Geoff and Joyce met me downtown on the sunniest Summer evening for their engagement session. These two are adorable and laughed their way through the entire shoot - all smiles even as they were being chased by the most aggressive geese ever. I can't wait for their upcoming wedding. Here are some favourites!
Andreea and Ryan's wedding was so personal, lovely and FUN. They shared an intimate first look under Fernwood Hills' weeping willow before getting married in the woods surrounded by family and friends. After a beautiful portrait session on the Fernwood Hills grounds, Andreea changed back into her fabulous engagement session skull dress and we headed to Fanshawe Pioneer Village for their reception in the barn. This was one of the most fun and relaxed receptions I've photographed. Guests had a blast hanging out and playing handmade lawn games and a food truck served the most amazing (AMAZING) dishes on demand all evening. I'd like to officially suggest that all weddings have food trucks. These two are the cutest - from Andreea whispering her vows into Ryan's ear, to them sharing high fives all throughout the day. It was truly an joy to get to know them and document this part of their love story. Here are some favourites from their day.
Thank you so much to my fabulous second shooter, Orsolya Gyorgy!
Trying to determine what my "fully booked" looks like as I navigate life with young children has been a yearly endeavour, and the number of weddings I take on is different every year. I chose to temporarily reduce my availability after my second daughter was born and for the past couple of years, my "fully booked" workload has been less than it was before. Saying 'no' to extra weddings has always been so tough, but I never regret being intentional about family time. That said, my littlest peanut is a bit older now, and this year I've decided to take on a handful more 2017 weddings. I'm offering a last minute booking deal on a very select few dates that I've kept open - spread the word if you have friends who have yet to book their 2017 photographer! xoxo
I am so excited for this year's upcoming beach sessions, but in the meantime, reminiscing about last year's will have to do! I just loved this sweet little mother/daughter beach session in Port Stanley!
What a beautiful day it was for Mark and Melanie's family engagement session in Port Stanley. I got to meet their sweet girlie Summer and photograph them having fun as a family, as well as some couple shots as they celebrated their engagement. I can't wait to blog their beautiful wedding, but for now here are some favourites from their beach engagement session.
I thought I was coming to shoot a beautiful Spring engagement session, but it turned out I was coming to shoot a beautiful Star Wars themed Spring engagement session. ;) Mike is a die-hard Star Wars fan, and showed up with lightsabers and the cutest little cake toppers. We had a blast exploring the blooms around Springbank Park, and of course, documenting an epic lightsaber battle. Here are some favourites from their session!
I've been sharing my 2016 favourites on Facebook and Instagram for the last few weeks, and I've loved reminiscing about such a fantastic year of photos. For those who have been following along, you'll notice several images in here that were not featured in my daily favourites posts. But I'm weak and unable to narrow down things I love, so I simply could not exclude some of these images, nor could I keep sharing daily 2016 favourites into the Summer. So here are some of the images that spoke to me the most in 2016 - images that made my heart sing because of the emotion they evoked, or because of the artistic process that went into making them, or because of that golden delicious sunlight I am always chasing, or because I get that feeling when I look at them, that feeling that reminds me that I am so lucky to do what I love, and that makes me want to keep capturing moments and creating art through photographs for as long as I can. <3
I'm putting all of the details together for another year of fabulous mini sessions, and the first round to start booking (later this week!) will be the much anticipated Spring Minis. With that in mind, I thought it fitting to blog some highlights from a handful of last year's mini sessions. We always aim to get blossoming trees as our backdrop, but as always, I can never guarantee exactly when those beautiful Magnolias will be in perfect bloom. They don't last very long, so it's a bit of a guessing game every year. So far we've been lucky, but I've always got some gorgeous "Plan B" options up my sleeve in case we miss the blooming window. How Do Minis Work?
Mini sessions are 20 minutes long and can accommodate up to 6 people. They include 10 high resolution photos in a downloadable online gallery with printing rights. Clients can select their favourite ten images and have the option to purchase additional photos if desired. Mini sessions are currently priced at $175 +hst, with additional high resolution images available for purchase at $15+hst each.
Don't forget, if you want first dibs for booking mini sessions, make sure you get on my advance notice list by emailing sophie@rawfootagephotos.com with the subject line "Advance Notice Minis". - They tend to book up quickly!
I showed up to Springbank Park expecting to shoot yet another Spring blossoms engagement session. Come May, everyone requests this location because of the stunning colours. Don't get me wrong, I adore those beautiful blossoming trees just as much as the next photographer, but after multiple blossom sessions in a row, it can start to feel a bit repetitive. So as I drove to the park this particular evening, I was trying to think of ways to challenge myself creatively so that this session wouldn't just be a repeat of the engagement session I had shot in the same place a few days before. And then I showed up and Andreea was wearing the coolest skull dress, and Ryan was holding a giant black glittery skull. I had to laugh because it just reminded me that no matter what the location is, every couple brings their own flavour to make each shoot their own - and sometimes, that involves a giant skull!
This was such a beautiful day. Everything from Emily's stunning custom dress by Kaitlyn Mae Bridal to the breathtaking pastel florals to the most amazing first look under a giant tree was just perfection. It was a little chilly on this day, but Emily and John were troopers and went gallivanting around FireRock Golf Club's gorgeous grounds with me despite the wind and cold. These two are the sweetest couple and it was such a treat to work with them. Here are my favourites from their special day!
A very special thank you to Orsolya Gyorgy, my fabulous second shooter!
P.S.: Emily is a photographer too! You can check her work out here.