From the first moment Mel & Dan walked through our studio door we really connected with them.. The more we chatted the more we realized a Summer get away to their cottage in Muskoka was going to be the ultimate solution to their engagement shoot location.

I absolutely love the feeling to this shot… and Charlotte LOVES Melissa’s amazing engagement ring!! Good job Dan!

We began the photo shoot with the two of them sitting on their dock and hanging out with the boat, looking forward to going for a spin later on! Don’t you just love these relaxed shots of them? They really make each other laugh all the time – You can tell they are best friends.

I love this next series of images Charlotte created of Mel with a daisy she found, and the two of them relaxing in the boat. Cute eh.

After a gentle warm up, we had a quick wardrobe change and decided to go for a walk… As we were heading out the driveway we spotted a virtual meadow of ground cover. Charlotte posed up our gorgeous couple and I proceeded to grab this high point of view. Such a cool shot though – I’d love to have a shot of my fiance and I like this!

Look at the stunning green eyes these guys have.. Looks so great with the green Muskokan landscape.

I love the lens flare in this shot… Hot! Hot! Hot!

Dan and Mel took us to this cool field with long wheaty grass sprinkled with purple flowers.. How buttery is the backgroud for these two romantics?

As we wandered up the trail back to the cottage we saw this amazing patch of light and couldn’t resist grabbing some gorgeous photos of them together.

As the afternoon went on, the four of us headed out on the boat and Dan got a chance to do some wake-boarding…

…Melissa had a turn taking a photo of us!

Cruising back to the cottage you could feel the love. I can’t wait for the wedding tomorrow guys!!! You both looked so happy at the rehearsal today so glad you had us come along!

The day flew by way too fast!! It was a relaxed day, beginning at Samantha’s house in Markham, where she and her two sisters Nikki and Amanda were all getting ready. Some of you may remember Amanda’s gorgeous vineyard wedding last year. As the girls finished their make up, they teased one another the way only sisters can!

We left the house to head to the ceremony with drops of rain appearing on the windsheild… but they soon cleared. After a playful, emotional ceremony at Capitol Event Theatre we headed over to York University for some light hearted wedding party photography, wrapping up the session with the bride and groom getting some well deserved alone time.

Without further ado I’m pleased to share this wedding photography slide show with you all!

Click here to view the embedded video.

Alison & Jason are getting marred less than two weeks from today at Graydon Hall Manor – a favourite venue of ours. Chatting about their lives at the moment it’s nice to hear we’re not the only couple feeling a little swamped with all that goes into planning a wedding!

Jason and Alison are a relaxed, easy going pair. They live in the Liberty Village, so we decided to do the shoot right there in their local neighbourhood. We started and ended their shoot at The Brazen Head, a pub that I hadn’t actually been to yet, but I’m pleased to have been introduced to it!

Right from the beginning of the photo session I could tell we were going to have a lot of fun. We wandered through the shops and found some cool little areas for Jay & Alison to hang out – allowing them to slow down and soak in a few moments together.

Jason spotted a grass feature in front of a condo building and with some shuffling we got some very sexy, romantic images.

About an hour into the session we chatted about where to continue the session – The Ex, Centennial Park or elsewhere… and we quickly settled on The Harbourfront Centre & Music Gardens – both favourites of mine. As we were driving there we spotted this vibrant red wall and stopped for a couple of quick photos – and I’m so glad we did!

We arrived at the Music Gardens just in time for twilight… a favourite time for doing some sexier shots…. Check them out below.

A tall ship was cruising by, and we managed to snag this beautiful photo – just look at the connection between these guys!

As the shoot was wrapping up we decided to cruise by The Harbourfront Centre and we were all so glad we did… check out the beautiful lighting they have set up!

Alison & Jay – we can’t wait to photograph your wedding next weekend!!! You guys are the best.

While Dave’s off having a fun time shooting Alison and Jason’s engagement shoot today in Liberty Village. I’m here in my office working like a busy bee getting caught up on the office work. We’re happy we could get their session in just in time for their wedding this month at Graydon Hall, here in Toronto. With the unpredictable weather we’ve been having we’ve had to reschedule due to thunderstorms, but today was the perfect day for a fun city engagement session.

This post is from a few months back but I’d love to share it with you all. Dave and I are very passionate about working with local Toronto Charities and Camp Oochigeas is definitely one of our faves. Camp Oochigeas is a amazing camp for kids with cancer, where they can go to play and have fun with other kids and still continue to undergo their chemotherapy treatments. Camp Ooch also provides kids with 680 year round programs at no cost to the families. It’s such an important, life changing experience for the kids that’s why this charity is so close to our hearts!

We were so honoured to be asked this year to cover the gala and auction at The ROM, Royal Ontario Museum. The lavish gala raised over half a million dollars in one evening and had over 700 of Toronto’s most generous in attendance. The evening hosted a very special spokesperson, child actress and cancer survivor, Heidi Hayes. Heidi spoke about how Camp Ooch changed her life and helped her through the really tough times while she battled cancer. She also spoke about all of the great friends she made while along the way. You may recognize her from her hit movies History of Violence with Viggo Mortensen. There were a lot of tears, laughter love at the gala and we were so happy to be a part of it all. If you’d like to donate to Camp Ooch and help a local child’s  fight please do so here DONATE.

Thanks to our friend and amazing wedding planner Currie Ross for contacting us to help support Camp Ooch.

We thought we’d play with a very basic little digital camera we had shaking around. We made a family movie inspired by the Super 8 video’s my Opa used to make when he was a cinematographer.

It was a lot of fun! Let us know what you think

Music: “Brand New Day” by Joshua Radin.

We’ve been shooting so much this summer we’ve hardly had time to blog but we have so many weddings we want to post we’re hustling to get some up for you all to see! It was even my little sister Tricia’s wedding yesterday that took place at The Royal York Hotel and The Berkeley Church. I was the Maid of Honour and so took the night off, we had such a great time. Today Dave is shooting a wedding at The Royal Canadian Yacht Club while I got the day off.  Last month Dave and I had the pleasure to photograph a beautiful wedding at Archeo in Toronto’s Historical Distillery District. The couple had their beautiful, intimate Jewish wedding ceremony in the Thompson Landry Gallery and it was an incredible location. The stunning art pieces on the wall were beautifully lit adding vibrant colour to their day. We were referred to Lauren and Adam through Adam’s sister Nara. We volunteer for her charity Imagine a Cure for Leukemia every year it’s a great cause we we really believe in supporting local Toronto charities. Adam and Lauren loved the idea of a wedding slide show and we wanted to share it with you all! Enjoy!

With not only the Dave and Charlotte side of things our sister company Rainbow Eleven has been keeping us really busy also. With all of this work it got us daydreaming about vacation time Our last true vacation (ie, not work related) was to exotic St. Lucia a few months back. It was so nice to be together in a tropical paradise, surrounded by nature and beauty. Dave and I love getting outdoors and exploring. St. Lucia is definitely a gorgeous spot on the globe and it’s such a feast for the senses!

Here is a sideshow with some of our favorite memories of St. Lucia… And many more images below!

While we were vacationing, we took part in many excursions to really get out there and experience it all. My favourites had to be the Dolphin/Whale watching and the Rain Forest Trek.  The dolphin and pilot whales were so thrilling to watch. It’s so nice that we can observe them in their natural habitat. They dolphins loved surfing and playing in the waves our boat created in an otherwise calm sea. They had so much fun playing ‘chicken’ with our boat and racing around in front of it. One of the guests along for the excursion asked “Do you ever feed the dolphins fish to get them to come by the boat?” The guide just laughed and said “Why would they want to eat our old frozen fish when they have a sea of fresh fish out there!”

One thing that’s really, very important to us ethical treatment of animals. We don’t agree with attending parks or aquariums with captive dolphins. Not only does it harm and kill thousands of dolphins each year, it is no life for the dolphins in the parks that should be swimming free in nature. Please do not go to parks where you can ride, feed or touch captive dolphins!! If you’d like more information on how to help the dolphins please watch the documentary “The Cove” and visit this site, takepart.com/thecove.

The Rain Forest Trek was a lot of work hiking the trails to get to the hidden water fall, but so much fun. The ancient, majestic trees and refreshing waterfalls made us feel like we were in complete paradise for the day. It so nice to be surrounded by the sounds of the rain forest. What a beautiful piece of the world St. Lucia is. If we weren’t getting married in Perth Australia, we’d definitely think of St. Lucia as a spot for our destination wedding! It’s so romantic, no wonder they filmed the last season of the Bachelor there

Because St. Lucia is riddled with winding roads and it was a lengthy ride to the airport, we thought it would be a lot of fun to arrive in style and took the scenic route by helicopter Since both my Grandfather and Dad are both helicopter pilots, I’ve been on my fair share of helicopter rides but the view in St. Lucia was the most mind blowing adventure by far!  Boy, did I wish I had my camera with me when the pilot took me over the top of the breathtaking Piton’s!! Dave, sadly,  got more of the direct route but still manged to snap one or two aerial shots.

If there is one place I’d highly recommend for a romantic vacation, St. Lucia would have to be it! I hope we’ll be able to go back and visit again soon! Remember everyone, it’s a great spot for a destination wedding… hint, hint!

Look at all the fun these two have together. John loves to ham it up for the camera and make Karen laugh. No wonder Karen’s head over heels for him!

Aren’t they such a cute couple!! We were so excited to do their engagement session in the Ancaster area, it was a bit of fun to get outside the Toronto city limits and do a session somewhere exciting and new!

We loved the fact that even though we were booked for their wedding date, they wanted to do their engagement session with us. It really means a lot to us when our clients love us that much that they at least book us for their engagement shoot

Check out this shot, super cute!

Thanks Karen and John for choosing us to photograph your special connection with each other. We would have loved to have been there for your special day. Congratulations on your new life together!!

This is the third wedding we’ve had the privilege to photograph at the RIU Ocho Rios so we really know our way around the place by now It was really nice coming back and being a part of such a happy time for Lasha and Darren. The day was full of  emotion and happiness. You can see how elated Lasha was on such a special day. Everyone was so excited about the wedding ahead.

We could not have asked for better light that day. Everything had a gorgeous soft airy feel. So perfect for a wedding in paradise.

Darren was all smiles when he saw his Lasha for the first time. They have so much love for one another, we love being there to document the true emotion in peoples lives.

Ocho Rios is such a little piece of paradise. I love the soft aquas and blues, the Caribbean Sea has to be the most amazing backdrop for a wedding ceremony. The air was filled with the sound of lapping waves, everything was so breezy and so romantic.

We love the sweet moments, fun and laughter that happen candidly during the wedding ceremonies we shoot. It shows the true personality of the people we photograph.

This ha to be the sweetest flower girl in the world, what a little cutie

After a great ceremony, the guests wished the couple well, and we took them out for a stroll together on the beach.

The girls couldn’t help but play around have a good time when they we’re left on their own for a bit They all have such a hilarious sense of humour!

As we were walking back to the hotel, we grabbed a few stunning shots of Lasha, isn’t she just the most beautiful bride ever??

Darren’s not too bad himself eh, looking pretty dapper on the big day… These guys just love being together and they are  naturally such a effortless, perfect match!

As the sun started to go down, the evening beach reception began. We loved all of the beautiful little details and the event designer did an amazing job giving the outdoor beach wedding a romantic and private feel.

Thanks so much to Lasha and Darren for having us along to be a part of your wedding day, we really loved being there with you all and had the time of our lives down in gorgeous Ocho Rios with you all. Congrats to you both and peace, love and happiness in the future

Do you remember Melissa and Sean! We recently shot their stunning beach wedding in St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands. We both had a fabulous time with them and their sweet little girl Lauren. Lauren was actually the model I used for the cover of the 2010 Baby and Toddler Guide, check it out!

After the wedding we were very, very excited to head over the tropical island of the Turks and Caicos, Grand Turk to be exact to do a Trash the Dress session with with the newly weds. We couldn’t resist taking a few cute family shots before the session.

We had Sean and Melissa play around in the waves for a few romantic shots. The Turks and Caicos is a gorgeous spot to celebrate such a happy time for newly married couples.

We all had so much fun cruising around paradise, finding cool textures and light for the Trash the Dress session.

I love this shot on the cliff. So romantic and I also love the dreamy  turquoise sea. So breathtaking.

I love what salt water does to metal… The rusted pier was the perfect hideaway, with gorgeous light, to steal a few sexy shots of our couple.

Dave and I had an absolutely amazing time with Sean and Melissa cruising around the Caribbean. It was so nice to get away and shoot at such exotic locations with you all. Thanks so much for choosing us and stay tuned to the blog for Lasha and Darren’s chic beach wedding in Ocho Rios, Jamaica.

As we were planning their engagement pictures, Allison mentioned that they loved to spend time in nature together, both had a passion for the outdoors. She also mentioned in passing that her car had suicide doors.. right away Charlotte and I were picturing the cool images we could create with that!

Because Allison and Phil live in Oakville we thought we’d head out that way for the shoot and showcase their hood. We met up at a barn that I’ve visited many time over the years to explore. It’s an amazing building, full of cool little areas with incredible light coming in. The basement is very cool as well, full of nicknacks from the 50s.

Isn’t this window light just beautiful!? What a gorgeous couple!

We always love creating dramatic silhouettes, and this hallway provided the perfect opportunity for that. This is the kind of image you can easily print to hang and your walls.

As sunset neared the four of us headed over to The 5 Drive In – such and awesome location… Check out these next for photos… Such beautiful light this time of year.

How cool is the entrance to the Diner?? Sweet eh.

And to finish up, since posting the multi image yesterday we got some great feedback, including graces question about how the result was acheived… so we wanted to post the 4 images in their raw versions. As you can see, the light was falling off from shot to shot, with only minutes between the whole set.

Thanks guys for an amazing shoot! We’re very excited for your wedding in 2011!!

We did a really fun shoot around Oakville… in an old barn, at the 5 Drive In and wrapped up at Sheridan College. At the end of the shoot we created this multi-image that we’d love to share with you.

It’d be great to hear you feedback… like the idea? Want to see more of these type shot?

When we were asked to do another gorgeous Caribbean wedding in freezing February we were thrilled, and we were especially happy to have such a gorgeous couple to photograph.

Melissa is actually a dear friend of my sister Tricia so it was really nice to have a chance to photograph Melissa and her family on such an important day!

We had been having such a great time at sea with everyone but everyone was so excited to disembark and enjoy their fabulous wedding on the white sand beach!

It felt like we had stepped out into a little piece of paradise when we arrived at Magen’s Bay in St. Thomas. The planners had everything all set up beautifully. You can’t beat a stunning backdrop like this for your wedding day! Beach weddings really are the best!

Melissa’s dad was so very proud of his little girl. He loves her soo much and I can honestly say that I have never seen such a strong father/daughter bond, they really are like best friends! It was so nice to see that they have such a sweet relationship together, especially on Melissa’s big day.

Sean was so happy to see his beautiful bride to be walking down the sandy aisle. They make such an amazing couple!

Dave actually got in the water for this shot I love how he’s always thinking up unique and creative wedding photos.

This shot makes me so happy! It really reminds me of how elated they both were to be tying the knot. Super cute!

All of the vibrant colours looked so great against the beachy scenery! Corals and peaches looks so incredible with the turquoise sea. Love it! All of the colourful rose petals added a bit of playfulness as Melissa and Sean walked down the aisle officially Man and Wife!

What a gorgeous spot in the world, who wouldn’t want to get married at an exotic beach location like Megan’s Bay! We just love St. Thomas and can’t wait to go back

After the ceremony we had some fun with the bridal party and gave Melissa and Sean a little time to soak it all in.

Sean and his boys were always having a good laugh and loving the vibe of the day!

Dave caught this shot of little Lauren playing under the canopy after the wedding. What a sweet moment!

We finished up with some cool shots of the bridal party and took the gondola up to a restaurant over looking the hills. It was so nice to take a break with Melissa and Sean and to give them some time alone as a newly married couple.

Isn’t this the coolest shot ever! I love this on and it’s one of my faves from the wedding. Dave grabbed this one very carefully out the window of the gondola! Super cool right!?!

Dave and Sean went into the shop to grab some water so Melissa and I took these shots outside of the store, lol! It goes to show if you have a willing bride you can capture beautiful images anywhere

We had so much fun with these guys. I love these playful shots, too cute!

Melissa and I were left on our own while the boys took a few cool groomsmen shots so we had some fun before boarding the boat! It sort of reminds me of a 1940′s post card. I loved having the grandness of the ship as a backdrop.

After a fun day of shooting we made our way to the wedding reception and Melissa and Sean had a great time being with family and little Lauren again. It was a gorgeous wedding day and a beautiful reception.

Thanks so much to Melissa and Sean for choosing us to come along as your destination wedding photographers. We loved every moment we spent away with you all on board the ship and wish your family all the love and happiness in the future.

Stay tuned for Melissa and Sean’s Trash the Dress session in the exotic Turks and Caicos Islands!!

Here is the same day slideshow we created at their awesome vineyard wedding… Enjoy

Click here to view the embedded video.

I’m delighted to be co-hosting and speaking at the exciting Awaken Workshop this weekend here in Toronto. We have 2  of the comped speakers tickets that have just opened up and are on sale now!! Click HERE if you want to sweep them up!

Thanks so much to everyone that has made the 1st Awaken Workshop such a success.  We’re looking forward to a fun and a very inspirational weekend with you all. Don’t forget to sign up HERE for the Finao One Playdate After Party as well. Awaken Workshop attendees are automatically on the list.

See you soon!

~Charlotte

Charlotte and I are sitting in the departure lounge at Pearson, about to fly out to St Lucia for a week long vacation… can’t wait to explore the island, relax and have a chance to unwind together

Our good friend Andrew Sorlie of SorlieArts has just finished up the promo video for the upcoming Awaken Workshop that we’re helping to organize.

We’ve also heard back from several more of the sponsors for the event who are now contributing a total of $4200 worth of prizes!!!!

If you’re looking for a chance to hear from some of the top wedding photographers in Toronto, you should definitely sign up soon so you don’t miss out on tickets.

We are so excited to announce one amazing photography seminar and workshop that is sure to get you inspired and get your juices flowing. Break out of the rut you are in today and broaden your mind and spirit to find out who you really are behind the lens. Limited tickets have been made available NOW for a mind blowing motivational and photography experience you won’t soon forget.

Some of Toronto’s top wedding and portrait photographers will speak on opening your mind and awakening your spirit as a photographer. They’ll touch on what really inspires them as professionals and what makes them tick. Set new goals for yourself, get motivated and break out of your paradigm so you can feed your creativity with new concepts and ideals.

Tickets are very limited and on sale NOW! Click HERE to sign up and Awaken!

Learn from some of Toronto’s most talented wedding photographers as they share their insights and thought processes with you in a candid and informal manner.
StillMotion.ca
DaveAndCharlotte.com
BCapPhoto.com
RainbowEleven.com
RebeccaWoodPhotography.com
RobertNowellPhoto.com

Also, just announced : World renowned Hypnotist and motivational speaker for fortune 500 companies, Asad Mecci of Hypnohype will be making an appearance on Sunday.  Asad will take you on a journey into your subconscious mind where attaining your goals can become a reality.

Don’t miss out on your tickets. Book right now.

When Tayna and Amy were looking for some promo shots of their shop we were excited to come by and say hello. From the moment we walked into their gorgeous little flower boutique, Pink Twig on College, we felt like we had been carried off to a summers day. With gorgeous orchids, roses, peonies, hydrangeas, and many other fragrant flowers surrounding us, suddenly the winter blahs left us for a while.

Pink Twig is definitely one of our favourite florists in Toronto and we love to use their stunning bouquets and arrangements for our Wedding Photography Workshops. Tanya and Amy even have a few of our workshop images up on their walls . Since we’ve used Pink Twig so many times and they always create the best original and modern floral designs for us, we decided it was payback time! We designed a gorgeous flushmount leather album for them with some of our favourite wedding photography workshop images! We were sure to keep it consistent with Pink Twigs brand. Check it out below…

Thanks Tanya and Amy for being by our side and always being so helpful with all of our floral needs. You are both artists and truly amazing at what you do. We’ll be sure to stop by your flower shop for a little piece of summertime very soon!!

We’ve been back from Melissa and Sean’s GORGEOUS wedding in beautiful St. Thomas, Virgin Islands for about a week now.  We’re catching up with all that’s been happening around snowy Toronto and have lots of blogging to do! Thank goodness we have so many great destination weddings this year and get to photograph our couples in so many exotic locales… Burrrr, it sure was freezing when we got home.

Above photo: The late Gianni Versace’s home.

We were staying in Miami for one night before boarding the cruise ship and could not pass up an evening out in fabulous South Beach with friends Alex and Hazel from Hazel R Photography! We met Alex and Hazel last year while modeling in Paris at Jerry Ghionis’ Wedding Photography Workshop. We hit it off immediately and had so much fun checking out the sites while shooting with Jerry. Some pro photographers may recognize Hazel from the cover of this months Rangefinder Magazine! As always, Hazel looks beautiful

The streets of South Beach were buzzing! Not only was it a Friday night but it was also the Super Bowl weekend. So many tourists filled the strip and everyone was partying and having a great time.Who knew that having this much fun was illegal in Miami?!? Hmm, maybe it had to do with the amazing Mojito’s we had.

No, this is not Miami Ink, lol! But we had a great time cruising the streets and checking out all of the shops and South Beach locals.

We ended the evening with a lovely dinner and a quick tour past some celebs homes… Jennifer Lopez’s house is sooooo gorgeous with a sweet parking spot out front for her yacht!! We really loved spending time with you both and next time we’ll do it T.O. style… nah… I say let’s go back to South Beach Thanks so much for showing us the sites and making our night on the town so memorable.  Miss you guys!!