We’re back from our brief blogging hiatus and hope your holiday’s were full of friends, family, and love…with a few great presents sprinkled in of course. Congratulations to all the ladies that got engaged over the holidays; what an exciting way to start the New Year!  Melissa and I got engaged over Christmas ourselves (2007). We went skating at Bryant Park, in New York City, and I proposed to her in front of a big, beautiful, sparkling Christmas tree. The next night we took a horse drawn carriage ride through The Park (Central). One of my most memorable Christmases.

I always buy myself a few books over the Christmas holiday’s and this year was no exception. I read Bram Stoker’s “Dracula,” Malcolm Gladwell’s “Blink,” Julian Barnes’ “Sense of an Ending,” and Sarah Bakewell’s “How to Live: A Life of Montaigne.” Michel Montaigne is credited with the invention of “the essay.” In its early form the essay resembled something more akin to, what we would recognize, as stream of consciousness: basically, mapping the minds path in its exploration of a particular topic. Montaigne was more occupied with how the mind worked than solving the questions his writings were exploring. Really interesting stuff, but I digress ; )

This morning we have a beauty to share with you. A wedding from this past Thanksgiving weekend. Thanksgiving never fails to be one of the nicest days of the year, hands down. The light is warm and golden, the temperature is unseasonably warm, and there is barely a cloudy in the sky. We hope everyone enjoys looking through the photographs as much as we did taking them. Congratulations Valerie and Luke!

Bon Appétit,

The Violets

FIN

This week has been so exciting! We had the amazing opportunity of shooting a “surprise wedding.” A surprise wedding is a wedding that poses as an engagement party. Robbie and Kim invited all their friends to celebrate their engagement, under the guise of getting married in a remote location. Half way through the event, Kim walked in dressed in a beautiful wedding gown and married to Robbie in front of all their close friends…surprise! The best part of all is that Robbie was my best friend from grade 5 until the end of high school. I loved playing such an important part of his day…and just being there was an honour. Can’t wait to share that with you all.

This Tuesday we have a stunner in store for you. Breanne and Fraser put so much emphasis and energy into styling their day, it was an absolute pleasure to photograph. There were tonnes of DIY touches, far too many to share in a single post! I’ll let the images speak for themselves, but I will say one more thing: best garter ever, so pretty! Congrats Breanne and Fraser, your wedding was more than lovely…I look so forward to becoming closer friends with you as the years pass. Congratulations!

Bon Appétit,

The Violets

FIN

Yesterday an amazing day, we had the opportunity to photograph a designer gown by Nadya Toto. We have been so fortunate with the weather, we spent most of the afternoon out in the fresh air roaming through open spaces and enjoying our vitamin D fix. The photographs came out airy and bright, the light was golden and rich, you’d swear it was September. Can’t wait to share…hopefully soon.

This Tuesday, we have a lovely cottage wedding to share with you. Chrissy and Mike decided to have a small wedding at her family’s cottage, a place where she grew up and one that holds many fond memories. Now she can add one more, marrying the love of her life. Congratulations you two, it was a pleasure photographing your lovely August wedding.

Bon Appétit,

The Violets

FIN

We hope everyone had a fun, spooky, and safe Halloween. Unfortunately our front door is around the back of our home, so we didn’t get enjoy all the cute costumes; but we could hear all the little trick or treaters having lots of fun collecting their, “candy!, candy!, candy!” to quote Garfield.

This Tuesday we have a beautiful Toronto wedding to share with you. Ashley & Mike were married at Black Creek Pioneer Village. Black Creek is an authentic 19th century country village , replete with wooden plank side walks, dirt roads, and a 5 story mill powered entirely by a large overshot waterwheel. They were married in a quaint little period church, the Fisherville Church (1856). The village itself made for a gorgeous backdrop. Congratulations Ashley & Mike, and thank you for making us a part of your beautiful day.

Bon Appétit,

-The Violets

FIN

This Tuesday were going to share just one solitary image. With all the visual stimulous we all take in everyday, we thought it would be nice to take a moment and just meditate on one moment, one frame, & one idea.

This particular image was taken just minutes before the ceremony during a first look. The couple wanted to pause and enjoy a few reflective moments alone in each other’s company before the traditional motions of their wedding day took over.  What is really moving about this particular image is the combination of motion and emotion. Her windblown strands of hair lie perfectly eskew across her face, suggesting a candour and careless grace that we would associate with an Impressionist painting by Degas or Caillebotte.

Impressionism  arrests my attention more than another movement in visual arts, and I have always sought to infuse my work with a similar aesthetic. Impressionists sought to marry two conflicting ideas: they wanted to capture real fleeting moments in time, but with paint brushes. Obviously painting a beautiful portrait takes much longer than a fleeting moment, so these artist would have to draw from their memories, sketches, impressions…hence Impressionism. They didn’t see this as a limitation, but rather a chance to articulate that any visual representation of “reality” is never entirely objective, but is of necessity always subject to interpretation. The better the painter, or photographer for that matter, the more beautiful the impression.

In this way, Impressionism shares a bond with wedding photography. A wedding is a highly contrived day. Brides seek to create a beautiful backdrop against which their wedding will take place. It is the job of the photographer to interpret the movements of the day against this backdrop to create a genuine wedding story in still frames. Take this moment, the setting in which they enjoyed their first look was chosen specifically for it’s aesthetic value: it was light, airy, and the lamp post gave the setting a distinctly Parisian feel. However, the moment itself couldn’t be more genuine. The result is a beautiful impression of a rich romance being shared between two people on their wedding day.

We would love to hear your impressions of this image. What do you like about it, what sort of feeling does it give you, does this sort of approach to wedding photography appeal to your sensibilities?

Bon Appétit,

The Violets

FIN

The Gananoque Inn

Dress by J.Crew

]]> http://windingviolets.com/kelly-cam-one-moment-one-frame-one-idea/feed/ 1 http://windingviolets.com/alison-mike-east-lake-prince-edward-county/ http://windingviolets.com/alison-mike-east-lake-prince-edward-county/#comments Tue, 18 Oct 2011 05:00:02 +0000 TheViolets http://windingviolets.com/?p=2705 Happy Tuesday,

I had an extremely exciting weekend, I had the pleasure of shooting a wedding amidst the breathtaking Adirondack Mountains. I arrived early Friday afternoon and spent the evening exploring the restaurants, pubs, and shops that make up the quaint village of Lake Placid. Saturday morning was filled with rapids, unbelievable autumn colours, and views from 2,300 ft above sea level…magnificent! Can’t wait to share Kate and Dylan’s beautiful Lake Placid wedding with all of you.

In the mean time we have a very pretty wedding we are excited to share. We love photographing weddings in Prince Edward County and this wedding was no exception; East Lake is a lovely little area just south of Picton – clover filled fields for miles! Needless to say, Alison and Mike’s country wedding provided us with some breathtaking backdrops, lush natural hues, and of course their day was bathed in golden sunlight – perfection! Alison got ready in the cutest little country home you’ve ever seen. The farm, on which the wedding took place, was formerly used for harvesting apples. Alison, Mike, and their lovely friends and family helped transform the barn into a little church for the ceremony: something they coined as “The Apple Chapel”…so cute! Their wedding had great style, a beautiful location, and lots of personality. Congratulations Alison and Mike, your wedding was an absolute pleasure to photograph.

Bon Appétit,

– The Violets

FIN

It’s Tuesday again, that means viagra for another beautiful blog post chalk full of wedding goodness. Thanksgiving weekend is quickly approaching, and I am about to cook my first full Thanksgiving meal for my family…yikes! Today I’m going to do my best to reserve a fresh local Turkey for Sunday, and finalize my meal. I am thinking a butternut squash soup to start, followed by fresh garden salad , Turkey and roast potatoes, and for dessert a beautiful apple pie…yay apple picking. So along with your lovely comment, if you could leave a link to a great thanksgiving recipe that would be fabulous! Anything from Turkey to Apple Pie, share your favourites…I need all the help I can get.

As for this weeks wedding, what a beauty. Kelly and Andrew’s celebration took place at her family’s home in their beautiful backyard on Treasure Island. Backyard weddings are perfect for creating intimacy; not only are you surrounded by good friends and loved ones, but you are surrounded by familiar things. Now that Kelly is living with Andrew in London, England, I am sure that intimacy was a top priority for her wedding and greatly enjoyed. Congratulations Kelly and Andrew, we had so much fun photographing your beautiful wedding day and it’s been a pleasure  getting to know you both. Without further ado…

Bon Appétit,

The Violets

FIN

Last week we celebrated our 3rd anniversary in Montreal…I can’t believe it’s been three years, wow! We spent the day shopping and the evening strolling the cobbled narrow streets and alleys of Old Montreal. Old Montreal is so well maintained and full of architecture and cultural charm you could swear you’ve been transported to a small Parisian village for the day: love it!  For the past two years Melissa and I have had dinner at Barroco, a beautiful and romantic little bistro on  Rue St. Paul West. We had lobster and paella over fine french wine and candle light. For a peek at Barocco, just click on this sentence.

With out further ado, this morning I have a lovely wedding to share with you. Christina & Tommy are truly excellent people and a dream to work with. They have it all going on, they are beautiful, generous, active in the community, smart, and great to be around….and boy are they fun! I’m not sure how many couples would walk down the main street of a city, stopping traffic, for a handful of great photographs? Needless to say, we attracted a lot of attention in downtown Kingston: some people thought we were making a movie, a number of people asked if Christina & Tommy were a “real” couple, and the honking…my goodness all the honking!  Congratulations you two, I loved working with you and look forward to becoming closer friends.

Christina & Tommy are very active in the Big Brothers Big Sisters organization here in Kingston. It played a large role in their wedding, and I know this cause is near and dear to their hearts. For those who aren’t familiar with the great work that Big Brothers Big Sisters does click here to check it out. I think Christina & Tommy would agree that the experience can be just as rewarding to you as your potential Little Brother or Sister.

Bon Appétit,

The Violets

FIN

Long time no see. Believe us though, it’s not for lack of lovely things to share with you, but rather having so much to work with and work on that preceded our brief blogging hiatus. So here we are, right smack dab in the middle of this terrific wedding season, and this is just one of the many lovely weddings we’ve shot this year. I kept the photos airy and high key to compliment the beautiful ivory washed silk organza dress Mary-Kathryn chose to wear – I just love the way light wraps around big beautiful flowing dresses that have volume…so pretty! For all those brides-to-be out there, check out the Watters Bridal Collections. Watters gowns are made from natural fabrics (silks) and they are so stylish!  I hope you enjoy. We have many more weddings to come, so stay tuned : )

Bon Appétit,

The Violets

FIN

Flowers: LSP Designs

Cake: Cakes by Krista

Dress: Watters

Here is the first Winding Violets wedding of the season! Tenay & Tony were absolutely amazing to work with, as I am sure you’ll be able to see in the photographs. We couldn’t have asked for two better people to open our 2011 summer wedding season with, thank you both. I believe we were also lucky, in that this was the first sun-kissed Saturday of the summer…oy the rain! Tenay and Tony’s wedding day neared perfection, but for one slight hiccup…the fire department crashed the reception. Tony, being a professional DJ with Red Roche, wanted to start the party off right: loud music, lights, and yes smoke machines. About 30 seconds into the first dance the fire alarm was ringing and the fire department came crashing through the back door of the Ambassador. Thank god we didn’t have to vacate, all 450 of us! Anything but a blight on the day, the visit from the Kingston Fire Department added some great colour to such a harmonious day.

Bon Appétit,

The Violets

FIN