Latest Work

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Le Select Bistro Wedding // Lianne & Tristan

I still remember the first time I met Lianne & Tristan – it was at one of my favourite places in the city, Soma Chocolatier. They are the type of people with whom you feel at ease right from the beginning. Lianne is a beauty inside and out, and Tristan has that charm only Aussies have. It was clear to me from the beginning how in love they are. At their intimate wedding at Le Select Bistro, Tristan mentioned how he still can’t believe this pretty girl is his wife, and Lianne talked about how when they met, she understood that this is how it’s supposed to feel to be in love.

I get asked sometimes whether or not I ever get bored of photographing weddings since that’s mostly what I do, and my answer is always no. Because while there are similarities between each wedding, they are always different. Just like as people, we can be similar in some ways, but in the end, we are unique individuals. For me, getting to know my couples and their stories, being a part of this journey, that’s why I love what I do. Then I take the things I see, and the emotions I feel, and translate them into photos.

Here’s how the day unfolded for Lianne & Tristan’s wedding. Thank you both for being so incredibly kind and trusting me to document this special day for you.

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2015 // A Year in Photos

Dear 2015,

It’s been a great year in so many ways! I had the opportunity to travel more this past year, visited some amazing places, both with loved ones and also by myself; I made a visit to China, the motherland, after having left 16 years ago.  I photographed many couples, weddings, babies & families. One of the biggest differences for me this year was having the chance to photograph more destination weddings, in places like Tuscany, Channel Islands, and the Greek islands. While it was really great to photograph weddings in really beautiful locations, it’s never been just about the locations for me. It’s always been more about the people.

I guess really any single year is just a small slice of your life overall. There will always be ups and downs. But probably because of human nature, often times it’s much easier to remember, and to be affected by the “downs”. Sometimes we wish there would only be happy memories, but that’s simply not possible. A few weeks ago I watched the Pixar movie Inside Out and the message from the movie really struck a chord with me: we can’t go about life with only happy emotions and try to suppress anything deemed negative because the different emotions are the “spices” of life so to speak, and together they are what make our experiences multi-faceted.  Only when you allow yourself to experience the negative emotions, will they help you appreciate the happy emotions even more.

And sometimes I have to remember that some things are like showers, you have to do it often to benefit from it. :)

Without further ado, here are some of my favourite moments from 2015. These images help remind me that the simplest pleasures in life really are the best ones. 

Looking forward to new adventures in 2016!

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Toronto Winter Wedding // Prash & Valerie

This sweet winter city hall wedding is also seen on The Wedding Co.

Winter weddings in Toronto probably aren’t rare given our long winters in Canada, but Prash & Val’s was the first I had photographed, and I hope won’t be my last!

Val & Prash met in university in the same student club. They got to know each other very well before dating and have managed to make long distance work. For their wedding, they wanted a very intimate & low key day with just their immediate families – which was exactly what happened. A very intimate ceremony at city hall was followed by portraits around downtown Toronto in Osgoode Hall, Union Station and the Fairmont. Then they enjoyed a private meal at Reds restaurant. Val loves snow and even though the wedding was at the end of January, it had been pretty dry up until that point. But the weather gods were kind to us; as we were walked out of city hall, it started to snow! That was the perfect finishing touch to a lovely afternoon.

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Toronto Maternity Photography // Micaela

I met Micaela, her two boys and her partner Morgan at Alexander Muir Gardens on a summer evening for some maternity photography. The boys certainly added a lot of fun into the session! They ran around barefoot, photo bombed us when they weren’t in the photos. They reminded me why I love photographing children so much – their genuineness, authenticity, how easy it is to connect with them. They haven’t spent years building up facades; if they are happy, they will laugh; if they are sad or angry, they will cry. Parents, even if you don’t get professional photos taken, take lots of photos yourself – not the posed kinds, but capturing the everyday moments. Because they don’t stay that way forever. But I guess that’s why those years are so precious.

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Costa Rica Wedding Photographer // Arlene & Francis

Intimate destination wedding | RIU Guanacaste, Costa Rica

In October, I had the opportunity to photograph Arlene & Francis’ beautiful Costa Rica wedding at the Riu Guanacaste. Francis and I worked together years ago at our local Chapters bookstore. I think he was still in high school then. It was incredible to see him after all these years and marry the love of his life. Arlene and I hadn’t met before, but as soon as she greeted me at the door to her suite, I knew it was going to be a great day. 

From Arlene: “I don’t know where to begin. Janice’s photos are amazing!! When I first saw Janice’s portfolio, I knew I wanted her to be our photographer for our destination wedding. Her photos capture once in a lifetime moments that I now can relive in pictures over and over again (moments I, myself did not know were going on around me or wouldn’t have thought could be captured in one photo). Through her pictures, I am able to feel the raw emotions from that day. I still find myself getting excited or teary looking at the same photo from a few days ago. I especially enjoyed her little ways to get to know us and capture our personalities in our photos. There is just something magical in her photos like going to Disney World as an adult.”

I have always believed that photography is a way of feeling. So if my work is able to touch someone in a way, even just for a short while, then I feel like I’ve done a good job.

Here’s how their day unfolded.

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De La Salle Heritage House Wedding // Janice & Matt

On a beautiful Spring day, sandwiched by two days of heavy rain, Janice & Matt got married at the De La Salle Heritage House in Toronto. It’s a lovely location for a wedding! You can get ready here as they have rooms for guests to stay in, have your ceremony here, as well as your reception. Everything is in one place, which makes it really easy and stress free for the big day.

When Janice first emailed me, we bonded over our mutual love for The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho (we also share the same first name!). It was a life-changing read for both of us. I could tell then that their wedding would be quite special. Maya Angelou said: I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel. This definitely rings true for Janice & Matt’s ceremony. Even after having been to so many weddings, I was still so moved by their vows and the way they looked at each other.

It was a true celebration of love & people. Thank you, Janice & Matt for allowing me to document this special day. Here’s their wedding story!

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