Melissa & Gerry's wedding slideshow

As promised here is the slideshow of Melissa and Gerry's wedding from this past weekend. We went down to the Garden at the end of Clifton hill for our first wedding formal shots. We had a little extra time afterwards, so Amanda pulled a few strings (and even though it was very last minute) got the entire wedding party into the Niagara Falls Bird Kingdom. They have the worlds largest, indoor free flying aviary - and some great architecture too! Thanks to everyone at the Bird Kingdom for being so accommodating.

The reception was hosted at Club Italia who did an amazing job and the food was outstanding. The music and MC duties were handled by Spirit of Sound. It's always nice to have outgoing DJs who can get everyone up on the dance floor. And a special thanks to Kevin Gibson and Ben of Electric Dreams Video. Kevin had some lighting set up for the video cameras and we used them to get some super lighting flare effects on the dance photos. Thanks Kevin!

Once again a big thank you to Melissa and Gerry for allowing us the pleasure of photographing their wedding. We wish you all the best in your lives together. Click here for Melissa and Gerry's wedding slideshow.

And for everyone interested the wedding images will be online at Pictage on Friday. Click here to preregister and receive an email when the photos go live. We are also pleased to announce that for a limited time anyone who orders will receive two for one prints!

Happy Birthday Lauren!

This week we had an awesome time in Port Dalhousie with Lauren, her daddy Luca and her mommy Lisa. We've worked with Luca on many projects for his graphic design firm Pure Marketing (they're very, very good!) and we were honoured to capture portraits of his daughter.

Lauren's turning two on May 14 and her parents asked us for some special portraits of her. Isn't she absolutely adorable?

We love our outdoor portrait sessions. It allows everyone to relax, enjoy themselves, and it always results in great images. Lauren had a chance to play on the beach, do a little fishing with daddy using her Barbie fishing rod, play on the playground and run around with her favourite bunny. As she played Chris and I were busy snapping away, capturing the moments that unfolded in front of us.

We hope that when this wonderful family looks at these images, both now and as she grows, they'll remember who Lauren was at two years old. Check out the images below and click here for her slideshow.

Melissa & Gerry's wedding

We started off our wedding season with a perfect day yesterday. Melissa and Gerry are a really sweet couple and we were very excited for their wedding. We also enjoyed meeting their families and wedding party. Here are some of our favourite shots from the day.

We're working on their slideshow as we speak so check back in a few days for more great images. To everyone who asked about ordering prints we'll have that link online by the end of the week.

Thanks to Melissa and Gerry for letting us share such a wonderful day with you. We hope you have an amazing honeymoon!

Aimee & Chris Engagement

This weekend we had an awesome time doing an engagement session with Aimee and Chris. It was a perfect afternoon to hang out at Ball's Falls Conservation Area.

As you can see Aimee and Chris look totally relaxed and in love! They were so fun and easy to work with. We turned around for a second and when we looked back they had both climbed a tree! Those are some of my favourite shots. They also proved that their dance lessons are paying off - check out their slideshow to see how great they look.

Aimee's mom was with us and it was great spending time with her too. We're really looking forward to the wedding in June. I know it's going to be a wonderful day at Rockway Glen.

Click here for a link to their slideshow. Post a comment to wish Aimee and Chris well and let us know what you think of their images.

Amanda

Take a mini-vacation

Before wedding season gets going in full swing we like to recharge a little bit, (plus it's nice to spend some extra time with the kids!)So we are going away for a little mini-vacation! To all our clients and friends we will be away from Thursday April 12th and back in the office on the 18th.

Here is a photo of Sydney last year when we went away. Can you just feel the wind blowing and the sun shining? Everyone should take some time for themselves and recharge. You are totally worth it. Now it's our turn!

See you all soon!

Chris

Melissa & Gerry

We had a great Engagement shoot with Melissa and Gerry last week. Their first date was at the Butterfly Conservatory in Niagara Falls so of course it was a perfect spot for their shoot.

Here is a link to the slideshow. We can't wait for their wedding this month!

What I know for sure

This week I've been going through our family photos and the kids' baby books. One thought keeps coming to mind. There's a reason why we all cherish photos - hang them proudly in our homes, create albums and scrapbooks, frame them as special gifts...

Looking at an image can remind you of how you were feeling at that moment. In the past week I've re-lived our babies growing before my eyes. I've remembered how I felt on our wedding day like it was yesterday, though it was seven years ago this October. The nervousness, the excitement and the special quiet moments are all captured in those images. Knowing that we are a part of creating something so special for other couples is the most rewarding part of our business.

What I know for sure is that memories are to be cherished and photos are such an important part of keeping them close to our heart. Our kids love looking through albums with us because each image tells a story about them and us as a family. Time goes by quickly and before you know it your baby girl turns five and asks to try out your lip gloss. Take a moment to treasure your memories with photos and keep them close to your heart. I know I do.

Amanda

Location location location

In photography, a great location can help to create a memorable picture. When all of the elements in a photo are working together the image comes to life. How lucky are we to live in the Niagara Region, a place with such a wide variety of locations to choose from.

Many of you have been asking about location ideas for engagement sessions and family portraits, so we thought we'd tell you about some of our favourite spots.

• Ball's Falls Conservation park
• Morning Star Mill
• Port Dalhousie - great pier with two lighthouses, a beach, park and popular shopping area
• Any of the wineries in the area (there are at least 70!)
• Niagara-on-the-Lake. They do great things there. Especially in the spring when all the flowers are out. Beautiful and historic downtown area as well as a park on Lake Ontario with a really cool gazebo
• Many walking trails along the Niagara River
• Queenston Heights - There are some great monuments, stone work and paths.
• The Niagara Falls Botanical Gardens (a favourite among our Brides & Grooms!)
• Niagara Falls - the falls itself and surrounding area. One of the great wonders of the world!
• Montebello Park in St. Catharines (great rose garden in the summer)
• The Welland Canal - walking paths and viewing stations

So as you can see there are lots of great locations for photo sessions. We'd love to hear about your favourite spots. If anyone knows of a great location for a photoshoot, or have a "hidden gem" of a spot let us know! Post your comments on the blog or email us today.

Spring is in the air!

In honour of the arrival of spring, here are a couple of shots from last year to get us thinking about what is to come. Especially since the weather is going up to 12 degrees this weekend! I can't wait!

Samantha & Jason

Meet Samantha & Jason,

They were the winning bidders at last year's Investors Group Comedy / Slient Auction night. We donated a free portrait session to the Investors Group for the auction portion of the event. Samantha told us that they were "hovering" near the table where the portrait session was located cause they really wanted the session. "Hovering" is an auction term which means "stand near what you want and if someone bids, you up your bid". A very effective way of getting the item you want!

They were a great couple and we got some wonderful pictures. I'm glad to have met them.

Click here for the slideshow.

Make your own fun

So now that we have a hamster (yes another mouth to feed) we've made him part of the family. Today was his cleaning/feeding/running around day and the kids and I decided to have a photoshoot while we were at it (he wanted some photos for his blog). Matthew was wearing his hamster handling gloves while Sydney helped with some carrot treats.

Things were going smoothly until we got a little silly with some of the pictures (try to guess which ones!). We even tried some horror lighting for scary effects! Then Sydney arranged all the stuffed animals on the stairs to watch the show, turned on the Blues Clues music and Matthew started air guitaring. The big finish was an impression of a rock n' roll hamster which brought down the house!

The kids downloaded the images to the computer with me and helped with "recommendations" for the image processing. See if you can guess which ones they helped create. :)

It just goes to show that no matter what you are doing you can have fun with it. (Especially if you have two super kids with you.)

We even made a slideshow! Click here to view. (Slight warning associated with this one. There are two pictures that the kids insisted on putting in. They are slightly, well, evil looking - but they found them hilarious. You have been warned.)

Music from the slideshow is from Jack Johnson's album 'In Between Dreams'.