I always love heading to Stratford for an engagement session - in any season. This session took place on a chilly November day, but Cassandra and Rick stayed warm and cozy as we strolled by the river and popped into Balzacs for a hot drink. Here are a few favourites!
I so enjoyed working with this beautiful couple (inside and out!). Their Grand Bend engagement session was split between the woods and the beach - essentially my two favourite outdoor places to shoot - on a gorgeous sun-soaked evening. They brought their dog along for a few photos, which I always love, and we had a great time getting to know each other and capturing some beautiful candid moments. Here are some favourites from their session!
At several points during Emily and Nathan’s engagement session, I threw my arms up in the air and exclaimed “We’ll look back on this and laugh!”.
What a shoot this was! First of all, let’s get it out of the way - these two are adorable and I absolutely love the photos we captured during their woodsy engagement session. Now, onto the part that I like to refer to as “a series of unfortunate events”. 😂
I took Nate and Emily to one of my favourite photo locations. Kind of a hidden gem that I was so excited to shoot in with them. It had rained all day and finally stopped, which made for a good news/bad news situation. The good news? We didn’t need to reschedule! And those vibrant post-rainfall colours were popping. The bad news? The trail to get to the clearing was unbelievably muddy. It was super hot and humid out. And the mosquitos were out to party. But Emily and Nathan were up for an adventure, so we went for it. We slipped and slid all the way down the trail, and I realized about 10 minutes into the shoot that Emily is super sensitive/allergic to mosquito bites. I offered to leave and go to another location, but being the trooper that she is, she wanted to stay and go for it anyways (we had already worked hard enough just to get to our location!). So there we were, standing in a field on an intensely hot day, dripping in sweat, mud all over our ankles, getting eaten alive by mosquitos (hives and all), in a beautiful location that was just a little more overgrown than I had remembered it (thanks to a crazy rain + heat wave combo over the previous few weeks). But Emily and Nathan were all smiles, laughed it off, and completely rocked their session.
After a bit, we decided to head to a nearby park to finish up the shoot with a different look and feel. Feeling accomplished that we made it through those challenging shooting conditions and excited about the amazing images on my camera, we started heading back down the muddy trail. “Hang on, let’s do one more on the bridge!” - famous last words of a photographer who proceeded to slip on the mud, fall onto a rock and break a camera lens. Honestly, I am laughing while writing this because it was just the perfect storm of obstacles. Emily and Nathan were so sweet and truly concerned for my well being, but I quickly dusted myself off and exclaimed something to the effect of “It’s ok! It’s part of the job! It’s not the first time (sad but true)! I have insurance (phew)! Let’s keep going!”.
I am pleased to say that the remaining part of the shoot was uneventful, and we continued to make some great images at our second location before wrapping up. A little bit of photoshop magic took care of the allergic mosquito-bite reactions, and Emily and Nathan’s positivity and sense of adventure took care of the rest! It was such a roller coaster ride of a session, but I don’t think I would change any of it,partly because it makes for a really hilarious story, but mostly because I absolutely love the images we captured. Here are some favourites!
From the golden hour sunshine, to the cornfields and sunflowers, to the woodpile by the barn - this country farm engagement session was so delightful to shoot. Here are some favourites!
I absolutely loved Emily and Tommy’s downtown Stratford engagement session. From the buildings full of character, to Shakespeare Gardens, to the Avon River at sunset, this shoot was exploding with beautiful settings for E & T to be cute in. There were endless fun candid moments to capture, because these two are next level adorable together. Here are some favourites!
I first met Niki years ago within the photography community here in London, ON, and she has become a dear friend that I have so much respect for. It was such a happy surprise when she asked me to photograph her wedding, and a huge honour (Niki’s super talented HRM Photography family would be attending as guests). She and Tim make an adorable couple and have such a kind, funny and down-to-earth dynamic. I loved getting to know them during their downtown engagement session. On this perfect sunny evening, we started out in Ivey Park for a more natural backdrop before exploring the nearby buildings, alleys and parking lots for a more urban look. This was such a fun engagement session and I am so happy to finally be sharing some favourites here on the blog!
Danny and Christina had their woodsy engagement session in the early Spring, when buds were just starting to form into leaves, and everything was slowly going from brown to green. That time of year where it’s still chilly enough to wear a sweater, but you can feel Summer getting closer with each passing day. Here are a few favourites from their e-session!
I loved meeting Alex and Laura for their downtown Winter engagement session. We checked out some of my favourite downtown photo locations and headed by the water to catch those last rays of warm golden hour light. They brought their adorable pup along with them, which is always a big BONUS in my books! I often get asked if couples and families can bring furry family members along for their session, and the answer is always YES! I adore animals and am a big dog person, so by all means, bring your pet along with you! :) Here are a few favourites from their downtown London engagement session. (PS: It was COLD! Laura was such a trooper wearing that gorgeous sleeveless dress!)
I absolutely loved Michelle and Rob’s Winter engagement session. We started by exploring the grounds at Western University and eventually made our way to Komoka Provincial Park (Michelle and Rob picked up their adorable pup on the way). Golden hour was in full force, and the combination of the snow, the sun and Michelle and Rob’s sweet connection was a photographer’s dream come true. Here are some favourites from their snowy e-session!
I was so hoping for snow for Jane and Matt’s family farm engagement session, and Mother Nature definitely delivered. The flurries added so much charm to this shoot, and I absolutely love the extra snowy shots. Their shoot was featured in Hitched Magazine’s Winter 2019 issue, and I am so happy to be sharing it on the blog today.
