Welcome to my wedding photography blog!

Elizabeth and Clay said their, "I Do's" on December 11, 2009. This was my last wedding of the year. They chose the Village at Pigeon Lake for their wedding destination. What a lovely location! The little village reminded me of a miniature Banff, Alberta. It was really cute and gave me a homey feel. It has lots of potential for great wedding portraits.  They exchanged their vows & celebrated at The Village Creek Inn.

With winter, come winter-wonderland photographs, but you need to keep in mind that the days are much shorter then in the summer. To accomodate for daylight, we decided to shoot the formal photographs before the ceremony. Since Clay would see Elizabeth before she walked down the aisle, we had a 'dress unveil' before starting the festivities. 

Elizabeth wore a beautiful gown by, 'Pronovias' in which she looked amazing. Clays jaw dropped when he saw her :)

We shot the formals around the snow covered village. After a little while, it really started to snow so we took shelter at the local store, 'Country Sampler'. The owner and staff were so accomodating! Not only did they allow us to use the store, but they moved furniture and props around to make every photo 'picture perfect'. Thanks again guys! Although it was fairly cold, I had an absolute amazing time.

PS: Elizabeth and Clay, thank you so much for the warm fuzzies you gave me at the reception - a thank you I shall remember forever ;)

 Getting ready photographs are my favorite part of the day :)

Elizabeth wore a gown by PRONOVIAS, it was absolutely stunning.

The unveiling of Elizabeth's dress.

Altough it was quite chilly, we managed to get really great shots.

We had so much fresh snow on December 13, everything looked so white & fluffy.

We actually took this shot to get the blood going...it was chilly!

These guys are so photogenic. Thanks for climbing all the way up there for me guys!

By the time we took these shots, it was snowing sooooo bad we had to take shelter.

We shot these photographs, in a beautiful store in Pigeon Lake.

The ceremony was very intimate with the closet Family and Friends.

The happy newly weds!

All the details were just perfect.

The two had so much with with the cutting and feeding each other wedding cake!

Certain 'guests' aka Shaun, could not wait to have their share of some wedding cake so Elizabeth helped Shaun get it first.

The first dance :) Always love this part of the wedding reception.

View more wedding photo's in my gallery or throughout my wedding blog.

Jenn & Craig are getting married in the Rockies on March 6th, 2010. I am really looking forward to heading to Banff for this occasion. I love the mountains. They hold a special place in my heart as that is where my husband proposed back in the day :)

Jenn gave me a sneak peak to the dress she will be wearing in 4 months. All I have to say is, "WOW". The gown will fit nicely with the scenic background for some amazing epic shots! We had to reschedual our engagement shoot three times due to weather. On the actual day, the rain caught up with us so we zoomed up the hill to Commerce Place. Nevertheless, we all still had a great time. Here are some of my favorite shots:

Fall was in full bloom :) Lots of leaves have fallen off the trees

Big hugs to stay warm on a cold Fall day

There was lots of laughing even though the rain was drizzling

The RIver Valley is gorgeous in the Fall

When it rains outsite, Commerce Place is a great alternative

Jenn giving Craig a big hug

Love was in the air at the Second Cup in the Edmonton Downtown location

To view more of my engagement photographs, check out my engagement gallery or the rest of my blog

Fall is my favorite time of the year for many reasons. The colors are gorgeous, it’s not hot outside and photographs come out stellar! Perfect time for engagement photography! Unfortunately, this year our fall season was here and gone in a blink of an eye. Kylie and Mike were the last couple that received great fall weather for their engagement session. As you can see by the photos, we chose the Muttart Conservatory and river valley for our shoot. I won’t lie, it was chilly, almost winter like. In between takes, Kylie and Mike bundled up to warm up, and I wished I grabbed my gloves. Regardless, I had an amazing time capturing their love.

If you haven't heard, Mike plays in a band called Dawn in the City and you can check them out on MySpace (www.myspace.com/dawninthecity ). If you’d like to see Mike rock out check out their song, “Honda Civic” on YouTube as well. (http://www.youtube.com/dawninthecity#p/a). Enjoy!

To view more of my engagement photographs, check out my engagement gallery or the rest of my blog

When Pam contacted me for a Family Portrait session, she had a request for an ubran theme. First thing that came to mind was Whyte Ave! So, on a nice and warm fall day, the Ewanchuk Family departed St. Albert to meet me there. I haven't laughed so much during a Family Portrait session quite like this before. I had so much fun and time flew by too quick. Thank you for letting me take your family photos.

 Collage canvas prints. Available in 11x14 - 24x36 wall panels

Proud mom and her two boys

Snuggles with mom

Tickle time!

Nothings beats a kiss :)

Family Portraits on railway tracks

How did you climb up there!

Mom & Dad

Time out to play

Tickles for dad

Hugs for dad

Starfish jump

Ninja Kicks

Boys will be boys :)

Cute brotherly hugs

That looks like fun!

The first time I met Adam was in 2007 at the Bangkok international airport. I got off a brutal 18+ hour flight at  2 o'clock in the morning.  Needless to say, I was no happy camper. The first person I met was Adam, who introduced himself as a group leader and the rest is history.

The sexy couple at the top left are Shaun&Linds Rafal&I. The guy in the top middle photo, is Curtis Smith. He is the guy that created Free & Easy. The guy in the red cap is Adam aka Jesus :)

Along with our close friends Shaun and Lindsay, my husband and I booked a 6 week trip to Thailand.  Our back packing adventure through this beautiful country, was organized by a company called, Free and Easy. I have a lot of great memories and amazing photographs to remind me of this once in a lifetime experience.

This past July, I received an email from Adam entitled, 'BIG NEWS'. Oh boy, was he right. Adam got engaged to his lovely girlfriend, Amy. They were both very excited and looking forward to the big day. I was ecstatic they chose me to be their wedding photographer. I was really looking forward to shoot their engagement photos.

Here are some of their shots:

There was lots of love that day, and my trusty Canon caught it all

If Amy & Adam could, they'd kiss through the whole engagement session

I love it when couples are themselves, capturing just that is the best shot a photographer could ever take

Strong hold

I could still hear Amy laughing as Adam ran up and down that parking lot

Awww what a gentleman!

Everyone stared at these two kissing!

They started dancing right in the middle of the street to the blues of the red guitar

That is a true 'snuggle'

Looking forward to the BIG day in Calgary and the Trash the Dress Shoot!

To view more of my engagement photographs, check out my engagement gallery or the rest of my blog

To share the lives of Family and close Friends is a blessing. I am many things to many people. I am a daughter, a friend, a wife and this year I am honoured to become a godmother to our first baby in our Family, Oliwia Tabone. Shopping sprees to Toys R Us, taking her to the park and going out for ice cream is something I am really looking forward to.

We visited the little critter in Vancouver  over a hot weekend in August. During our visit, we shot her first baby photography session, one of many I am sure! 

You may view the rest of my baby photographs on my website or throughout my blog

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My husband and I love to travel. Although majority of our trips are planned far in advance, this year, it was quite spontaneous. I recall receiving a call from my husband that he found a killer seat sale and booked two round trip tickets to London. For all the travel bugs, that are open to adventure and seeing lots while spending little, know that travel in and around Europe is easy as pie. Train, plane, bus – the options are endless and cheap if you’re flexible. So how cheap is cheap? Try $1 000 CAD for a one week holiday to Crete, Greece complete with travel by air, hotel, breakfast and for the two of us! The people I met and memories I have will be cherished in my heart. Thanks for all the laughs Ola & Cyprian!

I’ve seen quite a bit in my life, but nothing of this magnitude. This place was absolutely amazing. The food was to die for; the people were friendly and genuine. Shopping was spectacular. The scenery was breathtaking and the views in Santorini were epic.  I took some advice from an amazing photographer, Jesh de Rox, I met at one of the photography seminars I attended this year which was to travel without a map. I allowed my gut to guide me around this story book island and as a result, got the following shots. Please note, they do not give justice to reality.

Can’t wait to see what else our beautiful world has to offer!

The Greeks are very patriotic, flags were seen everywhere.

He is not sad, just tired. It was super hot that day.

I don't know why, but I really liked this sign.

This was the entrance to someones home.

I found these dolls quite beautiful. There is something mystical about them. I would have bought one if they were a bit cheaper.

White walls and blue doors galore!

I started to love this blue/white combination.

Orthodox crosses were seen everywhere.

There were lots of mystical clay creatures.

Yes! People actually DO live here. Imagine waking up to this everyday!

Santorini from the top of the hill.

Me goofing off.

This is a port. The colors were so beautiful from the top.

It was so hot, I wanted to join the dog!

I REALLY wanted to get this. I love little nick nacks. Once my husband found out it was approx. 70 Euros he walked away. Those are his feet (brown/yellow shorts).

Typical Greek restaurant setting.

I loved this door, but the sun in the background made the shot.

Another port.

Lots of churches in Greece.

These are authentic copies. The real ones are in the museum. I picked up two :)

Lots and LOTS of fishing.

More things for purchase.

That is me. I cut my foot open on those sharp rocks to get this shot taken by my husband. Well worth it.

Prices...just in case you're wondering how much food costs. You can bargain. A glass of wine with dinner and salad to start is easy to get for free :)

Just chilling out with hubby.

I took a lot of frames of this man. He was just chilling, enjoying the view and the tobacco.

This kid was AMAZING. He took requests, but played what he wanted...yes, he still wanted your money :)

Lots of houses with character. I wish I could to an engagement session there!

Aaahh, the shopping. These clothes are made by a young designer, Ioanna Kourbela. I REALLY wanted a Greek dress, but it came with a hefty price tag so I opted for a shirt instead. I will wear it for my shoot tomorrow with eyelash photography. Can you guess which one ?

These are two very special people. Ola & Cyprian. We spent EVERY day together. We had so many laughs and wonderful memories. "Mega Jette" will always make me laugh Miss you guys ;)

Malgorzata & Bartek were married on July 4, 2009 in Krakow, Poland. Their beautiful wedding reception took place at The Krakow Valley Golf Course. If I remember right, the party lasted until 6:00am, talk about a celebration!

On her wedding day, Malgorzata wore a gorgeous gown by Pronovias, in which she looked absolutely stunning. Belive it or not, this lovely couple got married in the same church where my parents said their, "I do's" 32 years ago. That was kinda special to me. As far as their wedding day goes, the day was just perfect.

We shot their formal photo's at the golf course in the evening, just when the light was at its softest and shortly put - perfect. This was a huge treat for me as I normally do not get  a chance to take formal photographs in Edmonton when the sun is just setting.  The couple wanted something very relaxed, unposed and in the moment.

All the guests celebrated the night away after Gosia and Bartek performed their choreographed first dance. It was short of magical. There was also lots of Polish food I know and love.

The newly wed couple spent their honeymoon vacationing in Greece. Instead of flying down, like most people do, they both decided to drive down - on their motorcycle. Talk about an awesome adventure.

Thank you for sharing your day with me.

Gosia's wedding dress by Pronovias patiently waitting

This collection of orchids was purchased by Gosia's fiancee :)

These were Gosias sketches. A vision for the flower girls dresses.

A Polish tradition. As the bride and groom leave the church, guests throw money as a sign of good luck and a prosperous future.

One of my favorite photos from this wedding shoot

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The first dance. They could give the, "So You Think You can Dance" contestants a run for their money :)

Lots of kissing going on at the reception!

 You may find more wedding photo's in my gallery or throughout my wedding blog.

Jenn & Khalil wrapped up the engagement shoots for May. I was really excited for this session as it was my first time to meet Khalil. Currently, he works in Calgary and came up this weekend to have his engagement photo's taken with his beautiful fiancee.

The lovely couple decided to have their e-session taken at the University of Alberta. They reminisced about the ‘school days’ and Khalil even noticed his old prof walking about on campus!

So what made this particular engagement a tad special? Back in January, during our initial consultation, Jenn told me about this amazing tree. She reminisced how tiny it was when she was little and the time she drew it for her art class assignment in the middle of winter. It holds a special place in her heart... Khalil knew this and used this knowledge to his advantage when he proposed. On their engagement day, which occured on Halloween, Khalil took his girl to her special spot and popped the question. Jenn was clueless about the whole thing, all she wanted to do is see a horror flick at the theater. Something tells me she enjoyed Khalils surprise a bit more. Due to his work schedule, they haven’t had a chance to go back to their spot until today.

Special place with lots of memories equals great engagement location. I am looking forward to their wedding day.

Krystal and Vince wanted to include their puppy, Norrin in their engagement shoot. We started at the Legislature grounds as there is lots of space Norrin could run around and have some fun. I was amazed how quickly I got my shots. Norrin is a very photogenic puppy who LOVES to have his photo taken. Other then Krystal and Vince, he likes cheese treats and soccer balls :)

Our second location included the area around Grant McEwan followed by Whyte Ave. After their wedding at Hotel MacDonald, they're heading to Europe for their honeymoon. One of the places they'll visit, is Paris - one of my all time favorite destinations. Krystal is ready for the shopping and Vince is looking forward to the break. They were open to all my suggestions and didn't mind getting a bit dirty to get the various shots. Needless to say, I included lots in this post entry as I had a very hard time choosing my favorites. Had an amazing time with you two.

Here are some of my favorite shots:

Norrin does not approve of kisses :)

A Happy Family

Norrin. The most photogenic puppy I had thus far! Did you notice the heart on his cute face? PS This is not a photoshop trick. He was born like this!

Sharing some laughs in-between takes

Love is in the air

Who said parking lot staircases are not great places for a photo shoot?!

Walking into the sunset...

 You can find more engagements photo's here

After taking a NAIT photography seminar this year I couldn't wait to get out there and start shooting. I took quite a bit out of that seminar, but one of the things that really stuck with me is to frequently change our photography locations. This achieves two things. One, we are challenged as photographers to be creative, and second, new ideas flow which normally wouldn't if one keeps shooting in the same scene....Boy, were they right!

So to apply the newly acquired knowledge, I have decided to find a new area for a photo session. Every day, I drive by the Rossdale Water Plant in Edmonton, and recently I started noticing A LOT of potential for some amazing shots. Old buildings, broken windows, wooden doors with peeling paint, old benches, and  beautiful old brick walls are some of the artistic surroundings in this area. Once I realized how much potential this area has, I have suggested to Amber and David to have their engagement photo session taken at the plant. They both agreed without a second thought (Thanks guys!). Here are some of my favorite shots we took that day!

This past weekend I visited the beautiful city of Vancouver. This is the 5th year in a row that my husband and I have gone down for the May long weekend. We enjoyed hot weather, the sweet scent of flowers in full bloom and lots of happy active people just living their lives. While having a nice cold Hefeweizen in Gastown, I saw professional photographers working away shooting gorgeous brides. The area is so inspirational. Lots of potential for STUNNING formal portraits. I couldn’t help, but stare with a small hint of jealousy (sigh) …

Although I got some amazing Vancouver photos, this year’s trip was a tad different.
My sister-in-law is 8 months pregnant with our little niece, Oliwia, and this past weekend was her very first (one of many more to come) photography shoots. Mom to be and I had a blast shooting her first maternity shoot.  Here are some of our shots:

I am the last one in town to know about anything. Concerts, shows, latest & greatest in the celebrity world - you name it. For example, I discovered Diana Krall was in town 3 hours before her concert. As much as this sucks, I kind of got used to it.

Today, I was watching the CTV News at 6:00, something I NEVER do as I HATE watching the news. I found out two interesting entertainment news:

1) Jamie Kennedy is in town and

2) He's dating Jennifer Love Hewitt!

Jamie was scheduled to perform his stand up act in Edmonton at the Laugh Shop (Londonderry Mall) on Friday, May 1 and Saturday, May 2. I must of picked up a tad of luck somewhere as I actually got a pair of tickets. Nothing screams date night like the company of my awsome husband, lots of laughter and a cold beer on a Friday night. I love to laugh. I am the one who chuckles the hardest and keeps on laughing 5 minutes after the punch line and tonight was not any different. The opening act was Bill Dawes. He was hilarious! I found him funnier then Jamie (sorry, but its true). Afte the show, I had a chance to talk to the man who appeared on the, "Sex and the City" sit com and get a photo.  

Jamie brought Jennifer on stage towards the end of his act. She is quite pretty in real life. The 4 month couple were all over each other, and love was definitely in the air. After the show, Rafal and I lined up for a photo - one catch. You had to purchase something and it was CASH only. Yeah. Since neither of us carry cash EVER we were stuck. Rafal told the security guard we'll get the DVD after we take the the photo (lol good old Rafal).  After collecting our camera, we were casually heading towards the the door when Jennifer shouted at Rafal, "Hey, aren't you going to buy something?". To which he answered, "umm yeah I don't have any money, I'l be back later". Oh man, I couldn't stop laughing. Thanks for the great evening honey.

 The photo above was taken with my point and shoot camera as no pro equipment was allowed in. Check back soon to find out, "How to take great images with your point and shoot camera".

 The two happily in love couple :)

Bill Dawes. Kinga Dyrda and Rafal Dyrda

Last night I attended the Album EPOCA Studio Photography Tour Bootcamp held at the Grant MacEwan Community College.

Robert Provencher was leading the 3 hour workshop. I must be honest in that I was more excited to meet the guy and get my photo taken with him instead of attending the seminar. Rob is an amazing guy with an amazing studio, 'Westmount Photography'. When people ask, “so who is your favorite photographer?” 9.5/10, you hear big names being thrown around (which is cool). When I get asked this question, I say “ROB!!”. Not only is his photography short of amazing, he’s a down to earth guy with photographic strategies he’s willing to share! I met him through the web approximately 5 years ago when I decided to get serious about my photography and start a business. I specifically recall emailing him a question regarding lighting equipment. Needless to say I was NOT expecting a response. On the contrary, I found an email response the next day packed with great information and positive vibes. I was blown away.  He’s my mentor for many reasons, but has one thing going against him – he uses NIKON :P

The seminar was filled with marketing strategies, success stories, inspirational quotes, various wedding, baby, and family portrait poses, goal making and all that wicked photography stuff I love. Although all the information he was presenting was NOT new to me, it was nice to hear them again (from the horse’s mouth!), fill in the gaps and pick up something new. The poor guy had a headache (noticed he popped like 1000 aspirins at the end), but it didn’t stop him from delivering a great seminar. Thanks again Rob!

"Imagination is more important than knowledge" ~ Albert Einstein

ALBUM EPOCA Photography Studio Tour - Grant MacEwan College -  Edmonton, Alberta

Robert Provencher and I (Kinga Dyrda)

Welcome!
 
Images by Frost has a new addition. Today is the first official day of my new Edmonton Photography Blog. Thus far, this was the coolest web project I worked on with Flame360. Thanks again for all the hard work. I had a blast designing the new look and getting it just right.
 
So why the change? Its simple. Blogger (the old blog) was too generic. I felt the Images by Frost experience was not carried into the blog. One fine morning, I added it to my ‘needs-work-list’. This was just another addition of changes that Images by Frost went through this year.

What’s new?

• Of course, new blog. It will be packed with photographs of all sorts. Wedding photography, e-session, portrait, maternity, travel and much more! All the old posts are located here: http://imagesbyfrost.blogspot.com/
• For all of you that do not have an account with blogspot can now leave comments
• Packaging for all Fine Art Prints and digital negatives is included in all 2009 orders.
• All proofs from various sessions are now fully re-touched and are available for purchase.
• New product line of professional wedding albums from Renaissance (the best company EVER).

What’s left?

• Currently, I am looking for a talented Edmonton based graphic designer to aid me in revamping my logo. If you are a designer or know of someone, email me. Please include your website or samples of your work.
• Pricelists will be available online. Instead of the .pdf format that was used in the past. No more downloading Acrobat onto your computer if you didn’t have it installed.
• Online consultation. All of you living in all parts of the world have the option of an online consultation. It’ll be packed with information I have collected over the past 5 years that deals with Destination Weddings. Having been through one myself, I quickly learned the do’s and don’ts if I had to do it all over again. Included is a free pdf booklet, “How to make Your Destination Wedding a Success”.

Thanks for visiting. See you back soon!