I had a quick session with Angus, Kenneth and Calum MacKenzie following the Piper’s Ceilidh during Celtic Colours. After the finale, we beelined to South Haven to my old piping instructor’s house, and had a quick chat with her grandmother to ask if we could borrow her barn for a few photos. She thought we were a bit crazy, but laughed and said fine…as long as I would take a few photos of the boys in front of the barn on her camera. Not only are the MacKenzie boys super multitalented musicians, they’re among the funniest people I know. Like any good trio of brothers, they were pestering each other the entire session and laughing at the expense of the others (mostly Kenneth). The boys released an album, “Piob Is Fidheall” last year and it’s really great! They kindly allowed me to use a track for my year end slideshow and if you haven’t heard them play yet, make it a priority as they’re pure talent!

In November I had a session with The Fretless. They’re a brand new string quartet comprised of super-talented members Ivonne Hernandez, Karrnnel Sawitsky, Trent Freeman, and Eric Wright. They were meeting in Victoria to record their debut album, and since they come from Vancouver Island via Boston, Saskatchewan and Los Angeles, it made sense to have their promo photos taken while they were all in the same city. It was a freezing day, but we managed to stay warm with hot soy beverages and laughter…lots of laughter. If you head over to their website, you can hear a few tracks they recorded. I was sent three tracks to preview last evening, and it’s really good so I’m looking forward to hearing the whole album! Don’t be confused when you see the name Mile Zero…that one was on the drawing board for a while, but they are now officially ‘The Fretless‘.

If you weren’t actually there, you wouldn’t believe from the photos that Travis and Kate were married in Port Townsend, WA on December 17th. We woke up to a typical dark, damp, Pacific Northwest December morning. I went to the chapel to take some photos of folks decorating, followed by a quick trip into town for coffee, and by the time I came back to Fort Worden to photograph Kate and Travis getting ready, the sun was out and it felt like a September day! I’ve known Travis through piping for a good long while and he introduced me to Kate over Skype about a month before their wedding. The wedding was exactly what I would have envisioned. Kate, Travis, and their friends and family came together to help make and create almost everything for the day…the dessert buffet table, the decorations, Kate’s veil, and probably the most unique ‘made’ detail were the rings! Kate and Travis met with a Portland jeweler and spent an entire day in his workshop designing and making their rings from start to finish. Kate’s dress was amazing and she wore a pair of fantastic mustard satin heels, and Travis had a custom pair of Nike sneakers with ‘O’Futton 4 Life’ stitched into the back of the kicks. They were married in the evening and the dancing and partying continued well into the wee hours of the morning. So much fun! Thanks for picking me O’Futtons! A few additional images are on their sneak peek HERE.

Whirlwind. Blur. Wow. 2011 was fantastic! As I was looking back through my blog at the year in images, I was having a hard time believing that the sessions from the Spring were even this year…it’s really been a year like no other. The Magnum Workshop in Toronto was a major highlight of 2011, and attending it with the rest of the Photographer Network crew was the icing on the cake. I traveled quite a bit, and I always count myself fortunate when piping and photography collide. The piping and drumming community has been so supportive, and the opportunities which emerge through the connection of music never fails to astound me! My clients, new and repeat…you are the best! I often drive away at the end of a session and can’t believe how trusting you are, allowing me to witness those special little slivers of time. A giant sincere THANK YOU for ‘getting me’ and my (sometimes crazy) ideas. Family and friends who don’t forget me after long periods of time when I’m editing for months on end, thank you for understanding. Finally to my Jamie, thank you for taking care of me, tricking me with coffee dates in order for me to take a break, and being my biggest and most supportive fan. Judy and Nona…you two still hold the title for most supportive blog comment posters! Here’s a little slideshow of the year in review, set to the music of Kenneth and Angus MacKenzie and their track, Slow Drive. If you don’t already own their album Piob Is Fidheall, buy it today! It’s my favourite album of 2011 and it provided the soundtrack for editing the majority of these images! Thank you to Kenneth, Calum, and Angus for allowing me to use their music (Kenneth is also the second image of the slideshow). All the best for 2012 and I’m excited to see what the year brings!

I had a session with Sabra MacGillivray during the week of Celtic Colours. She was needing some promotional photos for her upcoming instructional dance dvd, so we met at Little River in between shows and festival clubbing! It was absolutely freezing around the wharf with the wind cutting right through us, but Sabra made it look like a balmy day! Sabra and I go way back and used to spend summers teaching together at the Gaelic College, and even spent a few weeks as roommates in one of the super-haunted dorm rooms. She’s a lovely highland dancer and stepdancer, as well as a Registered Massage Therapist/business owner at Celtic Touch Day Spa…make sure to stop by on your next visit to Cregnish! Sabra’s fisherman husband Iain came along for the session so we managed to tear him away from visiting the fishermen on their boats and in a few photos.