Favourite Photos of 2018

Better late than never to reflect on 2018. It is a cold snap where I live in Manitoba, Canada, so I thought this would be a great day to reflect on last year and warmer days. Our year was full of adventure and creativity. We went on 5 vacations, which took us from Maui to the East Coast of Canada. Along the way we upgraded our cameras and improved our editing skills. Here are some of our favourite moments and behind the scene info of how we took these photos.

1. Johnston Canyon, Alberta- January

This was my first time seeing a frozen waterfall. I had to jump about 8 feet off a viewing platform to get this shot. Looking back, one of those icicles could have fallen on me. Our new year definitely started off with a bang.

2. Ice Castle, Winnipeg- January

These are probably the best photos we have taken to date and I continue to post new ones on my Instagram. I applied for a photography permit, but they denied us, so we had to arrive when the exhibit opened and sprinted in to get these unobstructed shots. We were only here for about 20 minutes as the crowds started to make things challenging and people kept trying to offer me their scarves and coats. I was not cold, mainly because of the sprint in.

3. Naples, Florida- February

My parents migrate to Florida for the winter and we visit them for my birthday weekend. We found these posts on Naples Beach and Eric helped carry me onto one. What you don’t see in this picture is the dozens of people laying on the beach behind here. Some of them were taking pictures while I was up there. Luckily I am used to an audience from my years of dancing.

4. Maui, Hawaii- March

This was my favourite photo from our trip to Maui, mainly because of how Eric framed it with the flower and also because it was taken in an unexpected place. We got it right next to the pool bar at the Grand Wailea Resort. I was standing inside a cave that houses their Grotto and there was a man made waterfall in front. Probably not the scenery you had in mind when looking at this.

5. Maui, Hawaii- March

This was our first attempt at underwater photography with our new Olympus camera. Unfortunately we didn’t realize there was an underwater mode on the camera, which would have made this image more clear. Swimming in the dress was a challenge as it got really heavy. The people on the beach must have thought I was nuts swimming around in this!

6. Winnipeg, Manitoba- June

I found this dress online and started to brainstorm where we could photograph it. Saint Boniface Cathedral in Winnipeg was a no brainer. This church burned down in 1968 and all that remains are the walls. Eric hoisted me up in this window and the lighting was just perfect to get this ethereal shot.

7. Pinawa, Manitoba- July

How unexpecting is this place? Taken at the old Pinawa Dam, I had to hop a fence and walk across a 3 foot landing 30 feet above shallow water. Eric then had to hoist me inside. The phrase “doing it for the gram” took on new meaning here. A local Instagrammer helped me edit this one as I couldn’t get it right.

8. Peggy’s Cove- July

So proud of this image at the iconic lighthouse at Peggy’s Cove. If you have ever been here, you know that there is usually a sea of tourists. I didn’t think getting a shot like this would be a possibility. It was a miserable day and early in the morning, so the stars aligned for us and Eric captured this image. I feel proud to be Canadian when I look at it.

9. Kanarraville Falls- October

Another out of this world location on one of our hikes. I had imagined this shot with me climbing the latter in a long white dress, but unfortunately the images just looked bizarre. I had no intention of sharing this bikini shot with anyone, but (no pun intended), it was either this or nothing at all.

10. Manitoba Legislature- December

Our Legislative building gets all dressed up for Christmas and I wanted to get a dramatic shot of it. I ordered this long train dress off of eBay for $60. It is one of those good from afar kind of items. If you are interested in taking photos here you can reserve a 30 minute slot free of charge.

That is a wrap for my favourite images of the year. Not sure if we will be able to top them this year; it all depends where life takes us. Looking back at these definitely inspires me to keep improving and push the envelope. This has become such a fun and creative hobby that Eric and I share together. Can’t wait to see where 2019 takes us! What is your favourite photo from the bunch?

Happy Day,

Kira