Canmore Engagement Photographers

Denise & Reed

Sunrise Winter Engagement in Kananaskis

This sunrise winter engagement in Kananaskis Country in Alberta was such a beautiful morning in the Canadian Rocky Mountains. Denise and Reed are true lovers of the mountains and make the most of how special the views are in the wintertime. These two love to ski but this year Reed was recovering from an injury so they decided to do more winter hiking to explore the area. We love that they incorporated this into their engagement shoot and I’m sure you can tell by the photos that they are in their element.

How to Make the Most of Canadian Winters

Canadian winters can be harsh and very cold, just ask this Australian girl! But despite the negative temperatures, there is a unique quiet beauty that makes this time of year so special. The days are shorter making the days more fleeting. We decided to start this shoot before the sun came up so that we could catch the sunrise from one of our favourite locations out on a frozen lake. We hiked out by headlamp at dawn in the deep fresh snow while we watched ice fishermen set up their camps for the day. These quiet portraits lit by headlamp are some of my favourites from the morning as it captures how the morning felt.

A Colourful Sunrise and Hot Chocolate 

As soon as we started walking out on the lake we could tell that it was going to be a beautiful morning. The clouds had a hint of colour in them showing us that the sky was clear to the East. This meant that in time the mountain peaks would glow pretty pinks and oranges, and they did!

We had so much fun taking advantage of the changing light and exploring different angles to show the beauty of the vast landscape. After the beautiful colour show, we hiked around the lake and found a calm spot to make a hot chocolate and Baileys. Denise and Reed’s brought their portable camp stove along and even had marshmallows to put on top! It was the perfect treat to warm us all up and take in the scenery a little longer.

Before we wrapped up the session we drove to another side of the lake to get a different perspective of this amazing area. Denise and Reed brought a more formal outfit change and Denise’s blue dress looked so beautiful against the winter backdrop. The sun began to peek over the mountains lighting up the lake with warmer light. It was such a nice end to a lovely morning. We hope these photos inspire you to get out to enjoy the winter, even if it is freezing outside!