Saturday, June 30, 2012

Nancy and Jonathan

Nancy and Jonathan are incredibly perfectly matched and ridiculously in love. Add to that, their shared sense of fun and spontanaeity, and shooting their wedding was a no-brainer. I won't tell you I didn't have high expectations for this one after shooting their pre-engagement and  official engagement shoots, and I was not disappointed.

Sometimes I find when shooting a wedding for someone I've known for a long time, that the bride looks like herself, just with a white dress and some added sparkle. This wasn't the case with Nancy. Even to me, she definitely looked like a bride.



 A bride, that is, who wasn't afraid to get out there... in a pair of Chuck Taylor Converse sneakers.


And at the altar, on a hill near a playground that had special meaning for them both, she stunned.




When it came time for the wedding kiss, Nancy pulled out a step stool and, to Jonathan's surprise, showed off her exact match to his Chucks.


Then there was some family love




and one of my very favorite formal shot sessions to date!


More shoes. (I couldn't help it)



 and THIS!
Location, location, location!
Just outside their apartment building on an old set of train tracks that is no longer used. I was in heaven.





 

My first attempt at a 'jumping' photo. I was a little leary, and admittedly there was a wardrobe malfunction in one shot, but this one made it all worthwhile.


Their idea.




and we're off to the reception, where the groom was served a local favorite, despite the fact that his new wife is Kitchen Manager with the competition.


 Not to be outdone... Pizza for everyone!


The details were so much fun!

 

Then there was a bittersweet moment like none I've shot before. Candice, Nancy's bff, was moving away. In fact, she had stayed only to attend the wedding, and was getting in a car directly from the reception to drive across the country with her boyfriend just moments after this shot was taken.

Tear jerker!


Then it was back inside for dancing...

 ...and more dancing...


...long into the night.

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

The Color of Summer


The camera is an instrument that teaches people how to see without a camera.  -Dorthea Lange

 
 
 

And sometimes Mother Nature makes that lesson so darn easy.

Monday, June 11, 2012

Kelly's Mountain

All too often, I marvel at how lucky I am to live in such a beautiful corner of the world. Sometimes I catch a glimpse out of the car window of something so amazing, I just have to stop.

The view from Kelly's Mountain in Cape Breton is one of those amazing things.
Enjoy.
 
 
 


Saturday, May 26, 2012

Shooting Doubles

My friends are awesome.
I don't know if, somewhere in my subconscious, I pick them that way on purpose or what, but it is what it is.

Today's case in point: Lady M.

For the sake of not having her name come up in a Google search, Lady M has asked that I not use it. I'm happy to oblige requests like that, especially when a shoot ends up running off on a tangent and ends like this one did: on top of the ex-husband's pool table. :)

The original idea was inspired by a photo I saw of Kristen Stewart and... well, Kristen Stewart. I knew I could pull if off, and I knew Lady M was just the chameleon I needed. I shot her off a text, and before you could say 'double-take', she responded with an emphatic "SURE!"

On May 26, 2012, look what happened:

 


Yup.

 

 


After taking a few dozen different poses in each outfit, I was pretty sure I had what I wanted. There we were, in the basement, pool table handy and lighting all rigged up, so when she asked if we could do a little something for her other half, who so kindly loaned us his suit and tie for the shoot, I thought, 'sure, why not?'
Never ever hesitate to bring up your own ideas in a photoshoot, because sometimes, THIS happens:


 
       

I love it.
Two great shoots with a beautiful model in one fell swoop. As you can imagine, her guy was thrilled, and the ex-husband that owns the pool table? Well, what he doesn't know won't hurt. ;)



Friday, May 11, 2012

Bleeding Hearts

My heart bleeds for summer :)