Ok, Trash-the-Dress may not be for the faint of heart, but you’ll get to see me in my wedding dress in this week’s Matrimony Monday on, you guessed it, Trash-the-Dress.

DVP Trash the dress

Happy planning,

Dani

Be prepared for a larger than normal amount of giggling in this post. It is hard for me to talk about my bottom and remain serious! Do I have you intrigued in this week’s Matrimony Monday yet? This video blog discusses how your footwear, specifically the height of your heel, changes your shape.

DVP Shoes

Happy planning,

Dani

A shoot list is simply a list o photographs you want your photographer to take. This week’s Matrimony Monday discusses why I like one.

DVP Shoot List

Happy Planning,

Dani

I love kids, but they do bring an element of  ”the unscripted” to a wedding day. This week’s Matrimony Monday talks about kids and getting the best pictures you can of the important “shorties” in your life.

DVP Kids

Happy Planning,

Dani

December 17 isn’t exactly the hottest day for weddings. Usually, people are so wrapped up in Christmas that having a wedding is the last thing on their minds. And that was perfectly OK with Janna and Randy because the only people they wanted to be there, well, were there!

Janna, Randy and I chatted only days before their intimate wedding, and we all hoped that the snow would not only fall, but it would stick to the trees. I can’t tell you how thrilled for them I was when I awoke Saturday morning to a glorious snowfall. It was perfect.

Janna and Randy often walk at Eugenia Falls. When they told me that they wanted to get married there I wondered if we would be able to get a good shot of the falls this time of year. Randy assured me that he knew a way off the beaten path that would enable me to get a spectacular shot.

I can’t believe how brave these two are! I have to admit I had my heart in my throat.

Other than, of course, Randy, the other person there who is close to Janna was her witness and her best friend. You can tell these two go way back.

I have included my favourite picture of Janna and Randy here, too. Can you see them?

Welcome to this week’s Matrimony Monday. On today’s web blog, I am discussing locations for formal wedding portraits.

DVP Web Blog: Locations

Happy planning,

Dani

I love natural light, but adding some studio shots to your wedding album is a great way to mix it up a bit. This Matrimony Monday’s video blog chats about just that: studio pics!

DVP Studio Shoots

Happy Planning,

Dani

It was on a walk around my neighbourhood when I saw the backdrop for this year’s Christmas card. I was in speaking with Debbie from Dusk to Dawn Contracting when just outside the shop’s door, I saw the green door of what once was Priceville’s general store.

Three days later, I trucked my six and four year old, Reese and Ella, down to “the door”. The temperature was a little warm for vests and scarves, but Reese and Ella were pretty good about putting up with me. (For the record, I do bribe my children with candy during a photoshoot!) Here is my favourite shot from the day.The head shots also turned out nice.

Now I just have to get the Christmas cards designed and printed!

Linda has been to a few of my photography classes. And I was honoured when she asked me to photograph one of her favourite subjects, her grandchildren (and of course her own children). The four grand-babies are all four and under. A lovely age to capture on film, but one that does take a little patience.

I know I wanted a simple backdrop that had a hint of the Fall colours, so I scoped out this empty lot in Eugenia and Linda, her husband, her mother, along with her two boys and their families were good enough to truck over. A special thanks to Dorthy, Linda’s mother, who was a trooper with the tall grass and uneven terrain. (Dorthy is the matriarch in the soft pink.)

Linda’s sons, Stan and Rob, each have a boy and girl. Linda wanted the family in white shirts and denim, and Linda’s daughter-in-law, Ashley, organized the outfits for the children. I really liked the off white shirts she chose for the girls. They also purchased inexpensive all white shirts for the men. It is well-worth the couple bucks for the uniformed look. As I was taking pictures of Stan and Rob with their grandmother, I heard the daughter-in-laws comment they were glad they made the run to the store.

We had lots of “configurations” to cover, for example, family one with Grandma, family two with Grandma, Grandma with the grandkids, Grandma with the great-grandkids, and so on. One way I try to make it easier on young children is by fitting their photos in when they are most content and giving them little breaks throughout the shoot if necessary. The wee-ones did an awesome job. And so did the parents!

I also wanted to share this Before and After picture of little Alora. Alora’s skin was very sensitive to the grass. All of the prints I produce are completely detailed and printed on archival paper.  Here, I have Photoshopped Alora’s skin and eyes. She is such a cutie!

Thanks Linda for sharing your family with me!

If you are a reader of my Snaptaculous newsletter you would know that I encourage photographers to critically look at others work. In fact, in September’s issue I chatted about how I often analyze the light in fashion ads. Some stunning photography is done for brands like Tommy Hilfiger, Ralph Lauren, and Burberry. (I will resist the urge to lament about Marc Jacobs’ over-processed and blown out ads here.) There great examples out there, and looking at the light and position of the models will help you become a better photographer.

Though I do constantly push myself as a photographer, it wasn’t necessarily improving that I was thinking about when I pulled up to the Anderson’s in Flesherton, Ontario. My first thought was, “if I were shooting a Ralph Lauren advertisement, this is where I would shoot it”. Stephanie has about 50 acres. The day I was there was a beautiful Fall day. The soy had turned the gorgeous rusty colour, and the split rail fences where edged with purple wild flowers and Golden Rod. I think I literally whispered “Yummy.”, as I drove down the lane.

And then Stephanie came out… She totally looked the part for my Ralph Lauren fantasy. She had on a plaid scarf with a steel-blue, long sweater. Then came the blue-eyed babes. Now, I have met the girls before–Stephanie and her girls, Sam and Dani, had been in my studio during the Flesherton Fling to decorate cookies, and about week after that, I shot some head shots for Stephanie–but when I have seen them in the past I wasn’t in my “about to photograph you mode”. You see, when I am about to take someone’s picture, even someone I have known for years, I am really looking at their face to see how I can best photograph them. The girls looked perfect. All of my photography dreams were coming true today!

And if this family hadn’t made me happy enough, they are also animal people and asked if they could take some pictures with their dog, Ransom, and their two cats, Tiger and Ming Ming. I am sure you know what me answer was!

In fact, Ransom became quite the diva.

These pictures by the split rail fence are some of my favourites. I love the lighting, the grass, and especially the expressions on the faces.

We also played with the lighting on the other side of the property.

Thanks so much to Stephanie, Samantha, Danielle, Ransom, Tiger and Ming Ming too! (Excuse the Wonder Pets reference.) It was such a lovely experience for me.