Vancouver Wedding Photographer Blog- Brian Noppe Photography

Claudette & Jeff

2008-07-01T16:10:00.000-07:00

Claudette and Jeff got married on a beautiful sunny day in Whistler at magical Brew Creek Lodge . We started off at Lost Lake Park and then headed to Brew Creek. They had a lovely ceremony with close friends and family under the soft shade of trees while the creek bubbled musically away with a string trio. Then more bubbles and corks popping! Congratulations, Claudette and Jeff!

Jonathan and Jennifer

2008-06-27T15:24:00.000-07:00

Jennifer and Jonathan and I spent some fun time together at Spanish Banks and made these portraits. Their wedding is in August and I'm really looking forward to it; they are such a wonderful easy-going couple!

E & M

2008-06-25T14:10:00.000-07:00

M&E were married out of the country but had a beautiful Reception at Brock House Restaurant with a string quartet and great food to celebrate with some of their Vancouver friends and family.
Erin and Sam of DreamGroup Productions made sure that the evening went smoothly with great decor and ambiance.

E&M are a very private (and photogenic) couple and asked that I not publish any images of them. We made some really FUN images together at Vancouver's gorgeous Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Gardens beforehand. Here are some detail images that set the theme for their day. Congratulations to both of you!

2008 North Shore Canadian Cancer Society Relay 4 Life

2008-06-22T00:26:00.000-07:00

A lot of people with big hearts turned out for this year's Relay 4 Life at Mahon Park in North Vancouver on June 14th. Thanks to them and the hard work put in by the organizers and the volunteers, the event raised over $300,000 for this life-saving charity. Congratulations to everyone, and especially to my friend Tamsyn Morote who lead the team and organized the event!

I've made two slide shows that show some "tip of the iceberg" highlights and people at the event. While I typically prefer to use bigger images in my slideshows, I made these smaller, so that hopefully people with slower internet connections can still enjoy these!

Just click on each one to play.

Brian Noppe Photography is in WedLuxe!

2008-06-18T18:09:00.000-07:00

Oh Ya!

The new edition of WedLuxe is out and it is HOT!
WedLuxe is an invite-only publication... check it out to see some of the very best companies in the world of weddings!

Anita and Howard

2008-06-11T17:50:00.000-07:00

Anita and Howard just had a beautiful wedding with 30 close friends and family at their summer home on South Pender Island.
Their ceremony was officiated with lots of humour by a friend of theirs on the bluffs overlooking the ocean and their own private beach on a perfect sunny Gulf Island day.

Howard is a very talented architect. When he, Anita and I first met at Caffe Sciué near our studio office, they told me of the circa 1920's home they had shipped by barge from it's original location in Fairview Slopes to their property on Pender. And then did a lot of work on it, while keeping it's original charm. Turns out that it is a gorgeous home that I passed by every other day... it was 2 blocks away from a condo I owned for 16 years. It was touching to see it revitalized in it's new and breathtaking location!

After their official ceremony, Anita's father said some heartfelt words and they performed an Indian ceremony by circling a small fire to complete their nuptials.
Then it was lots of laughter and hugs, followed by freshly-shucked oysters and cold and effervescent Veuve Clicquot ... and lots of other great catered cuisine by Laurence Kolf.

Later, we all headed to North Pender Island for a tremendous meal and stunning views at the Hope Bay Café. Two of their guests, Barbara and Jim, said "Hello", when they realized that I had photographed their wedding 12 years ago! So great to see former clients and fondly remember their weddings, too.

Congratulations, Anita and Howard. Your warmth, humour and intelligence are wonderful to be around. I wish you a long and fulfilled life together!

Meagan, Logan, Dexter and Maisie

2008-06-05T20:16:00.000-07:00

We had so much fun, laughing and taking pictures!

Meagan and Logan are getting married in July in Whistler. We made these fun family pictures on a quintessentially soaking wet June Vancouver day at Kits beach. The rain gave us a beautiful soft light and we ran and crawled around for about 40 minutes until the kids had had enough.

Afterwards, they treated me to a nice lunch as we warmed up and dried off. Thanks, Meagan and Logan, I'm looking forward to shooting your wedding!

Kim and Vinny

2008-05-25T01:17:00.000-07:00

What a colourful wedding!

We started in the morning outside with Vinny while Kim waited inside the Temple with her girlfriends and family. On this gorgeous warm Vancouver day, I photographed their ceremony in the morning. In the evening, Kim and Vinny joined me for a 2 hour cruise of Gastown and later for a stunning sunset at English Bay.

Saturday was the last day of many ceremonies for Kim and Vinny. Even though you can't tell in the pictures, I know they were just zonked as they drove back to the Four Seasons to start their first official night of wedded bliss. Congratulations to both of you!

Rebecca and Tommy

2008-05-25T00:59:00.000-07:00

What a wonderful couple... they obviously love each other and were so easy and fun to work with!

We just did a short portrait session together in Stanley Park yesterday in the middle of a very busy day for me. Rebecca and Tommy got married later in a brief ceremony at Ferguson Point after I finished taking pictures. My assistant and I had to get going, but I actually watched from a distance for a bit. ;-D

The fresh ocean air was breezing in on this gorgeous early summer day. Thanks for inviting me for this, R+T, you are awesome... I wish you a long and love-filled life together!

Sunshine Coast

2008-05-20T22:14:00.000-07:00

For the May long weekend, Regina, Saphira decided to make an impromptu trip up the Sunshine Coast for some R&R. Little Saphira really enjoyed the ferry ride. It was a wonderful feeling being in the sun, with the wind in our faces. The open ocean makes life feel full of hope and adventure!

We brought our camping gear and decided to give it a try with our still-not-a-year-old daughter. Our nervousness proved to be ungrounded; Saphi really enjoyed the tent and most definitely, playing in the ocean at the beach at
Porpoise Bay!

On the second night, we had a great dinner of inspired cuisine at a cool joint called Marcia's on Gower Point Road in Gibson's. There was some sweet live jazzy blues going on, featuring singer/musician Rolf Kempf. Our daughter loves music, and we even danced a bit, with her on my shoulders. Would highly recommend this bistro... Marcia, the owner, is such a class-act sweetheart! Also, for more casual, but yummy and filling plates, try out the Old Boot Eatery
in Sechelt. They serve hearty Italian and fusion food.

We spent two lovely days camping at Sechelt and then headed north to Egmont, where we hiked in to see the awesome power of the changing tides, at
Skookumchuck Narrows.

Regina didn't feel like camping another night, so we ended up stopping at Rock Water Resort at Secret Cove, that I first heard about from our über-photographer friend, Erin Gilmore.

They took great care of us at the resort! We had a nice room with a view and spent some time at the pool surrounded by Arbutus trees the next day before heading home. Definitely check out this resort for its beautiful view and ambiance. They have rooms and a good restaurant in the lodge and also private cabins and unique tent homes dramatically perched on the bluffs.

Lesley and Tony's Portrait

2008-04-25T18:09:00.000-07:00

Lesley and Tony and I spent and hour and a half on a lovely Spring day in Stanley Park. They were oozing Love.... and we had a great time shooting! ;-D

Random April Images

2008-04-23T13:15:00.000-07:00

Here are some photos taken while strolling around downtown...

WedLuxe Bridal shoot @ WEDBridal

2008-03-26T15:25:00.000-07:00

On Friday, I did a shoot for the Summer edition of
WedLuxe Magazine. WedLuxe is a beautiful high-end, invitation-only magazine that raises the bar for bridal magazines here in Canada and features the best wedding vendors in Canada. Gemma and JoAnne of WEDbridal at 3882 Main Street kindly let me use their 'Alexi' dress by Palazzo and also a 'Chunky Pearl Necklace' by Tigerlilly. We commandeered the use of one of their fitting rooms for the shoot. They were very patient with me! Lana Nelson did the Hair and Makeup Design. As usual, her professionalism and great work made my job much easier and, frankly, even possible! Lovely Lia Holberg came on board as our model and hung in there with my constant adjusting and twiddling with the lights and posing.
Thanks Lia,
for working hard in some awkward positions (and to your Mom 'n' Dad for making you beautiful)!
These images were taken during the first part of the shoot. One never knows what point during a session will yield "the shot". For us, this happened near the end, using natural window light as a main light and a small softbox (thanks, Lana... I hope your arms aren't still sore ;-D ) as a fill light to the side. None of these final images are posted here; you will have to wait for the summer edition of WedLuxe to see... :-D

Bachelor's Night Out

2008-03-23T15:10:00.000-07:00

On Thursday evening, I was out shooting an event put on by Angel of My Wedding Notes at Players Chophouse Restaurant and Lounge on Beatty street at Robson. My wedding notes makes it easy for brides and grooms to organize their wedding and do a better job of planning things so they don't get too overwhelming! The evening was a success and featured a fashion show featuring Jen Graham Lingerie Designs Needless to say, the guys enjoyed that... and hopefully some of that sexy lingerie will end up on their fiancées sometime soon! There were some cool things also going on such as a Photobooth, aromatherapy and beauty products, a gambling casino, fun sex toys, Lamborghinis and Harleys.... and great music! I don't have the info for those companies with me right now, but will add some links soon.

Jen'I' and Derek Wedding

2008-03-22T13:43:00.000-07:00

Ca and Jay's firstborn

2008-03-20T17:32:00.000-07:00

Around 2 weeks ago, I was in bed with my naked friends Camila and Jason...

HA. Ok, what I really mean is that we were making some beautiful maternity photos!
Less than a week later, baby Noah came. He was one week early. Regina and I rushed to the hospital and got there soon after he was born. I picked up some yummy Thai food, a bottle of Champagne and some strawberry Häagen-Dazs and we celebrated their healthy baby boy. Congratulations, Jason and Camila. See you soon!

Camila + Jason Maternity

2008-03-10T23:49:00.000-07:00

Camila is 37 weeks pregnant, so her baby could come at any time!
Jason and I are both members in good standing of the "Canadian Men Married to Brazilian Women Society of Vancouver". Well, we should start a club, anyway! ;-D
I photographed their Canadian Wedding last year and the four of us have become great friends. Actually, they made it to our hospital room 2 hours after Saphira was born last year, to celebrate with us!

When it came time to do some Maternity photos and I suggested doing nudes, Jay was all, "no worries, let's get naked!" but Ca needed a little bit of coaxing. I am so glad we did this. While they were getting ready, I photographed their rings. Then we did a series of nudes that are just... timelessly beautiful! I can't post the best ones, but these here are really nice and together with the rest (there were about 70 after editing) Camila and Jason will now have some artful and intimate memories of their life in the last days of their pregnancy. I'm so glad for you both; we'll be there when you need us!

Jen'I' and Derek

2008-03-06T21:50:00.000-08:00

With their wedding this Saturday at the beautiful Fairmont Chateâu Whistler, Jen'I' and Derek have had a fun-filled week full of activity organized by Marcie Gaukrodger of Bliss Events . I had a great time taking pictures in Whistler with them for their lifestyle portrait sesh... see you on Saturday, Jen'I' and Derek!
Jen'I', you are going to be one of Whistler's most beautiful brides... :-D
And Derek, I wish you a fantastic last run before the wedding on Spanky's Ladder!

Brew Creek Lodge

2008-03-06T11:41:00.000-08:00

When I hang out my shingle, it says: "Brian Noppe Photography - Portraits, Weddings, Fine Art.

But, I love it when I get asked to work in other genres. Yesterday, I made some images requested by Shealagh King at Brew Creek Lodge as part of an ongoing project for a new website they are creating. Most were interior photos and I enjoyed actually using my tripod and using long shutter speeds for the compositions.

One of the new things Brew Creek is now doing is yoga retreats, as well as the corporate events and the weddings that they have always done. The interior photos of the Lodge itself were done to show the flexibility and size of the space.
It's great that after an event, the guests can stay right there in a cozy retreat just south of Whistler and not have to go elsewhere to a hotel.

I didn't realize that originally, Brew Creek Lodge was BC's first micro-mill in the logging industry. The wood used to construct the Lodge was actually milled right there. It's great to see some older buildings here in BC!

Naomi and Keith

2008-03-04T15:53:00.000-08:00

Naomi and Keith came by on Sunday to meet me and decide whether I should be the photographer at their wedding at Nicklaus North in Whistler this October.

I'm pleased to say they made the right decision!! ;-D
We decided to spend 15 minutes taking pictures and got some fun shots in before they left for home in WestVan.

Congratulations regarding your engagement and wedding, Naomi and Keith. I'm really looking forward to making awesome images for you!

Dino

2008-03-04T14:00:00.000-08:00

A busy and enjoyable afternoon on Sunday!

Two meetings and two portraits... just as Naomi and Keith were leaving, Dino, Krista, Mike and Ashnil arrived. Dino needed to get his headshot done. He's a successful businessman but wants to do some acting, so if any casting directors are reading.... ;-D

Technical lighting details for those that are interested:

We did a few shots outside but decided to do a sharper cleaner look inside with studio flash. I used very simple, but I believe effective, lighting setup. The strobe was placed at ceiling height, about 30° to Dino's right and 3 feet in front of him, with a black-backed white umbrella attached. A 42" white reflector was placed at his feet in front of him on the floor, angling up towards his face. Another flash was placed in front of the reflector and set to "slave", so that it would fire simultaneously with the main studio strobe. In this way, the shadow created by the main flash under Dino's chin was reduced. I didn't want to eliminate the shadow altogether, because we often rely on shadows visually to define dimension and shape. The main light was high above him and to the side(he was seated) so as to light the wall behind while casting no shadow.

Kidz

2008-03-03T20:01:00.000-08:00

Took a bit of a break in the afternoon yesterday and went for a walk with Regina and Saphira. We met up with friends Rowan and Paula and their 6 month old boys, Maximus and
Ethan. The sun set behind the mountains while we hung out at the café and the warm day turned cold. It was cool to see the wee ones playing together!

People Pictures Workshop

2008-03-03T10:48:00.000-08:00

Wild At Art Festival

Want Fresh? Join Brian in this high energy portrait workshop. “Brian has the kind of artistic determination that creates unique images, challenging the traditional view of portrait, documentary and fine art photography.” The emphasis of this workshop is on your skills behind the camera and your ability to effectively use the camera you have. Don’t be shy. Brian will challenge you to interpret and produce cool candids and artful portraitures using light, technique and your surroundings.

INSTRUCTOR – BRIAN NOPPE

Start: 03/18/2008 - 14:00

Location(s)
West Coast Railway Heritage Park
39645 Government Rd., Squamish BC

For more information visit wildatart

Random Images from this week

2008-02-27T00:09:00.000-08:00

Karina+Charles

2008-02-16T12:07:00.000-08:00

Karina and Charles are a wonderful fun-loving couple. They got married on a gorgeous snowy evening in the winter wonderland of Brew Creek Lodge in Whistler. I thoroughly enjoyed being around the atmosphere of love and warmth that they created for their wedding. Here is a Slideshow of some of their wedding highlights....

Congratulations, Karina and Charles. I hope these images can help you remember what a beautiful day you had!