featured on wedding style magazine blog || vancouver wedding photographer

last week i had the pleasure of working with reine mihtla and soha event for the grace ormonde book launch here in vancouver at the vancouver club.

yesterday morning, while i was sipping on my chai on commercial drive, i was looking thru my facebook feed and saw that wedding style magazine used some of the photos i took at the party on their blog.

so fun, right?

can i just say i love my job? :)

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i heart second shooting.. || vancouver wedding photographer

i have lived and worked as a second shooter in vancouver for 3 years. i have worked with some of the best photographers on the planet. yes - i'm gonna name drop..not to brag at all, but to let you see the amazing opportunities i have had with such amazing artists..

elizabeth soergel
sarah rees
erin gilmore
blue olive photography
jeanie ow
patricia minnis
michael wachniak
kristel wyman
sherri koop

fran chelico

kris krug

reine mihtla

each photographer has been so gracious...they have taught me so much..they have given me feedback, they have helped me in so many ways become a better shooter.

when thinking in retrospect the last few weeks about us leaving soon and leaving the community of photographers i wanted to do something to give back somehow. specifically to second shooters  and those getting into the industry.

so...i tweeted a few weeks ago that the first 10 people to respond can come here me say what i know about being second shooter.

that's what i did today...had our "talk"...it was nothing fancy. it, of course, started off with freshly brewed lattes by moi..and then we dove in. i told them a bit about me and my journey to where i am today. and then got into the meat of what being a second photographer means. i had asked several principal photographers to help me out with giving their 5 things they would want every second shooter to know. so i integrated all their gold nuggets into my talk.

there were 9 of us. it was fun..i was a cheeseball. we laughed. i talked to much. ok, i talked a lot! (we were supposed to end at 3..it was 3:38 when we officially stopped!)

thank you miranda, erin, sherri, camille, quin, michael, amber & liz for your "5 things". they were invaluable. xo

and thank you kevin, jen, terry, sarah, sherry, lesley, bob and lani for listening...for a really...long...time. :) 

xoxo

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my friend reine & the grace ormonde book launch party || vancouver wedding photographer

when my friend and photographer reine told me what she had going on, i simply said, "hey if you need a hand, really..i'm all over it."

so when she asked if i'd come shoot with her i was thrilled.

you see, i have loved reine and her work for the better part of 3 years now. it's interesting how our friendship started. i can't recall if it was facebook or me "dropping" in.. :)

anyhow, i love the way she embraces life. i also love how freaking creative she is. everytime i see something new she's done or she tells me of things she's doing, i am constantly amazed. it was the last time i was at her place that i said, "you know what, i don't think i access that part of my brain! that's why people like you are in my life; so i can see the vastness of life and all it's creativity!"

the shoot today was absolutely wonderful. it wasn't just any old shoot. it was a shoot she was doing for grace ormonde, THE wedding woman herself.

that's when i was like, hola! this is gonna be fun!

and it was. reine also asked melissa to shoot too - melissa gidney is a FREAKING talented phenomena..her photography is so raw and real. i love it. and so after i successfully checked her out on the interwebs and "creeped" her facebook fan page, i was really excited for today!

the table settings we photographed were a DREAM. reine shoots medium format film - LOVE LOVE LOVE the feel of that, lemme tell ya! and so melissa and myself were shooting digital. and what were we shooting? DETAILS. oh my goodness. i pretty much was in my glory. i LOVE shooting details. :)

tonight grace had her book launch party at the vancouver club. it was my first time, today, being at the vancouver club. its so elegant. i loved everything about it.

after shooting 4 hours from 10:30 - 2:30 i put on my mom hat and got the kiddies from school. we headed to the army & navy legendary shoe sale and the kids scored 2 pairs of shoes each. :) they were happy campers.

we got home and i got "dressed up" and the kids approved of my attire.. :)

the evening was so much fun... so many wonderful, fun, really great people from the industry. from here and from seattle. grace was, well, so gracious...she mingled and then said a few words and then signed books. i had fun being the paparazzi and taking photos of everything that went on tonight.

check out grace's website where you can see what her remarkable book is all about. it's real purdy in real too. :) grace ormonde's book website.

there are scads more photos on facebook, but for now, here's a few photos from tonight's cocktail party. and click the link below them to take you to the ones on facebook.

more photos on facebook here.

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2 of my favorite people - eSession || vancouver photographer

i had heard of her...her name was in the industry...i had never met her though. and when i finally did, it was a rather quick meeting. i hadn't known if she remembered who i was when i saw that she liked scrabulous on facebook too and started a game with her.

from that first game, i knew that we'd be friends.

fast-forward 2 years.

jeanie & ian just celebrated their first year dating anniversary last month...and to no one's surprise who know them, he asked her to marry him that same night.

of course she said yes! :) he proposed with a honda ruckus scooter (ask her about that sometime) and they are planning on getting married with their immediate family in...scotland. oh yes. her brother and fellow photographer here in vancouver, jeff ow of stu-di-o, is photographing their wedding. how exciting!

so when jeanie told me about her engagement and asked if we could maybe make those portraits i was going to shoot of them, engagement photos, i was totally thrilled!

note: it's always, i know for many of us photogs, nauseating to photograph other photographers. the only thing that made me feeling less pukey is that i have photographed jeanie before and know that her and ian are CRAZY in love and such a gorgeous couple, so that would make my job a dream.

i was gonna do one of those "here's one photo for a sneak" tonight, as i'm shooting two weddings this weekend and was going to go to bed early. but when i downloaded all my cards, i knew there was NO way i was gonna be able to pick one of the HUNDREDS of fun shots we took today.

so i chose 20. (remember - click on them to get a bigger look - my blog settings are crazy..will try and figure it out one day.. :)

we brought out the infamous ruckus too..

jeanie and ian - i couldn't be happier for you two. i'm so glad you found each other. and i'm so glad today wasn't very painful for you. :) (ian, yes, i do think you could go into modeling ) love you both so very much.

enjoy the sneek. :)

xoxo

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Art Show / Silent Auction for the Gentle Hands Building Expansion Project in Manila, Philippines

THE VISION FOR THE ART SHOW
Gentle Hands is a child welfare and intervention agency based in Manila, Philippines. They are on the front lines of rescue and rehabilitation, providing for medical, social and  educational needs of at-risk youth and children. They work towards improving human community through the love of God and community centered care.

I might add that Gentle Hands is one of 5 agencies that now do foster care forchildren to be placed in temporary homes while waiting for adoptive parents. They are the only agency in Manila openly accepting children with special needs or terminal illness' requiring hospice care.

I have deep connections to the Philippines...not only have my husband's parents been humanitarian workers there for 25 years, but both of our children were born there when we also lived  there for 6 years (1996-2001).

As a family we have decided to leave our comfortable Canadian-style and go back to the Philippines, and work with Gentle Hands. It was started in 1987 by my motherinlaw as a midwifery clinic for the urban poor. In 2003 it evolved into what it is today.

We plan to move back by the end of this year. Yes..we have a lot to do before then. One of the things I wanted to put together before we moved there was an art show/silent auction where all profits would go to the Gentle Hands Building Expansion Project.

They are currently at full capacity and need to build onto their current building. They have been able to buy the lot beside them but now they are just waiting to raise the funds to actually start building.

How amazing would it be for us to be able to raise enough money for them to  begin this project, or even finish the expansion?

THE ART FOR THE SHOW
Initially I was going to do a solo-type art show, as I have travelled lots and could do an assortment of different pieces. Then when a fellow photographer in the industry said they would love to donate a piece of his art for the show, something sparked in my brain...how cool would it be to get LOTS of photographers and artists together to showcase their donated pieces and raise monies for this event??

I have decided that the more people willing and able to give, the greater this event can and will be.

SPECIFICS
The dates we are looking at is either the weekend of the 15th of October 2010 or the weekend of the 22nd of October 2010.

The dates were chosen for October as it's just after the rush of back to school, wedding season for most wedding creatives is slowing down and before Christmas shopping really gets underway...what great gifts these pieces would make.

The venue is still not secured. We would ideally love a venue to sponsor the event by us being able to utilize their space for no cost.

GUESTS
The guest would purchase tickets for this event. We would have an early-bird fee of $20 and a last minute rate of $25. The proceeds of these ticket costs would cover the appetizers and drinks that would be served throughout the evening. Any other profits from the tickets would go directly to the Gentle Hands Building Project.

A side note: Gentle Hands is registered in Canada as a non-profit organization. Any monies given to Gentle Hands will be tax receipted.

ABOUT ME
I grew up in Vancouver and on the Island..so I'm a west coast girl at heart. After my husband and I got married, we moved overseas to the Philippines where I was a lay midwife with my motherinlaw at her clinic, Gentle Hands, which was then a lying-in clinic. We moved back to Vancouver in 2007 from being in rural Saskatchewan for 5 years where I started my photography business (2003).

In that time i have been able to involved in the photography industry here in Vancouver. In August 2008, a fellow photographer and i began a community where Wedding Photographers can network with each other. There is currently 250+ members and the group continues to be a valuable asset to the Wedding Photography industry here in Vancouver.

I am excited for our move..it was a family decision, as we have two kids, ages 8 and 12.
who are looking forward to being with their cousins and grandparents, as well as being a part
of the work at Gentle Hands.

HERE'S WHERE YOU COME IN :: HOW YOU CAN BE INVOLVED
If you are a photographer or creative, I would love for you to consider donating a piece of your work to the art show auction.

If you are a venue, I would love to be able to secure your location for one of the dates I mentioned. Or if you know how to help us secure a venue, your help and information would be invaluable.

If you would like to sponsor directly to Gentle Hands, that would most certainly be  appreciated.

I look forward to collaborating with you for this Art Show.

Also if you know of anyone who you  may think would be interested in partnering with us for this event, please feel free to forward them this email.

If you have any questions, email me.

For the love of the poor,
Tracey, on behalf of Gentle Hands

_______________________________
tracey heppner

tracey l heppner photography...traveling to the
ends of the world to give you neat photos. true story.

"voted one of vancouver's top 50 portrait photographers" by vancouvermom.ca

|e| tracey@traceylheppner.com
|p| 604.512.4679

www.traceylheppner.com
www.traceylheppner.blogspot.com
www.facebook.com/traceylheppnerphotography
www.twitter.com/traceyheppner

co-founder of vancouver wedding photographers & second shooters group
www.vancouverphotogs.com
www.vancouverphotogs.blogspot.com
www.twitter.com/vanphotogs

The existing building of Gentle Hands on the right. 

The proposed Building Expansion to be built on to the left side of existing building.

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i heart my tee || vancouver wedding photographer

ya pretty much i have the best tee shirt ever..and the very first print.. i think that it will be a hit, kym! :)

to order yours, most probably in assorted colors if you asked nice, go to herrohachi, the adorable little etsy store!

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the mother blogpost of all friday night blogposts || vancouver wedding photographer

this is a freaking miracle of sorts i'm witnessing tonight folks... both of my children, who LOVE to stay up late on friday night both announced, separately, that they were going to be..and it was BEFORE 10.

i'm still a little stunned. and with Lover over at scott's tonight, i'm sitting here with my laptop! could life get any better for a social media addict/web surfer/photo taker-blogger person? i think not. :)

and so we will begin this blog post...

* * * *

i have been slacking on the 98 things the last couple days..no excuse other than a couple of WAY too busy days. so i will do up 3 tonight to make up for the loss. no..make that 4.. 1 more for good measure.

#17 - release one grudge a month.
#18 - organize a day spa for women living at a domestic violence shelter with services donated from a local beauty school.
#19 - audition for community theatre.
#20 - get published.

wow! i totally love EVERY one of those.

its so easy to hold grudges, no? not just for big traumatizing things that happened when we those little children, but even for those times when we are older and someone pissed us off, or hurt us - intentionally or unintentionally - or if for our significant other forgetting something really important.
there is something so freeing about truly, "letting it go". sometimes it seems like it is instant..and sometimes we have to let go of the same incident over and over for a month. but when we can feel truly free from that grudge - wow!! liberating with a capital L!!

(wow that was a soapbox..maybe i should sip my vino slower...!)

how i would love to collaborate with a beauty school to do something remarkable with women..and for me, i'd do it a step farther - take amazing photos for them to see their beauty on film.. wow.. i feel a project brewing. :)

auditioning for a community theatre. the last time i did that was in high school.
i will do it again. .maybe not anytime soon, as we are planning to leave vancity soon but i will do this i am thinking. how much fun would THAT be?!?

oooooooooooo..get published. i have been once. unintentionally tho. and my name wasn't on it.. chuckle. a wedding i second shot with a photographer a few years ago..they had submitted a wedding to WEDLUXE. and the publishers of the magazine chose one of my photos that the photog included, as the MAIN full page photo. chuckle. i kinda felt bad for my friend. for a minute. :) giggle..

but seriously..i will get published..one day.. whether for photography or writing or both.. i have far too much in the depths of my mac-brainage aka computer, that i would love to give the world.

just saying.. :)

* * * *

buona sera!!

come stai?

mi chiamo tracey!

io canadese..non italiana.

io sono bene!

ok ok..so i only know a few lines of italian from my very first class of italiano that i took on thursday night. i am SOOOO pumped! and my teacher, liana...oh my word...i love her!

why am i doing this, you may ask?

well because of the magical photo tour i'm organizing for this fall to tuscano and umbria. :)
if you are a photographer, this is JUST the photo tour for you. call it a glorified photo excursion if you will. :) castles, monasteries, medieval small towns...amazing food and wine...engagement and bridal sessions in ITALY. hello. for more info on the trip check out my FOLLOW YOUR HEART...TO ITALY website.

grazie mille for reading my italiano babble.. ciao!

* * * *
i have made a blog specifically about our journey towards moving overseas to the philippines. the kids have even blogged on it.. :) i love that they were such a part of the decision to go. honestly, we have amazing kids. :)

the humanitarian organization, my sisterinlaw, charity, runs.. check it out - Gentle Hands.
i can't WAIT to be there getting involved! i also want to dabble some in wedding photography in manila and asia..but we will see how that all pans out. :)

follow our blog at: http://heppnersinasia.myfotojournal.com/
and be a fan of our page to follow our journey, on facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/the-HEPPNERS-in-ASIA/108047809222942?ref=ts

i'm already concocting a FOLLOW YOUR HEART....TO THE PHILIPPINES tour for next year. :) :) :)

* * * *

the vancouver wedding photogs & second shooters group i co-founded with michelle libby, affectionately called "libby" by some, has been one of the most incredible, fulfilling endevors i have been involved in, in a long time... to see something that was birthed, over lunch (greek lunch i might add! bring on the tsiziki!!) with the dream of building a community for photographers to collaborate together and better themselves TOGETHER, now be 250 strong and essentially functioning on it's own. WOW. simply wow!

i thought long and hard on how i was going to "hand it over" as we are moving...yes..i will admit - i take on a bit much sometimes...but only SOMETIMES! but i knew that the task to do everything i had been doing was rather..how shall i say.. daunting for just one. so i divided it up into a few parts..and HELLO! that was much easier to swallow!! so i'm so thrilled to have laura lui doing admin stuff like email, facebook, twitter, miranda lievers helping with website and putting together social GTG's, jason ho taking charge of getting some photowanders together throughout the year, michael wachniak coordinating workshops and such..and libby will continue to bring her steady, lovely, fun self to keep it all from getting to serious.. i'm so thrilled with the team that has come together..i know that the 5 of them will be able to do MUCH more than i ever could for the community...5 brains are better than 1. ;)

not gonna lie..a part of me is sad..to leave the community that is so "family" for me.. but i know that they will go places and to be able to say that i had a little part in it..that's good enough for me. :)

* * * *

just looked up and saw, that this blog post if a freaking novel!! hahahah

* * * *

to end i will boast of my amazing new tee shirts i have acquired today. a dear pinoy friend here in vancouver started this little "side" business that has grown into something freaking amazing. i bought a couple shirts just after christmas for friends -

[b]ecker owns this one in green:

and so does my dear friend lani..you have to know lani to know why i bought her this shirt. ;)

well i decided on sunday morning i was gonna order a couple different ones for myself. and did i mention she has these ADORABLE neenja buttons?!?!? ya she does..she's is the bomb. :)

well i got the package and when i opened it there was a surprise -

isn't it awesome? i am so happy. i can't wait to wear it. in fact..i washed it already tonight and plan to wear it tomoro.. :)  and the other shirts i got, cuz i just had to have them:

thanks for the amazing goodies, kym!! to check out more of her stuff, go to her etsy store: herrohachi

* * * *

well friends..i am going to put you out of your misery.. :) and go to bed.. :) happy weekend!

xoxox

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{our true wedding wish} winners!!! || vancouver wedding photographer

**AND THE LUCKY COUPLE IS…*

shannon+omer!

before we introduce shannon+omer to our blog readers, we would just like to share that it was incredibly hard to select the couple whose story touched jeanie and myself the deepest. all of your life journeys were incredibly touching, and jeanie and i would like to thank each and every one of you for honoring our gift by sharing your deepest thoughts with us.

jeanie and i made our selection based on availability first and then followed by couple’s connection to the non-profit sector, as well as the story of how they met.

shannon+omer’s story related an incredible journey of destiny : despite them being on opposite ends of the world and from vastly different cultures, their worlds collided (in a good way) (; maintaining a strong and deep friendship from the very beginning, their story turned to love. shaped by determination at different seasons of their relationship, they persevered to bring joy and culture to a community with music, dance and love!

here is an excerpt from their story they shared with us : “omer and I found that despite being born on opposite sides of the world and growing up in vastly different cultures, we were like two peas in a pod. we didn’t know how to define our friendship. soulmate felt too romantic and kitschy. we never tried to give it a title, though one person once told us we were ‘twin souls’.”

…thank you for sharing your story with us, shannon+omer! congratulations from jeanie and i!

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vancouver wedding photographer || the [b]ecker hits vancity!

as some may know, i co-founded a group in the city here for wedding photographers and second shooters. this last week we brought in [b]ecker, a wedding photographer from southern california, to do his crash course in kicking a$$ workshop. :)

the months of planning and details really paid off - i would have to say that the photogs who attended had a great time. :) from the workshop content itself, to the food by my lover, the networking galore and all-around good hang out times, the last couple days proved to be a success..

of course, i took some shots throughout the two days.. :)

libby, my partner in crime and co-founder of the group, put together some pretty sweet swag bags for us with a few little goodies in there.. :)

 

the most amazing vegetarian lunch EVER!

 

some networkin'!! :)

 

  

 

 

and then the walk-about watching [b]ecker shoot.. here's day 1:

 

 

  

 

 

thanks geoff and naomi for being wednesday's models!! :)

 

  

and of course for me, a photowander wouldn't be a photowander without some of my fave kinda shots:

 

 

then day two.. :)

thanks to  jason and lena for being our models!

  

 

[b]ecker even took every single person's headshots too.. :) good fun!

yes..it was a good few days.. a big huge thanks to reilly & miranda of blue olive for letting us invade not only their studio but home for 2 days! and to my partner - in - crime, libby, for all the swag and keeping me sane. :)

and to all the AMAZING vanphotogs who came - you guys are the best!! :) xoxo
contact me  || view my online portfolio || check out  my facebook page || follow me on twitter