Chisholm Family | Halifax Family Photographer

I love these two little wild bundles of energy! This is my third year taking photos of Will and Drew and I have a blast every time. I know these boys have had fun when I end up covered in mud and sand. It’s great to get outdoors where they have some freedom to play to be who they really are. Looking forward to next year already!

Leah and David | Halifax Engagement Photography

Leah and David’s wedding in Digby Pines next October is going to be one of my favorites, I can tell already! They both have such big warm smiles and friendly personalities. We had a great time wandering around and chatting while taking these fall engagement photos. The bright yellow doorway we found on Hollis Street was perfect for an autumn shoot!

Chantal, James and Henry – Halifax Family Photography

Another fun shoot with my good friends Chantal, James and wee Henry who is six months old already! We went on a little hike in Winsdor and played in the leaves. Henry has James’ bright blue eyes (and ridiculous expressions) and Chantal’s beautiful smile who he usually saves for the ladies. I could spend the whole day with this little man, he has such a fantastic personality already.

Happy Halloween! ICE Awards After-party

I was thrilled to photograph the ICE Awards after-party this year! The ICE Awards celebrate creativity and advertising made here in Atlantic Canada and theme this year was the un-dead. Happy 10th Anniversary to the ICE Awards!

Parlour Room Events created the most amazing three-floor party at Egg Films on Barrington Street for one of the best parties of the year. Everyone had crazy energy and fantastic costumes. Definitely the most visually interesting event I’ve attended and photographed. Would love to do it again next year!

Special thanks to George Inglis who did an amazing job helping me shoot this event.

Sarah and Nick | Halifax Wedding Photography

Finally I’m posting my last wedding of the season and it was definitely one of my favourites. It’s not often you get to photograph a wedding with only two people… just the bride and the groom! I had Sarah and Nick all to myself and we had a great time roaming the city and Yorke Redoubt taking photos along the way. It was also the first time I’ve photographed a wedding where the groom went to the wrong church! Panicking, Nick called Sarah who called me to let me know where we should actually all meet up before flagging down a nice lady who agreed to drive him to the right church! We all arrived on time and Sarah and Nick’s small intimate wedding was beautiful. I was very happy to be part of it as their photographer.

Sarah and Nick have a fantastic sense of humour and I can tell they have a lot of fun together wherever they are. I hope you love the photos as much as I do!

Nocturne: Art at Night – Meet the 2011 Volunteer Board Members!

It’s that time of year! The fresh fall air is here and everyone is getting excited about Nocturne: Art at Night!
We thought we would introduce the 2011 volunteer board who has been working hard all year to bring art to the streets of Halifax on October 15, 2011.

Special thanks to Lara Killian for writing these fantastic bios and to Shari Tucker for taking my own headshot (because it’s a bit tough shooting your own!)

Look for us on the night of Nocturne and share your favourite art experiences!

Rose Zack – Chair
Rose Zack is originally from Calgary, Alberta, and has been in Halifax for 4 years – coincidentally the same length of time Nocturne has been running! She works with the Atlantic Film Festival as ViewFinders Coordinator, and the rest of her time is spent on Nocturne or dreaming of her own massive quilted installation. Rose firmly believes that Nocturne is a reflection of Halifax as a city of wonderful people who support and celebrate culture in all its forms, and she recommends mixing up your perspective this year and trying to explore the event on foot, bike, boat or bus! Two performance acts are on Rose’s not-to-miss list: Lisa Lipton’s Strangers in the Night at the Hotel Atlantica, and Happy Wash.

Jenny Johnson – Vice Chair, Director of Programming
Jenny Johnson has been in Halifax for nearly 15 years, coming originally from Baddeck, Cape Breton. She’s a painter and art instructor at Dalhousie University, and also upholds the time-honoured tradition of artists who moonlight as bartenders. A fantasy and sci-fi enthusiast, Jenny is also the Director of Programming for this year’s event, so she’s one of the best people you could ask for guidance on what to see, and she recommends not missing Caley MacLennan’s immersive 3D experience Convergence, which will play with time and dimension in space.

Andrew Sowerby – Legal Secretary
Andrew Sowerby hails from Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, and spends his days lawyering at Cox & Palmer. Reading, biking, and spending time with his wife and their feline companion takes up much of his spare time. Andrew got involved with Nocturne because attending on the night just wasn’t enough! Not to be missed at Nocturne 2011: Noah Logan’s Six White Cubes.

Jim Fitzpatrick C.A. – Treasurer
Jim Fitzpatrick joins the Nocturne team originally from Sudbury, Ontario, and has a background as a Chartered Accountant. Now that Jim has retired he has more time for projects around the house and his book collecting hobby. When Jim heard about Nocturne he wanted to use his skills and background to help with this great project, and he’s really looking forward to the event night this year! Given Jim’s interests one might recommend that he check out the Dawson Printshop for some letterpress demos, or Migrant Sounds, Gerard Choy’s phrasebook installation.

Lee Brooks – Director of Operations
Lee Brooks arrived in Halifax almost three year ago, with roots in Sheffield, UK. Daytime, you can find her managing projects at Prime Creative, and when she’s not at work she’s exploring beautiful Nova Scotia or experimenting with making her own clothes! Lee got involved with Nocturne to immerse herself in the amazing local arts culture here, and she loves the concept of everyone getting to see their hometown in a brand new way, on a night that celebrates an incredible amount of amazing local talent.

Michelle Doucette – Art Director
Michelle Doucette lends her design and photography skills to Nocturne here in her native city of Halifax, and when she’s not snapping headshots of the Nocturne board members or laying out program copy you can find her running her business, Michelle Doucette Design and Photography. When she has a chance to take a break from behind the camera you can look for Michelle zooming around town on her bright green vintage scooter, Sophia. Michelle has been involved with Nocturne from the get-go, and loves bringing art to new audiences. She can’t wait to see the space on Citadel Hill transformed this year for a new way to experience the highest point in Halifax.

Jane Hopgood – Fundraising Director
Jane Hopgood spends her time working at a scientific playground, the Discovery Centre in her native Halifax and also doing some budding film production. You can otherwise find her enjoying beautiful Nova Scotia, ideally while swimming or doing yoga, and she got involved with Nocturne because it’s a perfect launch pad for all the talented artists we’re so lucky to have in our community and an important city building initiative. At Nocturne this year Jane recommends checking out Catherine Brown & Jeffrey Fish’s roaming project called Remote Corners, which will build sensory bridges between Halifax and five other cities around the world.

Jeff MacArthur – Communications Director
Jeff MacArthur comes originally from Charlottetown, PEI, and spends his working hours running his social media, tech, and video production company, MGImedia. You can find him playing a variety of instruments, tasting a variety of beers, and chatting with a true variety of interesting Halifax folk when he’s not lending his communications and organizational talents to events like Nocturne. Jeff got involved with Nocturne because it’s both inspiring and surprising, and he can’t wait to check out the Citadel site this year.

Family Photo Sessions | Nova Scotia Family Photographer

Fall is one of the best times for family photo sessions. As soon as my weddings start to quiet down, I get excited about spending more time doing family photo shoots. I love meeting so many different kinds of families, all with their own unique style and energy. I always have a great time seeing where they live, what activities they like and of course, running around outdoors with the kids where they are happiest. An upbeat and active session keeps everyone smiling… family photo shoots should be fun!

Here are some of my favorites!

Katie and Jayson’s Whitepoint Wedding

I was so excited to see Katie and Jayson again after our engagement session in June. They are one of the sweetest couples I have met and I knew their friends and family would be lovely as well. It was a beautiful sunny day in Whitepoint on Saturday, August 27th. I found Jayson running around outside with a huge grin on his face and Katie in her cabin getting ready with her bridesmaids. When I asked to see the dress and the shoes, I was impressed to see two pairs of beautiful shoes and even a pair of fancy flip flops for the end of the night… Katie was prepared! The dress was stunning and the purple heels (and the groom’s stripped purple socks!) made for some great photos.

Katie collected beach sand from Whitepoint (where her grandmother lives), and Jayson brought beach sand from a lake in Ontario where he is from. Along with the mother of the bride and the mother of the groom, they combined the sands during the ceremony. It was a nice way to represent the joining of the families. Of course, just as the ceremony began a gust of wind knocked over the vases breaking one of them… but as far as I could tell it was the only little mishap of a beautiful happy wedding day.

Congratulations Katie and Jayson!

Reid Family

My first family shoot with Amy, Jason and Mya was back in November 2009. I had met everyone while shooting a wedding in Cuba earlier that year and I had instantly fallen in love with little Mya, who I have never heard cry or complain. She always has a big bright smile on her face!

With a new addition to the family, little Nathan, we did another family shoot this past June. Nathan is just as bright and cheerful as Mya who is proud and protective of her little brother. It was great to catch up with everyone and meet the new little one. Its always fun to hang out with a happy smiling family!

Jennifer and James

Jennifer and James were hoping for sunny sailing weather and Natal Day fireworks over the Tall Ship Silva on Saturday, July 30th. A classic maritime rain storm rolled in for their wedding instead! Everyone smiled through the fog and drizzle and had a great time dancing on the deck as the boat toured Halifax Harbour. The evening fittingly finished at the Lower Deck with pints for everyone brave enough to push through the crowds. Congratulations Jennifer and James!