Monday, January 25, 2010 Posted in weddings
A blog post you ask? An actual blog post with more than 2 pictures?
It’s here!
My 2nd last wedding of 2009.
I have to say that my last two 2009 weddings were both the coldest events that I have ever photographed.
I may have wondered if I would come out of them with all my fingers in-tact. (Lucky me I did)
J is from Canada and all her bridesmaids were are from Canada, M is from Australia and over half his groomsmen were Australian.
I can’t imagine coming to Canada from Australia and being asked to go outside in -30C in just a suit. They were tough.
However, lets take a quick peek a the girls in knee length dresses outside in -30C. They were extra tough.
I felt very lucky to be a part of J and M’s wedding day and love the images that we managed to snap while running in and out of the house.
Congratulations you two! I hope Australia is Hot and Happy!
I really like this image. This moment is one of my favorites at a ceremony. So much is said in gestures and eye contact.
J was one of the most relaxed, chill, totally ‘go with the flow’ brides I have ever worked with. It was such a treat to follow her around.
Her happiness for the purpose of her day shone through completely. Everything else was extra.
Here we go: -30C.
We snuck inside The Heritage Inn in Brooks for a few indoor images and to warm up our fingers and toes.
Friday, January 22, 2010 Posted in personal
It’s Friday!
Hooray! I am pretty happy because it means one more sleep until a ski day in Fernie!
I’m looking forward to becoming a weekend warrior and driving 8 hrs to ski for 6 hrs.
I am aware that it doesn’t make that much sense but desperate times call for desperate measures.
En route to a ski day extraordinaire with two very great friends I plan on tossing The Wooden Sky album
into the CD player. Have you heard???? They’re pretty great. Check out their new album “If I don’t come home, you’ll know I’m gone.”
Then, onto my love portion of this entry.
We are so lucky to live in Canada. I have been thinking this a lot lately, with all the misery going on all over the
world and particularly in Haiti right now.
Yesterday myself and my little VW Golf had a little mishap in the fog on the black ice with a sign post.
My poor car is in for surgery. The whole time I was thinking… geez… I’m still one of the lucky people. This as I sat in the ditch
and waited for the very nice stranger that appeared in the darkness to pull me out.
I am one of the lucky people. How many people even have a car to hit sign posts with even if they wanted to?
So, here’s a little link for the Canadian Red Cross, if you feel like helping out the not so lucky people. Red Cross.
Have a great weekend. See you on Monday.
Thursday, January 21, 2010 Posted in personal
I may have been getting harassed prodded a little bit by some blog readers about my lack of blogging.
So, here I am, literally.
January is a little slower for me so I like to take advantage and do as much for myself as possible.
In between a bit of work this week I took a ski day into the backcountry with my brother and my dad.
It wasn’t the best snow, it wasn’t the one of those on my goodness it was amazing, best ski day ever days!
It was a day spent with my brother and my dad skiing and talking baloney and laughing and pestering each other, so it was a pretty awesome day.
I am lucky to have a patient family who lets me stop while we’re climbing to photograph trees and tracks and them.
They are very patient people.
The old ’ski poles on the head’ is such a hilarious move…
What more can I say. Giving is awesome. I had to choose between a few nominations and that part wasn’t so awesome.
It was hard to choose.
Christine from Rolling Hills sent me this great nomination letter and I am really really excited to meet the Kolhmans
who have decided to wait until spring or summer for their session. I don’t blame them, it’s a little brown/muddy/wet/slushy/windy….
oh I mean Chinooky (is that a word?)
I wanted to share the letter with you all. Before I do, can I just say that people are great! Really great.
This community of Newell and Brooks and Rolling Hills is something else.
I felt the love in a big way when I was given a bridal shower last June. There were so many people there that I didn’t even know.
It’s a supportive, caring and community oriented community. Kinda why I liked this letter because it reminded me of all the things I like about Brooks.
One of the biggest aspects of my child hood that I appreciated was having a small and caring community. Canmore wasn’t always as big as it is now.
I remember getting candies at the butcher counter at the local grocery store and knowing everyone on the street on Canada Day, and knocking on
whoever was closests door to use the phone for whatever reason.
Community is awesome, neighbors are awesome and Giving is Awesome.
Christine Wrote:
I love looking at your pictures and reading your blog comments. You love your work and your positive outlook is infectious.
I was intrigued by your contest for the photo shoot.
I would like to nominate our neighbors, Dana and Cherry-Lynn Kohlman and their daughters, Sarah & Jane. This is a family
with “got-it-right” family values. They adore their kids and any time spent together is time well spent.
They are often seen walking down the country road together, be it on foot, stroller, or toboggan. Not only do they look out for their own kids
but the kids of our community – he is our school principle here in Rolling Hills and Cherry – Lynn teaches grade 5/6 fiddle program.
Their home is filled with art – finger painting by Jane (5), expressions in acrylics by Sarah (9) or tile mosaics by Cherry-Lynn.
I think they may have painted their kitchen to match one of these paintings! I think a photo shoot would be a lovely addition to their home
and maybe not something they would treat themselves to.
They are helpful and willing neighbors who cheerfully pitch in where needed. If I pie mysteriously shows up inside your porch,
you can just count your blessings and pass me a fork! (All we did was feed the dog!)
Happy Weekending Everyone!
A and M came to Brooks for their engagment session.
It’s kinda fun when people travel to see little ‘ole me in my lil’ prairie town.
They brought their Great Dane, Diesel with them and we bounced from
location to location all around town. I love the industrial area of Brooks
and find myself there often. There are so many different places to photograph in and around town.
They are getting married at the Galt Museum in Lethbridge in March.
I am SO excited to photograph in a Museum.
Here they are!
Is it wrong that I like pipe yards and tanks so much?
Diesel was a good addition to the images.
Tuesday, January 5, 2010 Posted in personal
If I was writing a letter to the season of ‘Spring’ it would go something like this.
Dear Spring,
I know you are months and months away and I am okay with that. I really am enjoying winter and
the fresh snow that is gently making it’s way on my lawn is beautiful. In fact I may go out and build a snowman this afternoon.
I am wondering, how did these tulips make it to my table in the dead of Winter?
Spring you are a tease, I will enjoy the tulips but I will not dream of warmer days and green grass for at least 4 more months.
At least.
So there.
-Rachel
Monday, January 4, 2010 Posted in weddings
I’m back!
Happy New Year everyone.
It felt so good to have a break – a real break. No emailing, no phone, no editing and now I feel so…. refreshed.
2010 is off and running already and I am happily sprinting along with it. I have the energy and the legs.
We did it all over the holidays. We skated, played hockey, backcountry skied, cross country skied made cookies, ate cookies…
I think this was my best Christmas in a long time… having two families now is pretty awesome and it was bulging with friends and activities.
Now that that is behind us I am focused forward. Onward!
I received some great nominations for GIVING IS AWESOME and am so excited to have picked a winner. More on that later in the week.
I also photographed my last wedding of 2009 on New Years Eve.
It was very cold, very windy and very snowy. A beautiful day in Alberta. The bride was fiercely brave… she had bare arms.
I almost froze my trigger finger!
I’m so happy for J and C. I’ve known these two from my cycling days, waaaaayyyyy back when and am so glad to see them sealing the deal.
A few images to start of 2010.
The bridal party was also brave. We were all chattering teeth by this point, and still they worked it. Hard.
J has a very infectious laugh and I realized while photographing that I had missed it in the past few years. She is always happy.
Saturday, December 26, 2009 Posted in personal
I am loving the holidays.
Not only was Christmas day insanely beautiful in Brooks, today was a whole other gift of a day.
The fog lifted and left us shimmering with the frost. It was a bright day.
We spent it skating, playing hockey and eating lots of combined leftovers.
A good day.
Here is our tree in the snow and an image from the early start of the day.
Hope you all had a very merry Christmas.
I feel like I’m saying: ” HEY! look what I found!” I really have no idea why I pointed to the tree. It just happened.
I liked it’s perfectly framed shadow.
Monday, December 21, 2009 Posted in portrait
4 more sleeps.
I’m all about counting sleeps. I don’t have a proper calendar on my fridge but if I did I would be crossing off days
with green and red pens. I love to colour co-ordinate things. I was that girl in high school who had a pencil case full of
pens. Pens for math, pens for notes, pens for writing in the margins… you get the point. Good pens. Hmmm.
Totally off topic.
I’m excited to be taking a break for the holidays and to catch up on time with family and friends.
If you are trying to get a hold of me for sessions or orders I will be out of the office until January 3rd.
I’ll do my best to return emails etc, but I’m also going to be doing my best to skate, ski and have snowball fights for as many days
in a row as possible. (Anyone in for a snowball fight?)
We’re sticking around for the holidays this year and it’s going to be glorious!
Here’s a little photo to start off my holidays. This little guy was one of the easiest babies I’ve ever photographed.
I desperately wanted to snuggle and cuddle and nibble at his toes but I focused and photographed him instead. It wasn’t easy.
I’ll be blogging sporadically the next two weeks but not every day.
Merry Christmas!
by rachel
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