It’s been a while since I last blogged as getting over jet lag, reconnecting with family and long last friends as well as preparing to introduce some new and exciting things, have been keeping me busy. More on that later…

Now it’s been a long time coming but I wanted to blog about Liza and Rob’s fun wedding which I had the pleasure of helping Kevin Lam with in mid August.

I recall getting to Rob’s prep location in the morning, I was introduced to and welcomed into their home. All was pretty quiet as the guys have yet to arrive. Rob was still working on making last minute revisions to his vows and his speech. As I roamed the house looking for the best possible light, I discovered many photos around the house of Rob and his family, one particular photo was of a younger Rob in the room he was working in.

Shortly after the rest of the guys came arrived and the  mad prep began. The guys were in and out within 25 minutes, typical guy prep time. When they arrived at Liza’s prep location, the bridesmaids had a ton of creative challenges for them which either tested their closeness as groomsmen, or brought them closer. Either way, they had a blast and it they too came up with creative ways to overcome the challenges. One such challenge was what the bridesmaids called “eye candy” which is only best experienced when you see the image below. This, along with other challenges set the tone for the rest of the day, ridiculously fun and hilarious.

So, I got back from my recent trip to Hong Kong and Taiwan and was surprised at how there is no snow!! None what so ever!! I mean, occasionally, I would see a ton on the roof of someone’s car but that’s about it!? Where did they get that snow?! Some may be happy about this but not me…I really enjoy having a white christmas, it’s just not the same without it. Every time I see snow, it reminds me of all the times I built forts with my brothers, we’d build tunnels and snow furniture, all the snowball fights and toboggan rides with my friends, without it, it’s just different..but I digress…Although I was not enveloped with snow…yet (there is still hope! * fingers crossed*)….I was showered with a bunch of holiday and thank you cards from my couples which was soo nice!!

Thanks everyone and have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!!

Wow…I was suppose to only post a teaser image but I was sooo excited to blog about this awesome session today.

As you may already know from this previous post , I am currently in Taiwan with Lucy, Albert and Sandy. Now, since Sandy and Albert’s wedding back in July, they have been talking about doing a trash the dress shoot. Locations and ideas were suggested here and there but nothing really materialized until we found that our off season trip/their honeymoon overlapped in Taiwan. It was then that we decided that Taiwan would be the country for where this shoot would take place.

Lucy, being from Taiwan knew that Yehliu Geopark in Panchiao City would be the perfect backdrop for such a creative. Unfortunately, getting to the park took much longer than originally expected and by the time we got to the location, it started to rain slightly and we were losing light fast. Thankfully, Sandy was a true trooper and braved the rain and cold as I created these images. Now although these sessions revolve around the bride and the dress, I needed to get Albert in there with his wife as they are such a sweet couple together.

Now, we may not have trashed the dress…..yet…but we are planning session 2.0 soon. Check out Lucy’s sneak peak of this session here
Small Sandy, checking out Big Sandy =)

We moved in closer to find out that this place was selling beef parts.  Me not being a fan of such delights wanted to move on, but Lucy and Karen were intrigued/curious. It’s not like they have never tried eating this kinda stuff before, but trying from this particular place was different. So they made their order and the guy sniped away at the bits with an Edward Scissorhands like motion.

Lucy and Karen asked fo some hot sauce and I take it that his original supply was depleted so he needed to go to the source. Out came a huge tub, just about spent, which he shuffled back and forth to get out. It reminded me of those ketchup commercials where people had a hard time getting it out of the bottle, a little entertaining.

So, how did it taste? Well again, I am not a fan so I did not try it out, but according to Lucy and Karen, it was all pretty good.

So I have been over seas on vacation with Lucy for the past couple of weeks and although I have been blogging like usual, I have been trying to come up with a creative and fun way of telling all of you that I am away without saying…”umm…hi…I am on vacation..” or something to that effect.

It was not until some friends showed up tonight that gave me the fun way of saying…”hey..some friends are over…and not over at my place kinda way” hmm…maybe I over thought this whole thing.

In any case, guess who just arrived!?!?

Sandy and Albert!!!! Of course, we could not have started the trip without some late night snacks!! This is why I love travelling in asia!! It’s 1am and we can still get tasty street food!! More about the trip soon. If you can’t wait for “official” blog posts, follow my Tumblr here with quick snapshots.

ohh..so…hi…I am on vacation =)

The event began with an award ceremony that recognized emerging leaders in various fields. Among the many awards, Joshua Silvertown’s caught my attention the most. Josh was awarded the Ivey emerging leader in community advancement for his company, DreamCatcher Mentoring,which brings e-mentoring and leadership programs to high school students. I think that is pretty cool! Check out the other winners here.

After the award ceremony there was no shortage of entertainment from the The University of Western’s own live Jazz band, to Canadian Idol contestant Mookie from Mookie and the Loyalists as well as some really cool ribbon dancing and live art. Furthermore, the food catered by Daniel et Daniel was simply amazing!!! Here are some of the images of the evening!

“I can’t wait for you guys to start a family, cause’ the world can definitely use more Minhs and Marks”

The above are just a couple of the many memorable quotes delivered by members of the wedding party the day Minh and Mark formed their union which I was super lucky to help Kevin Lam document.

The forecast called for rain, a lot of it, but when the day actually came, the sky was clear as can be. I began my coverage at Mark’s place where all the guys were getting put together. With the chatter and joking around, I could immediately tell that this was a really tight group of friends. After Mark and boys were ready to go, Mark received a surprise from Minh. It was a beautiful watch and the case it adorned was engraved the following:

7 years, 3 months, 17 days, 12 hours. You were worth every second

I gotta say, that was thoughtful of her. Here are some images of the day.

With images all complete, albums designed, delivered and files all archived and stowed away, I look back at what an incredible year it has been and how fortunate I have been to not only be given the opportunity to document, but to be a part of all my couples special day and lives. It is such an honor and I cannot thank you all enough. Speaking of thank yous…I received an little note from Andrea and Edward that I wanted to share with you all.

Andrea, Ed, thank you so much for the thoughtful note…and on that note…heheh..(get it?!) Have a great weekend everyone.

whew……what a night!! Lucy and I just finished documenting Global Ivey Day at the Design Exchange in Toronto and it was a blast! Although we were at the DX, Ivey Day was taking place in various venues in 20-plus cities around the world! I just had to post a quick snapshot! More to come soon.

I think it’s safe to say that I have been to many weddings and although each one is unique in it’s own way, Sandy and Albert’s felt very different for me. Sure, Sandy and Albert are both friends, and yes, this was a destination wedding taking place in the beautiful outskirts of Vancouver, and yes, I was helping Joee out on this one, however, what trumps it all was how much I have emotional investment to the Sandy and Albert. I have assisted many photographers before but to know the couple like I know Sandy and Albert brought on a very different perspective and dimension to the way I documented. It is for this reason that for me the wedding started with the above image.

I have known Sandy and Albert for a couple of years now and we have had the opportunity to work with each other as well as travel together on multiple occasions. How I came to meet Sandy and Albert was through Joee, who mentored both Sandy and myself. If I am not mistaken, Sandy was Joee’s first protégée and when it was her time to tie the knot there was not a question that she commissioned him to document her wedding and I was asked to help out. By the time this image was made Joee and I have been documenting Sandy and Albert’s wedding celebration for a little over a day already. This was day 2 and as Sandy watched her dream backyard wedding unravel, from her prep room at The Cammidge House, Joee had just entered the room to joined her by the window. This could have been anyone, but it was very serendipitous to have not only a great photographer present, but a friend and mentor share in the moments to come. It is because I understood this connection that I was able to commit to the image before even pressing the shutter or fidgeting with the settings.

I think that this is something many brides overlook when they meet with potential photographers. Let’s face it, there are many photographers to chose from, many of whom are very talented and do great work, however, to find one whom you get along with and who is ready to emotionally invest in you is tough. It is then that you know you will get beautiful images of organic moments.

So….let’s talk more about the day now, let’s start with day 1 which was where Albert and his boys were put to the test with a series of challenges which were performed nicely. Albeit, the passing sea weed challenge was the hardest as it kept dropping due to the wind.

DAY 2

Throughout the day, there was a flurry of activity from set up to getting ready. Despite all that going on, I would see Sandy and Albert constantly finding places to write. At first, I thought that they were still writing their vows but I should have known better. Friends and family are very dear to Sandy and Albert and what they were actually doing was writing personalized notes to each and every guest, myself included!!! That’s so sweet guys, thank you for the note.
So throughout the day as Sandy was getting ready, Albert had a series of surprise gifts for her. One after another they came in boxes big and small. Each very well thought out and special. Here is one of the gifts Albert got Sandy.

Be sure to also check out Sandy and Albert’s wedding that was featured on Style me Pretty as well as Joee’s and Lucy’s take on the wedding!
Congrats guys!!!

A couple of weeks ago, I found myself packing for a long awaited mini get away to Miami and the Bahamas with Lucy and a couple of other friends. I was watching one of my favorite car shows, Top Gear. The episode I just so happen to be watching inspired me. They have a segment where they put an individual (mostly celebrities) in what they call a Reasonably Priced Car and see how they fare with it on their test race track.  ding din ding….It was then that I decided to challenge myself to see what images I can create with a reasonably priced camera.

I was not ready to go full automatic point and shoot, although my iphone does a pretty good job of that. So I picked something with modest image quality and with pretty good functionality, above all, it had to be small and pocket-able. Enter the Olympus XZ-1!

I am no expert so I cannot begin to give an in depth review on the camera but what I can say was that I was overall impressed with the camera. It was still a little large for my tastes, however the functionality of the camera made up for it. My only ask now, was that I wish it were water proof!

Here are some images I took with the camera.

My seat mate, Buddy.

Finally….there were many fun times on this trip but I wanted to share one with you guys that I found amusing when we were using the bathroom at a local restaurant in Miami…don’t judge =)

it’s soooo cooooold!!!! I am Canadian but for some reason I did not expect this so soon. Thankfully, I had Tina and Mike’s images to create which reminded me how warm they are as a couple as well as during their engagement session. Here are some of my favorites. =)

Thanks Felicia for having us over, Albert, Sandy, thanks for showing us around!! Here are some images of the getaway. 

Now, the sweetness did not stop there,  Stephanie and Chuck were super nice and sweet to to each other and everyone around. I remember when I first met them, I noticed that Chuck was a true gentleman and always opened the door for Stephanie. During our engagement session which was a little cold, they were very attentive about each other and made sure that I was ok too! Over our dim sum meet, they knew what each other wanted without even saying it and were kind enough to make sure I was well fed. They even invited myself, Lucy and Ron to stay for the reception even though our official coverage was over!! Steph, Chuck, thanks for being so thoughtful and kind.

The day of their wedding day came and when I arrived at Stephanie’s prep location everything was pretty calm. Contrary to what both Steph and Chuck talked to me about being stressed and really anxious, Stephanie was getting prepped by the talented Annie Kue while I had some time with her dress of other details, meanwhile, her bridesmaids were busy cooking something up for the guys. I recall that games were not something that was going to happen initially, but I guess Steph’s girl’s convinced her otherwise. Back at the guy’s place, Ron and Lucy were having a great time documenting the guys trying to put themselves together while battling to put some ice time via PS3.

Here are some images of the day.

Congrats Steph, Chuck!!!

More to come soon….

After what must have been one of the hottest days this summer I was glad to be mainly indoors for Nechelle and Jivan’s second day of celebration. The day started with Nechelle getting ready at her parent’s home. Although busy with last minute touches and little things to do, you could tell that every time Nechelle’s parents had a look at their daughter that they were happy and proud. Nechelle’s sisters were on hand and ready to help her with anything which is always nice.

As Nechelle was getting all done up, I went for taking some images of her sari and may I say that in itself was quite the challenge. It is super elegant and full of details yes, but what you don’t see in the images was how heavy this thing was!!! The intricately made sari was easily over 5 pounds, which is why I had Lucy close by just in case. Nechelle, how you wore that all day long and still managed to get through the day without rest is beyond me!! Regardless, the sari looked beautiful on it’s own but when Nechelle put it on, it was a different story. The light in the room started to glow and her helpful sisters were helping Nechelle with her jewelry as her mom stood by and could not help but cry, it was quite the moment.

Meanwhile, I had my friend and colleague Kevin Lam help me document Jivan’s prep where I was told there too was no shortage of tears. However, the tears came from Jivan!!! It’s not what you think though, apparently Jivan needed to get some eye make up done and although his sister was super careful and gentle, us guys are just not used to putting stuff near our eyes.

Shortly after all family, friends, bride and groom met at the Hindu Heritage Centre in Mississauga for their Hindu ceremony.

Enough from me…here are the images of the day. Congrats Nechelle, Jivan!!

Congrats guys!!!

We sure had some crazy weather these past few days. First with the aftershocks of the earthquake a couple of days ago (anyone else feel it?) and tonight’s rain and thunder storm! Regardless, something compelled me to post Jen and Ron’s latest session. My only explanation is perhaps because they’ve been together for over 13 years, they have been through thick and thin together and nothing phases them as they can weather any storm together. Here are a few of my favorites =)

Ron claims that he’s fun like the iPhone where as Jen is more efficient and organized like the BlackBerry…i think they are both fun and organized..=)

Come the day of their Mehndi ceremony only a few weeks ago, they were not kidding. It may have been one of the hottest days of summer but Nechelle’s place was a flurry of activity. Family and close friends were everywhere either cooking or preparing for the ceremony while Nechelle’s sister’s helped Nechelle get ready for the ceremony inside in the nicely cooled AC controlled home.

If you know Nechelle, she can be quite quirky with her words. At one point during the ceremony, she said something to the effect of, “I feel like smurf hands are all over me”, which cracked everyone up.

Here are some photos of the day.

At Jivan’s place, a similar ceremony was taking place and it was no different. Surrounded by friends and family, the ceremony took place under hot conditions. Regardless, it was fun to be given the opportunity to document the ceremony.  More to come soon.

There is something nice about high school sweethearts who get married. For starters, the stories they tell of their past are always filled with fun memories, from dates sans car to keeping each other it a secret from suspecting parents, all the way to getting caught together. The stories are unique but familiar as we all generally experience something similar. Joanna and Terence are no exception.

Terence is a super cool, easy going guy, and Joanna super sweet with an infectious giggle/laugh. Although their wedding day was the first I have met them, we connected quickly and had a great time helping Joee out on this wedding. Here are some images of the day.
The games were quite unique and unusual….but the guys handled them like champs!!Terence preparing his speech at Liberty Grande

A couple of months ago, I had the opportunity to help out Margaret at one of her weddings. It is where I got to meet Nancy and Daryl who were just awesome to work with. The closeness of family and friends were apparent. Here are some of my favorites.

Currently out of town to attend and document an awesome wedding!!! YAY!!! I have limited access to email but i’ll will get back to you when we return on August 8th, 2011.

Flash forward to just a couple of weeks (yes, i used a camera reference in there…pretty clever if I do say so myself)…and it was just part one of their wedding celebration which included a Mehndi and Nikah as well as quick creative session. If there is one thing I walked away learning from this couple after spending time with their family and friends is that they love to party. Everyone danced and danced like no one’s business which was super fun to document and experience. Here are some photos from day one.

Thanks Joee and Lucy for helping me out with Neelofur and Faisal’s wedding!!!

Once at the Island, we were told to look for hearts and markings on the ground as waypoints, now, because we took the wrong ferry =P, we were roaming the island almost aimlessly trying to find these things until finally!!! We found one!! Sorry, no pictures of the food this time, too busy eating and staying away from ants. Here’s an image of the beach instead (i know….not the same..)

Alright fine…here’s an image of Ed who looks like he wants to eat one of those geese. Yummy light….wanted to grab some images of Karen the birthday girl and her boyfriend Evan. What a cute couple…=)

Andrea and Edward got married on Saturday June 25, 2011 and what a ride it was!! Like all my couples, I met with Andrea and Edward a couple of weeks before the wedding to catch up and see how things were going. Everything was in place, it was just the little things here and there. No worries though as they were not only a super prepared and organized couple, they invested in a professional wedding planner so that they would enjoy their special day together.

I remember driving over to Andrea’s parent’s place the day of the wedding with a feeling of anticipation and excitement, the same if not similar type of feeling for a friend’s wedding. If it was not meeting for dim sum, or climbing down into an abyss (i kid, i kid..) in Toberymory, or showing them my latest attempt at making scrambled eggs (i swear i can make eggs..just not as good as Andrea). The culmination of gatherings and communications we have had throughout the year added up to one thing…A great friendship and trust. That’s the only way I can explain it, if I need to explain the feeling I had throughout their wedding day. This was no business transaction, this was a friend documenting another friend’s wedding. This is why I love what I do and why I am doing it.

Totally went off into a tangent there…so as I was saying. I arrived at Andrea’s parent’s place to document her preparations in the morning. Calm as she was, Andrea was sitting for Karen Chen Richardson, who is an amazing make up and hair specialist and all around nice person. They have been up since at least 5am and the house was quite calm. Breakfast was being served constantly as if it were a buffet, bridesmaids were preparing for the madness that was about to be unleashed upon the guys.

As Andrea’s make up session concluded, we heard the arrival of the limo with all the boys. The madness began and Andrea had a front row seat peering through the blinds of her window. I have to say, the girls were quite creative with the games. The little race in heels and other womens garments was new, the grapes and socks….a little gross…hope the guys wore clean socks =P.

I think I have said enough so I will let your eyes do the rest at filling in the day…i’ll chime in here and there. Enjoy…

absolutely love this next photo of Ed getting ready in his parent’s room with old photos on the mirror of his brother and himself.I know that the format of this next image is unorthodox of me, but, I saw no other way to best show off this amazing dress!!

If there was a theme to this wedding it would be “laughter”. Both Andrea and Edward have the most infectious smile and laugh. I love even more that they still make each other laugh.Andrea told me that her parents also got their wedding photos taken at Edward’s Gardens so she gave me this photo and wanted something similar. It appears the bridge has gone through some changes through the years so I wanted to show a “progression”  from her parent’s photo to theirs, so I placed them a little past where her parents were placed and create the image below.

Special thanks goes out to Ron and Lucy who helped me out on Andrea and Ed’s wedding. You guys were awesome!! Be sure to also check out Eugene from Cinematic Wedding’s Same Day Edit HERE

I was on my way out to photograph an awesome couple earlier when i received something in the mail from Jim and Rachell telling me how much they loved their album and also wishing Lucy and I a Happy Anniversary. Thanks guys, you just made my day  the rest of my week!!!!

Original blog post from thebloggess here.

And that’s why you should learn to pick your battles.

JUNE 21, 2011

by:  Thebloggess

This morning I had a fight with Victor about towels. I can’t tell you the details because it wasn’t interesting enough to document at the time, but it was basically me telling Victor I needed to buy new bath towels, and Victor insisting that I NOT buy towels because I “just bought new towels“. Then I pointed out that the last towels I’d bought were hot pink beach towels, and he was all “EXACTLY” and then I hit my head against the wall for an hour.

Then Laura came to pick me up so we could go to the discount outlet together, and as Victor gave me a kiss goodbye he lovingly whispered, “You are not allowed to bring any more goddam towels in this house or I will strangle you“.   And that was exactly what I was still echoing through my head an hour later, when Laura and I stopped our shopping carts and stared up in confused, silent awe at a display of enormous metal chickens, made from rusted oil drums.

Laura:  I think you need one of those.

me:  You’re joking, but they’re kind of horrifically awesome.

Laura: I’m not joking. We need to buy you one.

me:  The 5-foot tall one was $300, marked down to $100.  That’s like, $200 worth of chicken for free.

Laura:  You’d be crazy not to buy that.  I mean, look at it. IT’S FULL OF WHIMSY.

me:  Victor’d be pissed.

Laura:  Yup.

me:  But on the plus side?  It’s not towels.

Laura:  Yup.

me:  We will name him Henry.  Or Charlie.  Or O’Shannesy.

Laura:  Or Beyoncé.

me:  Or Beyoncé. Yes.  And when our friends are sad we can leave him at their front door to cheer them up.

Laura:  Exactly. It’ll be like, “You thought *yesterday* was bad?  Well, now you have a enormous metal chicken to deal with.  Perspective.  Now you have it.”

Then we flagged down a salesman, and we were all “What can you tell us about these chickens?”, as if we were in an art gallery, and not in a store that specializes in last years’ bathmats.  He didn’t know anything about them, but he said that they’d only only sold one and it was to a really drunk lady, and then Laura and I were all “SOLD.  All this chicken belongs to us now.”

 

Insert-inappropriate-cock-joke-here.

So he loaded it onto a trolley, but Beyoncé was surprisingly unstable, and the giant 5 foot metal chicken crashed over onto the floor.  And Laura and I were all “CHICKEN DOWN!  CLEAN-UP IN AISLE 3? but he didn’t laugh.  Then the manager came to see what was causing all the commotion, and that’s when he found the very-conservative salesman unhappily struggling to right an enthusiastically pointy chicken which was almost as tall as he was.  The salesman was having a hard time, and he told everyone to stand back “because this chicken will cut you“, and at first I thought he meant it as a threat, like “That chicken has a shiv”, but turns out he just meant that all the chickens’ ends were sharp and rusty.  It was awesome, and Laura and I agreed that even if we got tetanus, this chicken had already paid for himself even before we got it in her truck.

Then we got to my house and quietly snuck the chicken up to my front door, rang the doorbell, and hid around the corner.

 

Knock-knock, motherfucker.

Victor opened the door and looked at the chicken in stunned silence for about 3 seconds.  Then he sighed, closed the doorand walked away.

Laura:  What the fuck?  That’s it?  That’s the only reaction we get?

me:  That’s it. He’s a hard man to rattle.

Victor was surprisingly pissed that I’d “wasted money” on an enormous chicken, because apparently he couldn’t appreciate the hysterical value of a 5 foot chicken ringing the doorbell.  Then I said, “Well, at least it’s not towels” and apparently that was the wrong thing to say because that’s when Victor screamed and stormed off, but I knew he was locked in his office because I could hear him punching things in there.  Then I yelled through his door, “It’s an anniversary gift for you, asshole.  Two whole weeks early.  15 YEARS IS BIG METAL CHICKENS.”

Then he yelled that he wanted it gone, but I couldn’t move it myself, so instead I said okay and went to watch tv.  Then when the UPS guy came I hid, but he was all “Dude.  Nice chicken” and Victor yelled, “IT IS NOT A NICE CHICKEN”.  Which was probably very confusing to the UPS guy, who was just trying to be polite, Victor. Victor seemed more disgruntled than usual, so I finally dragged the chicken into the backyard and wedged it into a clump of trees so that it could scare the snakes away.  Then I came in and Victor angrily pulled me into his office so that I could see that I’d stationed Beyoncé directly in front of his only window.  And I was all “Exactly. YOU’RE WELCOME.”  I told him that he could move Beyoncé if he wanted to, but he totally hasn’t.  Probably because of all of the giant rocks I piled on Beyonce’s feet to dissuade burglars.  Or possibly because Beyoncé is growing on him.  Still, I can’t help but think that we wouldn’t even be having this argument if Beyoncé was towels.  Honestly, this whole chicken is really a lesson in picking your battles more carefully.  Plus, he’s awesome and I can’t stop giggling every time I look at him.  Beyoncé, that is.

Best. 15th anniversary. ever.

Last week I had a great time photographing Neelofur and Faisal’s engagement session. These two have been together for about 8 years and decided to tie the knot next month!!! I can’t wait till their wedding.

Give up?

It’s Stephanie and Chuck‘s gallery wrap that they ordered (mind my the creepy hands holding the wrap).

Now to Andrea and Edward‘s gallery wrap (with less creepy hands)!!

I have to tell you that these photos do these pieces no justice. You just have to see this up close in order to experience the colour rendition, sharpness and texture of these wraps. In addition to that size alone…Both couples chose to pick up the 20×30 which is an awesome size for all homes!! Although all my packages include a disc of high resolution images, my couples value and understand the indescribable feeling of having something tangible like a print or an album that represents them. Thanks guys!!!

The days leading up to the wedding day, we were getting rain…and lots of it. My fear was that the rain forecast would spill over to the Saturday. We had a couple of backup locations planned, something I ask all my couples to consider as it is something that no one has control over, but it just wouldn’t be the same. Thankfully the day came and we could not have asked for better weather, thanks Mother Nature!

As I arrived at Wendy’s hotel suite at the Royal York, I was greeted by her bridesmaids Shaoyee and Joanne. They had just gone on a coffee run and the mood in the room was nothing short of calm and relaxed. Lucy was also there as she was the hired MUAH but offered to tag along to shoot after her MUAH duties were complete.

With the TV on the girls were chatting about recent events as well as reminiscing about the past as I captured moved through the room invisibly to capture some details. Here are some of my favorites of the day.

Kevin looking quite dapper. Although scheduling was tight, Wendy and Kevin opted for a first look/reveal which I think was great decision. It gave them opportunity to spend a couple of minutes to themselves it was was Wendy’s most memorable part.

Wendy and Kevin thank you for having us be part of your special day. We had an amazing time with your family and friends.

Around this time last year I had the pleasure to share and document  Rachell and Jim’s wedding. Now because they live in Chicago, we’ve been keeping in touch via email and facebook but never had a chance to catch up like I do with many of my other couples. It’s just nice to see how things are going you know?

Besides, after sharing and participating in my couple’s special day, we tend to become friends and make time to catch up here and there over coffee or dinners. Well, as luck would have it, Rachell and Jim actually decided to come back to Toronto a year later for a quick visit and we managed to get together for lunch. Thanks guys!!! Happy one year!!

I have to say, I kinda dreaded the first day…we were going to be trapped in the confines of my car for a minimum 8 hours. Not fun…however, with good music and good company, I surprised myself and drove the whole way there in 10 hours…with a couple of stops of course. Without more, here are some of the photos from the trip.

The next images depict Lucy in a nutshell…she’s into food, into beer and into shooting….cameras of course. (pew pew pew)

One element of this trip I did not mention was this…there was a secret plan that just came to be on this trip. Selina, Albert’s sister, was proposed to by her then boyfriend (now fiance) Kelly. Wanting to throw her another surprise, he wanted Albert, Sandy and Kai’s visit to New York a surprise too! So he devised a plan that involved hiring a “local photographer” by the name of Ken Wong…(the first name that came up?) played by myself to take engagement photos of them! I, Ken Wong, along with assistant Lucy met Selina and Kelly for the first time at their hotel lobby. We welcomed them and began our photo session, we took a couple of steps toward the main doors, turned the corner when out popped Sandy, Albert and Kai! Selina was totally blown away!!! Mission accomplished Kelly! With that, our group took to the streets in search of good food and good light. Here’s what we came up with.

And now, Albert and Sandy’s turn =)

For those who know me, know that I love noodles and pastas. They are my carb of choice. I remember having this conversation with Wendy and Kevin recently on one of our catch up sessions. They had just come back from eating Ramen and the conversation went from there. It gets trickier when I visit a vietnamese pho restaurant as the rice options are appealing…but 9/10 times, I will pick a steamy bowl of hot pho. It’s my kinda comfort food, in fact, that is actually a wedding tradition that I started with my team a couple of years ago. So far without fail, after every wedding, we will hit up on a pho restaurant and enjoy.

When people find out, they are often surprised, and I am not sure why…I tell them that I can’t cook anything elaborate and that I can only really cook for myself. Since I am the only one that I know of who can have meals the way I do. You see, the reason why I think I can do better than the recipes on the magazine is because I can live off noodles and some seasoning. Simple..like what I just made today. Yummy no??? Just me? took me 8 minutes flat!!! Take that!!

What’s your favorite simple food that you can just live off?

This is definitely and oldie but a goodie. With the interesting weather we’ve been getting here in Toronto, I found it almost fitting that I post a winter wedding documented earlier this year. Kelly and Yvan are a beautiful couple who’s personalities mesh so well together. They both met about 4 years ago on the set of Rock of Ages. At the time, Yvan just came from Quebec and his english needed some polish, the same went for Kelly who’s French was ok but needed some work. It was there that the attraction started. Going on dates and practicing each other’s language as well as performances that sparked a relationship that will last forever.

Fast forward 4 years later in late January. They find themselves at a church surrounded by family and friends alike, exchanging their wedding vows in the language  they were unfamiliar with just 4 years ago, Kelly in french, and Yvan in english. I think that is one of the sweetest things ever! Here are some of my favorites =)

Wawaweewa!!! I can’t believe it’s been nearly month since my last post!!! This one is long overdue. You must remember Jovie and Adrian from one of my more “recent” posts.

It all began at the end of January when I received an email from one of my favorite grooms, yes, I said it…Grooms (find out why here). Nelson sent me an email giving me the skinny on his friend Jovie’s event. Essentially, the event was a baby shower and surprise wedding. What?! yeah…a surprise wedding! Excited about the opportunity to document this unique event, I exchanged a couple of more emails with Jovie to discuss logistics. All this while we were taking turns going out of town.

Now, it was pretty easy going. I have worked with Jovie and Adrian before. Not only are they just really cool and kind individuals, they were well organized, they had to be, after all, they are wedding co-ordinators.

After a couple of weeks of planning, the day finally came. Tons of Jovie and Adrian’s close friends and family flowed into the Milliken Community Centre expecting good food, drinks and fun.  Everything from candy, balloons, to the unique games Jovie and Adrian set up were a hit. At the door, guests were given the option to place a bet on which date they think Jovie will give birth to baby Addison Melia Padua Cajindos, they were ushered into a beer rally with baby bottles and given some word puzzles which hinted at the surprise to come.

I have to say that it was quite an eventful evening. Getting a chance to see Angela and Nelson again was also nice. I would like to thank Ron and Lucy for helping me out, there was so much going on, it would have been hard to just have one photographer document it all.

They both moved to Canada shortly after they got married as Hiro was transfered from Toyota Japan to Toyota Canada. Chie keeps busy as hair stylist who has worked with Lucy from time to time. We quickly became friends through our love of Japan and food. It is with them that Lucy and I get to brush up on our Japanese (more Lucy than me) and reminisce about Japan every time we meet.

When we learned that Chie was pregnant, we were ecstatic. When asked to do a maternity shoot, we were honored! With that said, this Lucy and I did a little role reversal on this shoot. I played second shooter and voice activated light stand while she lead the shoot. I have to say, she lead the shoot with confidence and fresh ideas which makes me so proud of how much Lucy’s photography has developed.

Here are some the photos I took.I know I posted these already but the effect is so different when you seem the images individually.

Happy Wednesday everyone!!!  You have undoubtedly seen my initial Turks and Caicos posts (Part 1, Part 2) back in November.

The day was here, Jonathan and Michelle’s beautiful wedding in the beautiful Turks and Caicos! Contrary to what meteorologists were saying about being on alert for a hurricane, the sun was beaming and there was not a storm cloud in sight. Joee and I started our coverage in Michelle’s MASSIVE suite where we shot a mock episode of MTV cribs!

With some good tunes on the radio, Michelle was getting her hair and make up done. She joked that things were just so much easier for guys. I have to concur =).

On the other side of the resort, Jonathan was getting ready at the spa and yes, things were indeed easier. Jonathan was done in record breaking time and to that, we had some time for some portraits before the much anticipated reveal.

As Jonathan waited for Michelle at the lobby of the Regent Palms Resort, he was going through his giving his vows a last look while recounting his story to me about how they met and got together.

Shortly after, Michelle arrived looking as beautiful as can be. The way they were looking at each other was simply amazing, you could just tell they had a deep connection and were meant to be together.

Here are some of my favorites from the day.

Hope you guys enjoyed the photos. Thanks again Joee for inviting me to help you out on this amazing wedding.

Meet Jovie and Adrian! When they approached me about an idea they had, I was left intrigued and excited! (More about this in a later post…don’t want to spoil it.) Part of the idea involved an enagement/maternity session which was amazing!!

Jovie is an awesome wedding planner and together they not only make a great couple, but a great team. They not only make sure that the bride and groom are enjoying their day but they go the extra mile to make sure everyone else who is involved, be it the DJ, the emcee and of course, the photographer is well informed and taken care of. I have worked with them enough to know that if Jovial Events is on the job, I know it’s going to be a great wedding!

Like many of my sessions, my couples are relaxed and comfortable. This was no exception as Jovie actually took a little snooze part way through. She said it was too comfortable…hehehe..I’ll take that!! =)

Here are some of my favorites from the session.  Special thanks goes to Lucy for helping me out on this one.

My personal favorite…

Wait…where was I?  Well, I was in Las Vegas for an amazing…let me re-iterate..AH-MAAAAY-ZING time at WPPI (Wedding & Portrait Photographer International) with my two friends Sandy and Albert from Sandy Tam Photography. Enveloped by photographers, established and budding, the whole experience was uplifting and inspiring. What’s more is that I had the opportunity to meet with my awesome vendors who have been an integral part of my business.

Despite all the WPPI events, we still managed to check out some of the casinos and other sites in Vegas while taking photos of each other.

Here are some photos of Sandy and Albert.

Now, those who know me know that I don’t get really “star struck” but I was just happy to be around so much talent. I was lucky enough to have my photo taken with some of the photographers whom I absolutely love….pardon the iphone pics.

Quinn, myself and Dave from DQ Studios

Joe Buissink and I

Jasmine Star and I Myself and Susan Stripling (Please mind big face)

Thanks you guys!!
I am definitely looking forward to WPPI 2012.

Wow…Where to begin?! It’s been a crazy 24 hours but it was all worth it. I have known Ron and Jen for  about 12 years. As close friends we grew together and I have watched their relationship flourish. Seeing my two close friends get engaged yesterday afternoon was definitely something and Lucy and I were so happy and privileged to be a part of it.

I know that Ron had been planning for nearly a year now. He had so many ideas of how he would propose to his love of 13 years. However, what he finally chose was simple and brought it back to what was important to them.

You can imagine, being together for so long, a couple must have shared so many memories together. It was for this reason that Ron decided to take Jen on a little journey of their relationship before popping the question. Guided by little arrows, hearts and photos of their past, a path was created in which Jen would follow in order to reach Ron who was waiting at the planetarium at The Ontario Science Centre. The photos were an amazing, covering everything from when they first got together, graduation as well as their trips and adventures.

The staff at the Science Centre were amazing. They were super helpful in making this happen. While we were putting the photos up, the staff would come by to share some kind words and support to Ron. They were all behind him 100%.

I have to say that this experience was quite a challenge to document as we chose to have Jen experience this journey without knowing our presence. At one point, Lucy was shooting from a sniper like position, but the sound of the camera shutter almost gave us away. Phew…Here are some photos…

literally seconds after this photo was taken. I ran for cover as Jen suddenly turn and looked around. I thought that I gave it away somehow. We found out later than this is when Jen heard the sound of Lucy’s shutter.
This is one of the first photos of them taken.They finally came out with the good news!!!! The suspense was killing me!!!

Congratulations guys!!!!!

More tomorrow…Congrats guys!

Happy Thursday everyone…Due to the cold cold cold weather we’ve been getting here my mind has been wandering to warmer climates which lead me to share with you this blog post of my trip to Cuba with Lucy and two of my close friends Jen and Ron.

I have to say that I was never one for a “relaxing” type trip. I always much prefer the trips that involved exploration and the experience of different cultures, not to mention the food of course. However, in keeping with trying new things and just having a trip with friends, the Sandals Royal Hicacos resort in Veradero was the place we picked to get some much needed R&R.

I must say that my first all inclusive experience was quite awesome. I now know what people mean when people tell me they did absolutely nothing on their vacations. At the resort, I was spoiled with soft sand, gorgeous weather, falling asleep on the beach, having drinks served to you with those tiny umbrellas (it does not take much…i know). Of course, the company was not bad either.

In any case, please enjoy the photos…

As a photographer, I find myself behind the camera more often than in front of one. As a result, I, let alone Lucy and I don’t have very many photos of each other together. Such is also the case for Ron and Jen. It was then that the idea of taking a day and taking photos of each other was born and here are the results of Ron taking photos of Lucy and I.

Photos of Ron and Jen will follow soon.

Thanks Ron!!!

As it turns out, Stephanie and Chuck were guests at Jessica and Eric’s wedding. They told me that they not only loved my work but how my team worked together. I was happy to hear this as the importance of having a good team is sometimes overlooked by many. It is for this reason that my coverage always includes a second photographer, not an assistant, but a photographer. What this means to you is that I bring another individual who is disciplined in wedding photography who understands my style and approach to help provide you with complete coverage of your special day. I was flattered to hear this and it was not long before they decided that I was the photographer for them.

Here are some photos taken on their engagement session.

Stephanie, Chuck, thank you and I can’t wait for your wedding in July 2011!!!

So please welcome Lisa and Gerrard who would be celebrating their 4 month anniversary today!! Happy Anniversary guys!! I had the good fortune to be a part of their special day second shooting for Kevin Lam. This unconventional couple were amazing to work with and super relaxed all day long. They did not have a wedding party and they even helped each other get ready the day of. They are super sweet and just by looking at them, you could tell that they were really into each other. Here are some favorites of the day.

I have yet to meet someone who does not like to travel. Even if you are not adventurous per say it’s nice to see or experience something new. This being said people travel very differently. I recall my last trip to Japan a couple of years ago with Lucy. The trip was focused around trying new food and getting immersed in the culture. Tourist attractions served as guidelines, not the main destination. I remember there was one time where Lucy brought me to the Imperial Palace in Tokyo. I was a little let down by the fact that we could not tour the inner grounds. Of course not! Lucy exclaimed, the imperial family still resides there! duh! While accepting her logic I noticed something in the distance. It looked like a radio tower, yet it was lit in such a way to draw special attention. I asked her what it was and she guessed that it may be Tokyo Tower. Being curious, I suggested we walk towards it to confirm my curiosity. The tower on the horizon was our beacon, we did not know how long the walk would be but along the way, we detoured and stumbled upon a unique shrine and an awesome coffee shop. About an hour of walking later, we discovered that the tower was in fact Tokyo Tower. For us, it was more about what we would find along the way rather than just going to see it. Yes,this involved a little bit of walking but we found that stumbling upon things were much more rewarding than if we mapped out the route.

Segway to the present time and I am delivering this blog post to you while I am on my way to Osaka via Shinkansen (bullet train). As I feel the train catapult myself and the other couple hundred or so passengers forward I am pleasantly reminded about a decision I had to make recently, allow me to share. A little over a month ago, I chose to leave my place of full time employment to pursue my passion of becoming a fulltime wedding photographer. I have never left a job before, the concept was so foreign to me that I needed to google “how to write a letter of resignation”. Actually submitting my resignation letter was equally foreign and scary to say the least. I recall having to print a second copy of my resignation letter because I clutched onto the first one for so long that i made creases on it and it would have looked like something typed up on a napkin. With the support of family, and friends near and dear to me, I was reminded that doing something one is passionate about is an important part of life’s journey. The thing is that I loved my work and I loved the people I worked with, it was just that my passion was now more focused, and in order to fully pursue it, I needed to pick one. I drew inspiration from Jeff Bezos, Steve Jobs, Tim Ferris, Stewart Brand, Cheri Huber, Benjamin Disraeli, to name a few. Let me tell you, taking the risk is never easy, and there is never a good time to do it, but looking I know that I made the right decision. The next couple of weeks after submitting my resignation was difficult, leaving the work was one thing but leaving my extended family was tougher. My three years at my workplace seemed short but during this time, I forged many lifelong friendships and learned a great deal on a world I never knew existed. For this I am eternally grateful. Below is a quick slideshow of photos I took of the individuals I had he pleasure of working with over the years. They were taken with my iphone courtesy of Hipstamatic. Thank you so much for everything guys. There are a few photos of people that were not taken sorry. Thank you so much.

IMG_0327 IMG_0242 IMG_0240 IMG_0239 IMG_0237 IMG_0201 IMG_0200 IMG_0195 IMG_0194 IMG_0193 IMG_0192 IMG_0189 IMG_0187 IMG_0186 IMG_0184 IMG_0182 IMG_0180 IMG_0179 IMG_0175 IMG_0173 IMG_0172 IMG_0166 IMG_0163 IMG_0162 IMG_0161 IMG_0160 IMG_0159 IMG_0158 IMG_0156 IMG_0155 IMG_0150 IMG_0148 IMG_0142 IMG_0131 IMG_0130 IMG_0129 IMG_0127 IMG_0114 IMG_0113 IMG_0112 IMG_0110 IMG_0099 IMG_0093 IMG_0092 IMG_0090 IMG_0089 IMG_0087 IMG_0085 IMG_0084 IMG_0082 IMG_0081 IMG_0079 IMG_0078 IMG_0077 IMG_0076 IMG_0075 IMG_0073 IMG_0071 IMG_0066 IMG_0063 IMG_0057 IMG_0055 IMG_0049 IMG_0047 IMG_0044 IMG_0043 IMG_0042

Now on a little lighter note. Spend time with family and friends guys. Re-connect with past friends and see what’s up. My brothers and I realize that time is going by so quickly that we decided to take a brother trip. Unfortunately my younger brother Patrick could not make it due to exams so it’s just Robert and I in Japan. Surely another trip for the three of us will be planned. For now, this trip has gone well. I must say that hostel life, albeit more affordable and exciting as we get to meet other travelers is just not for me. Something about it that I can’t quite articulate or put my finger on. I am not saying that it’s a bad way to travel, no, I have already met a few backpackers who have shared their world travels with me, I am jealous of the 30 stamps they have on their passport. I am just saying it’s not for me.

My “travel” phone (iPhone) proved to be one of the best travel tools. You don’t know how many Japanese language and transit maps I have loaded on this thing. Where it fails is that many of the applications require a data connection,something that is super expensive in Japan. If you plan on traveling here, don’t even think about getting free wifi as there are far and few between. I am also very thankful for my brother Rob, as he always manages to keep things fun and light with his somewhat immature behavior. I could only imagine how it would be like if Patrick was here too. Rob is some what of a foodie. Because of him, I have eaten soba noodles from a place that has been serving it for over 220 years, tried chicken sashimi (don’t know it till you try it), hormone, among other foods. Not sure if I will be creating a dedicated blog post for my travels but you can follow my random photos here on my Tumblr account. The majority ofthe photos will be of food and stuff that I come across as interesting. I plan on maintaining it to a photo a day of some sort when I get back.

Traveling and life have many parallels. At the end of the day, we all share the same inevitable destination, however how we chose to get there is really up to us.

Stay Hungry.
Stay Foolish.

Kevin

Nelson making some finishing touches to his speechThe boys grab some liquid courage breakfast before they leave for the church.

Any way you slice it, all weddings are different and unique. I always encourage all my couples to consider bringing in something that best represents themselves into the wedding. It is this element that shows the couple’s true selves and personalities to their guests. The feeling would be something along the lines of stumbling across something and immediate think “that is sooo them”. The thing is, that you would not be the only one to draw this conclusion, other friends and family would say the exact same thing. It is that element that makes the wedding so much more special and intimate, to just “know”. Well, Michelle and Stuart accomplished this perfectly, the moment people arrived at Michelle’s parent’s home, they were greeted with home made signage directing them everywhere from the ceremony, food stations, to the washrooms. Used glass jars and tea tins were vessels for beautiful flower arrangements that were scattered around the backyard. Everything felt so warm, thoughtfully laid and just sooo them! What’s more was that this wedding was planned in the ballpark of 6 months which is amazing!! Here are some of my favorites of the day.

Michelle and her bridesmaids had were video chatting with a close friend who unfortunately could not make it to the wedding.

Congrats to Michelle and Stuart, thanks Ron for having me work with you again on this amazing wedding.

Michelle, Jonathan, congratulations!!!!!

I got to meet some of the locals here. I am told that geckos here in Turks and Caicos are the equivalent to the  squirrels back at home.

While scouting, Joee and I ventured out of the resort and found a local restaurant where we had an awesome lunch. 

Michelle looking stunning in her tea ceremony dress.

Michelle’s mom raising the roof! Woot Woot!!

The big day is tomorrow and I can’t wait!!!
Bonne Nuit!!

So here I am in Turks and Caicos to assist Joee with Michelle and Jonathan’s wedding. I must preface by saying that although I have not experienced staying in many resorts, the Regent Palms is AMAZING! From the moment Joee and I checked in, we were greeted by warm and attentive staff as well as a beautiful property and beach, not to mention our pristine room.

After dropping off our baggage we stumbled upon Michelle and Jonathan who took us around the resort. While scouting, we stopped by the resort’s shop and  found that they sold Gatorade; Joee’s magical potion!

Here are some shots of the day. Be sure to check out Joee‘s take on the first day here

Goodnight!

As I went through the photos from this session, I relived many of the moments I shared with Andrea and Edward and their friends that weekend. It became apparent to me that there was no way this would be an ordinary post, there was a story to be told in this session, as a result I will be posting images mini adventure in addition to the engagement photos. Enjoy!

After loading the cars full of food, clothing and supplies, we were off! It did not seem long until the convoy needed make a pit stop for some food.

After photographing Andrea and Edward a little, I was reminded at how hard it is for this couple to be serious. They were always making each other laugh and smile. See what I mean?The cottage was beautiful. It had a rustic kinda feel to it but was also very warm and cozy. I have to admit that I would totally consider going to a cottage after this experience.After an amazing hot pot meal, the group (Andrea, Edward, Derek, Joanna, Benet, Karen, Lucy and myself), enjoyed a beautifully star lit sky and warm fire outdoors where Andrea and Edward shared with everyone their story of how they met and how Edward proposed. It was a great evening.Something I forgot to mention, there was the promise of good food, and at first I thought it was a bunch of take out. Not the case here, Andrea and Edward are amazing in the kitchen and the BBQ. Andrea makes these light and fluffy eggs they are to die for, as for Edward, when he puts on this hat, he becomes king of the BBQ. He made home made mini burgers, an amazing rack of lamb and flavorful steak a la “SPM”. After an amazing lunch, we set out for the town for some photos. There were the “usual” photos, but upon our return, Lucy and I noticed this magical light in an open field. We had to pull over frogger over some traffic to get the following. Andrea and Edward were amazing to be so, cool with these spontaneous mini shoots.On our last day, we hiked 30 minutes and spent another 20 minutes strategically climbing down a rockface into a cove. I have to say it was quite dangerous given we were travelling with everything. There was one point where I thought we would forgo this location because it seemed too dangerous, but Andrea and Edward did not let this roadblock stop them. We figured out a way to get down there and boy was it worth it!   

Phew, we are at the end of the post! Thanks for taking the time to check out this unique engagement session. Andrea, Edward, thank you for inviting Lucy and I to spend the weekend with you both and your close friends. We had an amazing time together and we cannot wait till your wedding!!!
P.S. Happy Thanks Giving everyone!!!!!

Taking you back in time here to Katherine and David’s wedding that took place at the end of July. Although I have not seen them since last year when I tagged along with Ron for their engagement shoot it was easy catching up again!! Here are a couple of my favorites.

Had an AMAZING weekend with Andrea and Edward in Tobermory for their engagement photos. I just had to share this one with you guys and I can’t wait to show you the rest.

I have not blogged in a while and I know you are all here for the photos than to read my banter, here are some, a crap load of photos from the day.

In regards to Susan and Kevin knowing how to have fun. I really needed to tell you all about their speech. It was the easily the most creative and entertaining bride and groom speeches I have ever experienced. Their speech started out with thanking everyone from family to friends as well as some beautiful words to each other. They then proceeded to tell everyone the story of how they got together. So, if you ever had the pleasure of growing up watching Will Smith in his early years as the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, you can play the show’s theme song in your head while reading the following. Those who have no clue what I am talking about, refer to this link.

Susan:

So this is a story all about howI got up here in a wedding gown.
So gimme just a minute, don’t lose your curls, I’ll tell you how I became Mrs. Squirrels.

In east Toronto born and raised I got into club downtown at Peter and Adelaide.
At Milwaukee’s where I spent most of my Fridays
We were chilling by the dance floor, acting like fools
When we saw a couple of dudes who were up to no good
We started moving closer to see if they were from the hood
I had one little drink and I started to think
Could this be the key to my missing link?

Kevin:

I whistled for this girl and when she came near
I got a little nervous so I bought another beer
If anything I could say that this girl was rare
She was Chinese and had pretty long hair
So here we are, rapping for you
The story of Kevin Malkamaki and Susan Trieu
I look at my future, I am finally here
Pour me a shot and lets get this party into gear!

In closing I wanted to bring up the importance of having a good team. I was truly blessed to have both Lucy and Spencer with me for Kevin and Susan’s wedding. I would not have been able the day would not have been as smooth and as nicely documented without them. In addition to them, I have to recognize all the other wedding providers as we all as worked together very well to make the day go by so smoothly. Provider list to follow. Susan, Kevin, thank you so much for having us share your special day with you. Congrats again and hope to re-connect soon.

Make up: Jacquie Jeffrey – Make-up Forever
Hairstylist: Sherry-Ann Welch and Mari
DJ/MC: Valentino Siriani and Alex (MC)
Decor/Florist: Julie Chan – Petals
Cinema: Eugene Lo- Cinematic Weddings
Ceremony/Reception Venue: Megan Rosart (very helpful) – The Country Club

I apologize for the lack of posts lately and for that I will provide you with less of mmy ramblings and more eye candy. I am happy to share this wedding with you guys where I got to help out Joee last month. Enjoy and I will be posting more soon!

A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of assisting Margaret for Bobby and Phuong’s wedding. It was a hot day but we managed simply because they were so fun to work with. I had been to the Shangri La on many occasions before but this would be my first for a full wedding, ceremony and all. You would not have guessed it but this venue is quite surprising. The staff were great and the ceremony location was nicely decorated. As with many couples, I was curious as to how Bobby and Phuong actually met. All I know was that Phuong worked at a men’s clothing store. It was not until I saw a familiar face that I knew exactly where she worked and I couple piece together their story. The familiar face was a gentleman by the name of Tom from Tom’s Place! What was significant about this to me is that is where I bought my first suit. I have seen him here and there and other events I shoot but it was nice to see him at a wedding. In any case, here are some of my favorites.

I had a lot of fun documenting Angela and Ryan’s big day. When I arrived at Angela’s place the house was buzzing with activity, but not in a panic mode kind of way. There was just a lot to get done but in an organized fashion. Angela had a gorgeous dress with plenty of little details.  Here are more photos of the day.

Clair has got to be one of the cuttest flower girls ever!!! When I arrived at the church, all I saw was this cute flower girl waving her basket back and forth as she waited patiently for Angela. When Angela arrived, she jetted over into Angela’s arms and said, “you look very pretty”. The cuteness just kills me.

Now here is something you don’t see at every wedding. Before the ceremony started, there was a slide show running showcasing photos of the two of them and their travels. Most of which are self portraits. Well, right before they walked down the aisle as husband and wife, Ryan reaches into his pocket and takes out his point and shoot to take the first self portrait of himself and Angela together. The first photo of themselves as husband and wife.

I had a lot of fun helping Kevin Lam document Joyce and Bobby’s wedding earlier last month. When I arrived at Bobby’s getting ready location, I was greeted by his warm family and friends. Although excited for the day Bobby’s friends and family enjoyed laughs and stories of how they all got together with me. I love when couples open up to me and let me see and experience more their dynamic as it is always interesting and keeps things fresh. Here are some favorites of the day.

Guys are always so funny. Don’t get me wrong, I love documenting the bride getting ready on their wedding day, but on the occasions where I help another photographer out and I have the pleasure of photographing the guys, I am often entertained by the guys just joking around. It is a totally different pace and it’s safe to say that the guys have it easy. Last month I helped Joee out documenting Erin and Jame’s big day. I was assigned to cover James’ prep in the morning. Once I arrived at the location, I was greeted by the guys who were just chilling out with some beers and waiting for a pizza to arrive. With the TV playing a soccer match in the background the guys were joking around freely, recounting stories of their friendship. It was so nice to be there and listen to the plethora experiences these friends have had over the years; some good, some bad, mostly hilarious! I got to learn about their dynamic and it’s nice to be able to experience that level of trust/comfort.  Here are some of my favorites of the day.

James received a wedding gift from Erin which was nice. It was apparently sitting in their basement for quite some time and he managed to remain disciplined enough not o take a peak until the wedding day. As he tore away the wrapping paper he got the sign of approval from the guys. “she’s a keeper” one of them said. All this, before he even looked at what it was that Erin got him. He jokingly said that he felt bad for what he got Erin was no where near as thoughtful as the Yzerman jersey he had just received. I found the remark kind of cute.

Congrats guys!!

Last Sunday, I had the pleasure to photograph Susan and Kevin’s engagement. I was really looking forward to it as we have canceled the session before due to bad weather. I was taking an afternoon nap, (I am not old, I just like my naps!) when I was abruptly awaken by a rumbling sound. Naturally I thought, tractor trailer or construction truck passing through the neighborhood. I crawled out of bed and peeked out the window still half asleep. The clouds got darker by the minute which prompted me to go and double check the weather online. Once the page loaded I was greeted with an unfamiliar flashing red bar that read “Sever Thunderstorm Warning for Toronto, Mississauga, Brampton”.  Oh (insert obscenities here)!!. It was about 4pm and I dialed Susan’s number hoping to intercept her before she left for her make up appointment. Errg….no answer. I then heard a loud crash and then the rain began. Profanity began to fill my head as I watched large puddles forming on the street. My phone began to vibrate, I pick up and it was Kevin. The call went something like this…

Me: Hello?

Kevin: Hey Kevin how’s it going?

Me: It’s going I guess.. (uneasily)

Kevin: So, it’s looking like a torrential downpour right now, is it raining where you are at?

Me: Yeah it’s the same here. I tried calling Susan but I take it she’s at her appointment.

Kevin: Yeah, I don’t think she wants to cancel this time.

Me: Well, we’ll see how it goes, I am checking the hourly weather report and it says it should clear up by the time we shoot.

Kevin: Yeah? Alright then, we’ll keep in touch.

Me: See ya…

Kevin: Bye.

By 5pm, things settled down. The clouds began to part and the sun peeked through. We made arrangements to meet at Kariya Park in Mississauga a little earlier for our shoot and I am glad we did because we were covered in beautiful light the whole time. Susan and Kevin were great to photograph and just be around, I can’t wait for their wedding next month! Here are some of my favorites from the session.

On a side note, it was so nice to bump into Sonya and Luc at the wedding! I love bumping into past couples, even if in this case, they were not my couple, you still get to develop a friendship which is awesome!

Happy monday!!

Not sure if I mentioned this but Margaret is a teacher with some amazing students. As a surprise, her students showed up to performed as the choir for her ceremony. At this point I was inside the church getting ready for her entrance while Lucy stayed with Margaret, so this next part is Lucy retelling the story to me to the best of her memory. When Margaret got out of the limo, she heard children singing to which she said something to the effect of “Who’s singing?! Are those my kids?! Oh my goodness.” She was completely surprised and overwhelmed with joy. That is when Lucy took the following photo of Margaret realizing it was her kids singing.

Margaret smiling at her choir kids.

For this next image, I wanted to write something about the importance of having a second photographer, who is able to see from a different perspective and make images that compliment ones of the primary photographer. I was lucky to have Lucy with me for Margaret and Tamer’s wedding and this is just one of the many instances where the images from two different people compliment each other. I created the image on the left wanting a more intimate image of the couple. Lucy on the other hand wanted to make use of the beautiful architecture behind the couple. These two images were taken nano seconds apart and yet give such a different feel.

Congrats Margaret and Tamer, have fun on your honeymoon!

Ok, so I am not going to make a habbit of posting a wedding related video but this came to me from Ron and when I saw this, the first thing I thought was, man I hope that photographer has backup equipment (brides, future brides, please please please…make sure your photographer has backup equipment!). Second thing that caught my eye was the man who was helping the photographer get out of the water at about 25 second into the video is awesome!!! Not sure if he was the second shooter or assistant but that guy sprung into action and had nothing but the photographers best interest at heart because the first thing he went for was to get the camera out of the water! I hope his quick actions saved the camera.

Funny enough, I was talking to a photographer friend and the topic of back up equipment came up. The example I used was, if I fell into water with my equipment I would need a fresh set of everything (which I have), to which he replied, we are in Toronto, where would you fall into water? Well dude…case and point… ; )

Happy Friday, have a great weekend everyone!

Gotta be one of my favorite shots. Traditionally speaking, my favorite photo should be a shot of the couple in glorious light that speaks volumes, but I love the look on Elton’s face when his best man grabs him and is ready to pucker up in order to win the challenge. Just by looking at his face you can already conjure up what’s going on in his mind. Congrats again Carmen and Elton!!!

It was about 3 months since I last saw Rachell and Jim for their engagement shoot. I was excited for their wedding day which promised to be just as fun and exciting sans the cold. I began my day at Rachell’s hotel where she and her girls were getting ready. I snuck in some time to take some photos of her dress and shoes which looked fabulous. Check it out.

We then found ourselved at the quaint little church at  The Doctor’s House in Kelinberg for the cermony. The church was filled to capacity with Rachell and Jim’s family and friends.

Woohoo Mr and Ms Bui!!! After the quick ceremony, we took off for some portraits and I gotta tell you that we could not have asked for better weather and light. These are just some of my favorites.

Because I know Rachell and Jim were heading straight to their honeymoon the next day, I wanted to give them a sneak peak of their day which they enjoyed very much. I need to send a special thank you to Ron and Lucy who helped me out through the day. Could not have done it without you guys. Thanks. Rachell, Jim, thank you sooo much for sharing your special day with us! Congrats!

Wow, it’s been almost a year since I photographed Jessica and Eric’s engagement and now I am posting their wedding! I was honored and happy to have the opportunity to be a part of Jess’ wedding. There was quite a bit of shooting but a lot of hanging out and catching up here and there. Before I continue I have to thank Ron and Lucy for helping me out for this wedding, I really could not have done it without them, thanks!

I have known Jess since university and although she later changed schools, we managed to keep in touch and catch up from time to time which is always nice. Jess is a very creative individual who is down to earth and super nice. With that, here are some of my favorites of the day.

Jessica does not use make up on a daily basis, I remember joking with her on her wedding day saying that this was the first time I have seen her with make up and I was happy to see that she kept everything quite subtle and above all natural. Totally her.

Eric and his boys arrived shortly and were going to be given a hard time. Eric actually thought that he could bypass the games by sneaking through the garage as he knew the pin code but the bridesmaids were all over it that and had the place locked down!

simple but definitely one of my favorites of Jess.