2018 Spring Portrait Blitz

We held our annual Spring Portrait Blitz in and around the new Norquest building on 108 Street and 102 Avenue this year. The building looks fantastic! The area around the building is also full of nice little spots that allowed us to capture some great images of the groups that took part in the event.

The day ended up being quite warm and sunny. Clouds were not to be seen at all. On a regular day, we're all for that. The trouble is that it makes things a little tricky for photography - people with squinting eyes don't seem to make the greatest photos - so we were a little bummed that it was so clear, but we still managed to work it out. We always love the challenge of getting the best photos possible in ANY situation.

We tried to keep the gallery to around 30 total photos to share, but there were too many that we loved. Some are just too fun to not share... so we did 2 galleries. Here is a sampling from the many sessions we held on the day. 

Misha & Caleb

It feels like every time you go downtown, another mural has graced the side of building, adding such personality to the neighbourhood. For Misha and Caleb's session, we headed to 104 St, one of our favourite spots in the city and just walked around the block taking advantage of the varying architecture in such a small radius.

We spent some time with the dogs then dropped them off to explore the rest of the block. Pretty happy with how these shots turned out. Enjoy!

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

The Wilkies

Better late than never!

In October, we had the pleasure of shooting this awesome growing family days before their newest addition join the group. We headed out to the Edmonton River Valley for a walk and shoot. Little V ran around picking up everything he could find, sliding down snow banks, and laughing the whole time. 

This type of shoot shows Edmonton at it's best. Hope you dig it too.

September Portrait Blitz - The Doyles

Since the first time we worked with Brandon and Shelby for their engagement session, and then through to their wedding, we have always looked forward to the next opportunity to work with these two.

Fast forward a few years, and two have become three.  We were so happy to meet their little man. He was a trooper. Just so adorable. Can't wait to work with this family for years to come.

Cassie & Drew

What a great day this was!

After the great time we had with Cassie and Drew at their engagement session, we were pumped to get shooting their big day. The day started off at with a First Look at their house, then we headed to Iconoclast Coffee (a favourite hangout of these two), took some photos on the edge of the new Brewery District, before finally heading off to the Old Timers Cabin for the ceremony and reception. 

Thank you Cassie and Drew for letting us capture your wedding. Here's to many awesome years ahead!

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!

April Portrait Blitz - Krystina & Jacob

We have worked with Krystina many times over the years. Mostly through her work at the Legislature of Alberta. It was so nice to finally have her in front of the camera and to meet her partner Jacob. 

What really stands out about this session is their personalities. Most couples have never had photos taken before and it can be a strange thing. This couples laughter and the way they  just let themselves have fun really translated in the photos. 

Can't wait to work with them in the future.

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.

A Cold and Cool Fall Session

We met Leslie on the very first wedding Brad and I shot together. At that time, she was pregnant with her first. Now all these years later we had the pleasure of photographing the whole brood. 

We took them to a spot downtown that we've wanted to shoot at for a long time. It offered such diverse settings and only within a block radius. We are really happy with how this session turned out. Check it out for yourself.

The M-A Family

I'm sure when people think of Edmonton, the below images are what come to mind. We shot this session right after some new fallen snow had blanketed the city. It was simply gorgeous outside. Such a perfect time for a photo session. Tossing snow in the air. Making fresh tracks. All of it in a place this family frequents on a regular basis.

This is Edmonton. This is one of the reasons we love living here. Enjoy.

Jennifer & David... and Carter

With Jennifer & David's son Carter turning 2 months old recently, we thought it was high time we posted the photos we took of the couple as they were preparing for the arrival of the little guy!

We met on a chilly October evening to get some photos of the couple only a few short weeks before their son was due to be born. Carter joined Jennifer & David on November 3rd. We are very happy for them all!

Here is a look at some of the photos from that day:

 

Mahmi Family

This was our second time with this family and once again it was a lot of fun. It's great to see how much their son has grown in just a few years. We fought off the zillion mosquitoes that were swarming all around us and managed to get some nice shots on a beautiful evening. 

Take a look at a sampling of the photos from the 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.

The Yaghi Family

The Yaghi family are expecting their second child about a month from now but Nora was a trooper throughout this shoot. We managed to get a good assortment of photos in a fairly small area so she didn’t have to walk around too much. Thankfully there were still some leaves on the trees – they really seemed to disappear overnight this year.

I hope you can tell from these photos just how cute their son is. He was hilarious! We had a lot of fun on this photo shoot and we wish them all the best as they prepare to welcome their new addition.

Marika, Steven and Max at 6 Months

One of the great things about what we do is the ability to document people as they move through their lives. Engagement shoot becomes Wedding shoot. Wedding shoot becomes maternity photos… then newborn photos etc.

With Marika and Stephen we have been able to capture their maternity photos then a session with little Max when he was only a few days old. We met with the family recently to capture images of Max at 6 months old.

The day we met happened to be the day the first snow fell here in Edmonton. Just so Max didn’t get too cold outside we headed in to Rosso Pizzeria for a coffee and a little bite to eat. We sat back and took photos of the family spending time together.

We took to the streets after our fantastic coffee to take advantage of the beauty of the newly fallen snow for some nice outdoor photos. With the shoot finished, Max was whisked away by his parents to the warmth of the family vehicle.

We look forward to seeing Max grow through the years. 

Here are some of the images from our most recent session: