MagnaSona Photography | Edmonton Wedding Photographer

We’ve completed our new Blog-site over at www.ryanandbeth.ca so head over there for all the latest photo’s, news and craziness!

See you there!

Ryan and Beth

Having to wake up at 3:30am on a saturday would normally not put a person in a very pleasant mood, but when that alarm clock went off I was up, out the door and on my way down to Calgary with a smile on my face! What the heck is with this guy, you ask? Well, I was heading to Race City Motor Sports Park for a day of high speed race track action at the AADS BMW Driving School, and needless to say it was huge fun. Here’s some pics

Well, it turned out that the BMW’s were a bit out numbered this year! It was such a fun time, and it looked like everyone in attendance had a great time as well. Unfortunately the city of Calgary is looking to close the doors on Race City, and replace it with a garbage dump, which is a shame because from what I’m told the next closest race track is in Spokan Washington… a bit of a drive, to say the least.

When Beth and I met up with soon-to-be-newly-weds Brandon and Jacqueline the day of their engagement shoot we had a bit of an idea that they were going to do great in front of the lens, but wow… it’s like they were reading our minds with every little pose and look they gave! Great stuff.

We decided to start shooting just as the sun started setting so we could capture the already lovely river valley scene with the added glow of the setting sun (this short period of time is also called “The Golden Hour” for all you photo nerds out there). Things went so good that Beth and I couldn’t narrow our final selections down anywhere past 250 shots or so….for a two hour photo shoot. Here are some highlights.

A couple weeks ago Beth and I headed out on the streets with Nic and Dana to get some fun engagement session pics and we had a blast! We started the session right in the heart of the downtown core and ended up on a huge outdoor skating rink right beside the river, busy day. Read on!

It’s magic, pure magic.After running around downtown for a while, it was time to lace up the skates and hit the ice! So it turns out that Nic is a hockey player and Dana is a speed skater which only could mean one thing…it’s race time.It’s always great when we get to hang out and photograph such an easy going fun couple like Dana and Nic, we didn’t even know about that fantastic outdoor rink till they showed us(I knew all that Ice Racing photography would come in handy eventually:-). We’re looking forward to shooting their wedding this coming august!

Welcome to our blog! Here you can find out what’s been going on lately with MagnaSona, check out some recent (and not so recent) photos from all kinds of different shoots we’ve done, and find out what’s on the horizon for the upcoming year in photography. Have a read, leave a comment if you like, we always love to hear from you.

As you are planning your wedding, family reunion, or some other type of big event you may have many questions such as:

• Why hire a professional photographer?
• What types of wedding photo packages are available?
• How can I arrange a photographer at my resort wedding?

We just posted a FAQ section where you can have a look and get answers to many common questions regarding hiring an Edmonton wedding photographer and all that it entails.

If you’re feeling a little lost, in another recent article we’ve give a tour of the new MagnaSona Photography website.

Hey this is Beth, Ryan and I want to share our exciting news with you. MagnaSona has launched a new website with the help of Edmonton-based web design company Pixel Savvy, which showcases three of our favorite styles of photography—wedding, commercial, and portrait photography. As our studio’s portfolio is growing we decided that a more professional site is in order. We searched all over for a cleaner look that would be easier for you to find what you’re looking for.

MagnaSona Photography Portfolio

Once you enter the new MagnaSona site there are three main menu buttons that will take you where you want to go. The buttons are along the side as follows: info, portfolio, and contact. Keeping it clean and simple.

The ‘Info’ button takes you to our wedding investment pricing; there you will find wedding packages as well as ‘a la carte’ options to create a package that is as unique as your wedding day. Also under info you will find a button that takes you to our blog (where you’re at right now, as a matter fact). The blog is a new feature that will help us keep you up to date with the latest MagnaSona news. Whether it is a recent wedding we’ve photographed or a recent commercial shoot, we’ll keep it current. The last thing you will find under info is the “About Us” section. This part of the site goes into detail about the photographers of MagnaSona (Ryan and I) and what we do. To learn more you’ll just have to check it out for yourself!

When you want to view samples of our work, simply click on the ‘view portfolio’ button. From there the choice is yours, you can either view wedding photos, commercial photography, portraits, or our favorites. There are plenty of new images up. With high resolution and full screen images you won’t want to miss a picture. Within the weddings gallery you’ll find it all from adorable flower girls to handsome grooms and their groomsmen, and of course, gorgeous brides! In the commercial gallery we put up some motorcycle photos that Ryan captured while hanging on for dear life on the back of a truck. We’ve also got some photos of some lovely cupcakes (those were not as life threatening to shoot), which were shot in our own studio (we had to use a lot of will power not to EAT them before the shoot was done), not to mention the live band and fireworks photography from last years Canada Day, plus a ton of other great shots. Don’t forget to check out the portraits and personal favorites section as well! Some of the favorites include shots from way back in the days of using film (which we still like to use now and again when the situation calls for it). We hope you enjoy checking out the new photographs.

When you go to ‘contact us’ you can email us directly from the website. Or you can always pick up the phone and give us a call, we would love to talk to you. Let us know what you think of the new site.

Pictage Photo Proofing & Printing

As we mentioned in our previous post about the upcoming website, we are now using a great company called Pictage for all our online proofing, printing and event organization, so everything is now very streamlined and easy to use. All of our future clients will receive a link to their own Pictage page where their friends and family can view pictures from their event very soon after it has taken place. Pictage also offers a really great printing service with secure credit card billing and prints shipped right to your door! We will also have a direct link to our previous online proofing system, which enables our clients to view and download high-resolution images from their wedding or event but does not offer a printing service. Both proofing sites will be easy to access and straightforward to use and we are really excited to offer these services to all our clients at no extra charge.

Ta ta for now!

—Beth

For wedding photographers, things usually slow down a bit during the frosty winter months in Edmonton. We have a chance to work on our websites (or build completely new ones), try out new gear for the upcoming season, and meet with wonderful engaged couples to plan out their big day photography-wise. This winter has been a bit different though, while we are still going about all the things we normally do before spring hits, I have also been spending a few weekends standing on a big slab of ice, getting shots of ice racing for the NASCC (Northern Alberta Sports Car Club). We can assure you, this is a far cry from wedding photography!

Here are some pics from two of these photo shoots;

I found myself a fantastic corner to get some good power sliding shots and here is a couple great examples

The driver of this car really put on a show coming into corner one. Maybe not the best way to win a race, but it makes for some great shots!

This car was bumped, causing it to go completely sideways down the entire front straight. He managed to keep it together all the way to turn one!

There was plenty of excitement at both events and as the day went on, the drivers started taking more chances through the corners, which led to some spectacular (but non life threatening) crashes!

It’s always great to be asked to photograph something that’s maybe outside of my usual “comfort zone”, and this definitely falls into that category! And hey, if we ever have to photograph the wedding of two race car drivers… we’ll be prepared :-) Keep an eye out for more racing events being covered by MagnaSona Photography throughout the year.

Aside from the wedding photography we cover all year round, we also get the chance to do a fair amount of one-on-one portrait photography in our studio and on locations all over Edmonton. This session with musician Mark Berg was done in our studio so we could get the lighting just how we wanted. Here are a couple of choice pics from the session:

We decided to go for a very real and up close perspective for Mark’s shots to match his music and writing style. Our portrait studio set up allows us to hand craft just how the light hits his face for the desired effect. 

Near the end of the session we did a couple “Yes ladies, he’s single” kind of shots!

Mark really wanted to get a shot of him shaking his head side to side as fast as he could. Who are we to say no! It turned out pretty awesome.

I was so tempted to photoshop someone's fist coming in from the left..

MagnaSona Photography is very excited to announce that with the help of Pixel Savvy, we are constructing a brand new website!

As we’re sure you’ll agree, the most important factor in choosing a professional photographer for your wedding or event is their current portfolio. So when it was time to decide on a website design, we went BIG on the portfolio side of things! We love the images we capture so we wanted to put their best foot forward and present them to our guests at full screen and with beautifully high resolution. There will be four portfolios for your viewing pleasure:

Wedding Photography

Showcasing some of our work from the past year and presenting our unique style of wedding photojournalism in and around the Edmonton area. Check back often for more image updates as we shoot more weddings throughout the year.

Commercial Photography

We get the opportunity to photograph some amazing events and products throughout the year and here you will be able view some of our most exciting and artistic work to date. From ice racing to live bands to cupcakes, one thing is for sure, no two shoots are alike at MagnaSona.

Portrait Photography

From lovely family photos taken with a natural fall backdrop, to up close and personal head shots of musicians and other news makers, you will quickly see that MagnaSona Photography knows no boundaries in the portrait photography field.

Favorite Photos

We have loads of images that we love, but some just don’t fit into one of the other three portfolios, so we have created a “Favs” portfolio that includes anything and everything! From water droplets leaping out of a bowl, to wild parrots, to sweeping landscapes, to baseball players warming up for a game.

It will now be easier then ever to get in contact with us! The new site will have a contact form that is sent directly to us so there is no need to use your own email to ask questions or book shoot dates.

We are now using a great online photo sharing and printing company called Pictage for all our online proofing, printing and event organization, so everything is now very streamlined and easy to use. All of our future clients will receive a link to their own Pictage page where their friends and family can view pictures from their wedding or event very soon after it has taken place. Pictage also offers a really great printing service with secure credit card billing and prints shipped right to your door! We will also have a direct link to our previous online proofing system, which enables our clients to view and download high-resolution images from their wedding or event but does not offer a printing service. Both proofing sites will be easy to access and straightforward to use and we are really excited to offer these services to all our clients at no extra charge.

We hope you will enjoy the new online home of MagnaSona Photography and please feel free to send us your feedback!

—Ryan and Beth

It was a beautiful fall day and what a better place to stage a photo shoot than Kinsman Park in the Edmonton river valley. MagnaSona Photography was there capturing some family portrait shots for the Holmes family during their annual get-together. They were loads of fun to work with, and I think their easy going nature really shines through in these photos;

Here is an alternate of the first one, they were just getting set up for the next group shot and didn’t realize I was still snapping away! This ended up being one of my personal favorites from the entire day.

After a few group shots, I split off with some of the family’s and found some more nice areas to get pics. I like how the afternoon sun is catching the sides of their faces so nicely.

A beautiful mother and daughter picture.

This little guy was a lot of fun, he loved the leaves so his parents made a big pile all around him to play in. Needless to say he was having a pretty good time!

It was a full day of family fun and I was really pleased with how many of the pics turned out. When you get a group of fun loving, easy going family members together all in one place, it makes our job of capturing nice photos almost too easy! Thanks again to the Holmes family for inviting us out to our annual event.

In recent years family portraits have grown dramatically in popularity. It isn’t surprising because portraits often become one of a family’s most prized possessions. As the years go by, they family photo albums become irreplaceable.