Smokey and the bride (and groom)

When I first met with this couple, they said their wedding could be described in 3 words: Family, Friends and Fun.  After meeting with several wedding photographers here in Saskatoon, they decided that we were the perfect fit!  I’m not sure who was more excited!  The bride, or myself?! 

The bride had so many personal touches in her day.  The salon that did her hair was the same salon she has been going to since she was a little girl, she even had pictures on her phone of the makeup artist doing her make up in a wedding she was in last year.  Her dress was new, but the overlay bottom part was added from her mothers gown.  These were just a few of the details that made her day so uniquely hers on the day she married her highschool sweetheart.

The wedding party fit right into their theme, it consisted of some family, many friends and a lot of fun!  The only thing that wasn’t planned was all the smoke that came from the forest fires up North.  The fires were picking up speed around the weekend of her wedding and the smoke in the city was thick.  Luckily, the smoke added to the images and really made them feel that much more romantic.  

The day started a bit earlier than we usually arrive, as the bride wanted some getting ready shots at the salon, as it was sentimental for her.  We put the dress on at her mom and dads place then rushed off to the church.  The ceremony was beautiful!  We hit up a few locations around Saskatoon, the last being a greenhouse!  The bride loves flowers, so we made the stop to get some nice images with a ton of color.  My assistant and I stopped by the hall to get some detail shots before we called it a day. 

If I could describe this Saskatoon wedding in 3 words it would be:  Sentimental, attention to detail, and FUN!   To the lovely couple:  I hope your day was everything you dreamed.  Wishing you all the best in your married life! 

$25,000 to charity!!! - Trash the Dress charity event

We had our annual Trash the Dress for charity event last weekend!  We raised over $25,000!!!  I will be posting more images from the day soon.  In the meantime, we made the news yesterday!  Thank you to CBC for covering our story!  7 ladies fund-raised their buns off, so we were so thankful that the event got some recognition from the media this year!  You can read the article HERE.  Also, please go follow our event over on FACEBOOK.  I decided to do something a bit different this year.  I used our portable lighting, which gives a bit of a different feel to the images.  We love how they turned out.  Stay tuned for more images from our day!

A wedding in a castle

Well not really a castle, but the closest thing we have to a castle here in Saskatoon.  This wedding was a referral, like so many of our weddings.  If you have been following me from the beginning of my photography journey, you will recognize one of the hilarious bridesmaids.  I photographed her wedding a while back and have actually become pretty close friends ever since!  Her little girls have been on my blog over the last 4 years as well:).  

Back to this day, which was fit for a queen, and, of course, her king.  We had the pleasure of capturing the full day, which was so hard to narrow down the favorites for.  She wore the same shoes her mother wore on her wedding day, which was so incredibly special.  Even in her pretty ballet flats, the bride and groom both over 6 feet tall, towered over my 5"5' frame, so thank goodness I brought my ladder to get some great angles of this incredibly tall, incredibly good looking duo.  

Everything about this day was something to talk about.  Our day started with getting ready coverage.  The groom gave the bride a gorgeous pair of pearl earrings along with a note that made the first tears of the day flow freely.  Once the gals were suited up we headed over to a gorgeous church on third ave here in Saskatoon.  Again, more tears flowed.  The wedding ceremony was a mixture of sentimental, traditional and heartfelt.  I could really witness 1000 weddings and love every single one!  This one was no exception. 

Once the ceremony wrapped up we went to garden architecture, where the bride and groom nailed their portraits, like to a 'T'!  So many amazing shots, I really could have posted every one!  We met up with the wedding party and went to a pretty park which I found while location scouting, where I cried... tears of laughter.  They were so flippin' funny!!!  To say it was a blast would be an understatement.  Seriously, I would love to hang out with them every single weekend!  These guys know how to have fun and let loose, which is right up my alley!  

We headed to the bes, to get some shots of the gorgeous room after the wedding planners were finishing up setting it up.  It was so darn pretty!  Purple and gold everywhere!!!  We finished up the portrait portion of the day and headed right into cocktail hour, not before finishing with a few 'jumping' pictures (an inside joke with the bride and groom).  

The speeches were a bit on the tame side, so I'm thinking not all the juicy details of the couple were spilled by never-less, they were classy and so hilarious!  The slideshow, so sweet and the first dance, again, brought tears to the happy couples' eyes.  Thinking back to this day, it was perfect!  So here it is... a wedding in a castle.....      

Thank you!

I often have a hard time writing blog posts.  Finding the right words has always been a struggle for me, as each client is so different and brings out different emotions.  Writing has always been something that has been an interest, but something I have never been good at.  I have to admit, I'm super envious of great writers.  For me, translating my thoughts into words is tricky.  Not to mention proper grammar, where to put the comma or starting a new sentence.  Yup, the struggle is real.  Translating into pictures is so much easier. 

I have always been an artistic person.  Seeing moments happen and capturing the emotions is what I love.  Being a wedding photographer in this beautiful city of Saskatoon is something I don't take lightly.  Capturing the love between couples and all of the emotions of a wedding day is something that I thrive on.  At times I run into different vendors on a wedding day and wonder why the heck they are still in the wedding business.  They are bitter, cranky and complaining the whole day.  Weddings bring out just the opposite in me.  After each year, wedding season becomes more exciting. The night before a wedding I get giddy and excited for the Saturday to come!  I think I can truly say, that after 8 years of shooting weddings I fall more and more in love with them each and every year.  I really feel so fortunate that I am able to share in the love between two people who trust me to capture the memory of their big day, and preserve that memory long after the wedding day.  So many weddings I've shot recently include photos of their own parents and even grandparents on their wedding day, Either at the guest sign in book or on the cake table.  To think that a wedding I have captured could be displayed long after my time here on earth is unfathomable, yet a reality of so many of our clients.  To say it's an honor to capture someones wedding day is truly an understatement.

To all of my clients who have trusted me to photograph the happiest day of your lives, thank you!  Thank you from the bottom of my heart!  Cheers to the last 8 years, and to the next 8 years (+).  I can't wait!

A beauty of a grad session in Saskatoon

My little cousin graduated high school this spring!  I'm still in shock!  I used to babysit her when she was little and now she babysits my kiddos.  It's pretty cool to see her all grown up into this gorgeous young lady.  I would like to give a shout out to my amazing auntie and uncle who have supported my business in trusting me with all their memories over the last several years.  It means a lot to me:).  It's always a pleasure to get your crew in front of my camera.  Congrats Miss 'T' on your graduation!  Good luck on your road to adulthood!!!   

Teddy Bear's picnic - Saskatoon Photographer

What do you get when you have an adorable little boy who turns 6 months old, and his mom is a talented event planner over at Barredo events?  You get this!  A super cute stylized shoot.  The most adorable 'Teddy Bear's Picnic' I have ever seen!  Huge thank you to Jess over at Barredo events for bringing all the props for this super cute session!

Remember when it was this cold out?

Yeah, neither do I!  We sure are enjoying the summer:). 

How do I start a photography business?

We get asked this question a lot!  With so many new photographers popping up everyday, I thought I would make a list of the top 20 things you need to do before you start charging people for your services.  Until you are set up as a legitimate registered business in Saskatoon, it is illegal to charge people to photograph them.  Here are the top 20 things you need to do to start your own photography business.

1. Register your business with the city. You need to renew this each and every year!

2. Register your business name. This is different than step #1. It is so important you do this or anyone else can actually start a business under the same name. This needs to be renewed every 5 years.

3. Get insurance! Talk to an Insurance agent to find out what you need. You are technically not allowed in many public areas in Saskatoon without liability insurance.

4. Get a PST number. You need to collect PST if you are selling a product. And photographs, whether in print or in digital format, is a product. Every photographer should have a PST number.

5. Once your photography business brings in more than $30,000 a year you need a GST number as well!

6. Get a camera and learn how to use it in the manual settings. Learn your camera inside and out.

7. Invest in great lenses. Great glass produces top quality images.

8. Buy Lightroom and/or Photoshop, and learn how to use it.

9. Take a photography course, and keep learning! There are some great online courses, but as a creative person I learn best by doing, so in class learning is far more beneficial for myself, which is why we take a few workshops every single year.

10. Take a business course. Photography is only 10% of running a photography business.

11. Create a business plan, and review it every couple of years.

12. Open a business bank account.

13. Charge enough money so you can make a living, don't charge based on what you think people can afford. People often think that if they charge $500 for a session, that goes directly in their pocket and they don't account for monthly business expenses or taxes, which you have a pay at the end of the year (or quarterly).

14. Practice, Practice, Practice.... and then practice some more!

15. Find a mentor. Choose someone who is established and whose work you love. The PPOC is great for this.

16. Make friends with other photographers.

17. Once you have a great variety of images, create a website. Facebook pages are great marketing tools, but websites are a must, as a photographers work is so visual.

18. Hire a graphic artist to help you create your brand, and logo.

19. Get as much experience as you can. Offer to second shoot/assist other photographers for free to learn as much as you can.

20. Lastly, know that running a business takes a ton of work. 9-5, Monday to Friday is officially out the window. It's rare I take a full day off, even if that means I'm answering emails at midnight. It never stops!

If you are interested in a mentor, I would love to give you a hand with your photography business. I absolutely love to see other succeed doing something they are passionate about. Those that are out of province (not in Saskatchewan) will get special pricing.

We truly hope this list of how to start a photography business helpful!  Please, feel free to add anything below in the comments:).  Good Luck!

An image we got at the Canada fireworks here in Saskatoon. 

Killer - Photographing photographers

This is my friend Dani... she is the photographer over at Danielle Stasiuk Photography and Pink Sugar boudoir.  Her work is killer!  The other night we went out to take some photos of each other.  It was a lot of fun!  She made me feel so comfortable in front of the camera and gave me a ton of direction, which I love!  I will post some of my pics later, but in the meantime here are a few fav's from her session.  If you are interested, you can check out her website HERE

Busy, busy, busy! Welcome to life with two kids:).

I photographed this little girl when she was a baby.  It was so cool to see her so grown up, and oh so busy!  She sat so good at the beginning of the session then we just let her run around and I chased her.  LOL.   And her little bro.  Equally adorable!  Gosh, this family has become near and dear to me.  And their kids.... so freakin' adorable!!!!  I tried narrowing down a selection for viewing.  Obviously it was way to hard, so here are over half of their images!  So many great shots.