Heidi + Rob Wedding

Patrick Chondon November 4, 2016

As the wedding season winds down for me, it's easy to look back on the year and really appreciate all the amazing couples I had the chance to photograph. Case in point, I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to document Heidi and Rob's wedding day. My day started in the early afternoon at the Prince Arthur Hotel where Rob and the guys were getting ready.

When as I arrived, I was great by all the guys, all of whom I was meeting for the first time. I'm a pretty easy going guy so after the quick introductions I just settled in and started taking a ton of candid photos, along with some detail shots. Shortly after I arrived, Rob's father showed up for a bit and helped him prepare for his big day. I came way with so many good photos from that part of the day.

Alexa + Shawn Wedding - Mine Centre

Patrick Chondon October 24, 2016

Ok, so where to start? Officially Alexa and Shawn celebrated their wedding at the begging of October but it really did feel more like an adventure! The wedding took place in Mine Centre, and the reception in Fort Frances, which is 45 minutes away. Since the wedding was out of town, my wife Anne joined me and we made it a little getaway at the same time. I am so used to doing weddings alone here in town that it was so great having my wife join me for this one. Plus, it gave her a chance to relax while I shot the wedding on the Saturday.

Amy + Andy Wedding - Chippewa Park

Patrick Chondon October 20, 2016

Amy and Andy recently got married at Chippewa Park this past September, and I was lucky enough to be chosen to photograph it. The wedding itself too place at Chippewa Park, nestled in the forest down this beautiful short trail. I have been to Chippewa many times but I never even knew this little area existed until I arrived for the wedding. It was definitely a pleasant surprise, and as a photographer, I was excited to be able to shoot a completely new location.

Raeanne + Lance Wedding - Valhalla Inn

Patrick Chondon October 4, 2016

Raeanne and Lance recently got married this past September and I was fortunate enough to be entrusted to document their day. Each wedding I do is a new adventure and challenge and this one was no exception. Both Raeanne and Lance were such a great couple to photograph and follow around for the day. That also goes for the entire wedding party. Everyone was extremely easy going and that just made my job that much easier.

Lindsay + Markus Wedding - Tapiola

Patrick Chondon September 14, 2016

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.

Courtney Lynn + Jake Wedding

Patrick Chondon September 5, 2016

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.

Treena + Warren Wedding

Patrick Chondon August 18, 2016

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.

Samantha + Brandon Wedding - Fort William Country Club

Patrick Chondon August 4, 2016

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.

Sarah + Andrew Wedding - Chippewa Park

Patrick Chondon July 6, 2016

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.

Sophie + Caleb Wedding - Whitewater Golf Club

Patrick Chondon June 8, 2016

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.

Tammy + Weston Wedding

Patrick Chondon February 19, 2016

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.

My Favourite Wedding Photos of 2015

Patrick Chondon January 4, 2016

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.