Christa and Mike

 

I will always remember Christa and Mike's wedding as "that one where the power went out." Yup, true story.

But first... the beginning.

You're going to recognize a lot of people in this wedding party. I've shot the wedding of the maid of honour, who shared a bridesmaid, a junior bridesmaid, and a flower girl with Christa. They're a close group of girls, and I love revisiting them every time one or another gets married: it's guaranteed to be a blast!

Christa works as a hairdresser in downtown Sydney, Nova Scotia. I started there with the bridal party and watched the magic begin.

 

 

   

Even on her wedding day, Christa was not deterred from doing what she loves.

Neither was her daughter Ava.

Finishing touches at the salon...

...and moving on to...

these guys?

The ceremony was to be held in the beautiful Louisbourg Playhouse. It was built as part of a movie set for the Walt Disney movie Squanto: A Warrior's Tale and donated to the town after filming. It is small and beautiful in its simplicity, and on this day, it had no power. The entire town of Louisbourg was in darkness, but after only a ten-minute or so delay, Christa decided the show must go on and agreed to get married in the dark.

Someone had the forethought to light candles. It was beautiful, but I was losing my mind a bit. I wasn't prepared to shoot in the dark, and I wasn't sold on the idea of using flash in such a beautiful and romantic setting. I need not have panicked. The light from the doors was hauntingly romantic, and I couldn't have asked for a better setting for mood.


 

 

And then, as just as the vows were about to begin, Nova Scotia Power Corp. came to the rescue, and the theatre lights came on! After a good ribbing from the justice of the peace about Mike having a lightbulb moment, I got this:

...and quite possibly my favorite wedding kiss photo I've ever done.

 

Done!

Louisbourg, although tiny, has some amazing backdrops for photos. I was loving this wall and the old train tunnel it housed.
 

 

      

 

Then it was into Christa's dad's antique Chevy Malibu for a drive to Catalone for some beach scenery.

 

      

 

BAM! Nailed it like rock stars!

 

 

And I loved this suggestion from the wedding party:

 

What a gorgeous bunch!

Last stop before the reception: back to the house for some food and family and a quick shot to send to those who couldn't make the trek across the country to the ceremony:

 

 

Then, there was this.
The Albert Bridge firehall had been transformed into something spectacular. A candy bar, a cupcake bar, a buffet dinner, and streamers, lights, and amazing decorations everywhere. A truly awesome job by the decorators!

    

As expected, there was no shortage of people mingling and not once was the dance floor clear through the whole night. It was a fantastic time, and an amazing event and I am very thankful to Christa and Mike for asking me to be a part of it all.

 

 

 

    

 

 

 



The Ryder Cup 2012

The Ryder family are a classic 'Brady Bunch'. Mom with three kids marries Dad with three kids and a modern day tv sitcom is born. Those kids are all adults now with kids of their own and the seemingly inherited gene of knowing how to host a party like you've never seen before.

The Ryder Cup started out as a family event. A gathering in the backyard at the parents' for a day of food, fun, and washer-toss. Then people needed team mates, so friends came along. Then cousins, and cousins with friends and friends with cousins. Then co-workers heard and started showing up. Then there was an actual trophy, signage, and silk-screened team shirts.

On July 28, 2012, I packed up my camera and headed to Dartmouth for the 4th annual Ryder Cup.

First and foremost: the coveted trophy!

Everyone needed a little pre-game relaxing in the shade. It was hot, hot, hot that day!

There were fourteen teams in all this year, from the "Sexy Seniors" to the "Diamond Ringers". Here's a few showing off their competitive spirit!

     



The schedule's set, the players are psyched up!

 And so the games begin!

Jamie and Scorekeeper/MC Ron pull off the father-son lookalike like old pros.

And Bernice of the Sassy Ass Kickers doles out munchies to those in need!

In contrast to sports tradition, the more beer that was consumed, the more the rules were enforced!

In keeping with sports tradition, the more beer that was consumed, the more enhanced the victory dancing became.

Due to other commitments, I wasn't able to stay right through to the end. I'm told the games continued until it was too dark to see, and people were to drunk to toss. Jamie and Bobby (collectively known as Nerd Rage) took home the prize, and cleared a space on the mantle for the trophy... until next year.

Peggy's Cove 2012

One of Nova Scotia's most iconic images is that of the Peggy's Cove lighthouse. You've seen it here and this summer, a friend and I took a road trip back there to rest and relax and explore a bit of the village below the lighthouse.

There were tourists everywhere on the rocks west of the lighthouse, so this time we tackled it from a bit of a different direction. We were not disappointed.

        

Then we came across this poor guy.
Fear not, he wasn't dead. We were able to actually get close enough to touch him though, which was pretty neat, and then he looked at us with big, sad seal eyes and we knew we had to get him back in the water. A lady nearby ran to the onsite restaurant and a man came down with a big industrial broom and was able to very carefully nudge the little seal back into the ocean. Oddly enough, though, the seal wanted none of that, and made his way back up onto another nearby rock. At that point, we thought that maybe it was injured, sick, or possibly pregnant and grudgingly left it to it's sunbathing.

 The view back the way we came.

     

And a bit of the village of Peggy's Cove.



 

 

 

It was just after that last shot that I dropped my camera. If you've read my other posts, you'll know this isn't the first time this has happened. Fortunately, it was only my Canon PowerShot, also known as my 'pocket puppy' and although the LCD screen cracked, it still worked perfectly enough to take a shot of the other side of the road..

 ...and one last glimpse of the sentinal standing watch as we left.

Tall Ships 2012

Living on the ocean and working right on the harbour means I get to see some neat things. I have looked out my office window to see an occasional whale, more often a seal or two, massive cruise ships and tiny sailboats from ports all over the world. Every few years, I see pirates.

The Tall Ships came into port in July 2012. With them, they bring tourists in pirate costume, and with them, comes a festival-like atmosphere that lasts for the whole week. The boardwalk is alive, and the ships themselves make for breathtaking photography.

This one is actually an American coast guard ship, and it was HUGE!

 

ARRR matey!

Some people are so damned inventive, and the 'drums' actually sounded really good!

I loved the look of this one, and the frog head took the cake!

        

The Tall Ships tour all over the world, to ports large and small. If you get a chance, even if boats aren't your thing, I would recommend going on out and having a look or even a tour. Their craftmanship and beauty are second to none!

Ever get that feeling...

I'm at my computer desk doing some work, when I get that distinct feeling I'm being watched.
No... stared at.
Intently.

I think my Executive Assistant wants his lunch break. :)