LITTLE RIVER ENGAGEMENT : SAMANTHA + ALEX

They were introduced by friends some seven years ago, at a bar nonetheless.  Alex seen Samantha from across the room and it was like one of those movie moments where the whole room is dark with just a single spotlight on the girl.  There was just something special about that girl and he was prepared to do whatever it took to win her over.  anything.

At the time, Samantha was not interested in having a boyfriend and ignored his displays of affection.  Out of the blue he would send her gifts - flowers, chocolates, dinner invitations...the list goes on.  These displays of affection continued on for a year.  It was somewhere in that one year mark Samantha finally gave Alex the shot he'd been waiting for and they went on their first date...and the rest, they say, is history.  They have been inseparable ever since.  In the six years they have been dating, they haven't gone a single day without talking to one another - which just goes to show all Alex's hard work eventually paid off ;)

Samantha and Alex will be saying their I do's in front of close family and friends at the Shiprwrecks in Royston later this month and I cannot tell you how excited I am to be a part of their special day.  They are simply fun, sweet and amazing!  I had the best time at their engagement session, I can only imagine how wonderfully amazing their wedding day will be.

They decided to have their session around their home in Comox which has a beautiful back field accompanied by a nearby park and beach.  We have been blessed with a beautifully sunny June, but the two days before the shoot was nothing but dark clouds, rain and wind.  I kept my fingers crossed for somewhat decent weather for the day and the heavens blessed us with one killer day.  The air was warm and the sun was golden and everything around us was pure perfection.

These are a few of my favourites...

We started in a field just behind their house.  She even brought her bike...with a basket.  Love her!

After a quick outfit change, we made our way to a park just down the road.

Alex is a mechanic, so it was no surprise when he brought this '67 Chevy along for the shoot.

Samantha, you are FIERCE.

Alex was a little reluctant with my posing ideas, but I think he secretly liked it ;)

Samantha and Alex are planning their wedding in just three short months and Samantha forgot her ring was in getting fitted when we booked the engagement session.  Not wanting to re-schedule, she bought a couple fake rings for pictures...she saved the biggest one for last.  A girl can dream...

We ended the session on the beach, because, well...why not?  And these two looked perfectly adorable doing it.

This is my favourite photo from their engagement session, so I'll end on this lovely note...

To see more of Samantha and Alex's engagement photos,  CLICK HERE for a slideshow with Shaylee  & Scott music provided by The Music Bed!

Happy Thursday!

PINE LODGE FARM WEDDING: CIANA + TRAVIS

The sun broke through the grey clouds and stroked the day with its blessings.  Everyone downstairs was working like busy little bees...Organizing the flowers...Setting up the tents...Placing the chairs in perfectly straight rows...All preparing for what ended up being the most wonderful wedding. Ciana sat quietly by the window as her sister-in-law retouched the curls in her hair. As Ciana stood and slowly walked to the side door - careful not to be seen - the weightless white polka dot chiffon of her wedding dress danced above her toes. She paced along the shaded cement, drawing in deep breaths before descending down the walkway to see her future husband. 

Travis looked handsome waiting under the shade behind the gardens that surrounded Barbara's Garden at Pine  Lodge Farm. With his back turned, he waited patiently to see the woman he was to pledge his life to…whose grey hairs he wanted resting on his shoulders for eternity. Ciana stepped up behind Travis as he turned and looked at his beautiful wife to be and the world turned still and all that mattered, in that moment,was the two of them.

I was truly honoured to document Ciana and Travis's nuptials at Pine Lodge Farm in Mill Bay. Thank you for inviting me to share in on one lovely wedding day! From start to end, it embodied your care, devotion, and dedication to each other, but--more so--those around you.  For this -- and so much more -- I thank you.  Much Love and Appreciation...jj

Can we all please take a moment to appreciate the fact that Ciana's dress was POLKA-DOT!  Ciana, you are truly one of  my most favourite people.  ever.

Their beautiful rings and a close up of her dress.  #dang

The beautiful bouquets for the beautiful ladies supplied by Thrifty Foods.

Ciana and Travis opted to see each other before the ceremony for a first look and I was truly honoured to be a part of the experience.

I still can't get over her polka dot dress!

This is one of my favourites.  He just realized he is the luckiest man in the world.

They had both written personal vows for the ceremony, but being both on the shy side they didn't want to read them in front of everyone else.  They decided to read them to each other during their first look, and I have to admit...I got all choked up and teary...

Ladies and gentlemen, the most adorable couple in history.  Seriously.

The beginning of their forever.

As everyone gathered for cocktail hour, we ventured the farm for some some shade for the photos...it was so hot I'm surprised we didn't melt into the cement!

Love these two!

The happy couple.

I wasn't kidding when I said they are the cutest couple ever.

I am terrified of birds (no joke) but these two love birds are JJ approved!  And that's a good thing because they were all around...even in the decor...

Cheers!

To see more of Ciana and Travis's Mill Bay wedding photos, feel free to CLICK HERE for a SLIDESHOW for a fuller sneak peek of their day! 

JUST WORKING AWAY

My cat is softly purring at my feet.  I have a huge cup of steaming hot tea on the desk beside me.  And the keys of my laptop at my fingertips.  Never thought I'd be so happy to be working.

And there is LOTS of work to be done.  Emails.  Blogging.  Editing MY FIRST WEDDING!  Here's a glimpse of what I've been listening to to help the time pass without a worry in the world.

And because I will always love Lady Gaga..

Happy Friday!

ONE MORE SLEEP

I'm sitting here in my friends apartment, iced (decaf) caramel machiatto in hand, sun setting through the window blinds, dressed in my pyjamas and ready for bed.  I can't believe I will be shooting my first ever wedding on my own in just one more sleep.  I am a jumble of nerves and would be surprised if I get any sleep tonight.

This is my first time ever in Victoria, and lemme just tell you, this place is beautiful.  Like seriously.  I was  left alone at my friend's apartment this afternoon and decided to take a jaunt around the block to  soak it all in.  The sun was shining, people were bustling and my hair was blowing with the wind.  I had the most amazing time.  I eventually came back, had a shower and started to put on my pjs when I noticed I left the clothes for the wedding IN THE DRYER BACK HOME!!!  Back to the store I went to buy a last minute outfit for tomorrow.  Phew, nothing like leaving it to the last minute, eh?

I wondered briefly if it was a bad omen, then shrugged it off as quickly as it came.  If we ran away as soon as something got scary, how would we know what could have been.  The accomplishments.  Dreams coming true.  Triumph.

I honestly can't believe how quickly things have been progressing.  Hard work really does pay off.  If someone told me a year ago that I would be shooting my first wedding tomorrow, I would have laughed in their faces.  But, alas, here we are.

When I arrived at my friend's apartment, I gave her a birthday/thank you gift (she will be accompanying me tomorrow as a second shooter).  She squealed, said thank you, then told me how excited she is and that it feels like she is a part of history right now.  My history.

  

Ashley, I hope you're right.

LIFESTYLE FAMILY SESSION : THE WHITMORES

I met Danielle through a Scentsy party.  I was emailing her my order when she noticed I was a photographer and asked if I could photograph her two little girls for her.  One thing led to another and naturally, I obliged.  

Hannah is the oldest.  She is spicy and she is sweet.  She is smiling one minute and running off doing somersaults the next.  Then there is Megan, the little sister and is one happy and curious baby.  She definitely has her work cut out for her if she wants to keep up with Hannah one day.

This is Snow.  Hannah's cat.  But guys, she knows it's not real.  I got quite the talking to when I tried to pretend it was ;)

Mama wasn't planning on being in the pictures,  In fact, she had no idea I was taking these.  They had just got back from a trip a few hours before, so she was sitting with them to calm them down when they got a bit fussy.  They turned out to be some of my favourites.

I wasn't kidding about the somersaults.

CANADA PHOTO CONVENTION : VANCOUVER

For those of you don't know, CPC, or Canada Photo Convention, is a magical time once a year where photographers from all around the world gather in one hotel for three days and cause havoc in the city of Vancouver.  Whether it be stopping in the middle of the street to get the perfect shot or sending out spontaneous wolf calls to the rest of the pack, we definitely had Vancouver on its toes.

Vancouver, you kicked my butt.  CPC, you made the trip more valuable than I'd ever hoped for.  Where do I even begin...I'm still going through my notes (half a notebook worth to be exact!) and my mind gets more and more overwhelmed each time.  The convention consisted of three consecutive twelve (yes you heard me, TWELVE) hour days, with six different speakers each day.  They each brought a little something special to the learning experience and I am so grateful to each and everyone of them who took time out of their busy schedules to help other like-minded individuals succeed in their business.

However, the most impactful aspect of the convention wasn't the speakers (although Dan O'Day's presentation left me speechless at times, laughing at others and at one time, had the whole crowd crying.  He changed my whole philosophy and way I look at my business, and in a strange way, made me want to be better not only as a business owner, but as a person.  LOVE HIM!) but the connections that happened as a result of the trip.   The events that weren’t in the plan, the conversations that couldn’t have been predicted.   I purposely went by myself, with the sole intention of creating new friendships and connections (which is so not me, and had me wanting to go home and hide under the covers by the first lunch break) and I am so glad I did.  Networking, mixing, and meeting new people for three days straight is a lot of hard work, but I love walking away with new opportunities and friends.  Like Judy, a talented photographer and lovely girl  from Prince George who I always happened to bump into and sit beside throughout the convention (Hi Judy!)

Another connection that was really fun (and actually happened after the convention was over) was with Wyn Wiley of Wyn Wiley Photography  and was one of the first speakers at CPC.  He's the one taking the the group selfie up derr ^^ I had emailed him after the convention and he is seriously one stand up dude.  He genuinely wants everyone to be good and succeed at what they do.  He also loves cats and I hear he has a killer Beyonce.  Love him to bits and can't wait to see him again next year!

Though CPC was three weeks ago, it hasn’t stopped my mind from running over with ideas and projects I want to implement in my business. Thank you to all who said hi, gave hugs, and lent insight and support. Sometimes it overwhelms me how amazing this photography community is and how lucky I am to be a part of it.

WILLOW POINT ENGAGEMENT : CIANA + TRAVIS

Ciana was a teenager living with her mother in Oregon when she decided to come back to her hometown, Campbell River, to attend a year of highschool back in Canada.  She was sitting in Spanish class when the teacher told them they had to form groups and begin a group project.  Being the shy one, she surprised even herself as she looked over at the only other student in the back of room and asked if he wanted to do the project together.  He said yes.  The two quickly became friends and before she left to go back to her Mom's in Oregon, they realized that what they had was something special and quickly made the transition from just friends to boyfriend and girlfriend.

Flash forward a few years, after many bumps and turns in the road of their cross-country relationship, they found themselves sitting in the same living room.  They were joking about getting married.  At least that's how it started.  As they continued to joke, their talk became more and more serious.  Serious to the point where they were both unsure if their nonchalant conversation had slowly turned into a proposal.  Wait...are we actually doing this?  she asked as she turned her head and looked him in the eyes.  And the answer was, they were.  Travis gave her the promise ring he'd had tucked away for the past two years, and it was Ciana's turn to say yes.

Ciana and Travis will be getting married later this month at Pine Lodge Farm...just seeing them together makes me incredibly happy, and knowing I get to document their first day as husband and wife makes me swoon!  Here are a few of my favourites from their enagement session...

I met Ciana and Travis down in willow point for their e-session on a beautiful spring day.  The sunny afternoon was brightened by their electric personalities and I have no doubt their wedding will be nothing short of amazing.

I always encourage clients to bring along props, so I was delighted to see they brought a couple books to spice up their e-sesh.  I love them.

As we made our way down to the beach I captured this moment.  True. Love.

And then the bubbles came out.

...and the dandelions.  I seriously can't even you two!

Beyond all else, I loved that Ciana and Travis set out to have fun on their engagement session...my kind of people.

I'll end the session on a happy note...this photo is perfectly them: fun, adventurous and in love.

Happy Friday!