Summer Mini Session Style Guide | Alberta Lifestyle Photographer

Summer portrait season is in full swing, and I am sooo excited!  I know it can sometimes be a bit overwhelming to decide how dress for your session. So I thought I would post a little inspiration to help ya out. If you ever have any worries or concerns about what to wear for your photo session please feel free to let me know!! I would absolutely love to help you style it to perfection.P.S. In case you missed it! I am hosting mini-sessions for individuals, couples and families this July in DRUMHELLER! It's going to be so incredible and I have two sessions left!!  Click HERE to find out more.

Mark & Christina | Edmonton and International Wedding Photographers

Yay! I am slowly following through on my promise to do more full wedding posts and I couldn't be more proud to share with you the wedding of Christina & Mark Makkinga today! Their wedding day was one of those perfect days you are praying for your entire engagement. The sun was shining, the air was warm, the wind lightly blew through the colorful fall foliage; gorgeous right? Yes, I felt truly blessed to be able share this gorgeous day with an amazing Bride and Groom. I cannot begin to describe how awesome it was to work with these two and their bridal party included.  They put there complete faith in my abilities and we had an absolute blast shooting them from morning, well into the night! Check out the photos for yourself, aren't they a stunning couple?! Enjoy!!Truly,KarmenP.P.S.  Don't forget check out there photobooth video!!!P.S. Thanks, as always, to Jo and Brendan! 



© Karmen Meyer Photography 2010.  All images are property of Karmen Meyer.

kmeyerphotography.com….. kmeyerphotography.com/blog….. Twitter.com/KarmenMeyer

*if you would like to know more about my products and packages feel free to send an email to karmen@kmeyerphotography.com

Ben & Heather {sneakpeek} | Red Deer & International Wedding Photographers

Good Evening!!  I am more than thrilled to share some engagement photos I took of friends and stunning couple, Ben & Heather!!!  I am not going to lie, this was one of my toughest shoots to date.  Between the freezing cold wind, lack of shade and  intense afternoon light this last minute shoot was not easy on the nerves or the ears or the toes!!  Without any time to scout for locations, we had decided to shoot down by Gull Lake but upon arrival found it to be less then desirable.Fortunately though, being a gorgeous, patient and easygoing couple, Ben & Heather rocked this engagement session!!  You can barely tell that no one had feeling in most of their extremities less then 15 minutes into the shoot.  It was so fun working with you two; you are so amazing together.  Watching you joke around, being all cute and romantic while literally freezing was amazing =)  We had so much fun, especially considering the circumstances.  I can't wait to shoot your wedding; I am so glad that it is in September not February, haha.  I wish you all the best in the rest of your wedding plans, I know you guys will have such an amazing BIG DAY surrounded by all your friends and family!!  Hope you love the photos as much as I do, I cannot believe they turned out so amazing!!  ENJOY!!!Truly,Karmenp.s.  Heather is an amazing make-up artist and hair stylist who has collaborated with me on a bunch of shoots in the past and I look forward to lots more in the future!!!  If you want to check out some of her work, the most recent shoots Heather has participated in were part of the Red Deer Boudoir Marathon!  She also did make-up for a bunch of the Brides I worked with this summer.  If you want Heather to do your hair & make-up for your wedding or photoshoot, let me know and I will send you her way =)p.p.s  As always a huge thanks to Jo for toughing it out with me and being amazing as usual!!!

© Karmen Meyer Photography 2010.  All images are property of Karmen Meyer.

kmeyerphotography.com….. kmeyerphotography.com/blog….. Twitter.com/KarmenMeyer

*if you would like to know more about my products and packages feel free to send an email to karmen@kmeyerphotography.com

Collective Time Juried Show {can't believe I am a part of it!!!} | Edmonton Fashion & Editorial Photographers

I am so pumped to be able to say that two of my images made it into Capic's {Canadian Association of Professional Image Creators} Juried Show, Collective Time.  It is such an honour, and I am soo extremely excited to go see the work of so many great photographers and illustrators.

Collective Time is in conjunction with Exposure - The Calgary - Banff - Canmore Photography Festival. It will be on display from February 24th to 27th at DaDe ART & DESIGN LAB in Calgary.  If you stop by opening night, the 24th, not only will there be amazing images but also a DJ and free drinks!!!  Worth stopping by for sure, not to mention I would be thrilled to see you =)

Truly,

Karmen

Happy Valentines Day, Our Story | Edmonton & International Photographer

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!!! I hope that whether you are single or attached you take time today to appreciate all the loved ones in your life =)  I know I am so thankful and feel so blessed everyday to have an amazing husband, and of course a fantastic dog Penny!  I am admittedly not the most romantic person in the world but what the heck, it's supposed to be the most romantic day of the year or something so I will share with you a bit of our story in photos.Brad and I met in grade 10 and have been dating since grade 11, haha yup, we are high school sweethearts.  Unfortunately, we don't have many photos from this time.  We were just to plain busy having fun and hanging out with friends to get any.  But I managed to scavenge some from just after grad off of facebook, and one of these days I will track down some grad photos from my mom.   O man we look so goofy!Here is some more photos from right after grade 12 (I think).  My mama took some for us one afternoon, and I am super glad that she did!Okay, not gonna lie, I think this is totally cool!  We went on a high school Europe trip together!!  Unforgettable =)On October 4th, 2008 Brad gave me a huge surprise for our 4 year anniversary.  Packed and ready for nice weekend in the mountains, I soon found myself on an airplane on my way to Victoria!  It was such a fantastic weekend of exploring the city by foot and by rented motorcycles.  How we even got two bikes is beyond me, Brad doesn't even have a bike license!!  But, we convinced them it is cool in Alberta and they let us take them.  Which is lucky since after a long, cold, windy and rainy trip to 'Point no Point' Brad proposed to a freezing cold me.  It was freaking awesome!  I mean rain, motorcycles and the ocean, even I will admit that is pretty romantic ;)Told you it was wet!Wiffin Spit Park at Point No Point where Brad proposed, so pretty!Engaged Us!!Some engagement photos taken by awesome friend and amazing photog Crux!We finally got hitched on August 21st, 2009.  The day was perfect.  I always wished I could get married on a beach or in some European country but it was absolutely amazing to be surrounded by our amazing friends and family.  Photos again by Crux!We had a fantastic time in San Fran on our honeymoon =)  I am constantly planning our next trip together, can't wait!Our first year of marriage was absolutely amazing and included the purchase of our first house!  And the initiation of what feels like never ending renovations! We love it, it feels like home.Which brings us to some of the more recent photographs from this Christmas and my Birthday!!

For the entire time I have known Brad there has never been a dull moment.  Life has been good to use and we have been grateful.  Together we have been for almost 7 years and  married almost 2.  And what amazing years they have been, I cannot imagine it any other way.  Anyways, I hope you enjoyed a little piece of our story =)  Have a great rest of your V-Day Evening!!  We send you lot's of love and good wishes!Truly,Karmen

Stefan & Michelle | Edmonton Wedding Photographers

So, confession time,  I have been terrible at doing full posts of weddings, in fact, I don't think I ever have!!  But I am really going to try and change that starting now.  Here we go:I would like to introduce you to a fantastic Edmonton couple, Stefan & Michelle.  I was very excited to join them to document their ceremony and take some photos of just them, in love.  The ceremony took place on a gorgeous September afternoon in the beautiful Wedgwood Room at the Fairmont Hotel McDonald.  The place looked amazing, filled with a nervous groom, all their friends and family.  Gorgeous light poured in from the tall windows as Michelle made her way down the isle.  It was really beautiful.  Then, after a short and very sweet ceremony, Stefan and Michelle cut their cake and joined their friends and family for snacks and drinks!  It was easy to see they were so loved.  But, after a while I had to pry them away for a short while to do some photos of just them.  We had to fight a little to get a spot to shoot with another wedding going on, but we had just enough time to get some great shots outside before it started pouring rain.  I think that the rain made it even more romantic when we moved indoors to finish the session.  The hotel was filled with soft light and amazing nooks and crannies.  Such a great afternoon to spend with a lovely couple, I hope that they will cherish their wedding images forever.  ENJOY!!Truly,Karmen

© Karmen Meyer Photography 2010.  All images are property of Karmen Meyer.

kmeyerphotography.com….. kmeyerphotography.com/blog….. Twitter.com/KarmenMeyer

2010 a {adventure packed} year in review...... and what a year it's been......

2010; 2010; what memories is it that you hold.  Many of those who know me, know that I have a really bad concept of date and time.  Certain things feel like yesterday, others like ages ago even though it may have only happened days before.  It is a blessing and curse, and has forced me into a habit of writing things down, otherwise my memory would surely hide it for a later date.  So bear with me as I try to dig up some of my favorite, lost and important memories of 2010!  This is the first time I have ever attempted such a feat, let's see what my hectic memory brings back. ENJOY!!I am thinking this will not be chronological but just simply as it comes a to mind and of course illustrated with some of my favorite photos of the year. To begin, certainly the first memory that I welcome is that I got to celebrate my 1st wedding anniversary this September, umm I mean August 21st (told you I am bad with dates and stuff) with my awesome husband Bradley!!!!  We spent the whole time working hard on our new 1948 {very} retro house!  Yup thats right, 1 year of marriage and the buying of our first home!!  Only part of a very busy year!During the spring of 2010 I was very proud to graduate from NAIT's Photographic Technology Program with numerous scholarships and awards!!  I did decide to work for NAIT photographing the Convocation instead of being part of it but heck I got to take photos of  Arlene Dickinson {the dragons den} and Kevin Martin {Canada's Olympic Curling Team}!!  And since I obviously had no time to get my grad photos done I took some for myself =)

Also, I was super pumped to find out that I won the Grand Prize in Edmonton Journals 2010 Photo Contest!!!  Its was a fantastic prize that attracted hundreds of people to my website in a single day and thousands after that from around the globe!!  It also helped me afford some of my equipment that I needed =)  I still feel slightly in shock that won, I NEVER win anything!

2010 Grand Prize Winning Photo of my beautiful sister Isabelle!

During 2010 I had the opportunity to meet soo many amazing people in the industry whether it be other photographers, make-artists, creative directors or designers!!  Some of the highlights was that I got to spend 2 weeks on a work experience with the ever talented Ashley Champagne.  It was awesome to watch the beginnings of her new magazine Georgie and be able to assist on a Georgie shoot later on in the year.  It was an absolute joy spending time with Ashley, she is such a fun person and an amazing photog!!  Thanks for a great time Ash =)

Ashley!!

Did I mention I got to meet the amazing Joe McNally.  Many of you would know him by the many photos he shot for National Geographic and LIFE magazine =)  An unforgettable weekend! Such an amazing photographer!

Me and Joe Mcnally!!

Shot snagged from the back of the auditorium during Joe's demonstration.  Handheld.  I was shocked it came out so well.  No post.

I also spent another summer assisting an amazing Edmonton Wedding Photographer, Kelly Redinger.  And a fantastically fun summer it was =)  Additionally, I had the absolute pleasure of working with super talented and super fun Roth & Ramberg, two of the best commercial photographers out there.

Shot while assisting Kelly =)

And last but certainly not least I started my very own photography company, Karmen Meyer Photography.  It has been an amazing adventure full of some seriously amazing people and photo-shoots, as well as the many frustrations of the 'business side'.  But I can honestly say I am totally happy with my decision jump in 100% wholeheartedly;  I may have been 100% drained some days but other days I was 100% fulfilled.  This entire year I was overwhelmed with the encouragement of tons of friends, family, followers and facebook fans that helped me and pushed me to further my photography.  Seriously, all your emails and comments all mean so much to me and have really helped shape my photography.  I went in thinking it was going be a slow first year;  but it turned out to be filled with so many amazing clients!  I would be lying if I said I was prepared for it all, and that I even had a hope of staying on top of the workload.  I totally appreciate everyones faith in me and of course your patience as I continue to improve my workflow and business end =)  Here are just a few of my favorite images from 2010 to add to the above, whats your fave?!?!In no particular order:

The above photos was developed in Instant Coffee and Vitamin C!!  How crazy weird is that?   Thought it was pretty cool.

First Ever Boudoir Marathon!!  Visit my DESIRE BOUDOIR to see more!!

The Actual Proposal;  I will remember this magical moment forever!

Over all, this year has definitely been a year of changes and growing up.  This is the first year since Gr.10 {yes I am talking about highschool!) that I was unable to indulge in my persistent travel bug because of all the commitments of the new business, house, etc.  Many of my friends graduated university, got married and many even are starting families.  Some relationships faded but the important ones only grew stronger.

I hope that 2011 will allow me to spend more time and energy on the things I truly love and am passionate about.  I have so much more to learn and look forward to pushing myself to become stronger photographer and a better person!  I wish you all the best in a new year full of new hopes, new dreams, and new possibilities.  Life is what you make it; here's to a Happy New Year!Truly,Karmen

P.S  A huge thanks to Brendan Klem and Jo Rodenburg and everyone else who helped on all the shoots. Absolutely couldn't have done it without all of you =)

P.P.S What were your favorite parts of 2010!? And what are you looking forward to in 2011??!!

P.P.P.S Don't forget to check out these funny Karmen Meyer Photography Videos & Photobooths!!

P.P.P.S Check out kmeyerphotography.com & desireboudoir.wordpress.com to see more of my work.  ENJOY!!