2015. That's a wrap. Edmonton Wedding Photography.

2015 was a crazy year and not at all what I expected. I shot, I networked, I learned a lot. If I could give a budding photographer a few tidbits of advice it would be this: Keep shooting even when things look differently than you thought. Keep learning - nothing shoots you in the foot like thinking you know it all. Stop comparing yourself to others - to their bookings, their work, their "success". As long as you're open to growing for the rest of your life, the sky's the limit!! Branch out and shoot differently that you've ever shot - push yourself! Having a consistent style is important but don't let that stop you from learning new techniques in your craft. Network. Be kind. In this industry you will step into people's lives at the most significant times. Strive to know how much of a privilege that is. Thank you to each and every client. I love you guys. It is not lost on me how incredible it is that you trust me to step into the momentous occasions in your lives. So thanks for that trust. Thanks for investing not just in photographs but in me and this business that I love so, so much.

Thank you to the UNBELIEVABLE vendors I worked with this year. Not only have my eyes been opened to even MORE of the incredible talent this city has to offer but I've also made some incredible friends.

So here's a glimpse of just a few of my favorite images from 2015. I tried new things and pushed myself to grow. And here's to 2016: I hope this year brings new challenges, new growth, new friends, new skills, new clients and new community!

Engaged?  I'm booking now for 2016 and am friggin' excited about it.  Shoot me a message and let's chat about your wedding!

Aeris Photography. Edmonton Wedding Photography.

can't help falling in love. a styled bridal collaboration.

Collaborating with hard-working, uber-talented entrepreneurs is one of my absolute favorite things.  Awesome vendors PLUS flowers and cake and gowns and gorgeousness??? - even better!!  Jenn from Something Beautiful Wedding Planning had been dreaming up this shoot for months after we had met up over coffee to chat about working together. I'm incredible honored to have this shoot featured by Blush Magazine Inc. on their website - please check it out (Blush is local and awesome <3). Check it out and absolutely check out the AMAZING vendors that contributed their skills, visions and products to pulling it off. Dress: Delica Bridal (ti adora by Alvina Valenta) Makeup: HP Makeup Artistry Hair: Anela Salon Groom's attire: Derks Formals Florals: Studio Bloom Cakes: Over the Top Cakes Stationery: Glossie Decor: Special Event Rentals Extra Decor and incredible styling by Wedding Planner Jenn Denis of Something Beautiful Wedding Planning Models: Ashley and Emmanuel (aren't they cute?!!)

On a related note, I shoot ACTUAL weddings, too! Check out more of my wedding work here and shoot me an email about YOUR wedding :)

edmonton wedding photography. styled winter bridals with colleen and perry. part two.

Last week I posted the first of 3 bundled-up styled winter bridal looks with Colleen and Perry, an incredible couple who dressed back up in their bridal wear for a chilly winter shoot. Part one featured a cranberry cardigan that popped so beautifully against the snow, along with a grey scarf, mittens and a cozy camping blanket (LOVE!! - Check out the post here!). Scroll down to see the last two looks: A turquoise cardigan with a dried lavender bouquet and, my favorite, a chunky knit mustard yellow infinity scarf! A great thing about any of these looks is that your groom can simply pop on a dark peacoat and look dapper with any of these styles!

Love. It. All.

Interested in chatting about your own wedding? Check out more of my wedding work here and shoot me an email to get in touch!

edmonton wedding photography. styled winter bridals with colleen and perry. part one.

If you know me you know that I am IN LOVE with photographing weddings. Love, romance, glances and squeezes - memories being made. I love it so much. Winters are often a bit of a slower season for photographers which can leave me ITCHING to shoot anything bridal. So, when Colleen and Perry got back into their bridal attire for an awesome Rock The Dress/Styled bridal session with me and I could not have been happier. Winter weddings present such a cool opportunity to style your dress in unique ways - there is NO reason to suffer through outdoor shots absolutely frozen! I suggested that Colleen bring along a few cozy options and she rocked them all. Check out the first of 3 bundled-up looks I captured with this beautiful couple below!

General tips for dressing for a winter wedding:

1. Leggings, leggings, leggings. 2. Bring warm, cozy boots. 3. Consider ways to keep your top half warm - Colored cardigans, fitted leather jackets, uber-warm infinity scarves, cute mittens.... So many winter brides style their dresses with a white shawl or petticoat but I highly recommend picking a color that will pop against the snow. 4. Accessorize! Some of the splendor of your dress may get covered up when you add on the warmth so consider adding jewelry that really stands out! Chunky bracelets or bangles, or a statement necklace or earrings can really elevate your images to amazing heights!

Stay tuned for parts two and three of Colleen and Perry's session but check out some other ways to style your winter wedding here!

Looking for someone to capture YOUR love? Shoot me an email and we'll chat!

christine and jeff. in love. edmonton photographers.

I'm always itching to shoot more weddings as winter drags on here in Edmonton so I was so happy that Christine, an old friend from high school, and her husband Jeff said they'd get dressed up for me so I could photograph them. Christine's family owns and runs Still Meadows Ranch east of the city which gave me the awesome chance to photograph Christine with her horses. Plus, it was snowing buckets and FREEZING outside so the arena gave us a bit of respite when our bodies turned to ice. I also received a new light from my husband for Christmas (Promaster Vari-Temp Camera/Camcorder LED light) and have been dying to play around with it! Although I'm used to using flashes on and off-camera at my weddings, I definitely crave natural light and will always tend to use it if it's available. This shoot gave me the chance to force myself out of my comfort zone, depend only on artificial light indoors, and push me into new areas of learning and growth!

Kudos to Christine and Jeff for letting me play, freezing their butts off, and looking at me when I asked them to in spite of ice flying in their eyes <3

Check out more of my actual wedding work here and shoot me a message if you're looking for someone to capture YOUR wedding!

Cheryl.  Aeris Photography.  Edmonton Photographers.

a warm romance. a styled bridal session by a team of rockstars. edmonton wedding photography.

One of my favorite things about this business is being able to meet and network with incredible vendors - Other small business owners that work their butts off with creativity and passion to bring stunning visions to life. My friend Erin from Erin Walker Photography and I had talked about doing a styled shoot together for a while and, once we combined forces with Christina from Sweet Bliss Weddings, we knew it would be incredible. Christina introduced us to some other creative geniuses and I couldn't be happier to have met and worked with this stunning group. Have a look at some of my favorite shots from our time together and check out these incredible vendors!  Here's to more collaborations in the future!!

Photographers: Aeris Photography and Erin Walker Photography (all photography in this post by Aeris Photography) Hair: Jack'd Up Beauty Boutique Makeup: Mookie Salinas Makeup Artist Styling and Planning: Sweet Bliss Weddings Florals: Akiko Floral Artistry Inc. Cake: Style Cakes Stationery: Lovesky Design Inc. Headpiece and bridal belt: LottieDa Designs Dresses: Delica Bridal

Edmonton Wedding Photography

my why. part two of my reflections on "the art of authentic posing" workshop by justin and mary.

As you may know I recently attended 2 incredible workshops hosted by the incredible photography duo Justin and Mary. Day one's workshop was all about using natural light and off-camera flash to create dimensional, luxurious images. Day two's workshop, "The Art of Authentic Posing", was yes, about posing but it went deeper than that. I recently blogged another part of my reflections on this workshop (my WHY) which I'd encourage you to look at here. Today's blog post covers a different "Why": When we're striving to capture the love between two people - their hearts, their essence, their passions and love for each other - WHY do we pose them the way we do? Have you ever seen (or done yourself?) one of the following poses when looking at couple's photography?

-the "we look mad at each other" pose - the "we've been doing the dip-kiss pose for 2 minutes straight and now it's getting uncomfortable" pose -the "form a heart with our hands" pose -the "make the bride sit in the middle of the highway" pose -the "let's all jump at once" pose -the "straddle each other" pose -the "bride sits on the ground and her flowers are placed on her train" pose

(for the record, I've done almost all of the above in some form or another since I started photography...).

How about photo editing?:

-the "everything is in black and white except the eyes/flowers/garter/etc." selective color edit -the "green or orange tint" edit -the "reduce clarity dramatically so the image seems dream-like" edit -the "add in clouds-that-weren't-there" edit -the "faces superimposed onto an wine glass/bubble/background" edit

No doubt you've seen a lot, if not all, of these things (I've seen each one on Pinterest with a "MUST have my photographer shoot this" caption. So here's the question: WHY?

Justin and Mary put out the "Why" question as a bit of a challenge. When creating an in image why do we pose couples the way we do? (Editing the way we do is just as relevant). Are you photographing a couple jumping because it actually sums up their personalities and the energy of the day (or better yet, because you caught them jumping around when no one was really watching)? If so, then jump on! Do you have a "dip" shot because your groom grabbed his new bride and made her knees week? If so, rock it out!! If you have a WHY that backs up what you're doing with your couples then go for it! If you don't have a WHY - well then, why are you doing it? Are you doing "selective color" editing because you it's stunning and a timeless addition to a couple's wedding album? Then color selectively!....(that's hard for me to say but if you have a legit WHY...). You get the point, right? It's not that one person's posing and editing is necessarily better than anothers but HAVE A "WHY"! The goal is to create something authentic so just promise me this and ask yourself "Why?" Yes?? Yes!

If you want to photograph (and pose) couple's authentically then seek out that authentic moment! If you're with the couple for formals and they're no longer in an "organic/photo-journalistic" scenario (eg. you're no longer photographing them candidly as they get ready in their hotel room and have moved them to, for example, a field) then do your best to create and facilitate an environment wherein you CAN capture authentic moments. A couple in love is an authentic thing - couples touch, sway, laugh, kiss - so focus on giving couples opportunities to BE IN those natural moments! Your WHY is going to show through in your images and will hopefully attract the type of couples that can identify with you. So no matter what your WHY may be you'll be able shoot more weddings with your dream clients because you've connected with them more deeply than just at a coffee meeting!

I would actually love your feedback on this blog post if you have an opinion. Do you agree/disagree? Have you thought about your WHY? Something to ponder :)

Are you connecting with and excited about what I'm talking about? Looking for your own wedding photographer and think we'd mesh? Shoot me an email and we can get together to chat and see if we're a good fit!

Here's a look at some images I took during the time we had to practice "the art of authentic posing" one on one with our workshop models.

Since you're here you should check out more of my weddings here :)

salisbury greenhouse weddings | claudia and dane. styled bridals. edmonton wedding photography.

Every once in a while when I know I'm going to have a week or two off from shooting a real wedding I get excited about collaborating with other professionals in the wedding industry for special projects. This summer I met up with Arlene from Accentuate Weddings to do just that! Accentuate Weddings is an incredible vendor offering wedding decor rentals (chair covers, linens, drapery, table setups - you name it!) as well as recently adding floral arrangements to the mix! Accentuate even provided the linens for my own wedding! For this shoot, Arlene styled a breathtaking tablescape with gorgeous details. Seriously, guys, she's good at this so you should definitely check her out. We also collaborated with Riti from Makeup By Riti for Claudia's stunning wedding makeup. Riti's also done another of my recent real weddings which you can see here :) Back to the shoot: Good ol' Edmonton weather was even MORE unpredictable that we anticipated - We ended up having to reschedule twice due to crazy wind and pouring rain! When our third date ended up looking about the same we decided to make it happen regardless! Salisbury Greenhouse was incredible at accomodating us and provided a beautiful space for us to shoot in. Claudia and Dane graciously agreed to model for us (and yah, I'm friggin' happy they did...What a GORGEOUS couple!!) and the rest is history!

Check out Accentuate Weddings, Salisbury Greenhouse and Makeup By Riti.

CHECK THIS OUT: Accentuate Weddings and I worked a bit of a promotion for our 2014 bridal couples: If you book both Accentuate Weddings for your decor AND Aeris Photography for your wedding photography you will receive 15% off of BOTH of your bookings! 15% off your decor rental from Accentuate Weddings AND 15% off your wedding package with Aeris Photography! So, if you already know you want me to photograph your wedding this is a pretty awesome deal for your dream decor ;)

Want me to photograph your wedding?  Contact me here :)

meghan and kyle. styled bridals. edmonton wedding photography.

I recently had the privilege of photographing a bridal session for Meghan and Kyle. Meghan is a local florist (Flowers By Meghan) and has made several gorgeous bouquets for some of the styled shoots I've done in the last 6 months. Check out the two she made for this session!

rebekah and kerran. styled bridals in mexico. edmonton destination wedding photography.

My husband and I got to meet up with our friends this past March when both of our trips to Puerta Vallarta overlapped for a few days. Rebekah was an absolute gem and had excitingly agreed to bring down her wedding dress so that I can take some destination bridals with her and Kerran. They didn't hesitate (well, Rebekah didn't hesitate lol) to jump in the ocean and roll around in the sand to get some fun shots. Their hotel was a bit unsure of us visiting to take photos so we had about 25 minutes to get it done! Thanks, Rebekah and Kerran, for your trooper attitudes :)

stephanie and tyler. styled winter bridals with aeris photography.

Winter is here which means, unfortunately, that wedding season has slowed to a halt (for me at least) until next year. I have learned this year that I love shooting weddings more than anything else and as soon I shot my last 2012 wedding in September I started dreaming of how I can keep doing what I love during the cold winter months. Enter Pinterest browsing. I scoured the internet for creative winter weddings/bridal sessions and, although I found a few ADORABLE ways to style your dress for your winter wedding formals, the majority of styling options seemed to be typical – white coat, white shawl, white hand muff, white, white, white. I know that if my wedding was in the winter that I definitely would’ve been looking for some inspiration that was a little different than those options. I thought of a few themed ideas and then handed those concepts over to my ridiculously talented stylist (and blogger), Lyndsey (Over My Styled Body). She spun life into my dream for this shoot and, combined with the most ridiculously awesome vendors, we were able to shoot four gorgeous concept looks. If you’re a winter bride or know a winter bride feel free to pin or pass on these looks. Hopefully they’ll unleash some new creativity for you, too!

Please also visit the websites and/or facebook pages of my vendors who helped me make this shoot happen. I couldn’t have done this without each and every one of them <3

Photographer: Cheryl Lukasewich from Aeris Photography Assistant/2nd Photographer: Alora Stephanyshyn from Alora Marie Photography Hair: Shauna Wheeler from Anela Salon Makeup: Becky Gendron from Beyond Eden Makeup Styling: Lyndsey Forest from Over My Styled Body Gowns: Amanda Loren from Borrowed Beauty Bridal Gown Rentals Flowers: Meghan Anne Sydney from Flowers By Meghan Cakes: Jen Martin from Scratch Etcetera Chairs: Lisa Boettger from VisionCraft Furniture Models: Stephanie Violet Simpson and Tyler Stammers

ashley and kyle. styled hipster bridals.

I was able to put together a styled hipster-themed session earlier this winter. I found Ashley, a cute-as-a-button local girl while I was awkwardly zumba-ing at my gym and got up the nerve to ask her if she’d model for me. Turns out she’s also a local photographer (Photos with Ashley) and runs another huge project on the side (Love Letters 2 Strangers). Random way to connect with a “colleague”! So Ashley and her Love, Kyle, came out gave me the honor of photographing them. Check ‘em out <3

I also must give a shout out to some awesome vendors for all their hard work:

Photography by Me Aeris Photography Assistant/co-shooter: Alora Marie Photography Stylist: Lyndsey Forest from Over My Styled Body Hair: Simone Pettigrew from Hair by Simone Makeup: Becky from Beyond Eden Makeup Flowers: Meghan from Flowers By Meghan

Props, too, to Wallish Greenhouse for letting us use their space. They provide poinsettias during their off season so consider them if you need to place an order.