Lindsay + Markus Wedding - Tapiola
A couple weeks ago I was lucky enough to be a part of Lindsay and Markus's wedding. To see some of the fleeting moments from the day please take the time to view the slideshow as well as all the images below. As you can see from the photos, it was such a fun day. Although, it was a bit stressful for me on the way to meet up with Markus and the boys getting ready. I was betrayed by Google Maps. It told me to go to one end of the road, where I thought Markus was getting ready, it turned out it was the other end of the road. Luckily, I still managed to get to the house only a few minutes late. Who knew you can drive that fast down a dirt road in a Mazda 3.
Heather + Family Portraits - Kakabeka Falls
Another year another portrait session with Heather and her family. It had been a while since I last had the chance to photograph everyone but with the Grandparents visiting for a bit Heather decided it was the perfect time to get some updated photos. The location this time around was Kakabeka Falls. It ended up being yet another perfect day.
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.
Courtney Lynn + Jake Wedding
Out of all the weddings I have done so far this summer, Courtney Lynn and Jakes wedding is the closest I have come to a destination wedding. Even though it took place in Thunder Bay, Courtney Lynn and Jake now live in New Zealand, and a lot of the guests that attended the wedding were also from New Zealand as well. Being originally from Thunder Bay and having lived in New Zealand for the past 5 or so years, Courtney Lynn decided to have the wedding in Thunder Bay mainly because most of her family still lives here. I had met with her about a month before the wedding for the first time and I was immediately surprised that she had an accent from living abroad. Suffice it say, I heard much stronger accents come the day of the wedding and it made for quite the surreal celebration.
Hillsburn at the Foundry
In a spur of the moment kind of evening, Anne and I decided to check out a band coming through Thunder Bay called Hillsburn. While I was doing work earlier in the day I saw that the Foundry was hosting them so I checked out some of the music on YouTube and really liked some of their songs. So, once 10:00pm rolled around we headed out to go see them live.
Thunder at The Bay - Car Show
It was a very busy weekend as I had a wedding and a few other things going on but as soon as I drove by the CLE grounds on the Sunday I knew I had to go there at some point to check out what was going on. I had heard random advertisements about Thunder at the Bay on the radio but never really got the details. So, when I had a couple hours to spare I parked my car at the grounds and made my way through the gate. I was pleasantly surprised when I walked in to see a whole lot of vintage cars parked in the lot. With my camera in tow, I weaved in and out of the rows of cars and got in close to take some photos of the cars.
Anna + Family Portraits - Marina
I got to meet another great family this past Sunday for a portrait session at the Marina. This time around it was Anna and her extended family. The Marina ended up being the perfect location because it was such a casual session and it allowed us to stop here and there to capture some moments. There are a lot of places in town to host family portraits but I would say the Marina is one of my favourites because there are so many unique spots and backdrops there.
Treena + Warren Wedding
Sometimes it's funny how things work out, case in point, Treena and Warren's wedding which I recently photographed. Originally I was supposed to cover a completely different wedding but as it turned out, that wedding fell through because they decided to do a destination wedding instead. There absolutely no hard feelings because that's just how things go sometimes. Then, just when I thought the day would be a write off, Amy, a former coworker approached me and asked if I could photograph her brother Warren's wedding. Even though I was just need for 2 hours, I was super excited to be able to photograph a wedding after all.
BrewHA Craft Beer Festival 2016
It always amazes me just how many cool events there are in Thunder Bay each summer. Probably my favourite so far this year was this past weekends' BrewHA Craft Beer Festival. This is the second year it has taken place and it doesn't looks like it should be around for years to come. I got the chance to photograph and experience it first hand thanks to The Walleye who, for those who follow this blog, know that I do freelance photograph for them.
Veterans Affairs Announcement
This past Thursday I had the pleasure of photographing an important announcement by Veteran's Affairs Minister Kent Hehr. It took place at Syndicate Avenue Office in Thunder Bay, Ontario. Kent Hehr announced that the Veteran's Affairs Office on Syndicate Avenue would be re-opening as of January 2017.
Jennifer + Family Portraits
This past weekend I got the chance to photograph Jennifer and her daughter once again, along with her sister and their family as well. Just like last time we walked down to the neighbourhood playground and basically let the kids do their thing. They were both very easy going and extremely easy to photograph. I was also able to capture some great moments between the two of them.
Samantha + Brandon Wedding - Fort William Country Club
Another beautiful Saturday afternoon, another gorgeous wedding. Samantha and Brandon were the latest couple that allowed me the pleasure to document their special day. It all started with some getting ready shots, first with the women, who were over at the Victoria Inn. As soon as I arrived I started snapping away capturing some candid moments. Some of the reactions were priceless, and those are my favourite types of photos. After spending a bit of time with the girls, I rushed over to where the guys were staying, which was the Valhalla Inn. Luckily, Thunder Bay is pretty small so it doesn't take long to get anywhere.
Alexa + Shawn Engagement - Trow Bridge Falls
After having such fun wedding last the other weekend, it was nice to keep things going with an engagement session with Alexa and Shawn. Their wedding is this October so the wedding is fast approaching but before that takes place we wanted to get some engagement photos done. The location of choice this time around was Trow Bridge Falls which is always beautiful this time of year. Along with it being an engagement session, I also got to meet their newest addition to the family, Colton. He's only 14 weeks old if I remember correctly, but he was the perfect model.
Vicki + Lincoln Family Portraits - Centennial Park
My second session with Vicki and her family was at Centennial Park this time. It was a mini-session just like last time at the Marina and this one went by just as fast. We started by the playground at Centennial Park and slowly worked our way around it. The whole session had a great flow to it and of course, Lincoln and Vicki were the perfect helpers.
Sarah + Andrew Wedding - Chippewa Park
My latest wedding was this past weekend at Chippewa Park. Sarah and Andrew chose me to capture their special day I couldn't have felt more honoured. First of all, the location is fantastic, it's so beautiful there that anytime I get to shoot a wedding at Chippewa, I feel so lucky. It also helped that Andrew and Sarah were the absolute perfect couple to follow around for the day. Lastly, it was perfect weather for a wedding. The sun was shining with a few clouds dispersed in the sky offering the occasional shade.
My day stared in the early afternoon catching some fleeting moments of Sarah and her bridesmaids, two of which who were men! As soon as I saw that I thought back to my own wedding where I remember my wife saying she probably would have had a couple of her male friends in her bridal party. I spent about 10 minutes in one of the cabins observing the nervous energy that comes with every wedding. Before I knew it, we were making our way to the main area where the wedding would take place. After a short period, and some great initial candid shots of guests it was time to get the ceremony started. It took place in behind the main building at Chippewa in the open grassy field.
Kate + Family Portraits - Silver Harbour
Silver Harbour was the latest location of my most recent portrait session. Even though it was a 30 minute mini-session, it was just enough time to capture some truly memorable moments of Kate and her family. Admittedly, this was my first time doing a portrait session at this location but I had been here plenty of times before to go swimming. It ended up being the perfect day to do portraits. The sun was shining, with just a bit of cloudiness.
ONWA Family Portraits
Yesterday I once again had the pleasure to photograph 8 different families over at ONWA. For those of you who haven't seen my previous sessions, ONWA stands for Ontario Native Women's Association. It is a great organization and I'm thankful to be able to contribute my services to it. Each time I take photos for them, I end up meeting some very special families. Some of them I have taken pictures of before and then are always others that I haven't.
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.
Shannon + Family Portraits - Tree Farm
This following weekend provided some pretty good weather so it was perfect timing to do a family portrait session with Shannon and her wonderful family. We were originally supposed to have them done at their home but some last minute scheduling led us to do the tree farm instead, and in the morning instead of the afternoon. As long as I still got to photograph them, I didn't mind the shift in location and timing. In the end, the Tree Farm provided the perfect backdrop for an early morning session. I think the kids had a great time as well.
Jamie + Cory + Sophia + Teagan
My latest photo session was a family affair with Anne's cousin, Jamie. She recently gave birth to her newest addition to the family, Teagan. Along with her slightly older sister, Sophia and of course the man of the family, Cory. Instead of your typical 'newborn' session where we spend an hour or two putting the baby in different positions with different backdrop and outfits, I wanted to treat it more like my wedding photography which leans towards a documentary style. Not to say we didn't pose the baby a few times, but the majority of the shoot was me simply sitting back and capturing normal moments with no direction. I wanted it to be like I wasn't really there, just an observer, with a camera of course.