Here is what Christiane has to say about the favourite image from her wedding:

“Even though we had to choose from around 500 amazing pictures, the ONE that we both instantly agreed on to be our favorite, the one that we think repre­sents our day the best and our rela­tionship in general (and also the one family and friends are still talking about !!) is the one where Yves and I are up on that tank in front of the Manège Militaire de Hull.

Not only is that where we first met 10 years ago, but the tree colors are amazing, repre­senting the beau­tiful day we had despite the rainy morning !! Fun and original … picture perfect

Thanks again, and the best for that new wedding season coming up !!”

I had a ton of fun with these two, espe­cially at the Manège Militaire…you may recall this photo taken on the barrel of the same tank:

These two were troopers (pardon the pun), so there were a lot of really strong images from their wedding. It was difficult to choose just one. However, my favourite is this one:

The reason is simple. Christiane and Yves love each other, and this photo shows that. True expres­sions can’t be faked, and the honest closeness and intimacy of this photo is why I am a photog­rapher. This was taken during their first dance together, and watching them it seemed as if the world just dropped away for them. It was beautiful.

I am a huge fan of the dramatic image, but at the end of the day it’s about two people in love, and creating an image that illus­trates that love is the most difficult, and most rewarding, part of what I do.

Thanks Christiane and Yves, it was fun going through your images again.

…Mike

More about the Favourite Image project

Today’s tip is a quickie, and is for the proper use of the words fiancée and fiancé. A fiancée is the correct word for a bride-to-be, while a future groom (also known as a bride­groom) is called a fiancé. Most spellcheckers get this wrong, by either missing the accent, or by trying to change it to “finance.” I’ll leave it to you to decide if this is apropos or ironic

…Mike

I’m looking for an assistant. For the right person, this will be a great way to earn some extra cash and maybe learn a thing or two. But please keep in mind that this is not a shooting position. That’s my job Instead, you’ll be doing things like holding lights, carrying stuff, and keeping track of equipment.

This is a year-round position, but the majority of work will be between May and October, mostly on Saturdays. I won’t need you every week, but when I do it will be an all-day thing. I do some work on Sundays too but almost never on weekdays.

Some traits you should have before you send me an email:

Having a sense of humour is a huge plus, the dryer the better. If you don’t have one, you should at least appre­ciate one.

You should be able to follow instruc­tions well, have a good memory, and be able to think for yourself. Clairvoyance and ESP will be helpful too, for when we are too far apart for me to yell at you to do something.

You should be good with driving direc­tions, and know Ottawa well. If you can’t get to the grocery store without a GPS, please don’t email me. You must know how to drive a car with a manual trans­mission, too.

You will need conser­v­ative black dress with sensible shoes. You will be climbing stuff, walking up hills, through gravel, and in very quiet churches where loud/hard heels are too distracting.

People will come up to you to ask ques­tions or verify schedules and plans. You will need to know what’s going on and have the confi­dence to answer. You must be polite and artic­ulate, no matter what happens. If you have ever lost your temper and gotten into a fight, please don’t email me. Even as my assistant, you will be the face of Photos for Life. I need to know that you will represent the business properly. Judgment and tact are vital.

You will be carrying heavy bags, loading and unloading cars, and holding awkward stuff. Some physical strength is necessary.

If you can look at some­thing and figure out how it works, bonus. Being good with elec­tronics and doodads is a definite asset.

If inter­ested, please email me.

…Mike

Erika and Michael will be familiar to you if you have poked around here before, and I was very happy to hear that these two wonderful people were expecting their second child. Their previous maternity session was done in and around their home, so we put a more urban flair to their maternity session this time around. Between Majors Hill Park and the National Art Gallery, we had a blast and created some great imagery too. She was just about ready to pop, so it won’t be much longer now!

…Mike

Kim and Mike were married at the Blessed Sacrament church in the Glebe. This was followed by a reception at the Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club.

This was a great shoot for me, because I was able to play around in an area that I’ve been eyeballing for years, waiting for the right circum­stances: a willing couple, a bit of time, and a cloudy day. It all came together and we played around in the trees together, creating some cool stuff!

Congrats guys

…Mike