Many many moons ago I first met Jasmine… Grade 9 to be exact. We met when I moved to Perth with my family at age 13. So I’ve known Jas for more than half my life! Since then Jasmine has always been a friend.

So when Jasmine contacted me in February asking if I would be interested in flying “home” to Perth to shoot her wedding I was honoured and of course, very excited to be asked. Since then, Charlotte and I have come to know Jasmine and Louis via Skype chats on several occasions. Louis and Jasmine have been living abroad like myself for some time - they have made the Cayman Islands their home.

We arrived at Jasmine’s home last night, and sat down for a chat and to go over the finer details of their impending wedding. They’re going to be married at one of Perth’s most beautiful locations - UWA (or The University of Western Australia for those foreigners reading this!). It’s a beautiful campus, rich in historic buildings and horticulturally rich gardens. They are to be married in the Sunken Gardens, which is an amphitheatre, surrounded by large peppermint trees, figs and limestone walls, and skirted by an art gallery and museum. I digress, but we’ll look forward to sharing the photos with you soon!

For the engagement session, Jasmine and Louis wanted to have a relaxed, artistic approach to their shoot, which suits Charlotte and I to a tee. We love the shots we go and wanted to share these favourites with you. For those Perth locals, we did the shoot just south of Sorrento Quay - not sure of the specific beaches name.

We hope you enjoy the images…

As a part of my morning routine, one of the things that I really looove doing is going through the days new wedding photography inquiries! Although referrals are still our number 1 source of new clients, Google and the Bloggers Choice Awards definitely helps new couples find us.

While returning inquiries, I came across Yanyan  & Clement, a cool couple living in Hong Kong, but getting married at The Doctors’ House in Kleinburg. After a few emails back and forth they’d booked us but wanted to do the engagement shoot before their wedding this February. So we all decided it was best to do the shoot in fabulous Hong Kong!! Dave and I had so many ideas and concepts for the shoot and were super stoked to be photographing them in Hong Kong.

We met Yanyan and Clement for the first time at the big clock tower overlooking the Hong Kong harbour. They were the gorgeous, well dressed couple with the big smiles and warm welcome We told them we’d be the ones with the giant cameras. I think it worked because the spotted us right away!

We took a look around the harbour and found some sweet spots to shoot. Dave and I have a real system going when we shoot together. We each take turns in posing and shooting, while the other will hold reflectors and off camera lights. We think it works pretty well for us, and we have a blast playing around with our clients.

Being at the harbour was perfect, massive fishing boats that looked like something out of Pirates of the Caribbean were floating by and created a really cool backdrop.

As the sun started to set and we lost light for a bit, Yanyan and Clement took us to Ye Shanghai before the night shoot began. The food was fabulous and we highly recommend it to anyone visiting Hong Kong.

Hong Kong is very famous for it’s spectacular laser show at 8:15. All of the buildings in the city take part in the show that is set to music for on lookers to enjoy. We thought it would be a great opportunity for us to get some killer shots of Yanyan and Clement with Hong Kong cityscape lit up across the water. It was a spectacular! Definitely something Dave and I will always remember.

Thanks so much to Yanyan and Clement for having us as your photographers in fabulous Hong Kong. We enjoyed every minute of it and cannot wait to shoot your beautiful winter wedding in February.

Stayed tuned to the blog for Jasmine & Louis’ wedding later this month in Perth, Australia.

We were both so excited to do our first shoot with Jessica and Faruk. When they booked us to shoot the beautiful wedding they have planned at Graydon Hall next year we could not wait to get out with them for a practice round to prep them for the big day!! We were so pumped for their engagement shoot not only because they were bringing their overly cute and gangly puppy Harley, but because they really are a blast to hang out with. Jessica is bubbly, outgoing and absolutely hilarious!

She was giggling, smiling and entertaining us with her infectious laugh the whole shoot. Jessica’s finishing school and a soon to be a fabulous interior designer. I’m sure you could tell she has an impeccable eye for style. Everything coordinated beautifully from her black and white Coach wedges and Faruk’s striped dress shirt, the umbrella and lets not forget darling little Harley he was the inspiration after all Faruk is a hard working Lawyer Downtown Toronto, he’s a super-cool guy and you can tell that he loves Jessica and little Harley very much. These two just kept us and each other in stitches the whole time.

We have to say at first we were thinking of canceling the shoot when we checked out the weather network. Rain, thunder, lightening… and sunny breaks (of course?!?). We decided to take our chances and make the wild weather our friend turning it into a rainy day themed shoot. I have to say that looking back we were extremely happy with the forecast in the end. I love the look of the brewing clouds and the way the sun beamed through the sky lighting all of the playful drops of rain . There is something beautiful and romantic about stealing a kiss under an umbrella in the rain… these two are such a perfect match and sooo hot for each other… Yowza!

This ones my fave shot of the day. Like our doggies, Harley looooves his free range chicken strips and will do ANYTHING for them! I was inviting him for a tasty treat while they held on for dear life and Dave shot away. Little Harley is pretty powerful even though he’s still a puppy he’s got a lot of “pull” in this family. You can tell by his leash he wanted that treat and had one thing on his mind, devouring the whole bag. He was such a good boy, we didn’t make him wait too long to gobble down a few scrumptious snacks.

Here’s another one of my faves. Dave should probably work part time as a stuntman with all of his daredevil moves he does on shoots. He pulled himself up and on to the roof of this charming life guard house to get this crazzzzy sweet ariel angle. I love how the water looks so tropical, who knew Toronto was so exotic?!

Since we were all getting a little peckish and we were already in the heart of the Beach, we grabbed an amazing dinner and a glass of vino at Nevada. We chatted about their wedding and all of the things they love to do together, like traveling and road trips while we ate dessert. They gave us advice on the hot spots and must sees in the States when Dave, Fritzy, Greta and I tour the U.S. this month. They really got us excited and we are sooo looking forward to cruisin’ America together and having a great vacation with our dogs. Thanks so much guys, it’s people like you that remind us… we LOVE what we do!!!

It’s been a busy few weeks for Charlotte and I… We’re very excited to be heading off tomorrow for a week long stay in Barbados to photograph the wedding of Natasha & Kester. Over the past year we’ve become very good friends with both of these guys and can’t wait to spend the week documenting them as the wedding finally approaches!

We have several highly creative shoots planned during the week, so stay tuned for some cool shots when we return (we may get a chance to post while we’re there).

So until next week, we’re signing off… Dave & Charlotte.

Michel & Elizabeth. How to describe them… Quirky, cool, funny, wacky at times - But mostly, they’re deeply in love.

The four of us decided that a cool location for their engagement shoot would be “graffiti alley” (recently featured in the film, The Rocker - Go Toronto!). We began the shoot in an art/media house downtown … It had some really sweet exposed brick walls throughout, artworks, windows, stairs, overpasses, underpasses… You get the idea!

We cruised up to Queen Street via the back alleys and shot some very low light images using the street lights that were there. I have to admit, there were a few shady characters who were hanging around. Later on we decided it may not have been the best idea to chat to them! (what can I tell you, I like meeting new people!)

If you haven’t ever been to Shanghai Cowgirl - a cute little greasy spoon on Queen just east of Bathurst -  check it out next time you’re in the hood. They make a mean burger with roasted garlic, they’re insanely good. Charlotte grabbed this shot of Michel & Elizabeth using the tilt and shift lens - ah, the joys of controlling the focal plane… cool right?

We sat down and grabbed a drink and chatted with them after the shoot. Thanks for the fun night out guys. We loved shooting you both and can’t wait to see you again soon : )

Check out the slideshow… we had fun doing the stop motion section in the middle!

“Yeah! We go every year!!” Shemara exclaimed when we asked her whether she’d be interested in doing her engagement shoot at The Ex (for those of you not from Toronto, The Ex is the biggest carnival we have).

We all arrived feeling rather excited about the shoot. Charlotte and I had put a lot of ideas together and were stoked to have another chance to try the new 24mm Tilt and Shift lens we’d just procured from Canon. You see, this lens is used by architectural photographers to shift the perspective in a photo - either to make a building appear larger or smaller. The other cool thing about this lens is that it can change the focal plane from being perpendicular to the camera to running at different diagonal angles across the image…. if that’s sounding all rather techie, then just scroll down and you’ll see what I mean.

We spent the shoot wandering around The Ex, going from ride to ride and generally having a great time hanging out as two couples - and getting some cool shots along the way.

The ferris wheel was heaps of fun, but I think the swings and the carousel were my favourite shots by far.

Toward the end of the shoot, we decided to head down to Atlantis/Ontario Place to do some shots with sparklers that Charlotte had brought to play around with. On the way we went past this old building and grabbed an arty shot, then thought it’d be fun to do the retro horror flick look.

If you’ve got a couple of minutes, check out the slideshow to see the whole engagement shoot.

Thanks Mohammed & Shemara - you guys rocked! We can’t thank you enough for being so sweet together and supporting our wacky ideas.

Sometimes when you meet new people you just click instantly and it really feels like you’ve known each other for a very long time. When Nikki and Amit first came by our studio to chat about their wedding day, we knew we had met an incredible couple we could not wait to photograph!

Dave and Amit chatted about business, SEO and all things techie. Nikki and I chatted about styling the shoot and all the fun things that go into it like…hair, make-up, wardrobe and of course shoes! When these two rolled up in their Porsche Carrera convertible they were dressed to the 9’s and looked absolutely fabulous dah-ling!

Awww…Nikki and Amit make such a cool couple and they’re so sweet together, we just love ‘em!

We started off the engagement shoot at the University of Toronto Campus. All of the beautiful architecture and cobblestone roads make for a dreamy backdrop, no wonder they use it for so many movie sets. Check out Dave hangin’ out in the back of the Porsche… he’s always trying the sweetest angles!

How cool is that. It looks like their cruising along at 100 but I think they’re only doing 10 klicks. Wicked job honey, I do love this pic! I must admit I was a little squirmy watching you shoot this!…p.s. don’t try this one at home kids.

We hit the city streets of T.O. and cruised down to one of Nikki and Amit’s favourite spots and a place we love to shoot…Yorkville. There is so much to enjoy in this little Toronto hot spot. The shops, park, cafes and restaurants are always a great place to experience so we took full advantage of all Yorkville has to offer.

Even the sidewalks are grand and calling out to be photographed! We played around and took a few shots before we reached the park. We were honestly having so much fun shooting these guys it really just felt like we were out on the town with a couple of old friends! Dave grabbed this sweet shot while I was playing around with fun posing.

After a fun-filled hour of laughter and playfulness we hopped back in the cars for one last stop. Nikki and Amit being the amazing, awesome couple that they are had a surprise in store for us. They were taking us to one of Toronto’s most exclusive and delectable dining experinces, Blowfish. On our way to the restaurant, I popped the top to my convertible and Dave sat in the back seat (wearing his seat belt, of course ) so he could get some killer shots of these two in the fast lane!

We couldn’t think of a better end to a perfect day as we sipped Saki, ate Sushi and chatted with this adorable couple. Nikki’s engagement rings were so beautiful, we even got a chance to use our new macro lens. Thanks so much for everything guys and stay tuned to the blog for Nikki and Amit’s wedding day…coming soon!

When Andrea stopped by our studio for the first time she told us all about how her and Edy, the love of her life met. Andrea was a teacher in Mexico and actually lived with Edy’s family before they met. One day the handsome young Architect stopped by for a visit and that was it-Andrea and Edy stumbled head over heals and fell in love!

The great thing about these two is they absolutely LOVE photography as much as we do! Andrea and Edy are photography enthusiasts and traveled together photographing Europe and all of it’s old world splendor. We were lucky enough to view some of their amazing work. I have to say that Dave and I were ultra-impressed; especially impressed with the stunning architectural shots they took in Prague. The photos were fantastic!

Since these two have such a great eye and have such a passion for photography we wanted to give them something very special for their engagement shoot. We all left the shores of the busy city behind us and jumped aboard the ferry to the always fun and relaxing Toronto Island. As soon as we hit the deck we started shooting. We got some fab shots of Andrea and Edy as we left shore. It’s always sweet when a couple doesn’t require any coaching and is naturally lovey-dovey and affectionate.

The great thing about Toronto Island is that it’s totally laid back and has a chilled out, cottage country vibe just a stones throw from the busy bustle of Bay Street. No wonder so many people take advantage of this adorable little spot. Dave and I spent the previous afternoon there a-hem “working” scouting out locations for the shoot. Not only did we find a million great spots, but we also met some really cool “islanders” that gave us the 411 on all the island has to offer.

We shot for about 2 hours, we just couldn’t stop, there was just too many great spots to photograph. We walked the gardens, rented bikes, sipped lattes at the cafe and of course hit the famous frisbee golf course!! At the end of the day we wrapped with a super sexy beach shoot a la sports illustrated, splishing and splashing in the tides! These guys were so awesome, check out the slide show of these two crazy kids!

~Thanks so much for all the fun and endless laughter guys, we cannot wait to shoot your wedding this month!

Ever since Eric and Angela made first contact and booked us as their wedding photographers, we’ve been looking forward to doing their engagement session… So as Monday rolled closer I was getting pretty pumped… and I think they were too : )

We decided to start our shoot at Rosetta Mclain Gardens… a beautifully manicured park near The Bluffs. We got some really sweet images and after about an hour we headed to my favourite shoot location… the beach!

I’ll be the first to warn my couples that they’re likely to get wet at some stage during an engagement session with me… Whether it’s kissing under a waterfall , dancing in the ocean or literally jumping in a lake !

Here are some of my faves from the shoot, and at the bottom I’m sure you’ll enjoy the slideshow.