I awoke the morning of Keshia + Kelsey's wedding to misty mountains and a relentless rain that hung around all day. Most people are terrified of a rainy wedding day but Keshia told me the rainy days in Revelstoke are her favourite and she loved nothing more than seeing the mist on the mountains. This carefree and adventurous attitude made photographing this wedding so much fun. Any bride who forages her bouquet, still wants to get married outside when it's raining and wears Blundstones so she can climb waterfalls and take helicopter rides through the mountains is a dream bride to me. Congratulations Keshia and Kelsey, I can tell you two are going to have a beautiful and adventurous life!
Mish + Jason
I had the pleasure of helping out Christie Graham on this beautiful backyard wedding over the summer and am excited to finally share some photos. Mish and Jason were such a fun couple and their wedding was full of so many sweet moments. Here are a few favourites.
hurst & brown
In early May, one month after moving to Victoria, I nervously sent out an email entitled "New to Victoria." I sent the email to a designer whose work I was introduced to and had immediately resonated with me. I felt like her design and creative direction was telling the same story that I try to tell with photographs. The email was an introduction of myself but also an invitation to hopefully meet up and possibly collaborate. To my delight, she replied with a warm welcome and lunch recommendation.
A week later, we met for lunch and spent the next hour talking about travel, food, art, the journey of working for yourself and how we had both come to find ourselves living in Victoria. It was one of those effortless meetings that naturally turned into friendship.
A half year later, after countless collaborations, work trips and personal creative projects, Tara Hurst and I are excited to announce and share with you the work of Hurst & Brown. Our work offers creative direction, branding, website design and photography, along with personal creative projects, interviews and editorial content.
While I will continue to work on my own projects, weddings, family sessions and editorial content, I am very much looking forward to spending more time each week collaborating with Tara. So, to keep up on what we are doing follow along on our journal (which you can also find on my homepage) or by searching #hurstandbrown
Jessica + Kelsey | Handfasting Ceremony in Tofino
Over a year ago, I received the sweetest email from Jessica and Kelsey inquiring about working together on their wedding. I could immediately tell, even before meeting them, that they were an extremely thoughtful couple. After meeting them, I knew that their relationship was special and that their wedding would be a beautiful and unique reflection of their love.
Months later, I received another email from them asking if I would be interested in meeting up with them in Tofino to photograph a handfasting ceremony they wanted to have on the beach. I immediately told them yes! and then, if I am being honest, googled what handfasting was. Handfasting is a traditional ceremony which occurs one year before the intended wedding where the couple makes a formal promise of marriage. You could describe it as a step between being engaged and being married. A time to implement how the traditional vows should be lived, while building a home together and becoming a family.
The ceremony was one of the most beautiful and intimate experiences I have been fortunate enough to document. On an empty beach, with handwritten vows and silk ribbons that tied them together, these two made their promise.
I am so looking forward to photographing their wedding this coming year, exactly one year after this special ceremony.
