Last Wedding of 2009!

Have I ever told you how much we like Sushi, we really really really like sushi. One of Karens favorite sushi places in town is the Hamachi House in Dartmouth on Portland street. So when we first had a chance to meet Dorothy and Christopher and they told us their reception was being held there Karen squealled a little. A little akward in front of a new couple but what ya gonna do?

Last Tuesday Karen and I packed up the car and headed out to our last wedding of 2009! We were pretty excited as we had only met Dorothy and Christopher a week or so before and they of course like every other couple we have met this past year rocked. Christopher even had a giant paper machete dragon in his house, how cool is that? The wedding was a bit later in the afternoon so photos where done much later then the standards we do. We found a nice place on the side of the road and came up with this dead ringer!

Congrats Dorothy and Christopher, Enjoy your time in Jamaica!

Family fun times!

When we shot the Nauss wedding we knew they had kids…what we didn’t know was how much fun these two kids were… not only are they cute as buttons but they are also a riot to be around. Aiden and Mackenzie are like two peas in a pod, no fussing and no feuding just loads of fun!

This family loves to keep active so when we decided to do family portraits we thought it was a good idea to go do something energetic. So we went for a nice hike in the woods around Long Lake… The choice of venue was also in part because of the newest addition to the Nauss family, Dexter (the world’s cutest beagle puppy). The paths around Long Lake are a semi well kept dog lovers secret. Anyone who loves to walk their dog through the woods and socialize with other dog owners knows, this is the place to be.

Todd and Erika had the family dress all in matching white (how cute!), except Dexter, he stood out in a fashionable brown coat with a small fuzzy hood…although…I suppose his fur did match everyone’s sweaters…

Bruce and Tracy sitting in a tree! (or in a boat)

Meet Bruce and Tracy, an awesome couple living out west who wanted to come way out east! Have their special day with family then head back home and party with friends, what a blast! We didn’t meet Bruce and Tracy until 4 days before the wedding, they had booked well in advance and had everything planned and ready for when they arrived. As scary as it was to think that we had had so little time with these two, everything ended up being great.

It’s rare when we don’t get to meet a couple well in advance of the wedding, but you know, things happen. One of the most important things for us as wedding photographers is how are we gonna get along with the bride and groom? They are stuck with us all day of course and if we start a fist fight with them over the bar tab, well that can’t be good. (Brian and Karen would like to clarify we have only been in one bar fight over a tab with a bride and groom before, and we whooped their asses) But luckily we didn’t need to rough these guys up….mainly because we think Bruce could take us.

It was a simple wedding…well as simple as it could be on the Mar tall ship with its energetic crew and wild captain… We took a 5 hour cruse down and around the arm and out past the very scenic McNab’s Island where we took aim and fired on a large cruse ship leaving our harbor…TAKE THAT VACATIONERS!! Nothing beats piracy at a wedding!

The Princess and the Bog of Eternal Stench!

If there was one technology left to be discovered it would be the technology of internet sense of smell. There is nothing like finding the dirtiest, most disgusting vile smelly place on the earth (or well, in Halifax) and tossing a lovely white pristine bride into it!

The best dude in the world Liam Hennessey had invited me out to a trash the dress shoot last week and I sadly missed it due to other obligations. This week the invite was extended to the second part of the shoot and I wasn’t about to make a repeat mistake. What Liam hesitated to mention was that it wasn’t a trash the dress but a absolute obliteration of the dress.

What a riot! The bride was awesome, the dress was awesome, the location was awesome, the light was awesome, everything was just over all awesome! I’ve never had so much fun on a shoot before.

Liam and Tanya have to be two of the most amazing photographers I have met in the past year. Amazing talent and just great people to know. Definitely two people you should look into at some point! I have a few of the behind the scene shots I’ll post later on, but thanks to Liam and Tanya for having me a long, it was an absolute blast!

Making the Leap!

Here are two cool cats with a whole lot of life!  Meet Adam and Chelle, Adam plays in a band and Chelle is an aspiring photographer who just finished a degree at NSCAD!

When these two came to us and wanted to do engagement photos they had just starting all the plans do their big day so, we booked the pre-wedding set to get the ball rolling and it was a blast! They even brought along a little furry friend… a fuzzy caterpillar who just had to be a part of the photos. He eventually found a leaf he liked better then Chelle’s cozy sweater and thats when we decided some jumping was in order

Between bright yellow caterpillars and bright yellow shoes I’d sad they were a most colorful couple.. good luck you guys!! Its going to be an awesome ride!

Young Seniors for the win!

I am hitting up the seniors this year! And no not your grandmother. We are talking High School Seniors, seniors with attitude, seniors that are not interested in the typical hat and gown. Seniors with spunk and know what they want in life!

I had the chance to hang out with three very awesome girls last week and do some sock rocking photos! This is Megan and she knew how to make the camera work for her! Watch for more photos later this week!

“Babes” on bikes!

I’m off to Cape Breton for another wedding tomorrow. I’ve been to Cape Breton a total of five times this past summer shooting a variety of weddings, environmental portraits and just generally going on a variety of adventures.

I have to say this past summer has been pretty amazing for me and Karen. We shot in total 17 weddings, 24 family portraits, five child portraits all the while running the studio which has been incredibly busy for the summer months and living our lives. Things have been pretty great.

I still have three weddings left to the 2009 wedding year, but tomorrow I view as the last wedding of the wedding season. I am looking for the short period of Sept to take a break, vegetate a little and just generally decompress from the go go go pace we have been living.

In the mean time while I pack for the trip I leave you with Aiden. Last weekend we had the opportunity to hang out with this little guy. He loves bikes as you can see, there is no doubting that.

Help Portraits! 12.12.09!

A few hours and several e-mails later we are in full fledged go mode! Fellow photogeniuses and my self are planning a huge hoopla at the studio December 12 2009 in accordance to this video. Ideally we are inviting members of the community who may not be able to afford a full fledged family portrait session to come down to the studio and have your wonderful faces photographed by a slew of absolutely amazing and talented photographers.

In the coming weeks we will have more details! But in the mean time if you would like to help out in anyway let us know. We are looking for anyone to give us a hand. Make up artists, hair stylists, Assistants, caterer type people…anyone. If you think you can help us to make someones day special then drop me an e-mail!

Mark and Tina sitting in a … corn field

I’ve met the occasional wedding couple who will come to me to speak photography but sometimes just don’t see them selves in my photos. Be it the price, the place or even the shot, they just can’t see them in the photos. I have to say that it is one of the most important things about wedding photography, well any photography really. You need to be able to see your self in those places, in those poses and looking just damn good.

That’s actually the secret to great photos, no really it is! I can position the light where ever I like, change the depth of field to what ever I please. But if you don’t want to be there in that photo looking absolutely fantastic then that photo is going to turn into trash.

My photos turn out great because I have great clients. They are fun, exciting and just a little bit crazy…just like me I guess. Mark and Tina are no exception of course! We drove up to the valley where they live, ate smoked salmon off the BBQ and had an amazing home cooked meal before going out to shoot.

Did I ever mention I love my job?

Wedding on a boat!

Erika and Todd rock! We had the opportunity to hang out with them all day and I can’t say enough how much of a fun couple they where, laid back and relax the whole day. Smiles all around. Their wedding even took place on an awesome boat! How cool is that? It’s pretty damn cool if you ask me.

We spent the earlier part of the day shooting their wedding photos, family photos and everything in between before hitting the boat for an evening cruise around the Halifax Harbour. We as wedding photographers have gotten stupidly lucky this year by there being fantastic weather ever date we shoot. And Saturday night was no exception. It was perfect weather in every way!