Carbide Willson Ruins Engagement Session in one photo
There are time when life aligns me with people who feel meant to be in my life. Everything from the initial inquiry, first phone call, contract negotiations and actual photo session planning has a thread of magic that sews it’s way through the entire experience.
This couple found me on the tenth page of Wedding Wire (because I don’t pay for my listing) and we soon discovered a variety of crazy connections between us.
When we planned the engagement shoot — after sending a few suggestions that had a nice interplay between architecture and nature - the couple sent back the suggestion of the Carbide Willson Ruins.
Well.
My heart skipped a beat for a few reasons: I went to day camp for my entire childhood that spent the first half of the day at a Ski Lodge and then the other half of the day at Meech Lake. We would OFTEN hike to these ruins except because I was a kid at the time, didn’t realize there was a name attached to them.
So needless to say I was all in.
We had a wonderful hike getting to know each other, revisiting my own childhood memories, and experiencing the wet grounds of this Spring together.
I have many beautiful photos from this experience, however for the sake of their desire for privacy I am leaving you with one we have agreed is just too beautiful to keep under wraps. The sun.. for a very brief moment chose to find it’s way through the windows of these ruins and we were so lucky to be there for it.
Magic. Really looking forward to shooting their wedding later this summer xo
Last Shot: Fannie & Deep Engagement
Engagement shoots are an interesting challenge with a good assortment of variables that any juggler would have a hard time keeping all up in the air.
When I look for locations I am thinking of it’s lighting, the mood the space will provide, it’s ability to provide different contexts, and also has an element of privacy.
For this particular shoot the original venue had done some drastic things to their venue for an art show… and so I quickly had to pull another venue out of my pocket that wasn’t too far away. Fortunately I remembered a building that was nearby and open to the public, just from the off chance that months ago my daughter and I had wandered in there looking for some vintage furniture. (You see, everything DOES happen for a reason!)
My point - there is one - I read the other day that a good photographer is a good problem solver. It does not matter how much you plan for something, you have to be able to handle the unexpected.
At any rate, this space proved to be a perfect backdrop on this sunny cold January Saturday and I am looking forward to showcasing the rest of these photos.
This photo was the last photo taken of the day… we had packed up, Fannie & Deep had all their winter gear back on and then we walked into this patch of sun in the stairwell.
They were game for one last photo and…
Perfect.
The Best of 2018
Three weeks into 2019 and I have wrapped up and finalized all the photographs I took over the last year. Looking back, I realize just how much was done, how much I traveled, how much my kids changed, and how much I learned throughout.
It is really hard to single out the “best” and in this case, I wanted the photographs to give some sense of chronology and story. There is a mix of photographs from our big family trip to Nicaragua, my girls roadtrip to a friend’s place in Martha’s Vineyard, a quick weekend getaway to Boston, family vacations, … to the weddings, engagements, portraits, and corporate events I shot for work. Throw a few small vacations in the mix, graduations, new schools, big birthdays, the Spartan Race, an ankle injury, kitchen dancing… and somewhere in there I managed to read 22 books. You guys! Reviews remind you of all that you have done.
This year is looking to be a remarkable one again, I kick off my wedding season officially at the start of May heading to the Mount Stephen Hotel in Montreal - leading up to this we’re taking on some massive renovations to our 100+ year old home here that we’ve lived in for a decade. It’s time. Travel-wise we’re trying to keep it minimal, but already we know we’ll be in Ireland for a wedding in June; plus I am crossing my fingers for a cultural dose of portrait gallery fangirling in Paris & London in the Fall. We’re planning our family holidays as I type and you see? Already it is Christmas.
The good news is that if you are looking for a wedding photographer for the summer, I do have some spots that remain open… the best thing to do is to fill out this form here.
Until then, enjoy the year in review :)
