Frank

Shawn and Issiah

Candice and Arya

Ethan and Malcolm

I decided to switch gears a little bit, and try shooting some family-type portraits. This family was referred to me by another friend who was unable to do the shoot, so I asked Richard to tag along for safety, lighting, and his expertise.

The shoot was located in the clients home, in a beautiful neighborhood on Mt. Pleasant. The plan was to shoot the two twin boys doing usual things like eating lunch, wrestling, and playing in their own home, along with some more formal poses. Then we were to go out back into the ravine and shoot them outdoors playing in the mud. Unfortunatly, the weather was not in our favor, and it was too cold to carry out the ravine shots, but I may go back later this summer for round 2!

These kids were adorable! Six years old twins with blonde hair and big blue eyes!! An amazing shoot for the portfolio, and I had a great time working with them!

Anna

After doing the family session with the twins, I decided to post an ad on craigslist to try and see how I would do shooting alone.

So i met Victoria and her 2 year old daughter Anna in Lawrence Park. Not having much experience with kids, I was shocked at how little attention span they have, and how little they listen to instructions. So I basically chased her around with a camera for 2 hours, while she ran away from me and avoided the camera. I think I got at least 100 pictures of her at the top of the slide, as that was her favorite piece of park equipment.

Eventually, I got her playing a quick game of hide-and-seek, where she followed me under the slide. The lighting here was fabulous, so I finally got the shots I was looking for!

Pollyanna and Louis

So our next couple was Pollyanna and Louis. They are getting married over seas, but are going to have a reception that we will be photographing in August, so stay tuned for more of this couple!

We shot them around the St. Lawrence Market area downtown Toronto. Here are some of my favorites:

Neisha & Noel

After a much needed break to warm up (it was still March, and i didn't dress appropriately for the country in which i live) at C'est What on Front street, we met up with our next couple of the day, Neisha and Noel at Novotel.

This was an amazing couple to work with, and you could totally feel the love! They were very comfortable with each other, and were constantly making each other laugh! We didn't have any trouble getting them to warm up!

Catherine & Lawrence

So after our encounter at Graffiti Alley, Richard decided that I was good enough to take on as a "mentor-ee" ...and invited me to join him and his friend Chris for an engagement session downtown Toronto.

I met up with them at BCE Place, and we began our "casual" shots inside. I was pretty nervous and blowing my exposure and just trying not to get in the way, so I wasn't too happy with most of my shots from this location. Here are a few that I managed to salvage with the help of photoshop and lightroom:

Next we did some more formal shots at Novotel, down at the Esplanade.... these were some truly beautiful shots......


And finally, we ended the day in the Distillery District....the first time I had ever actually been there! We did some really cool shots in Balzaks, a really nice coffee shop (Mmmm best coffee EVER!)....and there was this little tiny room labeled "toilet" at the side....which turned out to be basically an old washroom I guess, so I snuck inside and photographed the couple fixing their coffee, through an old window. I also got an amazing one of the ring, and believe it or not, the sun gleam was was not photoshopped!!!!

Jaymie and Alex in Graffiti Alley

So, for my very first "professional shoot", and by professional, I simply mean shooting models that I have never met before, I met up with my soon-to-be photography partner, friend, and mentor, Richard Linton, in Graffiti Alley at Queen and Portland. (http://www.richardlinton.com/)

It was a somewhat warm day in March (it being March, so not warm in any real way).....and the girls, Jaymie and Alex, were very friendly and easy to work with. They were sisters, and wanted a TLC- No scrubs" feel to the shoot, as depicted in their wardrobe and make-up. I was a little nervous at first, but they were naturals in front of the camera, and made it very easy for me, with little directing needed. Richard took care of the lighting, and I essentially just snapped away with his guidance.

Here are some of my favorites from the shoot: