Typically, one of the main bonding points between the bride and groom and their photographer is the weather: from the mutual fretting beforehand over a dicey forecast, to the shared, nervous upward glances at a big, dark storm front approaching.  But although we had all the ingredients for a dark, stormy, and oppressive day, Kristin and Kyle’s wedding remained one of the lightest and funnest weddings to shoot.  Not only was she unfazed by the weather, but Kristin also demonstrated this uncanny knack of timing our car rides between locations to coincide with the random downpours of the day.  And between the playfulness of Kristin’s nephew, who was the precocious and brilliantly red-haired ringbearer, and the antics of Kyle and his band of very merry groomsmen, there was never a dull moment in the shooting.  Lots and lots of fun pictures full of personality on this day!  Here’s just a few of my faves:

–

Even though they moved away shortly after their wedding several years ago, it hasn’t felt like I’ve been all that removed from Deepak and Michelle.  Whether it’s working with their extended families for portraits, or seeing them again at Deepak’s cousin’s wedding, or bumping into their families at weddings because the East Indian community in Winnipeg is so tightly knit, it just seems like I’m never more than a few degrees of separation away.  This time when they came back to town, there were no degrees of separation at all as I took them down to the studio for a shoot of their new little boy Rayan.

Like most babies his age, Rayan was extremely tactile.  It was fun just watching his extreme fascination with the red wicker stools and the fuzzy orange chairs that we have in the studio.  I’m sure they look better than they taste, but he didn’t seem to mind their flavors either way.  Between the furniture and his chewy giraffe, he couldn’t be bothered with the green stuffed animal/monster that his parents have been using as the unofficial “reference chart” for his size.  Another thing I thoroughly enjoyed was this little lick of his hair that would casually flip up during the shoot (I still find it hard to believe that Rayan was apparently one of the “balder” babies in the family).

It was great working with Michelle and Deepak again, and if they stay true to the patterns in their families, I can’t help but wonder if Rayan will soon have a sibling in the family portraits…?    But before we jump ahead of ourselves, let’s share some pictures from this session:

–

Della and Phil have a definite love for the country, and even though they were married in the city, they definitely made the effort to incorporate as much of a country feel into their wedding as possible. For someone who is usually quite happy to have one nice location at which to shoot, imagine my surprise and delight when I found out we were starting with the retro-cool of the Millennium Centre… then moving next door to the classical architecture of the Hamilton Building… before driving out to the big fields and prairie sky of an old farmstead in Stonewall… and ending in the old western feel of the Hitchin’ Post… all in one morning/afternoon!  I was almost in a state of mild creative shock, having to switch between these amazing but wildly different backdrops.  But in the end it was a really fun and easy day to shoot.  From the guys in their western outfits, to the vintage orange pickup truck, to the bride in her cowboy boots, Della and Phil and their wedding party were right in to the day from the get go.  Great couple, great wedding party, and so many fun and cool pictures.  Congrats you guys!  A sneak peek into the day:

–

Having just gotten married last fall, I figured there might be something of a break before I evolved from being Devin and Julie’s wedding photographer to being their family portrait photographer.  Turns out they didn’t waste much time at all!  And just a couple of weeks ago they welcomed little Jasper into their world.

Since they knew ahead of time they wanted baby pictures, we planned to do the session while Jasper was still very newborn.  With my wife being Caucasian and myself being Chinese, I always have a personal interest in seeing what other mixed babies look like.  Right away I noticed that Jasper seemed to favor a more Asian look than my kids did at birth. And I’d forgotten how peely newborn skin could be!

With a huge bank of soft window light and this great big green circular couch at my disposal, their house was pretty much a perfect setting for taking pictures. We managed to get some really nice shots with mom, dad, and grandma, although poor little Jasper had his nap interrupted a couple of times by all the transferring between arms holding him.  I certainly appreciated Julie and Devin accommodating all my requests to jostle the baby back and forth – I just hope they didn’t pay the price later on with a cranky and sleepless baby!  Hopefully the pics were worth it:

–

I really enjoyed how Maria and Phil managed to combine quiet elegance with whimsical fun on their wedding day.  The entire wedding party looked sharp in their tuxes and dresses, but it was the details – the cool shoes, the big white balloons, the tango at the reception – that really added the character to this wedding.  It was my first time being on the job at the Fort Whyte Centre, and the weather held up for a perfectly soft and overcast outdoor wedding ceremony. If I’m any judge, I think the most anxious part of the day for Maria and Phil was the anticipation leading up to their elaborately choreographed dance.  That said, they pulled it off to much applause and fanfare, and it didn’t take long for all of Phil’s DJ friends to get the music going.  Congrats to the couple!  Some sneak peeks from the day:

–