What's this 'engagement session' thing anyway??...

A question we've been asked many times...if you've been engaged a while, or you're not using photos on your invitations...what's the point of an engagement session? Well, it's actually more important than you probably think...

The engagement session gives us, as your photographers, a chance to work with you before the 'big day'...the majority of people aren't exactly used to having a big lens pointed at them all day, and quite frankly the thought of it can be quite intimidating...(Just try to get Gary in FRONT of a camera instead of behind it and he will squirm...there's a reason he's the photographer and not the subject...)  

So the reason these sessions are so important, is it gives you a chance to get used to us pointing cameras at you, and on the other hand, also allows us to get to know how you interact together, when you're most comfortable, what makes you laugh...basically, it allows us to get to know each other well in advance of your wedding day, so come the time, you won't be worrying about whether or not you're making a funny face or even notice that we're there at all...you'll just be able to enjoy the moments, and we'll know how to make sure to work with you to ensure we capture them.

And then there's always of course the added bonus of having some sweet shots of you two just hanging out, being you.  

Speaking of hanging out, we had a great time working with Matt and Stefanie for an engagement session a month or two ago...they were getting married out of town and so wanted some shots from around Whitehorse that they could use for their big day...It was great working with such a fun loving couple...did we mention we're more than happy to travel for weddings as well?   ;)

Halloween...one of our favourite times of the year...whether you're 10 or you're well past your trick or treating years, there is still something people love about getting decked out in whatever (sometimes extremely last minute) costume they can find and celebrating with friends...if you can even recognize them...

This year, we decided to check out The Hank and Lily show at the Yukon Arts centre that our local burlesque show Varietease presented on Saturday night...So who are Hank and Lily you ask?? Well....they are described as "a performance art inspired duo from Victoria, BC, whose act is based upon the tragic and hilarious adventures  of their comic book series."  

And in our opinion? Able to put on one crazy entertaining, non-stop energy show...Jazz on the wing style, the crowd, which included everything from Zombies to Jane Fonda, danced, sang and stood in awe of the mind-boggling show that is Hank and Lily... Flashing lights, a dance appearance by David Hasselhoff, Lily with her antlers and Hank with his metal face mask...you couldn't really ask for a more entertaining and perfectly suited Halloween show.

We wanted to give a special shout out to Fiona Solon and Brian Fidler for inviting us to shoot this amazing show and to Hank, Lily and their entire crew for bringing such a great show up to the Yukon for all of us to enjoy....Here's hoping it's not the last time...

Happy Halloween everyone!

Sleeping Baby

The elusive sleeping baby...hard to catch at times, but when it happens...watch out...cuteness ensues...

We had the pleasure of doing a newborn shoot with a couple who had just welcomed this little one into the family and although he spent the first half of the shoot sawing logs, he sleepily woke up for the last half so we could also get some shots of those beautiful little eyes too...

We love working with babies because not only do they have the new parents wrapped around their tiny fingers (as they should), they do the same to us because their schedule dictates everything...This little guy was great to us, though, and seemed to enjoy being in front of the camera...

PEI...A perfect wedding destination

Fact: GBP loves the east coast...

I (Brianne) went to university out there (STFX), but this was Gary's first trip to PEI and NS, and let's just say it wasn't a hard sell to get him to fall in love with them...

We were lucky enough to head out there this August to cover two weddings...The first being this one on PEI...We lucked out with an absolutely gorgeous day, making the ceremony down on the beach that much more beautiful...red sand, the smell of the ocean...you couldn't really beat it.

The bride and groom, Ern and Tim, were incredible all day...laid back, and ready to just enjoy a day to celebrate with their 18 person bridal party (go big or go home!), and a fantastic group of family and friends...They rented a 'party bus' to transport us all from the beach back to the reception area, and even served Wendy's double bacon cheeseburgers for a midnight snack...unique, fun, and memorable...we were so honoured to be a part of their day!

I've already warned them that they should probably be giving us a call when they need maternity photos in the future... ;)

The snow is falling, the days are getting shorter, and whether you're excited to hear this or not...it's that time of year again everybody...Christmas is just around the corner!

So in an attempt to help you get ready for what can be a hectic season, we want to start booking our Christmas sessions ASAP! And this year we have a few new services available...

New this season, we'll be offering our "It's Christmas, and i'm running low on time!" sessions! Perfect for the busy household, these sessions are 1/2 hour in length and will produce 3 photos-just enough to give you a few different options, but not so many that you have to spend too much time sifting through them to pick which one makes it onto your christmas cards or into your update letter you're late mailing to the family! (We've been there...we understand!) ;) Our "IC&IRLOT" sessions are $150 and will be offered during the first 3 weeks of November to ensure all photos will be ready for early December mail outs and printing!

Also this year, we'll be offering christmas card packages...so whether you have a favourite image from a past session with us, or you want to use one from an upcoming session, we'd be happy to set you up with a package...We've included this years designs so you can get a better feel for what we'll be offering...they're 5x7 card format and are available with text or blank on the inside. Contact us for more info on pricing and options at: brianne@garybremner.com

And as always, we'll still be offering our full family/couples sessions which start at $225.oo These sessions last 1-1 1/2 hours and normally produce 20-25 images.

So whatever you're looking for this holiday season, we're happy to try to make it as quick and painless as possible...so that you can get your gifts ready to go, and get back to that eggnog and christmas baking... (again, we've been there...we understand!)

Hey everyone, Bri here...

We are sleepy...why you ask? I'm going to have to blame part of that on the work we did today (commercial shoot and construction work), but possibly even more of it on the turkey that was just consumed...Ohhh thanksgiving...you get me every time....

We just finished up dinner with my parents and it got me thinking about just how lucky we are to have such an incredible family...

For example, we're in the process of getting ready to build a new studio onto our house and so we spent the entire day today with my mom and dad, tearing apart our deck so that the foundation can be laid tomorrow...It was a TON of work, but my parents were troopers and happily helped us out for the entire day...even though i'm sure they had plenty of other things to do with their sunday...

SO...the point of this story? It is thanksgiving, we're thankful for our amazing family, and so we thought it would also be appropriate to include a few shots from one of our family shoots this summer....

These guys know how to laugh...This was the first time all of the kids were home from university for the same time in years, and the best part about this shoot was the amount of trash talking that went down...all in fun of course, but these smiles were all produced from someone poking fun at someone else until the rest of the family busted out laughing along with them...We had a great time with these guys and were super happy to be able to capture some memories for them...

So again, Happy thanksgiving everyone! And thanks again to my mom and dad for being so rad...

Fishnets, pasties, lipstick, doll heads, dancers, comedians, moustaches and top hats...just a few of the things you find yourself working with when you shoot a burlesque show...and when that burlesque show happens to be Varietease-a locally produced show filled with an eccentric and incredibly talented cast, it makes photographing it that much more exciting...

For the past 3 Varietease productions, Gary has documented the show both front stage during the live performances, as well as backstage, capturing the energy and personalities that make the show come alive...If you've ever wondered what happens backstage burlesque..."Undressed" is definitely the show to check out!

This will be Gary Bremner Photography's first show at the Yukon Art Centre Gallery, and we're really excited to have it feature some of our more gritty work...As you'll notice, we do a lot of wedding and family photography, but we also have a passion for the arts and working in a theatre/cabaret environment is always an amazing experience creatively...And we're happy to share our work with a larger audience now so we can really exhibit the diversity of what we love to do as photographers.

So...we're hoping you'll be able to come check out the opening reception this Saturday, Oct. 1st at the YAC Gallery from 6-9pm...We'll be there to answer any questions and chat about the show, but if you can't make it that night, it will be displayed Oct.1-29 as well...

Hope to see you there!

Bri and Gary

Ok...so we admit it...we've been crazy busy lately so our blog posts haven't exactly been as frequent as we'd like...the good news is, it's been shoot after shoot that we've been busy with, so there's plenty of posts to come if you're patient! ;)

But enough about us...let's focus on one of our awesome couples we had the pleasure of working with this summer for not only their engagement shoot, but also their wedding...We always use the engagement shoot as an opportunity to really get to know our clients-to learn about how they interact, what makes them laugh, and...it allows them to get used to Gary pointing a big old camera at them! Luckily, although it sounds intimidating at first, by the end of these sessions our clients can get to the point where they relax, ignore us (yes that's a good thing), and just spend some time together, chilling out, and looking good...

These guys were no exception...we had an absolute blast with them and right away found their playful spirit, and amazing laughs.

Just wait till you see their wedding shots...