Laurel and Ryan’s winter wedding here in Sault Ste Marie was my last shoot for 2009 and the year definitely ended on a high. You may remember Laurel and Ryan from their engagement shoot which was just up midway through January.
The morning started off with me meeting up with the girls at Headlines Hair and Day Spa while they were getting ready. Their ceremony took place in a historic chapel located at Mockingbird Hill Farm in the city’s north end which you gained access to by walking down a snow covered path. The setting was small and intimate with the chapel being warmed by a small fire place. We were then treated to a sleigh ride after the ceremony to sneak in some of the bridal party shoot. The day was gorgeous but the temperature began to dip fairly quickly and luckily the bridesmaids came prepared for the cold with long johns and boots. I may have fallen off the sleigh. I should have probably fallen off more than once but a couple of the groomsmen caught me. We ended the day off at the reception site of the Grand Theatre getting in some more shots of the bridal party and of Laurel and Ryan.
Year One – in the beginning we wanted it to be awesome and I believe it was.
This post is actually coming a little later than it should but it still needs to be made. This big photography thing known as Curt O’Neil Photographer has now officially ran for just over a year. It has been an incredible journey to get to this point where I had the opportunity to meet and work with amazing couples, families and friends. The acceptance to what I have been doing and what I want to do has been more than what I could hope for and I want to thank all of you for that.
This was a big year for me which included launching this business, getting married and visiting Hawaii. Jes and I love the idea of travel and seeing the world and experiencing what it has to offer. As we move forward with this business the opportunities are starting to present themselves for us to be able to do it along with others and share in their special moments with them. The first of such adventures being Italy this summer.
I wouldn’t be able to complete a recap post without thanking some of those involved in getting me to where I am. The first person being my wife Jes – always keeping me grounded and having a goal in sight. From there I have to name a few photo friends who have helped me along the way whether they know it or not Allison, Gareth, Mike, Jordan and Mark. Thanks for your insights, your friendship and your ideas on the random things I’d ask. Also to the crew at WFF thanks for being there and being that tight knit community.
Below are some of my favourite shots for the year. Some won’t mean anything to you but they the moment, the shot, the people all mean something to me. It was hard just narrowing it down to this. I left out anything that was fairly recent and anything that was far back. It’s a snapshot. I also still have shoots from 2009 to finish up and get on here as well.
Thanks again to all of you and don’t be afraid to leave a comment below.
Nikki and Jason came up to Sault Ste Marie over the Christmas holidays and made some time to sneak in their engagement shoot. Seeing as this was the middle of December the weather and day had a chill to it. A small fact: Northern Ontario cold is a lot colder than Southern Ontario cold. Because of that small fact Nikki and Jason didn’t last that long outside. As a disclaimer: I do get bundled up quite well because I don’t care what I look like for these shoots – its all about the couple.
We started the shoot off at Bellevue Park walking the trails and using some of the structures for backdrops from there we headed over to Dish Espresso Bar and Cafe to warm up and get some more funky shots inside the building.
Looking forward to catching up with you during some warmer months and can’t wait for your wedding day.
Laurel and Ryan’s engagement shoot took place mid-December right when the weather started turning cold and this day was very cold. The temperature itself wasn’t that bad for this time of year hovering around -10C but a very cold wind was blowing in off the river that sent a chill through all of us. We started the shoot at Bellevue Park and finished it up in the downtown area of the Sault – making a surprise comeback from Megan and Andre’s shoot is the perfectly graffiti-ed wall for engagement shoots. Laurel and Ryan were troopers throughout the shoot pretending the cold wasn’t affecting them except for the fact that they’d run to their car every chance they could get and throw their hands over the heaters.
I usually end these posts saying I’m looking forward to shooting their wedding but I already did that! Laurel and Ryan were married in late December and that post is coming shortly as well. I hope the new year and your new life are treating you well.
It is not every day the Olympic Torch runs through your city – okay it’s probably a once in a lifetime opportunity unless you live in Athens I’m sure – so Jes, her sister Heather and I decided to brave the cold and watch it run by. When I say cold I mean -20C to -25C (-4F to -13F). We thought we’d be only a handful of people on our stretch of the relay as we were near the start and it was running just around the corner from our house. We were debating if we would head downtown to watch it finish and go inside the Essar Centre to watch the ceremonies there.
We brought along the camera as well as my new Flip MinoHD portable camcorder. We got to our spot just before 6 and there was about 20 people on the street at that time. More and more people showed up as the time went on and the excitement kept building as the small parade before the torch came by. After experiencing it here our decision was made and we raced it downtown. As we hit Queen St. we couldn’t believe the number of people that turned out – it was amazing. After Jessica (our community torchbearer) went inside the Essar Centre we rushed in assuming we’d be able to get a seat or find a spot to watch in standing rooom. This wasn’t the case – the place was packed. The floor, the seats and standing room/upper aisle was just thick with people. It was definitely a great turnout by the city of Sault Ste. Marie for this amazing event.
Below are some pictures I shot. We were actually beside Jessica but I crossed the street trying to guess her path. It was a bad move as the media truck stopped right in front of me so I had to run around it. Below the pictures is a video compilation shot by Jes on the Flip MinoHD which I attempted to edit today (and failed). Jes hates the song, I like it! The shots and the video aren’t the greatest of works but hopefully it provides a glimpse of this event to anyone who may have missed out.
Jessica is the Sault’s very own Paralympic medalist winning silver at the Sydney Paralympic Games in 2000 and competing in the 2004 Paralympic Games in Athens. She also holds 5 Canadian swimming records. One of the highlights of the relay (for us because we find things like it funny) is when Jessica’s dog stopped during her leg to “do his business” – when you have to go you have to go I guess.
