Excited to announce that Emily and Antonio's Berkeley Church wedding has recently been selected for a feature on Berkeley Events Blog. Click to see the article and in it an interview I did with Joulie Wheler from Berkeley Events. In this interview, I talked about my approach to wedding photography, the importance of connecting with my brides and grooms, and what being a wedding photographer means to me. I hope you enjoy the photos and find the interview inspiring.
xoxo,
Ally
Sharon and Colin were keen on seeing each other the first time on their wedding day at the wedding ceremony. They did and neither of them could stop the smile on their face as Sharon's walking down the aisle with her dad. They were hoping for a sunset ceremony at 99 Sudbury. Though the day turned out to be slightly gloomier than expected, Sharon and Colin, no doubt, were in high spirit from the very beginning to the very end.
It's often a couple's top priority to pick a wedding venue that reflects their vision of an ideal wedding and even better enables the making of beautiful wedding photos. Sudbury 99 was an unique wedding venue for intimate weddings. Sharon and Colin also loved the cityscape between 99 Sudbury and Gladstone Hotel which is 5, 10 mins walk away on Queen West. We were able to make some beautiful night time wedding photos during blue hour. Nighttime wedding portraits could be very rewarding with its unique touch of romance to the images. The touch of soft blue evening light in contrast with Gladstone's historic brick wall exterior was highlighted by the urban lights from automobile headlights and streetlights. It made unique wedding photos. We also made candid wedding photos of Sharon and Colin standing in front of Sudbury 99, kissing at street corners and crossing the street to name a few. I found these city wedding photos very intimate yet casual and natural. It almost looked like an elopement in the city.
99 Sudbury had a great indoor space for weddings. It's an industrial wedding venue with a vintage looking tinted glass wall. Yet, the space looked a little cyber in pictures with its high ceiling, open space and clean walls. An interesting blend of industrial, vintage and cyber look made it a unique space for small weddings. Toronto wedding photographers were lucky to have a diverse list of wedding venues to photograph at. The opportunity inspired a photographer.
The night was deep and the party was just officially began with the dance floor opened. Sharon and Colin had a fun wedding party and a top-notch (party) guest list. Almost everyone was on the dance floor and stay on the dance floor through out the night. Threw them any tone, they'd dance to it. There's never a dull moment. It's the kind of wedding reception that Sharon and Colin anticipated to see - everybody's having a good time. High heels were off. New friends were made. Sharon and Colin were happily married.
xx,
Ally
Yvette and Sunny flew from Hong Kong to Toronto for their pre wedding photos. Sunny is a pilot in Toronto. Yvette went to school at OCAD Toronto and returned to Hong Kong for work upon graduation. Their love story is a long distance one and involves frequent flying between two cities. They're having a traditional Chinese wedding in Hong Kong to meet both side's parents' expectations. But personally, Yvette and Sunny desire an intimate wedding, something small and private. Eloping to Toronto for their pre wedding photos became a sensible choice. They want their pre wedding pictures to be tasteful and elegant yet have a hint of an elopement storyline.
Graydon Hall Manor is a popular wedding venue in Toronto. It's a unique and intimate location and good for both indoor and outdoor weddings. Many choose the venue for its beautiful outdoor garden (click here to see a garden wedding I shot in the same summer and here a fall wedding at Graydon Hall). Graydon Hall has different vibes in different seasons and is gorgeous for wedding photos all year round. Yvette brought two dresses with her for this pre wedding shoot. A red evening dress goes well with Graydon Hall's 19 century castle like indoor space. Yvette's classic white wedding dress, on the other hand, enhances their garden wedding photos. The spacious garden adds privacy and intimacy to the images. Sunny holds Yvette's hand and walks her in this magical garden. There's nothing but just the two of them. It's an elopement in the middle of the city, in the midst of it all, in the name of love. Elopement is not just physically running far far away but a mental state of oneness between two people.
Pre wedding photography is a trend in Asia. It's popular in many Asian countries. I personally find the traditional pre wedding photos too posed. I'm a candid wedding photographer and traditional pre wedding photography doesn't go very well with my documentary approach. I prefer photos that are natural and soulful. There are other pre wedding photographers in Toronto but I have more of an alternative style. I focus on intimacy and flow of actions. Toronto is a great place for wedding photography with lots of talented wedding photographers of different believes and approaches in their arts. Pre wedding photography in Toronto is still more popular among Asians. But the idea is universal. Pre wedding photography takes away the stress of getting all wedding portraits done on a wedding day. It also allows more time to make these portraits on a different location than one's wedding venue. We're also in more control of the time of the day for pre wedding photos than wedding day photos and hence make it possible to choose a time that's favourable for portraits (think softer and more flattening natural light).I want to conclude by saying that I believe pre wedding photos is a broader idea than what I think it's thought to be. It's not mandatory. It's an opportunity to get more photos in a different, often more relaxed mindset than on one's wedding day. It's to spend private moments with your partner and have it documented in photos. It's to choose the photography style that resonates with you. It's not necessarily staged. It's not as posed as one would imagine and can be genuinely and purely candid if we wish. It's not as close to an everyday lifestyle shoot as an engagement session but far more casual than photos taken on a wedding day especially if you're having a big wedding and expecting a busy wedding day. It makes a difference in the final images when you're actually enjoying a stress-free process. Not to forget that there are also lots of unique locations for pre wedding photos in Toronto from hidden forest to the water front, from manmade castles to cityscape, from the most hipster space to the many romantic classy venues. Pre wedding photography is definitely not for everyone. But for those who see its benefits, it'll be a memorable day and a lot of fun with genuine laughters behind the scene while making beautiful pre wedding photos.
xx,
Ally
Go to Toronto Documentary Wedding Photography home page to see recent works and real weddings.
Soula and Theo were both school teachers. He's a sport fan. She's his fan. It didn't take them long to decide on moving in together in their beloved Roncesvalles neighbourhood and getting married in Fall 2016, the long weekend right before school started. They both adored candid, documentary wedding photography. I was sincerely honoured to document these two kind souls' wedding...
Read MoreShaarifa was born and raised in London, U.K.. She and Talha met in Toronto. They're one of my many long distance couples. Shaarifa wanted an engagement location in Toronto that had a British flare, nineteenth century buildings that'd reminder her of British architectures. She had her eye on Hart House and University of Toronto's downtown campus during her regular visit in Toronto. These beautiful architectures brought her back to London U.K. where she chose to leave behind for her new page with Talha in Toronto. We had a sunrise engagement session at Hart House. The dusk colours made it looked like as it's romantic, cloudy day in London only with more stunning colours as the sun rose. For the entire time, Shaarifa and Talha couldn't stop smiling and chitchatting among themselves. Their approachable personalities and love for each other was evident in every engagement photo. The physical distance between them had only strengthened their relationship over the years. Now they're ready to move forward to live a married life together, I wish them a lot of happiness.
To Shaarifa, Toronto welcomes you.
xx, Ally
Fall was the best season to take engagement pictures in Toronto. The weather's perfect for snuggling and the fall colours are unbeatably gorgeous. It's also more quiet than summer in most popular engagement photo locations. For the same reasons, I also found fall weddings the best for brides who look for a relaxed, unique experience. Dina and Aren waited till the weather cooled down after summer and foliage colour changed to have their intimate engagement session in the wood. Dina even wore leather jacket, ripped jeans and boots for the session. What could be a better dress code for a fall engagement session. This hidden forest was suggested by the couple and it's where the lovers usually walked their husky, Haven (who was also with us on the day. yay to engagement sessions with dogs)! I fell in love with this woodland immediately. It's full of cool shaped trees and it's very quiet. We only occasionally ran into other dog lovers and in most cases only Haven got distracted. The session became very smooth after some warmups. Dina and Aren flied with a sexy engagement session at ease. We made sure their furbaby was in some pictures too. It was a lot of fun leisurely walking in the wood in the fall weather with Dina, Aren and Haven. Did I mentioned that Dina and Aren were also Blue Jay fans and brought along Blue Jay hats? All went well except unfortunately for Haven, his favourite ball toy was lost as we were playing fetch with him to keep him away from some of these engagement pictures. I bookmarked this location and would definitely return. For now, please enjoy these sexy engagement photos of Dina and Aren, special ft. the mighty Haven.