Ashima + Family Portraits
This past fall I had the pleasure to photograph Ashima and her family at the Tree Farm. It was a wonderful mini-session/maternity and I couldn't wait to do it again. Well, I didn't have to wait too long as they welcomed their newest addition to the family not too long ago, Isla. So, before she got to big, Ashima asked if I could come to their house to capture some candid photos of her and her family, especially Isla.
Tammy + Weston Wedding
Tammy and Weston had the pleasure of being my first wedding of the 2016 season. I would be lying if I said I wasn't a tad bit anxious and nervous going in but I'm actually like that before every single wedding. If I wasn't, I would probably be worried. Once I arrived at the church and starting taking photos of the venue everything fell into place and the entire day went by very quickly. Before guests started arriving I used the opportunity to grab a few detail photos and also get set up. I had done one other wedding at this church before so I was already familiar with it.
About 30 minutes before the ceremony guests started arriving and I just did my thing. I looked for all those moments when people don't realize you are photographing them. Those natural moments, are I think, some of the most genuine and memorable ones of the day. But then again, that is what 90 percent of my wedding photography is comprised of. This year, I am going to incorporate a lot more black and white photography as I think certain candid moments really shine when you strip away the colour . So you will see a mix of colour and black and white photos throughout.
The Next Step - Wild Rhythm Tour
This past Tuesday, the Next Step Wild Rhythm Tour stopped by to put a performance on at the The Thunder Bay Community Auditorium. Since it was my first time seeing this show, I didn't know what to expect when The Walleye asked me to photograph the event. I was able to take photos for about 45 minutes before my time was up, but during that time I got the chance to witness some great dance routines and also some musical performances.
Derelicte 8 - A Fashion Odyssey
I'm a little late in posting this but I figured it's better late than never. Last weekend, I had the pleasure of photographing Derelicte 8 over at Black Pirates Pub. This was my first time attending the event, let along photographing it. As for most of the events I photograph in town, The Walleye asked if I could cover the event for them and of course I said yes. I ended up spending about 2 hours there and I was amazed at just how fun and diverse the event was.
Blue Rodeo with Terra Lightfoot
I know I have said this before, but I throughly enjoy shooting concerts and live performances. Relating to photography, that would have to be one of my New Year's resolutions, to shoot more events. Well, what better way to kick off the New Year, then to photograph one of Canada's most well known bands in Blue Rodeo. Not to be overshadowed by them is of course Terra Lightfoot who was the opening act.
My Favourite Wedding Photos of 2015
Well it’s that time of year again where I choose my absolute favourite wedding photos from the past season. I have been doing this for a couple seasons now and each and every time it’s such a hard, but task to do. By going through all my photos it forces me to look back on the year and see what I have done well and also areas in which I could possibly improve. After all, as a photographer, I’m constantly looking on ways to evolve and adapt. With that being said, I am extremely proud of what I accomplished this year. All the amazing couples and families definitely made it that much easier of course.
Hometown Hockey - Thunder Bay
What a great weekend it was here in Thunder Bay as our city played host to the Hometown Hockey event travelling across Canada. This was my first time attending this event, let along taking photos, and I was so excited to do so. The event took place this past Saturday and Sunday at the Thunder Bay Marina. I was able to make it down on the Saturday near the tail end of the day but I was still able to get some great photos of the last band of the day, which was Canada's own, Poor Young Things.
Mari Lynn Family Portraits
It's always nice when the winter weather cooperates with an outdoor photo session. For my latest set of photos it was at Mari Lynn's house, specifically in her backyard. She had a nice big backyard with a few great spots to take photos with. It goes to show you though, that you really don't need much to get family portraits done. It was a bit chilly out, but nothing like my last session at the Marina. Plus, everyone came directly from inside the house so it was a quick transition.
Jenny + Family Portraits - Thunder Bay Marina
My latest family portrait session took place at the Marina on a very cold and windy Monday afternoon. Jenny and her family decided to go for a 30 minute mini session and, in a way, I don't think we could have handled any longer! With that being said, we braved the cold weather and came away with some great shots.
Heather + Family Portraits
My latest photo session was with Heather and her family out at their house off John Street Road. They had a ton of property so we made sure to take advantage of that along with the beautiful snow covering everything. We only had 30 minutes to work with so once everyone was ready we set up in front of their old barn and used it as a wonderful backdrop. Luckily it was just nice enough where everyone could get away with not wearing jackets.
Jason + Family Portraits - Thunder Bay Marina
This past weekend I had a great time photographing Jason and his extended family. We chose the Thunder Bay Marina as the location and, aside from it being a bit chilly, it ended up being the perfect location. All the kids had a great time and were running around when they weren't sitting still to strike a pose. Although, we had to make sure they stayed away from the trails, as most of them were iced right over. I think I even almost fell once myself.
Jace's First Birthday - Cake Smash
The last time I had a photo session with Amy and David was when she was pregnant and that it was so much fun at the time. That very session she mentioned that she wanted to get some photos once their new addition arrived. Well, fast forward to a few days ago and it was already Jace's first birthday. Wow, how time flies! Amy decided to do a cake smash for his first birthday, and as you can tell from the photos below, Jace had a great time.
Vicki + Family Portraits - Thunder Bay Marina
When Vicki contacted me for some portraits of her children I immediately recognized her last name, and as it turns out, her husband Lincoln and I used to play baseball against each other when we were young. That was the last time I saw him and now over 20 years later I'm taking pictures of his wonderful children. It goes to show that you just never know when you will cross paths with people again in life.
Chloe Portraits
This past Friday I had the pleasure of capturing some great candid photos of Chloe. As soon as I met her, and her mom Jennifer, she was already smiling. The first location was the park just a few houses down from where they live. It was the perfect setting to let her run wild. And that she did, only stopping every so often to strike a pose. I pretty much spent the whole time following her around the playground capturing candid photos.
Baby Levon
My wife's friend Amy recently had a baby and his name is Levon. He is probably one of the most easy going and calm babies I have ever met. This made the photo session with him the other day pretty easy. Our biggest challenge was just keeping him upright for some of the photos! I admittedly don't do too much newborn photography but it is definitely something enjoy and am currently looking at adding on to my existing services.
ONWA Family Portraits
It was that time of year again when I got the chance to photograph 5 wonderful families at ONWA. For those of you that haven't seen any of my previous sessions with ONWA, I'll give some quick info on what ONWA is. It's a not for profit organization that was established in 1971 to empower and support Aboriginal women and their families throughout the province of Ontario.
So, about 3 times a year, they hire me to photograph any families that want to get their portrait done. That way, they eventually get the hi res photos that they can then get printed. It's really a great cause and every family I have photographed up until this point has been a pleasure to work with. There are almost always kids involved to which makes it that much more fun.
Sophie + Caleb Engagement - Centennial Park
We have been so lucky with the weather lately and this past Saturday was no exception. It couldn't have been a nicer day to do an engagement session with Sophie and Caleb. I will be photographing their wedding next May but they wanted to be sure to get some engagement photos done well before the wedding. The location they chose was Centennial Park which is very convenient as they live right down the street.
Remembrance Day - Waverly Park - 2015
It has been a long long time since I have been able to be a part of Remembrance Day here in Thunder Bay. I was either living abroad or simply too busy to make it down. This year I made sure to see the ceremony over at Waverly Park. I also decided to take some photos since this is something I have been wanting to do for a long long time. I arrived at around 10:10 and there were already a lot of people there. As soon as I arrived I made my way through the crowd and into the area around the monument. From there, I spent the next 1.5 hours photographing the people involved in this special day.
The Art of Flamenco
As most of you know I frequently do freelance photography for the Walleye. Every assignment is always unique and interesting in it's own way. I look forward to each and every one. This time around, I would be photographing one of the writers for the Walleye, Amy Jones. She decided to check an item off her bucket list by learning how to flamenco dance. The location was The World Dance Centre and the instructor was world-renowned dancer, Scannura.
The Hunger 10
Last year was my first year photographing The Hunger for the The Walleye. It was actually my first freelance assignment for the paper and since then I have gotten the chance to photograph a lot of cool and interesting events. So, as Halloween drew closer this year, I actually requested to photograph The Hunger 10. Luckily for me and my wife Anne, we were told that we would in fact able to make photographs again this year. This also meant that we would have to dress up. After all, you gotta look the part as well.