Tracy + Rob

admin — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 22:26:19 +0000

You know when you go to the meat counter at the grocery store and they make you take numbers? I mill around near the counter, waiting to hear my name called, suspiciously eyeing the other people waiting, just to let them know I don’t stand for line jumping. I hate that feeling and in fact when we happened upon a local deli (referral from a good friend) I came into a whole new experience – the people behind the counters would always look up when someone comes in – people get served in the order they come in and service is met with chats about “how’s work and the kids and what’s new” chatter. I think sometimes when I go in there I spend an extra 10 mins chatting but I love it – they always know what I am going to want and there is a great rapport that makes the experience enjoyable for me as a client.

This is what I want for all of my clients but it is a two way street and sometimes I get clients that are nicer to me than others and then I get clients like Tracy and Rob. I think the first time I spoke to Tracy on the phone it was a 2 hour conversation and then we met. I knew after talking to her that they would book me and when they came in I was so happy that I was right. These two are such amazing and giving people and I am pretty sure that their whole wedding party can attest to that (well they pretty much did in their speeches). When I was pregnant I remember having conversations with Tracy about pregnancy and even parenting and boy was I surprised when they picked up their engagement photos to get a baby gift from Tracy; a gorgeous sleeper and a toy for little Nate in my belly. I was so shocked that they had thought of me but their wedding day was a testament to how thoughtful they both are.

Tracy told me that they picked me because it felt like I was interviewing them and that I was actively interested in getting to know them and that this wasn’t just another transaction like a lot of other vendors they had met with. I love that they got exactly what I do and respected me every step of the way. To you both I can’t thank you enough for including Bryan and I in your day – I laughed and cried along with the both of you (especially you Rob!). Bryan I wish you many years of happiness and joy as you embark on this journey. Here’s a few photos from their day…

Rob got ready at the gorgeous Hilton and surprise surprise I ran into one of my 2011 groom while there

Rob’s lucky penny

The ladies got ready at the Sheraton Fallsview and enjoyed some mimosas beforehand

Tracy looked absolutely gorgeous in her dress

Ok so this photo on the left is the first time I cried during the day – Tracy looked amazing coming down the aisle but it was Rob sobbing as he watched her that had me swept up in the emotion of the day – the photo on the right is his dad crying too – guess it runs in the family!

Tracy and Rob with Tracy’s son Brandon – now a happy family

I love this one that Bryan captured – it reminds me so much of how they are as a couple

Wishing you friendship and love,

Amanda

Natalie + Adam

admin — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 04:22:26 +0000

After such an amazing engagement shoot with Natalie and Adam I was definitely looking forward to their wedding. When Sam and I walked into her parents house that day I felt so welcomed by Natalie’s family and just how much Natalie trusted us. The day was hot but beautiful and the love these two share was understated and elegant but definitely a tangible thing that you could feel. It was the perfect embodiment of Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians “Love is patient, Love is kind, It does not envy, it does not boast…” Simple but pure – Thank you so much to you both for including us in your day, it was truly touching.

Now time for some photos!

Isn’t Natalie’s dress pretty? I was smitten upon realizing that it came with pockets!

Love this candid that Sam snapped as Natalie was waiting in the Rolls Royce before the ceremony

Celebrating!

We headed to Decew Falls / Morningside Mill for the formal photos – what a gorgeous wedding party!

It was such a hot day and we stayed in the shade for most of the photos but Natalie and Adam braved the heat for this one

As I mentioned in the blog post Natalie is a fan of Anne of Green Gables – So we couldn’t resist this house as the porch kinda looks like the one in the story

Another great catch by Sam – It just looks so vintage

I saw this sign and had a great idea to use it to play around in photoshop after so I asked Sam to snap it for me and I love it

Hope your having an amazing time at Disney – Your photos are waiting for you when you get back!

Wishing you friendship and love,

Amanda

Lauren + Ryan

admin — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 23:17:40 +0000

I love when fate and the universe come together and align to make everything the way they should be. I love that because of this I have awesome clients like Lauren and Ryan – who are so amazingly cute together but fate definitely intervened for their engagement session. When Lauren suggested Webber falls for their session I have to say I was a pretty happy girl – I mean – I LOVE waterfalls. Whenever we go on vacation we normally go looking for any of the waterfalls in the area and go hiking around them. When I showed up at Webber falls I was a little taken aback though – there was a parking attendant and the place was FULL of people. I know that Lauren and Ryan would probably be a little bit shy having their photos taken around that many people and I was wondering how we were going to make this work. I met them along the path and I could tell right away from their faces that they did not think there would be that many people either but we decided to go down some of the paths by the water and get some photos away from all of the people. We walked along the water at the bottom of the falls and although there were still hikers it was definitely better than the park area. We got some good shots and then wandered up to the falls to hopefully capture a photo where for a second no tourists were in the background. With some careful cropping and definitely patience on their part we got a few good ones there too. As we walked back from the water – I felt a little worried. I knew I’d gotten shots that were great and ones even that the couple would absolutely love but I didn’t get anything awesome that really and truly captured the love between them and I really like to have a magical feeling about my engagement sessions where couples are having a lot of fun and enjoying the bond that they share. That’s a little difficult to do with so many people around. I asked Lauren and Ryan if they wouldn’t mind following me and we could find some random local places away from all of these people – they both looked relieved and excited and things were back on track! We stopped at an old building – we pulled over for a field and then we came across some private property of someone’s house and were planning on seeing if we could get into this wild field without them knowing. As we walked up the side we noticed there were some girls sitting there – figuring that they lived there we knew the jig was up so we decided to ask permission to go on the property. It turns out the girls didn’t live there but they told us the owners would probably be fine. As we walked up their driveway to go to the side I saw the owners outside on this gorgeous bridge enjoying a glass of wine. I felt bad about bothering them but nonetheless they had already seen us. I met them halfway on their lawn and asked if they wouldn’t mind if we took a photo on their property and then surprise surprise they showed us the bridge, the creek, a gorgeous field attached and a tree swing! The welcomed us to take photos anywhere and I’m so glad as they had a beautiful property. As their dog ran out into the field while we were taking photos and Lauren and Ryan broke out into big smiles I knew we had found our spot. Thank you so much to you both for your patience – I am so happy with what we came out with and this is the perfect example of why it’s important to work with someone that truly cares about you. I cared enough to make sure that we got awesome photos but that Lauren and Ryan felt awesome about the session in return. You guys were awesome and I can’t wait for the wedding! Here’s a few from our session . . .

Wishing you friendship and love,

Amanda

Tara + Glen

admin — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 14:46:16 +0000

I love all my clients equally – you will never be able to wrestle out of me which are my favourites (there is no winning at this Tara so don’t even try! lol) but I love different things about every client. What I love about Tara and Glen – well this would have to be a very long blog post if I went through everything but I will try to keep it short. I love that Tara and I share a love for candy – I can speak 7/11 candy wall with that girl any day, I love that Glen totally gets my super sarcastic sense of humour – they both do and even run with it sometimes, but really most of all I love that they never treated me like a vendor – more like a friend. This is my third wedding with their families and Tara’s sister Tricia (Whose wedding to Shawn I photographed in 2008) has been one of my biggest supporters so I knew there would be an instant rapport but I was not prepared for this connection. I don’t want to sound egotistical but photography is an art form and every photographer is an artist. The way I approach my art is in three ways; the first my client relationship and how I make clients feel, the second what I do with my camera, and the third how I edit the photos. I have never found such an appreciation for myself as an artist as I have with Tara and Glen – they would constantly defer to me but this wasn’t because they didn’t care – it was because they did and trusted me to deliver what they wanted. I never felt like just another person hired for their wedding day – I wasn’t just the photographer – I was Amanda and they so totally got what that meant. Everyone talked about Tara’s childlike enthusiasm in their speeches and I would definitely say that as well. I spent so much of the day laughing; I can’t remember if it was from the blue steel faces or from the “thumbs up” shenanigans.

Once again, they made me cry – so many times over, not just from their effusive thanks to us in their speech but from the emotion that came pouring out of them without restraint. I am certain that any woman in that room felt a tug on her heart strings if not her tear ducts watching Tara dance with her father but for me I bawled behind the viewfinder of my camera watching Glen dance with his mother. I can only think of one day dancing with Nate at his wedding and letting him go to the beautiful and deserving daughter in law I hope to have one day. These two are so meant for each other and if I was as competitive as Tara I’d place a bet on them – but then I’d win right? Thanks so much to the Poulin and Beauregard families – you will always be near and dear to my heart. Thanks again for welcoming me into your hearts and families. Here’s a few photos from the day . . .

Mary Poppins!

Wishing you friendship and love,

Amanda

Suzanne + Jeremy

admin — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 14:46:05 +0000

I have a memory like an elephant - I remember things I probably shouldn’t – like who picked their nose during kindergarten graduation and all of the words to Salt n Peppa’s – Shoop. My memory sucks at every day things that I am supposed to remember but ask me about weird things like names, song lyrics, weird trivia or really anything random then I’m your girl. This is why I chuckled to myself when Sue sent me an e-mail inquiring about my wedding photography services and said I “might” remember her. Well, her locker was close to mine in Grade 9 and she was ahead of me (can’t remember how many grades – told you it sucks sometimes) and she hung around with a group of people who were really super nice and welcoming. I was so scared starting at a new school and living in a new town that was so different from the way I had grown up. There were 3-4 people I remember kind of hanging out in that area – all Sue’s friends and they were all nice to us “Minor Niner’s” – which might seem like nothing but you had to meet the other students who were ahead of us; challenging us to push a penny down the hallway with our nose or chasing you with eggs. Of course I remembered her and her best friend Kerrie too! I was so happy she messaged me – I’d love to get a chance to return the favour and do something nice for her. When I went up to London for their engagement session we had a blast, Sue was coming up with ideas but ultimately deferring to me. These two were best of friends and totally in love with each other and nothing made this more evident than the way they would look at each other. I love watching this is in all of my clients, but best when someone wears their emotions on their face. Nothing beat Sue’s ear to ear grin on her walk down the aisle – except for maybe Jeremy’s almost goofy grin of complete happiness. Both their cheeks dimple with a serene contentedness during the formal photos. Sam and I went up to London to the gorgeous Windermere Manor and photographed the ceremony and formals in this lovely hotel that seems like something you’d find in rural England. We had so much fun and can’t wait to see them both at Kerrie’s wedding next year! Thank you so much Sue for remembering me and thanks to both you and Jeremy for trusting me.

Doesn’t Sue have gorgeous eyes?

There’s that smile!

Wishing you friendship and love,

Amanda

Oh Mary!

admin — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 16:01:11 +0000

One of my goals for 2010 is to develop relationships with vendors in the area.I have always focused so much of my attention towards my clients and that will not change but to be honest I’ve been a little behind in getting to know some of these wonderful people that help contribute to the day. I have seen some truly amazing work and would love to get to know people’s whose work I admire personally so that when I recommend them it’s based off a relationship. My recommendation cannot be bought and I really want to get to know someone to make sure their going to take care of a client the same way I would before I recommend them.

So – sitting on facebook one night an opportunity to get to know “the Wedding Girl” – Mary Bratko presented itself and I snatched it up. Mary has visited my husbands BNI meetings before and I had heard about her through a few people I knew and I was excited to meet her. Mary seemed to have the same approach with her clients as I do and I was excited when we began to discuss her portraits. I picked the Vineland Experimental farms as Mary wanted a more vintage feel to the photos and I know with all of the flowers blooming we’d get a shot to include some fairytale like settings that incorporated her favorite colour – pink. I am beyond happy with the photos and apparently so is Mary! She was so kind as to write a beautiful blog post and I really can’t thank her enough for her kind words. Mary you are so kind hearted and the way I have seen you work with your clients just in consultations is awesome – I can’t wait to work with you.

Here’s a few from the session . . . .

Thanks again Mary for your words and your trust!

Wishing you friendship and love,

Amanda

Potts family portraits

admin — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 15:48:15 +0000

This post kinda had to be hidden until now anyways as the photos were going to be a father’s day gift so it’s not like I’m behind – right? I remember a few years back being a little nervous, it was the Lachapelle family reunion and this being Bryan’s side of the family that we don’t see a lot I was worried about who I would talk to and if they would like me. I was worried for nothing – the Lachapelle family has always been nothing but friendly and truthfully taken me in as one of their own. I met two of Bryan’s cousins that day whom I’ve developed a genuine friendship with – first is Sonia (who you’ve seen pop up quite a bit in the past) and the other is Tammy. When Tammy contacted me to do portraits for her husband Keith and his family I was really excited. Photographers need to work quickly to develop a rapport with their clients and it’s kind of awesome that I knew both Tammy and Keith enough that I had a good idea of what to expect. Keith’s siblings Morgan and Tyler came a long too and we had fun at Fireman’s park taking a few nice photos and a few silly ones too.

and because I can’t resist a couple in love I took a few romantic portraits for Tammy and Keith as well…

Thanks again guys for asking me to take these photos for you – I had fun and I am so happy with how everything came out!

Wishing you friendship and love,

Amanda

What’s been happening?

admin — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 15:47:13 +0000

So you probably already know that last September, Bryan and I were blessed with our little guy – Nate. Things were quite hectic so I definitely got behind on blogging but the clients who I shot during that time still deserve to have their images and stories told. I am going to work harder at being better at every aspect of my business this year – especially blogging. On that note – on to the images!

The first story, would be a wedding from last November – Kristina and Alain. When they both came into my office to meet me I think the first thing I noticed was Kristina’s eyes – she has these gorgeous blue eyes that are peircing and yet soft. I always get excited when I sit down with a couple who are visibly in love but with whom I also share a connection. The two were so relaxed and friendly and told me that they just wanted to celebrate each other and have a small intimate wedding. So off Bryan and I went on a chilly November day to be a part of their day. Thankfully, due to the time of the year and the time of their ceremony – Kristina and Alain opted for a first look. I am so lucky to have been included and am super happy with the images from the day . . .

The next photos I have are from a workshop I attended in February – this part will just be the images as the couples were just models but the workshop was awesome!

The workshop was a great way to learn and practice some new techniques and I look forward to finding room for them in my wedding day approach.

In March I went to WPPI with a photographer friend of mine, Mandie from Shutterbrugs photography and Mandie brought a gorgeous dress from the designer Lesley Giles as she was personally asked to photograph it by Lesley herself. Mandie graciously allowed me to come along and I love the look of these photos. Most of the time my portraits tend to be on the more romantic and natural side but every once and awhile I get a sassy bride who wants to show off some attitude. It was great to see the model for the shoot, Isabelle pose as she was amazing and gave me some great ideas for direction with future clients.

and this last one is my all time favorite image from the shoot

That brings us pretty up to date for what happened over the winter now for updates on what I’ve been shooting since the beginning of the season!

Wishing you friendship and love,

Amanda

I love 2010

Amanda — Mon, 17 May 2010 21:04:02 +0000

Seriously, this year has been nuts! Every time I get together with a new couple and do an engagement session or talk about their wedding I get super excited. My first wedding of the season was Suzanne and Jeremy on May 1st and I can’t wait to show you some of the images! I just want to say thank you to everyone who honoured me by hiring me to document their day. 2010 has brought so many new friends and awesome opportunities. I can’t wait to see how it all turns out!

Happy Mother’s Day

Amanda — Sun, 09 May 2010 20:43:50 +0000

I remember tossing and turning – falling in and out of sleep; Bryan’s snoring was guaranteeing that I would be pretty bleary eyed for my first mother’s day traditional breakfast in bed. As I rolled over one more time I heard a little cry, it would seem my little teething Nator Gator was up, again. Although I was tired, the part of me that was so excited for this first mother’s day wanted to see his little face and cuddle him tight. Quietly, I crept in and sure enough he was wide awake and the moment he saw my face he broke into the biggest smile that would melt any one’s heart. I scooped him up, changed him, applied some anbesol to his teeth and began feeding him his bottle. Hungrily, I feasted on his content little face as he drank away; growing sleepier and sleepier. Once finished he cuddled in next to me and finished falling asleep in my arms. I just sat there rocking him for just a few more minutes relishing this little angel that was sent to us. As I got up and started to settle him into the crib, his eyes opened sleepily and he looked up at me and smiled. Happy, I turned away so that I didn’t encourage him to stay awake and I heard him say the most beautiful word – Mama. He rolled over and cuddled into his blanket and began to snore lightly and I went back to bed with a smile on my face. He has been talking for awhile – going back and forth between Mama and Dada with a few other words thrown in but this Mama was sweet and special to me. I know there are going to be all kinds of moments that come with being a Mom; moments of pain, of pride, of disappointment and definitely moments of happiness. I want to store the sweet moments away and remember them during the rough times so that I always cherish my son and our family. Being a mom makes me so much more thankful for my Mother and makes me remember some of the things we did together that will always be special to me. As photographers, we always talk about how photos are important because they help us remember and they freeze moments in time but photographs are just one part of it. Stopping and taking the time to record things in our own words and creating a catalog of all of life’s miracles is just as important. I don’t want to just remember the frames that Nate and Bryan painted for me that were my gift – I want to remember my baby contentedly saying my name and making me feel so full of joy and love that I thought I would burst.

As a way to finish this post and give thanks to my son – here is a photo from one of Nate’s recent sessions with a photographer friend of mine – Nataschia during her all about boys limited edition sessions. This is my little smoosh – serious and silly all at the same time

Happy Mother’s day to every mom out there . . .

Wishing you friendship and love,

Amanda