Wilderness North - Alan Cheeseman Profile
This past weekend I had a very unique and interesting photo assignment. My job, was to essentially shoot a day in the life of Alan Cheeseman, owner and operator of Wilderness North which is just outside of Armstrong, Ontario. It turns out his wife wrote in to a company called Dollar Shave Club, profiling her husband and the business they have been running for quite a while now. Well, Dollar Shave Club loved their testimonial and as it turns out, they found me online, liked my photography, and decided to hire me for the task.
This past weekend I had a very unique and interesting photo assignment. My job, was to essentially shoot a day in the life of Alan Cheeseman, owner and operator of Wilderness North which is just outside of Armstrong, Ontario. It turns out his wife wrote in to a company called Dollar Shave Club, profiling her husband and the business they have been running for quite a while now. Well, Dollar Shave Club loved their testimonial and as it turns out, they found me online, liked my photography, and decided to hire me for the task.
At first I didn't really know what to expect, especially since I hadn't met Alan before or even been to his resort. I decided to bring my wife Anne along with and we decided it would be a good excuse to have a little mini working vacation. We arrived around 9:00 the evening before and immediately we saw Alan unloading a plane. He instantly welcomed us and showed us the shared cabin we would be staying in. It was hard to really gauge what the resort looked like but if the cabin was any indication, we knew it was going to be very nice.
Once we quickly settled in, we took a quick ride to town and got a few things to eat. When we got back Alan already had some 'homemade' pizza in the oven. So we ended up eating that. After talking for a bit I learned a lot more about Alan and exactly what his company did. I instantly realized just how easy going and down to earth Alan was. This only made me more excited for the next day, where I got to take photos of him in his work surroundings.
After an awesome sleep, Anne and I got up around 8 and started the day. I inhaled my breakfast and then pretty much walked down to the dock and got some great photos of the first group getting ready to take off. Soon after that, Alan took me in his back up truck which was a very worked in, yet extremely reliable truck. I love old trucks so it was very cool cruising down the highway in and old Dodge Diesel truck.
Our destination was the old site in which the resort used to be. Alan told me about his plans for the site which sound super exciting. After grabbing a few parts we made our way back to the resort and that is where I took the bulk of my photos for the day. There was on older couple there getting ready to start a 6 day excursion, I think they said it was there 7 or 8th year doing it.
So, just as I do with my wedding sessions, I stayed back and just captured the day in a candid and spontaneous way. I wanted to really keep it as natural as possible and give people a glimpse of what Alan does. Of course, I was just able to touch on a few aspects of his business, and I know for a fact his days are always jam packed. But, I think the photos I ended up with, at the very least highlight just what a great business and fantastic person Alan is.
Also, seeing as how this whole shoot revolved around people who actually use the products of the Dollar Shave Club, we had to get at least a few shaving photos. Alan was a good sport, not only with the shaving shots, but also the whole day. Anne and I couldn't have asked for a better host and we are seriously considering using Wilderness North as a vacation getaway next year.
If you haven't heard of Wilderness North, I encourage you to check it out by clicking here. I saw fist hand just how good Alan is with his guests so you will be some really good hands. Thanks of course to Dollar Shave Club for hiring me to do this and also to Alan for giving me and Anne an excuse to get a way for day and meet some great people.
Stacy + Adam Wedding
When Stacy and Adam’s photographer decided to not shoot their wedding they asked me to do it as a favour. Well, since we were going to the wedding anyways, I jumped at the chance to also be the photographer. The other reason I was extremely excited was because I had never been to Lutsen Resort and I had heard that it is supposed to be beautiful.
When Stacy and Adam’s photographer decided to not shoot their wedding they asked me to do it as a favour. Well, since we were going to the wedding anyways, I jumped at the chance to also be the photographer. The other reason I was extremely excited was because I had never been to Lutsen Resort and I had heard that it is supposed to be beautiful.
Well, it definitely lived up to all the hype. The main portion of the resort was located right on the water, which meant you were but a 1 minute walk to the lake. With the huge waves constantly crashing against the shore it made for the perfect backdrop for a wedding. Unfortunately it wasn’t all good news though. Once Saturday rolled around it was gloomy and rainy. On the bright side, we did manage to sneak out here and there to capture some outdoor shots.
Before I had the chance to get to the beach, my day started with Stacy and the rest of her bridal party getting ready in her room. I wasn’t their long but I did get some great shots of her getting ready as well as some of the kids.After that it was off to the main resort. As I waited for all the guys to gather, I was able to snap a few candid shots. We then made our way to the outdoor walkway that overlooked Lake Superior. Because it was so cold it we weren’t really staying in one place too long. We quickly made our way down to the beach. It was a no brainer to use the lake as the backdrop and even though it was rainy and grey out, the photos still had a certain mood to them which I loved.
The girls eventually arrived so we made our way inside. As I waited for all the guest to gather into the ceremony area, I focused on getting a ton of candid photos of everyone. Soon after all the guests arrived the ceremony began and it was quite beautiful. Once it was over everyone mingled around for a bit and then I stole the entire wedding party and the immediate family for some outdoor photos. Lucky for us, the weather held up just a bit and we once again made our way down to the beach. One of my favourite shots of the day was Adam carrying Stacy down the beach. Once we got to the spot, the resulting photo with them posing in front of the waves splashing off the rocks behind, was another keeper.
It started to rain very hard so everyone headed back in. All was not lost as there was a nice little porch which allowed us to get all the special group photos. Then it was time for the receiving line, and eventually, the reception. As always the speeches were very heartfelt and everyone was laughing and even crying at times. In order to get the couple to kiss, one had to do their best ‘animal call’. As expected, this resulted in some very unique moments. The reception was actually over early in the day so the rest of the evening was spent back where the ceremony was, except now, it was a very cool dance floor with a live DJ. Everyone danced then danced the night away.
Thanks to Stacy and Adam for inviting me to their wedding and allowing me to shoot their wedding. Even though it was a favour, I was extremely proud of the resulting photos and I can’t wait to hopefully photograph their family again.
