Michael + Family Mini Session - Centennial Park
The other portion of my mini session this past weekend was with Michael, Evy and Arthur. I was so impressed how easy going both Evy and Arthur were during the entire session. From the very first photo, they were smiling and laughing. It made for a very sincere and authentic session.
The other portion of my mini session this past weekend was with Michael, Evy and Arthur. I was so impressed how easy going both Evy and Arthur were during the entire session. From the very first photo, they were smiling and laughing. It made for a very sincere and authentic session.
Jamilee + Michael Wedding
It was a busy July for me with weddings and this was the second one I photographed. Jamilee and MIchael were kind enough to entrust me to capture their special day and I couldn’t have been more happy. My day started with with Jamilee and her bridesmaids at the Marriott Hotel in Thunder Bay and it didn’t go quite as planned. Luckily, I always try to show up earlier than my scheduled arrival just in case something happens. Well, I completely forgot that there is more than one Marriott Hotel in Thunder Bay, and I went to the right one I don’t usually assume with wedding details but I made a rookie mistake this time around. Long story short, I realized quickly I was at the wrong hotel and quickly went to the right one. Luckily, Thunder Bay is a small town, so I still arrived on time, with no speeding tickets.
It was a busy July for me with weddings and this was the second one I photographed. Jamilee and MIchael were kind enough to entrust me to capture their special day and I couldn’t have been more happy. My day started with with Jamilee and her bridesmaids at the Marriott Hotel in Thunder Bay and it didn’t go quite as planned. Luckily, I always try to show up earlier than my scheduled arrival just in case something happens. Well, I completely forgot that there is more than one Marriott Hotel in Thunder Bay, and I went to the right one I don’t usually assume with wedding details but I made a rookie mistake this time around. Long story short, I realized quickly I was at the wrong hotel and quickly went to the right one. Luckily, Thunder Bay is a small town, so I still arrived on time, with no speeding tickets.
After photographing the girls, I met everyone else up at Mount McKay where the ceremony took place. It is by far one of the nicest spots in Thunder Bay to get married. It couldn’t have been a more beautiful day for it too. Even though it was pretty hot and humid, I told myself I would never complain about the summer here seeing as how long and cold our winters are. We also did the portraits up on the mountain too, seeing as how it was the perfect backdrop. Although, once we were done the family portaits, I did get everyone to gather under the shaded structure to finish off the rest of the formal portraits.
It was then time to finish the night at the Slovak Legion. Not only is it a nice venue, they always have an amazing buffet. This wedding was no exception. As you would expect, the reception included some first dances, cake cutting, speeches and a host of other memorable moments that I made sure to document.
Jamilee and Michael were such an easy going couple which made for a very relaxed and fun day. I love how the photos from the day turned out and I truly hope they do too!
Jamilee + Michael Engagement - Kam River Park
Over the weekend I got the chance to photograph another fun engaged couple in Jamilee and Michael. We decided on Kam River Park as the location. The weather ended up being perfect once again, so it turned out to be the perfect session. I had actually photographed both Jamilee and Michael, as well as their family in the past. This time around it was just about them though!
Over the weekend I got the chance to photograph another fun engaged couple in Jamilee and Michael. We decided on Kam River Park as the location. The weather ended up being perfect once again, so it turned out to be the perfect session. I had actually photographed both Jamilee and Michael, as well as their family in the past. This time around it was just about them though!
Kam Park is one of the 'new' locations I have been suggesting to a few engaged couples booking with me. Even though I have now done a couple session in a row there, that doesn't mean the photos are going to be the same. If anything, it has challenged me to find different angles and perspectives to work with. Of course it helps that each couple is completely different and unique which creates a totally different look and feel.
We ended up walking around Kam River Park, stopping here and there, and just having both Jamilee and Michael simply interact. I really try to keep these engagement sessions as natural as possible with minimal direction. There is nothing against completely posed photos, I'm just more of a photo journalistic type of guy.
Before our time was up, we quickly drove to Simpson Street and took advantage of this huge brick wall that I have been wanting to use for the longest time. The photos captured by this wall were my favourite photos of the session.
Jamilee and Michael were so amazing to work with and I'm glad I was able to spend an hour with them capturing some moments along the way.
Gaby + Michael Wedding
Gaby and Michael celebrated their wedding day this past July at the Best Western in Thunder Bay and they chose me to capture the entire day. My started in the afternoon photographing Michael and the rest of the boys getting ready. It was a very relaxed atmosphere, although you could just tell that Michael was anxious to get the wedding started. Luckily for him, it wasn't too far off.
Before the ceremony started though, I made my way to Gaby's room to get some photos of her and the rest of the girls. Once I was with them I could really start to feel the excitement, especially when Gaby put on her dress. It goes without saying that she looked absolutely stunning which I know everyone else thought as well.
Gaby and Michael celebrated their wedding day this past July at the Best Western in Thunder Bay and they chose me to capture the entire day. My started in the afternoon photographing Michael and the rest of the boys getting ready. It was a very relaxed atmosphere, although you could just tell that Michael was anxious to get the wedding started. Luckily for him, it wasn't too far off.
Before the ceremony started though, I made my way to Gaby's room to get some photos of her and the rest of the girls. Once I was with them I could really start to feel the excitement, especially when Gaby put on her dress. It goes without saying that she looked absolutely stunning which I know everyone else thought as well.
I then made my way down to the ceremony area and captured photos of all the guests arriving and the rest of the moments leading up to the actual ceremony. It wasn't long before the ceremony was under way and Gaby was walking down the aisle, beaming a huge smile, as her Father accompanied here.
As with most ceremonies these days, it wasn't too long and, at least for me, it went by super fast. After the ceremony, they signed the papers and then it was off to the open field to get a truly epic photo. Gaby had the awesome idea of getting an overhead view of all the guests forming a heart. So, I climbed up a 10 foot ladder, grabbed my wide angle lens and got the shot. It was actually my first time attempting such a photo and I think it turned out great!
We then quickly got all the family photos done in the same spot, while everyone was still there. Then it was time to just focus on the wedding party. Luckily the venue, as anyone who has been there before knows, has one of the most beautiful backdrops in Thunder Bay. I was able to use a variety of cool spots to get some truly beautiful photos. Everyone, especially Gaby and Michael were so extremely easy to capture.
Then, after a short break, it was time for the reception to start. During the reception there were some really funny and very heartfelt speeches. My favourite moment was the MC, a friend of the happy couple, putting on a puppet show. It was the first time I had ever witnessed something like that in my 6 plus years of photographing weddings, and I was in awe.
The last part of the evening concluded with some first dances and of course just everyone else letting loose on the floor. Before my time was up, I really wanted to capture some sunset photos of Gaby and Michael, and that's just what I did. It didn't take long, but I managed to get some of my favourite photos of the day.
Every single wedding I have done this year has been so much fun and this one was no exception. As always, everyone was so easy to work with and Gaby and Michael made my job super easy.
My favourite wedding from the past year - Michael + Madeline
I often go back through my work and see what I have done over the past while. It's always great to see all the wonderful couples and families I have worked with. There are so many great moments that's it is easy to forget.
So, I figured it would be a good time do a special post on my favourite wedding from the past year. Not only will this give me a chance to reflect but more importantly, it will give potential clients and idea of what they can expect from a typical wedding day with me.
I often go back through my work and see what I have done over the past while. It's always great to see all the wonderful couples and families I have worked with. There are so many great moments that's it is easy to forget.
So, I figured it would be a good time do a special post on my favourite wedding from the past year. Not only will this give me a chance to reflect but more importantly, it will give potential clients and idea of what they can expect from a typical wedding day with me.
The wedding I chose is the one I shot this past summer with Madeline and Michael. It was actually a relatively short wedding as they only needed me for 5 hours. In the end, I was able to get a lot of great shots in the amount of time. The only drawback was that I wasn't able to get any photos of the reception aside from some of the decorations.
Hopefully this post will give prospective couples an idea of what to expect on a typical wedding day. The important thing to remember is that you make it your own. That's why I always encourage every single couple to just be themselves. Don't try to force anything.
Without further delay here are some of my favourite photos from the wedding. Oh, and by the way, if anyone wants to see some more photos check out the original blog post here.
That Vintage Look
As a wedding photographer I’m always looking for ways to provide an even better customer experience. Something that shows that I am willing to go that extra step, often for no extra charge. For the last few clients that I have photographed for I have been choosing a few select photos and giving them a ‘vintage’ look. It has gone over very well which is why I am going to start offering this as part of all my wedding packages.
As a wedding photographer I’m always looking for ways to provide an even better customer experience. Something that shows that I am willing to go that extra step, often for no extra charge. For the last few clients that I have photographed for I have been choosing a few select photos and giving them a ‘vintage’ look. It has gone over very well which is why I am going to start offering this as part of all my wedding packages.
The best way I can describe what vintage looks like is by checking out a few samples of my last wedding with Michael and Madeline. You can see the before and after. Each photo is completely unique as you can see. Now, this isn't necessarily for everyone, but I really feel this is just one more way to offer yet another extra for every client. For free.
In case you are still looking for a wedding photographer or simply interested in a portrait session don’t hesitate to contact me anytime. Next year is booking up fast but dates are still available I would love to sit down and help you choose the right package. In the meantime enjoy the photos below!
Here are 3 photos before they were converted over.
And here they are converted over to a 'vintage' look. Remember each photos is completely unique. I go in and spend quite a bit of time making sure it looks just right and also matching it to the overall feel for the photos.
Madeline + Michael Wedding
It was the perfect August afternoon for Madeline and Michael's wedding. Going into the day I was more excited then usual. The reason being that it was at a location I had never photographed before. Monty Park. The ironic thing is, is that I have lived just around the corner from it for a long time and I didn't even know it was there. That is, until Madeline and Michael asked me to photograph their wedding. It is by far one of the nicest locations within the city that I have ever had the pleasure of working at.
It was the perfect August afternoon for Madeline and Michael's wedding. Going into the day I was more excited then usual. The reason being that it was at a location I had never photographed before. Monty Park. The ironic thing is, is that I have lived just around the corner from it for a long time and I didn't even know it was there. That is, until Madeline and Michael asked me to photograph their wedding. It is by far one of the nicest locations within the city that I have ever had the pleasure of working at.
I arrived around 1:30 to set up and begin taking photos of the guests and the wedding party getting ready. I've said it before, and I'll say it again, I always get so many great candid shots before the wedding starts. At around 2:00 the ceremony began. Everyone took their seats and the ceremony started. There were definitely a lot of emotions during the ceremony, a lot of those moments I was able to capture to. Once it was over all the guests mingled for a bit and the wedding party and the close family made their way to the other side of the park. It was then time to get all the group photos. There was a ton of space at the park, and I decided to use the beautiful wall there as a backdrop. We got the through the family photos fairly quick and then moved on to the wedding group photos.
I soon realized that this would be a very fun day taking photos of the group. They were just a blast to work. Shortly into the portrait session the entire group broke into 'I Want It That Way' by the backstreets. And yes, they pretty much sang the whole song with hand movements and all. After that we continued to take photos. Their outfits alone made the photos that much more unique. The boys went traditional with black and white and the girls did purple. But they all wore sneakers which tied everything together perfectly. Take a look at one of the last portrait photos on the steps and you will see what I mean.
Once we were done at Monty Park it was time for a quick pitstop at McDonalds. Instead of just using this as a break for myself, I kept my camera on me and got some great photos of them just hanging out there. These were some of my favourites from the day. The last stop before the reception was Waverly Park. You can't really go wrong with this location, with it's huge trees and great backdrop of the old P.A.C.I. Plus, I was able to capture my favourite photo of the day against the Magnus Theatre wall.
After all the portraits were done I had about 30 minutes left on the clock so I rushed over to the Italian Hall to get some quick detail photos of the reception. Once again I was pleasantly surprised by the decor. It tied into the entire theme of the wedding. The highlight of the reception decorations was the candy table. They even had personalized candy's with their name on it. Talk about attention to detail! As I do with all my weddings I want to give a big thank you to Madeline and Michael for letting me be a part of their wedding. They were easily one of the most fun and carefree couples I have ever had the pleasure of working with. I think the photos below really allow that to come through!
