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10 years ago, some friends of ours asked if we'd like to join them on a little trip to their favourite vacation spot.
Hatteras Island on the Outer Banks of North Carolina.
sure, why not?
every year since 2001, we've been making the 16 hour drive from Windsor Ontario, to the fabulous hidden gem that is the Cape Hatteras. we love sharing our rental home with family and friends!
ahhhhhhhhhhhhh.......
it is now 2010, and we just celebrated our 10th year of traveling to the strangest, yet one of the most beautiful places i know (i lead a pretty sheltered life, so i don't know that many places).
if you've been following my blog at all, or are a friend on Facebook, you know that i have a crazy addiction to the ocean and all the life that lives underneath the waves. when i grow up, i'd LOVE to be a marine biologist (well, the ship might have sailed on that one) and spend my days diving, studying marine life, and working as an activist to save such a glorious ecosystem.
my son has the same dream, so maybe i'll just have to live vicariously through him instead.
i've told him that i will hold his clipboard and record data for him one day.
i'm cool that way.
while we're in Hatteras, we spend our days at the ocean and we even love the taste of saltwater! not swallowing it, but just the slight taste of it.
oh, and just to be clear, i am also NOT a fan of getting taken out by a wave and getting a head FULL of water that continues to slosh around inside my sinuses for hours on end.
just thought i'd put that out there.
this year, we had the glorious idea that we would spend 2 weeks in our rental home, enjoying even MORE time just hanging out and getting a killer tan.
yeah, well Hurrican Earl had other plans and we had to be evacuated on the Wednesday of our 2nd week there.
as a side note~ we took a detour and landed in Washington DC during what was, i'm sure, the HOTTEST 2 days of the year!! i nearly melted about 8 times.
true story.
here are a couple of photos from our trip. i haven't finished going through them all yet, so this is just a snapshot of my life .
it's a good life.
this is my happy foot and my happy beach shoes.
we did a fishing charter one day, and a sea turtle swam close to the boat! it was lucky i had on my 70-200mm lens!
my nephew Lucas, playing some frisbee game
Darryl and I went diving one day, and this was the ONLY underwater photo that turned out. the dive was unique, and we were stuck in a HUGE current down at the wreck. unfortunately, i needed my hands to hold onto the wreck, and couldn't use them to work my camera at the same time! believe me when i say that i DID see sharks, just some small reef sharks though. this barracuda was 4-5 feet long, and he and his buddies hang at the 15 foot line under the boat!
what would a {my life} blog post be, without some photos of my kids!!
sorry, i know i go overboard sometimes.
my Emilie
my Josh
my Cam
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10 years and counting..... {my life}
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171
a windsor ontario wedding~
what a great day.
Steve & Natalie were blessed with a rainy day, and i mean BIGTIME rain. i'm told that rain on a wedding day is supposed to be good luck for a marriage, and if that's the case then these two newlyweds are in for a lifetime of luck!
now , photographing a wedding in the rain can be tricky, especially if you are worried about getting wet or dirty, but Steve & Natalie were such great sports! i want to thank them for being willing to work a blue doorway, get a bit creative with an umbrella, and find shelter under a big tree.
all for the sake of having fun and getting some outside wedding photos.
i know that i seem to always gush about love, family, and weddings, but i'm a sucker for all things love.
you see, i am easily moved.
too much so sometimes.
i will admit one thing...... i am always deeply moved by father/daughter & mother/son dances.
there is something so pure, so raw, and so intimate during some of these dances, and it pulls at my heartstrings every time.
this wedding did that to me.
it was beautiful to watch.
i feel honoured to have witnessed it.
Steve & Natalie.
thank you for allowing me to have a small glimpse into your lives. thank you for being willing to suffer the elements for the sake of a few photos. thank you for having such a cute and adorable dog (i really liked him). thank you for hiring me to document your wedding and trusting me to capture your moments and memories.
i wish you every happiness in the world.
natalie :
Beaautiful Pictures Michele~Cant wait to see the rest!!!
Sandi Morrone:
Beautiful work! I love them...
(08.29.10)
Megan:
every picture is even better than the one before!! i love the shots you have from this wedding, of the rings and the cake, very well done!!
(08.29.10)
amy:
well done!!! love the ones outside and with the umbrella! you captured so many emotions in these pictures!! what a story they tell!
(08.29.10)
Michelle Bondy:
Once again, beautiful Michelle.
Was the ceremony at St.Joseph? That was my church growing up and I went to St.Joseph grade school!
(08.29.10)
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steve + natalie {your love}
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170
in the beginning , i was an underwater photographer
suddenly, i became a wedding photographer
but, weddings are just the beginning.
then.....
comes life.
each moment that makes up your day, will eventually make up your life.
it's those little moments, the laughter, the hugs, and the love, that will shape who you are and who'll you become.
recently, we had a tornado warning in Kingsville, and i asked the kids to gather their most prized possession to take with them into the basement (if the time arose) and what did i gather?
i gathered up all my photo albums, hard drives and cd's of photos. that was it.
in the last little while, i have been asked if i provided lifestyle & family sessions. during wedding season i am not really available for much else (other than the weddings) but i am going to be branching out a bit in the next few months.
this fall, i am offering a limited amount of 'your life' sessions, and i'd love to hear from you if you're interested in scheduling one.
sessions range from your basic, fun photo session to full 'day in the life' sessions.
please email me ~ michele@michelebowmanweddings.com for more information & pricing.
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'your life' sessions
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169
i am a wedding photographer.
i document weddings on an almost weekly basis.
i am always telling my clients that marriage is the most wonderful, exciting, and fabulous journey EVER.
i know what i'm talking about.
a few years ago (27 to be exact) , i met and started dating a 14 year old boy. he was pretty cute. he played violin, i played viola, we became best friends, fell in love, and that was that.
at the age of 20 we got married.
we've been busy ever since.
today, i am celebrating my wedding anniversary.
21 years to be exact (i am NOT OLD!!!! i just got married really young)
i am not making things up when i say that marriage is wonderful.
a journey
an adventure
our life
i wanted to write a little post about the most wonderful hubby in the whole world, and thank him publicly for being the most amazing man EVER!!
Darryl is more attentive than i could have ever asked for, he's the most loving father to our 3 beautiful children, and our life has been filled with more joy than i could have ever imagined.
Darryl, these photos are for you. to help you remember our life together these last 21 years, and to get you excited about the next 21 years!!! if we've done all these things in 21 years, can you imagine what our lives will look like when we're 60?
here is a portion of my life in photos, with an emphasis on the most amazing man EVER . please ignore the quality of this photos, since they have been scanned from prints i had, and are not digital files.
Darryl, these are for you!!
here we are at 16 years old. please ignore the bleached hair (we had a run in with Sun-In)
our wedding day, August 19th 1989
yep, i was a bride once!!! YAY!
(i got my dress from Valencienne in Toronto and i loved it so much)
we didn't have professional wedding photography, and got posed, in midday sun, for our photos. nice squinty-face.
our reception was held at the Elmwood Inn & Spa in Toronto. We danced to 'Dream Come True' by Frozen Ghost
the birth of our first son, October 1991. this is my Josh.
i can't believe that we thought we were mature enough to have kids at age 22 !! LOL!
the Bowman's teach their kids to play euchre at a very early age. wow, someone led an ace of spades!!! good lead :)
daddy going off to work. Josh loved his daddy, and always painted him pictures or built him bozer-dozers with his big lego blocks (Josh called bulldozers 'bozer-dozers)
the day we came home with our Emilie, March 1993. Josh was still a baby at 17 months old, but it was all good.
we were all tired in our house, especially since Darryl had just gone back to school full-time and we had two babies at home. not sure what we were thinking , but it was a very tiring time.
Josh's first taste at playing a string instrument. he would go on to become an extremely accomplished cellist. always music in the house, since we didn't have a TV (starving students and all that jazz)
daddy always makes a great horse. they don't play that game too much anymore, especially since Josh is taller then Darryl these days (and just as hairy) i'm not going to say anything about Josh playing with a Barbie doll ;P
our little blond poopsie!!! Cameron loved his daddy too. imagine that!
building sand castles at the cottage in Bala. love these guys!
celebrating Emilie's 6th b-day. we have now moved to Windsor Ontario
Darryl and our bleach-blond Josh. big hugs.
our new passion as a couple ...... SCUBA DIVING!!!!
this was at our open water checkout dive, the weekend we got certified!!
it's a HUGE part of our lives now, and every holiday we take revolves around diving now. best decision EVER!!
i'm starting to learn underwater photography here. i love this face.
we camp in Tobermory, and there's nothing like getting hit by a freezing cold wave while posing for a photo!! 70 F water is a shock to the senses for sure.
more music. Josh, Darryl and I in the Windsor Community Orchestra a few years ago (Josh is taller than Darryl now) there was nothing better than having two of my favourite men in the same orchestra as myself. it's how Darryl and i met all those years ago, and it had all come full circle with the inclusion of our son. we performed a Brahms symphony. it was fabulous.
my handsome man just chilling out in Roatan Honduras, where we go for our diving adventures every year. we talk about the day's diving first thing in the morning, and then dive, dive, dive all day long!!
our life is one big, exciting adventure, and i wouldn't have it any other way!! God is good.
happy anniversary my sweet man.
love you.
Philip Hawkins Edinburgh Wedding Photographer:
Happy anniversary! That was a great post, I really enjoyed reading it :) My wife and I were married 20 years ago and didnt use a professional photographer either (my mother-in-laws fault! lol) and our wedding photographs were horrendous! So like you I speak from experience when I urge couples to use a full-time pro. Anyway have a really great anniversary!
(08.19.10)
Lesley:
Decided to drop in today and found the most beautiful post! Michele, music may have brought you and Darryl together, but you had me at euchre! Happy anniversary to the most fabulous photographer! May I suggest making up for lost moments and getting a photo session done of the two of you? :)
(08.19.10)
Barb:
Happy 21st Anniversary Michele & Darryl! All our love Barb & Don xox
(08.19.10)
amy:
happy anniversary!! we just celebrated 11 years.. what a great post thank you for giving us a peek into your life!!
(08.19.10)
Lisa:
That is an amazing blog Michelle......21 years!
(08.19.10)
ebphoto | Photographe Bruxelles:
Happy anniversary! I find it very cool of you to share these moments. 21 years of what looks like 21 years of happiness. Thanks for sharing these very personal pictures with us.
(08.23.10)
Loni Vanstone:
Happy Anniversary Michele!! =) Awww.. those wonderful family photos are all so beautiful! Thanks for sharing with us!
(08.24.10)
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my life ~ being married to the man of my dreams
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168
a few weeks ago i photographed Joe & Catherine's wedding here in Windsor.
(check out my blog post from a couple of weeks ago)
i am currently editing the wedding and designing their album, and i came across this photograph and i am in love.
my heart just melts when i capture a vulnerable, honest, intimate and breathtaking moment between a couple.
this is the type of moment that fuels my passion for wedding photography, gets me excited about each and every wedding, and helps me to keep striving to become the best that i can be as an artist and photographer.
Joy:
this is so sweet and you can tell they cherish each other. love it! you're so awesome, michele!
(08.26.10)
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makes my heart go ahhhhhhhh.......
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