Cady + Matt Portraits - Cascades

It was a very fun session with Cady and Matt at the Cascades this morning. Here are some highlights!

Andrew + Family Session

Here are some highlights from my mini-session with Andrew and his family the other day, in their backyard.

Kihannah + Alisha Engagement – Tree Farm

One of my favourite types of photo sessions, definitely has to be engagements. There is just a certain feeling of excitement in the air each time, similar to weddings. Kihannah and Alisha chose to do theirs at the Tree Farm. Unlike a family session I had a couple months earlier, this time around the mosquitos were nowhere to be found.

Overall it was a pretty relaxed session up until the last 5 minutes or so. Alisha decided to surprise Kihannah with a couple bottles of champagne. Suffice it to say, the last few photos were quite chaotic, which resulted in some truly memorable moments and reactions!

Arianna + Family Portraits - Centennial Park

It was a very fun mini-session with Arianna and her family at Centennial Park. Lots of great candid, care-free moments, which are my favourite type of photos.

Jake + Abi Family Portraits - Trowbridge Falls

It was wonderful session with Jake and Abi this evening at Trowbridge Falls. The weather was perfect and everyone had a great time, especially the kids. Of course they were promised ice cream if they behaved, so they had no choice.

Jennifer + Les Wedding - Delta Hotel Thunder Bay

The Delta Hotel was once again the latest location for a recent wedding I captured. Jennifer and Les were the beautiful bride and groom this time around, and it ended up being a very memorable and fun day. My day started about an hour before the ceremony which gave me some time to capture the details of the ballroom and some of the arriving guests.

Before I knew it, everyone was sitting down and anxiously awaiting the Jennifer and Les to make their way down the aisle. It was a very sweet ceremony, and capturing some of the reactions of the crowd, you could tell everyone in attendance were very happy for the couple.

Shortly after the ceremony finished up the wedding party, and a few of the closest family members headed down to the nearby Marina. Before returning back to the reception, Jennifer and Les spent a short amount of time with me getting some photos of just them amongst the gorgeous backdrop.

The rest of the night went by very fast for me. The food was amazing, the speeches were great and of course, the dancing, once it began, resulted in many spontaneous photos. I couldn’t have asked for better couple to photograph!

Nikolas + Family Portraits - Tree Farm

It wasn't easy, but Nikolas and his family managed to get his grandparents out for a quick portrait session at the Tree Farm. It was a very sweet and funny session. I did my best to get a smile out of his grandmother, and I succeeded a couple times. His grandfather had the best catchphrase too, responding with the occasional ‘oh brother!’ when asked to do something. All in all, good times out at the Tree Farm.

Sara + Eric Wedding - Best Western Plus Nor'Wester Hotel

It was my second wedding of the summer at NorWester Hotel. Once again the weather held up, but it was definitely a hot day for a wedding. Sara and Eric actually got married in a small intimate ceremony the previous year, but they wanted to do it again, this time in front of family.

The ceremony was short and very sweet, with all of their closest friends and family watching on. Once the ceremony was over we immediately braved the hot weather, and wind, for the family and wedding party photos. As I mentioned before, it really is one of the nicest backdrops in the city there. We took full advantage of it too.

My day ended with covering the first part of the reception. It gave me a chance to get a lot more candid photos of people, which I absolutely love. Congratulations (again), to the happy couple, Sara and Eric.

Cat + Family Portraits - Centennial Park

My portrait session with Cat and her family today was so much fun. Not only was it foggy out, which is by the best weather ever for any kind of photography. It was equally awesome, that her family was just so much fun. Of course, anytime kids are involved, it’s hard not to have fun. They definitely kept me on my toes, that’s for sure. When they needed to, the kids slowed down for a couple quick poses. It took the promise of skittles to get them to do most things, but whatever works right?

I thought it would be best if we head to where the cabins are to take care of all the formal family portraits. From there, we made our way to the playground where the kids, and everyone else had fun. As with all of my sessions, I make sure to get lots of candid photos in between everything else. I hope I get to photograph Cat and her family in the future, as I would love to see how all the kids grow up in the next few years.

Rita + Rafal Wedding - Corbett Creek Farm

I absolutely love country weddings. There is just a totally different feel to the opposed to ones located in the city. I always look forward to seeing the property for the first time. My wedding with Rita and Rafal too place at Corbett Creek Farm.

It was indeed my first time there and I fell in love instantly. I know why they chose this venue, because it perfectly suited Rita and Rafal’s personality. It was a hot day but I wouldn’t have it any other way. After all l, if you aren’t sweating as a photographer you aren’t working hard enough. Although, I could have used one of those mini fans on a hat.

Once I got settled I did a quick walk around with my camera in hand. The ceremony would take place it a wide open field beyond the trees. There was a huge barn where the reception was. I realized soon that they also had a pig farm. Oh, and there was a huge pig roast too.

As guests arrived I simply captured people. Aside from ‘formal’ portraits, the entire wedding for me was candid moments. I wouldn’t have it any other way. Soon after I arrived, the ceremony began. One of their friends played the violin in the background which set the tone perfectly.

Just before the happy couple was to walk down the isle another friend began playing his guitar. I loved how they had two different musicians there.

The ceremony itself was so lovely. Being in an open field allowed me to work freely and get pretty much any angle I wanted. It was at least a good hour, so I had plenty of time to just work the scene.

My favourite moment of the day was after the ceremony when Rita and Rafal were walking down the isle. All of their friends surprised her with a brand new bike that they had all chipped in to buy. That right there speaks to just how giving their friends and family are.

After that, I spent the next while just wandering around capturing moments. It was very laid back. Appetizers were served outside, there was a canoe filled with beer and a variety of lawn games happening. People were also free to go visit the pigs.

I was only there for the first part of the reception, but it was enough time to come away with some great photos. The inside of the barn was decorated so beautifully, it was hard not to come away with good looking shots.

I was there long enough to join everyone for dinner. It was by far the largest pot lock I have ever witnessed. Truly amazing. With a full stomach and equally full memory cards from an amazing day, it was time to head home. I couldn’t have asked for a more lovely and sincere couple to photograph.

Choir!Choir!Choir! + Live on the Waterfront

The last event in the Live at the Waterfront series that has been taking place here in the Thunder Bay wrapped up this evening. My wife Anne and I decided to go check out the last night and it was well worth it. Choir! Choir! Choir! put on an amazing performance. For those of you who don’t know who they are I included their description from Facebook below. it sums them up much better than I could ever do.

Naveed Goldman and Nobu Adilman (also known as “DaBu”) started Choir! Choir! Choir! as a weekly drop-in singing event in February 2011. Equal parts singing, comedy, and community-building, the night unfolds like a dream: you get a lyric sheet at the door, DaBu teaches you the vocal arrangement, a video is recorded, and everyone goes home feeling great. Now touring internationally, Choir! Choir! Choir! boasts a dedicated and passionate membership of inspired singers. They have performed in holes, on hills, and in Carnegie Hall, and they’ve collaborated with guest singers like Brandi Carlile, David Byrne, Rick Astley, Patti Smith and more.

If you ever see that they are passing through your city be sure to check them out. They had everyone singing, laughing and having a great time. It was really good to see and I’m going to miss this weekly event. Until next year I guess!

Jenna + Jeff Wedding - Best Western Plus NorWester Hotel

The thing I like about weddings is that they are all different in some way. This past weekend I had a wedding where we went to 4 different locations. For Jenna and Jeff’s wedding which took place earlier this month, it was all at the Nor Wester. It was a nice change of pace because there was no travelling around, and it all happened at one beautiful location. With that being said, I love the variety of each and every wedding I do.

Just because this one was at one location, doesn’t mean it was boring. Far from it! The Nor Wester is by far one of the nicest spots in Thunder Bay to get married. I arrived, just as Jenna was doing a first look with her dad in the hotel room. It was the perfect start to the day. Once we finished that I was off to the races. It’s summer, so the ceremony took place in the courtyard with the gorgeous backdrop of Mount McKay.

As with all ceremonies, theirs was very sweet and you could really feel the emotion. After a short break once the ceremony was done I gathered everyone in what little shade there was and we did all the family and wedding party portraits. During the portraits, I still made sure to keep on snapping in between as there are always opportunities for candid photos. It helped that the entire wedding party was a blast. They were always laughing and having a good time. It made my job 10x easier. I just sat back at times and assessed the situation.

Once we were done the portraits, there as about an hour break before the reception started. It was great because I just wandered around the grounds and photographed people hanging out. Down by the pond, most of the people were gathered, and some of the guys were also fishing. Surprisingly, this was the first time anyone in the wedding party decided to fish and it was a pleasant surprise. Unfortunately the biggest catch of the day was waterlogged grass. Ah well. There was also some goose chasing which also provided some unique photos.

I then headed to the reception about 15 minutes before everyone was scheduled to arrive and photographed the details. It’s one of my favourite parts of the wedding day because it’s just me, walking around, taking my time seeing what I can create. Everyone entered shortly after and the rest of the night flew by for me. There were speeches, great food, a shoe game, a bouquet toss, a garter toss, lots of dancing and of course, some portraits with the happy couple just before sunset.

Almost every wedding I do at the Nor Wester, I suggest to the couple to step out before sunset to do some portraits of just the two of them. The lighting and the way it plays off the scenery at that time of day is to die for. Shortly after that my day was over. It went by very fast, and looking back on all the photos, brings me back to just how much fun I had with everyone during the wedding.