And we’re back! After a bit of a break following the busy season, it was nice to get shooting again. It is amazing how a little break can really help you to see things with a fresh set of eyes again. Lynn and Ryan’s coverage was a little different for us, in that we didn’t actually shoot their wedding! That happened a couple of days prior in their hometown. Following the wedding, they and a whole bunch of their guests boarded a charter bus to Banff for a weekend of skiing and a great party in Mount Stephen Hall at the Banff Springs Hotel. Major bonus points to them for an unconventional idea, executed perfectly! I kept hearing guests raving about it all night long during the reception.  The weather wasn’t quite what we had hoped for, but there was no way that was going to put a damper on things.  Mount Stephen Hall looked awesome with all of the Christmas decorations up!
In keeping with our policy of getting off the beaten path, we had them wade into an old burn-out area. It had quite a few fallen trees that we had to go over, and coupled with the rain/falling snow was a little treacherous to get to. They were absolutely fine with it, but their bus driver was absolutely incredulous that a bride would be willing to do that. You could plainly see that he thought we had all lost our marbles. I love our clients!
Walking back to the limo!  As you can see, the girls came prepared!Our final destination was shooting up in Johnston’s Canyon. I really like how Duane’s shot of Lynn in the cave at the first set of falls turned out!
Back to the Banff Springs for a few more portraits…And then into the evening program. Lynn dancing with her grandpa. I love this shot of Lynn dancing with her sisters. You couldn’t have dragged them off the dance floor if you had tried! 

It feels like we were shooting a lot in more natural settings lately, which is great because we had some spectacular colours this fall! Megan & Aaron let us change things up a little, and were interested in doing something a little more contemporary for their engagement session. Never a dull moment with 6:8 Photography; we were heckled by window-washers while shooting on the top level of a parking garage, and we unknowingly went into a restricted area in Bankers Hall trying to find an exit! Oops!

Thanks for a great time Megan & Aaron – we look forward to your wedding next August!

We’ve shot quite a few weddings in Banff now, but surprisingly Vanessa and Steve’s was our first engagement session. I’ve decided that I like Banff much better in the shoulder season than during the summer when it’s packed full of people! Regardless of when you’re there though, if you happen to park on the side of the road to use a location, the tourists will inevitably stop because they think cars pulled over means someone sees a bear!

 

As it turns out, the light falls off pretty quickly this time of year!  A little quicker than either of us was anticipating, so we headed to Banff proper to get a few night shots of Vanessa and Steve.  I love how they turned out!

I had my doubts that the colour was going to last long enough. Worried when we set up the time for the engagement pictures that we were going to be scouring the woods for the last little bit of colour. Last year all of the leaves in the Valley were down by the beginning of October (right Holly?) so I was sceptical that we could hold out until mid to late October. Turns out that I know very little, as we had a spectacular fall – the colour has been unreal; and we are getting our second wave of it now as the tamaracks come through.

We had a great time wandering around with Megan and Rafal and getting to know them a little bit. People always look at us like we are crazy when we tell them that the photos are of secondary importance from the engagement session. Great wedding photos are so much easier to capture and create when you are comfortable with your photographer. So to help that along, we go out and act a little goofy, and wander the woods for a couple of hours. Megan was making fun of me by the end, so I can only assume that we were successful in our goal. I can’t wait until their wedding up at Island Lake Lodge next September!

I hope you enjoy the photos!

And so ends a busy summer of weddings – we are officially in shoulder season now folks! Really pleased to be able to share with you today Julie and Ryan’s wedding as the last one of the summer. I love attending weddings where it is clearly a celebration of family, faith and a deep connection between the couple. Plus, there were so many former clients and friends (Julie and Lowell, Alison and Steve)  there that it was a chance to catch up a little bit! A beautiful country wedding near Carstairs and Cremona, and a beautiful fall day made for a perfect end to the season.

Julie had a gaggle of flower girls, so there was lot of general cuteness during the ceremony. Julie and Lowell, actually brought their brand-new baby (less than 10 days old!) as well, and I think the flower girls were having a hard time concentrating on the ceremony… 

I love listening to this man perform. If you haven’t checked out Steve’s music before, I highly recommend having a listen over at his website!

The sweet getaway vehicle! I overheard some of the guests questioning my sanity as I got the shot of the horses… something about a headline for a trampled photographer…

I never post any of the family shots on the blog, but while I was shooting them, I looked over my shoulder and saw Lowell and Julie hamming it up for one of the guests. So, so typical for these guys…. =D 

Julie’s brother-in-law and sister had a farm near the reception, so it was a no-brainer to head over there and explore for a little bit! Really glad that we did! 

Some last minute prep before making their entrance to the reception. 

Thanks so much for having me along – I had a spectacular day hanging out with you! We’ve still got a bunch of sessions to post in the coming weeks (some engagement sessions that never quite made it to the blog during the craziness of summer, and some more recent shoots, so make sure you check back over the coming weeks!