Union Photography Blog » Wedding, Portrait, Maternity and Lifestyle Photography by Jon Thorpe

It’s hard to beat a spending a beautiful Saturday afternoon at the beach, under sunny skies with the mercury hitting 30 Celsius – of course, one way to top that would be to have your wedding day on such a great afternoon! Hilda and Peter really lucked out with *most* of the weather and their day will definably be a memorable one!

Here are a few teasers from the day – I am going to save the really good stuff for a later post.

Of course, every action has an equal reaction and this was definitely the case with the weather! By the evening, sunny skies were replaced by storm clouds and the wind picked up to incredible intensity, enough so that it knocked out the power to most of the city – including that of our reception venue! But that didn’t phase this awesome couple and the party continued well into the night by candle light. Romantic!

To all the guests who attended Hilda & Peter’s wedding, please check back in two weeks to view more photos in the online gallery. The log-in information was provided on the table cards.

- Jon

I had been looking forward to my engagement photo session with Jenn and Jeff ever since I met them for the first time at our initial consultation. We talked about what their wedding plans were, what they envisioned for their photography and how we could work together to bring it all together. As we continued to chat, they brought up their passion for film and the arts and spoke of how they wanted to tie some of that in with their photos – I quickly realized that they would be a fun couple to work with!

We actually broke the shoot into two days due to inclement weather and a theater manager who was out of the loop on a booking request we had made (it happens!). On the first day we headed off to one of my favorite indoor spots in the city – a beautifully maintained set of greenhouses which provides a nice break from the cold, wet and generally unfavorable late winter weather.

On the second day we headed off to a local movie theater complex for a quick 5 min shoot (strobist style!). We had to be speedy with things, as it was a busy afternoon at the downtown location and we had to be in and out before the next movie started rolling! Once the film was in the can, so to speak, we headed back outside and were greeted with a blast of balmy (for spring!) air! It made for a great afternoon of shooting with a great couple. Thanks Jenn & Jeff!

Toronto’s Entertainment District was the venue for a sunny day, spur-of-the-moment engagement shoot with a super fun couple! Conrad & Rebecca were extremely easy going and an absolute pleasure to work with. Seeing as I didn’t bring my car in, we decided to hoof it down King Street to see what we could find! I actually really like walking, versus driving from spot to spot, as you see things quite differently and often find beautiful little locations which would have been overlooked otherwise.

For the sake of mixing things up a little, I decided to process most of this set in black and white to give it that classical and timeless feel. I really love hot the tonal ranges pop out when the images are properly processed (vs. just doing a B&W conversion).

Enjoy!
- Jon

Yesterday was the absolute perfect day to shoot an engagement in Toronto. The beautiful warm sun was piercing through the trees and a fairly warm breeze was helping to coax the winter coats off of our backs.

Heather and Andrew were such a fun (and totally silly) couple to work with for the day. We were able to explore a little and they didn’t complain when I dragged them up step hills and through a soggy fields. Troopers!

I can’t wait to shoot your wedding in Niagara-on-the-lake later this year!!

I woke up on Monday morning with desire to escape the bleak weather of Toronto, which had become intolerable over recent weeks and to take a break from editing weddings and other photo work (we all know I work too much!).

By 10am I was booked on an evening flight out to Las Vegas to meet with my friend and fellow adventurer Taylor, who would become my partner in crime for the next 48 hours. Yes, only two days. Because of our busy shooting schedules and the piles of work waiting for us back in our studios, we could only manage to take a few days off – but any sun is better than none!

We had our work cut out for us. Itinerary as follows:
Landing in Vegas at midnight Monday, touring the strip, getting a few hours of sleep in, renting a car and driving through the desert to LA, hanging out in Santa Monica, Malibu and Hollywood, sleep, waking up and driving back out to Vegas in order to catch a morning flight out on Thursday.

In hindsight, we really should have made this a one way trip from Cali to Vegas – next time!

While waiting in the YYZ terminal (Toronto) I was able to test out my gear. Interesting note : security won’t let you bring a tube of toothpaste on board, yet little black boxes with antennas poking out of them, labeled with the words “Transmit” (over a big button no less) didn’t seem to phase them.

High in the sky… It’s all business for some.

After a few hours of sleep at the Monte Carlo, we were off into the desert in our brand new rental. There really isn’t much going on between Vegas and LA other then the odd abandoned gas station, and lone casino aiming to hook the last few dollars out those departing the state.

The salty air of Santa Monica was a welcome sensation after 6 hours of driving. Also appreciated was the cheap (and free!) parking in and around the city. I sometime wonder why it costs $25/day to park my car in Toronto (Mayor Miller, take note!) when it’s free after 6pm in LA.

I have to say that Malibu is one place I found difficult to part with. Surf. Sand. More free parking. Sunsets. Mountains. Enough said!

Off to Hollywood!

We enjoyed a fantastic dinner and a movie with friends in Hollywood and then called it a night. The next morning we hiked up into the mountains, which are a lot steeper and taller than one would think!

When people talk about the smog in LA being bad, they really mean it! The pollution from the city is pressed up against the mountains due to the sea breeze and has no chance to escape. Looking down from the peaks, you can barely make out the distant buildings.

Nothing beats the heat like a little dessert in the desert! Our trusty rental also made it through the 500 mile journey across the sun baked terrain. One of the highlights of the trip from Vegas to LA was a 17 mile long descent with a 4000 ft grade. I’m guessing that after passing over it twice, this new Dodge Caliber needs new brake pads!

Along the way, we ran into a ghost town called Calico. Now I don’t know if this was a legitimate ghost town, but it sure looked the part with it’s weathered buildings, abandoned mine shafts and other gold rush artifacts.

The sunsets in the desert are just unbelievable. The sand in the desert haze refracts the light, producing vibrant colors that wash the desert basins.

And so this concludes the adventure. Back to the studio and that pile of work!

- Jon

A few weeks ago I received a Facebook status update that Taylor Jackson, a fellow wedding photographer, would be in town and was looking to do a fun shoot with his girlfriend so that they could pass a few hours and get some pre-engagement photos of themselves. I answered the call and just a few hours later we were out on the town around the gallery for a quick session!

It’s simply amazing what can be captured within an hour when you have a couple that is fun and ready for adventure! The tandem bicycle is actually my ‘gallery bike’ and made a great prop for the shoot. I have to thank Kate for putting it all on the line, as Taylor awkwardly pushed forward on his first attempt at maneuvering the purple beast!

It was great fun photographing the both of you!

- Jon