A New Home for Love and Anchor

So, some exciting news. But at the same time, some heartbreaking news. We've moved. Yes, I know, it's a bit sad. Not just out of the HRM or anything. We've moved back to Ontario, and are setting up shop there. It's not such a huge move actually. We're both from Ontario - Matt from Toronto, Steph from the Durham region. We met at Trent University in Peterborough, after all. And while we absolutely loved it in Nova Scotia, things haven't turned out quite as well as we'd hoped. We really want to take our business full time, and support our family shooting weddings. But it wasn't happening quite as we needed it to out there, and we think we'll have more luck in Ontario. And, of course, our family is back there. Your priorities really become clear when you have a child - we want Rowan to grow up with his grandparents and cousins around, to be able to see them often, every week, rather than once or twice a year. It's a tough decision, but we also don't think an uncommon one.

Nova Scotia has been really great to us. We can't think of a more beautiful place to live. Everytime we've gone out to a shoot, we've been amazed at how wonderful the province looks and feels and smells. The people here have been super welcoming and friendly - we've made a few friendships here that will continue on, despite the move. It is very sad that we're leaving, and we didn't really expect it to turn out this way, but we're making the decision for our family, for our stability and future. We'll miss Nova Scotia, but we also know that it's the people that make a place, and people are portable! Ontario isn't so far after all. And, with the beauties of techology, the distance becomes shorter. We feel that's one of the reasons we do this work in the first place. Video, especially, makes it possible to experience these events if you can't make it yourself, and allows you to relive it, no matter where you are. So we'll just keep this in mind during our move. And keep up our connections to this place.

We'll miss you Nova Scotia! 

Kirsten & Shawn Pt. 2

As Matt mentioned in our previous post, this was my first time shooting photos instead of filming. There were definitely some challenges in the small spaces of the house and the fact that I was using my new telephoto lens... but we made it work!

One of the things Matt and I pride ourselves on is doing our homework. The more information we have the better we can perform on-site, so we ask our clients a lot of questions about their big day. From this we create a minute by minute schedule in order to figure out how we're going to work and capture those special moments. In addition to the information we gain about the wedding day, we also keep our thumb on what's going on in the world of wedding photography. Personally, I was inspired by photographer Kristen Marie who's work feels quiet and intimate. I wanted to capture some of the details of the beautiful house Kirsten and Shawn were tying the knot in as, first of all, it was a beautiful home, and second of all, it was a huge part of what they'll remember about their day. It was an incredibly inviting and warm space and I hope I did both Kirsten & Shawn and their venue justice. Here's a small selection. For more check out our website.

Kirsten & Shawn Pt. 1

This wedding was quite unique. First of all, it was a surprise. The only people who really knew it was going to happen were close family. All the other guests thought they were showing up to an annual Christmas party. Kirsten and Shawn had planned the whole thing in a short few weeks, choosing to be married amongst a small and intimate group of loved ones at a friends' house. They pulled it off beautifully. Everyone was surprised, and delighted and ecstatic that their regular Christmas party had turned into something much more special. Kirsten crafted some wonderful decorations, from the stars hanging from the branches outside, to the delicious maple bacon cupcakes inside. And, of course, the mason jars scattered throughout the backyard were perfect. Shawn even put together the wooden benches on which the guests sat! It all gave the whole experience the cozy, wintery feel we were hoping to capture.

At this point in the game, all the weddings we do have some kind of first for us. This was the first wedding where we did both video and photos. Matt shot video, Steph snapped photos, and this was an interesting challenge for us, as we're used to having two angles at all times when doing video. But this also turned out to be the perfect wedding for this development. It was small enough that widespread coverage wasn't necessary - we could each get everything we wanted fairly easily.

And this was the first time we had left Rowan with a babysitter. At just under three months, it was interesting driving away from our friend's house, knowing we wouldn't see him for the next 12 hours. But it all went off without a hitch. Rowan was fine, we had loads of fun, and Kirsten and Shawn (and their family and friends) had a great time during the wedding, and loved watching the video after!