THE FOREST IS MY HOME & MOUNTAIN TOPS ARE MY PLAYGROUND
My name is Dave Fay, and I am addicted to being outside. Come visit me in Banff, Alberta, and we can be outside together. I would love to show you around my home.
let’s start at the beginning
Everybody’s life has these moments, where one thing leads to another. Some are big and obvious and some are small and seemingly insignificant. – Peter Jackson
I (Dave) discovered photography, almost by accident, through a passion for playing live music. Before Natalie (my wife) and I moved out west (more on that later) I played guitar in a rock band. It’s actually how we first met!
The band decided to create some video blogs. Knowing nothing about anything, I picked up a used Canon camera with a ‘nifty fifty’ to record with. This, my friends, is where our story begins.
Click on the year to read about a few key moments in my journey to becoming a Banff wedding and elopement photographer.
Bought my first “real” camera
I realized that I enjoyed pointing lens(es) at people. Especially people doing things they were passionate about. I started photographing friends’ bands, and quickly found a passion, and affinity, for concert photography.
Yes, that is a photo of me, and yes, my sister does still make that face when I ask to take her photo.
Started concert photography
A year later, and I was photographing national touring acts, often multiple times a week. At this point my passion for photography had exploded. I had fallen in love with capturing moments of emotion displayed by artists lost in their own music. My photos were well received by fans and artists alike, which inevitably led to a local musician asking me to photograph their wedding!
So many of the elements I love about concert photography are present at weddings. Moments that happen without warning, celebration and emotion that come from a shared passion, joyousness and energy that can only happen when surrounded by friends sharing a common bond.
Photographed my first wedding
It only took one, and I was hooked. I immediately knew that this was going to be the next chapter of my life. I had no idea what that chapter was going to look like, but I was ready for it.
As anyone starting out in this world does, I second shot a few weddings with more experienced friends. But I never could have guessed what was coming next.
Natalie and I move to Banff(!!!!!!!)
Oh, and right before that we got engaged too! Our lives were about to change dramatically. If leaving our friends, some family, my band, the only city I had ever lived in, all behind on a months notice sounds like a lot, that’s probably because it was.
But the mountains were calling, and we had no choice but to answer. This is the point that my journey became our journey, and our shared love for the outdoors realized.
Thanks to Lanny and Erika Mann of Twomann Studios for this beautiful photo of Natalie and myself.
We get married!
Our wedding was an adventure perfectly suited to us.
Less than two days out we moved our ceremony from sunrise to sunset a day earlier, and chose a new location almost 200km away! We were very lucky we were able to make this work with our guests and vendors. It’s actually a big part of the reason I make sure to always have room for flexibility in my calendar.
The Adventure continues…
Natalie and I have settled into our mountain lifestyle nicely. She still finds time to attend some larger weddings (and a few small epic ones) as a second photographer, while juggling her career as a manager with Banff National Park, and of course spending as much time with our (rescued) husky mix Bow as possible.
For myself, I am eternally grateful for the life I am living. Keep scrolling for more.
A few favourite adventures
Banff National Park is home to some world-class backcountry destinations, that have been a pleasure to explore over the past 8 years. Drawing inspiration from the mountains, wildlife, and beauty around me. The woods is where I go to recharge my battery, and mountain tops and ridgelines are what fill my cup.
Skyline Trail in Jasper
My first solo through hiking experience. Complete with a snowstorm, a few learning experiences, and some of the most epic landscapes I’ve seen in the Canadian Rockies. One I will never forget, and am excited to repeat!
Lake O’Hara
If I had to name one place to justify calling the Canadian Rockies the most beautiful place on earth, it would be Lake O’Hara. I’ve been lucky to visit this stunning location both while working and while playing, and it is always magical. One way or another, the yearly pilgrimage has become necessary food for the soul. Reach out if you would like to talk about how it could be the perfect location for your mountain elopement.
Badger Pass
An epic adventure from Johnston Canyon, all the way to Lake Minnewanka.
tldr; the fiercest winds and hail, a dislocated shoulder, and the best cheeseburger I’ve ever had in my life. Ask me about the long version.
Anywhere that made me say ‘Oooooooo, Mountains!’
Hiking with friends, clients, my dog, or myself I’m always happy to be outside, searching for that next incredible vista to feast my eyes, and often my camera, upon. That’s why I don’t charge hiking fees, no matter how far away that perfect mountain elopement location happens to be. If we’re getting there by foot, I’m excited to hit the trail. You coming?
REMEMBER WHEN MADLIBS WAS COOL?
FAVORITE CAMERA
FUJI GFX
COFFEE ORDER
BAILEYS?
FAVORITE SEASON
CAMPING
DREAM DESTINATION
SOLITUDE
MOST PHOTOGRAPHED
MOUNTAINS
SOCIAL MEDIA
NO THANKS
REACH OUT
Let’s get to know each other in person, instead of through a screen