Forecast for Sunday called for almost guaranteed afternoon thundershowers in Toronto. We rolled into the parking lot a little bit early and had a scout around this location we’d never used before under sunny skies. We were all like, yeah, thundershowers? I don’t think so. Let’s put this umbrella back in the car. And then, of course, as we were heading to our meet up point to find Melinda and Matt, big dark clouds rolled in and we couldn’t help but smile. Never doubt the weatherman.

But the rain did hold off long enough for us to have an awesome time walking around with Melinda and Matt taking their photos and chatting about weddings, life, and everything in between. We even treated ourselves to ice cream at the end of the shoot, so things couldn’t have been too bad weather-wise (although I’m pretty sure that even if it had been snowing Matt might still have dragged us over to the ice cream truck!) I don’t know if  any of you who follow my work will find Matt’s face a little bit familiar, but if you do – I had the pleasure of photographing his sister Jen’s wedding last fall (which is where I first met Matt and Melinda). Let me say it’s awesome to be hired by people who have been a part of a wedding I’ve photographed before. These guys are going to be married on what I’ve found to be the single most requested and sought after wedding date of 2010, and we couldn’t be happier that it will be their day that we’ll be documenting. Wouldn’t have wanted anyone else :)

Melinda, Matt, we had an awesome time with you taking your photos and getting to know you guys better. I’m kind of sad to report that Dave’s ankle never did swell up like we all thought it would – not sad for Dave, but sad because that might have made a pretty funny story :) Hope you love the photos! Here are a few of our favourite shots:

It’s Monday and I couldn’t think of any better way to start the week than to share with you this engagement shoot we did a few days ago with two of the most lovely people ever…I seriously loved just about everything about this shoot! The sun was setting and the wind was blowing through Spencer Gorge as we traipsed about down cliffs and beside waterfalls with Hannah and Dave, two of the most smiley, laid back, easy going and friendly people you’ll ever meet, and I can’t speak for anyone else, but let me tell you that I loved every second – even when the sun disappeared and it got absolutely freezing – even when we had to wait for a turn in front of the waterfall (and meanwhile got some of my favourite shots of the whole evening – yes!) – and even when we all almost fell to our deaths trying to maneuver our way down a slippery slope while clutching onto shrubs and bits of grass for leverage – yes. It. was. worth. every. second. :)

These two are just so cuddly and happy together it makes you want to grab the one you love and hold them close. Dave’s job takes him to the other end of the country for the next few months, and we were so glad to have the opportunity to spend some time capturing their love before he left. He’ll be back in plenty of time to help with the last minute preparations for their September wedding for which I can hardly hardly wait now after hearing a bit more about their plans for their big day!  Hannah and Dave, thank you so much for being so wonderful. We hope you love the photos – here are just a few of my favourites:

No, I’m not leaving on a jet plane any time soon (don’t I wish though?!). But Dave is. Not my Dave. Another Dave. Whew, is it just me or am I confusing even myself today?

I’m talking about another Dave who’s photos we took last night along with his super sweet bride-to-be Hannah. He leaves tomorrow on a jet plane for most of the summer and I just couldn’t bear the thought of having him go without getting one or two little sneak peeks at the photos we did of the two of them for their engagement session.

So here you go Dave and Hannah……more to come soon!

Meet Charlene and Jeff. If you’ve never met them before, well, I was in the same boat with you until this past weekend, when Dave and I met them for the first time at the train station in Toronto for their engagement session. Don’t worry, you’ll love them.

Ok, I’ll admit, I was a little nervous. This was literally the first time where I met a couple for the first time and minutes later had my camera up in their faces taking their photos. But, it only took a few frames to realize that my fears were totally unnecessary and silly because Charlene and Jeff were amazing. I kinda had a feeling they would be from the emails and phone calls Charlene and I have been swapping back and forth over the past few months. Shouldn’t have worried. We loved them.

For their shoot we met up bright and early on Saturday morning and wandered around Union Station and the surrounding areas, chatting about the wedding (later this fall in Parry Sound), life in Ottawa (where these guys live), how these guys met (they grew up on the same street a few doors down from each other), being a post-grad student (Charlene is just finishing up her Masters), and what foods gross us out (foods mentioned included whole tomatoes and brussel sprouts – both of which I love haha). We escaped the security guard with the thick accent, stood in the middle of Yonge Street with cars whipping by, and sipped lattes and ordered random food by just pointing to it and hoping to be pleasantly surprised by the contents. Never a dull moment :)

These guys admitted to us that they were a bit nervous about having their photos done but I think they just said that to cover up the fact that they are both professional models in their spare time. Seriously. Here are some of my favourite shots from our time together. Charlene, Jeff, you guys rock. Hope you like the pics…can’t wait for the wedding!

I photographed Kendel & Ben back in July 2009 – which was well before I had this blog – and I thought it was about time I shared a few of my favourite images from our shoot on here! Kendel and I originally met a few years ago at Brock University, but our friendship has really grown over the past year or so over email/facebook as we’ve both gone full force into setting up our own photography businesses. I cannot even begin to tell you how much Kendel’s friendship has meant to me over the past year…it is just so so nice to have a friend who is going through the exact same stuff as me; someone to ask questions to and bounce ideas off of…she is a fabulous photographer herself and it is such a great honour to be shooting her and Ben’s wedding this August. The wedding will be at Ball’s Falls in Vineland, which is were we took these engagement photos, and I absolutely cannot wait to share in their big day!

So without further ado, Kendel and Ben:

I really felt like I clicked right away with Danielle and Adam back in November when we met for an initial consult, but earlier this week I realized that we more than just clicked – we might have been destined for each other. Danielle and I had been calling each other back and forth on the phone trying to make arrangements for her and Adam to do their engagement photos sometime soon. Danielle says to me on the phone: “Oh, and there’s something you should probably know…” Me: “What’s that?” Danielle: “Well, you see, Adam and I, we’re actually allergic to the cold.” Me: “Oh, really? ME TOO!”

So the challenge was: engagement photos, in February, that do not involve stepping outside for even a minute. I’ve done a few shoots indoors before, but as you may have noticed, most of my work is done outside using natural light and that’s definitely where I feel most comfortable. So I knew that it was going to be a stretch out of my comfort zone doing these photos. I may have even been a wee bit nervous about how it would all turn out. After brainstorming all week about location, we found a fabulous spot and when we met up the light pouring in from the windows made me feel all giddy with excitement. I couldn’t be happier with the choice to stay inside!

These guys were a pleasure to photograph and we had a ball roaming around in the warmth of the great indoors, chatting and occasionally stopping for a photo or two this past weekend. Adam, Danielle, you rocked it out! I had so much fun with you guys and think you look and are amazing. Amazing individually, and amazing together. Hope you like the shots we got. Can’t wait for your wedding this May – let’s hope it’s warm or I think we may all break out into hives!

Locations: Brookfield Place at Yonge & Front St/the Skywalk pathway between Union Station and the Skydome, Toronto

PS – This is for all you photogs out there who may be interested: I knocked off one of my goals for 2010 with this shoot – it was my goal this year to have the courage and confidence in myself to do a professional shoot completely in manual settings – and I did!! ALL of these images were manually exposed and I couldn’t be happier with the results!

I don’t know if they know this, but these guys were actually one of the very FIRST couples who hired me to shoot their wedding – this was back in 2008 when I was just getting things underway with my business! (…how long ago that seems!) We did their engagement shoot in the gorgeous distillery district area of Toronto – that was back in 2009. And now here we sit, January 2010, with less than two weeks to go until their day and my first wedding of the new year – I can’t wait and am so excited to kick off the 2010 season with Shannon & David’s wedding!

I remember this day when we met up to do these photos so well. First of all, I remember the cold. Shannon and Dave brought me these things called “Hot Paws” – you put them in your coat pockets and they warm up your hands – and pretty much saved my life that day! We ducked into coffee shops and alleyways between shots to warm up – I can distinctly remember Dave holding Shannon’s bare feet in his hands trying to get the blood circulating again (should have gotten a photo of that one hey? haha). We sat inside and drank our hot chocolates and David listened and laughed as Shannon and I (but mostly Shannon, who has an incredible memory!) told him all about our old high school days, even waaaay back to the Halloween when we were thirteen and dressed up as the characters from the Wizard of Oz – I was Dorothy and Shannon was the Wicked Witch of the West. Well Toto…we’re not in Kansas anymore!

(sorry, couldn’t resist)

Shannon & David: I can’t wait for your wedding – I am so so excited! And…I know how much you wanted it and while I’ve never been the type to wish for snow, I’m crossing my fingers that sometime between now and then the white stuff will fall for you guys!! See you soon!

As promised earlier this week, I thought I’d post some lovely photos of the lovely Andrew & Jen, two of my clients from this past summer. But before I get to their wedding, I thought I’d put up some shots from their engagement shoot, which comes complimentary in all my wedding packages and that I love love love doing! There’s no better way for me to get to know my clients better, and by the time the wedding rolls around, they’re practically pros at having their photos taken :) Win win.

We met up on a sunny but brisk day in May at one of Andrew & Jen’s favourite parks in Waterloo. While they were dating in university – Andrew at one school, and Jen at the other down the road – they would often walk through this park. I loved doing this shoot with them, partly because the same park holds a lot of fond memories for me as well – Dave and I used to go for walks through this very park during our university days too! So here’s Andrew & Jen, big blue skies, budding trees, old barns, and even a few random ducks along the way . . .

I’ll post this couple’s wedding soon! As always, I am so appreciative to my clients for choosing me to be a part of their wedding day – it’s an honour and I don’t take it lightly! Thanks Andrew & Jen . . . can’t wait to post your gorgeous wedding!

*editor’s note: although I shot these engagement photos last May (…six months ago now), revisiting and seeing them again now with fresh eyes, I love them – I’m even writing down a few ideas for my next shoot! – but here’s the thing. . . I can’t even begin to describe how much I feel that I’ve grown since then . . . how much more comfortable I feel as a person, as a business owner, as a photographer . . . and to be honest, this is always my hope – even after I’ve been doing this for ten years, I want to always be able to say that I’m better at what I do than I was six months ago.

It’s kinda funny starting a photography blog at this time of year. . . I mean, November/December are not months that are necessarily synonymous with “weddings” – at least not here in Ontario! (Maybe in Australia they are . . . hey, there’s an idea, anyone wanna fly me over?!) But even without weddings to occupy my weekends, things are still busy busy here at Stark Photography with inquiries and bookings for the 2010 wedding season and also with a few engagement shoots! Can I just say that I LOVE engagement shoots?!

In keeping with the same spirit as a post I read a few days ago on one of my lovely photographer friend’s blog – I’m going to post an engagement shoot I did back in October with the equally lovely Bonnie & Brandon . . .  and even though this is a blog and the things I post are “supposed to be” happening in the here and now, I’ve got tons of photos from this past season that I’m just waiting to share with you all . . . so, because this past weekend was so unseasonably warm and gorgeous, let me take you back to another unseasonably warm Sunday back in October . . .

Saturday was FREEZING. I mean, it was like “seriously??” I was helping a friend shoot a wedding and we (in our coats and mitts) were dying . . . the bride must have been some kind of super hero in disguise with anti-freeze running through her veins, because I don’t know how she did it otherwise standing for outdoor photos in only her dress. So I came prepared for my Sunday engagement shoot – hat, mitts, scarf . . . I looked ridiculous. Especially when it turned into one of freakishly warm fall days – one of those last warm days of the year before the cold sets in and the snow comes. Here’s Bonnie & Brandon, looking much less ridiculous than I:

Bonnie & Brandon live in the same little area of Hamilton that Dave and I have just moved to, so they took us down a nice trail just minutes away – we will definitely be going back! Dave grabbed this one:

And I grabbed this one – a completely spontaneous moment – this was all Brandon & Bonnie and I love it!

Some more gorgeous spots along the trail . . .

I’m trying to make myself more confident in using shadows to my advantage:

I kinda like this one, a lot:

It’s fall . . . it’s Canada . . .

Found a sweet stone bridge for a few more shots:

And a nice patch of dying reeds (?) for a few more . . . “dying reeds” ha ha I love myself :)

And ended up at our local coffee shop to finish things off! Ahh, nothing better than a latte and a friend!

We had a great afternoon with these guys – they were so easy to photograph, so natural in front of the camera, not afraid to be themselves . . . full of ideas and spontaneity . . . you made our “treacherous” trail seem like a walk in the park! One last one before I go . . .