2008 was an amazing year in our lives and in the evolution of our business. 2009 has already brought some exciting things, and we can’t wait to see what comes next. Here’s a look back at our life in 2008. Some of these photos you will have seen before, and some are new – just because I love them.
January
At Melissa & Shaun’s wedding I had my first wedding-related injury. I slipped on some ice at the Legislature near the end of the shoot. I professed that I was fine, and hobbled to the car while Michael finished up. As we drove away, I realized I needed to go to the hospital, I ended up with 7 stitches in my left knee and a sprained right ankle. Yikes! I would show you a photo of the stitches, but Melissa & Shaun are much more exciting.
Tony & Theresa had a very intimate ceremony of 6, which proves that no matter how big or how small your wedding, all that matters is love.
In January we also had a booth at Bridal Fantasy, and it was great to meet so many people, we had a wonderful time. In 2009 we decided that the challenges of our 5 month old, and the proximity of our trip to Digital Wedding Forum would make it a little tough, but we hope to be back in 2010!
February
Karen & Jon had a beautiful family-oriented wedding. Their story is incredibly touching, you can read it here.
March
We celebrated with Erin & Brent (our first groom up a tree!), and Ellen & Chad
April
Sarah & Eli were married amidst a spring blizzard in Edmonton.
May
Now that I sit down and write this, I realize how busy May was for us!
May brought me to Ottawa for day job-related training (something Michael doesn’t have to worry about since he does photography full time!), and it made things a bit challenging for us. I was there for just over 3 weeks by myself, 6 months pregnant, and we still had weddings every weekend. I made the trip back to Edmonton a couple of times to make sure I didn’t miss anything.  Michael came to Ottawa for part of the trip, so we could meet up with one of our 2009 couples (Rorik & Julia) for a fun engagement session.
This is my favourite installation at the National Gallery in Ottawa, entitled Maman by Louise Bourgeois.
We witnessed the wedding of old friends and new in May: Elaine & Bernie, Heather & Chad, Jenn & Gerard, Kristi & Tyler, and Carrie & Jeremy
We also managed to squeeze in a quick trip to San Francisco at the end of May, it would be the last vacation before the arrival of our son. We LOVED San Francisco, and would love to go back and shoot some weddings there. It’s an amazingly beautiful and vibrant city.
June and July
Super busy! In June we had Hawaiian fun, and a trip out to Galahad. July brought our biggest wedding ever (Ashu & Garry), and a trip to Shandro, Alberta! So cool. Congratulations to all of our June & July couples: Angele & Declan, Deana & Chris, Jasmyn & Mitchell, Melissa & Jeff, Ashu & Garry, Elizabeth & David, Kristin & Jason, Alison & Sean
August
I can’t take credit for any of the photos from August. By the beginning of the month, I had to quit shooting as I neared the end of my pregnancy. It was really hard for me to put down the camera, but some of the images from these weddings are my favourites of the year. Michael had the chance to bring Australian photographer extraordinaire James Day along to Rachelle & Mike’s wedding.
Our lovely and talented assistant Christy did an amazing job with RaeAnne & Yvan, Pam & Mark, and Kim & Steven in August.
August brought us the joy of our little boy, Andrew. He’s now 5 months old, and it’s amazing how he has changed our lives. I honestly believe he’s changing our photography as well. We are so focused on LOVE in all its forms. A look into his eyes makes my heart melt, and we want to bring that same love and honesty to our work.
September
Edmonton enjoyed a beautiful warm fall, and four more awesome weddings, Shanna & Brett, Oriana & Mike, Ashley & Troy, and Amanda & Brady. We want to congratulate in particular Amanda & Brady, who raised $10,000 for breast cancer research in lieu of gifts.
October
We ended the season with two great weddings, Melissa & Frank celebrating not only their marriage, but the arrival of their son Gabe, and Anita & Jeff, two crazy kids in love.
We took a wedding hiatus for November and December – once we found out Andrew was arriving, we didn’t want to take on more work than we could handle so we declined weddings for that time. Then, of course, never to ever truly take a break, we decided to move! I don’t have photos from the new space yet (I have a grand unveiling planned when we are a little more settled) but if you want a sneek peak, make sure to set up a meeting with us. It’s a great place for us to keep our family life and work life separate, which is no easy task.  December also brought the PPOC-AB (Professional Photographers of Canada – Alberta) annual convention where we enjoyed learning from speakers such as Jim Garner, and Michael had a print accepted in the print salon.
We spent some time away from Edmonton this year, and saw a lot of Alberta that we hadn’t seen before. We visited: Josephburg, St. Albert, Sherwood Park, Leduc, Camrose, Rollyview, Galahad, Wetaskiwin, Shandro, Onoway, and everywhere in between.
You’ll notice I haven’t talked at all about the other side to Shandro Photo – families, kids, and babies. We’ve got a really cool project in that regard that we’re bringing out later in 2009 so you’ll just have to wait. We absolutely love working with families to create some beautiful memories and art work. If you are intersted pleased don’t hesitate to ask (although if it’s a Saturday in the summer, we’re not going to be available!).
We want to sincerely thank all of the couples that we have worked with this year, and their families for welcoming us into their homes and lives with open arms. We feel so lucky to have this amazing job, and all of the people we were able to photograph this year have been so much fun and so in love.
