Lisa + Joel Backyard Wedding

My first wedding of the year was just as beautiful as I hoped it would be. Lisa and Joel decided to have a backyard wedding with just a few of their closest friends and family. As much as I enjoy shooting large weddings, it’s these intimate ones that really resonate with me. Before we arrived at the backyard ceremony, we started the short day at Seaman Park, right by boulevard lake. That’s the where the first look and the formal portraits took place.

I met Joel in the trail off to the side of the park where he anxiously awaited his future bride. It was a very serene moment, and definitely one of the highlights of the day for me. Once Lisa arrived, Joel made his way to her and from that moment, their wedding day began. We then headed down to the rapids to get some family photos first, then some of just Lisa and Joel after everyone left. Thunder Bay has so many great spots to photograph right on the water, and Seaman Park is one of them. You really can’t walk away with bad looking photos from there.

On our way to the house, Lisa and Joel wanted a few quick photos at The Hodder, as this is where they first met. Of course I said yes! We soon arrived at the house after that and I spent about 30 minutes capturing a lot of the details and some candids of everyone in attendance. It was such a laid back atmosphere, which I think comes through in the photos.

The ceremony itself was short and sweet, but not without its beautiful candid moments and emotions, which I always try to document. Afterwards everyone just hung out for a bit, and we got some more portraits against the beautiful backdrop that said ‘LOVE’ on it. The kids listened so well when they needed to, and I was super impressed. Once they were done their photos though, it was back to running around and having fun. I made sure to get some of that excitement.

The last part of the day for me was the first dance. As everyone watched, the kids ran around with bubbles, laughing and running. It was the perfect end to a perfect wedding day. I’m so thankful I had the chance to meet Lisa and Joel, and be a part of such an important day!

Also … along with photos, I snuck in a little bit of video here and there where I could it. I surprised them with a short little highlight film from the day. The ultimate compliment was Lisa saying she had tears as she watched it.

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Joel Plaskett + The Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra

This past Saturday the Community Auditorium welcomed Joel Plaskett to the stage. He wasn't alone, as the entire Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra joined him. Lucky for me, I was there to photograph it once again for The Walleye. Going in I heard of Joel Plaskett, and even some of his songs. It was a totally different experience hearing him live in concert, especially when backed by an entire orchestra. 

The entire evening as extremely fun to watch. Some songs were accompanied by the orchestra while others were just Joel playing his guitar by himself. Almost always before each song he told a short story of how it came to be which really made each song that much more personal for the crowd. If you have never seen him live in concert before, next time he is in town be sure to check him out.

For those curious out there, I used the Nikon D610 and the 70-200mm VRII lens. That's all I needed. My favourite photos of the evening was one of the last ones I captured. It was a great shot of the entire stage, with the entire orchestra playing and the lights flashing in the background. It really summed out how 'big' this performance was. Thanks again for The Walleye for hiring me to photograph this even and to the Joel Plaskett and the Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra for putting on an amazing show.