I am really lucky to do what I do for a living. Although sometimes being a photographer is often not glamorous. You are spending a crazy amount of time sitting in front of the computer editing. What makes it so wonderful is that it allows me to meet couples like Nicole & David. They are just good people with good souls who are caring and very much down to earth.

They are a match made in heaven. They both love to workout, love to hike and love each other dearly. Mike I and had an amazing time hanging out with them because they are just that easy going. You can tell they cherish life and plan to take advantage of living it to its’ fullest. We are very excited for their wedding day. It can’t come soon enough! I know it’s going to be a special day because they are a special couple. Thank you Nicole & David. It was windy and a tad cold but we still managed to capture the magic you have between each other. Lots of love – Shawna & Mike

Meet Hillary, Paul & and Vogue! This little family is adorable and their love for their puppy is eminent. You see Vogue may be the size of a horse but she is essentially a big, over sized lap dog!! At the beginning was a tough shoot as when we arrived to Elbow Falls it was cold and snowing! This didn’t stop Hillary from taking off her shoes and dipping her feet into the river. Hillary is one of those people that will do anything for a shot as she loves photography and I love that about her. I am so excited to photograph their wedding as their wedding party consists of 6 GREAT DANES! Let’s just say I plan to bring a lot of treats!

Hillary & Paul, thank you for picking me up! I really enjoyed the drive to and from the falls. Just an fyi I had to go back to the shack two days later as I left my flash there!!! Even though it was & I was forgetful it was all worth it! Lots of love – Shawna

When little Nolan was born on August 22nd I had the pleasure of documenting this cute little guy! The first shot below is of him sleeping in his chair. You can imagine how tickled pink I was when I was asked to come in and photograph him six months later! I would like to say he hasn’t changed a bit, but boy did he grow! It is so much fun growing with your clients. Everyone changes from day to day and it’s so important to document life as it passes by so quickly.

I suspect Nolan is going to have many childhood photographs to look back on when he is an adult. I love this family! They are fun, energetic, down to earth and simply a pleasure to be around. Please enjoy a few shots from our morning and Nolan… I look forward to seeing you in another six months!!! By then you might be walking and taller than me!!!

Lots of love – Shawna

Meet Winnie & Antonio! These two are as sweet as pie, fun, carefree and very much in love. I am going to let Winnie’s email tell their story as it’s beautiful.

“Antonio and I met in April of 2010 at a banquet put together by the Texas A&M University African Students Association. I was immediately drawn to him and even though I didn’t know him I asked him to take a picture with me. Later on that evening he discovered that I liked to dance Salsa. A few weeks later I received a Facebook message from him with his number saying that if I were interested in going dancing that I should call him. I immediately sent him a text saying that I would love to. From that moment on we became dancing partners, heading over to the salsa club every Saturday night. Slowly but surely we started developing feelings for each other.

Shortly after making our relationship official I moved Canada. Although this would be a deal breaker for many couples we embarked on it head on. We have had to work much harder on our relationship than most and it has made us stronger. There is no one else I would rather spend the rest of my life with. I love the fact that we are both Africans. I love the fact that we both love to dance. I love the fact that we are both proud Texas A&M University Aggies. I love the fact that we both speak Latin based languages (Spanish and Portuguese) and most of all I love the way he protects me and makes me feel.”

Thank you Winnie & Antonio! You two are a perfect match with wonderful souls. Lots of love – Shawna

Meet Rachelle & Andy! It felt like we were hanging out with old friends! Rachelle is the kind of woman that if you told her there is noway you can do it…SHE WILL! With her determination she will figure it out and move forward. She is smart, fun, outgoing yet a little shy. I admire her as she is a nurse that works in the Children’s Hospital
dealing with day to day ups and downs. Now Andy has the best sense of humour! He is like a kid in a candy store. Always smiling, having fun and cracking jokes. You can tell he loves life and it keeps him young. He gets Rachelle smiling when she comes home from a tough day on the job.

The two of them together are ying and yang! They are interconnected and interdependent and complementary opposites. They balance each other.They are perfect for each other. We were lucky as the day was gorgeous! We are in the middle of winter and yet it’s plus 12! Thank goodness because Rachelle happened to take a bit of a tumble into the river when the ice cracked! She picked herself up, laughed, and we kept on going!!! AWESOME!

Thank you guys. We had an amazing time spending the afternoon with you. It was truly a blast! Lots of love – Shawna & Mike

Ahhh where do I start with these two. When Karen & Gordon came to my studio for our first meeting I was taken back by how absolutely gorgeous Karen is. Truth be told I don’t think she knows how stunning she truly is! On top of that she has a heart of gold. Karen is one of the most caring women I have met. She has cornered kindness and I adore her for that.

Then there is Gordon. Besides the obvious good looks Gordon is such a great guy. He is kind, patient, funny and soooo easy going. I remember a few times meeting that really “cool couple” and was mesmerized with how magical they were together. They seem to shine. Well Karen & Gordon have that same magic together. I had the honour of traveling to Costa Rica with them. I quickly learnt that their friends and family are a true refection of these two love birds. They were also wonderful.

The wedding was beautiful. Even though it was AFRICA hot there was a nice breeze and everyone still managed to have a great time. Karen & Gordon thank you for sharing your day with us. Mike and I feel so fortunate to get to know you and your family. You two have a strong bond and you should feel blessed with the friends and family you keep. I am looking forward to seeing you when you arrive home. Lots of love – Shawna & Mike

This is Jane & Daniel. Jane is a gorgeous, soft spoken,  shy, beautiful woman. Daniel is easy going, loving & the most friendly groom that I have met in 2011. Together Jane & Daniel make the perfect couple, as you will see in the pictures below, these two are deeply in love with each other.

Jane and Daniel met in Nigeria in 1999 in Daniel’s home town. She came to visit with an uncle of Daniel’s and they had an instant connection. Unfortunately, distance made it tough for them when they went to university. Jane went to university in the Finland and Daniel went to university in the US. They managed to keep their love strong by talking on the phone until they reconnected in 2008.

Now to the photographs:

Gosh where do I start with this wedding. It was a wonderful, emotional roller-coaster. I have never photographed a Nigerian wedding before and I pray that I have the opportunity to do so again.

This wedding has a very special place in my heart. I have never experienced such joy & emotion as I did on this day. The ceremony started out with everyone singing  together. I may have not understood some of the words but the feeling it gave was indescribable. Let’s just way it was magical. Everyone’s hands were in the air, they sang with soul and it was moving! During the reception I honestly do not think there was one person sitting in their chair when it was time to dance. Everyone was busting a groove to the most amazing Nigerian music that gave you energy! I even did a few fancy shuffles myself!

Their MC Toyebi had us in stitches. I truly think he was a comedian in his past life. If you look through the photographs you will see a little sweetheart named Gemma. She was the “little bride” and every time I saw her she would give me the biggest smile. She loved the camera & being the centre of attention. I adore her! As you can see there isn’t many photographs that I posted in black & white. The colours are far to beautiful and need to be shown. I also posted more than usual reception shots because I wanted to give you the big picture of how everyone was embracing their evening and celebrating with Jane & Daniel. The experience was nothing short of spectacular and love was in the air!

To Jasmine & Monica (Reflections Wedding Design) – You two did an amazing job with keeping everyone organized. It wouldn’t have gone as well as it did without you! The room was stunning and you two are top-notch!

To Jane & Daniel – I thank you both from the bottom of my heart for choosing me to document your special day. I am very honoured and I wish you both a very happy married life together. Lots of love – Shawna

Meet the fabulous Britt & Pierre. They are fun, colourful, energetic, full of laughter & down to earth. Honest to goodness, these two are about as sweet, thoughtful & genuine as they come and WOW they are so in love! Spending the afternoon with them was fabulous. Thankfully these two enjoy winter as much as I do & wanted to do their engagement when it was chilly on the campus of Sait. I can’t wait to photograph their wedding in Lake Louise this year! These two came into town for their engagement session all the way from Edmonton and we had an absolute blast with them. Britt is sweet, a thinker, smart, not afraid to make fun of herself & definitely my kind of gal. Pierre is the funny guy, confident, collected and smart. He loves colour and loves his cars even more!! These two are just incredible & I had a ton of fun making magic with them on their engagement shoot. Five more months and we are going to rock their wedding pictures too! Lots of love – Shawna

It was cold, it was windy but it was an absolutely breathtaking afternoon at Elbow falls. The sun came out to kiss Euniz’s arms and she looked absolutely stunning! We did this shoot in a half hour due not only due to the cold but when the sun goes behind the mountains in Kananaskis country the light is gone! I wish we cold have had at least another half hour to run around on the rocks but regardless we still managed to get some beautiful shots. Euniz thank you for all of the goosebumps that you endured. You were freezing but you still managed to make it look easy. You are amazing and I love you to bits! xox Shawna