Emily Anne & Jennifer - Engagement Session

Today is the wedding of Emily-Anne & Jennifer. We are so excited for these two!!

We were also very excited to shoot their engagement shoot. Often couples suggest doing their session at the Legislature Building (commonly know to us locals as "The Leg"). Now, nothing against The Leg, but it actually isn't the most amazing place for photos. It's a great place to visit, and it is beautiful to be around, but from a photography standpoint, it isn't that dynamic. But, the fact that these two both work at The Leg and got us access to take photos inside, that was exciting to us!!

For the shots outside the sun was definitely on our side so we used it as often as we could. Then we got to go inside. That was so good!

The Leg is truly a magnificent building. Dave and I were pretty happy with the multitude of locations we found to take photos of the happy couple. Since they work in the building and see it as "the workplace", I suspect they thought we were a bit strange for being so excited. If you think about it, who ever thinks their workplace is "photo-worthy"? But after we showed them a few of the photos we got during the session they were won over. Sometimes seeing things through someone else's eyes makes it appear different than how you pictured it. 

We can't wait to spend their wedding day with them today. The engagement session was so fun and I know the wedding is going to be full of fun as well. 

- brad

Liz & Greg

My sister is getting married!

Having worked so many weddings in the last few years, you forget all that gets put into pulling off these events. Our family has been consumed with wedding talk for the better part of 2017, and the big day is almost here. Even though I am part of the family, by nature I had a hard time letting anyone else photograph the big day.  Brad and I will be there with bells on to document the fun.

As with any couple about to be married, we ALWAYS recommend an engagement session. When we were talking about this with Liz and Greg, my mom kept chiming in, "I don't get it. Why do you do engagement photos? We never did those." 

Well mom, beyond the added bonus of getting some photos the couple could use for invitations, or to post on social media, how many couples have ever had professional photos taken of themselves BEFORE their wedding? Would you really want the first time to be on the day where you are coordinating family, time pressures, caterers, flowers, music, decorations,  etc...? 

An engagement session is really about being comfortable having your picture taken without the pressure of the big day. We get a quick sense of what the couple likes and what they are not into. Additionally, it allows for photos in locations you may not be able to get to on the big day.

In this case, Liz and Greg are getting married at the Calgary Zoo and their reception is there as well. So for their engagement session we got to hit one of our favourite urban spots.

Can't wait for the big day and to share the photos with y'all. 

Does it make sense now mom?

- dave

Anne & Joe's Engagement Session

What do you do when it’s game 3 of the 2nd round of the Stanley Cup playoffs and your team is playing in your town at the exact same time that you have an engagement session booked? Well, you work as fast as you possibly can!

Anne & Joe scheduled their engagement shoot long before the Edmonton Oilers made the playoffs but Anne had a hair appointment scheduled just for the event so there was no changing the date. It was just fine. Dave and I love to work fast anyway, so in order to get this couple off to see as much of the game as possible, we utilized our favourite technique of making the most of our surroundings to get as much variety in the shots as we could. (The shoot was a mere blocks from where the game was being played by the way!)

If you want to talk about good luck, let’s talk about rain. It was raining pretty much all day long… right up until about 1 minute before we started our shoot! As you can see in the photos below, we used the puddles to our advantage.

Anne & Joe are getting married today – June 10. The Oilers are (sadly) out of the playoffs now, so we don’t have to worry about a game impacting their wedding shoot. We are looking forward to their big day!

- brad

Cassie and Scott - Engagment Session

The thing about Alberta, is the skies. 

One of the big advantages of living here is the way the sky changes so quickly and intensely. Cassie and Scott's engagement session was a perfect example of this. We headed to the Terwilligar Dog Park, a favourite haunt of these three, for some shots among the trees and grass.

What started as a calm night, turned into one of the darkest skies of the summer, before switching back as nothing ever happened. It let us capture some great moments on a beautiful backdrop.

Check out what we got from this fun evening.

Ashley & Adam - Engagement Session

Two things we love: 1) the many different looks of downtown Edmonton, and 2) clients who understand our love of number 1!!

We went down to the heart of downtown for the engagement session for Ashley & Adam and found so many different little areas to capture photos of these two. It was so fun!! Our biggest challenge on the day was getting some "serious" shots of them because they were all smiles and laughter for almost the entire time. Clearly this is a couple who is meant to be together.

We are so looking forward to their wedding day - it's only a few weeks away!

Here is a look at what we captured for their engagement session:

 

Avery & Chris

These two won the motherload!

Avery and Chris were the grand prize winners at this year's Bridal Fantasy. Out of all the photo sessions they won that day, they picked us to work with for their engagement session. We were very honoured. 

We headed out to Devonian Gardens for a quick afternoon session. The weather was beautiful, and the married couple to be were a lot of fun to work with. Check out some of our favourite shots from the day.

Good luck on this next awesome adventure Avery and Chris!

Macki & Andy - Engagement Session

Macki & Andy are winners. Well, at least they were the winners of a portrait session with us when they entered our contest at Bridal Fantasy back in January. The couple decided to use their free session to do an engagement shoot. They are set to get married in July but hadn’t done an engagement session yet so it worked out quite nicely.

We met at Transcend Coffee near Whyte Ave and we got a few shots of the two of them sharing some java. Then it was outside to wander around the Garneau area, using the amazing brick walls, doorways, and staircases we found along our travels.

After we got a ton of urban photos done we wandered under the bridge to get a little more back-to-nature shots. Climbing on bridges, walking along train tracks, avoiding discarded items of clothing, wandering down pathways, and having a ton of laughs yielded some great photos of this fun couple.

We wish them all the best for a future of happiness together!!

Check out some of the photos we captured on our adventure:

Jill & Brandon - Engagement

Last week, with their June 4th wedding just around the corner, we headed to Hawrelak Park with Jill & Brandon to get their engagement photos done. They brought along their dog Molly for a few photos too! 

Oddly enough, we actually had to postpone the session that was supposed to take place a week earlier. The wind on the original session date was ridiculous!! There was no way that Jill's hair would not have looked anything short of crazy if we shot that day. The day we ended up shooting was just fine!

Aside from Dave sinking a shoe a foot deep in the mud along the river, the session was great! While Jill & Brandon admitted to us that they haven't had photos of the two of them together ever before, they sure managed to allow us to capture them at their natural best! It was a fun night for sure... and we can't wait for June to arrive so we can spend their wedding day with them.

Take a look at some of the images we captured of these two:

Krista & Brent

If you have an Ice Castle in your city, I'm pretty sure you are legally required as a photographer to do at least one session there. We are so glad we did!

Krista & Brent's wedding is later this year, but they were really keen on having some shots done in the winter. With the milder weather we are having, plus the awesome ice structure in the middle of Hawrelak Park, it couldn't have worked out better.

We loved the challenge of shooting while the place was packed. Looking back at the shots, you couldn't tell. All we needed was a little patience. At the end of the session, we joked that it's going to be tough to top this shoot for their wedding. Looking back at the photos, it feels like the gauntlet has been thrown down.

Enjoy some of our favourites from the day.

Cassie & Drew

We captured a rainbow!

It was a bright one too. While traipsing through the river valley, trying to avoid the rain, we stopped to check a setting on the camera and when we looked up, we saw one of the clearest rainbows we had seen in a long time. Such a great thing to catch.

After that, we led Cassie and Drew under Saskatchewan Drive and over to the High Level Bridge for some night time shots. Pretty happy with how this session turned out.

Looking forward to this wedding next year.

Lauren & Tim

We will be photographing Lauren & Tim's wedding in only a few weeks. We did an engagement session with them recently at various spots in downtown Edmonton and had a great time. We managed to avoid the large crowds enjoying The Taste of Edmonton and laughed when the gentle breeze blowing acted like a wind machine for Lauren's hair. 

We're certainly looking forward to working with these two on their big day!

Take a look at some of the images from the session:

Jasmin & Andrew - Engagement Shoot

We met Jasmin & Andrew a few years ago. Over those years, we have shot two weddings where Andrew was in the wedding party (Robert & Melissa and Rob & Alicia) and now it's Andrew's turn to the be the main man. We met up with Andrew and his wife-to-be Jasmin by the Shaw Conference Centre for their engagement session. It was a beautiful day and we had fun moving from one location to another (16 in all I think). Can't wait for July 4th!

Here are some of the images from their session:

Melissa & Ben

"Let's head out to the old Keillor road", Ben said. Being from Calgary, I had no idea what he was talking about. How cool could an old road be?

Very cool. Such a unique location and right in the heart of our city.  We had the pleasure of meeting Melissa 4 years ago when she was a bridesmaid for her sister's wedding (which was only our 2nd wedding working together).

We can't wait for this wedding only a few short weeks away. Till then, check out their fun engagement session.

Amy & Ian

We can't wait for this wedding. It takes place in one of my favourite areas of town, the theatre district. While we wait, we had a chance to go out with these two (and their dogs) into Mill Creek Ravine and get a fun series of shots.

I love that Amy asked us to get some photos of them beside the fire. I'm glad she did because I think we really captured these two in their element.

Check them out and let us know what you think!

Gaea & Kurt

This location was quite the coup.

Brad and I have been dying to shoot here. It required a few stars lining up to make it happen. The right couple, the right time of day and an open fence. 

I think the shots we got speak for themselves. We can't wait for their wedding next year. 

Can you guess where we were?

Alicia & Rob

Alberta skies are spectacular. When we met up with Alicia and Rob to work out their wedding plans, Rob told us the story of their engagement. He being a budding photographer himself had done a great job of documenting the big day. It was only fitting that a year to the day, we did their engagement session.

What I love about this shoot is that I feel we really captured these two. They are so much fun and their personalities could not help but shine through in the shots. 

...and then there are those dusk Alberta skies.

Jen & Pierre

After a bit of a delay due to the weather, Dave and I finally met up with Jen & Pierre to do an engagement photo session. It was a fun time for sure. It always makes us laugh when couples tell us how non-photogenic they are - and then when the session starts, and we ask them to just snuggle together or hold each other their obvious love for each other makes the photo just happen. Never fails. 

Here are some photos from the session - I think you can see what I mean. Don't they look great?

Shelby & Brandon - Engaged

Man... winter can be cold. Even when it is only -3, the cold can hit you quickly. We had initially set up Shelby and Brandon to do their session in the fall, but schedules just didn't work out. So mid-February it was!

​We had a blast hanging out in some alleys and traipsing through the snow, however, when the cold finally got to us, the folks at the Mercer Tavern were gracious enough to let us in and take some shots there. 

​Check out what we got and other shoots like this in the Portraits section of the page.

We'll see these two again soon for their Canmore wedding.​​