2020 was supposed to be an amazing year. Early on it was looking to be one of my busiest, we were finally getting our house on the market to sell to move closer to the mountains... that all came crashing down around me. I went from 60 elopements & intimate weddings for the year to 10. 40 portrait sessions to 4. We had to take the house off the market because of the uncertainty. We lost our sweet kitty Klaus unexpectedly. I developed depression to a state that I didn't even think was possible. Stress levels were sky high. I was lucky to sleep for an hour or two a night for months on end. I lost track of days & concept of time. Stress was so bad that i was constantly tasting blood from clenching my jaw so hard and grinding my teeth. Anxiety was unreal. Every time my phone made a sound it made my heart race and stomach drop because i was expecting more cruel e-mails from people demanding things & calling me awful names. I stopped talking to my friends. If i showered once in a week, that was a good week. I pulled away from social media because I couldn't handle the fake happy I saw from others and I didn't have it in me to try to fake it at all myself. There were some very dark days where I wasn't sure I was going to make it through. But here I am, trying to pull the pieces of my life & business back together. It's terrifying to share something this personal with the whole world, but fuck it, I know there's lots more small business owners out there who have gone through the same & I want them to know I know how you feel & we will find a way to make it out on the other side. On the day days I did actually get to photograph people again, it reminded me of what my purpose was & I managed to feel some joy again, like this lovely day in Fernie, one of the few weddings I had the honour of photographing in 2020. 
It's been over 6 months since I've taken a break from social media. I don't want my first post back to be negative, so I will save that for another post to explain all of the bad things that have happened in the last 9 or so months, but for now, I'm happy to look back on one of the few days I actually enjoyed in 2020 when Ashley & Tyler were married at Bow Lake. The Bow Lake area is one of my favourites for intimate weddings and elopements, but it is critical to pick a good time of day to avoid crowds and to get beautiful light... just like we had here. Thinking about a mountain elopement or intimate wedding for 2021? Let's talk about how we can make your day magical! . . . . . #adventurewedding #adventureelopement #bowlakewedding #mountainwedding #intimatewedding #outdoorwedding #elopement #elope #banffphotographer #banffwedding #banffelopementphotographer #mountainweddings #icefieldsparkway #summerwedding #weddingseason #elopenowpartylater #travelalberta #calgaryphotographer #mountainelopement #adventurewedding #adventureelopement #weddingday #explorealberta #elopementwedding #elopementlove #elopementweddingphotographer #elopementphotographer #canadianrockies #rockymountains #bowlake 
When you fill out my contact form I ask if you are you willing to hop stones across a creek, scramble up a rocky hill or twirl until you are dizzy to get amazing photos. It's kinda joking, but really... I do expect you to take a few risks & work for it! I'm stoked that Michelle & Lance were good to take off the shoes, roll up the pants, hike up the dress... to get across this freezing cold river to get to the perfect spot for photos! . . . . . #adventurewedding #adventureelopement #kananaskiswedding #mountainwedding #intimatewedding #outdoorwedding #elopement #elope #banffphotographer #banffwedding #banffelopementphotographer #mountainweddings #kananaskisriver #summerwedding #weddingseason #elopenowpartylater #travelalberta #calgaryphotographer #mountainelopement #adventurewedding #adventureelopement #weddingday #covidwedding #explorealberta #elopementwedding #elopementlove #elopementweddingphotographer #elopementphotographer #canadianrockies #rockymountains 
Can you believe I have never visited Dinosaur Provincial Park before? I've been meaning to go for years but it just didn't happen. I was pretty stoked when Chantal & Dan were game to go there for their engagement session on Thursday! It's such a cool landscape although I was freaked out by the warning of snakes, black widows & scorpions... is this even Alberta?? . . . . . #badlands #badlandsengagement #dinosaurprovincialpark #badlandsphotographer #travelaberta #explorealberta #albertaparks #engagement #engagementphotos #engagementsession #dinosaurpark #desert #goldenhour #sunset #elopementphotographer #desertlandscape #engagementphotographer #exploremore #fullsun #prairies #drumheller #traveldrumheller #explorecanada #albertaphotographer #alberta #canada #awesomeearth #earthfocus 
I can't believe it's been a whole week since Lorna & Ian were married & I'm just posting sneak peeks now... a lot happened in this past week that I was expecting & I was away again... after a few months of being at home all the time I'm having a hard time falling back into the hectic schedule I used to have! Expect a bunch of new photos to pop up in the next few days! . . . . . #kananaskiswedding #mountainwedding #intimatewedding #outdoorwedding #elopement #elope #banffphotographer #banffwedding #banffelopementphotographer #mountainweddings #kananaskis #justelope #summerwedding #weddingseason #elopenowpartylater #travelalberta #calgaryphotographer #mountainelopement #adventurewedding #adventureelopement #weddingday #covidwedding #explorealberta #elopementwedding #elopementlove #elopementweddingphotographer #elopementphotographer #canadianrockies #rockymountains 
It was busy in the Canmore/Kananaskis area this past weekend... busier than I've ever seen it. Usually this spot is pretty quiet but there were tons of cars earlier in the evening so I was afraid we'd have a bunch of people getting in the way of Holly & Mike... but luckily we came back just before sunset & it was quiet again... whew! I don't tend to shoot up at people, but in order to get this epic mountain peek it meant I had to lay myself out on the rocks... not the comfiest but so worth it (except when instagram cuts it off!)! . . . . . #engaged #canmore #kananaskis #engagementsession #canmorephotographer #canmoreengagement #kananaskisengagement #banffphotographer #mountainengagement #rockymountainbride #engagementphotos #engagementphotography #canadianrockies #rockymountains #halingpeak #haling #wanderingweddings #adventurousstorytellers #travelalberta #explorecanada #calgaryphotographer #weddinglegends