Tag: destination wedding photographer

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2016 // A Year in Photos

Dear 2016,

You have come and gone and although there were 365 days just like any other year, it felt like it all went by in the blink of an eye.

I’m not sure where to start really. But maybe I’ll start with this: in April I attended a little workshop put together by the awesome Jenn & Dave Stark (no, not related to anyone from Game of Thrones, I checked), who are not only really talented photographers, but amazing people all-around. As an introvert, I generally don’t love big group interactions. I find them overwhelming. But I’m much better in more intimate settings or one-on-one interactions. Such was the case with the Stark’s workshop. Turns out, there were a few other familiar faces there too. Throughout the workshop, we talked, and I mean, really talked, about running a business and all the little bits and nuances that comes with the territory of being self-employed, being a photographer, being an artist. It was the kind of talk you would have with good friends until the wee hours of the morning. There was a lot of laughter, and also a lot of tears. It was something I sorely needed and I definitely look back to our time together with love and appreciation. I felt so grounded afterwards, in a really good way.

The previous year was a very interesting year. I shot quite a few destination assignments and it was something that I really wanted to do. The year was going well in all sense of the word. Then the wedding season ended and bookings for the 2016 season were really lackluster. And I just couldn’t figure out why. It was beyond frustrating. Worst of all was the sense of “hey I’ve been doing this for a while now, shouldn’t this get easier?” Little by little, with a lot of help from Mike (my wonderful, wonderful other half), friends and some soul searching, I came to the realization that it doesn’t work this way. I had forgotten that your dreams don’t work unless you do. In the end, I picked myself back up and reminded myself to let go of the things that I can’t control, and focus my energy on the things that I can. Blogging my work, making sure my website functions well and is SEO’ed well, submitting work to be featured (link backs!), updating my site (which hadn’t been touched for 2 years) etc.

When I went to the Stark’s workshop I was once again reminded of why I loved photography in the first place: to capture all those fleeting moments of beauty and love that exist in this life of ours; the moments that, in the blink of an eye, disappear forever, with nothing to prove they ever existed. You know what I mean, those moments that are seared into your memory, though some fade a bit over time. In this way, photography is a way of witnessing life.

In life, we always seem to be chasing that next golden nugget. That sense of “if only I have this, then I will be truly happy”. For me, it was chasing after being a destination and international wedding photographer. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. But at some point I lost sight of why I loved photography in the first place. It became more about being able to say that I did this, and that. Looking back, I wonder why I didn’t see this earlier. The things that I didn’t care about in my previous life as a 9-5 worker – climbing the corporate ladder, overworking myself, why did I fall into the same trap in this one?

I would still love to photograph couples, people and weddings all around the world. But I’m perfectly ok with photographing them right here at home too. Because the essential things in life don’t change very much no matter where you go. With this in mind, 2016 was a much happier year for me. I felt more content.

Mind you, I still love travelling. I don’t think that will ever change.

Whenever I meet new people and I tell them that I’m a photographer, I always get asked if I still like what I do after 5 years. I have to say, I still do. Even though it isn’t perfect, and nothing is perfect. Not just because I love taking photos, but also because doing what I do is always teaching me new things. I’m always learning new things, heck, I’m forced to learn new things even if I don’t want to. Haha.

2017, I’m ready for you. Bring it on.

Wishing all of you a wonderful year ahead filled with good health, love, laughter, all that you hold close to your heart, and most of all, moments that you want to preserve forever. xo

Ending this long post with a quote that I love, and is oddly appropriate at the start of a new year (then followed by photos):

“For what it’s worth: it’s never too late, or in my case, too early to be whoever you want to be. There’s no time limit, stop whenever you want. You can change or stay the same, there are no rules to this thing. We can make the best or the worst of it. I hope you make the best of it. And I hope you see things that startle you. I hope you feel things you never felt before. I hope you meet people with a different point of view. I hope you live a life you’re proud of. If you find that you’re not, I hope you have the strength to start all over again.” – F. Scott Fitzgerald from The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

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Koh Lanta Engagement // Thailand Wedding Photographer

In early November when I was travelling in Thailand, I had the opportunity to photograph an engagement session in Koh Lanta.

Heather & Kevin are one of my couples who are getting married at the end of the month and they currently work and live in Bangkok. After I booked my trip to China & Thailand, I remembered that Heather & Kevin are there too so I emailed them about doing their engagement session in Thailand and they were totally up for it! After a few emails, we decided on Koh Lanta, one of the southern islands. It is a less well known island which was perfect as we really got to appreciate the beauty of the island without crowds.

The day of our session arrived, and the forecast was calling for rain. Luckily it held off until we were done. As we walked back to the car the rain started to fall. The sun was playing hide and seek for most of our session but right at the end, it came out and the light was perfect.

Thank you so much for having me photograph you in Koh Lanta Heather & Kevin! I hope these photos will remind you of the wonderful time you spent in Thailand when you look back at them years later. xo

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Iceland Engagement Photography // Kayla & Nate

When Kayla contacted me at the end of September about her and Nate’s engagement photography session in Iceland, I was incredibly excited despite the fact that this would be my fourth time in the country. I always feel like a kid in a candy store coming here. When my flight landed, and I went through the familiar Keflavik airport, hopped on the flybus and got into the city, everything felt so familiar & warm to me in a way that even coming “home” to Canada does not make me feel. I joked to Mike that maybe I was Icelandic in my past life.

The way Kayla & Nate met is stuff for the movies – they are six years apart and Kayla was in a relationship when they first met, and Nate had just gone through a breakup. A few years later,  a chance encounter and a facebook message led to their first date and the rest was history. The day of our session came, we met up before the sun came up as this time of the year, daylight hours are short and drove out into the countryside. We explored a few places along the south coast, including the famous Black Sand beach Reynisfjara, Dyrholaey peninsula and a couple of waterfalls. They were troopers and braved the strong wind and the chilly temperatures (they are from southern California so the weather was definitely a bit of a shock) and were up for anything – even going behind Seljalandsfoss with a super icy path and going up to the top of Skogafoss.

Thanks Kayla & Nate, for inviting me to Iceland to document your love! It was a pleasure and I’m so grateful for the opportunity. Here are some of my favourites from our little adventure.

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2015 // A Year in Photos

Dear 2015,

It’s been a great year in so many ways! I had the opportunity to travel more this past year, visited some amazing places, both with loved ones and also by myself; I made a visit to China, the motherland, after having left 16 years ago.  I photographed many couples, weddings, babies & families. One of the biggest differences for me this year was having the chance to photograph more destination weddings, in places like Tuscany, Channel Islands, and the Greek islands. While it was really great to photograph weddings in really beautiful locations, it’s never been just about the locations for me. It’s always been more about the people.

I guess really any single year is just a small slice of your life overall. There will always be ups and downs. But probably because of human nature, often times it’s much easier to remember, and to be affected by the “downs”. Sometimes we wish there would only be happy memories, but that’s simply not possible. A few weeks ago I watched the Pixar movie Inside Out and the message from the movie really struck a chord with me: we can’t go about life with only happy emotions and try to suppress anything deemed negative because the different emotions are the “spices” of life so to speak, and together they are what make our experiences multi-faceted.  Only when you allow yourself to experience the negative emotions, will they help you appreciate the happy emotions even more.

And sometimes I have to remember that some things are like showers, you have to do it often to benefit from it. :)

Without further ado, here are some of my favourite moments from 2015. These images help remind me that the simplest pleasures in life really are the best ones. 

Looking forward to new adventures in 2016!

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Guernsey Wedding Photographer // Helen & Tom

As featured on U.K. wedding blog Whimsical Wonderland Weddings!

I’ve wanted to photograph a wedding in Guernsey ever since I read The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society and this article. So when I received an email from Helen last year with the subject “Wedding in Guernsey!” I was pretty stoked. After a few email exchanges, my visit to Guernsey was booked.

You might wonder just where is Guernsey? It’s one of the British Channel Islands, although they are closer to France geographically.

Now about Helen and Tom. Their first date involved a late night chat, an impromptu late night stroll on the beach and then watching the sunrise together. Couldn’t have been more perfect. They love to travel and spent a year travelling the world together.

The wedding day started with the boys having a (very cold) swim at the beach. So fun! Because you can only legally get married in a church in Guernsey, they found Ste Apolline Chapel that dates back to the 14th century, and got married with 15 of their nearest & dearest in attendance. Then a reception followed at Fairfield with a big marquee, lawn games, yummy food, music & dancing. We took their wedding portraits along the stunning southeastern coast, where the landscape inspired Renoir to create a series of paintings, and was also Victor Hugo’s favourite picnic spot.

It was truly a beautiful day with many memorable moments. But I think Tom’s speech will forever go down in history as one of the funniest Groom speeches (at least in my opinion). I was laughing so hard at some points that it was hard to take photos.

Thank you Helen & Tom, for inviting me to share in your beautiful day, for welcoming me so warmly, and for trusting me to tell your story!

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