137
last summer, i got a call from a bride that is living in Toronto, but getting married in Windsor. we talked on the phone for a bit, got to know each other better, and i soon found out that this bride is SUPER COOL!
not only was she sweet and easy to talk to, but she was getting geared up and trained to climb Mount Everest in November, to raise money for charity!
seriously?
this bride was Laurie, and her and her fiance Andy, were planning a wedding in Windsor and looking for a local photographer.
after meeting up on a Sunday morning while they were visiting family, they decided to book with me, and i was very flattered.
see, i am blessed with having some very cool couples hire me, and these two are no exception.
Laurie shared the story about how her and Andy ended up together , and it's a great story about perseverance, secret crushes, and long distance love.
in the end, true love prevailed, and this coming May, the two of the them will be getting married at Pointe West Golf and Country Club in Amherstburg. I'm very excited indeed.
i guess Laurie and Andy met, for a brief minute, while they were in high school. the meeting wasn't mind blowing or memorable, but it was the beginning of their journey.
come university, Laurie ends up meeting Andy again and finds out that they have a couple of classes together. i guess Laurie's secret crush on Andy kept her from really getting to know him for the first little while, but they soon hooked up and got talking.
Andy headed off to Chiropractic school in Toronto, and the two of them tried a long distance relationship, which , after a little while, ended.
once Andy moved back to the Windsor area, they hooked up again, but this time is was supposed to be 'only as friends'. it wasn't until Andy was supposed to move back to Toronto for work, that Laurie realized how much she was going to miss him! from what i was told, it took a couple of drinks for them to be able to finally confess how much they liked each other and Laurie decided to follow Andy to Toronto and continue their blooming relationship.
btw....
i grew up in Toronto, and it's a cool place to live!
at the end of my engagement session with these two lovebirds, i asked them what they love the most about each other.
it didn't take Andy long to share that his favourite thing about Laurie, is that she just lets him be himself. Laurie said the same thing about Andy, which i guess means he just loves her the way she is.
Andy also admitted that he loves the fact that Laurie loves to bake for him!
What man doesn't love a woman who bakes!
here are a few photos from our engagement session in the snow.
a big thank you to Andy and Laurie for allowing me to be a part of your lives and your special day!
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136
on Valentine's Day, i had the pleasure of photographing Laurie & Andy's engagement session.
it was a cold day, but Laurie & Andy were troopers, and walked through snow and ice so that i could get the shot!
Andy and Laurie are getting married in May at the Pointe West Golf and Country Club, which is in Amherstburg. Because their wedding is in Amherstburg, i decided that it would be fun to shoot their engagement session in the cute downtown streets if the quaint town. We had fun in the snow, and then ended our session in a little diner on the main street by the river.
here's a sneak peek
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135
last week, i was really wanting a surprise.
i didn't really care what kind of surprise, but it had to be a nice one.
a big fat check in the mail would have been nice, maybe a box of Milk Duds, the loss of a few pounds, another wonderful client book me, even a cool catalogue in the mail! i wasn't picky, but i was just wanting something fun and different to happen.
i lead a pretty predictable life, which is awesome, but i like adventure and fun, and i LOVE surprises!!! i just needed a little somethin' somethin' to spice up my week.
well, Friday came and went, and nothin'
no gifts, no cheques, no chocolates, no fancy catalogue, no pounds lost, and no firm commitments from the few potential clients that i'm waiting on to book me.
nothing.
it was very sad indeed.
i didn't lose sleep over it or anything, because i figured that i have enough on my mind and a surprise wasn't really that important anyways.
well, i finally got a great surprise on Monday!
it was the end to an already pretty fantastic day.
ok, so i'll tell you about my great day and then i'll get to the surprise.
yesterday was Family Day in Canada, which is a pretty new holiday here. It's a full fledged holiday and i do have to say it's pretty great.
my son Josh is home this week for Reading week, and we all headed out for some good time family fun. it was also an early celebration of my birthday (which is Thursday).
we went bowling, which we usually do about once or twice a year around here (but usually in the summer) , we came home and played some cards (which i won) and then Darryl cooked up a great meal of steak and twice baked potatoes! after dinner i helped my daughter with some chemistry homework (i am a wiz at chemistry and actually took a course at the university just for fun a few years ago) and then we played some canasta.
great times.
so, in the midst of all this family fun, i checked my email.
SURPRISE!!!!
i have been invited by the WPJA to be a member of their association!
i applied to become a member , a few weeks ago, and then i put it out of my mind. i wasn't sure if they would think i had what it takes, especially since they showcase and allow membership to only the best wedding photojournalists in the world! well, i guess i made the cut and i'm tickled pink!!!
i realize that the best compliment to my work is booking great clients and documenting amazing weddings, but being recognized by an international association and by my peers, is something pretty new to me. i have to say that it has been good for my ego, and i've had a perma smile since yesterday afternoon!
now, this type of news might now give another photographer the perma-smile that i'm experiencing, but that's because i have been working at finding my hill.
i think i'm home.
when i first got started in wedding photography, i researched branding and marketing like crazy. there is a wedding photography forum , called OSP that i frequented for a while. a member of the forum, Kevin Swan, is not only a wedding photographer, but he's a marketing guru. one of the things that i took away from his writing, is the fact that to be a successful wedding photographer, you need to find your niche and stick with it. i decided right then and there that i'd be true to myself and find my way. i didn't want to be anyone but the person that God created. i needed to find my hill.
well, my hill is now Wedding Photojournalist and photographer in Windsor and Essex County.
i am the only wedding photographer in Windsor Ontario and surrounding area that is listed with the WPJA.
here is what the WPJA has to say about their organization ~
"The Wedding Photojournalist Association grants membership to the most talented professional wedding photographers in the industry--photographers who focus solely on using their photography skills in documenting weddings."
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finding my hill
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134
there are days, that i sit down and just surf the web. since i can't surf on a wave, i might as well surf the web , right?
what i love about the internet, is how you can enjoy the art of some of the best photographers in the world, and be inspired by their work.
i love the interwebs!
slight off topic comment...
in about 1996, Darryl came home one day and announced that we were we going to be getting something called 'the internet'. i was appalled that he was silly enough to spend money we didn't have (he was a full-time student and we had 3 kids under 4) on something as stupid as the internet! yep, we were pioneers in my circle of friends, and the first ones with INTERNET!!!
ok, back to the topic.
when i first decided to follow my dreams of becoming a full-time photographer, i thought i was meant to be a family and child photographer.
then i discovered weddings.
then i discovered the awesomeness of what some call, wedding photojournalism.
according to Wikipedia, this is the definition of a "wedding photojournalist"
"A wedding photojournalist is a person who takes photographs during a wedding using an alternative approach where images are captured spontaneously to emphasize moments and emotion. Much like photojournalists
for the media, wedding photojournalists present the story of the day
through their photographs. A wedding photojournalist typically shoots
images quickly using available light or on-camera flash rather than
using traditional, formal posing techniques and studio lights. The
phrase wedding photojournalist has been in vogue for at least 10 years
and has now become almost synonymous with normal wedding photography."
There are so many wonderful photographers online, that are purists when it comes to covering a wedding in a photojournalistic style. they stand in a corner, and just take photographs as the day unfolds.
i have some BIGTIME heroes in the world of wedding photojournalism, and i am hopeful that one day i will get to meet some of them and even take a workshop from a few!
i am not a purist, will probably never be a purist, and i'm not sure if Windsor is ready for a PURE wedding photojournalist!
there are some photo opportunities that have to be taken , and some of them involve asking the couple and the wedding party, to stand a certain way or in a certain light. as soon as i start choreographing any photos, then i am no longer a 'pure' photojournalist.
that's ok, since i need to make sure that i not only capture the moments and the emotions of the wedding day, but i also need to make sure that i get some of the photos that i know the bride and groom want. when a bride get her hair and make-up done beautifully, then i need to make sure i get some great bridal portraits!
of course, if you ask me to be unobtrusive and act solely as a photojournalist for your wedding day, i will be more than happy to oblige. oh, and if you ask me to only shoot your photos in black and white as well, then i might have to make you a pan of cinnamon buns!
here are a few examples of the types of photos that i'm talking about.
it's all raw emotion, nothing is staged, and i just stood back and let things unfold.
i love my job.
i am thankful to my friends and fellow photographers, Arica Ingratta and
John Lyons, for asking me to help them out with some weddings last year. it was a blast!
on a personal note.....
my oldest son is coming home today, and he's home from university for a week! it's his reading week next week, and i get a whole 8 days with the best Josh in the whole world!
as i've mentioned before, i adore my kids and and i relish every minute i get to spend with them. Josh hasn't been home since Christmas, and i've missed him terribly!
MARTIN ROE:
Beautiful job, I paticularly like the crying shot, lovely processing too.
Martin Roe.
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133
i like flowers.
i like flowers A LOT.
as a wedding photographer, i am blessed to be a part of a couple's special day. i am hired to document the moments, the tears, the family, and the details.
i love me some nice details!
part of what i find intriguing about being the wedding photographer, is the way that each couple interprets their wedding day dreams.
flowers are a great way for a bride to show a little of her personality!
i know that sometimes, it's difficult to justify the purchase of real flowers, especially when there are so many expensive purchases to think about. sometimes the call of silk flowers, as the cheaper alternative, is a call too hard to resist.
if you have the strength, please resist that call and hang up promptly!
real flowers don't need to be expensive, and they are just too lovely to turn your back on!
find a florist that can work within your budget, and maybe even splurge on just a few stems of the expensive flowers to mix in with a few less expensive flowers. it's the colours in the bouquet that make a statement.
i know that there are some awesome florists in the Windsor/Essex area, that do some great work. go through bridal magazines, check out budget friendly wedding planning websites, and print off the photos of the flowers that you love. if you find a florist that you trust, then i'm sure they will do their very best to help you achieve the look you're going for.
i wanted to post a few photos of some of the lovely bouquets i photographed in 2009.
there were so many beautiful flowers, and here is a sampling for you to enjoy.
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bring on the flowers {windsor ontario wedding photographer}
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