Daisy and Samantha – RBG, Hamilton Ontario

Samantha and I are the type of friends who immediately pick up where we left off every time we reconnect. It’s incredible really. And every time I see her I’m reminded of how incredible her sense of humour is. Honestly, this girl should have her own sitcom or stand up routine. My abs hurt so much from all the laughter.

Samantha never thought she would be an animal enthusiast; that is, until she met her boyfriend. Samantha’s boyfriend has a beautiful Boxer named Daisy. Sam wanted photos of this little beauty to give as a gift to her other half. What better place to photograph her than the beautiful gardens of the Royal Botanical Gardens?! Well, here’s the problem – Daisy only understands Polish, so she and I had a language barrier. But let me tell you, our love overcame that. I just adore this dog! She’s so beautiful and well behaved. Oh, and did I mention she’s full of kisses? LOVE HER!

Here are my favourites of this cute duo!

Brett and Monica tie the knot – McMaster University and Renaissance Banquet Hall, Hamilton Ontario.

Have you ever met two people and just thought to yourself, “they’re perfect for each other”? No joke, that’s the exact phrase that crossed my mind when I first met Brett and Monica. I should give you a little background first. Brett and I met when I was still in high school. I used to work for Brett’s dad at Jim’s Nut Shack in Centre Mall. For as long as I can remember, he’s been a total sweetheart. Always so nice, and always smiling. Just an all around nice person. After my Centre Mall days, Brett and I lost touch.

Then last year Monica messaged me, asking me to photograph her big day. We met up and I remember feeling so happy that Brett had met someone so sweet and perfect for him. Monica is an absolutely sweet woman. She’s fun loving and has a smile that can light up a room. Sometimes, when you’re witnessing love, it’s all in the way the couple looks at each other. From our very first meet up, I could tell these two were head over heels for one another. The way they would just gaze at one another from across the table, it made my heart smile.

Last month, these two celebrated their love in a beautiful ceremony surrounded by friends and family. I felt so honoured to be there, capturing their memories, and celebrating alongside this beautiful couple. Brett and Monica, I wish you nothing but a lifetime of happiness. I’m so glad that this experience has brought us closer together. Thank you so much for asking me to be part of your big day – it was truly an honour, and I’m so incredibly happy for you!

 

Laurisa – wedding creative, Hamilton ON

If you know me, you know I love weddings. There’s nothing more special to me that two people celebrating their love, surrounded by their loved ones and family. Do you know what else I love? Wedding creatives! A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of working with two fabulous talents: Margaret Paige (MUA) and Ashley Taylor (Hair). Together we put together a lovely little wedding creative staring Laurisa. Since Laurisa is getting married in a few short months (congrats girl!), these images will only be showcased on my blog until after her wedding in September. I can’t blame the girl – who wants their fiance to see them all dolled up before their big day?! Noooooobody that’s who!

Here are a few of my favourites from our little creative. Thanks again ladies, for donating your time and talents. And special thanks to Laurisa who rocked it all day!

Natalie, Liam and Lauren – Grimsby, ON

Years ago, I used to hang out on the street like any other kid, playing until the street lights came on. One of my best friends, John, had the coolest older sister ever. Her name is Sarah. I can still remember thinking how cool Sarah was in her Doc Martin’s with different coloured shoe laces. Her spirit was wild and I loved it. I never had an older sister, so she was basically the coolest older kid I knew.

Fast forward 18 years and here I am photographing Sarah’s 3 super cute adorable monkeys. Natalie, Lauren and Liam are seriously way too cute for words to do them justice. I met the three of them at their beautiful Grimsby home and spent an hour playing, blowing bubbles, and having a pretend picnic. It reminded me of my own childhood (well, minus the farm like land – as much as I’m a farm girl at heart, I was born and raised a suburban kid). Sarah and her kids made me feel like I was family for the day, and it was absolutely amazing. I loved every minute of it.

So here are my favourites of these little munchkins. Hope you enjoy their portraits as much as I do

Boudoir beauties

After posting my final portfolio for Sheridan College, I had a lot of people ask me “why boudoir?”. So, I wanted to make a blog post filled with some beautiful images I shot during the process of my portfolio shooting and testing, to explain why boudoir is so important to me. As a boudoir photographer, I come from a different perspective. You see, I never shot boudoir, until after I had my own boudoir images taken. About a year ago, I went to Focca Photography to get some beautiful, classy, sexy photos done for my boy as a birthday present. I remember emailing Kathy (the owner of Focca – seriously, check her out, she’s incredible) telling her about how I wanted these images done, but I didn’t want tasteless images. I wanted something that showed me – fun, quirky, out of the box…but it definitely needed to have a bit of sexy in there. But if you know me…sexy is not a word I often associate with myself. I’m the type to just wear jeans and a t-shirt, with converse shoes and out of control hair.

So we planned our shoot. I went, and felt like an ass half the time we were shooting. I remember wondering if I performed well enough. A few days later, Kathy posted my sneak peaks and it was such a huge experience. I remember feeling overjoyed, confident, beautiful…and sexy! I couldn’t believe it. The self-proclaimed tom-boy rocked her ass off (and might I say, she gave me a new appreciation for those assets) and I ended up looking beautiful! Don’t believe me? You can see it here.

After this experience, I was hooked. I loved the feeling – the way I felt after I received those images was the best high I have ever had. I knew I wanted to make women feel the way Kathy made me feel that day. So, when we were told to go out and spend 4 months building a portfolio, I knew what I wanted to do! I wanted to find women of varying shapes and sized and make them feel the same way I felt that day when I saw my images online. I just love the empowerment and femininity that exudes from a boudoir session. It’s so special and beautiful.

I think this experience provides me with a great perspective, having been both behind and in front of the lens. It is very humbling, especially since modeling for boudoir can be very vulnerable, and nerve-wracking. But women are innately beautiful and can pull off anything they set their minds to!

So this is my way of saying THANK YOU to all of those beautiful women who trusted me enough to take such beautiful images of them, and to show the world how beautiful they are. Each of you has helped me immensely and I can never thank you enough xo

 

The Binkley’s

The Binkley’s are one hilarious family. I think we spent the majority of our time laughing uncontrollably. They were my kind of people – fun loving, lively, and hilarious. I met their daughter Paige while at Sheridan College, and we have since become friends, so it was nice to capture some memories for her family. We almost got rained out, but it worked out in the end and I was able to capture some blossoms before they disappear!

Here are some of my favourites from the evening

Vanessa’s bridal shower – Hamilton, ON.

Last weekend I had the opportunity to photograph a gorgeous bridal shower. Picture everything girly, pastel, and absolutely cute all in one room – welcome to Vanessa’s bridal shower! Vanessa is one of my 2012 brides and I’m so excited to photograph her wedding next month. In  the meantime, I was contacted by her best friend and maid of honour, Lora to photograph her special surprise bridal shower. Lora and the rest of the bridesmaids did an incredible job, and couldn’t have made my job any easier. The day was flawless and absolutely beautiful. Kudos ladies, you totally pulled it off

Here are some of my favourites of the day.

Sexy isn’t a size – Sheridan College final portfolio

Today is my final day as a post-secondary student. I’m not going to lie, this experience hasn’t been the easiest, and I struggled a lot. You see, this is my second post-secondary program. I thought it would be much easier, because I was doing something I loved. But this program pushed me in ways I never thought were possible, and I grew as a person and an artist.

Today is also the day I hand in my final portfolio project. This has been 4 months in the making, and I couldn’t be happier with the results. Huge thanks to the following people for donating me their time and talent, in order to bring this concept to fruition: Beth Bower, Michayla Brubacher, Jillian Davey, Jannet Honsberger, Mme. Morte, Jenn Hains, Miranda Kiss, Samantha Bauer, Brittany Rose, and Nadia M.
A huge thank you if also owed to those who supported me throughout this entire process, especially when I thought I couldn’t do it anymore: Jeremy Bellucci, Lindsey Horodecki, Daniela Majic, and Julia Seiler. 

Without further adieu…  

Sexy Isn’t a Size:

As a child, I idolized Barbie. As a dancer, my goal was to achieve the right weight. As a teenager, I grew frustrated that I wouldn’t be the next prima ballerina. Why? Because I wasn’t the right size.  

I am no different than any other woman. We all struggle to achieve a certain perception of beauty. We diet, measure, and weigh ourselves constantly. Mirrors and magazines become our enemies. Let’s face it; images of female bodies are everywhere. Our society is saturated with images of thin, beautiful women, and this can make it difficult to be happy with who you are, and what you have to work with.

The reality is that we are all different sizes for a reason.  It has taken many years to come to this realization, but the truth is, sexy isn’t a size.  The human body is the most beautiful work of art that exists, and this is something to be celebrated. This series represents the regular, yet beautiful woman. She is confident regardless of her shape or size. She is glamorous all on her own. She is beautiful.

Rick and Kelly tie the knot – Hamilton, ON

I met Kelly last year while working at Tim Hortons. We instantly connected. Basically, Kelly is my brain twin. That may sound weird, but when you connect with someone so easily, it’s like you have the same brain. We are very similar, and bonded over just about everything. So, when she started dating Rick, and I could see how smitten she was with him, I couldn’t be happier for her.

On the 3rd of April, the two of them tied the knot. They had a very intimate ceremony, surrounded by their closest family and friends. The fact that their ceremony was so small and personal made my heart happy. For them, it wasn’t about having the fanciest wedding, decor or wedding party. Instead, it was about celebrating their love. To me, that was just too beautiful. To top it off, these two made their wedding interesting but introducing the colour purple, instead of having everything white. I just loved this. It’s so Kelly…she’s unique and unapologetic for it.

Brain Twinny, congratulations on this big leap! I couldn’t be happier for you and Rick, and I wish you so much love and happiness in your future

Easter Hike

A few days ago I got my new Canon 5D Mk II in the mail. It was a glorious moment. You see, I’ve had the worst luck in the history of bad luck this past month. So this camera couldn’t have come at a better time. Yesterday Jer and I took Roxy on a hike, so I decided to test my new baby out Here’s some shots from our hike!