Just as the snow had melted away (the first time this year) and the grass finally started to turn green, I headed to West Point Grounds, NY to shoot Priscilla and Joseph’s engagement session, or e-shoot as we sometimes like to call it.  Being a Montreal Wedding Photographer originally and living in Canada, it’s always a treat to travel to the neighboring state New York  to meet fascinating couples and  Priscilla and Joseph are no exception.  Originally from Texas, Priscilla and Joseph waited an entire year to get married, and not for the reasons you think.  They waited because Joseph was finishing his military duty in the armed forces. He was serving in Afghanistan. Shooting a military man was a lot of fun and I definitely learned a lot about military education in US that day.
The shoot didn’t just take place in West Point Grounds, NY, it also took place at Lyndhurst in  Tarrytown, New York. The elegance of Priscilla’s gown made for some very stunning pictures and moments.

Thanks for looking, let me know what you think!

I’ve been going through some of our studio’s archives and have found some really great unpublished wedding photographs.  From Montreal Weddings to wedding all over the world, there are some really fantastic moments our team has captured and as I comb through them I’m always so happy to find these great moments.  I’ll certainly be posting them as I find them.

On another note, I can’t believe June is around the corner. In Montreal and Toronto, the wedding season is in full swing!

Have a great weekend!

I often post pictures of our gorgeous brides and female models, but today it’s about the groom. As a Montreal Wedding Photographer, I’m happy to work with couples from all backgrounds and places, Montreal is such a diverse city and I’m constantly learning. I love to teach, but I think we can all agree that we are all eternal students.

Anyways, enough about Montreal and it’s beautiful weddings, (and my teaching…) enjoy this groom and this week’s picture.

One last thing, What do you think he’s thinking about?

In Montreal and around the world, you’ll most likely find yourself in a position to do a photo shoot in perhaps not the most ideal conditions.  Well, in this particular case, all you need is one sb 900 and a bride/model to make it look glamorous. Whoever was at my workshop in Daytona remembers the conditions : messy corridor with neon lights. f8;1/250

Nikon D3s 24-70/2.8

Sometimes it doesn’t take much to make grim conditions into fabulous shoots!

This week’s photo is from a mini photo shoot that Michael shot in March.  The shoot was for a swimsuit ad and the location was his buildings pool. The concept of this shot was inspired by Tony Kelly, an Irish Fashion Photographer who’s style can be described as “Irreverent, uncouth and provocative”, and  Juergen Teller, a German fashion photographer who employs a raw, overexposed style and he uses a Contax G2 camera with an on board flash. In both cases the style is similar to that genera.
Wouldn’t it be great to shoot in a similar a wedding in a similar fashion?  If you’re a couple who is interested, call the studio, Michael would love to help!

This image, that I called Portrait of the Groom: Taking the plunge! got a few comments on facebook.  I called it Taking the plunge because the groom’s expression is affirmative. There is nothing in front of him but the water. He is not afraid. It’s a strong a statement. There was a comment about the groom testing the water with a bare foot in the pool.  I think that concept would have been to straight in my opinion and this concept says a little more.
What are you thoughts, I’m always curious to know.

As you know, Michael was in Las Vegas for WPPI.  While he was there, Michael did a 30 minute photo-shoot  in Las Vegas for  Graphistudio.  Here is a sample of that shoot with a bit of info on what was used to create the lighting for some of these images. Let us know your thoughts!

one sb900 + sunlight

Two lights were used  here the rim light from the sun and sb900 from the right side.

If you weren’t aware, Michael is in Las Vegas this week at WPPI.  What is WPPI? Well, WPPI is the leading wedding photography association. The premiere source for tips, strategies, news, & gear reviews for professional wedding photographers.  The conference, which takes place around this time every year, is where photographers from all over the world gather to learn, network and hear from Wedding Photography experts. All that to say, it’s a great event that Michael attends.
So without further delay, here is this week’s pictures straight from Las Vegas and Michael’s hotel room  at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

If you were able to attend Michael’s session yesterday, please share it with us.  We’d be so interested to hear your thoughts!

Today one of our couples wedding was published on the WedLuxe Magazine blog. This Toronto Wedding was a combination of true love and class.  Although you may have seen the feature on Wedluxe, we wanted to share a few other images from this Toronto Wedding.  Christal and Chris were married at the St Ambrose Catholic Church in Cambridge, ON and celebrated at the Grand Luxe in North York.

Christal was very generous in sharing her and Chris’ story with us, so please read and enjoy!

It seems like all good love stories have thick and twisted plots, but for Chris and I our story is simple and pure. It all started on my lunch hour run when I noticed Chris had been working up the street at my neighbor’s house renovating their kitchen. We exchanged glances as I breezed past him making sure I got his attention as I fixed my flowing hair. Did I mention I was only 5 minutes into the run, so my hair still looked fresh and bouncy? Despite my efforts, it seemed my first attempt at getting Chris’s attention didn’t go so well because like most typical men he seemed oblivious at my attempt to get his attention.

On the second day I timed my run perfectly, this time I went an hour early ensuring that my cool down walk would fall at exactly the same time he and I caught eyes the day before. To my dismay, his truck was packed up and gone by the time I got back to the street for my cool down. My perseverance didn’t wane and my tactics only became more physically blatant after hearing that the kitchen renovation was ahead of schedule.

On the last day of the renovation I put on running shorts that looked more suitable for a top 20 dance video than a casual afternoon run around the block. This time I was motivated and had every intention of making sure Chris would get the picture load and clear. The execution couldn’t have gone more seamless; I ended the run and began my cool down just as Chris was loading the back of the truck. He smiled and asked if I lived in the neighborhood, the rest is history as they say.

We dated for a year before he proposed on the night William and Kate Middleton got married, and in September of 2012 we wed at St Ambrose Catholic Church in Cambridge, and rung in the celebrations at the Grand Luxe in North York with family and friends. To sweeten the story, to our delight we are welcoming a baby in the New Year around the same time as the royal couple.

Although being a wedding photographer primarily in Montreal and Toronto, it’s always an adventure to travel the world and capture events that aren’t necessarily wedding related. In January I spent some time in Penang, Malaysia and was shooting the Thaipusam festival over 2 days!
It was incredible.