It’s the end of the year and what better way to reminisce about how great of a year it’s been than to pick out some of my favourite photos of 2013! It’s extremely hard to keep this list short since I loved every single session I did this past year and I thoroughly enjoyed working with each and every client that I had. But for the sake of brevity, here are my 26 favourite photos of 2013! (26, so random, I know!)
In no particular order, here they are, with a brief description of why I chose the photos:
I’ve had many opportunities to photograph the Cyrs, and this one was one of my favourite sessions with them. We kept the session low-key and casual. I went to their house and we basically visited and let life happen. As a result, we got a bunch of cute family shots of them simply and naturally enjoying themselves as a family. I loved it and I thought this shot was particularly cute and fun.
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I loved these two! They made bold and unique choices for their wedding and everything came together wonderfully. I thought her dress looked particularly stunning in this shot and I loved how everything came together for this candid walking photo on a quiet path at Bridges Golf Course.
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Again, another one of these at-home family portrait sessions. There’s something to this that just can’t be created in a studio or in a controlled, done-up photo set up. I loved spending the afternoon at their house and casually capturing them hanging out as a family. Also, I loved their artwork on the wall – so fitting for this shot!
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I love engagement sessions because you can choose your favourite season, your favourite weather forecast and your favourite time of day. This was captured on a warm late August summer evening. We got perfect skies, perfect colours and it all came together for this adorably in-love couple! Can’t wait for their wedding in 2014. 🙂
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It’s easy to get so focused on close-up portraits that you forget the big picture. So lately I’ve been making a point of taking a step back. Way, way back. It may take extra time to run out for the shot, but sometimes the view from afar is absolutely breathtaking. This tree could only be seen in its full glory from many feet away and I’m glad I captured it for my brother and his wife. This was on her family’s property so it was especially important to her to see the context of where their wedding photos were taken. Definitely worth the extra angle.
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I don’t have to say much here – how cute is this?! Might not be the one they frame and put up in his room, but definitely one of my favourites… 🙂
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This was such a picture-perfect evening for a Spring-time maternity session. The light was absolutely gorgeous and these two were as in love as ever. I loved loved loved this maternity session and I could have posted many more favourites from it!
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This photo was taken in a field with the strongest gusts of wind EVER! The sky was so vast and gorgeous and I thought it was such a perfect backdrop to capture these two merely moments after they had tied the knot at a quaint and beautiful church ceremony just up the road.
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I can’t remember what I was standing on, but sometimes the most awkward angles to shoot from are some of my favourites. I loved her dress and flowers – they were out of the ordinary and so perfectly matched to her style and elegance. Roslyn was a gorgeous bride, and though I have many other favourites where you can see her beautiful face, I especially loved capturing her from this unconventional angle.
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It was raining (pretty much pouring), the engagement session was done but on the way back to our cars I saw these long blades of grass and couldn’t resist making one last stop! I pulled out my macro lens and thanks to the groom holding an umbrella over me, I was able to capture this shot without getting my camera too wet. So worth it!
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It was a quiet moment in their living room, with warm day light and their cute little baby girl. I loved being able to capture this in the comfort of their own home and I especially loved their artwork on their wall. I can totally relate to these moments in a young family’s life and it just makes my heart swell.
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It’s not often that a tiny little human being steals the show at a wedding. Although his mom (the bride) was absolutely gorgeous on her wedding day, I just couldn’t resist snapping a few extra shots of their kid – he was just so cute in his little tux!
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Not really a traditional shot of a wedding party, but I loved the colours, shapes and angles and that’s exactly why I love this shot. Ashley and Matt totally rocked the exchange district locations that we chose for their wedding photos and even though some of these spots are over-used, these guys made it seem new and fresh to me. Such a fun wedding party!
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I love the softeness, the quietness and the closeness of this shot. I loved photographing Jayda and Dan’s wedding, and now being able to capture these beautiful early moments in their growing family was especially wonderful for me. I loved capturing a little bit of this new treasure they now share.
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I love country weddings and this one took place on a gorgeous rural property with a super fun couple. I loved this shot because it caught them in a candid moment without my lens being in their face. I also loved framing it with some of my favourite trees: birch!
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One of the last engagement sessions that I shot in the Fall of 2013 was with this couple. The setting was beautiful, but the best part was how comfortable their love was. By the end of the session every close moment they shared turned into a beautiful photo. So lovely to be with them, I can’t wait for their wedding!
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This was another former wedding couple of mine and it was such a treat seeing them again, this time with a beautiful baby girl! We did a lot of cozy at-home photos, but I particularly loved this one. Such a sweet and simple moment and this to me captured exactly how they feel about their daughter.
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I dubbed this photo as the “Epic Photo” since it seems to have caught the attention of so many people. The funny thing is that I almost over-looked this shot while sifting through the hundreds of frames I took during this engagement session! But once I noticed all the gorgeous detail in the water, waves and sky, I had fun in Lightroom to showcase all its glory. Oh but of course, it’s the couple that makes this shot so epic – it’s my brother and sister-in-law and if you saw how in love they are, you’d agree that this photo perfectly expresses the richness of their love!
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Loving hands and tiny feet. This shot is a simple expression of the dynamic love a married couple shares together with their firstborn. I particularly loved how in love this couple was, and I think that’s part of the reason this photo is one of my favourites.
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This was my last outdoor photo session of 2013 – not because it was getting too cold, but because I was even more pregnant than this momma while doing this photo shoot! I love doing outdoor portraits in late autumn with all these earth-tone colours, and she absolutely radiated in this setting.
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The light, the softness, the warmth and the love… he was only 10 days old, but I KNOW how much she loves her son. One of my favourite photos… and I have few words to explain why. It’s all in their faces.
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A wide angle photo can include many things when positioned right, and I absolutely loved all the branches, trees, sunlight and texture in this setting. These two were so in love and I thought this photo could in some small way expose the radiance on their wedding day.
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Moments before the wedding ceremony, this beautiful bride took a few quiet moments to get ready before walking down the aisle. As a photographer, I’m privileged to be able to capture these beautiful private moments and sometimes these are some of my favourite shots of the entire wedding day.
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There are so many photos from this baby session that I could have chosen, but this one was my favourites. I can’t quite describe why, but I just loved it. She is SUCH a doll.
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I’m a sucker for negative space and breaking the rules of standard photography. When I find a way to catch these angles, I tend to love these photos the most. This is my favourite photo from a maternity photo session I did for my sister at my house.
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They were just married, she had kicked off her wedding shoes, and we were at the tail end of the wedding portrait portion of the wedding day. Such a fun couple and SO. IN. LOVE. I just love this shot of these two!
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Thank you to everyone above and to the many more who aren’t on this list. If I had the time, I would have posted a photo from every single photo session of 2013! I’m truly honoured to have such amazing clients who believe in my work and in me. Without your trust, none of these photos would exist. I look forward to 2014 and to many new photo sessions with new and old clients alike. Happy new year everyone!
