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

I have some major house cleaning to do on the blog today… So get ready for a whole slew of posts!

Last week was a very rainy one, but I was lucky enough to have Tyler and Kristy brave the weather for a quick little engagement session out at some of my favorite Toronto locations, including the brickworks and the financial district.

Enjoying some time together while hiding from the rain

We found a few funky murals to play around with… Bee mine?

I always love reflections!

I can’t wait for the wedding on the water this coming weekend. It is going to be absolutely fantastic!

This past weekend I had the opportunity to shoot the “Big Gay Wedding” which is an annual event that is organized by local radio station Proud FM. Shooting from atop of the world at one of Canada’s most famous landmarks, the CN Tower, was quite an experience and not only because of the panoramic vista!

Kathy & Keena were the first couple to walk the isle to be legally united, followed by a ceremony for Steven & Byron. The ever inspiring Brent Hawkes, was minister to the wedding and shared stories of what it was like to unite the first gay couples in Toronto, under the protective armor of a bullet proof vest while being flanked by bodyguards. Needless to say, things have changed quite a bit since then and I am extremely proud to be a citizen of a nation where equality and the right of marriage is granted to all couples, regardless of their orientation. Love has no boundaries.

Both ceremonies were very boutique and intimate affairs, with close friends and family at hand to bear witness. It has to be said though, that even though these were smaller ceremonies, the room was absolutely filled with positive energy!

And here are some of the photos!

A big thanks goes out to Ryan and Erika of Rowell Photographer for inviting me out to this event and also to Proud FM for putting it on!

Elisabeth and Ian are yet another one of my fantastic 2009 wedding couples whom I have the pleasure of getting to know over the past number of months. All of my wedding commissions include an engagement (or fun shoot) which is not only a great opportunity to get some more casual photos taken, but also aids in elevating the comfort levels when it comes to having your photo taken! As you can see, the results are fabulous!

We ended up heading out to do a little street shooting up in the Yorkville area of Toronto. It’s a fantastic area that has a little bit of everything, including boutique shops, open air art installations, some fun architecture and plenty of quieter areas that yield great photographic opportunities!

I am looking forward to the wedding!

Lifestyle Portraits, Just for Fun, or Just Because… Whatever you want to call this loosely defined session, they are a great way to capture some casual to semi-intimate shots of you and your beau while having a fun time!

Team the photos up with one of my fantastic Little Books or a Gallery Canvas Wrap and you have a complete package that makes for a great gift of keepsake.

For this particular session, Tara had organized it as a bit of a surprise for her awesome boyfriend Matt, as they didn’t have many good photos of themselves and really wanted something that they could cherish.

We were able to wander around for a few hours, visiting a number of different sites so that we would have a decent variety of imagery by the end of the evening. One awesome find was this lovely (Well okay. It was rusting into oblivion!) classic Citron DS Wagon that was parked in a back alley. Now it may have looked really rough, but It was in running order, as it vanished by the morning… or maybe it was just towed.

I had a great time with you both and I really hope that you love these photos as much as I do! They are some of my favorite lifestyle images.

For anyone that is interested, Lifestyle Portraits Sessions (store link) are available for $350, which includes 2 hours of my time, and images posted to my secure proofing site! Deal!