2010. If there was one word I would use to describe the previous year that so quickly rushed past, it would be…

Clarity

I’ll explain in a minute.

Here’s a little “Best-Of” slideshow from some of the incredible weddings we shot in the last 12 months. We tried to keep it small but… you might want to grab some popcorn (104 images). It kind of follows the order of a wedding, starting with some cool detail shots, photos of some spectacular brides on one of the biggest days of their lives, followed by the guys, ceremony, formals and into some sweet reception details, dancing and fun!

There you have it! If you made it all the way though, I give you a big virtual pat on the back

So why a word like “clarity”? What was so crystal clear about 2010?

Well, you know those moments in your life when you decided to start a journey, one where you had no idea what the outcome might be? A journey that you knew would require a massive amount of hard work and yet still may not yield the fruits of your labor ( I never thought I’d have the chance to use “fruits of your labor” in a sentence on this blog! Or anywhere…). Well that was the kind of journey Beth and I embarked on two and a half years ago when we said ciao to our “pay-the-bills day jobs” and took our photography studio on as our full time occupations (with a newborn baby and lots of bills to pay).

We started the business because we really enjoy photography (that’s a given), we’re driven to be creative, and we love a challenge. But there was never that feeling of knowing exactly why we went down the road we did, no solid purpose that would tie everything together had presented itself until a few months back.

I think we’re all well aware that there’s a lot of people on this planet who could use a helping hand. Whether the need is for clean drinking water, for school supplies (or just having a school at all) or for people to step up and fight human trafficking. The urgent need for assistance and relief has never been greater. We want to get involved.

To try and make this long story as short as possible, Beth and myself have always felt as though international relief work was somewhat of a calling for us, and now we see that becoming professional photographers has not only equipped us to effectively and artistically tell the stories of people here in North America, but to hopefully use those same skills to bring awareness to needs around the globe. We want to show people just what these awesome relief organizations are doing out in the field.

Without some kind of visual feedback for an extremely media centred society like North America (visual media centred especially), it can be difficult to connect the dots between giving $50 and saving lives. We want to connect the people in need with the people who want to help. That’s the idea anyway and we would love to see it happen.

Where will all this lead our little family of four? Who knows. The start of this new trail has become crystal clear, but the rest of the path is still pretty foggy. I think we’re getting used to that though

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We are really looking forward to 2011 and all the exciting things it’s sure to bring! We’ll be sharing all the weddings, portrait shoots and photographer tips right here on this blog site, so stay tuned.

Here’s to 2011!

After many months of waiting and a couple of false alarms, Tom Kelly was born in the wee hours of the morning on December 12th 2010. It was an incredible journey for all of us and we’re so thankful everything went as smoothly as it did! The last 3 weeks have been great (despite the lack of sleep…but that was to be expected haha) and we’ve had a huge amount of support from our family. Casey has been an awesome big brother and he loves helping out with everything he possibly can, which for a 2 year old is pretty sweet. I know there’s a lot of people waiting to finally see some photos of the little guy, so I put together a quick video with some stills added into the mix. Enjoy!

Tom’s Big Day from Ryan + Beth Photographers on Vimeo.

Sitting at my Grandparents house, I used to love looking through all the old photos and albums. My family history was right there in front of me, in the photo albums and on the walls, proudly displayed. I’m so looking forward to showing our son Casey these family heirlooms along with our own family story. I wonder though, when Casey grows up and has a family someday, will he be able to do the same? I hope so. Beth and I have made it a huge priority for our family and the couples that we work with to create new family heirlooms that will last for generations. This incredible album from Leather Craftsmen is a great example of that.

This photo puts a smile on my face EVERY time! This album is so perfect.

On this inside front and back covers it’s lined with stunning “Teal Cork” and the Ryan + Beth stamp of approval.

These albums have a lifetime craftsmanship guarantee.

Being two years old…right now Casey is just happy with the bubble wrap

Here’s the specs for the album: 12″x12″, 66 pages, “Thin White Pages”, covered with Marine Japanese Book Cloth, Teal Cork end sheets, a 4″x6″ inset cover photo, and black “Modern” imprinting on the cover and spine. Whew! Leather Craftsmen was so great through the entire ordering process and we can’t thank them enough for all their hard work and attention to detail.

If you’d like to see this or any other of our albums just let us know, we’d love to show you!

As for the buying cute things… I found these adorable boots on etsy.com, then I found out that the seller was from the Edmonton area! I love to be able to shop local, its so much more convenient and we met up so I didn’t have to pay for shipping! I met with Ashley from Nesting Sticks on Saturday and  I really just couldn’t help myself. I was just going to get the boots…

But really how could I resist a cute visor hat?

Doesn’t it all look so adorable together She even threw in a soother clip!

Thanks Ashley for meeting me and for all your hard work. I can’t wait to try it on the baby!

Check back in the next week or two for some pretty awesome news, a tutorial on lighting(for all you photographers out there), photo’s from Kendra and Trevor’s February 20th wedding and a HUGE (yes I mean HUUUGE) contest for anyone soon-to-be-married!

“Keep the main thing the main thing”

So what the heck does that mean? What is the “main thing”? It’s different for everybody. Basically it’s the reason you do what you do, and for me it’s Beth and Casey. Somedays I just can’t believe how incredibly blessed I am to have them in my life.
On January 2, 2009 when we decided to take on our photography business full time, we entered into a world where Beth and I worked and lived side by side  24 hours a day, 7 days a week. If you ever wanted a way to test your marriages strength, this would be the way to do it! I’m glad to say we made it out on the other side of this past year with our marriage fully intact and better then ever. It wasn’t without it’s challenges of course, but by working through them together, it’s fortified our commitment and love for each other, and I’m so grateful for that.

Beth astounds and inspires me to no end. Taking on the roll of a full time mother, a full time wife, a full time photographer and a full time business woman all within the last two years. She’s incredible. And Casey…what can I say about Casey That little guy has taught me more about life(and about myself) then I ever thought possible. They’re the two most important people in my life and I’d do anything for them. So why would “Keep the main thing the main thing” hit me with such strength when it should be a no-brainer? I guess it comes down to “life” getting in the way, getting caught up in things not worth getting caught up in. Starting this new year I’m so excited to see what it will hold in store, but whether good or bad I’m going try my hardest to keep my main thing my main thing.

I thought I’d post this little video I made last summer of Beth and Casey. It was my first go at making a video with our 5D Mark II and I had no intention at the time of posting it on our blog, but I thought it was perfect for this post.

The Main Thing: Beth and Casey from Ryan + Beth Photographers on Vimeo.