2009 Wedding Dates, going going......

Just wanting to fill you in on dates that have already been booked with ERIN WALLIS PHOTOGRAPHY. It looks to be an exciting year with a variety of wedding locations virtually all over Vancouver Island. We'll be at Tigh-na-mara in Parksville, Quadra Island, Victoria, Courtenay, Cortes Island, Campbell River and more.

Below are the already RESERVED dates for 2009. March 7 and 21 April 4 May 16,30 June 20 and June 27,28 July 4,8,11,18,19 and 25,26 August 1,7,8,13,15,18,28 and 29. September 12 and 19. October 11.

The above dates have all been scooped up, and I am already booking into 2010 and have a number of dates there going as well. If you are hoping to book with me, and your date looks to be still available, send me and email to erin@erinwallis.com, and we'll see what we can do! We look forward to hearing from you!

Memoirs of a Wedding Photographer "2008"

Is it possible that an entire year has breezed past us again?Apparently so. I find it incredibly hard to believe that in just 4 months, I have been involved with thirty couples getting married in Campbell River, and all over Vancouver Island. THIRTY. To think that about three years ago I would start off with five booked weddings. Four years ago, I had two... and now, Thirty.

To all of my 2008 love infused couples, you swept me off my feet, inspired me, challenged me and trusted me, none of which, I take for granted! Each wedding, more love, more emotion, deep breaths, life choices, heartfelt speeches, juicy happy tears,and all incredibly unique moments. I am honored. Always. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU.

I am actually a bit overwhelmed at the task of choosing only a few... so there may be more than a few!

Consider these images, my personal memoirs from 2008... I can barely contain my excitement at having a whole new year, the ol' blank canvas... to create as much art as humanly possible. Let's pour our whole souls out this year people! Why not!!! Here's hoping that these images make you smile, inspire you, stir emotion, or even brighten your day.

Bring on 2009!

Christina and Darcy Mayan Magic....

It is a beautifully stormy day today... and while listening to the wind howl through my windows, and rain exploding out of the sky, I've decided that it is time to share Christina and Darcy's wedding photos. We were in the Mexican Riviera, engulfed with lovely humid air and sticky sweaty heat. It was a beautiful sunny day, everything was perfect.

I often question what I do as a photographer. Do I just take pictures, or is it art? Do I capture moments, tell stories, do I make photographs, or take them... or is the camera just an extension of me, a vehicle for me to express the beauty I see in nearly every single moment. I believe the answer lies somewhere amongst all of the above. I just see beauty. Everywhere, and at times its so overwhelming, I just want to stop it, freeze it, package it all up and keep it forever... and before I know it, I'm releasing the shutter of my camera, trying to do just that.

I want you to see it too, feel it, and the closest way I've found to connecting with people I barely know, is to show them how beautiful, honest, brave, soulful, joyous, loving, creative, magical and amazing I see them as being, through my images. I'm so grateful that you take the time to swing by for a look at how I view the world. I've heard it said, that a photographer puts themselves in every image they take, each photo a reflection of how they see the world. I feel there may be some truth to that.

This is how I saw Christina and Darcy's wedding last weekend. A few images that I feel reflect the beautiful simplicity of their day. What an honor it was to be flown to Mexico, forced to drink margaritas, spend a week with, and photograph Christina and Darcy's wedding.

May you see beauty everywhere.

Magic and Light.

There are rare occasions when the universe offers you moments like these, LIGHT like this.

When sunlight is offered to you bursting through an incredible storm, amidst a downpour of rain, you take it. Quietly. Humbly. (not that I was either) You take it, and then you take your bride and groom out from under their umbrellas and tell them excitedly to "LOOK AT THE LIGHT". I was totally overwhelmed by this remarkable gift. It wasn't for long, I believe it was 10 minutes of no rain, and pure magic, but it was enough. Enough to remind me that, we are certainly surrounded by something sublime, surreal and powerful.

Appreciative, Grateful, and Awestruck. That's me.

When Jeremy and Tabitha originally contacted me to photograph their wild west coast wedding, I was instantly inspired, but had already booked a birthday party for the same day... Luckily I had some wonderful clients who even moved their daughters first birthday party to the day before, to enable me to capture these wedding images for Tabitha and Jeremy. I am so honored, moved and grateful to have been at the Wickaninnish Inn with you all, (all eleven of you) It truly restored my faith in believing that small, intimate weddings are possible on Vancouver Island!

These images... this light... Tofino, British Columbia, are all, very special to me.

I hope your week is full of amazing light.

Becoming Present...

It's no secret that I photograph a lot of weddings, being in a small town its also no surprise that I photograph people that I know. But I have only photographed a handful of true 'friends' weddings. Tiffany and Braden fall into the very good friend category. (I'll apologize in advance for the long winded round about way this is delivered.)

The first wedding I ever photographed, I was in the bridal party... another one a few years later was the deciding factor for me, that I should be photographing weddings for a living. That one was 5 years ago, that was my good friend Sarah and Jody's wedding.

The moment I knew I HAD to be photographing weddings, was not during the wedding, when I was bouncing around, crawling on my tummy for the perfect shot... or even when I was climbing up a ladder (in a long skirt) to reach the roof top of Jody's parents house for a fun group shot.... but more so after... when so many people made a point of talking to me, and letting me know how much they appreciated my energy at the wedding, and also seeing the reaction of everyone when they saw the images. It was then that I realized... hmmm... maybe I'm alright at this. Not to mention... hmmmm maybe weddings are alright to photograph. (I was one of many budding photojournalism students who swear to NEVER shoot weddings, for fear of bridezillas, momzillas... and doilies) Truth be told, I loved Sarah and Jody's wedding, and I loved photographing it. So there spawned my wedding journey.

What I'm getting at is that being at weddings, involved with weddings is natural for me. Its what I do. I go through the motions, I get to know people, the connections they have with one another. I pay attention to detail, I look for light, I watch peoples faces, their body language. I capture memories... almost without thought. It feels right.

So I never really realized that it WOULD be different photographing a good friends wedding at this stage of my career.

I have done many MANY foolish things with Tiffany, driven cars without licenses, picked up random hitchhikers, (a LOT of stories that stay locked within us as well)....I've stayed up talking all night with Tiffany, shared a love of literature, art, books and dance with Tiffany...

I put as much energy into every single wedding. I give every client, every thing I've got. I truly do. Maybe that's why I've heard people say, they feel like they know the people in my images... because even if I don't, I feel like I do. So I was working, bending my mind, my heart to create wedding images for Tiffany and Braden... pre-ceremony, I was photographing her through her veil, her shoes, the makeup, the dress... I was scurrying over to catch the fellas, Braden waiting patiently, admittedly, finally "a little" nervous... I was working, going through the motions... It wasn't until the ceremony when I watched Tiffany walking down the isle with her dad and mom, welling up with a few 'almost' tears... that I realized... I know her. That is Tiffany. The same girl, I wrote notes religiously back and forth with in high school, the same one that shaved her head for fun, the same one that knew my family, knew my history, knew me, just as much as I knew her. TIFFANY was walking down the isle! My senses tingled, and I became incredibly present. Increasingly so. It was a beautiful thing.

Here is how I saw their wedding day.