Layton Reid is a fabulous photographer, now based out of Halifax, NS. He contacted me in January after finding my website, just to say hi and to have a chat with a fellow photographer from the Maritimes. In September, he married his lady Candace after 10 years together and since I was in Halifax for a week, we got together to take some photos of them…as newlyweds. I can honestly say I have never laughed so hard during a session. When they picked me up, they had two pumpkins ready to smash and a giant bag of masks/glasses/hats that they had finally picked up after their wedding. We got halfway to our location and it started to pour. It poured so much that it felt like we were taking a drive in a carwash. When I told them I was going to shoot in the downpour and to prepare to get soaked, Layton said, ‘It doesn’t really matter if we take any photos at all, just as long as we can hang out’. We ran underneath an overpass, and for the rest of our session we lucked into the most beautiful light…like the sun set three separate times just for us. Just when I thought they must be freezing or tired, Layton would say, ‘I could do this all day’. These two are the real deal. Together they’re so full of life, fun, and are some of the warmest and most genuine folks I’ve met.

Last week, our originally planned session for Sandra and Aaron’s engagement photos was rained out. We bumped it ahead a day and ended up with a hot day where we were scrambling for shade! That’s autumn in Victoria for you! I hadn’t met Sandra and Aaron before, and only communicated through email. Usually in that situation, clients are surprised to find that I’m not a guy when I show up! On the day of our session, I saw a couple downtown at our designated ‘place’. There was another photographer there (or a tourist with a camera). I saw Sandra and Aaron head toward him, and he scooted around them to continue taking photos of the buildings. I introduced myself and they told me they were chatting about the possibility of ‘Ryan’ being a gals name on the drive in to the session. Sandra is originally from Ancaster, and Aaron from Edmonton, and since Sandra spent four years in Halifax at university, she’s accustomed to my type of humour! Their wedding will be next September in Victoria, which means a nice West Coast vacation for all of their family and friends.

Mandy and Mike have been together for 10 years and are planning an elopement in the near future. They wanted a portrait session with their son before the big day so we braved the July heat and spent the afternoon exploring Fort Rodd Hill. Good luck with the planning Mandy and Mike!

On Sunday I met up with Stephen and Paula for their engagement photos around the breakwater. We forgot to account for the increased New Year’s Resolution foot traffic around that area…Victoria, you are an active city! We had a great session…even with wet feet, runny noses, and frozen fingers…but with an upcoming March wedding, these two don’t shy away from the cold! One additional image from their session was posted on the Photographer Network blog as my Photo of the Week. Congratulations on your engagement!

It was pretty hard not to smile and laugh during my session with Deanne and Dylan. We had a great time spending the afternoon in Beacon Hill Park, and then we climbed (what felt like) 500 stairs to another location along Beach Drive. Their wedding is next August so Deanne and Dylan wanted to have some engagement photos taken for their save the date cards. Looking forward to the big day!