Kelowna Wedding Photographer | My Journey to Becoming a Wedding Photographer

I am often asked how I become a Kelowna Wedding Photographer and quite honestly, I knew what I wanted to be when I was around 8 years old.  I just didn’t know it until MANY years later.

I realized in University (while getting a Bachelor of Education from Trinity Western University and Simon Fraser University) that becoming a teacher wasn’t my passion.  I was becoming a third generation teacher.  It was in my genes and I knew I would be good at…it just didn’t seem like a perfect fit for my personality and artistic flair.

I persevered however.  Taught my first year in South Korea (teaching English in a small town of 110,000 people) and then returned home to be shocked by the proposal I start teaching in the very town I had grown up in.  I had never worked a day in the district so it was quite an amazing honour to be hired so quickly.

After eight years, I LOVED my students and my summers off were for traveling and furthering my travel photography.  It was a good life but I felt like a square peg in a round hole.  It wasn’t the right fit for me and I needed to do something drastic.

The summer I returned from France, I found my passion.  After a close friend looked at all the photos I had taken she told me  I had missed my calling.  I had to be a photographer.

Funny how my passion all those years, just needed someone to call attention to it.  It needed to be validated by someone I trusted and admired.

After that conversation, I looked into photography schools and gave my notice.  I would teach one more year and then go and get a diploma to become a Professional Photographer.  I choose Western Academy of Photography.  It had a great two year diploma (done in an intensive 10 months) and was in a town I had always wanted to live.  Victoria, B.C.

Even before I attended W.A.P., I knew I wanted to be a Wedding Photographer.  Just as I loved travel photography for the culture and photo journalism…Weddings had that too.  Each had it’s own intricate “culture”; lovingly crafted by the Bride and Grooms personality.  It also had lots of opportunity for photo journalism and portraiture.  Two things I loved.

I’ll show some photos from those first few Weddings I ever photographed in another blog.  But right now I want to show you some photographs I took when I was 8.  Orchestrated it all; down to the Honeymoon & Reception.

I think it is AMAZING that children so young, often know….they may just not have the words to express it.  For those of you with children….watch closely.  You may see a budding scientist, astronaut, musician or photographer in your midst.

Kelowna Wedding Photographer | Wedded Bliss Photography (3)Kelowna Wedding Photographer | Wedded Bliss Photography (2)

My First Reception

Kelowna Wedding Photographer | Wedded Bliss Photography (1)

And this was the Honeymoon shot in Rome…aka the bottom of my parents water fountain 🙂

Kelowna Wedding Photographer | Wedded Bliss Photography

Thanks Ken and Barbie for helping me fulfill my dreams of being a Kelowna Wedding Photographer!

 Wedded Bliss Photography specializes in wedding and engagement photography in Kelowna and Vernon shooting at locations such as Summerhill Pyramid Winery, Cedar Creek Estate Winery, Bottega Farm Inn & Studio, Elysium Gardens, Manteo Resort, Sparkling Hill, Durali Villa and others.

11 comments
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  • BeckyJuly 2, 2014 - 5:39 pm

    I can so relate! Now looking back, I realize that at 16 I fell head over heels for photography with my first film class but it just didn’t seem practical or a ‘real’ job. 10 years later, I finally realized that it was my passion! 🙂ReplyCancel

    • ReneeJuly 3, 2014 - 9:37 am

      So glad you found your passion too Becky! It’s so fantastic to find it.ReplyCancel

  • TiffaniJuly 2, 2014 - 7:04 pm

    Oh my goodness! What a creative 8-year-old you are! So glad you followed your passion. You do beautiful work!ReplyCancel

  • Lindsey HarwathJuly 2, 2014 - 7:59 pm

    I love this! It makes me want to go back and look at the first pictures I ever took. I wonder what they were… 😀ReplyCancel

  • RuthJuly 3, 2014 - 12:35 am

    Wish we could still play with barbies now!!! Love!ReplyCancel

  • Kate MahaitsJuly 3, 2014 - 7:52 am

    You are so adorable! ReplyCancel

  • Kelly HorowitzJuly 3, 2014 - 8:25 am

    This is great! Love the flashback to your first photos!ReplyCancel

  • Amy ColumbusJuly 3, 2014 - 5:43 pm

    Love your story, Renee!ReplyCancel

  • Kim HayesJuly 3, 2014 - 6:25 pm

    Such a neat story! Thanks for sharing 🙂ReplyCancel

  • RebeccaJuly 6, 2014 - 2:57 pm

    This is great! Thanks for sharing.ReplyCancel

  • Jennifer KohlJuly 7, 2014 - 12:27 pm

    Oh I just LOVE your old pictures! Makes me want to find the pictures I used to take when I dressed up my cats for photo shoots!!ReplyCancel