Selma & Andri’s Icelandic anniversary session was featured on Mountainside Bride!
Even though I didn’t photograph Selma and Andri’s wedding (they got married last September), I did get to take some additional wedding portraits for them around Skorradalur and Lake Skorradalsvatn in Iceland, just an hour north of Reykjavik. This almost didn’t happen because of my schedule but when I got Selma’s email, I knew I had to make it happen. And I’m so very glad that I did.
We met early in the morning and drove north from Reykjavik to Skorradalur where both of their parents have summer houses. I love the story of how they met.
Both of their fathers work in the baking industry and had actually known each other, but Selma and Andri never met; Both of their families had summer houses on opposite sides of Lake Skorradalsvatn, and they never met. It wasn’t until their undergraduate years in university that they met. As it happened, Andri spotted this very interesting looking car in the parking lot one day and thought to himself, no guy would drive that car! A few weeks later, he ran into Selma as she was leaving her car and realized it really wasn’t a guy driving the car and just had to introduce himself. Selma at this point thought he was a bit strange. At the end of that semester, on the last day of school, Andri decided to ask Selma out. But he couldn’t find her anywhere at school that day. So, he “wrote” his phone number on her car (I think it was in need of a wash) and asked her to call him. When Selma got home, both her mom and brother-in-law (the car actually belongs to her brother-in-law) thought she should definitely call him. The rest, as they say, was history.
What a lovely morning I had with them. It was like a regular portrait session on a wedding day, except we had lots of time and it was all so relaxed. They were such adventurers as well, up for anything. And I had the best time getting to know them and just chatting about anything, from the things I love about Iceland to my attempt at telling an Icelandic joke (that I saw at Keflavik airport), to their studies in Scotland (where they currently live), to Icelanders’ love for sweets (me too! it was meant to be), to their love for their beautiful country. They said they just love coming home when they can and driving around the country. I would have to agree with that. I could stare out the window forever.
If you are looking for adventures, or would love to have a wedding or to elope somewhere with stunning landscape and nature, Iceland is the perfect destination. It would be an experience like no other.
Selma & Andri, thank you so much for this adventure together. I adore your spirits. xo
I met Amy & Dustin on the first day of my Stockholm trip a few weeks ago. I was worried I might be super tired after a redeye flight and not being able to sleep on airplanes (which is weird because I can fall asleep almost anywhere else), but the fresh air totally woke me up. Not to mention that meeting and photographing couples always gives me a kind of adrenaline rush; it puts me in this zone, and I pretty much forget everything else.
Amy and Dustin are fellow Canadians; they gave me huge hugs when we met up :) Dustin plays hockey in Stockholm and they’ve lived in quite a few other countries in Europe as well. We talked about the amazingness that is Paris, the fun and not-so-fun things about travel (such as leaving something at a store and being stuck outside for 2 hours because it’s siesta time), and some of their favourite places they’ve been (such as Switzerland). After being together since pretty much high school, they still have this amazing chemistry.
It was so awesome meeting you, Amy & Dustin – especially as a jet lagged traveller!
Here are some favourites from our time together. Enjoy!
Iceland: the first time I visited in June of last year, I more or less didn’t know what to expect. Fast forward to 9 months later, I was on my way to a photography workshop in Stockholm and planned my trip around having a 4-day stop over in Iceland. I just had to go back. This land is magical. If you’ve been there, you know what I mean. If you haven’t, you’ll just have to go.
When my plane was approaching Keflavik airport, I peered out the window and noticed something: the country appeared to have been completely covered in snow (at least from what I could see). At which point I thought to myself: oh shit. Why did I come here in the winter?? It’s March, but it’s still winter here! There was a moment of mild panic. I have no great love for winter. Yes, I’ve lived in Canada for 15 years but those years have done nothing to make me love the season. Winter in Iceland is a whole other animal. Even in the middle of summer, the weather can change in the blink of an eye. I wasn’t sure what the next few days would be like. As it turned out, it was a bit of a shit storm (weather wise anyway and pun intended). But I decided that I was going to make the best of it no matter what and not dwell on the weather too much. After this trip, I think I can endure winter better if I lived somewhere as beautiful as Iceland.
The morning I met up with Sigga and Óli, the sun was actually out and you could see bits of blue sky. It was a good sign but I still prayed on our drive towards Seljalandsfoss on the south coast. As it happens, big chunks of snow fell from the sky when we were only about 10 minutes away. And with the snow, the wind picked up. Sitting in the warmth of the car, I wanted to go back to my hotel and curl up in bed with a good book, but at the same time I was also in awe by the desolate wintery scene that stretched for miles around me and wanted desperately to explore it. So we went for the exploration. The thing is, just as quickly as it can snow, it can also stop suddenly. When we got to the parking area at Seljalandsfoss, that’s exactly what happened and we had maybe a 10-minute window to shoot in. This theme continued for our other locations as well. Secretly I thought this was Mother Nature’s way of rewarding us for pushing through despite what she threw at us.
Sigga and Óli, thank you so much for coming on this crazy adventure with me! Here are some of my favourite photos.
Skógafoss. I missed this waterfall last time due to a (almost) dead car battery. Fun fact, apparently they filmed
I always believed that most travellers are photographers (doesn’t matter if you are an amateur or a pro), but that all photographers are travellers. So when I had the opportunity to travel to Stockholm, Sweden for a workshop (more on that soon) with two of my favourite photographers, I also knew I would want to photograph couples while I’m there. So I met with Andrea and Bruno one sunny morning while I was in Stockholm earlier this month. We walked around their neighbourhood in south Stockholm and I took some photos. It was a beautiful morning. While still chilly, you could feel that Spring was in the air with the birds chirping. Andrea and Bruno were such a pleasure to work with and I really enjoyed getting to know them. They met when Andrea was traveling in Brazil. After a couple of years of traveling and long distance relationship, Andrea moved to Brazil. And now they are in Stockholm. They have such an easy connection with each other.
Thank you Andrea and Bruno, I had such a lovely morning with you. And thank you for the delicious carrot cake :)
The first time I traveled to Italy was in 2010. M and I visited Rome, Amalfi Coast, Florence and Venice in our short 12-day trip. Italy was always high on my “must visit” list ever since I was little. The country just seemed so romantic. And their language sounds so beautiful. When I read Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert, I read that the Italian language had a very poetic and literary origin. I will try to be brief here and try to paraphrase from the book as much as possible. Italy for centuries had been independent city-states often at war with each other, and alternately dominated by other European powers. It did not become unified until 1861. Though Latin was still used, it was mainly used by the scholars and educated men in a written format. A derivative of Latin called Vulgar Latin (a colloquial form spoken by common people) was the predecessor to Romance languages such as French, Spanish, and Portuguese. In every other country, the resulting modern day national language was a result of the dominating city, which determined the language of the whole country. This was not the case in Italy. Like its neighbours, many regional dialects existed across the country; dialects so different that a Florentine scholar could not communicate with a Venetian merchant. Then in the 16th century, some Italian intellectuals got together and decided that it was absurd they didn’t have a common language to be called their own. Then they did something quite dramatic, which was they handpicked the dialect that was the most beautiful, which became known as Italian. The basis for that beautiful dialect? It was based on the Florentine language in which Dante had used to write his Divine Comedy in the 14th century. Dante actually thought Latin to be a “corrupt, elitist” language and had turn to the street where Florentine was spoken by the residents of his city.
For a while I somewhat doubted her account because I thought it was unbelievable for a language to be “picked” that way. Then I realized this was in a published book, which means she must have done her research and wouldn’t have published content that was inaccurate (duh). I have since confirmed this with Wikipedia (I know, very scholarly of me). As Elizabeth Gilbert pointed out, for a group of Italian intellectuals to get together and pick a dialect that was the most beautiful to be their official language is equivalent of a bunch of Oxford scholars to get together in early 19th century and decide that from now on we would all speak pure Shakespeare. I actually think that would be kind of amazing. I love the way Shakespearean English sounds.
So yes, a beautiful country with a beautiful language. We returned again in 2012 for part of our honeymoon. Because I have too many photos, I decided to split them into separate posts. Here are some photos from the Amalfi coast.
The Amalfi coast is probably one of the most well known regions in Italy, and for a reason. It’s stunningly beautiful. The towns that perch right along the cliffs with an azure Tyrrhenian sea at their doorsteps practically. Then there’s the hairpin turns of the coastal drive. For both of our visits, we started in the town of Sorrento, which is where the train line ended. But before that, if you are coming from the north, you will most likely be taking a high speed train from Rome to Naples. From Naples, you’ll catch a local commuter train called Circumvesuviana. The experience on that train is very authentic. Though if you do a search on travel forums, you’ll likely find some negative complaints from travellers, mainly about robbery or thieves. Our experience was as long as you keep a low profile (the stereotypical loud, naive American traveler comes to mind…), be alert of your surroundings and don’t wear flashy jewellery, you will be fine. My favourite memory traveling on that train was exiting the Naples suburbs and the train traversing through lemon and orange groves on one side; so close that the tree branches rattled against the windows as the train speeds along. And on the other side, the view to the Bay of Naples coming in and out of sight through the seaside towns. This is why I love train travel, you don’t have to worry about how to get to your destination once you step on the train, you can just enjoy the journey.
Sorrento is famous for its lemon products. Their lemons are very big.
Sorrento is the gateway to the Amalfi coast. From there, you can either hire your own car and enjoy the coastal towns or use the efficient public buses to connect your routes.
The first option gives you more freedom, though the drive can be a bit intimidating for non-Italian drivers.
The second option is a bit more restricted but cheaper. I almost forgot, you can also take a ferry between certain villages in the summer.
You can also take a short ferry ride (30 to 45 minutes) from Sorrento to the island of Capri.
Cable car ride (or more like cable chair lift) to and from Monte Solaro, the highest point on the island.
That was the most intense cable car ride I’ve ever had.
The only thing that stopped you from falling off was a thin iron bar.
Granted the ride was very smooth and the scenery was too beautiful to be afraid anyway.
Lots of tourists and boats jostling to get into the Blue Grotto. While we thought the island was beautiful, we also found it to be too touristy.
Bus ride photo of the coast.
A big part of why we decided to return to the Amalfi coast for our honeymoon was to hike The Path of the Gods.
Or Sentiero degli Dei in Italian. I don’t speak Italian but try to pronounce the words and tell me they don’t sound beautiful.
This was the absolute highlight of our trip. Besides a thrilling coastal drive (if that’s your thing),
this is in my humble opinion the best way to enjoy the coast.
And, it’s free!
You can find more info on the hike here, or read reviews of the hike here.
The views of the coast unfolding below was just breathtaking.
We were so high up I felt like I could touch the clouds if I reached up.
We started the hike in the little village of Bomerano, on the hill above the village of Praiano. The hike took us about 3 hours.
Most people stop at the little hamlet of Nocelle, high above Positano.
From there, we were told there’s a bus that can take us to Positano or take a series of steps.
We wandered around town but couldn’t find this bus stop. So we decided to take the 1,600 steps down to Positano.
I thought going uphill is bad, but nothing compared to the downward hike. It was tough on our knees and calf muscles.
One note here is if you do this hike any time from June to mid September, start as early as you can.
There are scarcely any shady patches on the hike, so it gets very hot by mid-day.
From Positano, we took a ferry back to Amalfi.
For our second visit, We stayed at Villa San Michele, which was just below the village of Ravello.
The hotel was built into the side of the cliff, right into the rocks. So each room has a sea view.
Paris. Is there any other city in the world that can conjure up such feelings of romance & love? Perhaps that is subjective, but for me there is no other (except maybe Venice). This is the post where I tell you how much I love this city and share why I love it so much. This is also the post where you’ll have to excuse me for shamelessly stuffing in some terms like “paris wedding photographer” or ” destination wedding photographer paris”. Or “paris elopement photographer”. :) I’m not too picky. If you are planning to run away to Paris to get married and happen to read this, well, please email me! It would be a dream come true to photograph a wedding in Paris.
The first time I went to Paris was in June of 2009, after graduating from university. It was everything I thought it would be and more: the pastries, the chocolates (& macarons), the architecture, the history, the museums, the eiffel tower. It’s hard to imagine that when the eiffel tower was first constructed, the Parisians hated it and dubbed it “the giant asparagus”. Little did they know that it would become the iconic image of their beloved city. We stayed 4 nights on that first visit; it was not enough. I’ve since returned twice, and still it’s not enough. For those of us who love the city, we each have our own reasons. I’ve thought about this a lot, and it was hard to put into words but here are the two main reasons:
1. It is a city that’s steeped in history; every street corner, every bridge, every cobblestone. Having stood on the banks of the Seine for thousands of years, the city is practically alive with all the stories that took place across the years. But what about the Parisians? This is usually the question I get whenever I talk about my love of Paris. Well, what about them? Sure there are some who are true to the stereotype. But I don’t think they are any more rude compared to people of other major cities. I think they are just indifferent to outsiders. And anyway I can do without the people. I’m sorry if this offends anyone, but for me Paris is not extra magical because of its people (the way Iceland is extra magical because of its people), Paris is magical in and of itself.
2. It is a city that is proud of its past and will not just forget it. They proudly & happily live amongst it. Because of that, and because of their philosophy of “working to live” instead of “living to work”, the city is very much for living. It’s built for you to walk, to go outside and connect, to enjoy your surrounding, or to pause and sit on many of the benches along its boulevards and the Seine. Though on my second visit I learned that Paris was not always this beautiful. The wide, treelined boulevards and typical Parisian houses (Haussmann style) with balconies on the 2nd and 5th level were the result of extensive renovations commissioned by Napoléon III in the mid to late 1800’s. The more modern part of the city is kept outside of the city centre. You won’t find any high rises within the city centre. And I hope that will never change. Most other great European cities are not like this. Their past is almost completely mixed in with their present. Not that there is anything wrong with that in and of itself. But there’s something wonderful about being able to experience the city the way you would have hundreds of years ago (for the most part). I think the only other cities that come close to this (that I’ve been to) are Amsterdam with its centuries old canal houses and Venice. But the latter is slowly becoming like an amusement park with fewer and fewer locals who can afford to live in the city. The saying is that at any given point in time, there are more tourists in Venice than there are locals.
So here are some photos from the three visits I’m lucky to have so far, along with some of my favourite things.
P.S. some of these were taken more than 3 years ago, so don’t judge me too harshly ok? ;)
The cobblestones in this courtyard (bottom left) are among some of the oldest in the city.
It was breathtaking. I would go back any day just to lay my eyes upon them again.
Can’t talk about musées in Paris without talking about the Louvre. I’ve been to the MET in New York, some of the best in London and across Italy.
There is nothing like the Louvre.
You can spend days, weeks here and never see it all. There’s always a new hall to explore. The building complex alone is a museum.
If you visit the museum, be sure to stick around long enough to watch the awe inspiring sunset from the courtyards.
That was one of my absolute favourites from our first visit, and I go back every time I return to Paris.
Tip: admission is free first Sunday of each month; and free Fridays after 6pm if you are under 26. Also free for EU citizens under 26
Notre Dame. No matter how many times I come here, it still takes my breath away upon entrance.
Paris rooftops.
Walking around Montmartre.
Is it me or do the stones of the Sacré Coeur resemble that of The White City of Minas Tirith in Lord of the Rings?
Watch Return of the King for a close up, you’ll see what I mean.
Literary walks in Paris. All the great writers moved to or visited Paris at some point.
the vintage cars. the mini (by North American standard), vintage cars.
Here’s something I noticed about cars there: unless it’s brand new, the cars usually have mirrors falling off and lots of scratches and dents.
They don’t seem to think it’s such a big deal unlike in North America where they’ll probably threaten to sue you for a small scratch.
My theory is that they have so little space there, the scratches, dents and fallen/loose mirrors are bound to happen sooner or later.
The Parisians (and probably most Europeans) have adapted to that.
the many market streets, and street performers.
I think that’s an accordion…?
Flower markets/shops everywhere.
Pivoine, my favourite.
the bookstalls, or bouquinistes, along the Seine.
the streets themselves, and the buildings.
And the light that plays among the buildings.
Ok ready?
I don’t love French food…
Asian cuisine will always be my favourite. Italian is a close second.
I like French food, a lot. But I don’t love it.
There’s a funny story with the below right photo. M and I were at this restaurant just around the corner from the hotel we stay at.
Their menu was all in French (by the way this is how you know the restaurant is likely not a tourist trap) and we couldn’t understand all of it.
There was an appetizer that we found particularly puzzling so we asked the waiter if he could explain it in English.
All we got out of that exchange was something that sounded like “beer and cheese”. Although M heard “bear and cheese”
hahaha.
As you can see, it was a stacked pear with cheese. And it was delicious.
I guess the moral of the story is don’t be afraid to try something new when traveling…even if it sounds something along the lines of “bear and cheese”.
And speaking of French food, my favourite course is dessert. Pastries, macarons, ice cream. Everything!
Berthillon is the most famous glacier in Paris. Oui. There is always a line up. Their flag ship is on the Ile Saint-Louis.
It’s perfect after a long, meandering walk around the city.
And since many restaurants & cafes on Ile Saint-Louis carry Berthillon ice cream…
It’s perfect for the evening right before you return to your hotel as well.
Especially if it’s your last night in Paris. ;)
My personal favourite treat though has to the macaron.
I’ve sampled many different ones, but my favourites are still from Ladurée.
Chateau de Versailles. No photo will convey the scope and grandness of the palace and its gardens (except maybe an aerial photo).
No trip to Paris is complete without a visit to this magnificent palace. You can rent a bike and cycle through the gardens.
You can also boat in the ponds.
You can nap on the lawns.
The Hall of Mirrors…
Or maybe, the Hall of Tourists?
Everyone holding up their camera to take a pic of the hall.
I held up my camera to take a pic of the people taking pictures.
the Seine.
And lounging by the Seine.
the many bridges that cross the Seine and connect the Left Bank with the Right Bank.
and of course, sunsets from those bridges.
the eiffel tower.
especially when it lights up and sparkles.
and it’s even more amazing than it is during the day.
This happens for the three summer months from dusk to 1am, at the top of every hour for 10 minutes.
The first time I saw this, we were on our Fat Tire Bike Tour riding through the Tuileries garden like we were possessed trying to catch our evening boat tour.
Seriously it was magical. It was probably even more magical because I didn’t know about this little tradition.
Fat Tire Bike Tour – engaging and informative bike tour (we especially enjoyed the evening one) + you get to ride a bike through the city like a local!
Evening boat tour on the Seine – many companies do this.
Ice cream at Berthillon – even if you are not an ice cream fan (although how can anyone not be an ice cream fan?), give it a try.
But most of all, make your own Paris. Go and explore, get lost and you’ll discover things that you’ll love.
And one more time, if you are having a wedding in Paris (or even just thinking about it), email me already! :) I can’t wait until the next time I return.
