The secret weapon that gets me through anything

The secret weapon that gets me through anything

When I was 18 my father sent me off all by myself to go and photograph my first wedding solo. Up to this point for a few years I had been graduating from carrying equipment to occasional shooting to full blown shooting on my own at events. Although I was never completely alone, my father would be present in the building…working the room as they say. This day was different I would go out without anyone, the strings were off and it was go time. What did he say to me as a pep talk? The words I was told that day will stay with me forever. I use them whenever I reach a challenge or feel unsure of myself. DRUM ROLL… his exact words

“If you feel as though you do not know what you are doing or feel like your losing confidence you are the only person that should know that”

Right after that he sent me on my way to go and photograph my very first solo wedding. You are probably thinking that that’s not quite a secret weapon but to me it is. I will be in any situation and just think that and BAM I’m Superman. Nothing can break the eternal Fonzie I hold inside. It may be a bit corny but to me it works wonders. On that day I did use the instant replay in my head on those occasions to go over the phrase that was told to me hours earlier. Each time it had more of an effect.

There are people that may say their secret weapon is an object, place or person and that is awesome to have. Something that may hold a special amount of mojo that gets you through. To me it is a sentence that was told to me from someone who at the time may have just been a little worried that this punk kid may ruin his business. But that punk kid made it through that day and the years that followed still holding onto that phrase.

“If you feel as though you do not know what you are doing or feel like your losing confidence you are the only person that should know that”

CC

The Most Important Part Of The Wedding Day

The most important part of the wedding day you should be focusing on

It may come as a surprise to you but a wedding day can be a whirlwind of emotion. It is enough to make anyone loose focus at any given moment and who could blame you. You have been planning for this one day for months maybe even years. There is one part of the day that should have your undivided attention. It may go without saying but the wedding ceremony itself is the most important part of your wedding day and you should be focused during it. No matter where the ceremony is held you should cherish, respect and honor it.

There are a few tricks that you can implement in order to maintain a high level of focus. One is to allow only those whom you have hired to be the only ones documenting the event. Every guest can be kindly asked to participate in a unplugged wedding ceremony. We have seen it happen and it allows the ceremony be as intimate as possible no matter how large the group is. In this day and age this may be difficult as we all (myself included) have our phones attached to us at all times but it can work. This also allows for the bride and groom to not be distracted by that random relative asking for you to “look here” during your vows.

The couple exchanging their vows should only be focused on each other. No matter what happens eye contact should be between the happy couple at all times. After all there should be no one else in the world on your mind. This can be an obvious one but you would be surprised with how many get distracted by the littlest things and loose that focus. Many things are going through your mind and that goes without saying but just look at the other person by your side and stay calm, they are not going anywhere. You can trust that if you follow these small tips you will pass the focus test with flying colors on your wedding day.

CC

Stop Bad Attitudes From Ruining Your Wedding Day

Stop bad attitudes from ruining your wedding day

Your wedding day is everything to the people involved. It means the story of two people as one is about to have an opening chapter. Families from different places coming together to celebrate the joining of two individuals falling in love and taking the next step. But there can be those who for one reason or another are not totally on board with that and may try their hardest to get in the way and cause a ripple. Now these ripples barely cause an issue however they can have lasting implications on the wedding day, particularly if they commence during the planning process. You need to nip that in the bud early in order to enjoy your wedding day without these “bad seeds”

It can start fairly early. You just got engaged and are quick to post an image with that awesome ring on your finger. And who can blame you, it’s exciting. But you get that text from your cousin (you know which one) claiming her ring is bigger. Although we all know size does not matter, to her it obviously does. Let that go because she could just be bitter and or in a bad mood, but if it continues later it will only increase. You may need to have a sit down with this person and calmly let her know that although it may not be what she finds to be great it is what you love. This could be venue, photographer, florist and anything and everything you have selected. Trust me when we say this can and eventually will ruin your wedding day. The dark cloud will linger and you need to brighten up that sky and bring back the white puffy happy clouds.

This bad attitude can come from anywhere and anyone and anytime. You need to do your research and make solid choices on whom you decide to hire. You will then have confidence that you made the best choices for you and not your 2nd cousin twice removed who feels that her photographer is great for you because they are great for everyone. Truth is not everyone fits together like Lego pieces, we are all different and very often choose at different things. If you find that you have a persistent friend, relative or co-worker that is just a little too much of a Debbie Downer you have two choices. Let it go just like Elsa from Frozen. These people may be dealing with other things that make them negative towards weddings in general or they just don’t like you. Or your second choice…cut them off. Don’t invite them or revoke the invite, if you can still do so.

Life is too short to continuously carry an umbrella around for all of those rainy days. Your wedding day will be awesome, trust me. You made all of the right decisions that worked for you. All of the other drama can be left alone with those who are carrying their bad attitudes. This entire post means nothing to you if you have already stopped paying attention to the “noise”. There is nothing like controlling only what you can control and let the other things figure themselves out.

CC

The Real Questions You Need To Ask Your Wedding Photographer

The Real Questions You Need To Ask Your Wedding Photographer

In the world of the internet getting any information on a wedding photographer can be fairly effortless. You can probably find out what they ate for lunch via Instagram as well. However there are a few questions you need to ask wedding photographers that can only be answered in a consultation. Other than finding out if you truly “click” with this photographer you need to have assurances that this is the right selection for your wedding photography. After getting through the first hurdle, which is to narrow down whom you would like to hire from your research and or extensive referrals. Your next step should be what to ask this “top choice” photographer whom you have hired to capture the most important images of your life. The real questions you need to ask your wedding photographer are simple and honest.

Can you be honest with me when I ask a question?

There are some ideas that sound crazy and some that are. Being honest can be scary when dealing with a bride but honesty is really the best policy. It may not be what you want to hear but it will be what you need to hear. Your photographer should not answer everything with a yes if they can not deliver, you need the truth.

How Many Back Up Plans Do You Have?

Just like starting pitching in major league baseball you can never have too many back up plans on a wedding day. Living in Toronto we recognize that there are two seasons in a year, winter and construction. So we know a thing or two about back up plans. But what about weather, cancelations, no parking, no permits, etc. You need to know that your wedding photographer has a back up plan. Sometimes we sit around the day before a wedding an go over all worst case scenarios and how to avoid or confront and conquer them. We do this for fun to be prepared.

We Only Have _________ Minutes For Photos…Is This Enough Time?

The short answer is yes that is more than enough time. Time is the one thing we cannot have more of, there are only 24 hours in a day. If you have 30 minutes that is enough time to photograph in any situation. A few weeks back we had 20 minutes before a storm rolled in and we were outdoors far from any other option. We managed to get the done and done well in that time frame. Just as the storm passed through while we watched safely from the limo bus.

Can You Help Me ?

Your wedding photographer has seen it all and knows probably more about weddings. Ask them anything about where to go, who to see and what to buy. It will make it so much easier for you to navigate the crazy world that a bride lives in. So just ask your wedding photographer if he or she can help you with anything wedding related.

CC

Candice & Mehmet’s Portuguese Turkish Wedding

Candice & Mehmet’s Portuguese Turkish Wedding

A Saturday or two ago when it poured rain, hail, cats, dogs and pretty much anything and everything that could fall from the sky we were photographing Candice & Mehmet’s Portuguese Turkish Wedding. To tell you the truth we thought we drove through a tornado on the way to the reception. Did that get in our way of capturing awesome wedding images? The answer to that is a definite NO. If anything it helped us focus much better in the task at hand.

The wedding started off spectacular with a blue sky and great weather to go along with it, not too hot nor too cold. We started off in the morning with Mehmet and the guys in Mississauga. Most of the groomsmen knew us from a few previous weddings and you know that means trouble. But the kind of trouble we like. After I had a lesson on Dragon Ball Z and how awesome it is we headed further west to Milton to catch up with the ladies before the ceremony. After a few photo shenanigans we all jumped in our cars and or limo buses and headed to the Royal Ambassador and the outdoor ceremony. All the while listening to the radio and keeping a close ear on the weather forecast.

The ceremony was beautiful and very intimate with close friends and family in attendance. All the while dark clouds were heading towards and we knew what was headed our way. With a short huddle with the bridal party explaining the weather situation and how we had little time before the rain was around. We all pulled our socks up and went crazy for 20 minutes getting the images you see below. Without any coverage and in the middle of a park it could’ve gotten bad fast. But with the help of an awesome bridal party and super understanding bride and groom we came out dry and with great wedding images.

After making it on the limo bus without a second to spare as the rain came we headed to the Renaissance by the creek for the reception. We were ready for a party with the awesome mix of Portuguese and Turkish backgrounds that this too have. Throw in the biggest line that we have seen for our photo booth and all bases were covered in this night. To top it all off we had Portuguese Malasadas at the sweet table so you know we stayed a little later that night.

CC