Sophie + Caleb Wedding - Whitewater Golf Club
My first spring wedding of the year was at the Whitewater Golf Club with the amazing Caleb and Sophie. I had the pleasure of photographing their engagement session last year and I knew right way after capturing them during that day, that their wedding was going to be a great time. Let's just say that I wasn't disappointed. Upon arrival, I didn't even see Caleb or Sophie, but I wasn't expected to. Not many people were there at 1:00pm so I unloaded my camera gear and started to get some photos of the decorations and atmosphere before everyone arrived.
I recommend this for every wedding as it gives me a moment to take it all in and also get photos of things before they are altered or moved around. As the guests started to arrive I continued to get some candid photos of people, as I do with every single wedding. Honestly, the candid photos are the ones that couples tend to like the best, so I make sure to get a ton of them during the entire wedding day. I would go as far as saying that the bulk of the photos from each wedding are the natural, unposed ones.
My first spring wedding of the year was at the Whitewater Golf Club with the amazing Caleb and Sophie. I had the pleasure of photographing their engagement session last year and I knew right way after capturing them during that day, that their wedding was going to be a great time. Let's just say that I wasn't disappointed. Upon arrival, I didn't even see Caleb or Sophie, but I wasn't expected to. Not many people were there at 1:00pm so I unloaded my camera gear and started to get some photos of the decorations and atmosphere before everyone arrived.
I recommend this for every wedding as it gives me a moment to take it all in and also get photos of things before they are altered or moved around. As the guests started to arrive I continued to get some candid photos of people, as I do with every single wedding. Honestly, the candid photos are the ones that couples tend to like the best, so I make sure to get a ton of them during the entire wedding day. I would go as far as saying that the bulk of the photos from each wedding are the natural, unposed ones.
As I mentioned before, Caleb and Sophie were so great to work with during the engagement session. They were extremely relaxed and easy going. That came through with this wedding as well. It wasn't your traditional wedding where they had to only see each other at the ceremony. They were walking around talking before hand and we even did portraits before the ceremony took place. I'm not saying it's imperative all couples go about it this way, but it really allows for a a more spaced out wedding where the portraits aren't so rushed. I also got the chance to so some quick ring photos as well.
Whitewater is such a beautiful location, inside and out so people not only took advantage of mingling inside but the patio served as a the perfect spot to hang out as well. As the guests arrived I was told that Sophie would be spending some time getting ready downstairs so I followed her down there and captured some fun shots of her and her bridesmaids. Again, everything was just so relaxed it made my job that much easier.
Sophie and Caleb had decided to do the bulk of the portraits before the ceremony so we gathered everyone up and headed out to the front area where there is a nice field surrounded by some trees. Having shot here a few times before, it is the perfect locations for the family portraits as it is close and the backdrop is pleasant enough. Even though we had left plenty of time to get the portraits done, we did have to cut it short because of rain. Luckily, we did get all the group photos in, as well the guy and girl photos of each wedding party. We weren't too concerned with the couple shots of Sophie and Caleb because we would have time later in the evening around sunset to get those ones.
Once we headed back to the reception area to prepare for the ceremony, everyone was getting excited for it start. Unfortunately, the weather wasn't cooperating. As soon as we were just about to get going, the rain came down hard. There was a moment when they were considering doing indoors, and they even moved almost all the chairs inside. Luckily, that was the last of the rain, and the ceremony would take place outside after all. I was so thankful, because the lighting was absolutely perfect. It was overcast which made for the perfect atmosphere. Plus it meant it was bit cooler as well.
The ceremony was beautiful, but it's hard not to be with such an amazing location as the backdrop and of course such a great couple in Sophie and Caleb. It didn't rain again and everything else went off without a hitch. Once the ceremony was done, everyone headed back inside to get ready for the reception. As with most receptions, the food was fantastic and the speeches were also very moving and funny. Obviously, not being part of the family, I am a little detached from everything, but with that being said, I could fee the emotion in the air and I made sure to capture all those emotions.
Other highlights include Caleb and Sophie smashing cupcakes into each others mouths, a garter and bouquet toss which had some splendid moments. And of course the first dance, followed by the dances with both father and mother. I also got the chance to do some portraits with Sophie and Caleb out on the golf course just as the sun was setting. I truly believe every single wedding couple should get away for at least 20 minutes to do this. Not only did it give them a bit of a breather from the whole day, but it also allowed us to just focus on the two of them, even just for a bit. It also goes without saying that shooting portraits as the sunsets allows for the absolute best lighting of the entire day. Suffice it say, we came away with some intimate and unique photos that I hope they will both cherish the rest of their lives.
That was my night for the most part as my work was done at 10pm that evening. There were so many great moments throughout the day but on a personal note, my favourite one came from something new that I just started doing this year. As any wedding photographer would admit to, there are very few lulls during a wedding but seeing as how I had a moment to eat, I took those fleeting moments to obviously scarf down some fantastic prime rib as well as do up a short slideshow of the day. It was only 20 or so photos but it only took a short amount of time for such a truly memorable payoff. I chose some of my favourite photos from the day all the way up to the reception and created an short little looping slideshow on my older then old iPad. I handed it to Sophie and Caleb and left them to it. As I walked around to take some more photos I couldn't help but peak over to see how they were doing. To my surprise, the slideshow brought a smile to Caleb's face and tears to Sophie's. That moment, right there, reminded me why I love wedding photography so much. After that, I made sure to pass it around to all the guests in the reception and I think just about everyone viewed it.
In the end, it was a small gesture on my part, but one that I think, at least gave them a sneak peek into the story I would eventually tell about their wedding day. Which is what I am sharing with everyone right now through the photos below. Lastly, something new I am offering for free at the moment is a personalized slideshow for each wedding. Even though it is a substantial amount of work, I just love the end result and it's worth the extra time and effort. You can see that directly below. Thanks as always to the Sophie and Caleb for letting me be a part of their wedding day!
For those who would like to view all the photos from the wedding day, follow the link below.
http://chondonphotography.pixieset.com/sophiecalebwedding/
Staal Foundation Open
This past week saw the Staal Foundation Open come and go. Luckily, this year I was able to be a part of it in some way. The Walleye, asked if I could spend some time each day photographing the event and gladly said yes. I have done many events in the past but this was my very first professional golf tournament. Suffice it to say I was super excited to get out there and document some of the action.
This past week saw the Staal Foundation Open come and go. Luckily, this year I was able to be a part of it in some way. The Walleye, asked if I could spend some time each day photographing the event and gladly said yes. I have done many events in the past but this was my very first professional golf tournament. Suffice it to say I was super excited to get out there and document some of the action.
Without knowing much about the event going in I checked out the website to see what some of the daily highlights were. Along with golf of course, there was always something going on. If you haven't already, and are interested in finding out more about all that went down, head on over to the website.
Without further ado, scroll down to see some of the moments I was able to capture during the event. There was lots of great action and when I wasn't photographing I was able to watch some fantastic golf as well. I can't wait for next year to roll around. I'm sure the event will be even bigger and better then this year. And of course, thanks to The Walleye for asking me to cover the action for them.
Steven + Cara Wedding
It was time for yet another wedding and this one was just as fun as the others I have done this year. Even though it was a smaller wedding, it actually made it a bit more intimate which really allowed for a good pace and some great photo opportunities. It also helped that Steven and Cara were such a fun couple to photograph. That also goes for pretty much the entire crowd of people that attended.
The ceremony took place at First Presbyterian Church in Fort William. It was my first time photographing in this particular church. You can tell from some of the wide angle shots below just how big it actually was. As the crowd gathered I captured some candid moments, and there were a lot of them. Then it was time for Cara to make her way down the aisle. Probably the cutest moment of the day were the two ring bearers dressed as the secret service. The rings were contained in a 'top secret' case so they had quite the responsibility!
It was time for yet another wedding and this one was just as fun as the others I have done this year. Even though it was a smaller wedding, it actually made it a bit more intimate which really allowed for a good pace and some great photo opportunities. It also helped that Steven and Cara were such a fun couple to photograph. That also goes for pretty much the entire crowd of people that attended.
The ceremony took place at First Presbyterian Church in Fort William. It was my first time photographing in this particular church. You can tell from some of the wide angle shots below just how big it actually was. As the crowd gathered I captured some candid moments, and there were a lot of them. Then it was time for Cara to make her way down the aisle. Probably the cutest moment of the day were the two ring bearers dressed as the secret service. The rings were contained in a 'top secret' case so they had quite the responsibility!
Soon after Cara made her way to the alter. It's often easy to forgot about other peoples reactions during this moment but I think I caught one of the best of the day when Steven could hardly hold back the tears. It's true emotion like that which makes my job all worth it. I'm sure it helped that Cara looked stunning in her wedding dress.
Once the ceremony was done Cara and Steven whisked off to Whitewater Golf Club where the reception and portraits would be taking place. I followed behind them anxiously looking forward to taking their portraits. Because the wedding party was so small, we were all able to hop on the golf carts and eventually make our way to one of the back greens that overlook the river. It turned out to be such a nice day that even the ride along the path was very serene.
We spent about 45 minutes total getting to the greens and then taking photos with some of the prettiest backdrops in the city. My favourite moment was when Cara's maid of honour secretly wrote lovely message in the bunker. Of course, this ended up being a great shot as we were finishing up.
It was then time to hop back on the carts and make our way to the reception. Before that began though, we took some time to get the family portraits done. It went by very quick as everyone pretty much did all the shots in one take. No blinkers!
After that I rushed into the reception area to take some nice details photos of the decorations. They were all very lovely. The cake area was particularly beautiful as there were old photos draped around it amongst a vintage looking mirror. I didn't have much time left after this so I got some nice candids of the receiving lines and then a couple speeches and the first kiss.
Whitewater Golf Club is always a great venue and with a such a beautiful day for the wedding it couldn't have gone any better. Cara and Steven were a lot of fun to photograph and I'm very happy with all the great photos I ended up capturing!
