{suzanne & steve: wedding...}

I seriously have some of the best colleagues in the world. Seriously. We are a small group of seven women and on countless occasions, we say that the best part of our job is the people. That being said, we also agree that the worst part of job can also be…the people! And it’s not because we don’t adore each other or respect each other, it’s because like any other relationship in life, they can be trying at times. When you spend eight hours a day, five days a week together; when you share in the ups and the downs of your day together; when you share in the personal and professional sides of life together…you’re bound to get on each other’s nerves from time to time! But it’s a small (and very worthwhile) price to pay for the privilege of being able to work with people that I can call my friends.

It’s actually the single part of leaving my job that I am anxious about. I’m a bit nervous about the loneliness that could come with self-employment and what life will be like without that built-in network of people to see and share with every day. That, most certainly, will come as an adjustment. And there have been times when I’ve wondered if this factor alone would potentially be too much for the extroverted, social butterfly in me.

And then I met Suzanne and Steve…

I met them on a busy Friday night at Starbucks to discuss their upcoming Christmas wedding. I had met them at a time when I was still trying to decide if photography was really the way to go for me. After all of the stability that I had created in my current situation, it often seemed down right crazy to put it all aside for something that may or may not end up working out. I was scared about life outside of an office, life as business owner, and life without the structure that I had so intimately come to know over the last decade. But then there I was with this lovely couple and a half hour led to an hour, which then melted into two hours and before I knew it, I realized I had long overstayed the amount of time I had promised my husband I would be gone! Once I did make it home though, I walked through the front door, poked my head around the corner to where he was comfortably parked on the couch (with my most apologetic eyes, of course!) and when I was asked how our meeting went…I just looked at him, smiled and said “I’m so doing this!”

To say that I like Suzanne and Steve would be such a ridiculous understatement! To say that I wish I could carry them around in my back pocket as my permanent coffee dates would be at least getting a wee bit closer to how much I adore them. Not only are they two of the most wonderful and kindest people that I’ve ever had the pleasure of working with, but frankly…I love them!!! And at the risk of making them sound like a puppy that followed me home…I want to keep them!!! Pleeeeeeasseee…

Not only do they radiate the very essence of love and happiness that I cherish so much in people, but from the moment I first met them, they began to teach me a very important lesson; a lesson that I needed to learn in order to move forward in my photography career; they taught me that relationships are not a by-product of a work place or a work structure…they are a product of the effort you put into them and the parts of yourself that you are willing to give them. They reminded me that it will be people like them that become my new colleagues and the new day-to-day elements of my life. It will be sharing in their wedding days and the time leading up to it that will become my new structure and if I’m really lucky, some of those relationships, just like some of the ones that I’ll be leaving behind at my old job, will long outlive our “designated” time together to become an entity all unto their own. And that is, quite possibly, the very best reward of all.

As I joined my husband back in car after having dropped off their final disc of images, I just looked at him and said “I’m sad!” And I really was. It was like saying a reluctant goodbye to a friend at the airport! I didn’t want their wedding to be over, I didn’t want their pictures to be done and I didn’t want to drive away from my new friends! But then I got a beautiful email the next day that said “let’s keep in touch, okay?”…and just like that, my heart felt better! I didn’t quite get to “keep” them, as in I don't get to see them every day…but I definitely felt like I had been granted shared custody!!

Suzanne and Steve, you’re amazing! You’re amazing in front of my camera and you’re exponentially more amazing in person. Thank you for not only letting me share in your beautiful wedding day, but thank you for being the very best way to end an incredible year. I miss you already!

Gen xoxo

To see more of their romantic winter wedding, click here to see their slideshow.

{so long...}

About five and half years ago, I sat in my doctor's office crying about how I hadn't slept properly in three months...how I was always feeling sick to my stomach...how I had a constant headache...and most of all, how I was having difficulty breathing. I was convinced I was dying. After listening to my hysteria for ten minutes, he handed me a note giving me the next three weeks off of work and asked me to take part of that time to consider if the field of work that I was currently in was something that I wanted to pursue long-term. "If not" he said, "now would be a good time to make a change."

I was in politics at the time. I had been hired as a political assistant on Parliament Hill shortly after graduating from university and while I enjoyed the experience of it all, over the course of my three years, it had also managed to systematically suck the soul out of me. At the age of twenty-five, I been put on stress leave.

Ten days into my three week leave, I got offered a new job in the field of the fine arts doing marketing and communications. I quit my political job that same day, started my new job the following Monday and swore that my life would never experience that kind of imbalance ever again.

As strange as it may sound, that change of direction in my career was one of the most "divine" moments of my life. It was one of the best and most spontaneous decisions that I have ever made and no part of it had anything to do with prestige or money or even advancement. It had to do entirely with the pursuit of well-being and the proper alignment of my priorities...for what may have been the first time ever in my life. I had surrendered myself in that doctor's office and God had taken over the reigns from there. And He did an amazing job!

In five weeks, I'm going to be leaving that job to become a full-time Mother, a full-time photographer and hopefully, an even more genuine version of myself as once again, God takes the reigns in a whole new direction. And just like last time, I can feel God's presence in this transition as things slowly fall into place; the gentle hand guiding into new and unfamiliar territority but all the while, reminding me that it will all be okay. I've never been more scared and excited all at the same time!

This is why I didn't mind spending my entire New Year's Day in front of the computer putting together my "best of" slideshow for 2009; because it was - in essence - giving some well deserved reflection and acknowledgment to the first of many steps that would change the course of my life. I've always considered it somewhat cliché to do the whole "look back at the year...", but in this case, I felt as though I owed it to myself to take a moment (or an entire day!) to recognize how far I've come in this area of my life...which ultimately, has affected every other area of my life as well. It has also proven that God is far better in the driver's seat than I could ever be (even with the new GPS we got for Christmas!)!!

So 2009...I bid you farewell! 2010...let's kick some ass!

To view my "Best of 2009" slideshow, click here.

{the year that hope built...}

“It was the best of times…it was the worst of times…” That’s how the saying goes, isn’t it?!?!

As the last hours of the year came to an end, I couldn't think of anything better than Charles Dickens’ own words to sum up my feelings about the last 365 days. It truly was the best of times and the worst of times. In all of my years, no other - thus far - has spread me thinner across the emotional spectrum of life than 2009. It was the good, the bad, the glorious, the grief and all things in between.

But all roads have led here; right where I’m supposed to be…and for that I am thankful.

I suppose that I could spend page after page reflecting on my experiences of the past year but the time has come and gone…and so must my feelings towards all that has happened. I’ve endured and I’ve enjoyed, and now I will close the book on a time that has taught me so much. I am walking away though with a sense of growth and a better understanding of just how precious the human spirit really is. Strength, courage, grace, forgiveness, love…all of these things create a world far more beautiful than I ever thought possible. And perhaps most precious of all is gratitude; the all encompassing sense of knowing that all you have is all you’ll ever really need. And so I leave 2009 feeling the need to share my own sense of gratitude; gratitude towards a year that let me come out victorious, towards people that made the fight worth fighting and for another 365 golden days that are going to change everything…

Thank you to Joanne, Jamie and Christina for being my biggest fans all year long; for perpetually encouraging me and for picking me up when the pieces have fallen down. It would have been a much harder road to go down had you not held my hands along the way…

Thank you to Papermoon Photography, Miv Photography, Studio 1948, Sammy Oxendahl, Cathy & David, Jen Berry and Tim Forbes for all of your advice, encouragement and outstanding inspiration. The world is a better place because you are all there to document it…

Thank you to Starbucks for giving me the energy to do two full-time jobs for eight months straight! I heart you...

Thank you to all of my amazing clients from 2009! Thank you for taking a chance on a basically unheard of photographer and for allowing me to share in your lives. I am only here because you trusted me to do so…

Thank you to my Steve…my husband, my best friend, my beloved. Thank you for believing in me enough for both of us. Thank you for standing by my side every step of the way. Thank you for wiping my tears away when things were hard and for sharing in my excitement when things were perfect. Thank you for buying me a cell phone so I would no longer be stranded and thank you for holding my hair back when I threw up all summer (you can take that up with your son in a couple of months!!)!! Thank you for choosing me and most of all…thank you for loving me…

(Thank you to Tim Forbes for capturing my husband in all of his amazing handsome-ness!)

And thank you to a God unlike any other. Thank you for bestowing on me the countless blessings that fill my days…blessings far beyond what I deserve. Thank you for giving me a gift and for the courage to pursue it. Thank you for giving me your guidance, your purpose and your presence. Thank you for helping me find my way back to you…

May all of you celebrate the most wonderful of new years and may you let hope and love be your guide for 2010…

With love,
Gen xoxo

p.s. To view my "Best of 2009" slideshow, click here.

{brent & caroline...}

I remember the first time that I ever photographed a wedding how intimidated I felt by the intimacy of it all. I remember feeling as though I should be looking away and not pointing my camera at all of the very private and personal moments that were taking place; the smiles, the tears, the eternal gazes. Even while going through the pictures afterwards, I remember feeling somewhat as though I just intruded on something that I shouldn’t have been privy to, despite my invitation to be front and center during the entire moment.

I have to come to cherish these moments because that’s essentially what it is; a trusted invitation to bear witness to it all and to somehow capture the fleeting moments that pass us by all too quickly.

Anytime I leave a wedding, I realize just how much there is to learn about someone because of that single day; their style, their faith, their devotion, their relationships, their organizational skills!! So much gets said about a couple besides the words that are actually being spoken and frankly, it’s a gift to be there. It’s entirely a blessing to be there during any course of these moments; the engagement, the wedding, the anticipation of a child, the family pictures long after its grown or even the celebration of individuality between a single person and my camera. What a blessing it all is!

Below are some images of my latest bride…my newest friend…and one of my more recent blessings. I learned a lot over the course of preparing for Caroline and Brent’s wedding and most of all, I learned that it’s all the moments in between that are the most precious; it was sitting with her over lunch and discovering about her life outside of her wedding; it was giving her a hug outside of the church because I was so happy for my new friend’s amazing day; it was patiently waiting for her to come home from her honeymoon, not so I could give her all of her pictures, but so I could see the smile on her face from having spent two weeks relishing in her new life. It’s about being so wildly excited for her future and all that there is to come…and all because she needed a wedding photographer!

~~~

The lovely Caroline getting ready on her big day...

Brent and his men having a last single guy's drink...

Oh, the anticipation...

This is Caroline's parent's property where her and both of her sisters celebrated their wedding. It was a photographer's dream!

Ahh...yeah! Too cute for words!

To see Brent and Caroline's slideshow, click here.

{courtney & josh: wedding...}

Lovely! That's exactly how everything about Josh and Courtney's wedding turn out...lovely! From the amazing weather to the beautiful venue, from the super fun wedding party to the devastatingly striking couple...everything just oozed loveliness!

I always love seeing how couples like their wedding day to play out. They are all so unique and lend various moods to the day. Josh and Courtney opted to see each other before hand and to spend a few hours with the wedding party before their sunset ceremony in the Vista Room at Lago Restaurant. I have to say...it rocked! We soaked up the sun in the Arboretum before heading for dinner (which, might I add, may have been one of the very best steaks I've ever had!). Then it was time to prepare for their beautiful ceremony before rocking the night away!

Thanks Josh and Courts for all the fun in the sun...my camera and I adore you!!!

~~~~

This was such a sweet moment between Courtney and her Dad (who I'm also a huge fan of!) when she first arrived...

I don't usually include too many family pictures on the blog...but this was too good to resist!!

Courtney, you are oh.so.gorgeous.

This shot made me so happy when it popped up on my computer screen! I had been teasing Courtney and asking her to give me her very fiercest of looks! This is what proceeded...

Holy Handsome Batman!

Hee hee...

I was in elle oh vee eeh with their ring shot!!!

To see Josh and Courtney's slideshow, click here.

{kristen...}

So tell me, what exactly do you think of when you hear the words “country girl”?!?! Not being anything even remotely close to a country girl myself, I really have no idea!! Don’t get me wrong…I can Calgary Stampede it up with the best of them but when it comes to “living the life”, I’m at a loss! That being said, my recent photographic subject, the lovely Kristen, broke the mold of stereotypical country girl (whatever that may be) with a vengeance!! Think Abercrombie & Fitch meets Heartland!! It's hot!

Kristen and I started planning our session together many months ago when I knew that I would be making an appearance in her neck of the woods (her neck of the woods being a mere eight hours away from my neck of the woods!). She wanted something a little urban…a little country…and all Kristen! Really…what could possibly be more fun?!?!

When the day finally rolled around, the dark storm clouds stayed at bay and Kristen happily showed me what it’s really like to be a country girl!!! We roamed the dirt roads in her SUV (complete with her pink iPod, pink cowboy boots and a bag of sour gummy worms!) and stopped whenever we felt inspired (which turned out to be frequently!)!

A little over six hours later (because we had that much fun!), I packed up my stuff, followed the setting sun back home and realized that few things are hotter than a pretty girl and her farm toys!!

Our apologies to the gentleman who nearly fell off his motorcycle as we were taking this shot! Really, it's not her fault that she's so distracting!!

Kristen's long time boyfriend (they've been together longer than I've even known my husband!!), joined us part way through our shoot so that he could happily play his part as her most beloved of accessories!

Ummm...yeah...country life is hot!

Click here to see the rest of Kristen's smokin' slideshow!!

{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.

{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!}

{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!}