This week I am in Jamaica at the Gran Bahia Resort (Runaway Bay)  photographing my good friend Ryan as he ties the knot with his beau Michelle. I worked with Ryan for a number of years when I was a graphic designer, and was excited when I was invited to play the role of guest / photographer at the wedding!

I will be editing the photos from the wedding over the next few days, so stay tuned. In the meantime, I will post a pretty cool photo from the other night – a view from my hotel room, with Hurricane Rita in the background!

The light falls at precisely the right angle.
The humidity in the air creates an airy softness.
You have an amazing & fun loving couple to work with.
The creativity is spontaneous.

Last nights shoot was made of magic.

I first photographed Lisa & Johan in the middle of the winter last year. They loved their photos sooooo much, that they requested to do another shoot in the summer, so that they could have a variety of imagery to  cherish and share.

As you can tell, I am very happy with the photos!

A little (or a lot) of rain can be a great natural element to play with!

I was actually out of the country for the past while, in places such as the Cayman Islands, Washington DC, Australia and New Zealand. In the month of April alone, I logged over 50 hours of air time, which is a new personal record!  I will be sharing photos from these adventures over the next little while (you have already seen some of the ones from the Cayman’s) so stay tuned.

While in New Zealand, I was also honored to take part in my best friend Ian’s wedding. I was a groomsman, so I tried extra hard to keep my camera packed away for the evening (they did have a hired photographer), but I just could not help but take a few snaps when I could.

One thing that these photos prove, is that weather should never be a reason for missing out on great shots – as you can see, it’s dark and pouring out!

Ian & Claire – I had an amazing time at your wedding and am looking forward to visiting again sometime soon! Love you guys!

If you ask almost any photographer what the best time to shoot is, they will likely speak of the “Golden Hour” and the soft warm light associated with the magical, near twilight, time of day. But if you ask me, the best time to shoot is when the sun goes down and the city lights take over with an orchestra of color. Greens, blues, yellows… It’s a great time to play with the ambient light temperatures and create dynamic imagery.

For this winter shoot, Johan, Lisa and myself explored the city, looking for great light – while trying to stay warm!

You may also notice that I love shooting well into the evening. By doing so, I am able to capture a range of playful and sexy imagery, spanning different lighting conditions and scenes. It really gives my couples a lot of variety in their images and goes well beyond the realms of a typical engagement session.

I am not able to post everything from the session right now (It’s kinda crazy here at the studio this week) so I will leave you with these awesome teasers. Be sure to come back for the main course later on! Please comment!

### UPDATE###
This stylish and cute engagement shoot has now been featured on The Wedding Co. daily news. Click here for more photos!

So why have I not been posting as much recently? Well, the wedding season is now well under way, with a number of shoots now behind me and around 50 or so still to go (combined wedding and engagement shoots – a fully booked season), so needless to say, things are a little hectic, but I am keeping to my promise of a three week turn-around for weddings and less than 1 week for engagement shoots. Not too shabby!

There are a whole bunch of other developments happening here at Union Photography, some that I can hint at and some that are top secret. One big thing is that the photo booth side of things is rocking out and was just accepted into Style Me Pretty’s Invite-Only, Little Black Book. Thanks SMP!

Back to photography, with this sweet little engagement shoot that I had with Martha and Guy, who just so happen to live in the condo right above my Downtown Toronto studio! It’s always great to have fantastic neighbors!

We started things off right at home, with a natural light shoot in the roof top penthouse. The soft evening lighting was just fantastic and I could have stayed there all evening. For the rest of the night we chased light and looked for interesting opportunities within the downtown core. I just love how the night transforms the city and lends in producing unique imagery.

I had a fun time! See you at the wedding (or just around the building)!

One thing that you will notice from these photos, is that my sessions are fairly long and can bridge a number of different environments and times of day. It allows me to provide my couples with a diverse range or imagery that is exciting, intimate and unique.

Thank you so much for spending an evening with me, Melanie & David. It was a pleasure working with the both of you!
I have to say that I am in LOVE with the last shot of you in your Toronto FC jerseys!