Clara Cecilia Photography

16/07/2024

From Chicago to Banff with love 💕💍

Congrats again on your engagement!!

13/06/2024

Some of my favourite humans in b+w ♡

08/11/2023

I’m reminded this week of the power + importance of photos. My beloved 할아버지 passed away and we are remembering his life this week with family. We looked through old photo books and saw little snapshots of his life. My dad shared what stories he knew of my grandpa’s childhood in Korea and the memories he had of his own childhood with him.

Being second-gen Korean is a beautiful and heartbreaking thing. There are so many stories and memories that I haven’t had access to - primarily due to a cultural barrier. Perhaps it’s different in Korea now, but in our family, we have lived in a culture of silence. Or perhaps, simply one of quiet love - where love is shown through loyalty + actions, but not often spoken. Where stories are not shared freely, but respect + honour are held as sacred spaces. Even the stories my grandfather did write down are primarily in Chinese calligraphy - not Korean. The result of Asian colonialism.

His brushstrokes are unfamiliar to me, yet so familiar in the sense that I have watched him pick up his brushes and paint beautiful, elegant lines from my earliest memories. Painting names and stories I will never know with gentle hands that I know so well.

And the photographs left behind show me glimpses of a life richly lived in two countries - filled with so many stories of love and heartache, struggle and beauty. I’m grateful for these photos that capture these moments in time that would otherwise be completely lost and forgotten.

There is so much I don’t know about his life - so many stories I wish I knew. But I know this man. My 할아버지. His gentle, big generous heart. The way he said “사랑한다” so freely and sincerely as I grew older. The joy he would express while hugging my boys. The patience he had as he gardened daily. The care he took in packaging up 도라지 seeds to share with me because he knew I loved them. The way he would sit in peaceful silence with us - content in just being together. The love he had for our whole family. The hope he had to be reunited with my 할머니.

사랑해요 할아버지.

10/10/2023

Happy thanksgiving friends! Grateful for each and every one of you - truly, from the bottom of my heart, thank you for inviting me into your stories and trusting me to document your memories 💕love and gratitude for you all!

04/10/2023

On October 3rd, he asked me what day it was.

It’s October 3rd. ✨

25/09/2023

Starting to get all my summer posts ready to share on IG now that it’s fall 😅 but how magical is this sunset session in Kananaskis?!

31/08/2023

Soooo proud to welcome my little nephew Leo Jinwoo Sung to the world! We love you so much ♥️🥹

02/08/2023

Reason 1000000000 why it’s always worth waking up for sunrise 🤩

14/07/2023

My personal fav snaps from this beautiful day: the mother of the bride doing a hand heart 🫶 to her son while everyone else is watching the bride’s entrance, Josh’s raw emotions as Christine walks down the aisle with her parents with the biggest smile on her face, and the vows making everyone laugh and cry together!

31/05/2023

When it seems like the wildfire smoke is gonna ruin your session, but instead it makes for the craziest sunset photos 😍 so thankful we got such a unique + beautiful night in Banff for these two who were visiting all the way from Singapore!

16/05/2023

When the lake is a paid actor 👌

04/05/2023

IG vs reality 😅 was the real mvp for this chilly sunrise session! Only 2 more months to go till these two lovers make it official! 😍

28/04/2023

Felt cute, might delete later.

Jk, these two are actually the cutest.

26/04/2023

For all my lovely international clients coming in the next few weeks - friendly reminder that the Canadian Rockies still have SNOW! And most our beautiful lakes don’t thaw till end of May and into June. This photo was taken in May last year 😅 so don’t forget your boots and parkas!

25/04/2023

“I'd have to say April 25th. Because it's not too hot, not too cold, all you need is a light jacket.”

22/04/2023

Last night + this morning ♥️

17/04/2023

That sunrise glow ♥️

13/04/2023

When the reflection is pure art.
…and the kicks are too.

12/04/2023

Counting down the days till we get nights like this again! But also planing a ski trip at the same time… 😅 Alberta springs are wild! 🤷🏻‍♀️

06/04/2023

b&w romance ♡

04/04/2023

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03/04/2023

Does every photo need a caption? Asking for a friend… 😅

But in all seriousness, I love my couples, I love the mountains, and I love documenting love stories. And the social media side of things is fun sometimes, and a reeeaaalllll chore other times… so I’m considering just dropping photos with no captions sometimes, because I have so many beautiful moments to share, but not enough witty captions haha. And let’s not even get started about reels 🙈 We cool with that? Cool cool cool.

31/03/2023

I’m ready for some April showers… but Calgary has more snow on the forecast this weekend 🙈 every year I swear I forget how long winter lasts in Alberta 😅

Thank goodness for being the sunniest city in Canada though!

29/03/2023

Behind the scenes of every gorgeous winter wedding photo is a rad couple willing to brave the cold and a hundred little breaks where they throw on their parkas and mitts to warm up for a couple minutes while I stay bundled up in my longjohns, snow pants, parka, toque and gloves 😅

…so is it spring yet or did I really just see more snow on Calgary’s forecast later this week? 😳🙈

28/03/2023

Winter magic in Jasper ❄️

04/01/2023

I’m late to post, but here’s my top 9 from 2022! Much love to all of you who invited me to document such beautiful memories! ♥️

14/12/2022

14/12/2022

The smiles and the joy right after the first kiss… it gets me every time 🥹♥️

12/12/2022

Winter in the mountains are seriously the most magical 😍 also how is already only 2 weeks till Christmas?!

09/12/2022

Forever grateful to couples who re-book me to capture precious milestones 🥹♥️ so excited for these beautiful souls to meet their little one soon!!