{sand road...}

So, what happens when you get a guy who needs new some new pictures done with his guitar, a couple of girls who like to play dress-up and some very photogenic horses? You get a car full of people sporting the best bug spray money can buy…a mandatory stop at Starbucks…and a morning spent down on Sand Road!

Home to the most beautiful rural settings, the most hospitable people {martini anyone?!?!} and the most cooperative of furry friends; Sand Road is definitely one of our region’s best kept secrets. What was meant to be just a morning photo shoot trailed long into the afternoon as we just couldn’t tear ourselves away from it all. But when we finally did pack every thing back into the car and start driving down the dirt road back home, I think that we all left knowing that this photo shoot was leaving us with not only some amazing images, but also some pretty memorable stories created in the name of photography!!

From the horse that wouldn’t flinch at barking dogs or motor vehicles, yet found himself terrified of my grandmother’s wooden chair…to the new four day old furry addition that we got to play with in the pasture. From drinking martinis in the middle of a dirt road to the perfectly timed train that crossed our path! It was definitely a shoot not soon to be forgotten!!

Sand Road {and all those that reside there}…you are one of the few worthwhile reasons for getting up that early on a Saturday morning!!! We love you!

~~~

Shawn attracted many of the neighbors when he happily played my camera a tune! Without the busy sounds of the city to drown out all the beautiful music, it felt like his melody could be heard for miles!

Jamie was such a trooper when we experienced an unexpected visit from a passing train!! Seriously...I think that her expression here is absolutely priceless!

Oh little one...how I wish my husband wouldn't object to me bringing you home!!!! I think that you'd get along just swell with my kitty!

To view the slideshow from the rest of this shoot, click here.

{wait for it...}

Okay...so I couldn't resist giving you a little sneak peek of what my morning was like hanging out with my little buddy Tobin on the day of his first birthday {have I mentioned that I have the best job in the world?!?!}...

Enough said!

{share the love...}

So, as a “newbie” photographer, I don’t know a whole lot of other people in the industry just yet (at least not locally) but I do have a bunch of amazing photographers that I stalk (ummm…I mean…follow!) in cyberspace. Their work never ceases to amaze me and taking some time every day to catch up on their projects always reminds me of why I love photography so much. They are inspiring…artistic…creative…brilliant…and I spend every day hoping that I can be even half the photographers that they are.

Following their blogs does, in its own little way, make me feel like I’m sharing in their lives and in turn, I share in both their glorious wedding shoots and the moments that seem to blindside them out of nowhere. That being said, one of the lovely ladies that I follow is going through more right now than many of us will ever endure in our entire lives…and I’m sad for her. Not actually knowing her leaves me feeling frustrated at my inability to do something. So I pray for her and her husband. I pray for their family and their friends. I pray that they can find peace through this challenging time and I pray that God will make his Presence known to them. Most of all; I pray for a full recovery that will enable them to live a long, healthy and happy life together…just like they deserve.

So my fellow bloggers and readers, I ask you to do the same. Please go and visit Jen’s blog (and her husband’s) and show them some love. You’ll drool over her amazing pictures and you’ll be moved by their strength and sense of humour.

Jen Berry…you don’t know us…but we are with you nonetheless…

{why thank you starbucks...}

You're too kind...

{simon & manon...}

I’m a city girl…tried and true! I just adore the look and feel of corner coffee shops, urban architecture and all the stories that walk past me on the street every day. I love the endless culinary possibilities and knowing that somewhere, someone is always awake at all hours of the night. I especially love driving back to the city after having been away and seeing the skyline off in the distance…there is something strangely comforting about it.

A couple of weekends ago, I was walking through a big field in Cantley, Québec; a small rural community about forty-five minutes outside of Ottawa. I was there with Simon on the afternoon of his wedding as we made our way to a sand pit where he and his friends spent a lot of time growing up…a place that a city girl like me would seldom ever find herself! We had just left his house where the guys had been getting ready and where incidentally, the bride’s parents lived two doors down. In many ways, Simon was, quite literally, marrying the girl next door!

Given the amount of time spent at the sand pit during their younger days, Simon requested a few pictures along the cliff with his groomsmen. As we made our way through the field, Simon pointed out the elementary school where he and his friends all met and just next door was the hundred and forty year old church where he was about to marry his longtime love, Manon. It was astounding to me the memories that were contained within this small rural area and the proximity in which so much had happened. An entire lifetime had occurred in this beautiful little corner of Québec and a whole new life was about to begin in the very same place. That is certainly a charm that is not easily found in the jungles of the city.

So off we went for one last visit to the sand pit before Simon said “I do” and I have to admit that I was quite proud of myself for not even letting the black flies keep me from having a great time! Really, it’s hard not to laugh when a bunch of guys in tuxedos are jumping through the air in a giant field for your photographic entertainment!!!!

And as I drove home that night and saw the Ottawa skyline approaching ahead of me, I had to smile knowing that for all the things I love about the city…it’s even better when you can enjoy the best of both worlds. Thank you Simon and Manon for inviting me into your wonderful world!

{click the icon on the bottom right hand side for a full screen view of the slideshow!}

{a girl, her boy and her shoes...}

I’ve been meaning to put this post up for a while of these photos that I took back in early spring but sometimes, even the writer in me is a lack for words when it comes to the people that I love!! But my writer’s block is certainly no excuse for depriving the world of my beautiful friend’s smile!

Please meet Christina! She is my oldest and dearest friend from high school. We met in grade ten and have been the best of friends ever since. We spent a lot of time talking about boys back in the day until we got our hands a couple of the best boys out there and moved our conversation to other things (okay…that’s a lie! We still talk about boys any chance we get!!!).

When it comes to boyfriends, I obviously have very high standards for my friends and don’t want them giving their hearts to just anyone (I try not to make a habit of busting knee caps, but when it comes my girls…I’m available and willing!). That’s why having Jason around is so wonderful; thanks to him, I can happily put my baseball bat away and watch the world unfold just as it should be…because they are just perfect together!

I had the very joyous opportunity of photographing my beautiful friend and her main man back in March and I find myself smiling every time I look at their pictures! They may be far away from me (too far) but these help the distance seem more bearable.

I forgot to mention that for Christina's birthday, Jason took her out shoe shopping and the result was this amazing pair of hot pink shoes!! I do believe that this may have been the defining moment in which Jason was officially welcomed into our circle!!!

Thank you breeze for coming along at just the right moment and making Christina's hair look extra fabulous...

{boys are fun...}

...especially those of Manon and Simon's wedding!!
More of them to come soon!

{ben & lindsay...}

It’s not every day that I get to spend my morning with five handsome guys dressed in tuxedos by my side…but that is exactly how my day of photographing Ben and Lindsay’s luscious outdoor wedding began; surrounded by dashing young men and lugging my grandmother’s hundred year old chair around a forest! It’s really a tough job…but somebody’s got to do it!!

If there’s ever been a time when I’ve begged and pleaded for Mother Nature’s cooperation, this was it! Ottawa is normally a pretty happy place during this time of year but a spell of cold and dreary weather had been cast upon us and it was conflicting heavily with my philosophy that no beautiful girl in a beautiful dress should ever have to walk in the rain!! Sure enough though, mere hours before their guests arrived, the clouds parted and the heavens poured sunlight down upon Rockcliffe Park for the beautiful moment in which Ben and Lindsay said “I do”.

I’ve often heard it been said that weddings are a dime a dozen; if you’ve been to one, you’ve been to them all. But to see distinction in a wedding is to distinctly see the couple who is a part of it; to see their relationship and their passion, their style and their grace, their past and their future. And if you’re really lucky, a first hand glimpse of just how compassionate Mother Nature can really be!

Ben and Lindsay, it is truly an honour to be able to call you my friends and it is always a priviledge to be a part of your life. While I don't think that any photograph can accurately reflect what amazing people you both are, I do hope that these at least help to reflect what a gorgeous day we all got to be a part of!

{click the icon on the bottom right hand side for a full screen view of the slideshow!}

{coming soon...}

...The romantic tale of Lindsay & Ben...