Calgary Wedding Photographer Blog – byDesign Visuals

The other day I took my friend Alyssa out to grab some shots of her and try out a “new” (new to me!) lens I picked up!  I was trying specifically get this type of shot, an image that shows both her personality and inner beauty.  I think she has gorgeous eyes, and as they say, eyes are the window to the soul!  I know that this image has it’s technical flaws, but overall I think that it captures her smiling, sunny personality!  I also thought the 2nd shot  was more stunning in black and white, so I just had to upload both.

By the way I have been rockin out to Michael Jackson’s “Black or White” while editing this, so that may or may not have affected my editing tendencies lol!

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Lately I have been doing a lot of soul searching, and seeing if this photography thing is really something I want to pursue further, and even if this is something I want to do part time.  Of course I love my camera and I love working with my great clients, but after loosing my full time job it has also become a financial issue too.  I am have been exploring different options, including other full time jobs, going back to school to learn and grow more in my technical skills and knowledge, and also pursuing other business opportunities.  Any advice would be appreciated!

Anyways, in my explorations I have also come to figure out the reason I do what I do.  I can’t put it into words very well, but I know that when I am working with brides and grooms and sharing the first day of the rest of your lives together, it’s all about you.  I love sharing the little things with you, such as being the only person sharing the first few minutes after the ceremony with you in a secluded room above the chapel, or grabbing shots as a bride whispers meaningful words into her new husband’s ear.  It amazes me how each wedding is different, unique, and yet insanely wonderful, and it’s the little things that show me how love is expressed. My goal is to grab as many of these tender moments and preserve them as more than just memories, but rather as a lasting proof.

A few days ago I was looking at a camera forum, and I stumbled upon this AMAZING video shot by the wonderful team at http://www.stillmotion.ca.  To me this video is the essence of what I want to do, and I’ll be working hard and striving to be able to do what they have done, regardless of which artistic medium is used.  I won’t say anymore, but I’ll let their work speak for itself.  (And don’t worry, I ask permission to post it here:))

Oh and I nearly forgot, Happy Father’s Day to all you Dad’s out there!  Thank you Dad for everything you have done for me – including buying me my first SLR (which I promptly broke!)

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Back in April, on the 22nd to be exact, I posted about how I was going to start a garden this year to celebrate Earth Day.  Well I did, and so far things are going well!  My Dad shared a tip with me about starting seeds in the oven with the light on, so I did that, and things started to sprout up left and right.  The little guys were doing very well until I took a 4 day trip back to Vancouver Island, and I got back to find they hadnt been taken care of very well.  I planted them outside on May 23rd, but last week we had some very cold temperatures (for June) and snow of all things, so they also took a hit with that.  So far my corn, peas, and lupens are still surviving, and I also planted more seeds of corn, peas, chives, carrots, lettuce, watermelon, red beans, yellow beans, sunflowers, and some random flowers that I got at a friends wedding.  I also bought 2 tomato plants (1 red, 1 yellow), some basil, and some strawberries!  I used to garden a lot with my Dad, I loved going out in the spring and turning over the soil with the rototiller.  I have to do it by hand now, but the gardens (one in the back yard, one in the front) aren’t that big, so it’s nice to go out and use my muscles for something other than lifting cameras.

I finally got around to taking some pictures of the new plants today, and I thought it would be good to share the results.  If you have a garden feel free to comment and let me know how yours is going!  Oh we also have a lilac bush that the previous owners must have planted, so I took a few pictures of that too.

The random mix of flowers that I got from a friends wedding.  I’m excited to see what they are!

The shot on the left is of Sunflower to be, and the shot on the right is of an unidentified flower!

On the left we have Yellow Beans, and on the right, Corn.  I’m excited to mix the yellow and red beans together (the red turn green when cooked)

My favourite vegetable to eat fresh out of the garden and yours, Peas!

Another healthy food, Romaine Lettuce.  If all of the plants do well, I’ll be eating lettuce for every meal!

My Mom loves Lilacs, so we always had them in the house when they flowering.  Have I mentioned I LOVE bokeh?

More lilacs.  Today while shooting I think I fell back in love with macro photography.  It was my first love, and now it’s back.  But don’t worry weddings, I still love you too:)

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3 simple words: Anything Can Happen!

The above shots were taken within seconds of each other.  The one on the left is from my front door, and the one of the right is from my back door.  So when it comes to your wedding day, be prepared and ready for anything! Of course I’ll work with you to get the best pictures whether it’s sunny, snowy, rainy, or haily (is that a word?), but be warned – you may get wet!  Don’t fret though, you are in good hands.

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Yesterday a friend of mine called me up to go hiking out in Kananaskis country, since I didn’t have a wedding (or anything else) to shoot in Calgary and it was such a gorgeous day I couldn’t say no!  We drove out to Allan Bill Pond, which is no longer a pond due to recent floods but more of a lake, and started hiking.  The hike we took climbed up the edge of a mountain, and then to an amazing viewpoint where we could see a long ways off!  Here are a few of the glorious results!

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