New blog reminder!

Hey guys!

Just a reminder that this blog is no longer active and my new blog is http://msansoucy.wordpress.com Please make your way over to my new blog and be sure to follow and comment!!

Much love & peace!

Martine

How I really feel about Jamaica… a personal post :-)

We are outside and the heat is thick.. my hands are literally swollen to the size of small balloons (just a fun perk of being me right now). I am wiping the sweat off my brow and chatting with friends or yelling in their ears over the loud music. Despite my trying to stay still, I just can’t. I find myself involuntarily moving in my seat and wanting to get up and grind my whole body to the vibrant and sexually explosive Jamaican music. I am the only white girl in the place and my red hair and fair skin stick out like a sore thumb, attracting all sorts of wanted and unwanted attention. At times, it can be a little tiresome and all I want to do is fit in. I cover my hotel band with my bracelet and try to look casual, like being thrust into such a foreign way of life is normal for me. I run into some people I met last time I was there.. I can hardly believe I know people here already and it’s a great feeling. I want locals to consider me another local, not some tourist who’s rolling in American money.

I take a cab back home in the darkness. I am crammed in a small car that sounds like it might explode if it moves too fast with a tall dark Jamaican man on my right and a cheerful voluptuous looking woman on my left. They chatter with each other sometimes in Patois (the Jamaican language) and I struggle to understand… if only I had bought some books before I left! They start to chatter with me and within 5 minutes we are exchanging numbers and Facebook info, hoping to connect if I should ever be back in Montego Bay. The general vibe is they just want to show me a good time here in Jamaica and they are always so interested to hear about the weather where I am from. It’s nearing the end of my ride and I hand the cabby $200 Jamaican dollars, which comes to around $2 American or Canadian. No doubt I would be paying an upwards of $30 or $40 American if I had taken the “safer” and registered taxi’s that come straight to the front of my hotel. Again, I don’t want to be some rich bitch perceived by the Jamaican’s, I just want to be treated like everyone else even though my face is white as the moon.

The security guys at the gates of my hotel are by now used to my comings and goings. When I left the first night I was there with friends, they were sure to document my room number, name, the name of the person who was picking me up and the location of where we were headed. By the third day, they just smiled and waved me off as I ran off across the street. One of the security guys later told me him and the other guys were concerned about me, but after watching how I waved away certain cabs and chose specific ones they knew that I knew what I was doing. I was really flattered by this and it made me feel happy to know they no longer just thought of me as some “tourist” – confined to the prison walls of a resort.

I found myself often moving to Jamaican beats in my head, even when there was no music playing. I felt vibrant, alive, energetic! My skin was also literally starting to glow.. my pimples were disappearing and I felt less self conscious about being a bit bigger than I would like to be at this time as the Jamaican men were quite forward about letting me know how they felt about my appearance. It was always positive and I was flattered at most times. It was a self esteem boost but could also easily get tiring. My nose had cleared up.. I slept like a baby, the best I have slept in so long because I could finally breath. Back home my nose is constantly stuffed up and I often wake up not being able to breath. The only downfall was the sweat… ohhh the sweat. I don’t mind sweating during a workout I’m killing, but to sweat all the time every day for no other reason then just because you are hot and uncomfortable is unattractive to say the LEAST.

My friends are gems.. I made some real connections I feel so good about. There were other people I met and the general over all consensus from a lot of people was that a friendship could be bought and paid for. After all I am from Canada and I MUST be loaded with cash and have plenty to give away at leisure. I am not. My money is worth just as much as theirs is back home and it’s not cheap to live here in Canada. Not cheap at all. I may make more, but I sure spend a hell of a lot more on the necessities of life. There were times I felt taken advantage of and merely used for the hopes of receiving my money. It didn’t feel good and it didn’t feel right. That was the one biggest negative that I have about being in Jamaica. All the more reason fitting in as a local was so important to me. Now let’s be fair… not ALL Jamaican’s are like this. On the opposite end of the spectrum I was treated the best I have been treated by anyone in a long time by my friends, who are all amazing and wonderful people.

The last night in Jamaica my friends took me to a street party… Yes, a real street party in Jamaica. Honestly, sometimes I had to take a step back to realize that I was actually there and it was real and this was happening. The sweet smell of pot wafted around and drinks were flowing. The music was sick. I had begun to pick out my favorite songs and move my body freely when they came on. Suddenly at some point, the party went from seeing space between people to crammed and jammed up against one another.. in a sea of dark faces I was the only white girl at the party yet again and the guys walking around with video cameras seemed to be attacking me with bright lights. Being there was amazing though, and the feeling was humbling and surreal. I never wanted it to end.  I was feeling good but the last couple of days had exhausted me. By the next morning I was feeling emotional and heavy with regret at the thought of leaving this beautiful tropical paradise. I felt like perhaps I had let myself feel too fast and too much for some of the connections I made and didn’t want it to end.

Yes, I do believe I made real connections and also a couple friends for life. The number one question I am being asked by all is did I find love in Jamaica? Well the answer to that is simple. No. But I believe I could. It would be easy and effortless and it scares me to death. There are some things a girl doesn’t need to share with the world either. What I really need to do now is fall in love with myself.

What are the things I brought back with me that are the most treasured? First and foremost, the memories and the friendships. After that, I would have to say the mixed CD’s of music I bought from random guys selling burnt discs from their cars and on the streets. I still feel like dancing and it has me motivated to start dancing once again. Overall I brought back a sense of myself.. a longing for change and self appreciation. Yes Jamaica will change you and affect you in many ways if you are open to let it in.

Will I be back to Jamaica? I have no plans as of right now to be returning to the beautiful country, but sometimes fate has a way of intervening and whatever is meant to be will be. For now I am studying up on learning some Patois and dancing around the house in my underwear to these ripped Jamaican beats , feeling more free and irie than I have in my life.

*Stay tuned for a mega blog post on the AHHMAZING Wedding I shot in Jamaica and all the fun details behind it and other shoots I did while there!*

New Blog reminder!!

Hey guys!

Please remember to come visit my new blog and follow it! http://msansoucy.wordpress.com

xoxo – M

Whoa what a week in Vegas!!!

Hey everyone!
I am so sorry, I have been super neglectful of my poor blog the last couple months! But let me tell you… this summer has been so busy I have barely had any time to breath!

Most recently I did a fantastic wedding last Sat that could have went a little more smoothly. After driving to a location we all got knee deep stuck in a large mud pile in the middle of a huge parking lot… in a LIMO. Thanks to one of the superstar hero groomsmen we actually managed to make it out! Whew! It was a little bit of a nightmare let me tell you.. Because of all the lost time, we will be going out on a different day to do an awesome couples session and we will NOT be taking a limo 🙂

The next day I left for Vegas with a dear friend and makeup artist Tamsen Rae for a super super fun and exciting Destination Wedding!!!! It was amazing! Overall a great experience and probably one of the funnest weddings I have ever done. In the midst of seeing shows, eating insanely delicious meals, enjoying the 2 for 3$ beer experience, and walking the strip, the wedding was set in the middle of the desert in the Grand Canyon. It was spectacular and HOT. I can not WAIT to sit down and edit these photos… It was so so wonderful 🙂

Tomorrow I have a wedding with a gorgeous bride who will be wearing a …. RED wedding dress! I am super pumped to see what it will look like!

Mmm other than that, things have been pretty great! My boys and I took off and had a much needed vacation at the cabin and I took my usual yearly photoshoot of the three of them! So in love with my boys and my family, it’s always refreshing to get away and enjoy every moment of them ❤

With that, I am posting a few shots from my vacation with them!

Much love xx Martine

My boys 🙂

My boys 🙂

My boys 🙂

My boys 🙂

My boys 🙂

My boys 🙂

My boys 🙂

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So many exciting things to look forward to!

Hey Everyone!

Wow, I am feeling so blessed right now! I have so many amazing things to look forward to this year, including another Destination wedding in Mexico with this wonderful and awesome couple! The best part.. I have known the brides mother and sister for years from being in dog shows! I am so excited to take photos of this couple and I am truly blessed to have such wonderful clients.

Here’s a couple of quick shots from a little mini session the other night!

Saskatoon Engagement Photography by Martine Sansoucy Photographer

Saskatoon Engagement Photography by Martine Sansoucy Photographer

Saskatoon Engagement Photography by Martine Sansoucy Photographer

Cuba Destination Wedding Sneak Peek!!!

Hey everyone!

I feel really bad that things are so busy right now, I haven’t even had a chance to properly sit down and look at all of the pictures from Cuba and believe me … there are a LOT! haha 🙂

Just wanted to share a couple shots from this amazing week in Cuba.

The location was AMAZING!! I can’t get enough of it! Part abandoned ghost town and architectural old museum combined with a small local life, this town was the PERFECT spot for Nathan & Melanie’s photos..not to mention the locals who were so helpful and welcoming to us and made this experience all the more amazing! So happy I stumbled across this little piece of history and that we were able to take advantage!

Thanks again to Melanie and Nathan for agreeing to let me take them out there!<3

xoxo – Martine

Destination Wedding Photographer Cuba - Martine Sansoucy

Destination Wedding Photographer Cuba - Martine Sansoucy

Destination Wedding Photographer Cuba - Martine Sansoucy

It’s Monday!!!!

Hi Everyone!

Well I ended up having to switch blog themes much to my disappointment because of the issues on WordPress and sadly never heard back from them 😦

I am so excited about an amazing concept shoot coming up this Sunday with Tamsen Rae and I am very much looking forward to sharing the results!!

It’s been a busy couple of weeks and I have posted more photos from the Mexico Destination Wedding shoot on my Facebook at http://facebook.com/saskatoonphotography

For now, I wanted to share a few of my favorite scenic shots from Mexico, around Tulum, Xe-Ha and Xcaret! 🙂

Hope everyone has a wonderful week! xoxo Martine

http://martinesansoucy.co.nr

http://facebook.com/saskatoonphotography

371-1332 or agasteche@yahoo.ca

Happy Sunday & a few more quick Destination Wedding shots!

Hi Everyone!

I hope you all had a fabulous weekend!! I put my boys to work and we cleaned out our basement…er my prop-room! It was great to finally get all of my props in order and I found lots of stuff I forgot I even had. What an inspiration to go down there and see all of my project props on display for my visual stimulation 😀

So excited about the summer, I can’t wait to start taking photos like a manic and fulfilling all of my project dreams!

Anyway, I thought I would post a couple more shots from the Destination Wedding I had with David & Iza in Mexico! What a GREAT week I had, and I can’t wait to post more!

Take care everyone xoxo – Martine

Martine Sansoucy - Destination Wedding Photographer Saskatoon, Canada

 

Martine Sansoucy - Destination Wedding Photographer Saskatoon, Canada

 

Martine Sansoucy - Destination Wedding Photographer Saskatoon, Canada

Back from Destination Wedding Mexico!

Hi everyone!

I am still pumped with adrenaline from my amazing time in Mayan Riviera, Mexico!  My clients David & Iza Parker had a dream wedding on Grand Sunset Princess Resorts, and we were able to do our photos in multiple locations, including another resort. I have to say my clients went above and beyond what was expected to make my experience in Mexico absolutely spectacular and I will never forget their generosity or friendship.  The highlights of my trip (aside from the wedding) was zip-lining across the jungle, ATV’ing through caves and visiting the ancient Ruins of Mayan and Tulum. Everything was unreal beautiful and the people were so welcoming and friendly.  I met lots of new and exciting friends, and just soaked up every moment of my trip.  I was afraid to close my eyes for a second, that I might miss something. Everything was gorgeous, like a dream come true.  The very favorite part of my trip is one that I will share with you all soon, as I have many stories about my experience in Mexico and I am excited to share them with you!

At the end of it all, I am happy to be back home with my little troop of boys who I missed dearly!

In the meantime here is a little sneak peek sample of David & Iza’s wedding photos!!

Destination Wedding Photographer Canada

xoxo Martine

http://facebook.com/saskatoonphotography

http://martinesansoucy.co.nr

371-1332 or agasteche@yahoo.ca