Beauty in Bellies

Well here we have one of my favorite families. Ever. I have known Maritte since before I was able to walk. We have gone through many firsts together... first steps, first grade, first peeing of pants due to hysterical laughter, first loves, first BAD breakups, first traveling experiences.... She in fact isn't even a friend... she is family. She has been on more Wallis family roadtrips than anyone aught to, she gets all the really bad inside jokes, we know the same silly songs, I think she even held my baby sister before me (urg)... and according to my brother, she was way more fun to play with than me.

So, to my delight, on her wedding day (where I was not only her Maid of Honor, but also her photographer)... she married another very good friend of mine... (in fact, I introduced them when I told her 'husband to be' Eduardo, that Maritte would be walking down with us for our high school graduation) Eduardo has always been a wonderful friend to me, and in fact, we treat each other more like siblings than friends... Maritte has given up on trying to get us not to fight... we tend to be at each other frequently... But I love him like a brother none the less.

Fast forward to the birth of their first child. I was working away with Princess Cruises, bobbing around the seas, attempting to quiet my restless pirate heart... Maritte was due soon.... I knew that... I was having pain.... cramping... couldn't stop thinking about Maritte.. I looked at a friend on board the ship... 'My friend Marittey is having her baby', and she was... right at that very time. I felt so far away, yet still so purely connected to her and her family.

I couldn't be happier to be able to be here, and capture these maternity memories with them, and really look forward to meeting the newest addition to this love fueled wild bunch. I love you all so very much. ox Eduardo took this photo of Leola and I (which I love) I do not believe you can NOT love this face! and then we headed out for some outdoorsy fun images... I love this image. Just giving mom some snuggles And who can resist the run away shot... look at her little legs!!!

Moments on the mountain.

Although I love the usual Campbell River scenery so deeply, was it ever refreshing when Beth suggested this majestic mountain top location for photos. If you are looking to do family photos in the next year or so, I strongly urge you to dive deep into your own creativity banks and come up with a location that means something to you, and that you love.. treat your session like a tattoo... the more thought and meaning you give it... the more amazing and expressive it will be.

Here is what I saw.

Kim and James could use your help...

Many of you expressed a sincere impact that the photos from Kim and James Wedding had on you. They may have a bit more when you learn of the past 2 weeks events. Kims sister Tara has started a blog to keep us updated on James' condition and progress. This is a bit from Tara's blog...

"On Thursday September 25th at three in the morning, James and his band mates were in a tragic car accident near Brandon, Manitoba. James and his band (The Hotel Lobbyists) were following their dream of touring across Canada, and were only a few days from arriving back home in Vancouver. It was a terrible accident that resulted in the unfathomable loss of their drummer and close friend, Mike Gurr. The accident involved only their van which went off the road and rolled. James was thrown from the vehicle and has been fighting for his life ever since. He is in ICU at the Winnipeg Health Sciences Centre. Kim, his mother, father, sister, and my mom are all in Winnipeg with him."

You can read more about James' condition here... http://www.kimandjameswood.blogspot.com/

Kim has spent most of her life in and out of hospital with Cystic Fibrosis. She is such a pillar of strength, love and compassion... and takes nothing for granted. To give you an idea about the kind of human being that James is... he organized and created an entire music festival with all proceeds going directly to Cystic Fibrosis. These two are not ordinary people, and most certainly didn't see all of this coming.

It is all incredibly sad, and tragic and even depressing that these things can happen to such wonderful people... but the good news is.... we can help them.

DONATIONS AND CONTRIBUTIONS to helping these two amazing people pay rent, bills and help them pull through this (when they eventually WILL) can be made with the following information from Tara Black.

"A number of people have asked where they can send money to help - which is so tremendously generous. There has been a trust fund set up through the Royal Bank - you can contribute through any Royal Bank, and have it sent in the courier bag to: James and Kim Wood, Brooks Landing Branch, Nanaimo, Transit #3160, Att Sue Gibson.

Or if you would prefer, you're more than welcome to send a cheque to me (Tara Black), made out to Kim Black that I will get to her. My address is 1003 - 2041 Bellwood Avenue, Burnaby, BC, V5B 4V5. "

Thank you to any or all of you who contribute to these two.

Betcha wont be complaining about your thighs, or nasal congestion or jeans being too tight today huh. I know I wont.

Life is so fragile. Lets help Kim and James through this.

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.

One of those days...

It happens.  Bad days, bad months, bad years... Hopefully they pass, usually they do. And how good life can be, how clear, how beautiful after a few bad days. It may take a while, but its worth pulling through. My beautiful, wise and cherished friend Momma Mady used to always say to me, "pull up your boots girl, the tea is on". May today be a better day. A good day. (this image below was taken about a minute after the one above, if only, it were always that easy!)