Custom Categories: photography

Portraits: Salt Spring Island

28 YEARS AGO, I MET ERIKA AND LILY.

We were in Grade 1, and we had big plans. We created plays in our basements, called radio stations to request songs in our best English accents, and agonized over our crushes (well, maybe that was just me…). When we were old enough to drive, we took a road trip across Canada together, dancing on the highway and guzzling bright pink energy drinks. Thinking back, I actually quit my part time job to take that trip. #worthit.

In May, 2018, about ten years after that first road trip, we got the band back together and trekked out to Salt Spring Island, BC. Thankfully, we are still the crazy kids who like to play make-believe and sing Backstreet Boy songs. How lucky am I to have girlfriends that I’ve known almost 30 years?! Here they are, posing for portraits in the forest. I’m so lucky.

Interiors: Watt Wrks

Watt Wrks creates beautiful, custom woodwork with a focus on storage solutions for small spaces.

I’ve been fortunate to work with Phil & Rebecca on a number of projects, capturing their work on location around Vancouver. Their creativity and hard work is evident in the custom kitchens, lofts and offices they create!

Visit the Watt Wrks website here!

Travel: Palm Springs

Palm Springs is a photographer’s dream.

In March 2018, my friend Meg and I took a girl’s trip to Palm Springs. It was a creative retreat of sorts; a chance to explore and create in a new landscape. Luckily, Meg (who is the talented designer behind this very website!), is also patient and funny and adventure-loving. She was also totally open to being in almost every photo I took during this trip…ha!

We ran up hills for portraits at dusk, went on an architectural door tour of Palm Springs, visited the derelict (and slightly creepy) village of Bombay Beach on the Salton Sea, found inspiration at Salvation Mountain, and made our way through Joshua Tree National Park!

Check out my Joshua Tree post next!

Portraits: Shelly & Chris

Pictures of People in Love.

Shelly & Chris flew all the way from Edmonton, AB to have their engagement portraits done in Whistler! And lucky for them…it RAINED 3/4 of the time they were here! Blerg. BUT! They were troopers. We all stuck it out in the rain and the cold to get some amazing images in the mountains.

Personally, my favourite shots are from the dock at Nita Lake Lodge. It was getting dark as we pulled up (and the rain was pouring harder than ever), but my trusty flash gave us the magic we were looking for. The raindrops were frozen as they fell, backlit and dancing.

Congratulations Shelly & Chris! Can’t wait to party like it’s 2019 at your wedding this summer!

Travel: Vancouver From Above

My husband and I moved to Vancouver in 2013.

Freshly married, bright-eyed and ready to start our lives in another province. We had been living in Toronto and chose Vancouver in order to be closer to our families in Alberta. Plus: it had mountains, ocean and mild weather.

I won’t lie and say that it was magical and easy and everything we’d dreamed. Moving is hard work, and uprooting our lives to plop them down on the other side of the country was tough. But, as we slowly sink into the Vancouver lifestyle, the more I appreciate it. The fresh air, the outdoor activities and the slower pace have grown on me.

These images were taken during a Harbour Air tour on one of the first sunny spring days. It was so beautiful to see the city and the mountains from above!

Portraits: Iain & Nicole

Iain & Nicole are writers. And adventurers. And genuinely great people.

I first met Iain while working at The Globe and Mail in Toronto, and was excited to learn that he and his partner Nicole were going to be moving to Vancouver about a month after I arrived. Yesss! Instant Friends!

These two are brilliant and hilarious and generous. Getting to know them even more during our mutual time in Vancouver was great. Having work dates with Nicole, meeting for beach picnics, and having random drinks in the ‘hood. After a couple years however, these two outgrew Vancity and made plans to move to India. Yowzah.

But first: a wedding.

It was such a privilege to spend this day with them. We wandered Granville Island (where Nicole picked the flower for her bouquet) to take portraits, before making our way to a nearby park for the ceremony. Their easy way with one another made my job so joyful. They truly are a beautiful couple.

Portraits: Yoga

When I moved from Toronto to Vancouver, I was tasked with bringing the Globe & Mail’s Yoga Basics series with me. I was excited to grow the series and introduce some west coast vibes, but first I had to cast the host!

Vancouver’s not without it’s share of yoga teachers, but Amber stands out. I had first seen her on Instagram and was really impressed with her posts. She won over our producers, and we shot over a dozen videos.

Not only is Amber a great yoga instructor, but she is kind, generous, incredibly hard working and a wonderful ambassador for outdoor adventure! These photos are from several photo shoots we did over a period of three years. The first (of Amber wading in the ocean) are actually from her video audition. Look at that smile!

It is such a joy to capture someone doing what they love. Thank you Amber, for being such a great role model and for working with me on these images.

 

Travel: Semaphore Lake

Semaphore Lake is a secret place. A place where you can camp out under the stars and have snowball fights in the middle of summer.

Travel: France

Images from a week spent in Paris and the South of France.

Portraits: A collection

It’s a privilege to capture someone’s portrait.

To create a photo experience where my subject feels comfortable, beautiful, and as much like themselves as possible, is paramount. This is a small collection of portraits of some truly inspiring people.