Shooting with the Lovely Nikki Smith

*Disclaimer: Some NSFW content. Viewer discretion is advised.

Recently I had the absolute honour of photographing this unbelievably stunning and talented woman. Not only is Nikki an incredible tattoo artist, but also one of the sweetest people I’ve had the pleasure of working with.

We had such a fun evening photographing this big part of her life, shooting in her in home art studio where she’s spent the early months of COVID lockdown working on a new NSFW painting series.

I really enjoyed getting to know Nikki a little more, as we chilled with some wine and cats; the perfect combo. I am so excited to get tattooed by her in December! She’s so easy to get along with, and her art is so remarkable, I know I made the right choice for my artist, and I’m so lucky to have had the opportunity to work with her and give her my own art in return.

Nikki can be contacted through Instagram, @pretty.sketchy.lines for tattoo inquiries, and her art is available for sale through her art account; @pinksexparade. I wasn’t asked to promote her, but you bet your bottom I will anyways because I think she’s a lovely person and you’d make a great choice in supporting her art!

Thanks Nikki!

Matt & Michelle's Maternity Shoot!

What are chilly Sundays for but to stroll around city parks to catch the morning sun?

I got to work with this beautiful young couple again, that has once before braved fairly extreme weather for the sake of capturing the moment, though this time we got to do so without the blizzard.

Matt and Michelle are expecting their new addition in the new year, and I couldn’t be more excited for them! Their happy little family also includes their very energetic and excited dog, Kelso.

We had fun trekking through the little snow we’ve actually gotten to keep in Calgary this winter, to celebrate this very precious and important milestone in their lives.

Congratulations, Matt and Michelle! It was an absolute pleasure!

Sam & Ryan

Last Sunday I accompanied Sam & Ryan back out to where we first shot together, almost 2 years ago now, at Fish Creek Park.

Both times we got colder than anticipated weather, but this time we at least didn’t get caught in a full snowfall, although fall in Calgary apparently still means snow. That being said. we were lucky to have a nice sunrise, and there were still some leaves on the trees and the ground for that perfect fall shoot backdrop.

As we walked through the park, chatting and sharing some laughs, we managed to find some pretty sweet spots to shoot. These two troopers dropped their coats and braved the chilly morning air so that I could capture their love on camera.

I feel so inspired as I flip through these photos. While I may be prompting them to get the poses, their reactions to each other, and the way they interact, is real and raw and powerful. The love these two share is remarkable and I am so honoured to be the one that gets to capture it for a second time.

Thank you so much, Sam and Ryan! It was a blast!!

Roadtrip to Seattle

So, a couple weeks ago I drove down to Seattle to visit some friends for a week. The road trip plans changed so many times due to the wildfires happening in BC right now, from camping to cutting down into Spokane, but it was finally settled that the first day would just be a straight drive through to Abbotsford, which is roughly 9 hours of driving, plus breaks and delays due to construction.

About half an hour from Abbotsford I saw a sign for Bridal Falls, got super excited, and took the next exit. 

The sun was only just starting to set, and was sitting right against the falls. Without an ND filter it was really difficult to get a long exposure shot of the falls without over exposing, but I think I got some nice shots from the area in the end. =)

It was such a beautiful spot and exactly what I needed. Waterfalls make everything better.

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The next day, before heading down to the border, I decided it would be 'fun' to take on the classic  Vancouver traffic so I could experience Stanley Park for the first time that I can remember. I got to dip my toes in the ocean, which was enough to make my heart happy, and walk along the sea wall, before exploring the rain forest-esque centre of Stanley Park.

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My time in Seattle (or just outside of, where I was staying) was filled with new friends, visiting new areas, and experiencing new things. I was so busy being in the moment (which usually I'm not, since I always have a camera in front of my face while I travel) that I only did end up capturing a few photos of Seattle itself.

Naturally, the majority of the photos I took are from the zoo, but that's understandable because, well, animals. =D

Sam & Chris

Sam & Chris have been such a fun time to work with so far, and I am so excited to shoot their wedding in November.

We popped out to Confederation Park for an engagement session and I got so many shots, but it was a lot of fun and definitely worth culling almost 1,400 photos.

We went out in time to catch the sunset, and we got some beautiful lighting for me to ask them to kiss over and over and over and over again. It's amazing to see the love in someone's eyes as you look at them, and I definitely see it in these two. They climbed trees and wobbly fences and trudged through heavily wooded areas to get the good shots, but I think the end result was 100% worth the effort.

I'm super grateful they picked me to come along on this exciting chapter as they get ready to take the plunge (is that what they say), and I think we are going to have a lot of fun together documenting one of the most important days of their lives.

Karina & Kaia

I took a trip to Confederation Park with my cousin and her daughter for some duck feeding, and it didn't turn out exactly how we had hoped (the ducks were incredibly uninterested in our snacks) but those beautiful ladies seemed to have a lot of fun modeling for me throughout the park.

Kaia has such a big personality, just like her mum, and we had a lot of fun goofing around the park, spying animals and climbing trees.

It was a short session, but very sweet nonetheless, and I had so much fun shooting and editing their photos.

Troll Falls

I took a trip to Troll Falls last week for my first time with a friend, and I was not prepared for the ice I had to face.

It's a quick jaunt, 3km with no elevation, just off highway 40 in Kananaskis Country, a sweet little walk. The falls were almost entirely frozen, except for a spot in the middle of the massive chunk of ice where the water was still running strong.

Afterwards we did what we always do; we turn the opposite way from which we came when leaving the parking lot, on the hunt for more adventures. This brought us down highway 40 a bit further, which lead us to the Peter Lougheed Provincial Park, where we took the 742 all the way back through Spray Valley Provincial Park to Canmore, which was a way I didn't even know existed.

The first half of the drive was mostly snow and ice, which eventually turned into a very muddy, very bumpy gravel road. It was a bouncy trip, and I may have hit some (a lot) puddles (on purpose, because what the hell), but the views were absolutely magnificent. It's incredible how different the Rockies look from a new angle. I've driven highway 40 many times, I've been to the Peter Lougheed Provincial Park, I been through, or to, Canmore hundreds of times, and yet, this was all new to me.

Go out and get yourself a little lost. Find a road you didn't know about. 10 out of 10 would recommend.