Maui Wowie!!

Wowie is right!!

It's been months since I have posted as I've been trying to work less and enjoy life more...

In doing such, I took a much needed vacation to visit the little island of Maui.  To be honest, I had never had much of a desire to go there.  I pictured it to be an over-vacationed destination that didn't really hold any excitement in terms of adventure for me.  Boy, was I wrong!  It held adventure, beauty, fun, exploration and the best meal of my life!!  I absolutely loved it!!

We didn't spend much time laying on beaches, catching rays and drinking fruity drinks (though we made sure we put some time aside for that); instead we explored and experienced all that Maui had to offer!

We spent a full day driving around the island, where I tightly gripping the steering wheel as we cruised the windy road to Hana.  We received mixed reviews from fellow travellers and locals about driving the back road on our way home (2 hours shorter and supposedly much more "dangerous") and well... we went for it anyways.  It turned out to be our favourite part of the trip!!  It was the most beautiful drive I have ever been on.  I felt like we were cruising through Jurrasic Park!  With the incredibly vast landscape, exposing deep grooves of the back side of the Haleakala, I felt like at any moment a T-Rex would pop out of nowhere, pick up our rental jeep and swallow us whole.

On our final morning, I was awoken with a surprise helicopter ride!!  There, we dove down waterfalls, saw pods of humpback whales and one of the largest coral reefs on the island of Molokai.  An incredible experience to say the least.

From snorkeling with sea turtles, waking up at 3am to drive up to the 10,000ft elevation of Haleakala to watch the sunrise, cooking dinner with friends using local "catch of the day" Mahi-mahi to getting rocked in turquoise swells and spending hours indulging in a seven course meal created by Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto, Maui more than exceeded my expectations...

If you ever have the opportunity to to Maui, I highly recommend checking out my top 3 favourite edibles I indulged in while visiting...

The best meal I have EVER had - Chef's tasting menu - Morimoto Maui
The most incredible ice cream -  Banana toffee crunch - Hula Cookies & Ice Cream
My favourite savour spread - Kokohead Foods Smoked Ahi Tuna Spread - Any grocery store

Here are some of my favourite shots from the trip...

Post Track:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nVSiwMVaKe4

Fam Jam

I spent a beautiful and frosty morning with both the Hebenton and Ververgaert family last weekend.  I grew up with this gang, so it was so great catching up with my extended family and capturing some moments.

Here are a few of my faves from our photo adventure...

Post Track: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBpYgpF1bqQ

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Laura & Geoff

I absolutely LOVE fall!  In Vancouver it is often anticipated that the weather will be grey, wet and dreary.  However, this wasn't the case this past weekend with the amazing "bluebird" day were lucky enough to enjoy.  Not only do I love a crisp and dry fall day, but the colours that the changing leaves bring, are spectacular.

Laura and Geoff were also thrilled with the weather.  To not have to pull out the umbrellas they purchased as a back up, they couldn't have asked for more.  With nothing but blue sky and sunshine it was an absolutely perfect afternoon for capturing love.  I had a great time with the wedding party laughing and snapping away.

Here are a few of my favourite photos...

Post Track: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I9zpnLBtwwg

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Steph & Pat's Wedding

"It's like raaaaaain, on your wedding day..." are lyrics that most would hope never to become a reality on their wedding day.  However, this is how the morning started out on Steph & Pat's wedding...

I got in my car and made my way to Harrison through the torrential downpour.  I knew that there was a break in the clouds behind me but, would it make it our way in time for the ceremony?  Thankfully, yes!  As the ceremony commenced, the rain had dripped its last drop for the day.

The evening was full of familiar faces, friends, food and lots of laughs.  Both bride and groom looked lovely in their wedding duds.  The evening could not have been better.

Congratulations Steph & Pat!!

Post Track: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQ3KLBIDT48

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The Suzick Family 2014

For the past few years I have had the absolute pleasure of photographing the Suzick family.  In that time, I have watched their boys grow up so much.  Their eldest boy and I now share almost the same shoe size.  Their parents Chris and Alissa are the best.  They are forever making me laugh and I am so grateful to have the opportunity to capture their beautiful family  grow, as the years go on.  We had such a beautiful fall day, that almost felt like summer was trying to hang on a little longer.  Here are a few of my favourite shots from our afternoon adventure.

Enjoy!

Post Track: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZYbEL06lEUvv

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The Bienko Family

I had a wonderful Sunday afternoon with the Bienko family...

Living in the Vancouver area, we enjoy every last ounce that summer has left to offer us.  The Bienko family and I had an absolutely perfect September afternoon.  It was so great to catch up with an old friend and see her beautiful family.  Especially seeing as they had added a new addition since we last saw one another.  Their daughter was absolutely gorgeous.  Besides myself having some serious hair envy, their daughter Taitum was one of the most beautiful babies I had ever seen.  She was so sweet and such a delight to photograph.  I thoroughly enjoyed my time with the Bienko family, catching up, sharing laughs and capturing the last leg of our incredible Vancouver summer.

Enjoy the captures!

Post Track: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bUIElvJRyNU

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Brit & Jeremy

It doesn't often happen that you find yourself becoming such great friends with your new clients...

Well, this is exactly what happened the first time I met Brittney & Jeremy.  It was near impossible not to fall in love with the two of them.  We had an instant connection.  I think we all new that going forward, we would forever be friends.  After our first time meeting, I had the privilege of capturing these two incredible souls, during their engagement session.  We had so much fun sharing wine and laughs after our shoot, that we lost track of time and had to call upon a friend to rescue us from being locked in at the park.

Thanks to my new friends, having an "in," we managed to escape unscathed and created our fist adventure story.  Going forward, I knew that these two were not just clients, that they had left an imprint on my heart and I was so excited to watch our friendship grow and more importantly, their love.

Fast forward to their beautiful wedding...
The tone was set at such a different pace than I was normally used to.  It truly was an insight into their personalities.  Jeremy and Britney are such fun loving people.  Their friends, family and acquaintances were so welcoming and lovely, I felt like I had been part of this incredibly circle for so much longer...

Britney looked absolutely breathtaking.  Her beautiful bridesmaids were stunning and made me laugh from the moment we met.  This followed suit with the groomsmen and of course the incredibly handsome and charming, Jeremy.

I could go on and on, however, I will let the photos speak for themselves.

Congratulations Britney & Jeremy, I am so excited that you are both my special friends and I can't wait to watch you grow as a couple and family. <3

Enjoy!

Post Track: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QlNQD98lfUY

click on any photo to view entire album