Last Friday I headed up north just past Pancake Bay with Rachel, Ryan and their dog Gibson to smash up some wild engagement photos. This was officially one year away from their wedding! After receiving multiple bribes from Rachel and playing with her emotions (see the post below this one) we can finally launch their shoot onto the world!

Rachel and Ryan were awesome during the day. We had a minor traumatic experience while driving on our way out but moved on and had a great day out at Ryan’s camp on Hibbard Bay. Rachel and Ryan were up for anything from climbing into old, smashed up, rusted cars without wearing any shoes (they left them on the beach) to jumping into the water for some moody and romantic couple shots. That water was cold, I should know I was in it as well. I was also splashed by it when I took the time out to laugh at them.

Thanks for the great day guys, even if I came back short a pint of blood from all of the mosquito bites.

Quote of the day (as best as I remember it):
Ryan: Can we hurry this up just a bit, I’m getting bit in here.
Curt: Just hold on for a second, it’s all for the shot and I AM GETTING BIT OUT HERE! (I then proceeded to point at the blood running down both of my legs).

Can’t wait for the wedding next August guys! For now enjoy the pics!

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On Thursday I got together with Bridget, Brian and their dog Stanley to rock out their engagement shoot. We started off at a beach area to the west of the city where Bridget spent most of her summers growing up, from there we headed downtown to tackle the Government Dock area and the surroundings of the Bushplane Museum where they will be having their wedding next year. I haven’t shot in any of these locations before so it made for a fun day.

We tried incorporating Stanley in to as many shots as possible but he was more occupied with running around in circles and jumping into the water so we just let him do his thing. Bridget and Brian sneakily hid awesome props throughout our first location including Brian’s vintage boat and an old bike owned by Bridget’s mom – both of these things were just screaming “shoot me!”. They both also rocked the footwear with a wardrobe change in between the two main locations which added some extra funk to the shots.

Bridget and Brian thanks for the great day and I’m looking forward to your wedding next year!

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On Wednesday morning I met up with Todd, Danielle, Oliver, Addison and Bo for a morning of family photography fun at Bellevue Park. Shooting young kids is always a fun challenge and Oliver didn’t disappoint. One thing I did learn though is that you can suggest any random thing for a two year old to do and they will do it; such as putting a stick in their mouth to mimic their dog. It made for a great picture which you’ll see below however Oliver found that the stick did in fact taste good and kept it in his mouth for the next ten minutes. Because of this my family shoots now come with a disclaimer:

Curt O’Neil: he’ll teach your children things you really don’t want them to be doing on a daily basis.

Todd is a big Superman fan, thus Oliver is a Superman fan as well. Near the end of the shoot they found the nearest phone booth (okay it was beside a tree) and put on their Superman shirts. This transformed Oliver into a flexing, eye-daggering, attitude tossing man of steal. And it was simply awesome.

Danielle and Todd thanks for the great morning, it was great to get to know you and your children.

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This past Saturday Megan and Andre were wed at the Sault Ste. Marie Golf Club. Throughout the entire day leading up to the wedding it would rain, stop raining then rain some more. They were both really hoping for their perfect outdoor wedding but were not sure if the weather would cooperate. Megan’s maid of honour Chantal promised Megan “rainbows!” (insert hand movement here) and by the time the wedding was slated to start the rain had stopped and the sun broke out. After some quick modification to the ceremony area Megan and Andre’s wedding was adjusted from under the tent set up to protect them from the rain to out in the shining sun.

After the ceremony we bussed to Bellevue Park and shot quick enough to outwork the rain that was ready to start pouring down again. It got a bit chilly at the park but the guys were the perfect gentlemen and provided their coats to the girls. The clouds with the coming storm provided a perfect backdrop for some of the shots as well.

If you want some more Megan and Andre goodness be sure to check out their engagement shoot from earlier in the year.

Below is Megan and Andre’s walk back down the aisle as a married couple. They provided bubbles for the guests to blow as they walked. As a warning to all other brides and grooms planning this – wear eye protection – bubbles into eyes do not make for good pictures or happy brides for 20 seconds while she can’t see.

There is a debate going on for the following picture on “who jumped the highest” so please leave your choice in the comments. To assist you from left to right; Tasha, Kim, Erin, Liz, Chantal, Megan, Andre, Nick, Jason, Jake, Anthony and Tyler.

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