Studio Name: Island in the Mist Photography
Website: www.islandmistphotography.com
Blog: http://islandmistphotography.blogspot.com

Q. What influenced your decision to become a wedding photographer?
A. Way back in the beginning, I was applying for a summer position which would have seen me traveling and organizing a series of province wide festivals in Newfoundland. I was pretty stoked about the job, because I am a bit of a social butterfly and I couldn’t wait to hear back from my application. Well, there was a mix up at the student employment agency and it seems that my resume ended up in the pile for the local newspaper. I was hired to sell ad space.
Well, I think everyone is born with a talent, and selling ads was not mine. Thankfully, a reporter from the newsroom was sick one day and there weren’t enough fill photos (kids on bikes, and bumblebees) and we were very close to deadline. The editor set a ‘real’ 35mm Pentax camera to pretty fool proof settings and handed me the keys to the company van with instructions to shoot outside as I didn’t have a flash.
I must have done alright with that because I didn’t have to sell ad space any more. After a whirlwind summer covering local politics, sports and human interest stories, I found myself enrolled in journalism school in Halifax a few short months later.
I am a bit soft hearted (I cry at commercials) and covering the hurt and sadness in the world just wasn’t for me! So after photographing the weddings of countless friends and families I decided I loved doing it so much that it should be my job! People search their whole lives to find something that makes their heart sing, and I am happy to have found my thing so early in my life.

Q. Describe your wedding photography style:
A. Your wedding day is your wedding day! My journalism background enables me to stand back and shoot what I see, to create stunning images. That said, there are images that are best made with a little coaching. I don’t want to interfere in any of the moments of the most special day of your life, so for the most part, you may see me, but you won’t notice me. I want you to enjoy the pictures of your wedding day, not picture me, when you think of your wedding!

Q. Describe your perfect client:
A. Hmmmm, perfect client, that’s a toughie. I am very easy to get along with and I like everyone I meet. I guess I most like to work with people who are a little like me. I am very outgoing, so I love people who are fun, friendly and excited to have their photos taken! I also love affectionate people. I am the type of person who feels compelled to touch your elbow when I think I am telling you something exciting. I also have a pretty dry sense of humour, and if you get that, than we will get along famously.
Ideally, you will value both style and comfort. Your dress will be a stunning and classic and altered to fit you perfectly. Your flowers and details will sing to the rafters about how stylish you are, and you will have given your shoes a great deal of consideration as you feel that the details do matter. You also will have been kind to your bridesmaids when selecting their dresses. Style and details do matter, but so does your relationship with your bridal party!

Q. What is your favourite part of the wedding day(s)?
A. – Hanging out with the girls at the salon and shooting the fun as they transform for the wedding. It’s not every day that you get such elaborate hair styles and professional makeup while sipping champagne with your favourite girls, so it’s awesome to shoot those moments
- The walk down the aisle as the dad is about to give his baby away, gets me every time.
- The look on the grooms face when he sees the bride for the first time. It amazes me how all grooms make almost the exact same breathless, silent, ‘wow’ with their mouths and eyes. While all eyes are on the stunning bride, the groom always has a little moment that only I get to see.
- The ecstatic looks on the couple’s faces as they walk back down the aisle together! Some of my favourite images ever have come from the few seconds between their big exit and before they get bombarded by friends and family
- The Father Daughter dance. Every. Single. Time.

Q. Where are your favourite places to shoot in Edmonton?
A. I love outdoor weddings. They feel much more intimate to me. I love Fort Edmonton Park so much I can’t tell you. There are so many ceremony, reception and photo locations there that no two weddings are ever alike.
I can’t wait to meet the special couple who will choose me to capture their love in the beautiful St. Josaphat Ukrainian Catholic Church in Edmonton. It is one of the very first things that blew me away when I moved to Edmonton, but alas, I have yet to shoot inside the church of my dreams!

Q. Do you photograph weddings outside of the Edmonton area, and if so, where are you able to travel?
A. I do! I do! I routinely shoot in Newfoundland and I am available for travel for amazing weddings anywhere you would like to take me! If variety is the spice of life, I want to see it and taste it all!

Q. What makes you different from other wedding photographers?
A. I love getting to know my couples (through email exchanges, coffee dates and engagement sessions!). I also love getting to know your families. The father of the bride is always the proudest person on the big day, and the mother of the groom often is so busy helping orchestrate things that she can get lost in the crowd, which I find so sad! Getting to know all of your key players allows me to capture not only your vow exchange, but your personal relationships with everyone you love!

Q. If you were getting married (or if you were to do it all over again), who would you choose to photograph your wedding, and why?
A. Oh, NO hesitation there. I would LOVE to have Jasmine Star. She has the ability to make everyone who stands in front of her camera look stunning. I know this for sure because there is no way that there are as many beautiful people in the world as her camera finds!
Of course my wedding dreams involve standing on my Grandfather Donovan’s fishing stage in Melrose, Newfoundland with only my nearest and dearest so that my Grandmother can see me get married. I am not sure that she would cross the continent, for such an event but if she wouldn’t, my good friend Chrystal is someone I would love to have with me on my big day!

Q. Do you photograph anything else other than weddings?
A. Oh yes. I carry a camera in my purse! It’s hard on equipment, but I love to capture life as my kids know it. Oh, you mean that kind of photograph! Sure do! Engagement sessions are my favourite thing to do on a Saturday and I love throwing on a pair of hiking boots on Sunday afternoons for some fun and unique family photos! Oh, and love is shooting my past brides with baby bellies! Let me tell you, when I say I like to be friends with my couples, I mean it!