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

I thought it would be fun to just play around and do something different today, so I exported all the frames (700 of them) from a wedding I had shot this past season to see what they would look like when stitched together in a movie clip.

One thing that I love about flipping through wedding day images like this, is how you can just feel the positive energy radiating from the photos in series!

Please forgive me for the rather basic editing and crude compression – I have never made a video before, but am learning quickly!

To see the images from Elisabeth & Ian’s wedding click here.

I was elated when my good friend and fellow photograper extraordinaire, Varia broke the good news of her pregnancy to me and I was even more overwhelmed when she asked if I would like to do a maternity portrait session in my studio with her.

Having never really shot baby bumps before, I decided that I would use it as an experience to try something new and to do so with as little outside influence as possible. I wanted the photography to be simple, pure and powerful, without taking away from the beautiful nature of the subject. I also wanted it to reflect my own in-studio style, which is seen more on the commercial and portrait side of my business.

To add an extra element of sophistication to the photos, Varia booked the extremely talented Natasha Kudashinka to come into the studio and body paint her belly. It turned out better than I could have imagined. It’s just fantastic when all the elements come together.

If you are looking to do an artistic maternity session, do send me an email or call. It was such an amazing experience and I am looking forward to doing many more!

For many years, black and white photography took a back seat to the advancement of color imagery, along with the vibrancy and excitement that it brought along. Some will say that B&W was never left far behind, but it is also true that much of the art in it’s processing was lost to the “Convert to B&W” tool found in many photo editing programs.

Hand finished black and white photographs can give your moments an nostalgic feel by simply removing the distraction that color can sometimes bestow on an image. You can feel the emotion, the romance and timelessness of the subjects. The effort of dodging (brightening) elements of a photo can bring out life and energy in a subject, while a light burn (darkening) can provide a needed separation from the background, enhancing texture and balancing the tonal relationships within.

Each photograph ordered through my studio receives this loving and detailed treatment. If a picture is worth a thousand words, those words should be spoken with clarity.

For 2011, every photo that leaves the studio will be receiving a hand finishing that includes retouching, tone adjustments and more. It’s my dedication to quality service and to the art that photography is.

Below is a selection of imagery from this past season, showing how proper, subtle editing can further enhance great imagery.

Well, it’s the New Year and one of my resolutions was to keep on top of the blog. So far – utter fail!

But I do have the excuse of being super busy here. The photo booth has been a HUGE hit and has been occupying a lot of time, bookings are through the roof (only a few spots are left for this year) and I have been working on many little (and big) side projects, to fill in the gaps.

I do have a number of past shoots to post about though, so I will try getting to those over the next while. Stay tuned!

One wedding that I will post, is that of Mira & Kyle. I was actually second shooting this one with my good friend Catherine at Documentographer. She’s always fun to shoot with, as we collaborate and challenge each other throughout the day and it always leads to some spectacular captured moments. Our styles are slightly different, she is more organic and candid, while I really love posing people – it’s always great having different eyes.

I started off the day with Kyle at the Hyatt in Toronto, where we grabbed a few shots before heading over to the stunning house at which Mira was getting ready. The ceremony, reception and other festivities all took place at the beautiful Beth Tzedec Shul, located in Toronto.