We had a rather fantastic time reconnecting with Amber and Dave on their engagement session. We headed down to the The Ranch in Fish Creek (even though we all live in the North, it’s just prettier in the South!). The shoot involved lots of giggles, some stellar blue steel looks, head banging with sunglasses and of course (my) Dave showing off his human ladder skills while I climbed onto his shoulders for a higher perspective (he’s so versatile!). Needless to say we’re excited for their wedding coming up this summer!

When I saw the sunglasses that they brought as props I was fairly certain we were going to have a fun shoot

The bling!

I’ll leave you with this one, because I love that it’s so smiley.

Hey ladies! I (Abigail) am hosting a boudoir marathon on Sunday, May 6th, 2012 at Hotel Le Germain with the fabulous makeup artist Kesar Lacroix. It will be a fun day of music, champagne and pampering! Space is limited, so contact Abigail at sexy@abigaildavid.com to book your session!

We had a great time shooting around downtown Calgary with sweethearts, Kathleen and Andrew. Props to Andrew for loosening up even though that was the first time he met us! Kathleen is obviously gorgeous and the two of them were so great to work with. Thanks for the great shoot guys!

Dave and I took a brief hiatus to Belize, a beautiful little country in Central America. We stayed on an Island called Ambergris Caye, which is about an hour or so boat ride to the mainland. Besides working on our burns, we checked out some Mayan ruins, took a boat ride through a river to see some wildlife… Dave had a wild monkey on his lap! And we happened to be there during carnival. We also did our open water Scuba diving certification there and I gotta say it was pretty amazing, once my brain stopped panicking and realized it wasn’t going to drown. They have a beautifully maintained barrier reef that is packed with life. In fact our whole Island was pretty well maintained. Belize puts a strong focus on eco tourism, in an effort to preserve the natural beauty that’s bringing tourists there and boosting the economy. Pretty smart. We were on break and we didn’t bring our nice cameras, but I thought I’d share a few of our iPhone vacation shots with you

Our first night there we happened by a Canadian pub and met some crazy friendly and rad locals. Tom, Shelly and Bella were kind enough to tell us about their beautiful Island and share some warm hospitality with us. Bella has a blog called Bella in Belize, it’s a great resource if you’re considering visiting Belize!

This is Dave and I after carnival. The kids in the town form teams and each team has it’s own paint colour (which sometimes has rotten egg mixed in so you can smell a team before you see them!). The goal seems to be getting your team colour on as many people as possible. It turned out getting branded was ridiculously fun (because we didn’t get any rotten egg paint)! Also as a note, a lot of the kids were running around barefoot and when a glass broke on the ground everyone nearby cleaned it up right away. We were impressed with how much they take care of each other.

A wall in town, a few days after carnival.

We did a Mayan tour with Searious adventures (Belizeans love puns, seriously, they’re everywhere). I would definitely recommend them. Oh and tying in with their eco tourism, our breakfast and lunch was all home cooked and packed in Tupperware. So yummy with so little waste!

This is Dave looking way cool while snorkeling. We tried snorkeling and diving, I gotta say diving was way more immersive!

I’ll leave you with a shot of our view. We could get used to island life! For about two weeks, and then we’d go crazy with needing something to do, haha. Happy Monday!

Jewely and Nadir’s wedding was full of classic winter romance, killer dance moves, out of town guests all the way from Germany, tears, laughter and so much love. It’s clear to see why they are so loved, their warm, fun loving energy is contagious and together they light up every room they enter. It was an honour to share in their wedding day!

Bride’s Gown(s): Kleinfelds NYC (Maggie Sottero – SaBelle)
Bride’s Shoes: Nine West
Jewelry: Bloomingdales NYC
Groom’s Tux: Tip Top Tailors
Ceremony Venue: Knox United Church
Marriage Commissioner: Rev. Grant Dawson
Floral Designer: Bride and Aunt (Deborah Laing-Fuller)
Makeup: MAC Market Mall
Hair Stylist: Alesha – Hair Dimensions
Cake:  Kristy Walton – Sister of the Bride
Reception Venue: Edgemont Community Association
DJ: Hurricane Hollywood
Candy Bar Goodies: Target USA, M&M World, Superstore
Groom Hair Stylist: Tania Belcastro
The Bar: Duty Free, Willowpark Wine and Spirits, Costco Liquor, Real Canadian Liquor Store, Co-op Wine and Spirits, Sobeys Spirits
Official Beer of the Wedding: Erdinger Weissbier
Catering  table clothes and napkins: Alpine Catering Ltd.
Official Airline of the Wedding: WestJet
Bobbleheads: YouBobble
Custom Cufflinks: Cuffwear Inc. Customs
Flasks: Things Engraved
Limousine Rental: Bust Loose!
Wedding night Hotel: Calgary Marriott Downtown Hotel
DIY Elements: Center Pieces, Favors, Programs, Menus, Decorations, Seating Chart, Cocktail Hour Food, Dessert Buffet (Family made our favorites) and Midnight Buffet

Hey ladies! I (Abigail) am hosting a boudoir marathon on Sunday, May 6th, 2012 at Hotel Le Germain with the fabulous makeup artist Kesar Lacroix. It will be a fun day of music, champagne and pampering! Space is limited, so contact Abigail at sexy@abigaildavid.com to book your session!

So it’s noon on a BEAUTIFUL sunny day with all blue skies. Yay! The perfect situation for taking pictures right?! Well actually no. So there are thick clouds in the sky and there’s even a light drizzle of rain with a thick fog late in the afternoon. Pack it in, photos are done for and everything’s fired right? Not even a little bit true! Sometimes it seems like the opposite of what you would expect actually makes the best light for photos. Clouds, fog and drizzle produce beautifully diffused light and can create a lot of drama when paired with off camera flash. Direct overhead sunlight creates harsh shadows that could make even the most glamorous look the most unglamorous. We can’t control the weather, but we CAN control the time. And time plays the biggest role in the quality of natural light. Let’s explore this…

Most Challenging 

Noon on a sunny day. The sun is directly overhead and this creates harsh light which casts deep shadows in your eyes and under your nose. A work around is shooting in the shade where the light is MUCH softer. Though it can be trickier to find shade because the light is directly overhead at this time. Can we work with this light? Of course! Is it better to shoot at a different time whenever possible? YES!

Golden Hour

Just after sunrise and just before sunset creates light for a time that we call the “Golden Hour”. This light is warm in colour and low in the sky so it creates a romantic, magical look in images. We always strive to shoot portraits during this time whenever possible. Where we live in Alberta sunrise and sunset are drastically affected by the season, so sunset in August may be at 9:20 pm while sunset in December may be at 4:30 pm. Huge difference. So we’ve made it easier on ourselves by downloading a free app for our iPhones called Sunrise Sunset Lite which tells us the exact times for each on any day. This way when we’re scheduling a shoot for the “golden hour” we can know the best time within seconds.

Night Photos

Night photos are very fun and different. They tend to produce a more edgy and controlled look because they require us to use our own off camera flashes. This means it takes a little longer set up each photo and images are a little less candid because you have to stay within the positioning of our off camera lights. The best places to do an evening shoot are where there is a lot of man made light that you can incorporate into the background, like a downtown street full of lights and displays. The best timing for an evening shoot is just before sunset, this way you can get a few natural light shots as the sun is going down for another look before you begin with your night shots.

Some photographers are strictly natural light and don’t do night shots, some may love sunny at noon for some reason. This light happens to be what works for us and the way we like to shoot. If you want a particular type of look, or if you’re not sure how to describe the look you want, feel free to ask us and we would be happy to work with you on options and timing!

This afternoon we were very honoured, surprised and THRILLED to discover we have been chosen as one of the 25 most inspiring photographers of 2012 by Weddingbells! There are so many talented photographers in this post so please go see them all HERE! Yay! *Happy dance*back flip(if I could)*

A bunch of Calgary vendors and us decided to work together to create a Moroccan inspired bridal shoot. We shot on a beautiful September day in Calgary, with many passers by admiring the detailed and gorgeous decor setups by Kalista Weddings. Dave and I were exhausted before we started the shoot because we shot a wedding the day before, but once the actual shooting began that exhaustion melted away and was replaced with focus and energy. One of the many reasons why I love what we do. Thanks to Dave for assisting and climbing the tree so many times to hang things and all the talented vendors that contributed! Below is a selection of favourites, enjoy!

Photography – A&D Photography
Set Decor & Design, Florals, Stationary: Kalista Weddings Inc.
Hair & Makeup – Kesar Lacroix Makeup Design 
Wardrobe Styling – Adriana Sveen
Male Model: Bradley S., SHIFT Talent
Female Model: Priya Banerjee
Priya’s white dress: Ruby Ellen Designs
Brad’s suit: Henry Singer Menswear
Priya’s Jewelry: Closet Jewelry, Bibelot Jewelry (fashion central), Ian Davidson Custom
Yann Haute Patisserie – Macarons (Yann & Jeraldine)
Loose leaf teas, Moroccan mint tea favours: Tea Urbana (Andrew)
Cream puff tower and centrepiece: Cruffs (Mario) 
Moroccan wedding cakes: Miss Bossy Cakes (Tasha Olson)
Argentinean cookies: Coco Karamel Alfajores (Marisa Bilbao)
Penny-Farthing Bicycle: Eugene Saunders

I frequently get asked this and there are no hard rules to the answer, but below is a guideline of options. I hope this helps, and if you have any questions please don’t hesitate to use that comment button!

1) Let’s get the more solid guidelines out of the way first: Avoid high jacket collars that could obstruct your face and won’t stay down. If you’re wearing heels bring a pair of flats for walking in.

2) Wear what reflects your styles and makes you feel good. This can be torn blue jeans, a ball gown and suit, a sun dress and button up shirt, anything that is you.

3) Coordinate outfits. If it’s torn blue jeans go for a similarly casual look for your other half, or if it’s a ball gown go for a tux. Have fun with it!

4) Dress for the feel. Do you want a lighthearted feel? Then dress more casual. Do you want a playful, creative feel? Then dress more funky. Do you want a classy feel? Then dress up!

4) Bring a second outfit. This is optional and not required of course. Couples often like to change outfits halfway through their session to get two looks, with changing rooms usually being a car or nearby bathroom. Hurray for options!

5) Bring props. Again, this is optional of course. If you have a special note, or a gift that has a story to it, or if you LOVE photography and want to bring your vintage cameras by all means that would be awesome!

6) Don’t stress about it! Your session is about being together and having fun. Feel good and you will look amazing!