Last month, I visited LA for the Ryan Brenizer workshop (photos from which can be found slightly earlier in my blog). On my Sunday, I had a chance to meet a friend who I’ve known for about 10 years online and never met in person, the amazing musician Ainjel Emme. She’s super sweet in person and adorable too. She’s been working her butt off lately at a recording studio in Santa Monica and had just spent all day and most of the night in the studio the previous day, but she got out of bed before noon to hang out with me.

It was pouring rain all day, unfortunately for the marathon runners including two women from Victoria who I met at the airport when our plane was delayed. So, we didn’t get to go to the beach, and I’m definitely going to have to go back one day to do that. Ainjel took me out to Swingers for breakfast and then we went in to the studio to see what was happening. We ended up sticking around all day while engineer Todd and Ainjel worked on a mix for a song that she’d written for someone else. I played around with my camera, taking photos of the studio and Ainjel, and just enjoying the tunes and being able to see what working in a studio is like. We headed out for a Fat Burger and movie later, then came back to the studio where I crashed on the couch a bit while the musical geniuses worked their magic all through the night. Then it was off to the airport to catch my flight home, far too early in the morning.

Here are some of my photos from around the studio. Check out one of my favourite songs by Ainjel, “In the Clear”, in the player above or check out her website.

I took this in the dark with my ipad as a light source.

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On Monday night, there was a big dance party that everyone headed to in their finest clothes. We got our photos taken at the Smilebooth (for the record, I may be the worst photobooth poser in the world). My tiny top hat made by Mischief My Dear (check out her shop to get the cutest rainbow starred top hat) was a huge hit with everyone.

At 5:30am that morning, Krista and I got on a bus that took us out into the middle of the desert for a sunrise concert put on by With Etiquette (a place to get great royalty-free songs for wedding slideshows).  Below is a video made by the amazing wedding videographers Still Motion about the concert, followed by a couple of my photos from the morning.

On our last night, we finally took a wander down the strip to check out the fountain show at the Bellagio, which is a very fancy hotel.  We also saw the chocolate fountain inside, which a room service man at the MGM made me pinky swear that we’d see.  Here are a few of my photos from that night.

Maybe next time, I’ll take more photos when I’m not so distracted by all the new and sparkly lights.

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This photo was taken at the Cliffs of Moher on the west coast of Ireland, which reminds me a lot of the west coast of Canada – rainy, windy, and cloudy, but beautiful. The beaches are similar to our rocky beaches on Vancouver Island, but the grass is much, much greener. I think my dream wedding would be at O’Brien’s Tower (information on booking your wedding here) at the Cliffs of Moher, maybe an elopement with an awesome reception back home after.

I would love to photograph a wedding in Ireland, especially at the Cliffs, but anywhere really. Contact me for no travel fees on my full day wedding photography package if you’re getting married at the cliffs, or in Ireland in general.

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I love shooting weddings in a photojournalistic style, but I also love a good artistic portrait.  Weddings are such a great opportunity to get a great photo of yourself, because you’re dressed up and looking your best.  The photo below on the left is from a trash the dress shoot with Steph and Steve.  Steph looks like a super tough model here, in the tunnel to the waterfall at Goldstream park.  On the right is my favourite shot from Mikayla and Chris’s wedding day portrait session.  I thought the park they chose was fairly generic and wasn’t sure what to do to make it special, but I think this amazing tree really makes the shot.  Doesn’t hurt that there’s a gorgeous couple kissing under it.

I started doing some high school senior portraits this year.  It was so fun working with these girls.  They really got into modelling and had such great spirit.  Of course, I’m a sucker for graffiti (and pretty dresses).

A couple more shots with an urban feeling.  The shot on the left was taken around sundown outside of Fan Tan Alley.  We’d wanted to get some shots in the alley, but it was locked up.  This shot makes me glad it was.  He looks like such a rockstar.  The shot on the right is my friend Irene in the alley beside the Yates parkade.  I think she looks beautiful and totally fits in with the background.

The below are from my first couple shoot ever.  These two were really cool and accommodating to all my cheesy pose suggestions.  I think they turned out pretty great.

Another sweet wedding portrait.  I think these two were feeling a little tired and a bit uncomfortable in front of the camera.   This shot gives a sense of peaceful happiness, of two people who always manage to find comfort in one another.

Yet another adorable couple.  These are my friends Lauren and Andreas, who got married in 2009.  I missed their wedding because I was traveling back from my vacation, sadly.  I’m so glad they asked me to do this shoot for them.  I love watching them together.

I love this photo of my friend Lynn, who was an ever patient model when I was portfolio-building.  I think she was goofing around with this model-like pose, but it worked out amazingly.  I love the way the sun outlines her figure.

I love this shot from Mikayla and Chris’s backyard wedding.  I think it embodies the spirit of their wedding, where they broke out the champagne immediately after the ceremony.

The classic wedding shot: The Kiss.  I love this one of Lyndsey and Brennan for many reasons: the smiling officiant, the awesome tattoo, the glowing light on her back, her dress, the kiss.

I loved the bridal party’s gangster-style outfits at Steph and Steve’s wedding.  I love the way the hats make this photo and I couldn’t resist processing it in an old-fashioned black and white style.

Another couple of shots from Katie and Hannah’s joint senior portrait session.  There were so many amazing shots from this session.  I had a really hard time deciding which to blog about in the first place.  These are two of my faves.

I think this is actually one of my favourite shots of the year, aeshetically.  I love the way the light falls on Steph’s face as she braves the cold water at the base of the Goldstream waterfall.  It was quite dark by the time we got there, so this lighting was created by one flash on my camera and another being held by Phil above and to the right of Steph.

This shot is the result of me randomly snapping as Lyndsey and Brennan were moving from location to location.  I love how detailed the flowers look.

And one shot from my Ireland trip of the castle on the Cliffs of Moher.  Did you know you can get married in that castle?  If you do, please hire me.  This was one of the most stunning views I’ve seen in my life.

Here’s to a 2010 of many more beautiful photos, stunning brides and happy grooms, and meeting lots of amazing people.

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I would love to return to Ireland and photograph a wedding there. I adored Dublin, but I’d also love to see more of the country. Contact me for no travel fees on my full day wedding photography package if you’re getting married in Dublin or elsewhere in Ireland.

This is probably my favourite photo I took on the whole trip.  This was taken on the Monday of the last week I was there, on a tour with Barratt Tours to the cliffs of Moher.  I had the hardest time shooting the rows of cliffs with the bright sunlight and insane winds.  This is one of the few photos I took that actually came out as I’d intended it.  I think the biggest part of my love for this photo, though, is the memories.  I met some really interesting and friendly people on that tour, which was greatly welcomed with me being all alone in a foreign country for the first time.  And for the first time on that trip, I really felt relaxed and at home.

The next few images are from the tour as well. Below is a rocky shore on Galway Bay. Reminds me of a lot of the beaches on Vancouver Island. I loved all the similarities I found between Ireland and my current home in Victoria. It made me fall in love with my home a bit more.

This is the street I was staying on in Georgian Dublin. I rented a self-catering apartment at Latchford’s for a great price.  It was a nice, old building and the people were really friendly and accommodating.  I’m still a fan of those colourful Georgian doors.

The following photos are a waterfall in Iveagh Gardens, sort of hidden away north of St. Stephen’s Green in Dublin, and Hook Lighthouse on the south coast of Ireland.  I visited Kelly, one of my favourite people from university, in her new home in  Wexford, and finally met her Irish fiancé Simon.  Simon gave us some history lessons as he showed us around Wexford and other areas in the “sunny southeast”.  It was a lot of fun, and I didn’t take many photos because I was so caught up in catching up with my friend.   Now I wish I’d taken some portraits of the two of them.  Maybe if I can somehow get to Ireland again next year for their wedding.

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