Stormy Bay of Fundy 'bridal' photo shoot creates stunning results

With the storm looming on the horizon, photographer Nienke Izurieta and creative director Becky Wallace went to the Irving Nature Park, along the Bay of Fundy on the city's west side.

After carefully arranging collected driftwood, model Tovah Kashetsky arrived, and the trio got to work.

Izurieta and Wallace spent weeks dreaming up the concept during the holidays, but the subzero temperatures made it impossible to execute.

"We were looking for a milder day," saidIzurieta, and even with a storm approaching, it was the most appropriate day to do it.

"We thought it would be quite magical if it started to snow a little bit and we could capture that in the scene" said Wallace.

As freezing as it may have been, the weather just happened to suit the moody-look the pair waslookingfor.

"We really wanted it to be a very editorial-looking shoot," said Wallace. "Storm or no storm, we were making it work."

The four-hour shoot wasn't without its difficulties. Other than the storm, the trio had to contend with the rapidly rising tide,which threatened their set.

"I definitely think there was some adrenaline taking over my body," said Izurieta, "because there were moments where I couldn't feel the shutter button on my camera."

But she admits that model Kashetsky was likely facing the brunt of the elements. Wearing a silk slip, worn by Wallace at her own wedding, and occasionally a fur coat belonging to Wallace's sister, she wasn't exactly dressed for winter.

Wallace also said the wind had her concerned about the flowers, including the crown, which was created by Dartmouth designer Nicole McInnis.

Looking over the results, Izurieta said she's still a little speechless. "We both knew it was going to be gorgeous," she said, but with everything coming together at the last minute in the elements, she said they were in awe.

While the photos weren't for an actual wedding, Izurieta said she wishes more brides would venture out into the elements with her.

"It's actually something that I suggest often," she said. "For a lot of couples or engagement shoots, if there's bad weather coming up, I'll often just give them a little nudge."

As far as this shoot went, Izurieta said the pair considered it the "bridal shoot of our dreams." It isn't often, she said, that a bride will give up several hours to play.

Wallace said it also created a great opportunity to feature more local products, like McInnis' flower crown. "If we could feature products of theirs in shoots like this," she said, "it shows like an authenticity, even though it's a curated photo shoot."