Photography Journal

Weselnik Magazine Cover Shoot | Poland Elopement Photographer | Gdansk, Poland

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In the spring, I collaborated with some super talented and amazing women from Gdańsk for a styled bridal adventure session. We set our alarms for 0245 and met on a beach in Sopot (which is picturesque Baltic coastal town) and photographed this beauty at the 0400 sunrise. After we left the beach, we headed to the horse academy, Akademia Jeździecka J.J. Darboven for part two of our styled session. You can find our beachy bridal adventure session here, and our horse academy bridal adventure session here.

After these two sessions, we were contacted by Weselnik, which is a local Polish Wedding magazine and planner of “the” bridal fair in northern Poland – Targi Ślub i Wesele. Together, we planned this shoot with the intention of it being used for the upcoming XVI Targi Ślub i Wesele advertisements. Not only were my photos used for the bridal fair advertisements, several of my images ended up on the July and October covers and inside the issues, on their website, aaaaaaaaand on a BILLBOARD on a major road between Sopot and Gdańsk (!!)

Sincere thanks to this amazing team of talent. It was a pleasure working with you. Dziękuję serdecznie ♡

Photography: Otylia Photography

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gdansk wedding photographer, poland wedding photogrpher, weselnik, poland elopement photographer

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gdansk wedding photographer, poland wedding photogrpher, weselnik, poland elopement photographer

gdansk wedding photographer, poland wedding photogrpher, weselnik, poland elopement photographer

gdansk wedding photographer, poland wedding photogrpher, weselnik, poland elopement photographer

gdansk wedding photographer, poland wedding photogrpher, weselnik, poland elopement photographer

gdansk wedding photographer, poland wedding photogrpher, weselnik, poland elopement photographer

gdansk wedding photographer, poland wedding photogrpher, weselnik, poland elopement photographer

gdansk wedding photographer, poland wedding photogrpher, weselnik, poland elopement photographer

gdansk wedding photographer, poland wedding photogrpher, weselnik, poland elopement photographer

Behind the scenes:

gdansk wedding photographer, poland wedding photogrpher, weselnik, poland elopement photographer

gdansk wedding photographer, poland wedding photogrpher, weselnik, poland elopement photographer

gdansk wedding photographer, poland wedding photogrpher, weselnik, poland elopement photographer

gdansk wedding photographer, poland wedding photogrpher, weselnik, poland elopement photographer

The magazine cover!

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Weselnik website!

gdansk wedding photographer, poland wedding photogrpher, weselnik, poland elopement photographer

gdansk wedding photographer, poland wedding photogrpher, weselnik, poland elopement photographer

The billboard!! On a major road between Sopot and Gdańsk, Poland!

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Such a wonderful experience working with you all! Thank you! Dziękuję serdecznie ♡

Posted in Styled Shoot, Weddings | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Poland Elopement Photographer | Bridal Adventure Session Part II | Gdansk, Poland

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Back in May, I spent a few weeks in Poland and while in Gdansk, I connected with a local wedding planner and floral designer, the talented Dorota Janicka-Kurlenda from Gdańska Pracownia ŚlubówDorota and I hit it off immediately. We shared a vision for a styled photoshoot – a beachy, horseback, boho bridal session and Dorota wanted to incorporate a few different looks in terms of floral design. I was up for any adventure so I simply said to her, let’s make it happen! In just a few days, she rounded up an all-star team including makeup artist, Beata Fryz, a gorgeous bridal gown from Carmen’s Salon, and model/horsewoman, Zuzanna Kmiecik. We set our alarms for 0245 and met on a beach in Sopot (which is picturesque Baltic coastal town, by the way) and photographed these beauties at the 0400 sunrise. Check out our beachy sunrise session here.

After we left the beach, we headed to the horse academy, Akademia Jeździecka J.J. Darboven for part two of our styled session. This was such a rad property, combining the proprietor’s love of coffee and horses. So while the ladies were getting ready, I walked around and said hello to a few horses while sipping my cappuccino. I could definitely get used to this…

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Gdansk elopement photographer poland elopement photographer

Gdansk elopement photographer poland elopement photographer

Gdansk elopement photographer poland elopement photographer

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Poland elopement photographer

Poland elopement photographer

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Gdansk wedding photographer Poland wedding photographer

Gdansk wedding photographer Poland wedding photographer

Gdansk wedding photographer Poland wedding photographer

Gdansk wedding photographer Poland wedding photographer

Gdansk wedding photographer Poland wedding photographer

Gdansk wedding photographer Poland wedding photographer

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gdansk wedding photographer, poland wedding photographer, poland elopement photographer

Posted in Adventure Session, Styled Shoot, Weddings | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Poland Elopement Photographer | Bridal Adventure Session | Sopot, Poland

My husband and I spent a large part of our European tour in Poland as an opportunity for me to reconnect with my culture and language. Poland is a totally different country than the one we visited in 2007. Jeff and I would joke that the 2007 “Polish neutral” expression was a deep sadness in the eyes with hints of resignation (after learning more about the not so distant history of the region, it’s not an unreasonable position to take). My mom would warn me when I was younger that I couldn’t just smile and say hello to strangers on the street (as we do in Canada) because people would think there was something wrong with me – that I was ‘simple’. But it is different now. It feels open and creative. People were smiling, eating ice cream on park benches, and I heard Polish spoken in every country we visited.

After 11 years away, we first landed in Gdańsk. I was struggling with some vocabulary but doing my best to avoid falling back into English (which nearly everyone speaks now). I connected with a local wedding planner and floral designer, the talented Dorota Janicka-Kurlenda from Gdańska Pracownia Ślubów. Dorota and I hit it off immediately. We shared a vision for a styled photoshoot but I also think we were both excited for the opportunity to practice speaking in another language. Most of Dorota’s clients are Polish speaking so I think this was a fun opportunity to practice speaking “business English” with me. So she spoke English to me as I fumbled along in Polish, picking up and remembering new words every day.

Our mutual vision was to organize a beachy, horseback, boho bridal session and Dorota wanted to incorporate two different looks in terms of floral design. I was up for any adventure so I simply said to her, let’s make it happen! In just a few days, she rounded up an all-star team including makeup artist, Beata Fryz, bridal gowns from Carmen’s Salon, a horse from Ośrodek Konny Kolibki Adventure Park, and model/horsewoman, Zuzanna Kmiecik. We set our alarms for 0245 and met on a beach in Sopot (which is picturesque Baltic coastal town, by the way) and photographed these beauties at the 0400 sunrise.

Working with this team of strong Polish women had a real energy and sense of purpose. Then, as a total surprise, we were contacted by Weselnik, a local wedding magazine, who ended up using several photos for the cover and inside layout for their July issue! So great to work together, ladies! Dziękuję serdecznie!

Behind the scenes:

The lovely Dorota sharing a serene moment with Omega.

Beata Fryz, makeup artist extraordinaire:

The dream team, including Natalia from Ośrodek Konny Kolibki Adventure Park:

And the final product!

Posted in Adventure Session, Styled Shoot, Weddings, Womxn | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Mountain Love

Originally a coastal girl drawn to rainforests and tidal pools, I’ve come to love the mountains and their dramatic seasonal expressions.

I’ve been wanting to collaborate with Wearabouts Clothing Company at Silver Star Mountain for a while now, and it all came together for an autumn-inspired shoot with these two beautiful people.

The sky had been threatening rain all day, with ominous dark clouds rolling in just as we were about to get started. But, instead of rain, we were covered in bursts of snow making for some really fun October blizzard photos!

Thanks to Jessie Voss for her fabulous makeup skills! Find her on Facebook and Instagram.

Check out Wearabouts on Facebook and their Vernon page here.

And of course, a special thanks to Victoria and Jason – our beautiful neighbours 😘

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Posted in Engagements, Love, Styled Shoot | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Kelowna Woodland Bridal Session

Such a pleasure to finally work with Sylvia Hajdu from Top Notch Art of Makeup! We had been talking about collaborating for a photoshoot for quite some time. Sylvia is a super talented makeup artist and really fun person to be around. Can’t wait for our next project together!

Thanks to Wild Ginger Floral Design for your GORGEOUS floral crown and Devon from DejaVu Model Management for your mad modelling skillz.

Makeup: Sylvia Hajdu of Top Notch Art of Makeup – Facebook | Instagram

Floral crown: Wild Ginger Floral Design – Facebook | Instagram

Model: Devon Nagle from DejaVu Model Management – Facebook | Instagram 

Dress: David’s Bridal

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Milk Bath

Makeup: Tanisha Langner | Hair: Christine Crawford | Model: Meghan

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Posted in Herbal Bath, Maternity, Styled Shoot | , , , , | Leave a comment

Flower Whisperer | Sweet Pea Flowery | Winfield, BC

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Katie LaRone. Flower Whisperer.

On her one acre family-run specialty cut flower and herb farm, she and her partner, Shawn Hunt, farm using permaculture principles and are passionate about soil health. “Taking good care of the land makes the best flowers and allows our farm to be an ecosystem for critters big and small. We don’t spray any pesticides, herbicides or conventional fertilizers, not even ‘organic approved’.”

They believe in the importance of ‘slow flowers and local flowers’. “Most people don’t think about where the cut flowers they purchase come from and the majority come from South and Central America – roses for example are mainly from Columbia and Ecuador. They travel thousands of miles by plane to get here which isn’t very environmentally friendly. In addition, they are sprayed a lot. Some florists have to wear gloves because of their exposure to all these toxic chemicals on the flowers.”

Sweet Pea Flowery grows flowers for both the big moments in life and for everyday enjoyment. If you would like more beauty in your life, get in touch with Katie through Facebook or Instagram. A new website is on its way soon!

Gorgeous outfit and accessories (pictured above) contributed by Cento Wear in downtown Vernon. “Cento Wear boasts a beautiful selection of carefully curated feminine apparel and accessories from a variety of Canadian, American and European designers.”

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Posted in Styled Shoot, Women Who Farm | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Refrigerator Graveyard | Gitxaala, BC

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Four young women. All talented, bright and inspiring. Makeup artist Arisa Davis applied some of her magic with hair beautifully done by Annalisa Jackson and Jane McKay. Models AnnMarie, Abi, Shailyn and Arisa. Thanks, ladies! Let’s do this again soon!
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