FWFN 2025 Summer Powwow - Mount McKay

Here are some highlights from the Fort William First Nation 2025 Summer Powwow that took place this past weekend on Mount McKay.

Ambe Anishinaabeg Round Dance Committee

I had a nice photos session with the Ambe Anishinaabeg Round Dance Committee at the Mount McKay lookout this weekend.

ONWA MMIWG Pow-wow - Mount McKay

Here are some highlights from the ONWA’s annual MMIWG Pow-wow at Mount McKay.

5th Annual Nokiiwin Tribal Council Unity Gathering

I had the pleasure of photographing a small portion of the 5th Annual Nokiiwin Tribal Council Unity Gathering that took place on Mount McKay earlier this month. The highlight was definitely the powwow, which saw a host of different drum groups and dancers.

The entire event was spanned 5 days and included a wide range of events.

Debbie + Family Portraits

Mount McKay was the location for my portrait session with Debbie and her family. It was cloudy, which was perfect, as I’ve mentioned many times before. The kids were a bit hyper, but we came away with lots of great posed and candid photos. For the second part of the session, we met up again further down the street by the water. It was a sunny day which meant for a nice contrast for the photos taken the day before!

Cher + Family Portraits - Crescent Lake

My second portrait session of the day took place on Mount McKay at Crescent Lake. It was with Cher and her wonderful family. I had to hitch a ride with them to the lake because my car was too small for the road, but once we got there it was perfect timing. The sun was just going behind the trees so the lighting was awesome. Once we were done at the lake we quickly stopped on the road on the way back to get a few more family portraits on the ground which was covered in leaves. I’m so glad we were able to fit a session in before the weather gets any worse!

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.

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!

Tannis + Family Portraits - Fort William First Nation

It was a very hot and humid day for my latest portrait session with Tannis and her family at Fort William First Nation. It was definitely worth it as it was one of the more adventurous family sessions I have had in a while. I met Tannis and her family at Mount McKay which is on the First William First Nations. It is the best view in the entire city.

We snapped a few photos in around the top of the mountain before heading down to the base. From there I hopped in Tannis’ truck with the rest of her family and we took the rough dirt road to Crescent Lake. We spent about 20 minutes there using the Lake as a backdrop. It was then off for a quick pit stop down the road at Tannis’ mothers house we captured a few more family pics.

Seeing as how everything was close by, we then went to their home to get another set of quick photos of Tannis’ dog. I can never say no to photographing any kind of animal so I was all in. Just before the shoot was over we finished up with some beautiful portraits of Tannis and her husband at his work. Luckily his boss was kind enough to give him a few minutes off to do so.

I’m very much looking forward to the next session with Tannis and her family. I had such a great time!

Jamie + Cory Wedding

One of my last weddings of the year was another family affair. It was my wife’s niece Jamie and Cory’s wedding. It goes without saying that I was very excited to capture it. I knew it would be a fun day, but that didn’t mean that I wouldn’t be working hard all day, which is exactly what happened. 

My portion of the day started first thing in the morning with Jamie and the rest of her bridal party at the Victoria Inn. The original plan was to spend about an hour with them, then head over to the where the boys were at their house. Well, I rarely find that weddings go as planned and I ended up spending a lot more time with the girls then originally planned. It was fine by me though, because there was a lot going on, and I came away with a ton of good photos. To be honest, there is usually more going in when the girls get ready then when I photograph guys.

I photographed the girls while they were doing their makeup, nails and pretty much all else that goes into getting ready for the Jamie’s big day. All the photos below are simply a small sampling of what I captured, it was definitely hard to narrow it down. My favourite part of this portion of the day is when Jamie got a brief moment to say hi and bye to her two little ones. I eventually had permission to leave when Jamie and the rest of the girls were all dressed up, so  I rushed to where Cory was getting ready and instantly took a handful of photos. I was literally in and out in 10 minutes. The boys had to hurry up and get to Mount McKay where the ceremony was taking place. 

Once I arrived at Mount McKay I grabbed my cameras and got some photos of guests arriving and eventually the rest of the wedding party. It was kind of a unique wedding in that there was a first ceremony for close family and then another shortly after where everyone could attend. As a photographer, I will never complain about being given the opportunity to photograph two ceremonies for one wedding. They both had a completely different feel and the photos I took reflected that. 

The main (second) wedding took place in the main grandstand which was quite beautiful with the mountain framing everything behind. I had a lot more room to work with during the second ceremony, and there were more people which meant more opportunity for candid photos which I love to do. As soon as it was over, everyone gathered around the outside of the grandstand and congratulated the bride and groom, then it was off to do some family portraits. It was actually quite a hot summer day so my main goal was working in the shade as best I could. It was hard to do because we were in the wide open, but I did manage to eventually find some. That is where we did all the family portraits, and there were quite a few. 

The portraits took a little longer then expected because we had to wait around for a bit, but I was still able to get a few quick photos down at the entrance to the mountain where there is a beautiful swing hanging from a tree. I didn’t even know it was there until Jamie suggested it. I have since used that location one time since then for a portrait session. 

It was then time for a short break so I went home, regrouped and had something to eat. Before I knew it, it was time to head to the reception at the Victoria Inn. As usual, before all the guests arrived, I got some detail shots of the decorations and of course cake. From that point on it was just a matter of looking for moments with people interacting and having fun. That was not hard to do. One of my favourite moments from the ceremony was when Jamie was handed a beer outside in the hall, and as soon as she opened up, it started foaming from being shaken. Like any crazy bride would do, she quickly brought it up to her mouth and I drank the whole thing. Everyone around her cheered their approval. 

As mentioned in the first paragraph, this wedding included some extended family of mine so the table I sat it included some close friends and relatives. Plus, my wife eventually showed up which was so awesome. Oh, and did I mention, it happened to be my birthday. It was the second year in a row that I was shooting a wedding on my birthday. 

I’m not one for attention and especially when I photograph, I try to be discreet unless I’m interacting with people. Well, I got called up to the head table to get a group shot, but I soon realized that it was a trick to get me to the front. Before I knew it, Tony was on the mic getting the entire crowd of 200+ people to sing happy birthday to me. It was a cruel thing to do but greatly appreciated. I can go on record and say that it was the most people at one time that have ever sang happy birthday to me. Suffice it to say, I was a bit taken aback. 

After the speeches were done, it was time for the cake cutting and then eventually the dancing. The first dances were very nice and with the huge dance floor I had a lot of room to move to compose some really good photos. Then it was time for the dancing to start and a lot of the crowd do so immediately. Because I was with friends and family I stayed longer then I was required to and hung out for a bit. The good thing about staying a bit later then usual, is that I was able to get some epic dancing photos, the garter and bouquet toss and eventually a huge group of people forming a training dancing through the entire room. It was a fitting end to a long but extremely fun wedding. 

Family weddings are always fun to photograph, and Jamie and Cory’s wedding was no different. It was some of the most fun I have had at any wedding all year. They were so kind and generous and extremely easy to photograph. The same goes for all their friends and family as well!

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Alyssa + Steven Portraits

Alyssa and Steven are a expecting a new addition to the family so it was perfect timing to get some maternity photos along with some beautiful portraits of the two of them. Alyssa had the great idea of doing the mini session up on Mount McKay, along the trail that leads to Crescent Lake. 

After driving down the trail a short distance, we parked our cars and set up along the trail. The fall colours were still in abundance and it looked so beautiful, so I knew it would be hard to capture some great photos. Plus, Alyssa and Steven looked so good. 

It was my first time photographing Alyssa and Steven but they made it very easy on me because they were complete naturals in front of the camera. We spent about 20 minutes on the trail, and then I suggested that we get a few quick photos by the entrance to Mount McKay were I just recently learned there was a beautiful swing hanging from a tree. One of my favourite photos from the session was Alyssa and Steven by the swing. 

I also noticed a nice field with high grass off to the side, so we finished up with some awesome backlit photos there. Even though it was a 30 minute session, it really felt like an hour because we came away with so many great photos. Thanks as always to Alyssa and Steven for a memorable fall photo session.

Amy + Andy Wedding - Chippewa Park

Amy and Andy recently got married at Chippewa Park this past September, and I was lucky enough to be chosen to photograph it. The wedding itself too place at Chippewa Park, nestled in the forest down this beautiful short trail. I have been to Chippewa many times but I never even knew this little area existed until I arrived for the wedding. It was definitely a pleasant surprise, and as a photographer, I was excited to be able to shoot a completely new location.

I arrived about 30 minutes before the guests were supposed to arrive and that gave me a chance to scout out the location which was of course already decorated. I made sure to get a lot of detail photos of the decor and setting. As the guests arrived I basically just did my thing. At each and every wedding I'm constantly on the lookout for candid photos or just opportunities in general. After all, 

Once the ceremony started, the wedding party and parents began making their way down the trail. The wedding itself was very small but that just meant I was able to get a few more photos of the guests then normal during the ceremony. After the ceremony, there was the usual marriage license signing and then everyone made their way to another open area where we did some groups portraits of the guests with Amy and Andy. 

Since we were at one of the nicest parks in Thunder Bay, we took advantage of the wonderful view down by the boardwalk and water. We did manage to capture some group photos but in the end it was a bit too chilly and windy so we made our way back to the ceremony site and got the rest o the bridal party photos there. I only show a handful of photos from the wedding in this blog post but we got some many great shots of the both the guys and gals. It was nice to have a good amount of time to get those done as some weddings are pretty tight on time. 

That was it for now for the formal portraits with the wedding party, the next stop was Mount McKay where we took a few more photos overlooking the city as well as in front of the mountain itself. One of my favourite photos of the day was Amy and Andy standing in front of Mount McKay. 

The next stop was the reception which took place at the Nor Wester hotel. Yet again, it was in a room that I had never photographed in so that was a pleasant surprise. Just the like the wedding, the reception was small and intimate which was a nice change from some of the larger weddings I have done this year. Not that I'm complaining though. Overall, it was pretty laid back. Oh, and the food was amazing! 

Before my time was up and while there was still some light out I knew I had to get Amy and Andy outside for some more portraits. The Nor Wester has one of the most beautiful backdrops in all of Thunder Bay, so that was a no brainer. Suffice it to say, the portraits we captured were some of my favourites of the day. The light was perfect and Amy and Andy were so natural in front of the camera. 

Each and every wedding and I get to meet a new couple and also a whole new set of family and friends. Everyone was so nice and easy going. Thanks again to Amy and Andy for letting me be part of their wedding day. 

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Sydney + Curtis Portraits - Crescent Lake

Yesterday I got the chance to photograph yet another amazing couple, at a location I had never even been to. Sydney and Curtis approached me quite a while ago to set up a portrait session at Crescent Lake, which I had definitely heard of before but never been. Well, what better excuse to go there then to photograph two extremely easy going and fun people in Sydney and Curtis.

Once you arrive at the toll booth on Mount McKay, all you need to do is ask the lady there if you can get a way without paying because you are just heading down the trail. It worked for us, so you never know. So we made our way down the trail and I would say it's about a 10 minute walk depending on your pace. Even though it took a bit to get to the lake it did give us a chance to talk and get to know one another along the way. I did learn that Sydney and Curtis are going to be adopting a dog soon. Even though, dogs don't supposedly like Curtis so we will see how that goes. We also learned that if a bear did jump out and attack us, we were pretty much screwed. 

In any case, nothing out of the ordinary happened and we arrived at the lake which was absolutely beautiful. Since it was just a mini session we didn't spend too much time at the lake but we did come away with a ton of great shots while we were there. Before we knew it, we were heading back down the trail, but I made sure to capture some photos along the way since it was such a nice path. Plus, by staying ahead of Sydney and Curtis a bit I knew I would be able to outrun them if I bear did attack us. :)

There is already talk of an engagement session in the future so I can't wait for that. Both Sydney and Curtis are avid hikers so I would be excited to see what kind of location they come up for that session!