As a documentary wedding photographer specialized in making candid, in-the-moment pictures, I used to struggled with engagement sessions. Like many of my marrying couples, posing is not my favourite thing. As time goes by, I do have a different perspective and appreciate an engagement session before the wedding day. So are most of my clients. My brides and grooms are happy with a casual portrait session that gets them used to the camera and they always find the engagement pictures come out more natural than they've expected. I also learn to have a lot of fun with alternative and creative approach to posing. This engagement session with Annum and Abdullah in Allan Gardens in downtown Toronto is no exception. We are originally planning for a Spring engagement but as unpredictable as Toronto's weather can get, there's no surprise that we have to make last minute changes to the previous engagement idea. Allan Gardens is a perfect, alternative indoor space for good quality lighting and some green which most of the other indoor locations lack. I'm certainly adding Allan Gardens, this amazingly decent greenhouse to my list of favourite unique engagement locations in Toronto. Especially in the Toronto winter or a belayed Spring, what's better than staying in the warm but still creatively getting images like those taken out in the nature. These images, some natural candids and some artistically posed portraits, truly reflect these two's fun personalities and strong connection to each other. I can't wait to photograph Annum and Abdullah's Milton wedding in May!
Toronto Engagement Photo Locations | Nathalie + Alex | Kensington Market
"Ally shot our wedding and engagement and did a remarkable job. She's a talented photographer with a real knack for catching the moments when they occur and documenting events in a natural manner. Neither of us are great or comfortable with posed pictures but Ally put us at ease, rolled with our unconventional wedding and really represented us and our event in all her work, engagement shoot and wedding shoot. We cannot recommend her enough...she truly is one of Toronto's most talented wedding photographers and will surely gain the fame to match her talent in the near future! Get her if you can!"
Thank you Natalie and Alex for leaving me such a sweet review on Google. Click to see their unconventional wedding.
From the get go, Nathalie and Alex warned me that they were unconventional and so would be their wedding. "That's perfect", I responded.
Together, Nathalie and Alex made a super cool couple with distinct personalities and an open attitude to life. In this Spring morning, we started the engagement session at their home and moved our way to Kensington Market, one of their favourite places to hang out on the weekends. The neighbourhood was perfect for the couple. From the lively graffiti alleys to fashion district, from the crowded Chinatown to the multicultural Kensington Market, it's at the heart of Toronto and fully represented the city's openness to diversity.
I had a lot of fun documenting a typical weekend morning for Nathalie and Alex. I can't wait to see them again in their wedding and continue the illustration of their intimate love story with more photographs from the special day.