Destination Wedding Photography | Edmonton, Canada

I don't just cover weddings close to my home base of Southampton, Hampshire.  Sometimes I do also travel to far away lands to shoot them.

This was the case with the wedding of Valerie and Jason which took place in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada in August 2008.

In this case I didn't quite travel all the way from England for the wedding, but I could and would.  I was in Vancouver, British Columbia at the time and I'd met up with Valerie a couple of weeks prior in Alberta on my road trip across Canada.  I should probably explain that Valerie and I have worked together on a number of occasions over the years.  I was wearing our fitness and bikini hat at the time, because in her spare time Valerie is also a most excellent fitness and bikini model.

The date was the 8th day of the 8th month in 2008, which apparently has some meaning, or maybe it's just because it looks tidier on the wedding invites?

It was hot, we're talking Las Vegas desert type heat here.  It was somewhere around 37-40 centigrade, or to put it into a language that my American friends will understand, god damn bastard hot.

I was driving around in the cheapest rental car I could find, a piece of crap Toyota Yaris.  I suppose with recent knowledge I should be grateful the car didn't try and murder me.  All I remember was it was the most awful car I've driven in a large amount of years and the air conditioner was shite, really really shite.

The service, at St. Joseph's church, was unique, a Ukrainian Catholic service with the vicar almost singing his lines.  I'm not at all religious but this really was quite beautiful.

We did our post wedding shots on the grounds of the Legislature Building which apparently is quite a famous landmark in Edmonton.  There must have been around 10 other wedding parties there, all being photographed, but there was no question that ours were the sharpest looking bunch.

The boys especially had come with their own set of ideas for shots, which I loved.  The Reservoir Dogs themed gangster walk is still one of my favourite wedding shots.   These photos are the most commented upon out of any of the weddings I've photographed, be it for the colours of the outfits, the stunning roof in the church, or just the slightly off the wall group shots.

Thank you Valerie & Jason for inviting me to be a part of your very special day.

Shooting a toddler

It was towards the end of a long day of shooting in Winnipeg, Manitoba.  The day had started with 5 subjects, all doing fitness style photos.  It had been a great day, exhausting but great.

Winnipeg is a strange city, it's kind of the armpit of Canada, yet for some reason I like it.  I think it has something to do with the reception enjoyed on my 2 visits there.   Both times I've met some really good people, and been looked after extremely well.  Proof if proof were needed that it's not about where you are, but the people you've got around you.

We were photographing on the forecourt of a car dealership / garage (who says shooting pretty girls is glamorous?) and we were all getting bitten within an inch of our life's by Manitoba's provincial bird, otherwise known as sodding great big mosquito.

I was somewhere on the outskirts of the city with Amanda and Jayme finishing off the last few outfits they wanted to do.  Amanda's husband had arrived with a quad bike Amanda wanted to use for some shots, and their cute 3 year old daughter.

At first she was a bit scared of me.  I could understand why, a strange man with a stranger accent, and a silly hat.  Even though I say I don't really like kids, for some reason they quite often seem to like me.  I don't get it, really I don't.

Anyway, it wasn't long before she was sitting on the tarmac next to me, in the shade, while I continued to photograph her Mummy.

With Mum's permission I snapped a few shots of her baby, and my favourite is up top.

Below is a picture of Mum with her quad bike, and below that my good friend Jayme G!

We all went for dinner at a great steak restaurant in Winnipeg in my honour after, a slightly early 40th birthday celebration.