Winters in the Sault are usually full of snow and cold and weather that you just do not want to go out in. Then there is this winter. Over the past month there has been more nice days in a winter than I can ever remember. Sun shining, snow glistening and weather in which you actually want to be outside in. Rachelle and EJ were able to nab one of those great days for their engagement shoot in the middle of February.

By chance (okay I’m saying EJ planned it) we were out on the Saturday of the semi-final of the Scottie Tournament of Hearts being played here in the Sault. For those of you that don’t know the Scottie’s are the Canadian Women’s Curling Championships – a big deal in this curling obsessed country. The day after the shoot EJ was heading off to Sudbury to play in the provincial playdowns for a chance to represent Northern Ontario at the Brier (the Canadian Men’s Championship). EJ’s team ended up smoking everyone in the round robin, moved on to the playoff portion and won the tournament. KERBOOM! (Jes is going to hate me for typing that but how can you not kerboom there?). So long winded story shortened up, EJ and his team from the Sault are representing Northern Ontario at the Brier all because he had a photo shoot with me the day before leaving. So athletes if you’re going on some big tournament, give me a call.

The shoot began at the Soo Locks then we made our way into the downtown core. Rachelle and EJ started off the shoot a little shy as most couples do but a few minutes in Rachelle took over. Running ahead, planning new areas, keeping EJ and I on track and not talking about curling.

Thanks for the great morning guys! And good luck in Halifax EJ.

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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.

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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.

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Andrea and Marc got the pleasure of me trying to acclimatize myself back to our northern fall weather after leaving 30C and sunny. I believe the day we ventured out was no colder than 10C but I had my toque on and felt cold. Damn you Hawaii!

I met up with Andrea and Marc at local downtown hot spot Dish and then we ventured around the downtown core once again using buildings, lane ways and any other fun things we saw. As a quick note, if anyone reading this needs to use either Andrea or Marc to look out for cars for them so that you do not get ran over go and find a stranger to do the job instead. After we had all the fun that could be had downtown we headed up to Hiawatha Highlands but used a part of the park which I have never been to before. Andrea and Marc’s ceremony will actually be taking place at the Bible Chapel which is now located inside the old ski lodge on the grounds – it is definitely a sweet location for their ceremony and party afterward. Checking the area out and using the surroundings before the big day was a bonus and hopefully we’ll be able to try to use some of them again when their wedding rolls around next year.

Thanks for the killer afternoon guys – looking forward to the wedding next year.

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Now this is what a nice fall day in Sault Ste. Marie is supposed to be. Cool wind, warm sun and great colours on the the trees. The other benefit to this shoot (for them anyway) is that Sarah and Steve knew how to read a weather forecast.

This is the part of my writeup where I go “VH1: Behind the Music Photography” on you. Sarah and Steve were originally scheduled to have their engagement shoot when Jenn and AJ had theirs but decided to see what the weather was going to be like first. When they saw dropping temperatures and the chance for rain/snow/hail/abominable snowmen they rescheduled leaving the date open for Jenn and AJ who were going to be in the Sault for the weekend. I actually ran into Steve later on the night of Jenn and AJ’s shoot and he just shook his head when I told him that I was out in the weather doing a shoot.

Steve’s daughter Sarah joined us for the first half of the shoot. We started the shoot at Kinsmen Park / Hiawatha Highlands trying to find locations that I hadn’t used yet which led us on to some paths into the treed areas. From there Steve, Sarah and myself went to the newest section of the hub trail here in Sault Ste. Marie located just down the road from Sault College. We finished off the shoot in the Sault’s downtown core using some of the brightly painted buildings as backdrops.

I’m looking forward to the wedding next year guys!

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