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Couple in Manitoba wheat field

I am so excited to celebrate my cousin Stephanie’s engagement here on the blog!  Steph and Rich live in Manitoba, and while I can’t make it out to their wedding this August  (since I’ll be staring my due date smack in the face–oh right, did I mention, I’m pregnant!!!), I’m thrilled that I had the chance to photograph Steph and Rich together last summer near my old hometown on the prairies.  Thankfully we were able to  squeeze in a shoot on some of my Grandparents’ farmland that was just about to be harvested…another day or so and this field would have been empty.  Anyway, the setting was perfect: the sky was hazy from harvesting and the long Canadian days of summer gave us loads of golden shooting light!  Unfortunately the mosquitos were what drove us to a mad finish once the sun had set!

I am so incredibly blessed to have Stephanie as a dear cousin and friend.  We’ve been close ever since we were little and I was honoured to have Steph as one of my own bridesmaids four years ago.  Sadly I won’t be able to attend or be a part of Steph and Rich’s own celebration, but I am super pumped that Steph will be joining me this May in Colombia where I’ll be shooting a destination wedding (at this GORGEOUS villa)!    Steph and I have never been able to coordinate travel plans, though we’ve both spent a good deal of time on the road and have even managed to bump into one another in both Cuba and London.  However, the timing seems to have finally worked out so that we get to meet up in Colombia just before she gets married and I have a baby.  I’m so excited to get to spend this special  time with one of the most loyal, intentional, adventure-driven friends I have.  And how extra-special when that friend is also family!

All right, enough chatting…enjoy the photos, the lovely prairie sky, and this gorgeous couple in love!  Oh and happy Saint Paddy’s Day weekend!  Any fun Irish-inspired plans to share?  Maybe I can convince Will to pull out the bagpipes for a few celebratory tunes!

“There is no describing [the prairies]…They inspire feelings too unique, so distinct from anything else, so powerful, yet vague and indefinite, as to defy description, while they invite the attempt.”

– John C. Van Tramp

Stephanie’s Outfit:  Bracelet – Silver Lotus  |  Earrings – Ten Thousand Villages  |  Belt – Forever 21  |  Boots – Born  |  Dress – GAP

 

PS I know I mentioned a fantastic cause (and opportunity to win prints) a little while back, and wanted everyone to know that it’s still in the works, there are just a few details to iron out.  Hopefully this awesome opportunity to give back, buy travel prints from the Middle East, and win a series of your own prints will be ready to reveal very shortly!  Thanks for your patience!

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  • Kristen Wood

    Lovely Jaime! So awesome this was on family land.ReplyCancel

  • Jacqui

    Gorgeous!!!! Wow, beautiful all around!!!ReplyCancel

  • admin

    Thanks ladies!!! Such a lovely shoot…would love to do more prairie shoots actually!ReplyCancel

  • Anna Dyke

    Amazing photos as usual Jaime, yet unique and personal, with great looking subjects! Congrats to you both..love the bracelet StephReplyCancel

Mongolian Camel

 Saddle cover detail on a two-humped (bactrian) camel, photographed in Gorkhi-Terelj National Park, Mongolia.  2008.

What do backpacking through Mongolia, camel trekking in Jordan, and a Russian-Canadian wedding have in common?  Stay tuned to the blog or keep an eye on the Facebook page for more details coming soon and a chance be a part of a fantastic cause, as well as win a collection of my fine art travel prints from around the world.

Enjoy the weekend!

PS  Despite being chucked off one camel and almost trampled by another in Jordan this past fall, my love for camel trekking has not been dampened.  I’d love to go back and  complete our trek through Wadi Rum, but would also love to trek through Mongolia’s Gobi Desert on a bactrian camel.  Have any of you ridden a two-humped camel?  Please leave a comment below if you have…I’d love to hear your story!

PPS Does anyone else out there remember the song ‘Alice the Camel’?  Because it’s now officially running through my head and I hope I just transferred it to YOU!

 

Wrought Iron Window Screen in Turkey

One of the things I love most about the Mediterranean, from Morocco to Israel, is the lush combination of soft, earthy hues and rich, jewel tones that emanate from the earth and spill over from the sea.  The creamy pastel walls and homey cobbled streets of Bozcaada easily drew me in the first time I heard about this wind-swept and sultry Aegean isle, and every time I scanned our travel itinerary, I dreamed of long days and rich wines.

After a few weeks of traipsing around western Turkey last fall, Will and I wanted to spend some time reading and writing, wandering and relaxing, far from the trappings of modernity.  And so we rented a beautiful little home outside of Bozcaada’s main town and let ourselves sink into the luxury of simple, savoury meals and daily encounters with happy locals.  Here’s a little sampling for you to savour and perhaps inspire your next journey, project, or dream.

Local Turkish wine and olives Street view of Bozcaada, Turkey Backpacker in Bozcaada and Restaurant owner Pasta Dish held by Mediterranean woman Wooden door framed by olive boughs, rosemary hedges Turkish women in traditional clothing and head scarves Hand-painted pension name on stone wall Arched doorway and cobbled streets in Bozcaada Harbour and fortress of Bozcaada at sunset Ornate doorway on Turkish island Decorative tile wall on Bozcaada Turkish woman seated, 3 lemons on blue chair Two teenage girls on Bozcaada Aegean Sea from Bozcaada, Turquoise doorway and Turkish lantern

I was absolutely captivated by this island.  Tranquil and endearing, yet never boring or drab, Bozcaada greeted us every day with beauty, peace-filled delight, and of course, the local mosque’s call to prayer!  When I first read this quote while traveling, Bozcaada easily fit the bill of a ‘sun-drenched elsewhere’:  “Now more than ever do I realize that I will never be content with a sedentary life, that I will always be haunted by thoughts of a sun-drenched elsewhere.”  –Isabelle Eberhardt, The Nomad: The Diaries of Isabelle Eberhardt

Hope you have a wonderful week, rich with inspiration and beauty no matter where you are.

Jaime

PS For more images from our travels in Turkey, you might want to check out posts on Sailing the Mediterranean and the Ruins at Ephesus

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  • Kari

    Yep, I am definitely hiring you. These are amazing, Jaimes. Your photos make me long to see the world.ReplyCancel

  • admin

    Aw, thanks Kar!!! I’d love to do a shoot for you guys sometime! Maybe even here in California…hint hint ;-)ReplyCancel

  • Bozcaada Fotoğraf Atölyesi

    Beautiful photography! Just wanted to let you know that we are running a workshop in Bozcaada photography paradise, starting this summer :)

    https://www.facebook.com/bozcaadafotografatolyesi is our page to be connected and to stay up to date. The page is in Turkish (mainly), but we are perfectly fine with English too.

    Also, we’d like to welcome your beautiful photographs on our FB page wall (if you consider), which is something you can easily do on Facebook. Otherwise, we are more than happy to publish them, with your credentials – given us the permission.

    Best wishesReplyCancel

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