Orchard Portraits at The BX Press

I decided to end the first week of Vale + Vine's soft launch with a feature of my own to remind myself, and share with my first viewers, why I've embarked on such an enterprise. I have spent the past five years living in California fine-tuning my photography business, becoming a part of the fine art wedding community, and returning to my roots as a film photographer. Throughout these years, I've noticed a slow trickle of the fine art influences beginning to influence the wedding industry in Canada, and I've wondered what would happen if more Canadians embraced this aesthetic--not just in terms of photography, but in terms of the entire wedding experience.

We as Canadians are proud of our vast and varied landscapes and maintain deep ties to our land--as the second-largest country in the world with a population roughly the size of California's, it's only natural we should hold a deep affinity for the space that so completely encompasses us. And yet it seemed to me that fine art wedding inspiration (which, among other things, has come to signify a style that celebrates natural light and often emphasizes natural settings or elements) had no homebase in Canada, no online presence or community for vendors and photographers producing truly stunning work that showcased the beauty of our natural landscape.

So I am on a quest. As a voyageur traversing the internet, I've been scouring the blogs and websites of Canadian wedding photographers and vendors seeking out the highest caliber of imagery and concepts that celebrate our 'home and native land', and the natural elements that we can often take for granted. I want to find beautiful, authentic wedding inspiration that reflects our natural surroundings, and exchange inspiration with viewers and vendors from both within Canada and beyond. In the beginning, the majority of Vale + Vine's features will be comprised of primarily Canadian content and talent, but as a country so influenced by cultures and landscapes outside of our own, I hope to grow and welcome work that extends beyond our borders, and share in the dialogue taking place between brides, photographers, and vendors in the international community.

So with all that to say, I thought it would be appropriate to share some work of my own. I wanted to showcase the Okanagan's preternatural beauty, so I brought together my friend Danielle and a team of exquisitely grand percherons to bask in the light and land that I love, photographed on an historic apple orchard and cidery in the North Okanagan. If you're a bride looking to get married in British Columbia's Okanagan Valley next summer, or a photographer planning a shoot here, this is a perfect example of just how lovely and golden the light is on a late evening in July. It's a popular valley for weddings, but so many of its charms are still untapped. Just like the rest of our incredible nation. True North, Strong, and Free.