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!

Destination Wedding Photography Mexico // Stephanie & Matt

Stephanie & Matt got married on a beautiful day in sunny Cabo San Lucas, Mexico while spring was still struggling with Toronto. Surrounded by their nearest and dearest, it was a most relaxed and lovely wedding day. I’ve said this before, but small weddings are always more dear to my heart. Not that I think there’s anything wrong with big weddings, but when you are planning something so big, sometimes it’s easy for the wedding to get “out of scope” to speak in project management terms. You start to worry about every single little detail, and lose sight of the reason why you are having this wedding to begin with: a celebration of love and a coming together of family and friends. It’s too easy for big weddings to become a “production”, a “show”, rather than a wedding.

This was not so on Stephanie & Matt’s wedding day. They hung out with their wedding party in the morning while getting ready, got to talk to each of their guests, and had time to just slow down and remember it all.

Thank you Stephanie & Matt for not only having me document one of the most special days in your life, but for making me feel welcomed as one of your dear guests.

Here is Stephanie & Matt’s wedding day.

Andrea & Bruno // Stockholm Photographer

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 :)

 

Caribbean Destination Wedding // Sarah & Nate

Elegant Destination Wedding on the island of Nevis | As featured on Jet Fete

At the end of October I had the opportunity to photograph a destination wedding in the sunny Caribbean (my first!). Sarah and Nate tied the knot on the tiny island of Nevis in the Caribbean. When they decided to get married, they knew they wanted a destination wedding, but didn’t want the typical destination wedding places. So when they visited the island in January of last year, they knew that this unique and remote island was the place. Their ceremony was held at an old church in Charlestown, and the reception was held at a seaside restaurant venue of The Four Seasons Nevis.

Surrounded by their nearest & dearest and the beautiful scenery, it was a magical day. Thank you Sarah & Nate – it was amazing to be part of your day and document it all!

Before a first look with Nate, Sarah had a first look with her dad. It was really sweet.

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