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

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

Krista and Steve (who, inci­dently, have just purchased a VW bus and are planning a months-long trip across North America–very cool) sent this as their favourite image:

“Hi Mike,

Choose just ONE?!

Well we did it. And actually we both agreed right away. We chose this picture because it just so perfectly repre­sents the ceremony — the sun shining (after the rain!), everyone smiling, our giddiness, the adorable offi­ciant smiling so sweetly at us. It’s a very happy, heart-warming picture. And the lens flare is cool too

Thanks for this. It was fun going through the pictures again together.”

I had a lot of fun with Krista and Steve, both on their engagement session and their wedding…they are just fun people. However, to pick one image as my favourite there can be no doubt. If you have spent any time at all on my blog, you know which image I am going to select, as it is one of my favourite images ever. Sorry guys, but this one isn’t really of you at all! That’s right, the cat licking his ass:

We chris­tened him “Mangy.” And if it was their wedding, it was defi­nitely his farm. He spent the ceremony wandering through the crowd, sitting on empty seats, and generally taking no notice of what was going on. When he decided to…uhm…“clean” himself while I was shooting, well there was no question that I had to get a photo. The cool thing is that you can tell everyone is laughing, even though they are out of focus

I’ve been back to the farm a few times since then, and he’s still there, the king of the castle.

…Mike

More about the Favourite Image project

This year’s Ottawa Gala was another resounding success…in the six years I have been photographing this event, I can’t remember a busier time. The theme this year was “Bourbon Street,” with masks and beads as the acces­sories of choice.

For the full image wrap-up, check out the Facebook fan page gallery. Thanks to everyone who attended.

…Mike

Welcome to the new face of the Photos for Life blog!

After much hand-wringing, design notes, planning, designing, drawing, designing and planning, the new look for the blog is finally live. A more polished look, easier on the eyes, and hope­fully easier to find what you’re looking for.

In case you’re wondering, this is what a plan for a blog looks like:

Well, part of it anyway.

Enjoy!

…Mike