer and Michael have great chemistry, I really just let them kind of be them. The light went from good to wow and I used 100% new (to me) locations. Fun. I love September light!

e-session Lindsay and Josh

2007-09-19T16:10:00.001-06:00

It is funny how the people who say they aren't good at having their photo taken always end up being the most photogenic. These two had me pretty worried with all their fearful talk, but after we started shooting I knew that good things were about to happen. I had problems saying good night and ending the shoot, I would have loved to spend another hour with them. Looking forward to the wedding coming soon!

Wedding - Bina and Raoul

2007-09-19T10:15:00.001-06:00

Before this wedding I had never set foot in Saskatchewan. I love a good road trip and adventure, so driving the 650km to Saskatoon (with my buddy Patty, who instigated deep meaning of life conversation like why backcountry skiing is better than using a lift, discussed over two pizzas and a huge bag of twizzlers) and getting to stop at world famous landmarks like Hanna, Alberta, home of Nickleback (some joker changed the "b" in Nickleback to a "c" on the sign - sacrilege), was a dream come true.

The real dream come true though was getting to photograph an Indian wedding in a really scenic city. Saskatoon, is like a mini Edmonton, without the annoying "City of Champions" signage. There are some great old buildings, big trees and a university campus with a grain elevator.

On to the photos. I don't even know how to start describing this first one. Raoul wanted to include his 10 gallon hat in some of the photos and this was my take on a groom with a PhD and an MD, wearing traditional Indian attire and a cowboy hat. Sweet.

Bina's ceremony Sari was red, yeah!

A huge wedding party.

It started to rain a bit so we headed for cover in a parking garage.

The ceremony was at the Bessborough Hotel.

Raoul and his family entering the ceremony.

The ring going on.

"Hey photo guy, we have had like 10 Cokes."

Their wedding bands were engraved by a family member. Shown here in the take home gift.

I worked hard all day to get Bina's dad to smile, but there was no cracking him. So needless to say I was surprised by his toast which had everyone laughing. Here he is thanking all the Uncles for doing, well nothing.

The couple at sunset with the hotel behind.

You would think the girls here are rocking out to some Bhangra, but actually the DJ spun The Last Saskatchewan Pirate by the Arrogant Worms and had all the Riders fans going nuts.

Portrait Session - Lisa

2007-09-18T08:40:00.001-06:00

Moms all celebrate their first child reaching the one year mark a bit differently. Lisa wanted to treat herself, so she decided to do something a bit different and buy herself a photo shoot. In addition to getting photographed, booking a shoot also gives you a great excuse to go shopping!

It was nice change of gears for me to photograph an individual as opposed to a couple and Lisa, although she is not a trained model, followed direction well and ended up looking really natural on film (or the complementary-symmetry metal–oxide–semiconductor a.k.a. digital film [nerd alert]).

Those with a keen eye will notice that these apparently aren't in any kind of order. Yes, she only changed clothes once.

Wedding - Shamsha and Rahim

2007-09-12T14:43:00.001-06:00

When I first met Shamsha and Rahim I got the impression that they liked to do things a bit differently, so I wasn't surprised to find out that their reception was going to be a lunch and that they had rented out Vicious Circle for an evening party. The old people were happy that they could go home to bed at 4 (pm) and the young were happy that they could go home to bed at 4 (am). Indian weddings are a photographers dream, so needless to say the photos below are just a brief glimpse at the complete collection and as per usual they are my favourites, which aren't necessarily everyone else's.

Shamsha getting her Sari put on.

A portrait of the groom before the ceremony. Background is the typical scene of guys trying to tie their tie.

Shamsha meeting Rahim in the aisle.

Happy couple having a private moment after the ceremony.

Some bribing during the reception.

Shamsha and Rahim's speeches were great.

Shamsha's parents.

Wedding - Deanne and Daniel

2007-09-07T11:27:00.000-06:00

Mom's wedding dress, red shoes, Saskatoon Berry Pie, a late priest, and a ton of laughs. Deanne and Daniel's wedding at Nakoda Lodge won't be forgotten by friends and family.

A few from their portrait session which was before the ceremony.

The priest mixed up the times and ended up being an hour late, so to keep the kids going grandpa opened up a bucket of sugar.

I have to admit, that after waiting the extra hour it did feel like we were all celebrating something at the end of the ceremony.

Classic.

During a speech.

Yes please! I don't mind if I do have a piece.

These guys put on a show for the guests with their first dance.

Wouldn't be a first dance at Nakoda with out some taxidermy displayed.

Wedding - Lori and Jeff

2007-09-06T17:00:00.000-06:00

For most people Strathmore wouldn't be a first choice for a wedding portrait session. One of the nice things about getting to do an engagement session with a couple is they learn to trust you and realize that lighting and background color/texture/general interestingness (word?) are more important variables in choosing a location. So after Lori and Jeff's wedding in Strathmore I suggested we stick around town for a few photos before going into Calgary for the reception. Thankfully they were into it and the wedding party came along for the ride.

A few details.

In the hallway of the Strathmore Travel Lodge.

During the ceremony.

Strathmore portrait session.

The guys were happier than..., well happy as guys that were allowed to keep drinking their beer during the session.

Wide streets, angle parking, no meters. Paradise.

No angle parking, narrow streets, $30 a day for parking, but a nice background.

Portrait Session - Kevin's Family

2007-09-04T14:23:00.000-06:00

A few weeks ago I met up with Kevin's family south of town and got to share a few laughs with them. It was a real pleasure to spend a couple hours with this family and make a record of them at this dynamic time in their lives.

Stanley with 44 and 27 in God's country

2007-08-30T16:53:00.000-06:00

This week I was back in the East Kootenays (B.C.) for all of the Stanley Cup mayhem associated with the Rob and Scott bringing the cup back home. We spent a few hours on Tuesday night flying around with Clay from Bighorn Helicopters and landed at a couple different locations which you'll see below.

*note - I am bumping this shoot ahead a bit, so if you are waiting for your event to get Blogged, stand by, its coming.

The Steeples are a prominent part of the Cranbrook skyline. Some of the photos shown later were taken on the Dibble Glacier, which is on the back side of the Steeples, and others were taken on the far right peak (Bull Mountain).

This is probably my favourite photo from this shoot. It tells the whole story (brothers winning cup together - if you don't know it you probably don't care anyways).

On Dibble Glacier.

Summit of Bull Mountain.

Wedding - Suzanne and Jason

2007-08-26T07:16:00.001-06:00

I was back at the Ranche last Sunday for Suzanne and Jason's wedding. The lighting was completely different than the week before, which meant the locations I used were different as well (i.e., I had lots of fun). This couple is definitely in love. The first time I asked them to kiss each other it was so intense I had to look away as I felt they needed a moment alone. The more compassionate a couple is the easier they are to photograph (for me), so these two made my job pretty dreamy.

Some details.

The guys.

I love it when unplanned things happen. On a side note, as a cyclist, I cringe when I see people with helmets that fit improperly, especially kids. The worst is when you see people riding around with it on backwards.

This is Jason's nephew. I took a lot of photos of him and this is my favorite. It's really easy to find deep grass when your model is only 3 feet tall.

Wedding - Katherine and Matt

2007-08-22T17:38:00.000-06:00

On Saturday I photographed Katherine and Matt's wedding. Their family and friends were so good to me, offering drinks and help all the time. The wedding party was beyond energetic, but never annoying. Thank to all of you for letting me do my thing.

A few portraits of Katherine before the ceremony.

I think Katherine's parents were scratching their heads when I took their beautiful daughter out of their beautiful house and stuck her in front of a dirty retaining wall, but hopefully this one will redeem me.

Sacred Heart Church in Calgary.

The Yard House.

Best man, being the best man I guess.

The wedding party killing time.

A very cool pair of Nine West.

Wiffle cow chasing bride and groom. "Mmm, flowers".

The Alberta Room at the Palliser. Room decor and design by Lynn Del Castilho (delcy)

There were so many great moments during the dance (including a performance by Katherine and her dad), but his one took the prize (I think this is Matt's grandfather).

Wedding - Tracy and Bryan

2007-08-18T07:45:00.001-06:00

Tracy and Bryan had their ceremony and reception at the Ranche Restaurant in Fish Creek Park (which is inside the Calgary city limits way down south). Its a great venue and I like shooting there a lot.

We started off with a reveal that produced a few tears and then did their portrait session before the ceremony.

I seem to have this habit of finding walls the same color as the brides eyes.

Bryan's nephew during the ceremony. You'll find that if you make random loud noises during a wedding ceremony someone will pick you up and carry you to back of the crowd.

This is what I call poaching and I do it all the time. Basically, you let a wedding guest set up a photo and then you just swing by and steal it.

Four generations.

Reception setting.

Toast to the bride.

Bryan's other nephew and a lot of ice cream.

Wedding - Melissa and Patrick

2007-08-18T07:06:00.000-06:00

I am right in the thick of it these days. So much of my time is spent on a computer that I really look forward to this time of year where I actually get to shoot a lot.

I could sum up Melissa and Patrick's day by saying they made a stop during their portrait session and bought me a gelato (coconut - that and pistachio are my favourite flavour, but I hate coconut in pretty much everything else). That really set the tone for what was an enjoyable day.

Ceremony.

Melissa has a great smile, but she looks so good with a more serious face that I was finding it hard to choose between one of the other.

Green tea since I guess I am now telling flavours.

There was a tea ceremony just before the reception.

I love how kids are never discreet. Adults take their gifts and quickly shove them in their pockets. Kids pull out the money, wave it around, and then look inside the envelope to see if there is any more.

Lots of cute grandparents...

...and cute kids.

Wedding - Laura and Brian

2007-08-14T11:32:00.000-06:00

On the August long weekend (I know, I'm a bit behind) I had the pleasure of photographing our good friends Laura and Brian getting married in Victoria. Laura was raised on "the Island", Brian on "the Rock". So we're talking about a Victoria girl marrying a New-found-lander. They now live in Lethbridge?

The ceremony was heartfelt and meaningful, but I knew I was going have problems keeping this post under control so I will skip right forward to the portrait session.

I was pretty excited to shoot in Victoria...ocean, big trees and colorful buildings. Oh, and a red headed bride!

During the reception Brian's Aunts surprised him with a bit of a performance pretending to show up late for the wedding. I think everyone in the room who wasn't from Newfoundland could have benefited from subtitles, but the parts I did understand were hilarious. Lord tunder'in Jesus!

Brian's was a full on wreck during his speech, it was really funny.

Kokopelli mountain biking cake toppers. That's just too good to be true.

Brian's brother James dancing with his Grandma. This could be my favorite photo from the wedding.

There is one of these guys at every wedding.

Laura's is of Dutch heritage. You know once alcohol mixes with Dutch blood that someone is going to cue up some bad music and get out the wooden shoes. Thank God there were Newfoundlanders in the room to get the party back on track.

Look Ma, I'm on TV!

2007-08-13T09:58:00.000-06:00

If you happen to be holding down the couch Tuesday (August 14th) night at 6:30pm, Citytv (channel 8) will be running a short segment on our business during their half hour "Your City" show. The segment is called "Success Stories", and features local businesses.

I am very grateful to Colleen and Matt who were kind enough to volunteer their wedding as an example of what I do. They are much better looking than I am, so I am hopeful most of the video will be of them!

It runs again at 11pm and at some point in the future I will get a copy of it on my website.

e-session - Casey and Cal

2007-08-02T13:45:00.001-06:00

Casey and Cal are getting married at Lake Louise in the fall, so to change things up a bit they decided to use an urban landscape for their engagement shoot. I love the mountains and if you haven't already been there I have quite a few "mountain lifestyles" photos on my non-wedding website, but I also love shooting couples in urban settings.

Although the first two photos were pretty serious these guys are actual the fun easy going type.

No I didn't give Casey "fake" eyes, but they are lovely!

One of the first compositional rules you'll come across in a photography how-to-book is "never center the subject". I love breaking rules!

Family Session - Chloe and folks

2007-08-02T13:21:00.002-06:00

I am cleaning house here a bit today and posting a few sessions that I wanted to share.

Chloe is very cute!

Chloe's dad Shawn is afflicted with PDS. Proud Dad Syndrome is common and usually cured when the child does annoying things such throwing up in a car, waiting until the carpets are cleaned to spill spaghetti on the floor, or removing a soiled diaper and using it to color on the walls.

Happy parents.

Family sessions - Nicholas

2007-08-02T13:15:00.000-06:00

A few weeks ago I did a session with a one year old named Nicholas. He is the perfect model, never lacking in enthusiasm or facial expression and works for milk and whatever those red things are on his high chair.

Wedding - Renata and Brad

2007-07-30T14:54:00.000-06:00

Brad likes the beach and it was a great beach day Saturday. Unfortunately for Brad (and his groomsmen), he had to wear a three piece black suit all day. Sacrifice for love I guess!

The ceremony was at the Lougheed House with the reception at Heritage Park. I thought it was pretty cool how Renata's dress style fit in with the decor at both locations. Here are a few photos of her before the ceremony.

Down the aisle, or stairs I guess first.

After the ceremony the wedding party (all 16 of them!) enjoyed some fun in the sun at Heritage Park.

I ended up with quite a few different photos of the entire wedding party, but I liked this one best.

Check out the cool wood inlay on Brad's ring. I want a new ring now.

The flower girl stuck it out with us all afternoon and didn't make a peep once, even when she got sunscreen in her eye. She is such a sweetie.

Wedding - Erin and Andrew

2007-07-27T10:57:00.001-06:00

On Sunday I was out at Spruce Meadows to laugh a bunch, meet some great people, taste some good food and of course photograph Erin and Andrew. They have a great group of friends who you can tell love them a lot.

A few shots of Erin before the wedding.

Andrew working the camera.

So this was the office they stuffed the guys in before the ceremony. I meant to get the story behind the tribute to Rodney Dangerfield. Hopefully Andrew will fill me in at some point. That outfit was killer. I think a close friend of mine would better describe it as "turning the rad way up".

Andrew's brother (best man) during the ceremony.

There were a lot of guys at the wedding with hockey pasts and one of Andrews requests was to do a hockey shot. If you played hockey you'll know exactly what he meant, as every year they lined your team up for the exact same shot. I think some of the girls were a bit confused. By the way, you aren't seeing things, Erin has an identical twin.

Father of the Bride.

Wedding - Gail and Jeff

2007-07-24T15:30:00.001-06:00

Gail and Jeff treated their guests to a very cool reception at the Artists of the World and treated me with 2 hours of their time and green light to take them wherever I wanted so long as I didn't take them to any of the cliché Calgary wedding locations. Here's what I came up with.

Take home present for the guests.

In place of a wedding cake they had a 80 lbs wheel of Parmigiano-Reggiano (aka parmesan). Every time I have gone to Italy I have considered bringing one of these home. I just think it would be hilarious to see one roll out of the the baggage shoot.

The DJ.

Wedding - Jess and Cliffy

2007-07-21T09:39:00.000-06:00

There are a lot of different things that I like about photography, but perhaps the thing that keeps me interested in it most is being able to tell a story. I always approach the wedding day with the primary goal of documenting it for either people that couldn't attend or for those who could and just forget the details. Suzanne and I celebrated our 8 anniversary this week and we were both shocked at how little we could actually remember about our wedding.

So blogging is a bit frustrating for me because I usually find it takes me at least 100 images to tell the wedding day story and I have a hard enough time keeping the blog current just posting a few.

Jess and Cliffy's wedding, which took place last weekend in West Vancouver and the few photos I am posting don't really even scratch the surface of this story.

Grandfathers.

Jess's siblings

Jess during her dad's speech.

These guys were up way past their bed time. I love how kids can make a suit look like its been partied in all night.

I have to admit that when I heard the father of the bride was going to have one of his "buddies" sing for the first dance that I was a bit concerned that maybe he should have at least hired a professional. But it turns out this guy could really sing. I think his name was Jimmy or something like that. Its too bad he's kind of old, because I think he would have a pretty good shot at getting on Canadian Idol if it weren't for the age restriction.

You know the party is going to be fun when the Father of the Bride is given'er.

Wedding - Colleen and Matt

2007-07-09T11:39:00.000-06:00

I did a short post of Colleen and Matt's wedding last week and I wanted to share some more photos now. It was a pretty special day to follow with a camera and I felt pretty privileged to be there. Colleen and Matt were gracious enough to allow a camera from a local TV network to tag along for part of the day to get some footage for a story they are doing on our business, so if it ever gets to-air you might see more of this wedding.

This is Matt's reaction to seeing Colleen for the first time. It doesn't get better than that! I also love how Matt's mom had the exact same reaction (background left).

More and more couples are choosing to see each other before the ceremony and it seems to work quite well. Couples seem a bit more relaxed sometimes because they are typically waiting for the ceremony, instead of rushing to a reception.

Colleen's parents having a good laugh during the ceremony.

The Banff Springs is an impressive venue.

The guests enjoy cocktails and the view.

Colleen and Matt are a pretty playful couple so I expected a bit of a performance during their first dance. They didn't let me down.

The speeches were touching.

Wedding - Jacklyn and Trevor

2007-07-06T09:59:00.000-06:00

After a nice break I was treated to a perfect day out on the fringe of the Rockies. Jacklyn and Trevor had their wedding at Nakoda Lodge on Chief Hector Lake. If you have never been out there just watch "Legends of the Fall", and that's basically what it looks like. Trevor's crew were non-stop comedy and they had me laughing all day. Good times!

You can't go wrong with a place that has a set of moose antlers mounted on it.

This is Trevor waiting to see Jacklyn for the first time (that day).

The girls reactions were the best. Jacklyn's sister teared up in no time at all.

Like I said, Legends of the Fall.

Groomsmen Peter, keeping the Father of the Bride distracted just before the ceremony.

There is a really neat thing that happens quite often after the first kiss. The couple is usually a bit to distracted by everything in the ceremony and the kiss doesn't quite satisfy them. So they look at each other for a second and then they both feel they need a hug and it usually ends up producing a great candid moment with way more emotion than they kiss had.

I just knew Trevor would be good for a fist pump during their entrance.

e-session - Jarret and Tyson

2007-06-20T13:27:00.000-06:00

I am travelling quite a bit in the fall for weddings and I am really looking forward to Jarret and Tyson's wedding in Sicamous. This week I met up with these two (in Calgary) for a morning shoot, which was lots of fun for me because it allowed me to use locations I can't use in afternoon light.

Wedding - Julie and Cam

2007-06-20T13:05:00.000-06:00

It was nice to get out to the mountains for a change of gears. Julie and Cam were married in Canmore last weekend and yes you guessed it, I photographed their wedding!

Even though my daughter is only two, I get really chocked up when I see a dad look at their daughter like this. Enough said.

I was sure that because of the weather Julie and Cam were going to opt for an indoors ceremony, but as you can see I was wrong and so too was the weather office.

Cam watching his bride come down the aisle.

I was so excited to make this image for Julie and Cam.

e-session - Maggie and Tyron

2007-06-18T17:47:00.001-06:00

A bright red dress, great light and an affectionate couple. Giddy up!

e-session - Katherine and Matt

2007-06-17T11:12:00.001-06:00

Last week I met up with Katherine and Matt to do their engagement session and it was pouring rain. They were gracious enough to believe in my un-scientific forecast that it was going to stop raining soon because "the clouds were moving that way". It turned out that it was sunny the whole time after it stopped raining! I loved the range of emotion these two could show me.

Wedding - Deanna and Geoff

2007-06-15T11:12:00.000-06:00

Deanna and Geoff were my first couple to book a 2007 date, so their wedding has been a long time coming, but I think it was worth the wait! The weather looked sketchy, but in the end everything worked out well.

Deanna and her sister Carmen (left side) grew up in this house and apparently shared this very room until they were 17! I figured it would be a pretty good place to do a portrait of the girls before the wedding. Keen maudiebloggers will recognize Carmen from her wedding last summer.

Happy couple leaving the ceremony.

The "best man" was named Nancy and no that isn't him on the far left! Sorry Scott, couldn't resist.

"Dude, your cute, but if you put your greasy fingers on my lens I won't be playing with you anymore. Any ways, I think your Treo is ringing."

Wedding - Janelle and Jim

2007-06-14T15:05:00.000-06:00

Jim and Janelle had a quaint wedding on Friday afternoon and I was delighted to be able to spend a bit of time with them in Fish Creek Park and at The Ranche. After all the rain, and with the sun out, I was pretty sure we were going to get a pint sucked out of us by the mosquitoes, but they weren't too bad. Janelle and Jim looked great.

e-session - Deb and Brennan

2007-06-08T11:20:00.001-06:00

I ended up doing quite a bit of photography last week while the weather was cooperative. Towards the end of the week I met up with Deb and Brennan for their engagement session. They are getting married this fall in the mountains, so it was nice to mix a bit of the big city into their engagement session.

I wonder how long it will be before the Calgary sky line doesn't have a construction crane in it?

e-session - Melissa and Pat

2007-06-07T17:17:00.000-06:00

The weather last week was outstanding and I think Melissa and Pat were able to take advantage of some of the best light I have seen in a while. Their wedding is in August and I hope this good luck follows them to their big day.

E-session Bina and Raoul

2007-06-04T16:16:00.001-06:00

I first met Raoul years ago while mountain biking up on Nose Hill. He put up a roomate wanted add and a Kiwi named Karl replied. That's how we got to know Karl and Jo, who have been on this BLOG a fair bit. So any ways, fast forward a few years and now Raoul is engaged and I am happy to photographing his wedding this fall out in Saskatoon. I met up last week with Bina and Raoul to do an engagement session and he was excited because you could see where they got engaged from the location I had chosen. I didn't get the whole story, but I guess he took Bina up to some radio tower to propose (he claims there is a nice view). That is so typical of guys eh? Drag your girl friend up to some big metal object and then ask them to spend the rest of their lives with you. I knew he was a Radiologist, but I thought he was actually a doctor. Bina, you better take care of the honeymoon plans.

On the horizon, in the middle of the photo you can just make out the radio tower.

Wedding - Ashleigh and Rich

2007-06-03T15:48:00.000-06:00

My tour of rural Alberta continued last weekend in Olds. I had a great time doing Ashleigh and Rich's engagement session last fall so I was really excited when they told me that there is an old garage in town that we could use for the wedding photos. I think pretty much every one in Olds was at the this wedding as both the bride and groom grew up there, so needless to say there was a great party atmosphere at the reception. Here are some of my favourites.

I loved Ashleigh's bouquet.

Rich saying his vows.

The getaway rig.

The scene at the old garage. Such a great location!

Every small town has that one bar that everyone goes to and the Blue Yak is it in Olds.

I had to include one more of this little guy. He was a real trooper and even skipped his nap to stay out with the rest of the boys for the photo shoot.

The first dance.

Party in full swing.

Wedding - Michelle and Cameron

2007-05-16T13:10:00.000-06:00

One of my favourite places in world is the Moab area in Utah. I would love to photograph a wedding there (so anyone thinking about a cool place for a wedding let me know). If you haven't been to Moab, then the next best thing is Drumheller, which is basically a mini-Moab, but with way better beer. Last fall I met with Michelle and Cameron and I probably started to drool when they told me about their wedding plans. They wanted to have an outdoor wedding in the badlands. Sign me up!

All winter I conceptualized and pre-visualized some of the photos I wanted to do out there. This one is basically right out of my head, almost exactly the way I wanted it to happen. Even the veil was cooperating. The stars were definitely aligned.

I hadn't thought about doing this set of photos but fortunately last week I picked up the latest edition of Vanity Fair (Bruce Willis on the cover) and it had Annie Leibovitz's portraits of the queen. I love the lighting in that set of photos and when I walked into this building I knew I was going to end up doing a very similar set up. I think Michelle looks a lot better than the queen though!

Coming down the aisle.

Cameron's mom wiping away a tear as the bride arrives.

Married!

One last one. It has no significance, but I just think it's cool that there are cacti around here.

Vibe Morning Show

2007-05-14T16:04:00.000-06:00

Last week I had the pleasure of photographing the Vibe Morning Show team of Chad Martin, Fuzzy and Dani Rohs. Needless to say, people who get up that early every morning don't lack energy. I would bet all I own, that just about every teacher Chad Martin ever had told him to either sit still or be quite, probably both. A teacher's nightmare is a photographer's dream, I had a great time shooting this team of on air hosts (can I call them DJ's anymore or is that not correct, who knows?). All three of them are actually really nice, normal (well to me anyways) easy going people. It is great to know them.

Left to right - Chad Martin, Dani Rohs, and Fuzzy

Wedding - Melissa and Sidd

2007-05-09T10:48:00.000-06:00

As per usual, Spring just kind of skipped Calgary and we went straight into summer, just in time for Melissa and Sidd's wedding. Melissa and Sidd were both really excited about their photo session after the ceremony and we had a lot of fun. They are off to Vancouver this week for the other half (Indian) of their wedding and more photos with the wonderful Jen and Steve Bebb of Bebb Studios.

In this little guys defense, it was a full Catholic Mass.

The wedding party.

The nice people at Crave gave the newlyweds a couple of cupcakes. The photographer got one too! Unlike bears, you should always feed us.

Melissa is a big fan of yellow, so we had to track down a yellow wall.

E-session Colleen and Matt

2007-04-30T17:16:00.000-06:00

I am really looking forward to Colleen and Matt's wedding out in Banff this summer. They were a lot of fun to photograph so I am sure I will be like a chubby kid in a candy store at their wedding.

Vibe 98.5 Dream Wedding

2007-04-17T17:03:00.000-06:00

The Vibe 98.5 Dream Wedding happened on Sunday. Credit for getting this event going has to go to the people at Vibe and Table Talk who through a lot of hard work made this whole crazy idea happen. It doesn't take a genius to figure out why Vibe 98.5 is a successful station once you meet the people that work there. They are top notch all around.

I am not a writer (anyone who routinely reads this blog will be nodding their head right now), so I'll show some of the photos and make some comments as we go. I should point out one thing though before we get to the photos that I think was really important. All of the contributors involved treated Julie and Anthony like any other paying client and let them make their own choices. I don't think you could call this a "Dream Wedding" if you didn't let the couple define their own dream, so kudos to all those involved for letting the client call the shots.

The entire wedding took place at Hotel Arts. You really get the feeling that the management and staff at this hotel are proud of their work and their hotel. In addition to providing the venue for the ceremony and reception they also provided guest rooms and a custom designed meal, which was outstanding. Their guest robes are pretty cool too!

The team from Newbury Spa did a great job on the make up and also provide spa treatments.

As per usual, the guys were on their own to figure out how to get dressed. Anthony (the groom) getting some help here. Cameo and Cufflinks outfitted the entire wedding party, including the bride and the parents. I have a soft spot for Curtis and Daria (owners) as their business is just across the street from us and they are really nice folks.

Julie taking a moment before the big reveal.

I can't say enough about the team from Table Talk. It is pretty impressive what they get done in a day. They aren't just decorators (which they are amazing at), they are talented event planners and made my job so much easier. I told them I wanted to photograph Anthony seeing Julie for the first time that day in the lobby (a reveal) and they took care of it, plus it happened right on time.

Since the wedding was in the Hotel Arts. I felt it was pretty important to incorporate some of the decor into the photography for Julie and Anthony.

In addition to the dress and shoes, Cameo and Cufflinks also provided all of Julie's jewelry.

The guys.

A casual shot of the girls and the groom. Thanks to the guys at Ambassador Limousines for getting us around town so skillfully and for not asking too many questions about the unusual locations I use or giving me too hard of a time when the limos bottomed out in my "limo friendly" parking areas.

April in Calgary is pretty monotone (i.e., brown), so I wanted to include some color into the photos.

It's always hard picking a favourite photo from a wedding, but this might be it for me. I am a big fan of really simple images, plus I like green! Thanks to Julie for getting up these stairs in her bare feet since the steel grate material was way too dangerous in here high heeled shoes, which still had to walk down the aisle later that day.

My biggest concern with this wedding was actually the couple. I had no say in who the winners were. The typical couple that hires me is quite passionate about photography and it is a very important part of their wedding. With a contest like this it was quite possible that the couple could really care less about photography. So I can't express enough how grateful I am for the attitude, spirit, and effort Julie and Anthony (and their great wedding party) put into their photo session. They were so excited about the photography experience.

Anthony requested a "storm cloud" photo. I didn't ask why, but this is my take on it.

The ceremony venue.

The impressive, yet classy, wedding bands by Breslauer and Warren.

Plush Invitations made all the custom invitations, programs and dinner menus for the wedding. I had a chance to chat to Dione (Plush founder) at the reception and it is so cool to see businesses operated by nice people doing well. This is a photo of the program.

Julie and her grandfather coming down the aisle.

Some more photos of the reception designed by Table Talk.

View from the Head Table.

I loved the cake Barb from Cake Creations put together for the couple.

After the formal program ended the guys from a A Better Way DJ took over and got everyone out of their seats.

Group photo of the sponsors.

There were other vendors who I haven't mentioned and to be fair I should. Links to their websites can be found here.

Sundial Travel - honeymoon for the couple
Zam Zam Designs - gift for the guests
Coyotes - Stag and Stagette
Willow Park Wines and Spirits
Allegra Quartet
Bob Dunn - commissioner
Fairly Vanilla Hair Salon
Perry Thompson Video - videography
The Nosegay Inc - flowers
Frozen Memories Ice Studio - Martini Louge
Production Lighting - lighting for the wedding

Vibe 98.5 Dream Wedding - TEASER

2007-04-17T10:28:00.000-06:00

I know there are a lot of people dying to see some photos from the wedding so I am going to post a few teasers right now and in a few more days I will have a more detailed post up. There were so many amazing vendors involved in this wedding and I will do my best to acknowledge them at that time too.

Ok, I know people have probably stopped reading the text at this point :) so I'll just get to it. All of these photos were taken in the Hotel Arts (where the ceremony and reception were held).

Julie. Wow! I know Anthony will start crying when he sees this image.

The Groom.

The reception, a Table Talk masterpiece.

The happy couple.

Commercial Work - Kicking Horse Mountain Resort, Golden

2007-04-11T10:36:00.000-06:00

I was in Golden last week to team up with the awesome folks at Driven Media who are working on an advertising campaign for the the Kicking Horse Mountain Resort. Unfortunately the 3 days of shooting that were scheduled had to be cut back to one, but we still managed to get some new signature images for them. Here are some of my favourites with a brief description of what is going on.

If you have ever froze on a chair lift you'll appreciate what a gondola signifies to skiers.

KHMR has a lot of different terrain. This one's for the hardcore skiers.

This one's for the SPORE's and little people.

Working with kids is always fun and chaotic. These three little girls were heading up for a lesson.

We spent a few hours working with Ethan, who is 3 and doesn't really listen, but lots of fun.

Commercial Work - Lammles

2007-04-06T13:47:00.000-06:00

I have been commissioned for some commercial work lately and thought I would share a bit on the BLOG. The first shoot was for Lammles Western Wear. The primary goal was to create some lifestyles imagery that included a bit of humor as well. Here are some of my favourites.

The first few here are basically boys being boys.

Some cute kids.

Young adults.

Getting caught by dad.

Failed dating attempt.

There is pretty much nothing funner to shoot than kids bouncing on a bed.

E-session - Jessica and Stew

2007-03-24T12:29:00.000-06:00

After several postponements due to weather I was finally able to get out with Jessica and Stew for their long awaited engagement shoot. Jessica admittedly is a huge fan of this BLOG so I was a bit worried I wouldn't be able to live up to her expectations. They both work in the advertising/marketing industry. Stew is the PR manager for Fetch Communications (I love their logo) and Jessica is the Brand Manager for Big Rock, my favourite brewery. She worked on the "upadablock" campaign, which was brilliant. I don't know what they will think of the end product but I had a great time, and she gave me a six pack of beer at the end of the shoot so I figure at least they thought I did a good job eh?

It is no secret that I am a big fan of dripping wet punchy color (or contrasty black and whites), but I just couldn't resist dropping the color out of this and giving it that 70's Polaroid look.

I didn't get the full story, but it sounded like someone bought someone a drink here and the rest is history.

E-session - Laura and Brian

2007-03-21T12:01:00.000-06:00

We were recently in Lethbridge and it worked out that Laura and Brian were available for their engagement session. Lethbridge is an amazing location for photo shoots and I wish I had more weddings down there. As always, it was a touch windy.

These two are living in Lethbridge, but their wedding is in Victoria on the August long weekend and I am really excited about photographing them on the west coast.

Left Overs Part 6 (the end)

2007-03-19T14:46:00.000-06:00

This is the last installment of the "Left Overs" series (explanation here).

Angie and Mike

Shae and Trevor

Mark and Michelle

Jacquelyn and Josh

Megan and Aaron

Michelle and Josh

Amanda and David

Ailsa and Frank

E-session Julie and Anthony

2007-03-09T10:31:00.000-07:00

I went out with Julie and Anthony recently to do some engagement photos for them. It was a bit bleak around town, but these two don't have the luxury of waiting as their wedding is coming up quick. I think their excitement for each other made up for what the city is lacking. We ended up at the Raw Bar in Hotel Arts, where their wedding will be (not actually in the bar). I am really looking forward to what should be a pretty amazing wedding.

Raw Bar

Wedding - Michelle and Mike

2007-03-08T15:19:00.000-07:00

I was out in Canmore on the weekend for Michelle and Mike's wedding. Mike is a fresh off the boat (er, plane) Brit, so there were a lot of people in attendance with tea drinking skills. I admittedly have a soft spot in my heart for the British, since my heritage is partially Welsh, but I just can't get enough of their warm kindness.

The groom and his attendants.

The cheerful bride and her attendants.

"We're getting married!!"

Suzanne loves Michelle's hair and was so excited to see that she didn't have it pinned up in a "wedding bun". I was pretty excited too, because I love how wind combined with hair can add a ton of mood to the photos.

Michelle and Mike = M SQRD. Get it?

Hot

Hotter!

The Three Sisters and a freshly married couple.

Left Overs - Part 5

2007-03-01T17:08:00.000-07:00

Instalment #5 of Left Overs.

Kim and Kevin

Andrea and Brent

Katie and David

Susan and Collin

Shauna and Jason

Cheryl and Jaret

Ksenia and Pete

Miranda and Todd

Salute to Winter

2007-02-28T17:21:00.000-07:00

It has been a memorable winter and I have enjoyed many outings with good friends. I might put some more skiing photos up at a later date. Here's one from last week.

Left Overs - Part 4

2007-02-16T10:57:00.000-07:00

I hope everyone is enjoying their winter. Here is installment #4 of the "Left Overs" series.

Natasha and Brian

Joanne and Kevin

Kazumi and Johnathan

Suneeta and Scott

Leonie and Boyd

Karla and Rielly

Jillian and Scott

Left Overs - Part 3

2007-02-15T17:45:00.000-07:00

For those who didn't catch the explanation of the "left over" series, basically what I am doing is going back through each wedding from 2006 and trying to find that one image that slipped through the BLOG crack. I'll be posting one image from each wedding that isn't on the BLOG. If you want to see the blog posting for a wedding click on their name above the photo.

Brandi and Chris

Tracy and James

Adena and Mike

Bonnie and Richard

Carmen and Jim

Vibe 98.5 Dream Wedding Contest Winner

2007-02-14T12:53:00.000-07:00

This morning the Vibe 98.5 Morning Show announced the winner of the $98,000 Dream Wedding contest on the air. It was way, way, way, too early in the morning for me and pretty cold, but somehow I managed to find the camera's on switch and point the thing in the right direction.

The lucky couple is Julie and Anthony. I didn't get to talk to them much, but they are coming up for a visit with Lynn and Melisa from Table Talk tomorrow after they stop in at Cameo and Cufflinks to get sized for their wedding attire. You can learn more about the couple on the Vibe contest site.

Here are a few of the photos from this morning:

What thousands of contestants were hoping to see pull up in front to their house.

Chad on the air greeting the winners.

I thought it was pretty funny that they got up really early to clean their house just in case they won.

Lynn Martin with Table Talk on the air. Isn't she so cute?

In the studio with the Vibe Morning Show crew. Left to right: Chad Martin, Julie and Anthony, Kelsey Moore, and Fuzzy. Kelsey admitted that she is a maudieblog-aholic. Thanks Kelsey.

Left Overs - Part II

2007-02-07T09:30:00.000-07:00

For those who didn't catch the explanation of the "left over" series, basically what I am doing is going back through each wedding from 2006 and trying to find that one image that slipped through the BLOG crack. I'll be posting one image from each wedding that isn't on the BLOG. If you want to see the blog posting for a wedding click on their name above the photo.

Maya and Arjun

Eli and Manuel

Kristine and Kevin

Lisa and Roland

Jennifer and Aric

Myla and Rob

Left Overs - Part 1

2007-02-02T11:49:00.000-07:00

I have created a monster! It is called "maudieblog". What started as an easy way of keeping friends, family and clients current with new photography has become a site over 10,000 different people visited (not repeat) in 2006. We now get email from all over the place, from people we have never met, commenting on photos from the BLOG . The problem now though is that if I go more than a week without posting I start to hear about it. It is usually friends reminding me I haven't posted for a while, but sometimes its complete strangers, more or less suggesting that I should update the BLOG. I love it.

So here is the dilemma. All I am photographing right now is skiing. I would love to put a bunch of skiing photos up, but very few people want to see skiing photos, they want portraits and wedding photography (maybe we need another BLOG). So the question is, how do I feed this monster? The answer - left overs!

Here is what I plan on doing this month. I am going to go through all of the 2006 weddings and find my favourite photo from each wedding that isn't on the BLOG. It will be like the deleted scenes on a DVD. I am going to follow a chronological order. I'll try and post a few each week. Here are the first 5 weddings.

Catherine and Aaron

Sarah and John

Sandi and Rob

Pam and Brice

Nancy and Jason

2007-01-15T08:45:00.000-07:00

I am really excited to be chosen as the photographer for Vibe 98.5 Dream Wedding. The lucky couple will win a wedding put on by Calgary's finest wedding professionals. The ceremony and reception will take place at the very cool, Hotel Arts. We are providing over $10,000 in products and coverage for what should be a visually stunning wedding. For more information visit:

http://www.vibe985.com/wedding

Wedding - Julie and Kurt

2007-01-11T12:33:00.000-07:00

I was a bit nervous about this wedding. I was concerned that an Australian girl with about 9% body fat wasn't going to be too keen on standing around in a snow bank while I played with my cameras. I didn't know the whole story though. Julie (and Kurt) is a backcountry skier, which you won't last at if you don't like the cold. So with my mind at ease and her in a brand new sparkling white pair of Sorels we headed out into the 4 foot snow pack and had a great time creating their wedding images. Here are the photos.

Kurt could possibly miss Canada a bit. Raised in Cochrane, I found him and his brother taping a hockey stick before the ceremony.

The ceremony and reception venue.

Julie peaking at the groom before the vows.

Married.

The short winter days chased us inside to the lodge.

This entry is getting a bit long so I thought this would be a good way to summarize the reception, which was every bit as, warm, cozy and inviting as this shot.

e-session Julie and Kurt

2007-01-10T08:08:00.000-07:00

My first wedding of 2007 happened last weekend at Emarld Lake, in Yoho National Park. Julie and Kurt live deep down under in Sydney and had some time before the wedding to meet me for a warm up session. I had never met them before and I was so excited for their wedding (I'll blog that in a day or two) after I saw how well they did in front of the camera.

e-session Lori and Jeff

2007-01-08T09:39:00.000-07:00

I have a few weddings scheduled in 2007 for couples who are from the Calgary area, but are living overseas. It nice to be able to meet them before the actual wedding day, so I scheduled a few engagement sessions with couples like Jeff and Lori who were home for the holidays. The weather was almost balmy (for January). I am looking forward to your wedding guys!

Wedding - Ailsa and Frank

2007-01-05T15:43:00.000-07:00

Ailsa and Frank were my last wedding of 2006 and they were blessed with a perfect winter day. We started off up at the Banff Springs with the couple and their attendants, and then moved downtown and eventually out of town for photos before the ceremony at St. Georges in the Pines. The reception was held at Fuze Finer Dining and once again the food and ambiance was amazing. Ailsa is the sister of Aric, who's wedding we photographed in June of this year.

Aric's wife, Jen, helps with the final preparations.

Banff Springs stair case.

The excited couple.

Groom and best man.

Bride and her best woman.

Putting on a show for the tourists.

Ahh, what winter is supposed to look like. Notice Frank's fine felt packed wedding shoes by Sorel.

Married!

The couple enjoying some down time at Fuze before the guests arrived for the reception.

Grandma enjoying the cocktails.

First dance.

Open dance floor.

Ski Trip - A kind of epic day

2006-12-19T09:57:00.000-07:00

My close friends give me a pretty hard time about being tired the day after shooting a wedding. They think its a pretty cushy job and well its definitely not as tough digging ditches, it does take its toll on your body (feel free to laugh at me, I can take it).

My plan for last Sunday was to go for a nice easy, post wedding, ski tour in the Kanaskis. The forecast was for sun and warm temps so I talked our friends Jo and Karl into joining me. I had sold them on the French-Haig loop, a 20km tour in the Peter Lougheed that typically follows a route up the French Creek, across the top of the Haig Glacier and then through a tiny little col below Mt. Sir Douglas onto the Robertson Glacier. From the col you are usually rewarded with a 2000 ft run down to the Burstal Pass Trail. To make a long story short, it turned out to be a mini-epic, with high winds and quite possibly the worst skiing conditions I have ever seen. We finished the day with head lamps, 7 hours after we started.

French Creek

Starting up the French Glacier. The snow pack is looking a bit suspicious.

We ended up having to take our skis off and kick steps because the snow was so hard that the climbing skins on the bottom of our skis wouldn't stick. Shortly after I took this photo, Jo's sunglasses fell off her head and we watched them slowly slide down the hill out of sight. There is definitely a point where you decide its not worth the effort to go backwards for a pair of $20 MEC sunglasses. Jo said they fogged up anyways, so no loss.

At the top of the French Glacier, looking back down the valley we came up.

This is where you usually have a great view to the south of the Northover Ridge and the Palliser River Valley in B.C. Jo and Karl had to take my word for it.

Coming up the steep slope to the Haig-Roberston col.

Normally I would post a shot of a skier coming down in nice powder, but the snow was so bad I didn't even bother taking a camera out. I met an Irish guy on the way out who had been at Burstall Pass and he said it best. He referred to the snow as "shite".

Wedding - Amanda and David

2006-12-17T07:36:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday I went out to Canmore to photograph Amanda and David's wedding at the Silvertip Resort (the food was outstanding by the way). It was nice to see what seemed like a tight group of friends and family support these two on their big day.

I hadn't done a good curlers shot for a while. I just felt the urge I guess.

Amanda's very cool shoes.

The guys trying to get the grooms tie on.

The brother of the Bride at the ceremony on lookout for his slightly late sister.

The big entrance.

Groom's parents.

Family Session - Ashton and his sister

2006-12-14T09:13:00.000-07:00

Here are a few photos from a family session we did a couple weeks ago. Ashton was about 2 months old in these.

Big sister.

Wedding - Michelle and Josh

2006-12-13T08:59:00.000-07:00

It was cold. Really cold. Michelle and Josh planned a winter wedding in Canmore, and they got it. Aside from the cold, it was actually a pretty nice day and we had a great time around Canmore before the ceremony.

Michelle's mom putting on some of the hardware.

It was -25 and blowing pretty hard, but Michelle wanted to do some outdoor photos. At least the mosquitoes weren't a problem.

It was a gathering of Saskatatchewaners and the home team was playing in the Vanier Cup. This was a few minutes before the reception was supposed to start.

During the reception

Grandma had a front row seat and took full advantage of it.

Engagement Session - Andrea and Mark

2006-12-04T16:37:00.000-07:00

Before the weather went cold I met up with Mark and Andrea out in the Kanaskis to take some engagement photos of them. They brought along their puppy, Diablo (great name eh!), who added some comedy and kept things light.

I love the heel of Andrea's shoe in this shot. It adds a bunch of mood.

Wedding - Megan and Aaron

2006-11-29T21:09:00.000-07:00

I like November. Mainly because it’s the month everyone loves to hate and I like an underdog. To me though, it’s the best month for watching movies in front of a fire or reading a book in a coffee shop. There is no guilt associated with not doing something else because there is really nothing else to do (that can't be a proper sentence). When we met Megan and Aaron they told us they were having their reception at a quaint little Italian restaurant called Il Pescatore, it sounded like an ideal November wedding. I was jealous of the guests that were invited.

I love it when couples smile before the first kiss.

Aaron was actually a groomsmen for Steve, who is on the far right. I photographed Steve and Jolane's wedding in the Fall of 2005. There are a few photos of him and his wife in my main galleries.

I wanted to get some images that felt like "November" and I think I got pretty close on this one.

Like I said above, November = coffee.

Family - Fin and crew

2006-11-24T10:35:00.000-07:00

We photographed a really cute little guy named Fin last week and his best friend Summit, who is a Golden Retriever. We included his parents in a few too just so there wouldn't be any pouting, but its kind of like school sports where you have to let the uncoordinated guy play once in a while just so everyone is happy.

In the office.

Wedding - Jacquelyn and Josh

2006-11-23T10:24:00.000-07:00

On November 10th I went out to Banff to shoot Jacquelyn and Josh's wedding. I am very grateful to Lynn Martin of Table Talk (coordinator) who made the venues look amazing and the day run so smoothly.

When the freshly married couple came out of the ceremony it was snowing pretty hard, which worked out well for the photos (well, at least for the photographer wearing a winter coat). Not so good if you are in open-toed shoes and a wedding dress. Jacquelyn is pretty tough and did every crazy thing I suggested. As a result I think they have some really dramatic and unique photos. Thanks guys and all the best.

Sisters

It wouldn't be a Banff wedding unless a tour bus unloaded right beside your car.

Having some fun with the veil.

The amazing reception setting put together by Lynn Martin and the Banff Springs staff.

A tear during the dance with her dad.

Wedding - Mark and Michelle

2006-11-15T08:42:00.000-07:00

On November 4th I photographed a Mailman marrying a Mailwomen. Actually if you want to be politicaly correct they are called Letter Carriers these days. Michelle and Mark have both driven delivery routes for Canada Post so they know the city way better than me, which was just fine because I had a blast shooting at a bunch of new locations. Actually, we didn't go to one place I had ever been before getting to the reception at Springbank Links Golf Club. They even managed to find a Canada Post truck.

The ring bearer shows off the goods.

When we were kids my brother and I had to sit and be quiet in church or we would usually suffer some sort of subtle physical encouragement to shut up and sit still. This kid watched Thomas the Train during the ceremony. Kids these days have it good.

Long dress and no one will know.

Wedding - Shae and Trevor

2006-11-09T17:17:00.000-07:00

It's almost been two weeks since I photographed this really fun wedding, but at long last I will post a BLOG entry, sorry for the delay.

Shae and Trevor were my last October wedding and had their reception at The Highwood on the SAIT campus. The food was really good and the space is pretty funky too.

The happy couple just before the first kiss.

Trevor is from the UK and had his brothers stand up for him. They joked all day long and I couldn't understand a thing they were saying.

Shae has a great smile.

Self Torture

2006-11-01T15:24:00.000-07:00

I made the mistake of ordering new skis this year. They are sitting in the living room and all I can do right now is look at them. It's painful. I was on the Mountain Equipment Coop website today and forgot that they had licensed one of my all time favourite skiing photos for their homepage. Since they cropped it and didn't do a very good job of optimizing it for the web I thought I would post the original. It was taken on New Years Day of 2005, deep in the B.C. Purcells backcountry. Hopefully days like that aren't too far off!

Family Session - Angie's Family

2006-10-31T09:25:00.000-07:00

These guys were lots of fun. Actually, I had to tell them to stop laughing at one point to get the photo I wanted. Angie, you have a beautiful home and some not too shabby looking kids!

Family Session

2006-10-31T09:20:00.000-07:00

A few photos from a recent portrait session with Beth's kids.