Anniversary Shoot!!!

A year and a half ago, this gorgeous lady was at the studio for her family session and she mentioned that her 5 year wedding anniversary was coming up and she had a vision of a session she wanted to do to celebrate.  She said she wanted to do a session of them, doing things they do in their everyday life, but in their wedding attire.  A session that reflected where they are in their lives now.  Their wedding was in spring and it was a cold, windy, rainy day so they didn't get as many images as they had hoped to on their actual wedding day.  Fast forward 5 years later and here they are in one of the most beautiful homes in Saskatoon, with a gorgeous little girl who they welcomed into the family more than a year earlier.

Our session started off how most of their mornings do.  Just hanging out in bed as a family and enjoying each others company.  They then changed into their wedding attire (yes this handsome husband and dad rented a tux for the occasion), but not before we got some beautiful images of their little girl playing in her mothers veil. 

During our consultation, I found out that they love to bake cookies (she does it so much she doesn't even look at a recipe!!!), dance in the living room, play outside and have lunch at their favorite neighborhood cafe.  So we did just that!

I then stole the husband and wife to get some beautiful wedding formals down by the river, then we headed back to the house for bedtime.  This, by far, was my favorite part of the session.  To see these parents and the love they share for not only each other, but for their little girl gave me goosebumps.  Their patience and respect for one another was so inspiring to witness.  The way he still looks at her even after 5 years of marriage and the love you can feel she has for him after all these years, its apparent that these two were meant to be.

Thank you so much for trusting me to bring your vision to life.  I have been meaning to post this for a while (A year actually, since it's your 6th wedding anniversary next month), but today was finally the right moment for me.  It has been so amazing to be a part of such a special experience.  Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!

Mentorship Family #2

Our mentorship program here at our Saskatoon Photography Studio was so fun last month!  We brought in two families, one with older children, and one with younger children.  It was so great to show our 'students' the difference between the two families and to show them that the younger the kids are, the harder they make you work for the great shot.  All of their movement and running around does make for some really great, unique images.  Here are just a few of my favorite images from family #2!  Huge thank you to both families for helping us out!  I know it's not easy being in front of the camera, let along 4 cameras! 

Mentorship program

Our mentorship program is over half way finished and I am thrilled with how well it's going.  We have 4 very different photographers with 4 very different styles, all who bring a unique flair to our meetings.  I did handpick these ladies to be a part of the group and I'm so proud of how far they have come in such a short while.  At our last meeting, I showed all of the ladies how we photograph a family and taught them all about posing a family. We had two families come and model for us.  Here are just a few favorites of the first family.  (I'm sure you recognize them as they have been coming to see us over the last few years and they are plastered all over my website and social media pages!).

Saskatoon headshot photographer

This is my beautiful friend and fellow Saskatoon photographer, Terri.  We did a little headshot swap, and here are just a few favorite images of her.  I feel so lucky that our paths have crossed.  Her positivity and smile are contagious.  She is also doing great things on her side business with Rodan & Feilds.  After finding out her age, I'm thinking I might need to look into this skincare line:).  While we don't do a ton of headshots, it's something that we absolutely love to shoot.  We plan to have our new studio up and running at the end of the month!  I'm so excited to reveal it to you all!!!

We're moving!!!

That's right, we are moving, but not to worry, we are staying right here in Saskatoon.  We are just moving to our very own photography studio space. 

It has been an incredible year sharing a Saskatoon photography studio with Joi Photo, but to see the growth we plan for our company, we decided to get our own space! I will certainly miss the beautiful building we are in right now, but I am so excited to move into a brand spankin' new studio space! If you wanted to get in on one of our last sessions in the beautiful 100 year old building, our last booking in our current studio will be January 13. Our new studio will be up and running by the end of February. Thank you so much to Crystal at for opening your doors to us one year ago, it has been a pleasure to work alongside Joi Photo in your beautiful studio.

Thank you to everyone for your continued support! I'm so excited for what's to come!!!

A wedding in Waskesiu - Waskesiu weddings

We were so fortunate to capture this amazing wedding day in Waskesiu this summer!  There were so many great things about the day, and one little mishap, which was a bit stressful at the time, but everything turned out beautifully in the end! 

The highlights for me were: 

The Dress.  The brides dress was not your typical bridal gown.  It was pretty, flowy, simple, but elegant.  Really the perfect gown for the location! 

The Venues:  It was my first time shooting in the cozy church at Elk Ridge resort as well as in the log cabin Hall in Waskesiu.  Both venues were stunning!

The locations for photos:  The couple chose some pretty special places to do their photos.  The first was where he proposed!  It doesn't get much more special than that!  The second was the golf course where they spend so much of their time over the summer months.  And the third was traditional Waskesiu.  The forest right next to water is pretty much any photographers dream.

The best man speech:  Hands down the best 'toast to the groom' I've heard to date!  It was a perfect mix of being hilarious to being super sentimental.  A ton of thought was put into it and it had everyone in tears!!!  

Lastly, the first dance as husband and wife:  This part of the day gave me goosebumps.  Something was definitely in the air!!! 

Oh and the little mishap:  One of the bridesmaids dress' zipper broke before she even had a chance to do it up!  So they had to sew her right into her dress just moments before leaving to the ceremony!  Talk about stressful!!! Luckily they had some crafty bridesmaids who saved the day!

Beginner DSLR course in Saskatoon

As the new year approaches, we are getting a ton of inquires about our beginner DLSR courses!  We are hosting another one in the new year. This is a great idea for those on your Christmas list who are hard to buy for or those that are receiving a brand spankin' new camera for Christmas!  Details for the course:

When:  Sunday, January 8, 9:30am-11:30am. 

Where:  Our studio, downtown Saskatoon.  158 2nd Ave North. 

What is covered:  ISO, Aperture priority, Shutter priority, and manual modes.

Cost:  $110 plus taxes. 

What is DSLR camera?  A DLSR is a camera where you can change the lenses and has the ability to shoot in manual modes.  

We keep our class sizes small (up to 5 people) to ensure each participant gets one on one attention and a lot of practice time.  We find the smaller class size makes asking questions much less intimidating and allows for us to give each person individual attention. 

Here is what Becky said about a recent course we held:

"I would highly recommend the DSLR course offered by Memories by Mandy Photography! I went into the course not knowing how to use any of the features on my camera, but I left with a really good understanding of how to use a number of basic features to improve the pictures I take and in which situations I would use which camera settings. What I really liked is that the course wasn't just theory, but it also included hands on learning and practicing. I'm excited to go out and use the things I learned in this course! I can already see an improvement in the pictures I'm taking."

Interested?  Please email us to secure your spot!  memoriesbymandy@shaw.ca. 

Photo Lockets are back... for a little while - Saskatoon Locket

Our Lockets are back for a limited time only!!!

We are only offering our lockets for Christmas!  All orders must be place by December 16 to ensure delivery for Christmas.

Single photo locket - $39

Double photo locket - $46

All of the lockets come with your image already inside, beautifully wrapped, and ready to give to that special woman in your life.  All you need to do is email us your image. 

MARGARET Locket:

-Margaret is approx. 1” wide, 1.5” long

-Photo is printed oval, so please keep this in mind when choosing your photo.

-Chain is 25” long, and is delicate.

-Single or double photo lockets are available with Margaret

MONICA Locket:

-Monica is approx. 1” in diameter

-Photo is printed circular

-Ball chain is 22” long

-Only single photo locket is available with Monica

Photos:  Please email us a higher resolution image.  Head and shoulders work best, however depending on the image, it may be possible for me to crop the image for you.  If you provide us with a full length image, we highly suggest we crop it to head and shoulders, as the images are quite small.   Please email us for more details on photos if you are unsure:  memoriesbymandy@shaw.ca. 

Fine print:  Full payment must be made to start production of your locket.  We ask that you email us your images to be sure we have one that works before sending payment.  With our Lockets we accept Email money transfers or cash.  These lockets are only available for a limited time, while quantities last.  We are only accepting photo locket orders until December 16.  Sorry, our lockets will no longer be available after December 16.  Shipping is available for an additional $5.00 (Canada), otherwise all lockets are available for pick up in Saskatoon. Warning:  Giving your mother Photo lockets for mothers day will likely make her shed a few tears. 

Models from our mentorship program in Saskatoon.

Last month we had this awesome couple come to model for our mentorship class here in Saskatoon!  I know it's not always easy to be in front of one camera, let alone 4!  Needless to say, this couple nailed their session!!!  HUGE thank you to them for being so patient while I taught our 4 students how to pose, and how to get natural reactions out of our clients.  We already have a list for next years mentorship program!  If you wish to be on it, don't hesitate to let us know!