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!
This made me tear up the other day when it popped up on my Google+ page. These words and sentiments, they are what keep me going on an especially chaotic day, or in moments when I have doubts.
“When I first saw Janice’s website, I instantly fell in love. Her photos struck a deep chord with me and I was desperate to have her capture our Wedding. Six months later we are still over the moon in love with our photos. Looking back, she was able to tell a story of not only that day, but of us, our lives, our love, our loved ones. The photos are so beautiful and natural and she made the process not really a process at all! It was also so nice to have a photographer who was genuinely excited and happy for us on our big day! Janice made a huge effort to get to know us and truly spared no detail. I think that because she shoots from the heart and not just the eye that she is able to capture feelings, emotions and special, little moments in time. I was so happy to find someone who appreciates and loves nature and natural images as much as I do. It is evident that Janice is passionate about her work – and it shows in our photos. I really can’t wait to work with her again someday! Thank you Janice, for everything :) ” – Kelly & Mike
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 :)
Jess and Kyle got engaged when they traveled to Paris. You’ll be happy to know that Kyle didn’t propose under, on, or anywhere near the Eiffel tower ;) He proposed in a little park in the city, which they now have a framed photo of in their home. That’s the way to do it right – an engagement that is – don’t do it because everyone else does it, follow your own story. For their Document Love session, I picked Detour Cafe in Dundas because of its Parisian feel and it’s not as far since they drove up from London for the day. After a coffee break, we headed to the Dundas Valley Conservation area for some fall photos.
Here are some of my favourites from that afternoon! Jess & Kyle – looking forward to your beautiful vineyard wedding in the fall!
It was cloudy most of the day but the sun came out to play just for a bit.
Meet baby Benjamin, or as his parents call him, Benji. I had first photographed him while he was still in his mom’s belly just a month earlier. Life is marvellous.
Big brothers Clark and Ralph joined in for some photos too.
It was 2 weeks before Christmas and I couldn’t help but grab a shot of al the stockings.
