Patrick Chondon 9/6/23 Patrick Chondon 9/6/23

Kihannah + Alisha Engagement – Tree Farm

One of my favourite types of photo sessions, definitely has to be engagements. There is just a certain feeling of excitement in the air each time, similar to weddings. Kihannah and Alisha chose to do theirs at the Tree Farm. Unlike a family session I had a couple months earlier, this time around the mosquitos were nowhere to be found.

Overall it was a pretty relaxed session up until the last 5 minutes or so. Alisha decided to surprise Kihannah with a couple bottles of champagne. Suffice it to say, the last few photos were quite chaotic, which resulted in some truly memorable moments and reactions!

Patrick Chondon 11/6/22 Patrick Chondon 11/6/22

Alisha + Kih Portraits - Trowbridge Falls

My recent mini-session with Alisha + Kih at Trowbridge Falls had about 3 different weather systems in the span of 30 minutes, but that made for an extremely fun and spontaneous session. It started with overcast skies, then quickly turned to large hail and eventually to clearing skies.

During that time, we managed to get a few keepers with smoke bombs, a titanic reenactment and some extremely fogged up glasses. All in all a very productively chaotic session.

Patrick Chondon 12/10/14 Patrick Chondon 12/10/14

Alisha + Derek Family Portraits

It had been a while since I last saw Alisha and Derek, their wedding to be exact. Well, when Derek called me up to do a portrait session with him and his family I couldn't wait. The occasion this time around was his mom's birthday so what better reason then that! It was fitting that this particular session was once again at Centennial seeing as how I originally did the engagement session there as well.

This time around it wasn't just Alisha and Derek of course. Their whole family was there which made it so much fun. As with all large family sessions it can be a bit difficult to fit everything in and get all the necessary shots within an hour. We did end up doing and ended up getting some truly great photos. My favourites of the day were the ones buy the stable with the horses. It was as if the horses new we were coming and posed for us perfectly.

Thanks again to Alisha and Derek as well as their family. I had a fantastic time and hopefully we get to do it again in the near future.

Patrick Chondon 9/11/12 Patrick Chondon 9/11/12

Alisha + Derek Wedding

After an engagement shoot at Chippewa Park a few works prior, it was time for the real thing. As soon as I arrived I made my way to the cabin where Alisha and her bridesmaids were getting ready. I took some elegant photos of the dress as well as some candid photos of everyone getting ready. With a bit of time to spare I then made my way to the ceremony area. It was located right by the water in behind the main cabin in a beautiful setting.

All the seats were setup and guests were gathering as everyone waited for the bride to arrive. Once Alisha did arrive it was a wonderful entrance. There was a nice long pathway coming from around the trees into the ceremony area. The flower girl almost stole the show show, as she smiled the whole way carrying her little bouquet. Once Alisha arrived at the alter the ceremony began. The highlight for me was the poem Alisha and Derek wrote for on another. It was a very nice touch.

Immediately afterwards we did all the family and group shots and then it was time to focus on the bridal party. We began by walking out to the end of the path overlooking Lake Superior followed by a few quick photos along the beach. The thing that made this wedding so different from anything I have photographed up to this point was the fact that there was an amusement park. Alisha and Derek bought tickets for any guests who wanted to take advantage some of the rides. We focused on the bumper cars and the merry go round. They turned out great!

My favourite part of the day came next, where it was just me, Alisha and Derek doing the main portraits. We made our way to the boardwalk and got some truly creative and striking photos there. Next up was the reception which was located in the main lodge. Unlike some receptions, getting the couple to kiss requires a certain challenge. This one was no exception. There was a mystery kiss jar which included the names of couples in the crowd. Once called, they had to come up and perform a unique kiss of their choosing. It was then Alisha and Derek’s turn to copy that exact kiss. As you can imagine, some of the kisses were very creative and fun.

After the speeches were done, it was time for the first dance and then the cake cutting. Before the regular dancing started there were two more things to take care of. The first of which was the bouquet toss. This was followed by the garter toss. Both of these drew huge crowds, and aside from a small tumble, one lucky many and woman made a great catch. And then everyone danced the night away. As always, thanks to Alisha and Derek for a wonderful time.

Patrick Chondon 8/8/12 Patrick Chondon 8/8/12

Alisha + Derek Engagement

This was the second engagement shoot for Alisha & Derek. We decided to do another session closer to their wedding, which is coming up shortly. Plus their wedding is at Chippewa so this gave us a good opportunity to scout out some locations and determine lighting for the day. We also got took the opportunity to test out a couple of the rides which the bridal party will be going on the day of the wedding.

For this photo session we talked the workers into start up the go carts and the merry go round for us. This resulted in a some really fun photos. We also walked around to the end of the path and used the beach for some great natural shots as well. As always, I can’t wait for the wedding to come. I have never shot one at this location but there are a ton of good spots to use.

Patrick Chondon 10/14/11 Patrick Chondon 10/14/11

Alisha + Derek Engagement

Winter should have been here already but I’m glad it has held for this long. Because of this great weather I was able to do a beautiful engagement shoot with Alisha & Derek. It seems like only yesterday that they contacted me to photograph their wedding in 2012. Here we are a few weeks later already doing engagement photos.

We covered a lot of ground and took some amazing photos in 1 hour. From the leave covered trail to the 10 minute hike up to the bluffs, there was no shortage of fun and spontaneaty. Both Alisha and Derek were a lot of fun to photograph, so thank you to both of them!