N&L Notre-Dame-de-Lourdes, Manitoba Wedding
Absolutely breath-taking, are words to describe Nick and Lucette’s Wedding Day! This country wedding was situated in the beautiful rolling hills of the Notre-Dame-de-Lourdes area of Manitoba. I had photographed Nick’s sister’s wedding a couple of years earlier in that same area and was so taken by its beauty that I was thrilled when I was asked to do a second wedding there! The Wedding Day started out with rain but we worked around it by photographing in sheltered areas such as hay shelters and for the Bride’s side the beautiful Trappist Monastery in Holland, MB. . The sun peeked out a bit in the afternoon for the Ceremony in town and the outdoor formals at a deserted farmstead and an Uncle’s grain field. The clouds and rain returned just as we were finishing up to head back to the reception. I was actually super happy about that because the clouds really added to the dramatic effect of the last few images captured of the couple, over-looking the valley. Thanks go out to the wonderful families and the fun wedding party and last but not least- the amazingly organized, creative, delightful couple, Nick and Lucette! Thanks also go out to my photography Team for the Day- Colin Vandenberg -amazing job with the Grooms side and the rest of the day, Cullen Klassen for his assistance with the Bride’s side in the morning and the formals and of course, Hubby Henry, for is chauffeuring abilities on the country roads.
I started pulling files to post on the blog and found myself laughing out loud at the amount I had pulled. So I culled it back a bit (Okay a lot) and here are a few to give you an idea of what a BEAUTIFUL day it really was! Enjoy!
Loved seeing the use of the couple’s Engagement pictures on the wine bottles!
Below: Behind the Scenes with the Photography Team : Colin Vandenberg multitasking and Cullen and I at the Farmstead photographing the Wedding Party.
Roaring 20’s Graduate Session
I’ve known Georgia for most of her life. This past week’s Graduation session with her was a bit emotional as it truly made me realize how fast children grow into adulthood. Before my lens was a confident beautiful lady! Not only have I know her a a friend of the family, I’ve also been a client of Georgia! Georgia is a super talented Crocheter- creating unique pieces and participating in avenues like the Central Canada Comic Con to showcase them. You can find some of her creations on the Consulting Crocheter on Face Book.
I was not surprised -considering she is such a creative genius-that her Graduation outfit would be uniquely stunning! I LOVED her choice of a 20’s themed outfit. The Hair by Dina at Hair Obsession and the details down to the nails and cap and pocket watch of her date, Gavin, were amazing! Of course we had to find a prime location for the Family/ Graduation session and our Manitoba Legislative building-with its tall pillars and green space, provided the perfect backdrop! Congratulations go out to Georgia on her Graduation-may your future be filled with wonderful opportunities. Continue to be you and continue to share your wonderful gifts and talents with the community! Assistant/second shooter Kristen Sawatzky and I enjoyed our time with you and your family and Graduation date Gavin, thank-you for spending part of your special day with us!
RBC Cruisin’ Down the Crescent 2014 Details
This years RBC Cruisin’ Event is tomorrow morning and I’m super excited to be part of it once again. It’s an event featuring wonderful people, fun activities, and a great opportunity to help raise funds for such a worthwhile cause! If you’re not busy tomorrow morning, Sunday June 14th, consider coming down to the Children’s Rehabilitation Foundation on Wellington Cres. at 8:00 a.m. to register. You can walk, jog, ride a bike or skateboard! The Crescent is always beautiful to walk and there are performers and yummy treats like frozen Yogurt along the route! Here are some images/highlights captured by me and associate Cory Aronec from last years event to give you an idea of what to expect this year. Love to see you there!
T & T Fall Wedding
Congratulations go out to T&T who were married at the beginning of October! The details of this wedding were amazing, including a beautiful classy colour selection of grey and deep red, oranges and yellows -a perfectly stunning combination for a Fall Wedding! David Lipnowski was my associate for this wedding and a former student of ours, Heather Stuart, joined up with us at the reception location later that Day to capture images of the Hall and the Ceremony.
The Couple met for a “first meet” at the Red River Campus Downtown and then we completed a few Formals there with the Wedding Party. It was a slightly chilly day, but the Wedding Party was awesome- posing for a few outdoor pictures at the Legislative Building as well as Family Formals on the grand staircase. Then it was off to the Ceremony at The Qualico Centre at Assiniboine Park. The ceremony was officiated by Marianne Propp (Marry Us Marianne) with the Reception following. The Reception featured a beautiful cake creation by Cake Studio. Dress it Up Events did a beautiful job on the Flowers and Andrea Baer with the ladies make-up! Enjoy just a few images captured from their Special Day!
Comedy Night
I love photographing events! This one in particular was a highlight for me this year. The Manitoba Children’s Museum hosted an amazing fundraising adult comedy Night in September. Here is a great link to an article on the Museum’s Adult Series and the reason the funds are being raised. (Click Here). I have to say, it just may have been one of the hardest events for me to photograph! I was so busy laughing it was hard to hold the camera steady to take a picture! LOL! I actually had to force myself not to listen so I could take a shot! Performing that evening were 3 amazing acts- Comedian Matt Falk, Chris Funk The Wonderist and Comedian Big Daddy Tazz (Below: left to right). Enjoy just a few images captured from the evenings performances.
Eva Prysizney School Trustee
Civic elections are around the corner for Winnipeg on Oct. 22nd! A new Mayor will soon be in place and along with that, we will have candidates seeking election or re-election as city councillors and School trustees as well. It was great to see this lovely lady back in the studio in preparation for her campaign to run for School Trustee for another term. I always enjoy her sparkling personality and our conversations! Eva Prysizney is running for School Trustee Ward 3 River East Transcona School Division. Wishing Eva much success on the upcoming election!
The Recycled Orchestra
Yes- Look close-these instruments above are made of garbage!!
From the slums of Paraguay comes an unlikely orchestra playing instruments made from garbage found on the landfill.
The Recycled Orchestra is a group of teenagers from Cateura — a village of makeshift shacks built on the city’s landfill in Paraguay. More than 25,000 people live by the landfill, picking garbage to find sellable or recyclable goods. But in the middle of the rubble lies hope.
Turning metal drums, oil cans, spoons, copper pipes, wire and bottle caps into cellos, violins, flutes and guitars, the Recycled Orchestra is proof that despite their circumstances, the community has something beautiful to offer.
Global Family Foundation, a Canadian Christian charity working in Paraguay, recently hosted a cross-Canada tour with the Recycled Orchestra to raise funds that will help build a Community Education Centre in Cateura. On May 4th, the Orchestra played to a packed house of more than 1,800 people in conjunction with the MBCI Concert Band at the North Kildonan MB Church in Winnipeg.
Please enjoy a few of the images captured at the event!
Pink Loft Party
Wow-I’m back! My apologies for taking a bit of a break from blogging. I promise I have a number of blogs ready to post with various sessions I’ve been busy with over the last couple of months.
I wanted to start with this. A fellow associate of mine handed out my contact info to this amazing friend/client he has. Every year her family comes together to host a party with their friends to raise funds for cancer research. She contacted me to ask if I would show up and capture some images for her of friends etc. at the party. I didn’t know what to expect when I showed up at her loft on event night, to be honest, but I was immediately drawn to her warm smile and then floored by her dedication and passion that went into making the party happen (Including removing most of her furniture for the party to fit people in! And then moving it all back the next day!). It was amazing to see how many friends and family turned out in support of the cause, wearing all forms of pink and enjoying the tunes of a live band!! Please enjoy just a few images captured that evening-starting with the heart warming/inspiring host family, the Hall’s, below!
Last Chance to View the Adventures of Mr. Potato Head!
If you haven’t gone to see the great interactive display “The Adventures of Mr. Potato Head” at the Manitoba Children’s Museum you only have a couple of more weeks to go! I loved Mr. Potato Head as a child and was so excited when I was asked to photograph the new exhibit. Not the easiest of assignments as I seriously caught myself being tempted to put down the camera and pick up a plastic mouth/ear/arm/leg…. and play build a Potato Head! 🙂 I loved the bright colours of the exhibit and the fun interactive stations!! For more Exhibit details for dates and times click here- The Adventures of Mr. Potato Head. Here are just a few of the images I captured during the Exhibit Opening. To view more of the images click here.
I would highly recommend it! It’s a must see for both the young and the young at heart!
Juno Weekend! It is the Junior Juno’s!
Above: Juno Award winner Helen Austin for Children’s Album of the Year, for her album “Colour It”.
Winnipeg was “a buzz” with the Junos in town this weekend! The Manitoba Children’s Museum’s Junior Junos Event on Sat. morning was the place to be to catch fun and lively musical performances of the Nominees for Children’s Album of the Year.
It was a sold out event and the Concert had children and parents dancing to the music of the Nominees as well as a performance from past Juno Award Winner Fred Penner. Sean Hogan (of “Seanster and the Monsters”) was the Emcee for the event and Mr. Potato Head made a guest appearance as well.
Juno Nominees left to right: Marie Claude, Helen Austin, Fred Penner (Guest Juno winner), Sean Hogan (Emcee) , Charlie Hope Little, Garry Rasberry (Missing: Splash’N Boots.)
Some Fans arrived with signs waiting for their Favourite performers.
Above: Gary Rasberry Performs with some of the other Nominees.
Emcee Sean Hogan helps out Charlie Hope Little with puppets on a song.
Above: Marie Claude performs a song about baking.
Splash’N Boots perform a high energy set to young fans in the crowd.
Juno Award Winner Fred Penner above performs a few song favourites-“The Cat Came Back” was a definite crowd pleaser!
Halloween Howl
Manitoba Children’s Museum hosted a great Halloween event this last weekend! A sold out crowd enjoyed numerous activities including a reptile display, owl display, treats, snacks, music by “seanster and the monsters” , a magician and a lot more! I loved the science laboratory that hosted multiple learning stations for the guests including everything from “puking pumpkins” to chromatography experiments. The Halloween themed decorations and fun details like the “eyeball” plastic balls in the water area added to the thrill of the event!! Super fun time had by all!! If you missed it this year make sure you plan for next year-get your tickets early! P.S,-Don’t want to wait that long to participate in one of their events? Also look into their upcoming event “Top Hats and Tiara’s” event on Dec. 31st! 
N & J Country Wedding Sneak Peek
Love-That’s what it’s about. Love is what brought N &J together in a beautiful Wedding Celebration in Bruxelles, Manitoba this past weekend. A stunning Manitoba country location! It was a gorgeous, sunny yet not too hot, Manitoba day, and the day included scenic rolling hills, hay bales, pastures and rustic barns. The Ceremony was held in a historic Church and a horse drawn wagon collected the couple for a leisurely ride after the ceremony. These visual features combined with a wonderful Family and a fun Wedding Party, all contributed to create a perfect beautiful Wedding Day. Congratulations go out to N & J!! A Blog with more images will be up in a couple of weeks here is just a few highlights of their Day…
A & K Wedding Sneak Peek!
Congratulations go out to K & A who were married at The Gates on Friday Afternoon! Just a small sampling (Sneak Peek) of the beautiful afternoon!! Here are a few images that caught my attention in a first pass through all of the images. I can hardly wait to show more of the beautiful decor, popcorn bar, outdoor ceremony and the Family Formals (So enjoyed meeting the relatives!!) Stay tuned for more!
2013 RBC Cruisin’ the Crescent for CRF
Wow! -the impressive results of a group of people coming together to participate, volunteer, sponsor and support the 17th Annual RBC Cruisin’ Down the Crescent on June 9th! This years event raised $170,000 for the Children’s Rehabilitation Foundation!!! Over 700 participants and 165 Volunteers came together to raise funds for the worthy cause! This was my third year photographing the morning event and every year I’m so amazed by the dedication of the people involved and the amazing talent, and participants that make up a fun enjoyable morning! A highlight for me this year was meeting 2013 Youth Ambassador Andrew Fenwick (above) who spoke eloquently about his personal testimony and why the event was so important. (below)
This year’s associate photographer Cory Aronec and I enjoyed the fast paced photography morning capturing everything from registration line-ups to participants enjoying the kids zones, displays, draws, food, celebraties, and of course the actual 10km route . Here is a little of what the morning involved:
Friendly Volunteers registering participants (below)
Participants on volunteers dined on the delicious donuts and coffee from Salisbury House
Donations and bike presentations were made:
The morning was hosted by Emcees Kerri and Bubba from Clear 102 FM and the Zumba instructors from Goodlife Fitness (below)–got the crowd pumped for the walk down Wellington Crescent.
Andrew cut the ribbon and released the masses to take on the 10km route!
Some of the images we captured along the route:
My two fav. shots from Cory! (Above and below)
Below: Talented performers entertained!
Mascots sightings all morning long!
A great lunch was served up with a smile!
Children had fun at the Kiddie Zone- with face painting, Ballons, crafts and activities!
and Special Olympian Guests Stars signed autographs and participated on the route!
Special thanks to our driver (below)-who got us up and down the route in record time!!!
Hope to see you out to the event next year! If you would like to contribute to the Children’s Rehabilitation Foundation or get more information just click on the link!
RBC Cruisin’ Down the Crescent 2013 Details!
Plans are underway to photograph this years 17th annual RBC Cruisin’ Down the Crescent Event! I love photographing this event! It’s a morning full of smiling & energetic people, fun activities, bright colours -all coming together to raise funds for an awesome cause- The Children’s Rehabilitation Foundation! Participants bring their families, bikes, skateboards, pets, etc. and enjoy a morning full of fun activities and of course a walk, run or ride down scenic Wellington Cres. . This years event is on June 9th with registration starting at 8 a.m. at the Rehabilitation Centre for Children grounds at 633 Wellington Crescent. For more information about the event visit their website at Children’s Rehabilitation Foundation.
Associate Jonah O’Neil and I covered the event last year and here are some of the fun morning festivities! You can expect this year to include…
Lots of smiles!:)
Great music!
Face Painting!
Guests from Winnipeg
Radio/T.V. Personalities
Heartfelt Speeches
Generous people & companies!
A “Warm up” to the walk
Ribbon cutting
A Special Host!
Lots of Amazing Participants
More music as you walk..
A super scenic walk!
All ages participating!
Mascots!
An Activity Centre!
Car Clubs!
Performers!
and more Smiles…
and an amazing team of Organizers!
Food, Draws, T-shirts, Displays… and just so much more!!!
Please come out and support this year’s Event!!
10th Annual A Night of Miracles Gala Dinner
I love my job. Days like Saturday, Oct 27th are so full of variation in terms of photography! In the morning I was running around the studio photographing a family with young children and by evening I was jumping into my sequins and “blacks” heading off to photograph this years 10th Annual “A Night of Miracles” Gala Dinner for the Children’s Rehabilitation Foundation. This was the second year that I, with the help of photographer Cory Aronec, photographed the event. I knew from last years event to expect exceptional Decor, an amazing lineup of prizes and a fun filled evening program with everything from speeches to an auction. This year, as last, fulfilled all those expectations and more! The room was beautifully decorated with pinks and corals…based on the fact that pink is Waverley Leduc’s (2012 Child Representative) favorite colour! This year’s event featured a cookie draw, gift box sale, auctions and new this year-a Candy Bar! The Master of Ceremony duties were shared by Kerri Salki (102 Clear FM) and Peter Chura (Global Winnipeg).
After hearing the Leduc Family share how the Foundation has affected their lives during their moving dinner speech that evening, I would just encourage everyone to consider attending the event next year or supporting the Foundation in some of their other fundraising endeavors. The next event is their “Ride for Rehab” in February. For more information on this event or how you may further participate in upcoming fundraising events check out their Website! Just click on their name-Children’s Rehabilitation Foundation.
Watch for further updates on the event on their Website and in the Winnipeg Free Press.
Images Below:
Room Decor, Cookie Draw, Candy Bar, The wonderful Group of volunteers and staff who did an amazing job making this event happen, Emcees Kerri and Peter, The Leduc family speech (Nice shot Cory!), fun had during the auction, and Waverley has the first dance with her Grandpa to the smooth sounds of the Danny Kramer Band.
Travel Plans 2012-Fehr-Way Tours
2012 Travel Plans are decided! Yeah! My husband and I will be putting on our ” Tour Director Caps” again this year and leading a Fehr -Way Tour to Indiana and Ohio this fall. The Tour will include a variety of activities including a Show, a visit to Shipshewana Flea Market, tour of Millersburg Victorian Mansion, Warther Museum, Buggy rides and much more!!! The Fall scenery and colours should be spectacular traveling through the beautiful Wisconsin Dells area towards Chicago.
Last year’s Fehr-Way Tour to Branson was a lot of fun and we are really looking forward to this years new destination. Fehr-Way Tours came out with a beautiful brochure of their Tours for 2012, delivered to homes here in Winnipeg. I was able to snap off some images in between moving the group to and from shows, at shows and various sight seeing locations on last year’s tour and was excited to learn that a number of the images were used in the brochure! Matt McClay of McClay Design did a wonderful job designing the brochure.
There are still a couple of spots on the tour open! Call the Fehr-Way Tours office at (204)989-7011 to reserve your spot or for more information.
Above image: Brochure design by Matt McClay, photography: Ebonie Klassen Phototgraphy
Graduation Time!
Congratulations go out to all the Graduates of 2012! I know next week is the special event for many of the Grads. It certainly is a busy week for me- photographing a school after Grad party, Graduation class formals and attending the graduation ceremony of my niece!
I so enjoyed meeting and photographing this young lady a few weeks back. Her mother called to book a Graduation session for her daughter. We spent a good hour and half in the studio photographing with backdrops and in various rooms and then moved outdoors to the Exchange district of downtown Winnipeg -and yes we did stop traffic to get some pics on the street!:) We worked to create images that were more “model like” to feature her gorgeous dress and its features while showcasing her personality and this special time in her life. Special thanks to Cory for the rental of Studio 448 and help with moving the furniture! Hope you enjoy the images!
Red River College Campus Wedding #3
Red River College Campus Wedding #3. The third wedding set-up in a series of 5, I photographed for them this past summer. I have to say I LOVE the building character of the Princess Campus. Its architecture “old meets new” and the colours are eye catching! I just had to have a little fun editing the first image above in an edgy technique to capture some of the unique historical textures and bright modern colours found in its front entrance alone!
This wedding was unique from the others I had photographed in that I was able to capture the wedding ceremony set-up as well. The Campus offer their facilities to weddings ceremonies as well as conferences in such a set-up. It never ceases to amaze me how each wedding reception set-up is unique-with this particular wedding, guests arrived at the Elgin entrance to be greeted by Champagne on ice and glasses surrounded by rose petals! Very nice touch! If you are interested in finding out more about the rentals click on the link, Red River Campus Rentals.
Way of Broadway 2011
The Manitoba Children’s Museum’s “Way off Broadway” dance event was a lot of fun to photograph again this year at the Pantages Theater! The late November, Way off Broadway event, is a fundraiser for the Children’s Museum. Teams of co-workers, social groups and dance groups come together to raise funds for the Museum through pledges. These groups receive some professional dance guidance and get together for the event to perform and be judged by local Celebrities. The groups are evaluated in a number of categories such as Best Costume and Audience Choice. This years contributions raised over $16,000 for the Children’s Museum! I’m always amazed how this city come together to make events like this happen. Jeremy John and Drew Kobub of City T.V. did and amazing job of hosting the event and Bubba B (Hot 103 FM), Tracy Koga(Shaw T.V.) and Heather Steele (Global Television) performed the hard task of judging the talented groups. If you’d like to find out more about the event and how you or a group of your co-workers or friends can participate or if you’d like to check out all the images from the event, just click on this link Way off Broadway . Have to say this years highlights for me were the Lady Gaga group-great costumes, and I loved the flash mob dance concept from the Sobey’s group! Special thanks to Paolo Porquez for his lighting help in the morning and to Tara Craigon who helped photograph the performance in the afternoon.
Above left to right: Drew Kozub (City T.V.), Jeremy John (City T.V.), Heather Steele (Global Television), Bubba B. (Hot 103FM), Tracy Koga(Shaw.TV) a quick pic at the end of the event.
Red River Campus Wedding #5
A grey and yellow theme, a Sweetheart table feature and an amazing amount of hand folded paper cranes adorning the windows, the ceiling, and even the cupcakes! This was the 5th Wedding Reception set-up I’ve photographed for the Red River College Campus located in Downtown Winnipeg. I’ve spent 5 Saturdays over the last few months capturing images for them to use for promotional materials and on their website. I’ve quite enjoyed each session. As a portrait photographer, weddings are part of my work but I seldom get to spend a quiet full hour by myself just photographing the reception room and the decor. I’m also always amazed by the work put into a reception at this venue and how each are unique in colour schemes, decor items and set-up. I can really see how the staff of the Red River facility work with their clients to create a reception room unique to the couple and their Wedding Day plans. I look forward to sharing with you the other 4 Wedding Reception set-ups in the near future-all unique in set-up and colour scheme!
MB Children’s Museum’s Ground Breaking Event
From Left: Katherine Hache, Bonnie Buhler, Lucia and John Buhler.
WOW! So many physical changes happening at the Manitoba Children’s Museum! Not to mention financial ones as well, considering the generous $800,00.00 financial donation made by Bonnie and and John Buhler yesterday and the Museum’s Ground Breaking Event! The Museum closed its doors in fall to complete a total renovation of its offices and children’s galleries. I was “on Duty ” yesterday with my cameras for the Children’s Museum to capture images of the media event for the Museum to use as handout to media as well as to complete an ad in todays Winnipeg Free Press.
As a Parent in a city that experiences winter weather for so many month’s of the year… it’s nice to know that there is a warm , welcoming, place that one can bring children to be entertained and to learn! The Museum has been active in raising funds for their Capital Campaign over this past year and this large donation will certainly help towards their goal of $10 Million. Yes, big donations help but you know it’s also the smaller ones that can add up to large amounts as well! Visit the Children’s Museum’s website to find out more details of yesterday’s event as well as how you can participate in their fundraising endeavors! Please enjoy the slideshow of some of my fav. images from the event, more will be posted on the Museum’s Media page in the photo gallery in the up coming weeks. Just click on the Name for more details! MB Children’s Museum.
Special thanks to assistant Katherina!
Ebonie K Photography 