shaun & jeanie: family
November 2nd, 2012 by sharaleep | 1 Comment »
i know i’ve been a little absent lately and for that, i apologize. don’t worry, i have still been working…editing and packaging summer weddings, taking some family sessions, prepping for next year, etc. etc.
but i have also been breathing. which feels nice because i kinda forgot that my body and mind and heart and soul actually need me to every once in awhile. so i might not have blogged that much, but i’m still here and i assure you am not going anywhere 🙂 (p.s. if you’d like a little insight on my day to day while the blog is quiet, you can find me on instagram @sharaleprang).
here are a few snaps from a sweet family i had the pleasure of meeting “down by the river” recently. don’t worry: they don’t live in a van.
abbotsford backyard wedding – daniel & chantal
October 25th, 2012 by sharaleep | No Comments »
it was a normal day, by all accounts, other than the fact the daniel had a nasty toothache. he sauntered into the dental office, no idea that his whole world was about to change. as he slowly regained consciousness coming out from under the influence of the anesthetic, the face of an angelic brunette appeared as if in a dream (picture the scene from little mermaid when prince eric is waking up on the beach after ariel saved his life…i’m pretty sure it was exactly like that). what was he to do? he couldn’t just let this sweet princess slip away, never to be seen again. coffee. yes, everyone likes coffee, right? and so began their courtship…from the dental chair to the altar. (based on a true story. emphasis on “based” i.e. the majority of the details above are not factual).
special thanks to the incredible ladies over at spruce collective for opening up their space to use when it was POURING rain. go check out their store, full of vintage and handmade delights. stay tuned…i just might be doing a little giveaway for this sweet shop on the weekend to honor the increasing fan count on my facebook page!
dan & jade: sweet love
October 9th, 2012 by sharaleep | 2 Comments »
one year. 
if we’re talking about eternity, then one year is just a drop in the bucket. but if we’re measuring events of importance in our daily lives, right here, right now, one year is certainly a milestone to be celebrated. a year of life, a year of commitment, a year of challenge, a year of firsts, a year of love…that’s the good stuff right there. congratulations on a year, dan & jade. was tickled to be able to celebrate with you.
j&m: family
October 8th, 2012 by sharaleep | 1 Comment »
i got to know these sweet children when little miss m turned one last winter and it was so fun to catch up with them now and see how much they’ve both grown. and even though big bro would try to act tough at times, he has certainly reserved a soft spot in his heart for his little sister.
new life
September 24th, 2012 by sharaleep | 4 Comments »
the past couple of weeks have not been easy. i’ve seen and experienced grief. a sweet friend had to release her child into God’s arms before she had the chance to hold her in her own. i was invited into their story and was able to meet darling quinn. i was incredibly grateful while still being absolutely heartbroken as they trusted me to tell the story of her short life through pictures.
yet even in the midst of despair, there is grace and life. and a bigger picture. one that we can’t always see and certainly don’t understand, but it’s there. slowly unfolding before and behind our eyes, something greater than we could imagine or even hope for. this was a week where i clung to that hope and began to recognize what a gift it is that i get a glimpse of that bigger picture as i witness and document the stories of so many beautiful families.
and here is one. another family that has longed for a child prepared to meet theirs for the first time. daniel and carly welcomed oliver into their home on september 10th. though that was the first day he was officially theirs, they had carved an oliver shaped space in their hearts months before as they patiently waited for his arrival.
now daniel is a naturally smiley guy. but you ain’t seen nothing until you’ve seen the look on his face when he’s interacting with his boy. it didn’t matter how tired he was, his grin stretched so wide…we’re talking grand canyon/cheshire cat wide. so fun to see a daddy’s love.
what a gift you are to this darling child, as he is to you.
the halls: family
September 21st, 2012 by sharaleep | 1 Comment »
the halls are good friends of ours, our connection dating back to before kids, before marriage, basically to before we were as incredibly mature and good looking as we are now. steph and i have more recently bonded over our love for photography and all things thrift (or “used” as my husband would affectionately refer to it). being a photographer herself, steph has lots of pictures of them around home being a normal family. so they wanted to spice it up a little by dressing up and going to the beach.
little did i know that there was also another reason for choosing the beach…as we chatted through the session, she told me that they are planning to move to the rolling plains of landlocked saskatchewan! an incredible job opportunity has been offered to kevin and it gives them the chance to live some years closer to the other set of grandparents who are excited to watch their grandkids grow up.
i hope this did your “beach picture” dreams justice…we love you and will miss you!! if you live near saskatoon and need a wedding photographer, give steph a call!!
magical backyard wedding: caitlin & skiff
September 20th, 2012 by sharaleep | 9 Comments »
she was wearing a floor length fur coat, pin curls and bright red lips. she excitedly told me her plans, from the turquoise house to the fire dancers to the unique identities of each of her 12 bridesmaids. when we were finished, i had four pages of notes and a huge smile on my face. her favorite color was rainbow. need i say more?
they transformed her parents property into a colorfully psychedelic wonderland in the woods…it was amazing. caitlin spent countless hours creating paper flowers, glitter stars, heart garlands, monogrammed popcorn bags and fabric streamers. everything was homegrown: caitlin’s dress was made by skiff’s mom, her brother bartended out of his trailer while the groomsman barbecued cured meat and caitlin’s mom prepared the salads in the kitchen. her brother-in-law was even putting finishing touches on the houses’s paint job and nailing up the last bits of trim when i arrived.
and the guests. were. fabulous. i don’t even know how to describe it, so we’ll say it was fred astaire crossed with rocky horror picture show crossed with dick tracy crossed with hedwig and the angry inch. throw in a little outsiders and betty boop for good measure. and that’s only scratching the surface.
i only had the opportunity to meet skiff the week before the wedding when i did their engagement pictures and he was very kind and reserved and exceptionally nervous in front of the camera. little did i know, all i needed to do was shine a spotlight, surround him with his band and wait for the magic to happen. he’s an incredible musician and performer…he and his boys (washboard and all) closed off the evening with their blend of rockabilly bluegrass while caitlin danced in the moonlight.
your love for one another and those around you is inspiring…it’s beautiful to see a close knit group of friends come together and celebrate in a way that not only honors your commitment to each other but incorporates so many of the things you adore and is so. much. fun. thanks for inviting me, caitlin & skiff!
special thanks to my lovely and talented second shooter, sarah nickerson, and my assistant, sadia. couldn’t have done it without you ladies!
mallory & chris: engaged
September 17th, 2012 by sharaleep | 3 Comments »
if there is one thing these two are going to do a lot of, it’s laughing. they laughed because they were uncomfortable having their picture taken. they laughed at chris’s awkward jokes. they laughed even as we were getting kicked out of a corn field. carry the laughter with you into marriage, chris and mallory. as friends of mine just said after being surprised that they were not only having a fourth child, but a fifth as well (twins!!), “sometimes all you can do is just laugh”. true dat.
everett: new life
September 6th, 2012 by sharaleep | No Comments »
so here is the third and final (for now 🙂 chapter of this beautiful story of life. i got to know his family before he was born, was one of the first to welcome him into the world and had the distinct pleasure of photographing his sweet, soft, wrinkly skin at just over a week old. here’s everett. in black and white.
dillon & jo: married
September 3rd, 2012 by sharaleep | 1 Comment »
a british girl and a mennonite walk into a church. an hour later, they walk out husband and wife. not much of a punch line, but it’s the truth!
jo and i have been talking about this day for a long time and she’s been dreaming about it for a lot longer. being a textiles designer, she is all about the details…the layering of color and texture and delicate intricacies that the average person might overlook. so you can imagine the focus as she undertook each project and spent months coordinating and creating.
dillon and i have not been talking about this day at all. and i have a feeling he hasn’t been dreaming about it quite as much as jo either. but i tell ya, he was certainly ready to marry his bride. and once the whole “standing up in front of people saying stuff” part of the day was over, he was so happy and relaxed.
family and friends from near, far and somewhere in between came and partied until well after sunset. what a wonderful sight.
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