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.

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.

The Wedding Show is Canada’s premiere wedding show and features some of the best vendors out there.

Need a little more incentive? Print out the coupon below to save $3.

The Wedding Show
The Carlu, 444 Yonge Street, 7th floor
Friday, January 15, 5-9pm
Saturday, January 16, 10am-6pm
Sunday, January 17, 10am-5pm

I am extremely privileged to work with amazing couples on a day to day basis and as a result, I truly love every second of what I do (well, I’m working on loving the accounting aspect). It is this love that inspires me to work hard, innovate and crate imagery that reflects the beauty and passion within each and every one of you.

So thank YOU for inspiring me.

To see the full website article and to view all of the other inspiring work, visit the weddingbells.ca website.

Just a quick note regarding my Holiday schedule :

For the first week of January, I will be down in Mystic, CT for Mystic 5, which is a series of workshops where some of the best photographers in the world gather to share their experience (and rounds of beer). You can bet that I will be walking away with many new ideas that spark new creativity for the 2010 year.

I will try to keep on top of the emails and phone calls, but please expect a delay of a couple days for most communications until things get back to normal on the 8th of January.

Best wishes for the holidays!

- Jon

For the past 6 months or so, I have been working on a secret project which has consumed nearly every spare second of my life and today is the day that I get to share the first tidbits of information with you. It all started off as a simple idea and skyrocketed from there. I wanted to create a classic photo booth with a very modern flair and not only did I want it to look sexy, but I also wanted its design to be influenced by my background in professional event photography.

And thus it was born – A photo booth created by a photographer. Simply and affectionately called ‘booth’.

There will be more information coming soon and the website www.getthebooth.com will be the place to find all of the details as I release them. The booth is, as of today, available for pre-bookings for the Holiday season and it will undoubtedly be very popular with both weddings and corporate parties.

So stay tuned and please let me know what you think of the booth!

As I continued north, the clouds gave way to bright blue skies which were paired with thick and humid air – at least the rain would hold off for the ceremony!
But as I pulled into the resort, the distinct smell of diesel exhaust could mean only one thing. A power outage!

When I entered the bridal suite, I noticed Ashley and her bridesmaids all huddled around the window, trying to make use of the available light to do their hair and makeup. I have to admit that they did a great job too.
It’s also a good thing that I love photographing under available ambient light, as this day was full of it!

The kid’s at this wedding were way too cute – and there were a lot of them!

The rain held off just long enough for us to get the formal and couples photos in – and the power returned just in time for the reception party! Talk about good timing!

This was a truly beautiful wedding and it was a pleasure taking part in the documenting of it’s many great moments.

Thank you and congratulations Ashley & Jon!

To read the full article, pick up a copy at your local news stand, or click here to view the online version.

Congratulations to the both of you on getting published and on having a fantastic modern wedding!

Recently, I had been thinking of how I could improve on my studio space as well as well freshen up my online presence in order keep fresh… But thinking is never enough, so in keeping with my “Just Do It!” mentality (which may also include a little bit of OCD), I went ahead with some renovations!

So after taking out a wall, repainting the entire studio from floor to ceiling, adding in some fancy trim, rebuilding the website and implementing a snazzy new blog, I am finally done! Take a look and tell me what you think!

Now back to editing!

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