Nick + Heather: Almost Married

I had a feeling this was going to be a couple with personality, and I was not disappointed! They had me laughing so hard at one

point in the evening that it was becoming a safety hazard! ( We were 20 feet up a clay bank). Heather had taken me out last

week to scout some locations for their upcoming wedding photos, and I'm thinking she should be on the payroll....the girl has

SUCH a great eye! Although I did learn one lesson.....Brooke and I tend to follow Becker's rule of "shoot now, ask later". So far

this has worked in our favour, but last night we (may have ) climbed through some barbed wire to shoot on the property you

see in the last few photos. Well, we pretty much got chased off the property; luckily it was by the owner, as she said the gates

to the field are opened in the evening so the bull can run......right where we were shooting. WHOA! She was very kind in the

end and said next time we just have to ask:) Gotta love small town folk:) These were all taken in Naramata, B.C. and I have to

agree that it really is one of the most stunning little spots I've ever seen. The Okanagan is finally starting to grow on me !



I really cannot wait to shoot their wedding on the 4th of July as they were so much fun. Not once did I have to say "fake laugh!"

as they were goofing off from start to finish:)


A big thank you goes out to Brooke for coming along to join in the

fun.....I'm glad you got a few giggles in as well ( even if it was at my expense)!


Hope you like:)

Denzer & Connie: We Did ( Part 2 )

This really was such a fun session! Denzer & Connie were already quite comfortable in front of the camera on their wedding day,

but they brought it to a whole new level for our We Did session. We shot out in Keremeous due to severe weather in our neck of

the woods, and came across The Grist Mill and

Gardens, which is a 135 year old flour mill and has the most beautiful little spots I've seen in a long time. A definate new

fave of mine:)



Thank you again Denzer and Connie....you both made my job so easy! And again thanks to Brooke for coming along as well, it's

always a great time working together:)


* don't forget to double click to see images in full size!*

Denzer & Connie : We Did

Talk about lucking out! Here in Penticton we very rarely get rain; and when it does rain it usually only lasts a few short minutes.

Well, today I had a session booked with Denzer & Connie for their Trash the Dress session ( we didn't end up trashing it, we

"respected" her dress instead:) About 2 hours before go-time the sky literally blackened. I mean....NO. LIGHT. Well, I was mildly

freaking out as they had rented another tux, hired a makeup artist and I had put a bouquet together for the photos. It just

could not rain. We set off as scheduled and picked a spot on the map that I'd driven through, but never shot in. Man, oh man was

luck on our side tonight. It POURED back home and we had nothin' but sunshine with a PERFECT mix of clouds....just enough for

some beautiful, soft light. All in all.....we found some great locations which I will definately be going back to, and had a LOT of

fun...well, until the man-eating mosquitoes decided to literally ATTACK us. I think even if there had been light left we'd have

been chased out by them. Ouch!



Thank you so much Denzer & Connie for trusting my instincts, looking HOT and bringin' it in front of the camera....it really

does make a world of difference in the final images; boring couple = boring photos, and you two were definately NOT a bore!

A thanks to Brooke as well, for making the drive out to shoot alongside....oh, and saving the day with yet another memory card

for me ( I seem to be in the habit of leaving them in the car...oops)!


Hope this sneak will tide you over for another day or so:)


Michele

Three & a Half

Here she is.....our sweet Miss Eve at 3 and half months. Happy. Happy. Happy. She is so smiley and sweet, you just can't help but

waste your day away with her.


If only they'd stay this way for just a little longer......

Denzer & Connie: Married

What a wonderful day Saturday turned out to be! Things started off looking not so promising - the sky was black, thunder was

clapping, hair was problematic and dress straps were breaking. After we arrived at the church though, everything came together

beautifully and the day was fun, exciting, and spur-of-the- moment:) Exactly the kind of day I love! The only request of the

couple was that we didn't shoot in pretty locations....no gardens allowed. We ended up in some back alleys and the parking lot of

a garage, complete with live jazz music drifting from a local restaurant. Although it did drizzle throughout the shoot, everyone

had a great time and took direction perfectly......gotta LOVE that! I was even lucky enough to have a pro-snowboarder on hand

for a few impromptu back flips, as well as a couple of untrained, yet highly talented ninjas ( check out their moves in our fight

scene). Stay tuned for more as this was a fun one!


Thanks to ALL of you, especially Denzer and Connie for having me be a part of your day; it was a memorable one!

Michele

My Girl.

Stubborn. Defiant. Strong-willed and MOODY.

This girl of ours has got a serious mind-of-her-own! But along with all of the more "challenging" 3 and a half year old traits,

comes all the good stuff: chatty, articulate, smart as a whip, outgoing, entertaining, snuggly and compassionate....these are the

things that keep me smiling.


On Sunday we celebrated not only my 30 + 1, but my younger sister Camisha's 10+1 as well. We headed to my parents house

and I helped out with her "Portrait Party". Her and her 3 closest friends dressed up in their summery finest and we hit a few

locations to get some very fun BFF pics. It was a LOT of fun. I'll be posting them in the next while once I get all the parents

"okays".


So for now I leave you with some of Nevaeh from the day as well as a sneak of Camisha.

Thanks girls!!

















And one of the birthday girl.....have patience Meesh, the rest are on the way!

Thirty plus One.

Birthdays. They come and go year after year...some of us love them, some of us....not so much! I belong in the first group as I

ALWAYS plan something pretty amazing to celebrate not only my birthday, but friendships. Past years have included 4 day road

trips with the girls, Disneyworld, a night in Beijing, skydiving and a dinner cruise on the river in Bangkok (thanks sweetie....I

was finally surprised)! But although many of my June 7th's have been spent in exotic or exciting places, I think this year may

have been my fave. A small group of us girls gathered at our friends Dom & Simone's to have a fabulous dinner party......it was

pretty special:) Everyone brought something to the table...Brooke did the flowers and photos ( these are a mixture of both of

ours) Simone prepared the food, Michelle of Cin Cin Events provided much of the decor and Clare provided the tunes.

Simone's hubby Dom actually built the entire platform and table as well as cooking most of the food AND acting as baby sitter

to my wee ones....so a HUGE thank you goes out to him...our men are going to be feeling the pressure now!



It was such a memorable night...and even though my friends have always thought I'm a little extreme when it comes to

birthdays (not just mine:) you guys have to admit it was worth it. And hey, now we have a new party-hangout for the

summer....right Simone & Dom?!



Thanks again ladies, I had a great 30+1 !

Michele

FYI for all you photog's.....aside from the first 4 images, these were all taken at ISO 2400 and higher...Brooke's Nikon & my

Canon both pulled through; a few of these images were taken with almost no natural light other than the

moon.....IMPRESSIVE!!!