The Dornan’s Engagement Session in Canmore

Plenty of Fish in the Sea… But Only One for Me

Erica and Stewart first connected on the dating site Plenty of Fish and emailed back and forth for a while before agreeing to meet up. They started with a dinner date, and the more time they spent together, the more apparent it became; they had something special.

When we first spoke, they weren’t yet engaged, but they had already set their wedding date for August 8, marking two years since they met. Their engagement was planned for an upcoming trip to Vegas, and the next time we saw them, they were engaged!

The Engagement Session at Policeman’s Creek

We started the session off at their home in the south of Calgary, where Christina Kemp with Modern Makeovers was giving Erica her engagement session hair and makeup. After they finished, we made our way out to Canmore and met on the western edge of Policeman’s Creek in the newly developed neighbourhood of Spring Creek.

Initially, we had scheduled the session to take place a few weeks before, but winter in Calgary is always unpredictable. On the day of the shoot, a massive snowstorm shut down the Deerfoot Trail. We decided to call it off, and ultimately that decision paid off. When we arrived for the rescheduled session the sun was shining and the temperatures were up to -7 degrees Celsius!
On the way down to Policeman’s Creek, we stopped along a row of trees to grab the first shots. Erica brought along a collection of chalkboard hearts, onto which she had written cute messages. His read “I stole her heart…” and hers replied “…So I’m gonna steal his last name!”
We moved across a beautiful wooden bridge that leads back into Spring Creek and made sure to take a variety of shots there, with the beautiful buildings and the towering mountains behind.

Stewart and Erica then changed into their more formal outfits: Stewart in a dress shirt and slacks, and Erica in a burgundy dress that complimented her lavender hair. We photographed them on the bridge in their formal wear before heading across into the community.
One of the first buildings across the bridge had a river rock wall and a tall skyward steeple, which was perfect for dramatic angles and textures. We set up flash and experimented with perspectives to create a set of unique shots for Stewart and Erica.

The next set up was for the ring! Erica brought along scrabble tiles spelling L-O-V-E (the ‘O’ being the engagement ring itself), and we laid the tiles out into their hands. Next, because Erica has an undying love for comics (particularly Batman), we grabbed a little ‘Funko Pop’ Batman figurine and placed him in the snow with the engagement ring balanced on his little head.
To wrap up the shoot, we found another cobbled wall and took our final set of shots. It was a lovely day for a photo session, and we hope Erica and Stewart love their photos as much as we enjoyed taking them!

Their Online Engagement Photo Gallery

This is an online gallery of all their images and it will be available for a limited time. From the online gallery you are able to favourite images, order prints and share the gallery with your family and friends. The gallery can be accessed via the link below and you can contact couple directly for their secure password.

Want to share in the experience? Contact us today for a free consultation or click here to book a portrait session! We also have a wickedly fun Calgary Photo Booth that is great for any event as well as Corporate and Event Photography for all sorts of events and corporate functions.

Calgary Wedding Photographers – JM Photography © 2018

The Dornan’s Engagement Session Credits

Date | 2.22.18
Location – Canmore
Hair and Makeup – Christina Kemp with Modern Makeovers
Photography by Jeremy Martel

Learn more about our studio

JM Photography offers Calgary brides the very best in wedding photography! Our unique style and best in class experience is one of a kind. Each wedding is treated with the greatest of care and creativity, resulting in breathtaking imagery. We also offer Calgary newborn photography, capture maternity sessions as well as family portraits.

We are one of the top studios in Western Canada, servicing the Calgary area, including but not limited to, Canmore, Banff, Cochrane, Chestermere, Airdrie, Lethbridge, and Red Deer. We also offer coverage in Edmonton, Vancouver and to destinations worldwide.