Mer Bleue Winter Engagement

One of the first things I noticed when I met Kristina and Liam was just how contagious their laughter is and how much they make each other laugh. This was a delightful engagement session where we finally got to meet and explore their story a little more just a couple days after Valentine’s Day and with a stroke of luck, missed out on the deep freeze normal to February. The other fun “news” of the weekend was their recent addition to their new home, Yogi Bear, who was immediately full of puppy greetings, love bites, and snuggles.

As a story-teller, I want to create a story of images that are meaningful to the couple. Liam’s passion is in woodworking, so incorporating some of his pieces (ever so subtly) into some of the photographs, along with their custom made engagement ring felt significant to me. Also, Kristina had shared that one of her favorite colors was pink, so I picked up some of my favorite ribbon made locally here in Montreal at Maison Note and gifted it to her to use in some way for her wedding.

We headed to the Mer Bleue Bog, the significance being that this was where Liam had proposed to Kristina (and funnily enough, I got to see that happen over IG because they had hired me for their wedding before they were officially engaged. I mean… these two make me laaaaaugh, they’re so fun and up for fun.)

So here you go, a winter engagement session in Ottawa at the Mer Bleue Bog. Really looking forward to photographing their wedding this November!

Engagement Photography: The Best of 2019

The best way to think of an engagement sessions & couples sessions is as a unique date between you and your partner. If you think about it: how many photographs do you have with each other that are not directly taken with your iPhone? Printed and framed?

One of my own regrets is that I don’t have more photographs with Dave, with me in them. Here’s why: before I turned 35 I completely took my looks for granted and was hypercritical of them. I don’t know if I thought I would never age, but now I look back at younger versions of myself and want to jump inside that photograph and give myself a swift kick in the kindest way haha!

It’s important to have these photographs with each other so that you can appreciate your beautiful selves and all that that encompasses with aspirations, romance, joie de vivre. Not that I am saying that I don’t feel those things now! But I don’t take them for granted anymore.

Engagement photography sessions are an opportunity to tell a more intimate story, to get yourselves photographed in a more elevated and artistic way. Engaged or not engaged, if you’re a couple that’s looking to have your photograph taken: go on over this page to find out more about what these sessions entail and take a moment to fill out the questionnaire!

Here is a selection of my favorite engagement photographs that I took in 2019 in various locations in Montreal and Ottawa.

Last Shot: Fannie & Deep Engagement

Engagement shoots are an interesting challenge with a good assortment of variables that any juggler would have a hard time keeping all up in the air.

When I look for locations I am thinking of it’s lighting, the mood the space will provide, it’s ability to provide different contexts, and also has an element of privacy.

For this particular shoot the original venue had done some drastic things to their venue for an art show… and so I quickly had to pull another venue out of my pocket that wasn’t too far away. Fortunately I remembered a building that was nearby and open to the public, just from the off chance that months ago my daughter and I had wandered in there looking for some vintage furniture. (You see, everything DOES happen for a reason!)

My point - there is one - I read the other day that a good photographer is a good problem solver. It does not matter how much you plan for something, you have to be able to handle the unexpected.

At any rate, this space proved to be a perfect backdrop on this sunny cold January Saturday and I am looking forward to showcasing the rest of these photos.

This photo was the last photo taken of the day… we had packed up, Fannie & Deep had all their winter gear back on and then we walked into this patch of sun in the stairwell.

They were game for one last photo and…

Perfect.