Heather + Family Portraits - Thunder Bay Marina
This past Sunday was yet another scorching summer day but that didn't stop Heather and her family from joining for a portrait session down at the Marina. We decided to walk around the outer portion of the Marina which is usually a little bit more quiet, and plus there are always small pockets of shade here and there to stop and do photos.
Bay + Algoma Buskers Festival
Seeing as how I missed last years Buskers Festival, I knew I had to make this time around. Luckily, I found the time today to do so. I managed to head down to Bay Street where the festival was taking place, and explore and take some photos for about 45 minutes. I keep telling myself not to complain about the hot weather, especially since all the rain we previously had, but man was it super hot out. With that being said, I sucked it up and snapped away.
An Afternoon with Lukas
My family and I recently had a short road trip to Ottawa to visit our friend Amy and her family, including their 9 month old baby Lukas. We all couldn't get enough of him and his awesome personality. Being a professional photographer I always carry some sort of camera with me, and I knew I would be visiting with a couple different families throughout our trip so I decided to do a little photo session with Lukas.
Katelyn + Family Portraits - Marina
Well, after some initial rescheduling because of the weather, Katelyn and her family joined me at the Marina this evening for an awesome photo session. Katelyn actually contacted me a while ago to purchase a mini session gift certificate for Mother's Day. We had already met previously too, because I photographed her sister Courtney's wedding just last year. Suffice it to say I was really excited to spend some time with the O'Connor's again, especially for a portrait session.
Amanda + Family Portraits - Mission Marsh
Every now and then I give away free portrait session at Shags of wedding couples I am eventually photographing. Well, Amanda won a session and decided to take me up on my offer. We decided on Mission Marsh for the location and it ended up being perfect! All in all, it was a family of 5 and they were all great sports.
Amanda + Serge Family Portraits - Centennial Park
Centennial Park was the location for my latest portrait session with Amanda, Serge and their daughter Norah. They are friends of the family, so anytime I get to spend an hour with people I know, it's an added bonus. As soon as I arrived little Norah showed us where to go, and that ended up being the playground, of course. We kind of just let her roam around with some gentle guidance here and there. She was actually really great all the way through, stopping and posing for a few seconds when we asked her.
Canada's 150th Birthday - Thunder Bay Marina
Canada turned 150 yesterday which means I knew I had to go downtown at some point and see some of the festivities and people. The original plan was to go to Old Fort William first and then the marina, but the day just went by so fast that I only made caught the last couple hours of the day. So, with that being said, I tried to get as many photos as I could.
Maureen + Ryan Wedding
I didn't really know what to expect going into Maureen and Ryan's wedding, which took place this past weekend in their backyard. It was going to be a short wedding as they only had me for 2 hours so I knew I had to work extra hard to make sure I capture enough moments without really forcing anything. Well, lucky for me, a lot happened in that 2 hours and it may go down as my most unique wedding to date.
As soon as I arrived, I was greeted by a very inquisitive family dog who just wanted someone to throw his tennis ball. Sadly, I just didn't have the time to do so, instead I took a nice photo. I then made my way around the property a bit and inspected where everything would be taking place. As soon as I found the tent where the ceremony was going to be, I noticed a huge lifted truck painted green with skulls all around. Right then I knew, it was going to be a very different wedding.
Shannon + Chris Wedding - River Valley Farm
Chris for the day. I had already photographed them a year earlier for their engagement photos at Lakehead University. Before we got the wedding site at River Valley Farm, my day started with the bridal party getting their hair and makeup done at La Moda.
Upon arrival, I immediately had my camera in hand and weaved my way in and out of the girls getting ready. Luckily, La Moda, is fairly spacious which allowed me to get some good angles and moments of the girls. After about 15 minutes or so, I then made my way across town to Fort William where the boys were gathered. They were already dressed so I just did my best to capture some of the interaction between all of them. I had about 15 minutes to work with again and I think I got some pretty cool shots.
Everclear - So Much For The Afterglow - 20th Anniversary Tour
This past Tuesday, The Rockhouse hosted 3 killer bands from the 90's, and for someone who grew up with a lot of music from that era, it was definitely a flashback to say the least. As soon as I hear the 'So Much For The Afterglow 20th Anniversary Tour' was coming through town, I knew I had to photograph it. Luckily, The Walleye asked me to cover it and my wife Anne to try her hand at reviewing the evening.
Alexa Portraits - Thunder Bay Marina
My second session of the day, was yet another one that was just centred around the child of the family, in this case it was Michelle's daughter Alexa. Michelle had one a free 30 minute portrait session at one of the shags I sponsored too and that brought us to this past Sunday. My model for the day was 4 year old Alexa, who from the very first minute I met, didn't stop running and moving the entire session. You might think I'm exaggerating, but I'm not. I was completely fine though, because I love a challenge. Plus, that much energy was sure to make for some great candid photos.
Kirstyn Family Portraits - Vickers Park
This past Sunday I had two separate photo sessions and both focused just on the children. The first session was with Kirstyn's two children as well as her sister Steph's daughter as well. I don't think Kirstyn knew it going into the session, but I had actually photographed Steph's wedding a couple years ago. I absolutely love photographing children so I was super excited to get the session on the way.
Patrick + Family Portraits - Centennial Park
My session of the weekend took place this past Friday at Centennial Park with Patrick and his family. In all, there were 5 families members including Patrick, and they were all extremely fun to photograph. The weather was beautiful and the sun was behind the clouds for the most part, so it was the perfect setting for an hour long family session.
Betty's 80th Birthday at the Norwester Hotel
Today the weather held off just long enough for me to have a very fun family portrait session over at the Norwester Hotel. The occasion for this particular session was to celebrate Betty's 80th Birthday. Plus, it was one of the rare occasions where most of the family would all be together at once. As soon as I arrived at the hotel, we all made our way out to the back field which overlooks Mount McKay.
Keewaytinook Internet High School - Celebration Dinner
Along with weddings I also photograph a lot of different events in and around Thunder Bay. Last week, I had the pleasure of covering the Keewaytinook Internet High School Graduation Dinner. It was a very laid back affair, but one that was very important to the students and family of friends too. All the graduation students were from various First Nation Communities across Ontario, including Fort Severn, Fort William and Keewaywin to name a few. All in all, there were a total of 17 graduating students.
Leanne + Peter Wedding
My first official wedding of the year was a short one for me, just 3 hours, but I came away with so many great photos, you would think it was much longer. Leanne and Peter decided to get married down at the Thunder Bay Marina. They live in the condo right on the water, so it made perfect sense. Before everyone made their way to the marina, everyone hung out in their condo, which gave me ample time to capture a lot of moments. It was a very laid back and easy going wedding. There was no first look, or anything like that, just everyone getting ready and celebrating before the actual wedding.
Burlesque!
With more and more great shows being put on week in and week out, it's hard to keep track and know exactly what to get out and watch. Luckily, that decision was made for me recently, when The Walleye asked me to take some photos of Burlesque! I got two tickets so my wife Anne joined me. We didn't really know what expect going in but we were pleasantly surprised.
ONWA Family Portraits
Last week I had the opportunity, yet again, to photography some families over at ONWA. I've lost track how many times I have done this but each time I do, I have just as much fun as the last. This time around, there were only 4 families, but that just meant I was able to spend even more time with each family. The whole session was very relaxed and most of the time I just let the families interact, which helped create good genuine moments. I'm very much looking forward to the next session, and the opportunity to meet and photograph more families.
The Walleye Bucket List - Maestro for Day
When The Walleye asked me to cover another Bucket List event for their April Issue, I knew I had to do it. This time around ti involved Justin Allec who is a writer for The Walleye. His bucket list was to play maestro for a symphony, and the TBSO granted him that wish.
Urban Infill: Art in the Core 11
This past Friday I had the opportunity to photograph this years Urban Infill which is hosted by Definitely Superior Art Gallery. This was the 11th year that it took place, but the first time I attended. I don't know how I have gone this many years without checking out but at least I made out this time around. After attending this years event, I will be definitely be going to next years.