Clorinda and Mo saw each other in the light of friendship when they first met each other ten years ago.  They work together at Dairy Queen. She was 16 he was 15. It was their first real job! By the third year of working together the Clorinda started to see Mo in a different light. Or shall we say the sparks started to fly. It was a definite crush!  She remembers the first night that she held his hand. It was in a crowded night club so to get through the crowd she thought she would take the opportunity and grab his hand to lead the way. This was the perfect excuse! They danced the night away but Mo still did not have any idea of how Clorinda felt about him. It wasn’t until Clorinda asked Mo’s brother to be the middle man not knowing that Mo had already decided to ask her to accompany him to his graduation. Well the rest is history. Their relationship has grown stronger and they have fallen madly in love. Now almost seven years later they are still going strong and are both looking forward to the day when they are husband and wife.

I am a sucker for love stories. I get all caught up and goofy and almost as excited as the wonderful brides and grooms that I am invited to photograph for.

Katherine and Curtis met at work back in the summer of 2003. Curt proposed on August 11 2008. A romantic at heart, he proposed after taking her down memory lane, to all the places that they went to on their first date. Katherine was unaware that Curtis had spent some time on Yahoo answers, looking at how to propose to her in Spanish (her father is Chilean and her mother grew up in Chile). He then proposed to her in Spanish on top of Nosehill Park in Calgary, and of course she couldn’t say no! Even though they are not quite married yet, they have already started their family with their chocolate lab puppy, Bella. Both of their families love the mountains and great outdoors which led them to having their engagement session in Lake Louise.

Welcome to the chronicle of this uncommon life…….one that I have been so lucky to be allowed to share with incredible people who have invited me to photograph their lives and love stories. Since childhood, art has allowed me to explore and appreciate my vision of the world as it can be. A dream preferred. My goal is to create and share breathtaking artwork that reflects the magic I encounter in life. Every wonderful moment behind the lens has allowed me to capture joy, love and moments that will last forever. Photography has brought out the voice in me that the people who love me say they always knew was there. Most of them are charmingly smug in their self-congratulations at having known it before I did….and I love them for it.

Find joy here. Find love here. Find something that warms your heart. I will continue capturing these stories and adding to this narrative. All the while attempting to find time for chocolate, cheese and my special friend, my dog Kayla.

Enjoy…

Shawna