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

Energetic, fun, vibrant, stylish… these are all words that I use to describe Jill and Dan. They are the kind of couple that you easily fall in love with and can’t stop photographing. It was definitely the case with this “Extended Play” engagement photo session!

You may also notice that I love shooting well into the evening. By doing so, I am able to capture a range of playful and sexy imagery, spanning different lighting conditions and scenes. It really gives my couples a lot of variety in their images and goes well beyond the realms of a typical engagement session.

I am not able to post everything from the session right now (It’s kinda crazy here at the studio this week) so I will leave you with these awesome teasers. Be sure to come back for the main course later on! Please comment!

### UPDATE###
This stylish and cute engagement shoot has now been featured on The Wedding Co. daily news. Click here for more photos!

The Kortright Center is well known to many who grew up in Toronto, as it was a popular destination for elementary school field trips when one was young. It definitely brought back a number of fond memories for me and it was nice to think that a beautiful wedding would now be added to them.

A winding trail through the forest, which led to a clearing in the woods, was the perfect setting for Andrea and Chris’ nature inspired ceremony. It was a very intimate celebration and was a nice change of pace from some of the larger weddings that I have been covering lately. It brought a lot of warmpth and energy to the event and made for a very relaxed day.

Thank you so much for having me at your wedding!

I realize that I have been a little slow when it comes to posting blog content lately, so I am promising to push up a whole bunch of posts over the next week or so! Keep checking

So why have I not been posting as much recently? Well, the wedding season is now well under way, with a number of shoots now behind me and around 50 or so still to go (combined wedding and engagement shoots – a fully booked season), so needless to say, things are a little hectic, but I am keeping to my promise of a three week turn-around for weddings and less than 1 week for engagement shoots. Not too shabby!

There are a whole bunch of other developments happening here at Union Photography, some that I can hint at and some that are top secret. One big thing is that the photo booth side of things is rocking out and was just accepted into Style Me Pretty’s Invite-Only, Little Black Book. Thanks SMP!

Back to photography, with this sweet little engagement shoot that I had with Martha and Guy, who just so happen to live in the condo right above my Downtown Toronto studio! It’s always great to have fantastic neighbors!

We started things off right at home, with a natural light shoot in the roof top penthouse. The soft evening lighting was just fantastic and I could have stayed there all evening. For the rest of the night we chased light and looked for interesting opportunities within the downtown core. I just love how the night transforms the city and lends in producing unique imagery.

I had a fun time! See you at the wedding (or just around the building)!

I really love engagement shoots for the way that they allow me to connect with couples, make them feel comfortable and help them break down any walls that they may have when it comes to being in front of a camera. I had a fantastic time hanging out with Melanie & David for an evening and came out of the shoot with some fantastic and playful imagery that they will be able to cherish for a lifetime.

One thing that you will notice from these photos, is that my sessions are fairly long and can bridge a number of different environments and times of day. It allows me to provide my couples with a diverse range or imagery that is exciting, intimate and unique.

Thank you so much for spending an evening with me, Melanie & David. It was a pleasure working with the both of you!
I have to say that I am in LOVE with the last shot of you in your Toronto FC jerseys!

Some days I just can’t wait to get to work. Yes. You read that correctly!
I have been waiting all weekend to post these exciting images from my last little Lifestyle / Engagement shoot, featuring this all-too-cute couple.

We managed to beat the weather last Friday as the rain and clouds lifted and treated us to fantastic shooting conditions all through the evening. Beautiful summer like light, a vibrant twilight sky and temperatures that were on the mild side. It was absolutely perfect for a quick trip to the park, followed by a stop at a few more industrial locations to add some diversity to the imagery.

Please comment away!

Thanks Karen & Peter, for spending a fun evening in front of my lens! The next time I see the both of you, it will be as you walk down the aisle!

It’s always extremely flattering and quite the privilege when I am asked by other members of the photographic community, to capture the special moments in their lives.

I have known Sam & Laura for a few years now and they are one of the sweetest couples that I know! So when they brought me the news that they were going to have a baby, I just had to take them up on the opportunity to photograph some fun maternity photos that leaned on the side of lifestyle imagery.

I had a great time hanging out with the both of you for the afternoon and I can’t wait to meet the little one!

The weather outside may have been fierce, but high winds and rain could not extinguish the fiery passion of Mary and Ed  - and definitely didn’t dampen the excitement they carried throughout their big day.

I was extremely privileged to have Mary & Ed as my first couple of the 2010 wedding year. Their positive energy, passion and commitment turned a dreary March day into a vibrant and exciting event for everyone who was lucky enough to be with them, either in person, or through a web connection on other side of the country!

The day started off at Mary’s family’s home, which was awash in beautiful natural light and was followed by a simple but beautiful ceremony at Transfiguration of Our Lord Catholic Church in Etobicoke (Toronto).

The magnificent Liberty Grand set the stage for their reception, with live music, great food and plenty of details – even a surprise performance by Ed’s band! Another hi-light of the evening were the scratch and win cards that Ed & Mary had custom designed as a centerpiece giveaway game. How unique and fun!

A big thanks also goes out to my second photographer, Ryan, who helped me out throughout the wedding.

Thank you so much for inviting me to capture the moments of your day Mary & Ed!

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.

Through the course of the wedding season I am usually quite busy managing my own weddings, but I occasionally have the opportunity to work with other photographers to create some truly fantastic collaborative work. I am not going to do full posts on these weddings, but thought I would toss up a few selects for you to enjoy!

The crisp fall air and changing leaves in Sudbury, Ontario provided the setting for a fantastic day and evening of celebration for Kate & Dave’s wedding. I was shooting along side the fantabulous Catherine Farquharson who had been climbing Mt.Kilimanjaro only a day prior and required me to be available as a stand-in just in case. It of course never came to that, as Catherine is a seasoned jet setter, so headed out to enjoy a fantastic fall shoot with a fun couple!

I Just LOVE red roses. The simplicity of Kate’s bouquet really set things off and I just couldn’t keep my lens off it!

Faye & Micheal’s wedding was shot with Dave, who is one half of Dave & Charlotte. The Berkeley Event Center was the setting and is a Toronto location that I truly love shooting at. It was my 3rd wedding captured there and the weather was absolutely perfect as was the ambiance of the venue.

One thing that I love about the Berkley Church is the combination of vibrancy and texture that all of the different hallways, rooms, nooks and cranny’s provide. I feel like I can shoot there 100 times and have a different feel and flavor each time.

Well, I promised myself that I would get this beautiful wedding blogged today and here it is! Elisabeth and Ian’s boutique wedding took place at the George Restaurant and Verity Hotel under blue skies and… the roaring sound of Jet Fighters?  Luckily it was not an aerial invasion, but rather the high flying acrobatic maneuvers of F-18’s as they took part in the Toronto Air Show. Our minister had to speak up a little at times, but it was kind of neat having the extra entertainment!

So this is what you get when you combine a beautiful and fun couple with a fantastic venue on a beautiful day! It really could not get any better! I really have to thank Elisabeth and Ian for letting me steal themselves away from the party to take the last shot… It was well worth it!

Enjoy the memories!