» Toronto Wedding Photography

Weddings at Columbus Centre: Carolina and Behrang

Juan — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 00:50:44 +0000

As a photographer, we always strive to reproduce that golden hour light as much as humanly possible with the use of flashes and gels, etc., etc. However, sometimes we get incredibly lucky and actually end up at the right place at the perfect time. That was the case for this wedding held in late July on what turned out to be a beautiful afternoon after some threatening clouds moved out. Great fun had by everyone and as you can see in the last shot, this wedding was Web 2.0! Some of the bride’s brothers couldn’t make the trip to the wedding, so they were witnessing the event unfold on Skype.

Weddings at Columbus Centre: Carolina and Behrang

Lindsay and Cameron: Pickering Waterfront Engagement Session

Juan — Sat, 30 Jul 2011 16:15:06 +0000

I met Lindsay and Cameron through a former co-worker (Thanks Lindsay!), who had told her about my work. Very cool couple and very relaxed in front of the camera, which helped create a very nice set of images. I thought I’d mix it up for this session and use flash to create a more dramatic look, since we had storm clouds coming our way. Here are a few images from the session:

Allie and Nick: Summer Weddings at Oakview Terrace

Juan — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 02:56:16 +0000

Last year I had the pleasure of meeting Allie and Nick for their engagement session and at the time we thought the wedding day was so far away. Well, time sure flies by! Once again, I had the pleasure of working with Tony Baptista, who did a terrific job of capturing those special candid moments. I also met the awesome DJ/MC/Entertainer Dave Hastings of The Sound Solution who is by far the most professional DJ I have seen in a looong time. Anyway, you come here for the pictures, so here’s just a small sample of the day’s events:

Toronto Wedding Photography: Choosing The Right Wedding Photographer

Juan — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 15:21:51 +0000

After a long conversation with wedding and event planner, Krys Caughell of Coming Up Roses, we both came to the conclusion that wedding photography plays a very important role on your big day. After all, when it is all said and done, the only mementos that you get to keep from the whole event are your pictures and in some cases, a video. For that reason alone, you should seriously consider the emphasis you put on photography when it comes time to plan your budget. Please consider the following items before you succumb to the allure of a “deal”:

1. The body of work: Before you even sit down with a photographer to discuss the details of your event, you should ask to see galleries of entire weddings or wedding albums, both would be even better. Chances are, the person offering unlimited coverage at $500 is looking to gain experience at your expense. Remember, if something sounds too good to be true it probably is.

2. Options and packages available: More often than not, the “shoot and burn” photographer will only provide the photography coverage for your day, burn the images to a DVD and mail it or deliver it to you in person. What if you later decide you really wanted a wedding album, an online gallery that you can share with family and friends, or some professional prints, etc., etc. Those are all options or parts of packages offered by a real professional.

3. Quality of the work: You might think this item should be in second place but just bear with me. Let’s just assume that you really don’t care for the options or the packaged solution, which includes albums and prints. You just want your pictures so you can post them on Facebook. Well, guess what, chances are that there will be many other brides tempted by the $500 per wedding deal, which is good news for the photographer trying to break into the industry. However, temptation in this case is a double-edged sword and the photographer might be taking on more clients than he or she can handle, at which point your wedding becomes just another event that they need to move out of their work queue. For that kind of dedication, you might be better served by giving a camera to a relative or a friend.

4. Chemistry: I’m not talking in a romantic kind of way. On your wedding day you’ll be surrounded by friends and family and you want to have someone that you’ll feel comfortable with, taking your pictures. The photographer that you want might be the most talented visual artist around, but if you don’t feel right around that person on the first meeting, it’s a safe bet to say you’ll feel the same way on your wedding day.

The items above are the most crucial when choosing a photographer. You might think you are getting a great deal with the “shoot and burn” photographer, but like with any other service or product, you get what you pay for. Choose a photographer based on their style and track record, not on price. Once again, if you want rock-bottom prices for your wedding photography, you’ll be better served by asking a few friends to bring their cameras and try their luck at capturing your day. That way, if you don’t get a single shot worth keeping, at least you won’t have the regret of having spent $500 to get similar results.

Toronto Wedding Photographer: A Wedding Album to Remember

Juan — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 13:08:21 +0000

I just got my first sample of Vision Art’s Original Fine Art Book, which has now been automatically added as the wedding album for our new Moderate Package. If you really want your wedding images to stand out and have an album that you’d want to show your friends and relatives time and time again, this is the way to go. The fine-art paper pages with a real texture to them, the precise colour reproduction, and the overall feel of a true high-end photo album have made this my new favourite album to recommend to couples. Book a consultation for the 2011 season and see first-hand what a beautiful piece of craftsmanship this book is.

Toronto Wedding Photographer: Fine Art Wedding Album

Toronto Wedding Photographer: Downtown Wedding at The Gladstone Hotel

Juan — Thu, 14 Oct 2010 11:04:42 +0000

The day started in downtown Toronto at The Lid Lounge, with the girls getting their hair done by the very talented Sunil and Dean. The bride and groom wanted the whole downtown experience reflected on their wedding day images, so at the groom’s request, we rode the Queen St. West streetcar to The Gladstone Hotel. In true TTC fashion, the streetcar was running late and we seriously considered catching a cab instead. Fortunately, the great Jennifer Cavagna of Jennifer Images was already at the hotel taking some great shots of the bride getting ready. The streetcar finally appeared on the horizon at the last possible minute and we were on our way. Once at The Gladstone, things moved at a very fast face so here’s a brief visual account of how the big day took place:

Toronto Wedding Photographer: Allie and Nick’s Engagement Session

Juan — Mon, 04 Oct 2010 20:31:47 +0000

Yesterday (October 3, 2010), I had the pleasure of photographing Allie and Nick’s engagement session and we could’ve not asked for better weather. Even though it looked like it was going to be a miserable day in the morning, the skies started to clear around the time we had scheduled for their photo shoot. Allie and Nick met at Seneca college, so they wanted to start their session there, as the campus has a special meaning for them. From there we moved to Edwards Gardens, where just a month ago I had photographed Jack and Helen’s formals for their wedding. Once finished at Edwards Gardens, we made our way down to the Toronto Music Garden on the waterfront, to take advantage of some very interesting cloud formations that had developed towards the end of the afternoon. Congratulations to Allie and Nick and I’m really looking forward to photographing your wedding next summer.

Toronto Wedding Photographer: Engagement Session at Seneca College

Toronto Wedding Photographer: Engagement Session at Edwards Gardens

Toronto Wedding Photographer: Engagement Session at Toronto Music Garden

Toronto Wedding Photographer: Jack and Helen’s Wedding

Juan — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 15:44:08 +0000

This past Saturday (September 4, 2010), I had the pleasure of photographing Jack and Helen’s Wedding in and around Toronto. Edwards Gardens provided the backdrop for the formals, and Very Fair Seafood Cuisine was the chosen restaurant for the reception. I also had the pleasure of working with Jennifer Cavagna of Jennifer Images, who captured some memorable images for this special occasion.

If you happened to be in Toronto on Saturday, you know the weather was erratic at best. On my way to the Bride’s place, I thought for sure the day was going to be spectacular, but by the time we had moved to the Groom’s parents place, it started pouring down with a vengeance. Needless to say, we also got rained on at Edwards Gardens at different intervals, but we managed to catch a few breaks here and there and captured some very special moments. Here’s a condensed visual presentation of the day:

Toronto Wedding Photographer: Michael and Sabrina’s Wedding

Juan — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 20:58:59 +0000

This past Tuesday, I had the pleasure of photographing Michael and Sabrina’s big day. It all started early in the morning at Civello. Sabrina got the royal treatment, starting with her hair, done by Michelle Volpe and then proceeded to get her nails done by Peipei Elliott. The final touch was done by makeup artist extraordinaire, Melanie Withmore. All the staff at Civello was awesome, and the place itself provides a great backdrop for pictures as well. If you are looking to get pampered, I would highly recommend it!

Sabrina went back to the hotel to get ready for the actual ceremony, and Tony Baptista and I were there to record that moment. Both Tony and I just couldn’t believe how relaxed and funny she was throughout the whole day. Hopefully, you’ll see that displayed on the images shown here.

After the ceremony at Blessed Trinity Roman Catholic Church, the wedding party moved downtown to the Christie Mansion. The location is simply amazing for pictures and film crews looking to tape period pieces. However, on that day, we were doing family formals and some shots for Michael and Sabrina. Once we were done there, we raced to Oro Restaurant, which was the venue selected by the bride and groom for their reception. The place is ideal if you are looking for an intimate reception, and the staff is great, not to mention the food which was just out of this world!

Well, enough talking. I hope you enjoy the day’s journey captured in camera. Many thanks to Tony Baptista, who did a great job of helping me throughout the day and even took on the role of second shooter towards the end of the evening.

Toronto Wedding Photographer: Getting ready at Civello in downtown Toronto

Toronto Wedding Photographer: Bride getting ready at the Delta Chelsea in downtown Toronto

Toronto Wedding Photographer: Delta Chelsea Hotel in downtown Toronto

Toronto Wedding Photographer: Blessed Trinity Church

Toronto Wedding Photographer: Wedding photography at the Christie Mansion

Toronto Wedding Photographer: Wedding reception at Oro Restaurant