I know I always tell you that my clients are SOOOO in love, but I swear I don't need to even say anything this time.  The pictures tell the whole story!

Mark and Stephanie met each other years ago and started dating one day after Mark's brother's wedding.  He liked my work so much that he made sure to call me.  I dug up this oldie from Mike and Kathryn's wedding in 2005, where the boys are doing airband in the middle of the wheat field.  Mark is the first from the left.

He still looks the same but quite radiant and happy to be the one in the spotlight - and like his brother, he has a gorgeous (GORGEOUS!) fiance.  We could have been all done right after this first shot:

There were times when they completely forgot that I was there, so I had to call them back to the shoot once in a while...

Mark likes Dancing With The Stars... Obviously!

Thank you Mark and Stephanie for choosing me!  I can hardly wait! 

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I knew I wanted to do their wedding since the first time I met them a couple of years ago on a business trip.

I knew I wanted to see what Courtney would look like on their wedding day.

I knew I wanted to photograph their crazy reception, because I knew it would be crazy!  You just know these things.  Crazy in love + crazy family means crazy reception. 

Please stay tuned for the video that will come soon, but I couldn't hold on to these any longer... I just had to share them with you.

 Courtney had these shoes!  And her gorgeous rings matched them perfectly!

This was a candid shot I caught of her as she was finishing getting ready:

Nothing beats the first glance!  Jon, you're a good man!

Wowzers!

Beautiful!

Stunning blue eyes!  Jon couldn't get enough of her either... Basically the theme of the day was this: He looks at her and she smiles.

What a handsome groom!

How do you get the groom to be a little shorter?  You get your assistant to help!

I love LOVE this one!

The Jon as the Don:

You have to agree with me that Jon has the best hair out of all the guys:

I love this candid shot of Courtney, again!

 Gorgeous girls!

The rabbi asked Jon to say a word of gratitude to Courtney's grandparents:  I love this shot.

I love this shot at the Ceremony as her father "gives her away":

Hmmmm, sun flare!  I love it when we get to sneak out for a few moments just before sunset...

Now, brace yourself.  You always know that a Jewish wedding will have crazy dancing, but you never really know what you're gonna get.  Well, I GOT!!!  People have told me that this reception looks like a movie, and I sincerely agree!  Jon and Courtney, what a crazy awesome night!

The Hora!

And then it's all nuts!

I love the look of fear in the faces of those up on the chairs!

 I love Patty's look!

But this is BY FAR my favorite shot!

And during the AWESOME speeches (I swear everyone speaking was a professional writer!!!) - you can tell when a toast has turned into a ROAST (albeit quite tasteful)

Thank you thank you thank you!  I am so blessed that I got to spend the day with you all!  I wish you many years of crazy happiness!

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For friends and family of the couple, please click here to be notified when their images go live online (oh and receive a $5 credit!) 

Here's Jen and Joel's Highlights Video:

Jen & Joel - The Wedding from Patty Boge on Vimeo.

I'm convinced that I'm the luckiest photographer on the planet.  I'm one wedding away from being finished shooting for this season and as I look back I have had an amazing year!  My clients are absolutely fabulous, beautiful and so good to me!  And the weather has been incredible!  

Yesterday was no exception on any of these accounts.  Jennifer is possibly the sweetest person you've ever met and Joel is sooo in love!  They've been together for 7 years and have known each other for even longer...  And to punctuate that, we couldn't have had a better day.

Here's proof:

I love shoes!

And here's me putting on her false lashes!  On a side note: When I arrive at a bride's house and she is doing her own make-up, I freak out!  Makeup for photography is very different than everyday makeup!  But along with Denine, her sister, they did a fabulous job!  Still, don't try this at home.

Hey, that's me again, finishing up her dress!

Gorgeous!

Gorgeous flowergirl!

Boys and a shed: always a good idea.

The first glance:

So cute!

Seriously, the light in the fall is amazing:

Ladies!!!

Getting tired at the ceremony... I love this!

Here's the handsome man:

Thank you Jen and Joel, we had so much fun and I can't wait for the trash the dress!

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For friends and family of the couple, please click here to be notified when their images go live online (oh and receive a $5 credit!) 

Here's Sharyn & Cary Highlights Slideshow:

Sharyn & Cary from Patty Boge on Vimeo.

Sharyn is the kind of classic beauty you never get tired of admiring.  The flawless skin, blue eyes, red hair... And Cary, is simply a very lucky guy!  And very cute too...  I had a total crush on these two as the day progressed and they became more and more relaxed and not afraid to show their love to each other in front of the camera.

 At one point my assistant, Natalie, turned to me and said that I had a huge grin on my face - behind the camera of course, and at that moment I realized again, just how much I love what I do.

 And I did love, Sharyn and Cary, being there with you, witnessing the start of your forever.

Here's some of my favorites:

 I really REALLY love this shot.  Cary is a tough guy who is very smart and hard working, but while we were waiting for Sharyn to come out for the "first glance", he put his head down and listened to her voice.  She was giggling and he said: "Oh good, she sounds happy."  At that moment I teared up a little...  You're a good man, Cary!

Awww.

This was taken in their beautiful backyard.

Merlin.

The boys in Al's car.  See, Al's cars have been featured in two other weddings and I'm waiting to get that call from him saying that it's his turn.  I'll be waiting, Al!

Love Cary's shades ;-)

Woot!

See, when you make funny faces, it might not stick but you will surely end up on the Internet.

I love this.  Yes, I know it's out of focus, but there's something magical about it.

This is when I was giggling behind the camera.  Their looks at each other are completely natural and genuine.  Wouldn't you giggle too?

Thank you Sharyn and Cary for trusting me with these precious moments.  I hope you get as much joy as I do when looking through these.

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This past weekend I had the honour of photographing Heidi's family.  Heidi is someone I hold very dear, as she taught Gabriela last year and made a big impact in her life.  She's currently enjoying some time at home with sweet baby Elena and big sister Ava...  The day couldn't have turned out any better and I'm happy to report we got some awesome moments!  Ava was hilarious and her funny faces might just end up on Heidi's wall!

Here we go!

Your face might not stay like this, but it might end up on the Christmas card!  Wouldn't that be great?

What a little sweetie...

I love this family moment.

and this one:

Oh my!

And we all forgot about Elena who was getting a serious mosquito bite!

Thanks for letting me do this for you, Heidi!  Let's do it again next year! 

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From the day I met them in 2008, on a business trip to Scottsdale, AZ, I knew two things:

1. They would get married - for sure!

2. I wanted to be their photographer.

Well, what do you know.  Two years later, and here we are, getting ready for the big day, coming up on Sunday!  We were in Vegas together - on a business trip again - and took the opportunity to capture some engagement moments.  Courtney brought a sequin dress  that you can really only get away with wearing in Vegas - I was beside myself.  

Thank you Courtney and Jon for taking some time out of your trip to let me capture these.  You are both beautiful and your lives together will be full of joy and appreciation!  You had me at sequin.

Here's some images:

I love how you guys interact:

Hello!!

Light!

Jon really wanted to do "The Tiger" from Austin Powers.  Who am I to say no?

This is the Courtney I love:

The architecture in Vegas is a sight for sore eyes:

But who's looking at buildings...

Love The Strip!

After dinner we went for a walk to The Bellagio to watch the water fountains and Courtney turned to me and asked me if I could take some shots in front of the fountain.  Could I!!!

The next day we went on a helicopter tour of the Grand Canyon (more on that another day) and did a few more shots of the soon to be wed.

The beauty of that place is just amazing...

I love these shots.  These are the helicopters we took down there.

Can't wait till Sunday! 

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I'm not gonna lie: I love shooting outside of town.  It's so fun and you never know what you're going to get.  Unless it's one of those weekends when the weather is NASTY!  

Friday, just before Kirsten and Corey's wedding I was thinking to myself - What on earth can we possibly do?  So I made a few phone calls to some trusted photog friends - and was reminded of this cute little place just north of Gimli where we could take a break from the elements...

But let me back up just a bit... Once in a while I don't meet the bride and groom till the wedding day.  And though I met Kirsten once at a Wedding Show and then again the week before the wedding to plan out the details, nothing could prepare me for the amazing day we were about to have.  

Kirsten has an amazing personality and her laughter will have you in stitches, I guarantee you!  And if you don't think that she and Corey are in love, think again.  I was in tears during the reception - nothing new, I know - but their true love is something we all aspire to.

Without further ado, here are some images.

The ceremony was at Misty Lake Lodge - by the water - and there was no getting away from the howling wind.  I just love this shot of her grandpa walking her down.  You will see a lot of these spontaneous laughter type shots from the day.

 I also love this moment these guys were having here:

Family time:

I kid you not, I didn't even have to crack jokes. 

The boys looked extremely handsome in their brown suits:

A moment of seriousness... 

 Then right back to normal...

I loved how the girls had brown dresses and fuchsia shoes! 

 Some alone time by the water...

Love this one!

Oh and these!  Hello dancing!

Father and Daughter dance:

Thank you Kirsten and Corey for trusting me with this fabulous day!  I love that I can contribute to your legacy.

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I consider it such a privilege to photograph people who know exactly what they want.  It's a privilege and it's also stressful: I better deliver!  

In the case of Moni and Mike, we've been planning this day for a couple of years now...  and I'm thrilled at the way that everything turned out.  The day was absolutely beautiful and their ideas for the pictures were a ton of fun!

Here's a little highlights slideshow for you to enjoy: 

Monika & Mike from Patty Boge on Vimeo.

The thing about Moni and Mike is that they're more environmentally conscious than most of us and wanted to have a wedding that had little impact on the environment, just like their lifestyles.  And they wanted the pictures to reflect that as well.

They bike everywhere they can:

Don't you just love these?

We went to some of their favorite spots in the city: 

Gotta love a sunny day - and beautiful subjects:

Oh, they love yoga and Mike is getting certified as a yoga teacher - he's already a Massage Therapist.  Isn't that so cool?

We snuck into the English Gardens... So glad we did.

 LOVE!

Then we all needed to cool off... And when popsicles aren't enough...

Then we went to visit Moni's Oma's garden - Moni planted a lot of the vegetables served at the wedding... and this garden kept some of her goodies:

She also planted and tended much of her mom's garden - and that was the venue for the wedding ceremony.  She also made all of these lanterns that were all over the yard.  Don't you just love it?  

 Haven't you always dreamed of doing your first dance like this?  Thanks to the best man for helping me with the lighting...

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I get a lot of people asking me if all I ever do is cook and eat.  Well, obviously not, since you see all of these images here on my blog, you must realize that I also photograph, edit, and edit again.

However, due to very popular demand, I've decided to "publish" some of my recipes - you may recall I've done this before with some other popular items, like my Brazilian Feijoada and my Tuscan Bean Soup.  So here's another popular one and this time I decided to take pictures of every step with my handy-dandy iPhone4, using the Hipstamatic app for consistency and a little antique look that I love.

Enjoy! Try it out and let me know what you think:

Ingredients:

1kg Cassava Root (see pictures below if you don't know what that is)

 1 can of diced tomatoes

2lbs large shrimp (uncooked)

2 red peppers (diced)

1 large onion (diced)

1 can of coconut milk (not the 'light' kind) 

1/2 cup diced cilantro

 3 cloves of garlic (of course I use more, I'm just taking it easy on you!)

Salt and pepper to taste. 

Chili pepper flakes if you're feeling adventurous. 

Directions: 

 The first thing you need to do is boil the cassava.  Cassava is a very strong root that is a lot like potatoes, but much harder.  I cook it in a pressure cooker (by the way, I cook almost everything in a pressure cooker) because it's much faster, but you can also boil it in a regular pot.  It'll just take longer.

Pressure Cooker time: 30 mins in full boil.

Regular  Pot: About 1.5 hours.

Cassava might be hard to find, but I found it in a East Indian grocery shop close to my place, in the freezer. Here's the packaging:

And here's what it looks like, uncooked, frozen:

Here's one of my many pressure cookers, in action:

 After the cassava is soft like cooked potatoes, you must remove the core, like this:

This is the consistency that you want:

Then you must puree the cassava root  - I do that in my KitchenAid mixer:

Leave the pureed cassava aside. 

Dice the veggies and sauté them in a separate pot.

Puree the diced tomatoes.  Note here, you might be thinking, why not just use crushed tomatoes instead?  I find that pre-crushed tomatoes taste very different, so I don't use them.  I prefer to crush my own.

I let that all simmer for about 10 minutes on low, then I add the cilantro and the garlic:

 I crush my garlic in a mortar and pestle.  I've gone through a lot of garlic presses and this is the only thing that can put up with me...

Let it all simmer for 40 minutes.  This is also the point when you should season it with salt and pepper to taste.  You can add some chili pepper too, for a little kick.

Meanwhile, you must defrost the shrimp, and then peel and chop them into bite-size pieces. 

This is the kind that I buy.  If you don't already know this, you need to buy the "black" shrimp.  When shrimp is red, it means it's been cooked!

I like to defrost the shrimp in a colander, under cold water.

Peeled and chopped:

 Add the shrimp to the sauce and cook it just until the shrimp is red.

Now the finishing touches:  Add the cassava pure and mash it into the stew.  I add about three cups of the mashed up stuff.

Let this simmer for 5 minutes, until the mixture thickens, then remove from the element and add the coconut milk:

 It's ready to serve!

I like to eat it with a tomato salad on the side, but you might think it's tomato overkill...

Bom apetite! 

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This past Friday, the 13th of August, I was asked by my friend Mike of Tinholt Photography if I could come out to shoot with him and his wife, Zarah.  I love second shooting.  It is relaxing, enlightening and humbling all at the same time.  

I had just gotten my iPhone4 two weeks before that (yes, I'm a loser and I stood in line for 4.5 hours to get it), so I asked Mike if I could use the iPhone for some of the shots.  No, I didn't JUST shoot with the iPhone, but once in a while I pulled it out for effect.  I used the same app for all the shots and I love how they turned out.  The app is called Hipstamatic and though the shots are not always in focus, I like the old world feel it gives the images.

Here they are for your perusal:

The wedding was at the Hotel Fort Garry.  They have the best lights:

The groom, Daniel, through the glass:

The boys.  Again, not really in focus - low light, but definitely cool!

 I love this one!

This is the kind of day we had:

Do you think I have a chandelier/sconce obsession?  You have NO IDEA!

A Very blurry Mike on the job:

Details of Rache's stunning dress:

The infamous cube:

What are you trying to do, Mike?  Hitch a ride?

Details of the church decorations:

The Kiss:

A Rainbow came out.  How serendipitous:

There are more images to come, folks, from my real camera... 

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