Archive for the ‘Destination’ Category

Phoenix – Engagement Shoot with Justine Miller – Disneyland

February 14, 2010

Hi everyone,

We’ve just returned from an amazing relaxing 10 days in Phoenix. Sigh. It was a great way to recharge our batteries and prep for an incredibly busy time meeting with new clients.

Of course, we can’t go anywhere without a camera (or can we? More on that later…) so Michael met up with the incredible Justine Miller from Phoenix to second with her on an engagement shoot with Jenna & Marc (you can see Justine’s blog post of them here).

Here are some of the shots Michael nabbed during the shoot.  Hot!!

And here’s Justine working her magic.

Speaking of magic, we went on the craziest road trip ever.  It all started with a cold.  Andrew had the sniffles and he fell asleep in the car while we were driving to the science center.  We decided to keep driving and let him have a good nap.  Well, 6 hours later we found ourselves in Disneyland!  Here’s an iPhone snap of  the wind farms in California.

We had nothing with us. No change of clothes, toiletries….camera….  (Now don’t worry, we had plenty of clothes and diapers for Andrew.  At least one of us was prepared!).  It was the most spontaneous thing we have done in a long time.  We picked up a little Canon from Target, spent the night at a Best Western, and took in Disneyland the next day.  It was amazing!  It was raining a bit, and so Disneyland was absolutely dead.  There were no lines, and we walked right on to every ride.  Andrew loved the rides.  He would cry when we got off the rides, try to squeeze through barriers to get to more rides, and kept saying ‘ride?, ride?’. We left when Andrew was ready for bed, and drove all night back to Phoenix.

The whole trip was so surreal, and it was a great break from my normal sensible, organized, well-thought-out self.  And that’s the story of Andrew’s first trip to Disneyland!  Here are a few snapshots.

To cap off the trip, we had a celebrity sighting in the Phoenix airport!  This is Michael and Andrew with Nick Stahl, the star of the HBO series Carnivale (sadly, I was watching the luggage at the time, so didn’t get to meet him).  For anyone who hasn’t watched this show, I suggest renting it.  It was a short-lived series, but like any HBO series, immaculately produced. (And yes, it’s super blurry, Nick’s wife took it on our iPhone – thanks!).

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Posted in Destination, Engagements | 4 Comments »

Amita & Abheeshek – Cruise wedding from Tampa Florida to Cozumel Mexico

January 3, 2010

So, yes, we have the best job in the world.  I will say that a lot of people out there have a perception that all photographers do is take pictures, and I can assure you that an unbelievable amount of work goes into what we do beyond just snapping the shutter.  But I’m not going to deny that our job has some amazing perks.

So here’s the story.  Meet Dina & Amita.  Dina found us on the internet (thank you Google!) and sent our website to her friend Amita, who was planning a Hindu wedding on a cruise ship.  (So cool!)  Amita, her fiance Abheeshek, Michael, and I all had a long phone conversation getting to know each other, talking about the possibility of them flying us down for the cruise, and figuring out logistics.  So, first and foremost we have to thank Dina for finding us!  Here’s the REALLY cool thing – Dina is from Tennessee , Amita lives in Mississippi, and Abhee lives in Florida!

Fast forward nearly a year of mounting anticipation and this was our view as we descended into Tampa – yay!

From the moment we started to meet family members in the hotel and cruise to the moment we departed the ship we felt so welcome by the entire group.  We had a great chance to party it up with Amita, Abheeshek, and their friends, and spent a wonderful time on the Mexican island of Cozumel.  I hope you enjoy the visual journey of the cruise!

The pre-wedding events and wedding ceremony were held in a gorgeous theatre at the front of the ship.  This resulted in several people (myself included) becoming a bit seasick….but it was beautiful and therefore all worth it.

Here’s Michael hard at work.

See what I mean? The theatre was amazing!

Before the ceremony we had a few moments alone with Amita and Abheeshek on the incredible ship.  I love their colour choice – it goes so well with the ocean setting for their wedding (and goes very well with their wedding photographers too!)  And I redeemed myself from the seasickness by taking most of these shots…

So cool…I especially love the sparkles of Amita’s outfit playing with the light.

There were some great dancers on Abheeshek’s side to help start the ceremony.

Over a dozen cruise passengers not connected with the wedding sat in the upper balcony of the theatre and watched the entire ceremony.  They were absolutely fascinated.

From a photography perspective, we loved working in a theatre – the lighting was flawless. If anyone in Edmonton wants to get married anywhere with stage lighting please call us!

The day after the wedding we had a surprise for our gorgeous couple.  We had planned a mini photo shoot with them on Cozumel, Mexico.  We’d been to Cozumel before, and were a bit familiar with the island.  We met Amita & Abheeshek at Señor Frog’s, and told them we had already secured a great driver to take us to a beach out of town for the photo shoot.  Little did they know their driver was Michael!  We had rented a Jeep, scouted out a beach, and whisked them away to a stunning waterfront with a beautiful dock for a private photo shoot.

As Amita would say…”oh, dang!” These two are so good looking, check out Amita’s amazing eyes!

Now that the year has drawn to a close, I can say without question that this is my favourite ring shot of the year.  I’m really proud of this one.

We had a bit of time to ourselves after the shoot, and visited an awesome cliff-side restaurant called Coconuts where we ran into some of the wedding guests.  We had left Edmonton at -46 degrees Celsius (-51 degrees Fahrenheit for our American readers) and feet of snow to see topless Santa decorations in a Mexican bar.  Hence: coolest job in the world!  It was really strange to see Christmas decorations without snow though…

Absolute perfection.

This is the vision we were met with coming back to the ship after our stop in Cozumel.  Our Royal Caribbean ship Grandeur of the Seas is the one on the left. I’ve posted it already, but I think it deserves to be up here twice.

We finished the cruise with a crazy, fun reception.  Abheeshek, I had no idea you had such amazing Michael Jackson-esque dance moves!

Amita & Abheeshek, thank you both so much, and congratulations!  We had an amazing experience with you, and we look forward to keeping in touch over Facebook.  I hope we’ll meet again soon (Andrew really wants to meet you too!)

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Posted in Destination, Indian, Weddings | 13 Comments »

Rena & Uche – Calgary Wedding Photography – Newport Grill

August 18, 2009

Rena and Uche’s wedding was full of firsts for us: our first wedding in Calgary, our first Jewish wedding, our first Kola nut ceremony (Nigerian tradition) and our first weekend away from our son (who turns 1 this week!)

Rena and Michael grew up together, and their families have been great friends for a long time.  Rena’s parents Gail & Eli were guests at our wedding and we were honoured to be able to celebrate Rena’s wedding with them.

We first met Uche several months ago.  We heard the story of how Rena and Uche first met – they went to high school together and Rena had a crush on Uche.  At a high school basketball game, Rena was quietly admiring Uche’s rippling muscles as he dunked the ball.  She yelled in front of everyone “Dunk it again, Uche!” (and he did!).  They didn’t date during high school, they didn’t even really know each other.  They reconnected two years ago, and have been together ever since. 

Rena & Uche had a late ceremony and they met ahead of time at Rena’s parents’ house.

The out of town guests were treated incredibly well at this wedding.  An entire Italian restaurant was reserved for a fabulous dinner the night before the wedding (hosted by the community), and when we arrived at our hotel we were greeted by this:

A gift box with treats and traveller’s items such as toothbrushes and toothpaste (fitting, since Rena’s dad is a dentist!)

Rena requested photos on Stephen Ave in downtown Calgary.  We loved the chance to shoot in a new location, and we could have spent all afternoon exploring.

A beautiful private lakefront park is adjacent to the Newport Grill where the ceremony and reception were held. In between hail storms, the sun came out for Rena & Uche.

The Jewish wedding ceremony was beautiful, both visually and in the words that the Rabbi spoke about Rena & Uche.  They are unquestionably made for each other.

The chuppah was a blend of Jewish tradition and Nigerian culture – the roof was made from Nigerian cloth, to reflect Uche’s heritage.  The chuppah represents the home that Uche & Rena have created together – it is open on all sides to represent that their home will always be open to family and friends.

The wedding ring is placed on Rena’s right index finger as it is believed to be connected directly to her heart.

My favourite of the Jewish wedding ceremony traditions – the breaking of the glass.  “As the glass shatters, so may our marriage never break.” Mazel Tov!

During the reception, Uche’s parents explained the Nigerian Kola nut ceremony.  The ceremony involves the offering of Kola nut pieces to the guests. The more pieces the nut is broken into, the more prosperity for the guests.  The nut is offered as a sign of friendship.

Lake, sunset, gorgeous couple. Sigh…

The first dance…

…with a twist!  A Nigerian tradition is to place money on the heads of the couple dancing.  It was really cool to watch.

The Jewish first dance – the hora – was amazing!  We could barely move in the crowd, watching Rena & Uche and their parents being hoisted into the air on chairs.

Rena & Uche – thank you for sharing your love and your cultures with us.  We hope to welcome you into our home in Edmonton soon!

PS: Uche – if you have any questions about your new sound system, just give Michael a call…

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Posted in Destination, Jewish, Weddings | 13 Comments »

Jenny & Bruce – Engagement Photography – Vancouver BC

July 20, 2009

When Jenny emailed to see if we ever come out to Vancouver for photography, I replied with a very excited ‘yes!’ We couldn’t have been happier at the idea of travelling to do engagement photography for Jenny and Bruce.

Jenny and Bruce have very busy careers as doctors in Vancouver. They have always loved walking around Vancouver together, especially the seawall area.

We also headed to the iconic Granville Market, another favourite spot of theirs.

This is my favourite photo of the shoot.

Thank you so much Jenny & Bruce, we hope you are having a lovely holiday, and we hope you can find an internet cafe somewhere to view these images. We had a great time visiting Vancouver, and enjoyed our afternoon with you.

PS: Thank you for recommending Sand Bar on Granville, we had a great lunch there!

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Posted in Destination, Engagements | 1 Comment »

Nicole and Jesse – Wedding Photography – Waterton National Park

June 19, 2009

We were so happy to travel to Waterton National Park for Nicole and Jesse’s wedding. Not only were good friends getting married, but the mountain setting was absolutely stunning. It was any wedding photographers dream.

The ceremony was held at the Bayshore Inn right on the lake. Nicole’s family is from Edmonton, and Jesse’s is from Victoria, so the two families met in the middle. It was great to have all of the guests in the same location. We had a fun morning with Nicole and Jesse getting ready, they were moving between rooms and we were playing lookout so they wouldn’t see each other before the ceremony!

See what I mean about the location? Gorgeous.

I love this quick snap of Nicole during the ceremony. She looked amazing.

Andrew came with us for the weekend – he had a great time too! It was his third wedding, and he’s not even a year old…

We drove up to Cameron Lakes for photos, to find snow still on the ground and the lake mostly frozen. Welcome to summer in Alberta!

Michael and I each trekked into the frozen lake to get a few shots – it was darn cold, but totally worth it!

This is by far my favourite shot of the wedding. This is Michael’s version. Nicole and Jesse are very in touch with nature, and I love how they are draped around the huge tree root.

Simply sweet.

The shoe game from the reception was cause for a lot of laughs!

A note to all of our clients – if you play ‘Rasputin’ at your wedding, just TRY and keep Michael off the dance floor! Here he is with Jesse in a dance-off!

Congratulations Nicole and Jesse, we hope you are having an amazing tropical honeymoon, and we can’t wait to share some champagne with you when you return.

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Posted in Destination, Weddings | 8 Comments »

We’re back! (Did you know we were gone?)

April 29, 2009

We have just returned from a wonderfully relaxing week in the Mayan Riviera. It was hot, hot, and hot, and we’re not sad at all to have missed the blizzard.

Here’s one of the 4 pools at our resort, which was huge. Jealous? You should be.

The resort beach was beautiful with white sand and warm water. We enjoyed a few sunrises.

We are going to be photographing Amita & Abheeshek’s awesome cruise wedding in December, with a stop in Cozumel, which was a mere ferry ride from our resort. Since we were in the area, we had to check it out. We had a fun snorkeling trip, and saw one of the cruise ships (will this be ours?) docked in Cozumel. Being there made us even more excited for their destination wedding.

Another tourist stop – Chichen Itza, the ancient Mayan archaeological site ranked as the 5th wonder of the modern world. Wow. This is El Castillo (pronounced cast-ee-yo), the massive central temple of the site. It was built for astronomical purposes, and represents the Mayan calendar.

We took Andrew with us and he loved Mexcio. Did I say loved? I meant LOVED. He loved the bananas, the pool, the beach, the heat, and the elevator in the lobby. I’ve been chronicling Andrew’s life each month in photos, and his 8 month photos were on the beach. Here’s one of my favourites.

We’re back in action and hard at work. Don’t forget, we’re mere hours away from our unveiling!!! Our new project will be revealed MAY 1st at 9 AM. Keep your eyes on the blog!

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Posted in Destination, News | 1 Comment »

Rob & Lindsay – Engagement Photos in Banff

February 21, 2009

This is a very special blog post for us.  We have the best job in world, we get to spend the happiest day of people’s lives with them, and witness amazing committments of love.  We meet our couples before the wedding, their anticipation mounting, their excitement about the wedding and all of the planning apparent.  We see them on their wedding day, the final culmination of all of their love, joy, and hard work.  We see them afterwards to share the memories we have captured for them.  It’s a relationship that is often more than a year, and we grow to think of our clients, very often, as friends.

Sometimes it works the other way around, and friends turn into clients.  We’ve had a great friendship with Rob and Lindsay for a long time. Haley introduced the two of them five and a half years ago, and would like to take credit for them getting married…  When they announced their engagement we were ecstatic!  They’ve even asked Andrew, our little boy, to be a ring bearer, so you’ll definitely see a few photos of that on the blog.  We can’t be happier for Rob and Lindsay for their wedding coming up this May.

Rob proposed to Lindsay at the top of the Sulphur Mountain Gondola in Banff, and we thought there was no better place to do engagement photos.  Rob and Lin – you two were amazing to work with, and so willing to trust us and let us try new things.  We love the images that we created for you, and we can’t wait to see one of them hanging above the mantle in your house!

PS: There are bonus images on our Facebook page!

This is one of Haley’s favourites (not just because she took it….)

An amazing sky:

One just for fun!

Posted in Destination, Engagements | 10 Comments »

We’re back!

January 21, 2009

This is what we’ve been looking at for the last two weeks:

Sigh. I can’t believe we’re back to the snow.

We had a fantastic working vacation in Phoenix, and we can’t wait to share some photos of our trip and the Digital Wedding Forum convention.  It was an amazing experience, we met and learned from some of the top wedding photographers on the planet, we partied with some super cool people, and we came back energized and pumped for 2009!

We still have a few dates available for 2009 so get in touch soon because they’re going fast!  We’re now taking meetings for 2010 dates as well.

There are so many exciting things coming for Shandro Photo in the new year and there are a lot of things to post………after we unpack.

Posted in Destination, News | 2 Comments »

Rorik and Julia Ottawa Engagement Photos

April 29, 2008

We were in Ottawa this week and met up with Rorik and Julia for their engagement pictures.  After shooting them we are really looking forward to their wedding next summer in Sherwood Park.

Ottawa wedding dress

Ottawa destination wedding photographers

Destination photographers Ottawa

Destination wedding photography

Canada parliament photograph Ottawa

Peace tower Ottawa

How lucky we were to meet with the two of you in Ottawa.  It was so exciting taking pictures of you there.  We enjoyed chatting while walking up Sussex.  See you next summer!

Posted in Destination, Engagements | 3 Comments »

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