Josie + Dan Engagement - Tree Farm

Next month I have the pleasure of photographing Josie and Dan's Wedding but in the meantime, we got out and did their engagement session at the Tree Farm. I've said it many posts before this, but it is by far one of the prettiest locations in town. When you combine that with an amazing couple, you are pretty much guaranteed beautiful photos. That is exactly what we came away with. It also helped that they brought along their dog 'Buddy'. I just love photographing animals, especially dogs.

It was an hour session but we got a lot accomplished in that time. As with most of my sessions, it's just casual and natural. It was as if we were just going for a walk together and stopping along the way to take some photos. I of course directed Josie and Dan a bit, but otherwise I just let them interact which made things a bit more candid. 

In the end, this session just made me that much more excited for the wedding next month. Be sure to check back in the coming months to see how those photos turned out!

Lucas' 4th Birthday - Tree Farm

One of the best things about being a photographer, at least for me, is creating relationships with families over the years, and seeing how quickly the children grow up. Case in point, Lucas is already 4 years old, and it truly seems like yesterday that I was photographing him on his 1st birthday. That first session was essentially propping him up on a chair and trying to capture photos before he started losing interest. This session, is now running in behind him trying to get him to settle down and pose for a few seconds. 

The location for this session was the tree farm. It was the perfect setting and right away, Lucas loved it. As always, Makaila brought a good amount of props which allowed from some truly unique photos. Of course, Lucas was proud to use every single one of them. He continually announced to everyone that it was his party. I'm lucky that I was invited. :)

From what everyone told me, Lucas is quite the hockey player so he made sure to bring his hockey stick. Along with posing for some great shots, he also decided to snapshot some pine combs at me while taking his picture. Something he greatly enjoyed. Lucas had so much energy and you can really see that in the highlights below. I really can't wait until his 5th birthday next year!

Min + Family Portraits - Hutton Park Drive

So, not only was it really nice out this past weekend but I was lucky enough to have a bunch of family portrait sessions. The first of which was Min and her wonderful family. I'm often asked to choose a location for a shoot but this time around, Min had a really cool secluded location just off of Hutton Park Drive. To be honest, I really haven't had the chance to explore around that area to much, so I was anxious to see what she had found.

As soon as we arrived at the spot, I knew it was the perfect location. We followed the trail into the forest and immediately there were some great spots to work with. There were old planks of wood covered in moss, some cylindrical stones and of course plenty of trees and high grass.

ne of the first photos I was able to get was Charlotte carrying her basket down the trail. From there we all just wandered around a bit and stopped to capture some photos along the way. I always kept my open for perfect little spots and there were plenty to go around. 

A question I am constantly asked if it is ok to bring the family dog(s) along for the session I always encourage it. After all, they are part of the family and why wouldn't you want them there with you. I just love taking photos of animals, especially dogs. It may not always be easy to get them to stand still for very long, but in this case, Shelby did an amazing dog. Plus, when she wasn't posing for the camera she was running up and down the trail smelling everything in site. 

All in all it was such a fun session at such an unexpected location. Thanks to Min, her husband Brooke and the rest of the family for a great time.

Canadian Council of Forest Ministers

This past Friday I had the pleasure of photographing the Canadian Council of Forest Ministers at the Best Western Plus Norwester Hotel & Conference Centre. It was an all day event which concluded with a press conference with The Honourable Greg Rickford, Canada's Minister of Natural Resources and Minister for the Federal Economic Development Initiative for Northern Ontario, and the Honourable Bill Mauro, Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry for the Province of Ontario. 

All in all it was a very informative and productive meeting between all the Ministers throughout Canada. Without knowing much about the topic going in I did come away with a greater understanding of some of the challenges facing Canada and the Forestry Industry.