vancouver island wedding photographer | levi & janelle: engaged
November 10th, 2015 by sharaleep | 2 Comments »
one of the amazing things about this couple is their mutual admiration for each other. they clearly see their partner as a gift…it comes out in the way they look at one another and how highly they speak of each other. it’s beautiful to witness.
we went to the mountains together and they did not disappoint. here is levi & janelle.
abbotsford family photographer: childhood unplugged
November 2nd, 2015 by sharaleep | 1 Comment »
friends that are like family.
more amazing images by my childhood unplugged family here!
vancouver wedding photographer | josh & krystal: engaged
October 7th, 2015 by sharaleep | 1 Comment »
i could say a lot about these two. much of which you may hear when i shoot their wedding in a couple months. but what i will say today is that when i look at these images, i see love. not just the ooey gooey butterflies in your stomach feeling, but the real life “we have chosen each other and will continue to choose each other” kind of love. because things haven’t necessarily been easy for them and they don’t know what they future holds, but they are in it. together. and the way they look at each other, knowing that they are each truly and deeply loved, not in spite of their shortcomings, but because of their shortcomings…ooooowee. there’s nothing like it and to me, that is a kind of beautiful that you can’t even describe in words.
summerland cidery wedding | mike & leslie: married
October 4th, 2015 by sharaleep | 3 Comments »
mike and leslie met at a wedding – it happens, folks! it certainly wasn’t by pure chance, though…the wheels (aka vicki: leslie’s friend and mike’s sister) had been set in motion years prior to conjure up a way for the two to cross paths. and once things were rolling there was no turning back.
which leads us to the cidery, the home and business they have recently acquired and the backdrop for this warm and beautiful party. they used to host meals in their small vancouver apartment and they wanted this to feel like an extension of that…long tables, facilitating good conversation while the music, charcuterie and wine flowed. they had raised their own chickens for the meal and served their signature cider as we listened to heartfelt speeches of lifelong friendship. it was the kind of wedding you leave with new friends, tired feet and a warm belly. the best kind.
music by rosie thomas, bahamas and edith piaf
vendors
venue: dominion cidery | dress: lisa’s bridal | hair and makeup: aly mcrae | tie clips: frawn | girls’ necklaces: karen rousseau | food made by couple and friends, served by: waiter on the way | dj: germany, germany | second shooter: shaleah priebe
childhood unplugged: mt. baker hike
October 1st, 2015 by sharaleep | 3 Comments »
“we’re not really big hikers”, i said. “it’s okay”, she said,”neither are we.”
which could either be a recipe for disaster…or a really good time. aside from our kids eating most of the snacks in the infuriatingly long border line-up and a run-in with a terribly unfortunate (bordering on illegal) port-a-potty, it was definitely the latter. though you can always tell if you’ve bitten off more than you can chew when those coming down the mountain look at you with wide eyes as the 6 children file by saying things like, “good for you guys!” and “wow, brave of you to start so late in the day”.
see more stories of childhood unplugged here.
chilliwack riverside wedding | mason & danielle: married
September 14th, 2015 by sharaleep | 1 Comment »
i think if you check out the sign these guys made for their ceremony, it will give you a good idea of what their community looks like. lots of people from lots of places, all descending on mason’s riverside family home to celebrate their marriage. it was quite the party.
chilliwack farm wedding | jonas & sarah: married
September 10th, 2015 by sharaleep | 1 Comment »
jonas & sarah. their day was a feast for the senses…the warm sun on our skin, the smell of wildflowers and the heaviness of the air from rain the night before, the sound of an old piano echoing across the field, the taste of honey and of course, the sight of love. it was a good day.
hair by montana’s bridal hair | dress by ellebay bridal | makeup by ashley at gentebella | second shooter lexa bergen
kelowna wedding photographer | cam & britney: married
September 2nd, 2015 by sharaleep | 1 Comment »
whether they started dating 8 or 9 years ago is kinda besides the point (though there was a heated discussion as to which it was the morning of the wedding). the point is that they spotted each other in middle school…cam was the new kid and in a small private school, everyone had their eye on him. but britney was determined. it didn’t take long and they were an item, one that would become much more than a preteen fling. they endured high school, survived being separated by distance in university, were engaged in versailles and now married in kelowna surrounded by family, long time friends and even some of their school teachers who remember watching their romance bloom. they are an incredibly gracious couple and i am so lucky they chose me to document their day!
venue: summerhill pyramid winery | second shooter: flying mango photography
childhood unplugged: september
September 1st, 2015 by sharaleep | 4 Comments »
let’s be real. in my busiest seasons, my family suffers a bit. i’m not as available, i’m gone when other families are out doing things, i’m not cooking (or cleaning). and most days, the last thing i want to do is pull out my camera to take pictures of them. one of the things i realized, though, is that neglecting to document them as much as i do my clients leaves a hole…a space where my heart isn’t being stretched in new ways and where my eyes aren’t being challenged to see beyond the surface. so when i do finally pick up my camera and choose them…my heart and mind explode with creativity and i don’t ever want to stop. these images may not be technically (or in any other way) perfect, but they are what matter because they show me my kids as they are. right now. i see their unique personalities and the way they approach the world, i see the tangled hair and the layer of dirt and sweat that is ever present in these summer months, i see the laughter and the (inevitable) tears which will (inevitably) once again turn to laughs, i see their little hearts beating through their chests, full of life and struggle and joy. this is the stuff for me. right here, right now.
chilliwack backyard wedding: morgan & jessica
August 14th, 2015 by sharaleep | 1 Comment »
it takes a village.
it all started with a little girl named amaya. she and her dad, morgan, needed a village to support them as he worked full-time to provide for their family. this is where the small town childcare centre stepped in, where morgan’s sister worked with a lovely young lady, jessica. morgan’s sister watched love start to grow in jessica’s heart for this little girl and she couldn’t help but take matters into her own hands to try to connect jessica with morgan.
and the rest is history. the village that walked with them as individuals and brought them together as a couple threw them an incredible party to celebrate their union and set the foundation for their family.
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