An October Escape to Mine Centre

To be honest, I didn't really know what to call this post. Technically, Anne and I travelled to Mine Centre at the beginning of October because I had a wedding to photograph. But, seeing as how we were driving that far, we decided to make it a bit of a vacation as well, even though I had to work. I will be following this post up with another one in the next day or so showcasing all the wonderful images from Alexa and Shawn's wedding. In the meantime, I figured I would put up a few of the random photos of our adventures in between working.

On the way to Mine Centre, which is about 40 minutes outside of Fort Frances we only stopped once and that was at a rest stop. It was a quick break where we used the not too smelly washrooms and I inhaled a sandwich Anne made for me. 

Our next stop was where the wedding eventually took place and where Alexa and Shawn lived, Mine Centre. I don't think I actually told Alexa this but upon turning off the highway we drove right past the first road that led to their house. About 8 minutes later as we made our way down a progressively sketchier dirt road we realized we had gone to far. In the end, we found it ok. 

We were quickly greeted by Shawn's family and his mom drove with us to our cabin which was about 5 minutes away just off the highway. As soon as we saw it, we were both amazed at how beautiful it was. It was so nice out, so after we settled in, we hung out on the dock for a little bit, and then relaxed inside the cabin. 

It was then time to head out to Fort Frances for the the pre wedding dinner. While we were making our way to the venue we ran into some crazy fog. Luckily I had my camera with me so we drove further down the road and got some amazing photos in the fog, which changed on a dime. We moved pretty quick though and managed to even get some 'creepy' photos with Anne and her hair. 

I'll discuss all the details from the wedding day itself in my next post, but the next chance I got to take some personal photos was on the way home. I had noticed that there were a few areas on the highway just before Mine Centre that had some bare trees among the fall colours. I thought it would make a good photo so I made sure to stop on the highway and quickly snap a few.

And that was pretty much it. We drove home after that and still made it back in the early afternoon and proceeded to have a very busy day of even more photos.

I can't wait to post all the photos from the wedding!

Our Wedding Day

Our wedding has come and gone and by what a whirlwind of a day it was. Thankfully everything came together perfectly and I was able to actually take a few photos during the day. I was hoping for my time to take photos but, to be honest, I chose not to as I wanted to really take in the day and enjoy it. But, when there was a lull in the action and other people were being photographed I used my trust XT-1 to sneak in a few.

When I first arrived at the ceremony, I immediately started taking some photos of the guests. There couldn't be an easier wedding in the world to do so since I no mostly everyone. If only every wedding I photographed was like that. Ah well.. 

After about 10 minutes it was my cue to join the rest of the guys and start the walk down the isle to wait for my beautiful bride. I should say that I wasn't concerned about getting photographs at any point seeing as how we had our friend Chris Borgo taking video and Anne's cousin Tony McGuire taking photos the entire day. Still, the photographer in me still feels the need to take photos. 

In any case, the ceremony came and went and I'm still not sure what happened. I remember Anne walking down the isle, repeating our vows, laughing at us messing some of them up and then saying I DO! Then we signed the book, walked back through the crowd and that was it. Soon after we hopped in the limousine and departed to take our portraits. Ah, the limo. The poor, poor limo. Upon first entering the limo we were assure that the back end of the vehicle touching the ground was simply the hydraulics. That didn't end up being the case. Every single bump we went over, we practically bottomed out. Suffice it to say I quickly put down drink after half it spilled on my suit. I did feel bad for the driver as you could see he was embarrassed. But in the end, it wasn't his fault. At least we all have yet another story from the day.

Once we got to Hillcrest Park we did all the family portraits and some of the wedding party ones as well. This is pretty much where I got most of my photos for the day. After that we finished there, we headed down to our old public school, Queen Elizabeth. The only photos we took there were the few of us that attended a long long time ago. That is one of the photos from the day that I cannot wait to see. 

We then made our way to our old high school, PACI and also the wall by Magnus Theatre. I had gotten a gorgeous picture from a previous wedding with the couple standing against the wide expansive wall. So, we asked Tony to use his creative style to capture a similar one. I actually got a really good one my iPhone 6+. 

The last stop was Sovereign Room downtown. Her friend owns it so we pretty much took over the bar side for about 15 minutes. The shot Anne really wanted were the guys passed out around her on the seats while she was doing a shot. Of course, once that was done we had to drink the shots. 

The reception was our final stop at the Polish Legion. That whole evening was a blur but so much fun. It was great seeing a lot of old friends and family. My best man Desi certainly stole the show with his speech. Let's just say that he brought me to tears as well as those around me. 

The next day we had a family get together, and it was there that I caught just a few more moments. I'm so excited to finally be married to my Anne! She looked so beautiful as she always does. 

All the photos below were taken with the X-T1 and the 16mm and 35mm. It was so fun to use and as I mentioned before in previous posts, no one is intimidated by it. I love my Nikon's, but when I want to shoot with more of a documentary style, I pull out my Fuji's. As always, they are all processed with my own style in Lightroom. I also use the jpg's for each and every one. No need for RAW in this case. Gotta love those Fuji camera's. 

Day Before The Wedding

Well.. it's officially the day we are getting married. Wow. Today was a fun day getting everything set up and it's actually still going. At least, I should say, the girls are still going. I decided to let them do their thing and focus on some of the photos I captured from the day. 

The day started at Rooster's Bistro, such a great breakfast. If you haven't been, definitely check it out. After some eggs, sausage, potatoes, toast and a couple cups of coffee we were ready to tackle the day. It was then off to Walmart for some odds and ends, and eventually arriving at Cora's house, where the wedding is eventually taking place. Luckily we ended up getting a great deal on a big tent for the backyard which was set up by A to Z Rentals who did a fantastic job. Jamie, Cora's grandson, was the boss the whole time. He helped carry poles and ultimately told the workers what was on his mind the entire time.

Once the tent was set up, Anne, Cora and Jordan worked on the wedding arch. The final touches need to be added tomorrow but I think it looks stunning. I can't wait to stand underneath it with Anne tomorrow. The next stop was a few more odds and ends around town and then home. We only had a quick break before we headed off to the hall to set up as much as we could. The whole room really came together, and with a few things left to do today, I think it's going to turn out perfect. 

For the whole day I decided to use my X-T1 paired with the 16mm and 35mm. Just so simple and fun to use with so many keeper images. It will be extremely painful to not be able to take photos of my own wedding today but I'm sure I will find a way to snap a few of the beautiful bride. Either way I'm sure Tony and Chris will do an amazing job taking photographs and video for us. 

I simply cannot to wait to marry Anne. I'm a lucky guy to have ended with such a wonderful woman. Plus, this means, I have a model to photograph for the rest of my life. :)

Stay tuned for photos of the wedding in the coming weeks!