Royal Vancouver Yacht Club Engagement Photos with Kim and Chris

Victoria Wedding Photographers explore Jericho Beach Park and the Royal Vancouver Yacht Club with Kim and Chris during their sunset engagement photos in Vancouver

Since moving to the Island, we get to do a lot of Skype dates with our couples who live all over BC, so that we can keep in touch "face-to-face".  We officially met Kim and Chris this way as well!  We chatted for a while and fell in love with their dynamic together, their charisma, their senses of humour and out-going personalities.  We knew they'd be a great fit!  They told us about their friends, family, their hobbies and how they met, and talked about their excitement for their up-coming Hastings House wedding on Salt Spring Island. The very place Kim's parents wed.  We especially loved their story of Chris' romantic vision for proposing to Kim, who unknowingly kept foiling his grand plans.  This happens more often than you think, and always leaves couples with an interesting and endearing story as a result.   

Since Chris had planned to propose to Kim on the pier of the Royal Vancouver Yacht Club, and the two spend so much of their time together there, we all thought it'd be the perfect place to do their engagement photos.  We spent a warm and summery evening in the park, on the beach, and ended with a gorgeous sunset looking over downtown! 

Thanks for being such fun and silly subjects for us, Kim and Chris! We hope you love the photos!  We're looking forward to your wedding.

Fan Tan Alley and Beacon Hill Park Engagement Photos with Susan and Peter

Susan and Peter are getting married in gorgeous Southern California, but approached us because they wanted us to do their engagement photos in gorgeous BC.  We talked for a while about all the great places we could get together for their session; should we go to Osoyoos? What about Vancouver?  In the end, the day before the photo shoot, they made the last minute decision to come to gorgeous Victoria and make a little weekend holiday of it.  We were so excited!  Vancouver Island has some of the most amazing places to do photos, which still end up being quite private. 

We met at Fan Tan Alley downtown and immediately hit it off.  Peter and Susan had one-liner after one-liner and lots of funny banter that kept us on our toes, and hurt our stomach from laughing so hard.  We love to see couples who can effortlessly make each other burst out laughing and smiling.  We explored around the alleys for a while and then headed through Beacon Hill Park before ending our session with with some intimate time on the beach.   It was great shooting Susan and Peter in these iconic Victoria spots, on a gorgeous day before tourist season; it felt like we had the whole town to ourselves and we could capture Susan and Peter in their element.

Thanks for the hilarious memories Susan and Peter, and thanks for coming all the way to the Island to let us photograph you!  Hope you love the photos, here's a few of our favourites! 

Mystic Beach Engagement Photos with Kristi and Kyle (and Chase!)

Kristi and Kyle hike through the rainforest for their sunset engagement session at Mystic Beach

// Vancouver Island Wedding Photographers

We met Kristi and Kyle, along with their wedding planner Anouk, about a month ago to talk about their Oak Bay Beach Hotel wedding.  They told us about their life in Victoria, their wedding plans, and showed us pictures of their cute little dog, Chase.   We found them so endearing, especially the way they'd look in each other's eyes and immediately smile every time we asked them questions about their everyday life, and their relationship.  We are always drawn to couples who have a strong connection to each other that way.  When they told us that they had considered a place like Mystic Beach for their engagement photos, we almost fell out of our seats.  

Mystic Beach is one of our (one of most people's) favourite places to visit, and we've been dying to go there with a couple.  Within 10 minutes of weaving through the moss and fern coated forest, Kristi and Kyle's shoes were covered in thick mud, and Chase's tiny white paws were painted black.  To which, Kristi laughed and said, "Well, we're committed now! It'll totally be worth it!"  And she was so right.  Appropriately named, Mystic Beach makes most people feel as though they've stepped out of the forest and into a dream.  It often overwhelms people with a kaleidoscope of feelings which is why it's such a great place to photograph people there.  We had so much fun photographing Kristi and Kyle as they explored the beach, the waterfall, and ran around the beach with Chase, who was clearing feeling energized after being liberated from his leash! We finished off with a gorgeous hazy sunset by the waterfall, followed by our slow and tedious hike back to the cars through the pitch black forest.

Thanks, Kristi and Kyle, for being so adventurous and taking on this crazy excursion with us, for your engagement session.  Thank you for letting us try out some creative photo techniques with our lighting, and panorama style too!  We just couldn't wait to show you these images, and we totally hope they are worth the sore ankles and backs!  We're sooo looking forward to your wedding in September.

Thanks for checking out our blog!  If you'd like to learn more about us, please head over to our "About Us" section!

Tips for Looking and Feeling Awesome in Your Engagement Photos

Some great suggestions on how to look and feel amazing during your engagement photos, from Victoria Wedding Photography team, Pebble and Pine Photography.

Let's start with why we love engagement sessions so much!  We get asked a lot by couples if engagement sessions are a totally necessary part of getting married.  The truth is, they aren't.  You can get married without having engagement sessions and your marriage is still just as legal, haha.  However,  we've found that engagement sessions are so valuable because they are a great way for us to get to know our couples a bit more before the wedding.  It helps us to see how you interact with each other, get to know your dynamic as a couple, and how we can best make you feeling comfortable and confident in front of the lens so the wedding day is effortless and has a smooth natural flow to it.  It's also incredibly helpful and fun for our couples who are preparing for the big day.  It shows you how we work as a photography duo, how you feel being photographed, and help you to get more comfortable in front of our lenses, so that you have less to feel nervous about when your wedding day comes. 

 In our experience of photographing weddings, we've found that many of the couples we work with have not had professional photos done together before working with us.  They often have questions about how they can best prepare for the engagement session, so we've put together a handy little tips list.  That way, you can put your nerves at ease, and feel excited!

First and most importantly to remember; this is not a do-or-die list.  As with all advice, follow it to the degree that you're comfortable with, and that feels right for you!

Ability to move freely. 
Because we’ll be walking around, and getting the two of you interacting with each other, the ability to move around with ease is the best way to feel natural in front of the camera.  You want to make sure that you can wrap your arms around each other comfortably, and also be able to walk and sit down without worrying what your clothes are doing, or feeling restricted by them. We also love taking candid photos of you guys just spending time together, so the less you carry with you (purses, backpacks, etc), the more spontaneous the photos can be.  Some couples like to make sure they can keep their phones close by, or like to bring a small makeup/lip touch-up kit along which is totally fine. In those instances, we will usually just carry those things for you in our camera bags until you need them, so they don’t show through your pockets and clothes.

Wear the clothes, and do the hair and makeup style that make you feel like the most confident, comfortable, and vibrant version of yourself.
Keep in mind that when you look at your photos later, we want you to feel like your photos are a reflection of your true self, not a costumey version of yourself.
Our best advice is to not wear clothes, or get hair and makeup done to an extreme or style that feels unnatural or uncharacteristic of you. The best way to look good on camera is to feel like yourself! 
Brides who are planning to have hair and makeup done at the wedding often opt to have some hair and makeup for the engagement session, to see how it feels to be photographed with it done.  Typically it’s slightly more toned-down, and less formal than it would be on the wedding day.  The best way to look good on camera is to feel like yourself! 

Decide on a location you love and feel comfortable in.
We encourage couples to choose a place of significance to them, and a place they feel comfortable in.  We love engagement sessions to tell some kind of story and have a flow to them, so that you don’t feel like you're just standing in front of the camera posing the whole time. If you're in a place you love and are excited about, you'll feel more at ease in front of the camera.  This way we can get you interacting with each other to really capture your personalities, and your dynamic together.  A lot of couples choose walks on the beach or the woods in areas they like, or decide they want to have a date night, like a wine-and-sunset picnic somewhere.  Other couples choose to have their photos taken doing a hobby they enjoy doing.  We like to chat with our couples about ideas that work best to reflect their life together.

Match your engagement style vibe to the atmosphere and style you’ve planned your wedding. 
Weddings nowadays have become less of a traditional mould, and more of an expression of your relationship.  Chances are, you’ve planned your wedding to reflect your personalities, your style and taste, and of course your eccentricities.  We recommend matching your engagement style to fit amongst the same general style of your wedding, and your own personal style.  Some couples consider themselves more outdoorsy and adventurous. Some couples vibe with boho, whereas others are more modern and edgy, etc.  So to avoid feeling uncomfortable or inauthentic to yourself, we usually recommend couples dress in what Matt refers to as, “casual plus, or better".  It's a spruced up version of your own real, personal style.  For example, a couple we shot last year, during a beach sunset, described their outfit choice this way, “we chose outfits to that we would wear to a beachfront patio, on a night out for dinner and drinks with good friends we hadn’t seen for a long time.”   

Complement each other’s style. 
This is not a suggestion to wear a matchy-matchy couples onesie outfit, though that would be hilarious. We do, however, recommend your clothes complement each other’s style and scale of formality. We’ve found most couples have a similar style anyways, but we just throw this in as a tip.  For example, if one of you is in a suit jacket, the other might not want to wear those oh-so-cozy LuLus and gym top.  Or, if one is in a brightly coloured, patterned summer dress, the other probably wouldn’t be rocking the Johnny Cash all-black-from-head-to-toe look.  You're both individuals, but these photos show how you complement each other as two equal parts of a whole.

Play off the season and location.  
This all goes with the goal of feeling comfortable and natural in your surroundings. We want you to dress and feel awesome for the weather, and location you're in.  Heels aren't always the best shoe choice for snowy mountains or sandy beaches. If you're planning to rock a strapless dress at the top of Cypress in the winter, bring along a cute jacket to wear.  If you're planning a romantic summer sunset on a hot beach, leave that parka at home and wear layers instead. 

I know, I know! This isn't one of Andrea and Eddie's engagement photos. But we love their use of vibrant colour and eccentric prints to show their personal style. Don't be afraid to be bold, friends!

Don't shy away from bright colours or prints, but avoid fluorescent neon materials. 
Bold prints and vibrant colours can be a great way to show your personal style, but be weary of fluorescent and neon.  Think Olivia Newton John in her 80’s aerobic leotards.  While these types of colours are mostly seen in workout and road-worker attire to promote visibility and road safety, they have started to pop up in regular style as well for a visual punch.  Great in real life, but these fluorescent and neon colours are so reflective that they’ll reflect their own colour onto your skin in photographs.  If these colours are on the front of your shirt, they will often cast their colour up onto your face and your partner’s, even on a cloudy day. (We’ll have a photo in the blog to show an example of this effect.)

A good night sleep, proper meals, and lots of water! 
This is just a general rule for day to day life, but it applies to the day of your photoshoot as well.  If you’re nervous the night before, try to hit the hay early to make sure you’re not tired the evening of your session. If you’re busy with hair and makeup on the day of, make sure to allot time for food and water through the day of your the photo session.  It’s the best way to look vibrant, feel refreshed, and stay excited through your photos together. Plus, as we all know, it’s hard to smile and feel lovey when we’re hangry. 

These are some of our prep / attire tips. But again, only follow these to the degree that you’re comfortable with, and don’t feel restricted by.  We usually spend a few minutes at the start of each photo shoot to let you guys know what expect so that you know how to interact with each other and the camera during the photoshoot. We’ll shake out all those nervous, awkward feelings at the start so you guys can feel awesome in the photos! 

Feel free to check out some other blogs here:

Centennial Beach Engagement Session - Bernice and Phil

Bernice and Phil Get Silly at Centennial Beach in Richmond During Their Engagement Session //  Vancouver Wedding Photographers

We've been waiting eagerly for Bernice and Phil's engagement session and their upcoming wedding for some time now!  They're quirky, animated, and so fun to be around. Their smiles and laughter are contagious.  We were so excited to come to Richmond from Victoria to photograph them!

We met up with Bernice and Phil around Centennial Beach in Richmond for their engagement session.  It was windy and cool that day, so we opted to start our session in a more sheltered area, amongst some gorgeously coloured autumn trees.  After a bit of walk through the trails, we made our way to the beach to play on the logs and race down the shore.

Phil and Bernice enjoy cosplay, and it only seemed right to pull out their homemade, expressive BomberMan heads to have some fun! We were so impressed with the way Phil and Bernice embrace doing things their way - from the custom engagement ring, their enthusiasm for cosplay, and the unique details they are putting into their wedding.  We're so looking forward to their December wedding!

Thanks for all the laughs, Bernice and Phil! We hope you love the photos as much as we do.

Thank you for stopping by to check out our wedding photography. If you'd like to know more about our lives in BC, or as Pebble and Pine Photography, Creative and Modern Victoria and Vancouver Island wedding photographers, you can read About Us

Lighthouse Park Engagement - Katrina and Brian

Katrina and Brian Have Fun Hiking Around LightHouse Park in West Vancouver // Vancouver Island Wedding Photographers

We met with Katrina and Brian while ago to talk about their Camp Fircom wedding, which they were planning no short notice. Four months of planning to be exact.  We learned a lot about them, from when they first met in Phoenix, all the way to their move to Vancouver.  Above all we learned that Katrina and Brian are an adventurous couple: they hike, they camp, they've climbed, you name it!  It only made sense to do a bit of hiking during their engagement session.  They told us about a hike they enjoy around Light House Park, and we thought it would be perfect to go and walk it with them.

As we made our way to the cliffs, waves crashed on the rocks, clouds danced in the sky and sun began its slow dip behind the mountains.  We clicked away with our cameras as Katrina and Brian explored around many of the embankments, in the hunt for the perfect view. 

Thanks so much to Katrina and Brian, for the fun evening, and of course, your infectious smiles and laughter! We hope you love the photos!

Thank you for stopping by to check out our wedding photography. If you'd like to know more about our lives in BC, or as Pebble and Pine Photography, Creative and Modern Victoria and Vancouver Island wedding photographers, you can read About Us

Granville Island Engagement Session - Lisa and Natasha

Lisa and Natasha's Golden Hour and Sunset Engagement Photos at Granville Island in Vancouver // BC Wedding Photographers

When we first sat down to talk with Lisa and Natasha, to get to know a bit about them and talk wedding plans, it became very evident we had loads in common.  The more we talked about their relationship, their move to Vancouver, love of the west coast, their engagement, and their future wedding, the more in common we realized we had.  The more we had in common, the longer was talked.  We love when this happens - getting to know our couples intimately always makes it really fulfilling to capture such a monumental milestone in their life.

Since their wedding will be held outdoors at UBC Farm, to capture their love of the outdoors, we all decided that an engagement session at Granville Island would be a great way to emulate their love of Vancouver's urban and industrial side!

It was a warm and sunny summer evening when we all met up under the bridge at Granville Island, which was filled with locals and tourists enjoying the sights and happenings of the market.  We had an awesome time with Natasha and Lisa, chasing the light through the corridors of buildings, dodging market-goers, experimenting with new photo techniques, and finishing off the evening by taking in the sunset by the harbour.

Thanks Lisa and Natasha for such a great evening, we're so looking forward to your wedding!

Thank you for stopping by to check out our wedding photography. If you'd like to know more about our lives in BC, or as Pebble and Pine Photography, Creative and Modern Victoria and Vancouver Island wedding photographers, you can read About Us

Fort Langley Engagement Session - Ming and Kim

Ming and Kim Explore Fort Langley During Their Engagement Session // Victoria Wedding Photographers

On the day of Ming & Kim's engagement shoot, dark clouds were hovering over the Vancouver area, threatening to downpour at any moment.  And downpour it did!  But only in pockets.  We somehow managed to avoid the rain throughout their whole shoot even though it rained just before and just after.  Talk about perfect! 

We had a great time wandering around Fort Langley area together.  Joining us for a few shots was their cute little pup, Olive.  Ming & Kim were naturals in front of the camera, and Fort Langley made a beautiful backdrop to their shoot.  The rainy day meant it was relatively private, with few people around, and we were free to create to our our hearts' content!

We can't wait to shoot their wedding in September!  Check out all the images from their shoot below. 

Thank you for stopping by to check out our wedding photography. If you'd like to know more about our lives in BC, or as Pebble and Pine Photography, Creative and Modern Victoria and Vancouver Island wedding photographers, you can read About Us.

Capilano Suspension Bridge Engagement Session - Sandy and Jeff

Sandy and Jeff Explore Capilano Suspension Bridge During Their Engagement Session in North Vancouver // BC Wedding Photographers

Back in March we announced the launch of our new website, and wanted to celebrate by giving away a very special photo session at Capilano Suspension Bridge.  Sandy and Jeff were easily our most enthusiastic couple, entering the contest the most of anyone.  It paid off, 'cause it was their names we pulled out of the box at the end of the draw.  We couldn't wait to meet them!  

What a pleasure working with Sandy and Jeff, and getting to know them.  If there was an award for most laid back and patient couple, they'd win it for sure!  With ever-present smiles on their faces, they waded with us through crowds of people, precariously perching on swinging bridges, and swaying walk-ways, waiting for the perfect time for us to capture the moments that happened between them.  

We had lots of fun swinging from the treetops with you, Sandy and Jeff.  We hope you got your land legs back, and that you love the photos!

Thanks for checking out our work!  To see more, view the links below.

Thank you for stopping by to check out our wedding photography. If you'd like to know more about our lives in BC, or as Pebble and Pine Photography, Creative and Modern Victoria and Vancouver Island wedding photographers, you can read About Us

Pacific Spirit Park and Spanish Banks Engagement Session - Roxanne and Myles

Roxanne and Myles Explore Vancouver in Their Forest and Beach Themed Engagement Session // Victoria Wedding Photographers

We had a great time first meeting Roxanne and Myles to talk about their winter wedding in Whistler.  We talked about their life in Vancouver and all the things they love to do around the city with their son Cohen.  We were sooo looking forward to getting out into the woods for their engagement photos, and to hit the beach with them.  After all,  the beaches and forests are what we love the most, too!

We headed into the woods at Pacific Spirit Park to explore the trails with Roxanne and Myles.  It's always such a great experience to wander the trails, amongst all the trees, with no one else around.  The quiet and isolated area gave us lots of opportunity to get to know more about Roxanne and Myles, and a bit more about their wedding details.

To finish of the evening, we wandered down to Spanish Banks to enjoy a warm and breezy sunset.  Thanks for such a great evening, Roxanne and Myles. We're looking forward to your winter wedding and meeting your friends and family!

Hope you love the photos!

Thank you for stopping by to check out our wedding photography. If you'd like to know more about our lives in BC, or as Pebble and Pine Photography, Creative and Modern Victoria and Vancouver Island wedding photographers, you can read About Us

UBC and Spanish Banks Engagement - Candy and Tim

Candy and Tim Have Fun Exploring UBC and a Sunset at Spanish Banks During Their Engagement Photos //  BC Wedding Photographers

What an amazing spring it has been in Vancouver this year!  Candy and Tim's engagement shoot was no exception, as we spent a couple hours basking in beautiful sunshine while wandering about UBC Campus and Spanish Banks beach.  The dramatic building seen in the first couple shots is the Pharmaceutical Sciences building at UBC, which is significant to Candy and Tim as they met during their time in the Pharmacy program there!  

When we got down to the Spanish Banks beach it was getting near sunset which made for gorgeous golden light, spilling over into the quiet intimate moments they shared.  It was a pleasure to photograph them, and we can't wait to capture their wedding later this year at Golden Eagle Golf Course! 

Thanks for reading, and if you'd like to see more of our recent work, check out the links below!  

Thank you for stopping by to check out our wedding photography. If you'd like to know more about our lives in BC, or as Pebble and Pine Photography, Creative and Modern Victoria and Vancouver Island wedding photographers, you can read About Us

Jericho Beach Sunset Engagement - Britney and Matt

Britney and Matt Enjoy a Gorgeous Sunset at Jericho Beach During Their Engagement Photo Session // Victoria Wedding Photographers

Vancouver has been having a pretty great string of weather over the last few weeks and we’ve been taking advantage of every minute of sunshine.

Last week we met up with Britney and Matt to do some engagement photos at Jericho Beach.  Britney and Matt are in the midst of planning their December destination wedding, and wanted their engagement photos to reflect their life here in Vancouver.  With Jericho Beach being a favourite haunt of theirs, we decided it would make great place to capture their dynamic, and bits of their relationship together.

We arrived to golden light, budding willows, and teams of ducks flying about.  Since Britney is a biologist, and can rattle off all the names and details of every aviary around, we had some fun corralling ducks to play extras in some of our photos.  After a stroll around the ponds, we made our way over the the beach to get some sand between our toes, and check out the views of the city, mountains, and of course, the sunset.

Thanks Britney and Matt for trekking around Jericho with us! We had fun lots of fun getting to know the two of you.  We hope you love the photos!

Thanks for reading!  If you'd like to check out some more engagement sessions we've shot, have a look at some of our recent blog posts below! 

Thank you for stopping by to check out our wedding photography. If you'd like to know more about our lives in BC, or as Pebble and Pine Photography, Creative and Modern Victoria and Vancouver Island wedding photographers, you can read About Us

Surprise Proposal on Grouse Mountain - Elizabeth and Trevor

We Photograph a Secret Surprise Proposal on Grouse Mountain in Vancouver // Vancouver Island Wedding Photographers

If you follow our work, and read our blogs, you know how excited we get to do something spontaneous, photograph outdoors, and capture bonafide genuine moments and emotions. So when you read this blog, you'll know that this is quickly becoming one of our favourite events to photograph!

We got a call from Trevor, who was planning to propose the following day, to his girlfriend Elizabeth, on the top of Grouse Mountain, and was wondering if  we'd be up for shooting it.  Incognito.  So......photograph a surprise proposal, on the top of the mountain, and we also get to pretend to be spies? Yes! Yes! Obviously, yes!

Up the gondola we went, feeling mischievous, and finding secret hiding spots.  Matt found a perfect spot tucked in the trees, behind a snow pile, so that he'd get a great closeups of Elizabeth's expression when Trevor popped the question.  Sayde found her spot on a hill behind some trees to photograph the scene as it played out below.  After making sure we were totally camouflaged, Matt texted Trevor the "OK", and Trevor's plan went into play.

We tried not to giggle with excitement (like kids playing hide-and-seek) as we watched Trevor lead Elizabeth around the skating rink, and towards the groomer-pulled sleigh, grabbing a seat near the front. The sleigh took off on its route around the peak, to return about 10 minutes later, passing directly by Sayde is it did.

Then, as the sleigh pulled to a stop and it's passengers climbed out, Trevor stopped Elizabeth and proposed. To which, a very smiley Elizabeth said yes! *Spoiler Alert* After a few minutes to revel in the moment, the two of them wandered off into the trees to enjoy the twinkle lights and call loved ones with the news, smiling nonstop.

Thanks so much to Trevor for inviting us out to do this special photo shoot, and congrats to you and Elizabeth. We hope you love the photos!

Thank you for stopping by to check out our wedding photography. If you'd like to know more about our lives in BC, or as Pebble and Pine Photography, Creative and Modern Victoria and Vancouver Island wedding photographers, you can read About Us

Stanley Park Cherry Blossom Engagement - Sarah and JP

Sarah and JP Check Out all the Cherry Blossoms in Their Stanley Park Engagement // Vancouver Island Wedding Photographers

If you've stepped outside in Vancouver in the past couple weeks, you've probably found yourself awestruck by the welcoming puffy pink clouds of cherry blossoms hovering over the sidewalks and park spaces of the city.  Stanley Park has an ABUNDANCE of cherry blossoms!

These cherry blossoms were the perfect setting for our sweet and fun engagement photos with Sarah and JP.  These two lovers met by chance one evening, and once they got to chatting, they realized that there was just 6 degrees of separation between them, with lots of connections between friends and relatives.  It's a big city here, but a small world indeed.

For their engagement session, Sarah and JP brought along a vintage Fiat.  It was so exciting to watch this little car blast around Stanley Park, stopping here and there to take in the views, and get some photos. There were lots of big smiles and loads of laughs between Sarah and JP, and it was so refreshing to watch! With the cherry blossoms out in full force, Stanley Park can be a busy area, so Sarah and JP (and us!) wandered over to a more private area to get some intimate shots of just the two of them together amongst the blooms.

Thanks Sarah and JP for trekking all over Stanley Park with us.  We had so much fun with the two of you during your engagement photos!  Hope you love the pictures! 

Thank you for stopping by to check out our wedding photography. If you'd like to know more about our lives in BC, or as Pebble and Pine Photography, Creative and Modern Victoria and Vancouver Island wedding photographers, you can read About Us

Sea to Sky Gondola Sunset Engagement in Squamish - Paula and Cameron

Paula and Cameron Adventure Around and Enjoy a Private Sunset During Their Engagement Photos at the Sea to Sky Gondola // BC Wedding Photographers

We've been really excited about Paula and Cameron's engagement session for some time now. When we first started planning for it, we talked about locations in Pemberton, then Vancouver, then finally decided on the glorious Sea to Sky Gondola in Squamish.  We've been dying photograph an engagement or wedding at Sea to Sky Gondola since it opened: and who could be a more perfect fit for this location than well-travelled, outdoorsy, and adventurous Paula and Cameron!

It was so fun to experience the top of the summit with Paula and Cameron who had never been up there before, and gave us a lot of opportunities to capture how much they enjoyed the experience, and the amazing views!

By sunset, most other visitors had departed for the gondola, and we had the whole place to ourselves. As the sun set, fog started to crawl into Howe Sound, and up from the trees below. This all made for a really intimate finale to the fun evening.

Thanks Paula and Cameron for the awesome outing! We hope you love your engagement photos. We can not wait for your wedding! 

Thank you for stopping by to check out our wedding photography. If you'd like to know more about our lives in BC, or as Pebble and Pine Photography, Creative and Modern Victoria and Vancouver Island wedding photographers, you can read About Us

Matt's Favourite 15 Highlight Images from 2015

2015 was a great year over here at Pebble & Pine Photography!  We had a year full of great clients who were willing to go whichever crazy places we asked them to, and with a smile on their face.  The weather cooperated for the most part, and when it didn’t it still made for some awesome dramatic rainy day photos.  Between Sayde and I, we shot over 53,000 images this year.  You can imagine then, how difficult it is to choose only 15 images each to sum up the year!  The images I’ve selected are just a handful of my personal favourites.  I’d like to extend a massive thank you to all the clients who put their trust in us this year, whether they are pictured below or not; I wish I could have included everyone!

So without further adieu, and in no particular order, here are 15 images that I love from 2015!

^ The clouds and rain chased us throughout this engagement shoot for the better part of two hours!  Charlene and Josh were troopers though, and it’s a good thing because their patience and determination culminated in this image near the end of the shoot.

^ Rob and Darlene’s wedding day was one of a kind!  With an unexpected medical issue keeping the groom in hospital until near dinner time, we lost pretty much all of the allotted portrait time that we had set aside!  With them living in Grand Prairie, and us in Vancouver, and the wedding being in Kitimat, it was nothing short of a miracle that we were able to fit in a quick portrait session before we all departed to our respective homes.

^ I’m a total sucker for silhouettes, and this is one of my favourites that I’ve ever shot.  I love the tones of the sky, the little hint of the sun popping between them, the reeds, the love in Jimmy & Esther’s pose.  Just perfect!

^ We started 2015 with a personal mandate to shoot closer, capture more smiles, more love.  One of the most intimate parts of the day is always the “first look”. We shot more first looks this year than ever before, and there was always great emotion to be captured!  Kyle and Heather’s first look had such big smiles and excitement, I love this adorable moment between the two of them.

^ This image from Travis & Kaylee’s wedding has just about everything that we love at Pebble & Pine!  Mountains, trees, ocean, a rustic red dock, thick cloud cover, and a couple that’s crazy about each other. So glad that we found a little time on their wedding day to sneak off to this remote spot.  Location scouting pays off!

^ Kim & Kyl’s engagement shoot was another example of not letting the rain scare you off!  We love to embrace a little sprinkle from above, as it can turn into awesome pictures like this.  With the city in the background for a touch of soft blurry highlights, the rain really sets off the image.

^ As photographers, we are always chasing light!  Searching out the best spots, yearning for that beautiful backlit sunset goodness.  Darren and Lindsay’s picnic engagement shoot had a beautiful golden sunset that lit them up in pretty amazing ways.

^ This image comes from Lindsay’s bridal prep portion of the day.  Her makeup had just been completed and she was checking it in the mirror.  I was out on the patio of the suite, shooting through the window, experimenting with reflections of the world behind me. I was pretty excited with how this came out, with the wash of blurred colours.  Definitely a favourite of the year.  It’s images like this that help me feel like I am still pushing my creativity to new places.

^ The cool thing about this image from Lindsay & Darren’s wedding, is the ambiguity of the blurred background.  Most people that I’ve asked have been unsure about what exactly they are looking at, which I love!  The reality of the image is that we were inside a barn, and the speckled background is light spilling through cracks between the angled slats of the wall.  With Lindsay & Darren being some-odd 50 to 60 feet or so from the wall, the blurred effect blends together the wall itself and the light spilling through into this gorgeous image.

^ Another from Lindsay & Darren’s big day…what made their day unique was that it took place during record-breaking windstorms which knocked out power to hundreds of thousands across the Vancouver mainland and Victoria area.  Many couples were unfortunate enough to have their weddings cancelled due to the wind, and while L & D’s venue did lose power, we were still able to capture some awesome images!  The wind created drama with Lindsay’s flow-y Truvelle gown, and I actually created an awesome gif from multiple frames shot in sequence.

^ Anton and Natasha got married in Mexico, but contacted me with the hopes of having a portrait session done here in Vancouver with some of the well-known Vancouver landmarks.  Sometimes shoots like these can be particularly challenging, as the popular spots with visible landmarks are not always in the best light, or the most accessible, and it’s tricky to find new and original ways to shoot them creatively.  For this image at Stanley Park’s Siwash Rock, I love the sliver of light across Natasha’s face from the last moments of sunset, with the large rock framing them.

^ Most of the weddings we shoot tend to be in outdoor natural spaces (which we love), so when we get the opportunity to shoot a wedding in the downtown core of Vancouver, it’s a bit of a change of pace for us!  For Pegah and Kyle’s wedding, we pulled out the lighting equipment for some post-dinner sunset portraits.  I love the tones of the city behind them in this one, the leading lines, and their intimate moment.

^ One of my challenges for myself this year was finding more unique and interesting angles on the “first dance” part of the night.  For this image at Pegah and Kyle’s wedding, I was shooting from behind the guests who were watching them enjoy the dance, and I love the way they ended up being framed in the gap, along with being able to see three of her bridesmaids’ faces as they look on while Pegah and Kyle dance.

^ I mentioned it above, but I’ll say it again…I’m a sucker for silhouettes!  During Aaron and Ramiza’s engagement shoot at Iona Beach, we were gifted with just a ridiculous sunset with awesome dark clouds and bright colours.  I asked them to walk up onto the grassy ridge and watch the sunset, and this was the resulting photo.

^ Tanya & John were one of our most fun-loving couples this year, so it was only suiting that we did their engagement photos at an amusement park!  The story behind this image is that the amusement park we chose was a very small mobile park in the parking lot of a mall, and PACKED with people!  It was challenging to find angles that didn’t show the mall or parking lot but still had a lot of colour and fun.  This was my favourite from their shoot, and one of my faves of the year overall.

So there we have it….15 of my favourite images shot in 2015!  Thank you again to all of our awesome clients, and here’s to hoping 2016 is just as fantastic.  Stay tuned, tomorrow is Sayde’s favourite 15 images of 2015!

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Rainy Stanley Park Engagement - Kim and Kyl

Kim and Kyl Brave Rain to Enjoy Stanley Park in Their Engagement Photos // Victoria Wedding Photographers

Autumn is a pretty wonderful time of year in Vancouver.  Mother Nature offers up a smorgasbord of weather possibilities.  On warm days, the sun can shine through changing leaves like stained glass.  On rainy days, the mist rises up from the mountains like steam from the mugs we cozy up with on days like these.  During Kim and Kyl’s Stanley Park engagement session, we were treated to the entire buffet.

The forecast had been calling for rain all week, and apparently the rest of Vancouver knew about it, and was seeking shelter in cozy apartments, or foggy-windowed coffee shops.  We had the entire park to ourselves, save for a couple runners, faithful to their practice, and a few late-season tourists scouring for that perfect autumn-red maple leaf to bring home as a souvenir.  We met Kim and Kyl while the sun was still peeking from behind the clouds, and the four of us remained collectively optimistic that the rain would hold off.  It didn’t.  And, it didn’t matter a bit. Kim and Kyl did more than just grin and bear the elements, they fully embraced the rain and the chill. As we moved around the park, they spent the shoot keeping each other warm and making each other laugh and smile… even when we took the umbrellas away from them!  Every time we asked if we could experiment with a shot, their response was, “Ya totally, let’s do it. We’ll give it a try!”  We love when our couples trust us this way, even when we ask them to stand right in front of a puddle, while one of us jumps into it, kicks and splashes water around, and the other takes a photo.

Thanks Kim and Kyl for being such troopers, we had so much fun tossing leaves around, and strolling in the rain with you! Enjoy the photos.

Thank you for checking out our wedding photography.  If you'd like to know more about our lives in BC, or as Pebble and Pine Photography, Creative and Modern Victoria and Vancouver Island wedding photographers, you can read About Us.

Campbell Valley Park Engagement - Mikaela and Colin

Starbucks and Pumpkins Fall Engagement Photos // Vancouver Wedding Photographers

We met with Mikaela and Colin earlier this year at the It’s My Wedding Show in Abbotsford when they were in the early stages of wedding planning.  We chatted a little bit about their engagement, a little about their ideas for their winter wedding, and a little bit more about the Canucks and the Penguins.

We were looking forward again, to meeting up with them for their engagement session at Campbell Valley Park in the early days of autumn.  We explored some of the trails, coffees in hand, and admired the warm fall weather, and the first signs of leaves changing.  What a gorgeous evening spent with these soon-to-be newlyweds!

Enjoy the photos!

Thank you for checking out our wedding photography.  If you'd like to know more about our lives in BC, or as Pebble and Pine Photography, Creative and Modern Victoria and Vancouver Island wedding photographers, you can read About Us.

Jericho Beach Engagement - Hayley and Kyle

Hayley and Kyle Get Silly During Their Sunset Jericho Beach Engagement // Vancouver Island Wedding Photographers

We met with Hayley and Kyle at Jericho Beach to do their sunny and fun engagement photos, because it’s one of Hayley’s absolute favourite places in Vancouver.  Being from the Toronto area, where their wedding will take place, Hayley and Kyle wanted their engagement photos to reflect their new life in Vancouver.   We started off the shoot by meeting their pooch, Hunter, swinging on swings, and jumping on logs!   At sunset, we headed over to the waterside for a gorgeous view of downtown Vancouver, where Hayley and Kyle donned their Vancouver Canucks hats with glee – a playful nod to their Toronto-loving kin!

Thank you for checking out our wedding photography.  If you'd like to know more about our lives in BC, or as Pebble and Pine Photography, Creative and Modern Victoria and Vancouver Island wedding photographers, you can read About Us.

Stormy Steveston Engagement - Char and Josh

Charlene and Josh Outrun a Storm in Steveston During Their Engagement Photos // Victoria Wedding Photographers

Last week was our first time meeting Charlene and Josh in person.  We got to know a little about their story over a Skype chat a few months ago, and learned about their elaborate and fun proposal.  A day long proposal to be precise.  The day he popped the question, Josh sent Charlene on an Amazing Race style scavenger hunt.  With a friend in tow to document the adventure, Charlene was sent from place to place, from clue to clue, to end up at the Capilano Suspension bridge where Josh was waiting… to trick her with a bracelet.  Later that evening Charlene and Josh met up with family and friends at their church, where Josh proposed (for real) in front of all of them!  We loved the story.  An adventure proposal?!  How amazing is that!  Charlene and Josh sounded like a couple we wanted to get in front of our lenses.

Since Charlene is currently doing her residency in Minnesota, we decided it would be a great opportunity to do their engagement photos when she came back in the summer for a week.  We had a date picked to meet up in Steveston for a candid picnic themed engagement session.  The day we picked was rainy and dark.  All.  Day.  Long.  So, we picked our back-up date and that was it, we would do it rain or shine!  The day rolled around and it seemed we were going to have a little bit of both: rain and shine.  Like troopers, Charlene and Josh braved it all.  When we got to Steveston the sky along the horizon looked promising, but the large black, wet looking cloud above us was threatening.  We walked and talked with Charlene and Josh (and some curious swans), trying to keep ten steps in front of the rain, quite literally.  The looming rain was never able to keep pace, but created such a unique setting for Charlene and Josh’s outing in Steveston.  We’re always so grateful that we get to shoot so many couples who are willing to roll with the punches, and embrace the unknown!  Afterall, that is one thing marriage is all about.

Thanks Charlene and Josh for being so adventurous, we think it totally paid off!  We can’t wait to see what happens on your wedding day, and be there to capture what will surely be an adventure.

Thank you for checking out our wedding photography.  If you'd like to know more about our lives in BC, or as Pebble and Pine Photography, Creative and Modern Victoria and Vancouver Island wedding photographers, you can read About Us.