Brett and Darcy exchanged vows on a beautiful fall day in the Protection of the blessed Virgin Mary church and it is gorgeous inside!

The guys kept things loose outside anxiously awaiting the arrival of Brett and the girls

I love this shot of Darcy’s mom putting his boutonniere on, the flowers from Floral Studio at Holes were amazing.

Time for dad’s boutonniere. I love the pin technique, kind of looks familiar right.

Once the girls arrived Darcy ducked inside and took his place awaiting the arrival of Brett.

By the expression on his face I would say he was speechless upon seeing Brett for the first time!

They each wore a crown for part of the ceremony that needed a little help from the Best Man and Maid of Honour to stay in place. Kudos to those two because for about 30 minutes or so they had their arms up in the air holding them in place. My arms almost fell asleep just thinking about it!

I love the looks couples exchange during their ceremony, especially if they have not done a first look prior to the ceremony. This is the first chance they have to take in all the details of each other, almost like meeting each other for the first time all over again.

Mr and Mrs!

One thing is for sure, they know how to have fun, seriously the wedding party were cracking each other up all day!

Back to a few more serious photos.

I love the Black & White in these two!

Brett’s rings were actually made up of 3 rings that stacked together surrounding the engagement ring, very cool but very hard to get them to stand up!

Brett and Darcy had our photo booth at their wedding, check out some of the fun that was had at their booth.

Congratulations Brett & Darcy, we had a great time spending the day with you guys. Everything about the day was amazing, we were touched by the words your friends and family shared with you and about you guys. It was a very special day indeed with lots of laughter and sentiment.

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What an awesome wedding Janna and Martin had, it was a hot and beautiful day and the church was packed with family and friends. In fact it was so packed there was standing room only, I mean this place was jammed!

Jana and Martin obviously have a lot of people who really care about them because even though it felt like a sauna inside the church tons of people travelled from all over and no one left the ceremony early! Of course people did take opportunities to dehumidify, including yours truly

Janna looked stunning, Martin could not take his eyes off of her.

The exchange of vows is one of my favourite parts of the day. I love when a groom gets a little emotional during their vows, and while Martin did pause to collect his thoughts he delivered with poise. I think it is a testament to how much he cares for Janna!

And by the look on Janna’s face I would say she appreciates Martin’s candor.

An ice breaking moment happened during the exchange of the rings

With all the heat in the church Martin’s ring needed a little extra encouragement to go on, but in the end the ring made it and provided everyone with a laugh. Then the kiss!

I love the expressions on their faces in this shot just as they were being introduced for the first time.

You got to get a shot of the newlyweds before they drive off!

This is one of my favorites from the day. An “in between shot” of Janna and Martin relaxing and enjoying the moment.

These next two crack me up, they were having some fun with the photos and pulled out the playboy pose showing how suave Martin is…

what the… come on ladies that’s my stuff!

Alright back to Janna and Martin. How awesome are these guys! Another easy favourite of the day.

Some details

I love gowns with lace-up backs, no doubt a whole lot of lacing going on, but they look amazing.

The super fabulous wedding party!

This one is my favourite from their day.

Near the end of Janna’s dance with her dad her mom joined them on the floor. What can I say about this shot that you cannot see, this one is easily worth a thousand words, I love this shot!

I will end with Martin and Janna busting some moves

Congratulations guys, you are lucky to surrounded by so many people who care deeply for you guys! Thank you for letting us be part of a very special day. It was well worth the trek, we had a fabulous time and feel fortunate to have captured some great memories.

To see more of Janna and Martin’s day hit play down below:

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Here is a sneak peak of Janna and Martin’s wedding from August 13. The ceremony was in Redwater with a reception in Radway following. It was a blast to shoot this wedding and I hope to have more from their day up real soon. The day was gorgeous, and even though it was really hot they never slowed down, they brought it all day! Congratulations guys, hope you have a great time in Orlando!

Alberta, Edmonton Wedding Photographer, Korsan Studios, Photography, Radway, Redwater, Rural, Wedding Hide

A few weeks ago I photographed Janna + Martins engagement session and I thought I would share my approach to the location scouting for the session and all sessions I photograph. I like to be prepared and this approach is what works for ME, it may not work for you. In fact I know some people prefer to not see a location ahead of time and that is fine too. Remember this is my approach, take what you like, toss the rest, and add as you please!

I try to scout locations as close as possible to the date I will be shooting as well as at about the same time of day. The reason I choose time of day is so that I can see what the lighting will be like at that time. Where is the best light? Can I find open shade for the size of groups I am dealing with? Will there be enough light or will I have to supplement with flash? I like to check out the location close to the session date so that I can see the conditions of the location. Is there construction or renovations on the premise or grounds where I will be shooting? What can I use for backgrounds? Is there parking close by so that the clients do not have to do too much walking and I can have access to extra gear or props without the need for a donkey?

I take test shots to see if I like the way things look. I had Angela stand in while I dialed in the look I wanted, she got a little restless and started to play it up for the camera! I like what I see with this wall because it provides me with two things 1. a simple uncluttered background that I can throw slightly out of focus and 2. open shade with a touch of rim lighting. This same wall in the morning would be lit totally differently and I may not have used it if it was a morning session. 1 Spot down lets look for more.

Here we set up the camera on a tripod and used the 10 second self timer… I barely made it into position for the camera to fire! lol In fairness the camera was almost at ground level so I had to lay on my stomach to compose and focus the shot, then get up and run as I was using a long lens. As you can see the tails on my shirt have yet to settle.

We saw this amazing Lilac tree and I loved the subtle pop of purple from it’s flowers. The light here is awesome and the background gives me good separation from my subjects. 2 spots down…

From there I continue to walk the location and search for spots that I can use with my subjects seated, standing, walking, full length, three quarter length, in close… I take photos of all the spots I want to use and put them on my iPad, I can then use this to plan my “path” to hopefully create some efficiency and flow to the session. I will bring this with me on the day of the shoot and get there at least a half hour before the session starts and do a walk around to determine if the spots I have picked out are still usable. For example an empty fountain with some funky blue tiling is now either filled with water or the tiles have been ripped out and awaiting replacement, not that either of those have ever happened.

I take any opportunity I can to photograph my assistant, who happens to be my beautiful, lovely, and talented wife even if she is just lugging gear around!

And last but not least is to pack the gear up and head to dinner, hey you have to take every chance you can when you have someone looking after the children!

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After getting rained out for the original shoot date, it was dumping huge, we finally had a break in the almost non stop rain Edmonton has had this summer. Early in the day it was looking like we might have been in for some more rain, but the sun found its way out by the late afternoon and it was smooth sailing for the rest of the evening.

I have to hand it to these guys, they were troopers! Not only did we have to rebook but Janna and Martin had to endure waves of mosquitoes during the shoot as well.

I was in love with this doorway, I wish this was the front entrance to my house!

I love this spot, I could have shot here all day long.

I love me some hand holding and these guys know how to get it done right!

I brought a chalkboard along and asked Janna and Martin to each write three things about each other and this is what they had to say. The best part about this is that they really get to show off their personalities here, so saucy and fun!

Congratulations on your upcoming wedding guys, I had so much fun shooting the engagement session I can’t wait for your wedding!

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At the beginning of March I had the privilege of photographing the wedding reception for Mandi and James. They went away to get married and had a cocktail reception afterwards. The room was adorned with white and teal including chair and table covers, M&M’s, and accents giving a very airy and beachy feel. It made me think of a hot clear blue sky day on a beach in Mexico, which was awesome considering it was still snowy and cold here in March!

One of my favourites from the night.

I loved the expression and embrace of Mandi’s parents during slideshow.

Sharing the moment together.

Their first dance, well at least first for the local reception.

I love when couples get close while dancing.

Ya got to have a little kiss at the end!

Now this was a party that enjoyed dancing, nothing like the right song to pack a dance floor.

Thank you Mandi and James, it was a lot of fun capturing your reception. Next time you got to invite me to the wedding though

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I was recently doing a self portrait every night but that was insane. There is no way that I could keep that up and do anything else so I decided to make it a weekly thing and only do one a week. Lets call it… Self Portrait Sunday. The pictures may or may not be taken on Sunday but I am going to do my best to post a self portrait every Sunday, we will see how that goes!

So for this installment I wanted to do something with a guitar and the concept of being on stage performing a concert. I hope you enjoy it.

I had too much fun shooting this set. Do you think I have a shot at being a Country Music star?

Ok so I have no clue how to sing on key or play any instruments but that has never stopped other people from making it before. All I need is a super fab image and someone to manage me and I could be great! Well at least I had fun singing even if it was out of tune and no one was listening, and I think that is good… for everyone!

See ya later

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Today was the day of Buffy Goodman’s Wedding Photography Workshop. From the day I found out about it I was so excited, I think her work is fabulous, you totally have to check it out!

It was an awesome workshop I learned so much and met some terrific people. There was lots of discussion and ideas and I left the workshop energized and excited to go out and shoot. I definately feel challenged to improve my work and continue to grow as a photographer, and that is a good thing. That is part of what drives me as a photographer, to capture the perfect picture, the perfect moment and if I have done my job well the essence of the moment will remain to be cherished forever.

I sure hope that Buffy will consider a Wedding Workshop Part II

Buffy, thank you so much for putting on this workshop it was totally worth braving the icy cold snowstorm we are having!

I took this while I was stopped at an intersection waiting for a break in traffic on my way home from the workshop. Thank goodness that the ploughs had already been out.

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Back in early October I had the opportunity to photograph Jayelle and Justin’s wedding alongside the lovely and talented Shannon Gaucher. The wedding ceremony took place in Sherwood Park and the reception was at the Snow Valley Ski Club. While everyone was waiting for the ceremony to begin I caught one of the flower girls waiting for Jayelle to arrive. She was too cute cuddling her teddy bear, whom accompanied her down the aisle.

It was wonderful to see the pride in Justin’s face as he greeted his bride to be and escorted her to the front of their family and friends.

After a brief ceremony and ring exchange…

It was sealed with a kiss.

Jayelle is such an elegant bride.

And Justin is a classy groom.

I love how relaxed and casual this shot looks. Check out the bling!

Come on, you know you want to say awwww… This is so adorable.

BAM! Check out the footwear.

Every wedding needs a little cuddle time for the couple. This is one of my favorites from the day!

Hey what was this chair doing in the middle of the woods? This was actually brought by Shannon and lugged around by the groomsmen. Talk about earning your spot alongside the groom!

Another look at the bling and a “carriage” ride through the forest, compliments of Jayelle’s knight.

Snow Valley has a rustic cabin vibe to it with huge timber beams and pillars with a touch of industrial for lighting. It is such a great place for a wedding venue.

Another favorite pair of mine from their day. I always like to find “unique” spots to get some photos in. As soon as I saw the colors in the bathroom I knew I wanted to shoot something with a little more edge.

A happy accident… The foreground flash failed to fire here but I really liked the mood of this.

In this instance the foreground light worked, it has a very different feel to it I think.

What a cool cake!

This sequence is another favorite for me. Totally classic and I feel this captured the moment perfectly!

From here on out it was party time and the folks of Radiowave DJ kept everyone rockin the dance floor all night.

Congratulations Jayelle & Justin and thanks for letting be part of your special day. I would also like to give a special thanks to Shannon Gaucher for providing me the opportunity to photograph this wedding with her.

Later

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I photographed Tabitha and Pierre’s wedding earlier this spring. The ceremony was at the North Pointe Community Church with the reception at the gorgeous Chateau Louis Hotel in the St Michaels room. It was a great ceremony and the lighting on stage was amazing as the church is light in a theatric manner.  Think spotlights from above on the stage with theatre style tiered seating and the lights in the audience down low.  Everything was going nice and smooth according to plan and then right as they were about to kiss the camera I had ready to get the shot (Canon 5D MKII ) went “click” for the first frame and then just froze dead! Uh oh, what now?  Of course being prepared I had two cameras on me and was quickly able to switch and continue to shoot without missing a shot. I suppose if you are taking pictures long enough equipment failure is bound to happen, I would just prefer it to not happen at the pinnacle of action.

With the ceremony complete we headed off to the Neil Crawford Centre for the formals.  We shot in the atrium and around the outside of the building.

I love letting the couple have some “unscripted” time to just soak in the day while I capture some moments between the two of them. Tabitha and Pierre looked totally relaxed in front of the camera the whole day and it made for some great images.

Just outside the Neil Crawford Centre building was an old worksop with a weathered garage door that was full of character.  Mucho kudos to Tabitha for getting to it as she had to walk through some pretty sketchy terrain to get to the building, the ground was all rooted and lumpy.

I love this picture for two reasons. 1. the look that they are giving each other and 2. the fact that Pierre is carrying her shoes. I love the color against his dark suit!

A little quality time for a beautiful couple.

I think this is such a sweet moment between the two of them.  This is another fav of mine from their day!

Wow!  Can you stay gorgeously glamourous! I just love the old school hollywood vintage feel of this photo.

At the reception there were these really funky red lanterns for centerpieces along with a beautiful card that had the story of how they met on one side.

Dinner and dessert.  Need I say more? Ok, I just have to add that the desserts were amazing!  Who needs dinner when you have that much variety of sintastic sweets?

After dinner we snuck out onto the balcony for some fresh air, setting sun, and some uber romantic moments with the newlyweds.

Some first dance action.  A little intimacy, and a little laughter. As cliche as it may sound, I think Tabitha and Pierre truly enjoyed this most special day together.

A little later in the evening they each got to show off their best groove moves.  I like Pierre’s version of a kung fu robot over the rock n roll bride move Tabitha pulled out but it is just my opinion and of course I would lean more towards the masculine nature of a fighting robot.  How cool is that!  I would love to hear which one you prefer.  Please leave me a comment and cast your vote.

A toast, to Tabitha and Pierre! Thank you guys for trusting me with such a special day, and sharing your passion, laughter, and emotion with me. It was a wonderful day that I hope you both cherish forever.

Edmonton, Edmonton Wedding Photographer, Korsan Studios, Photography, Wedding Hide