“Hello. My name is Dean Oros. I’m a photographer.

I love a good story. Especially stories of love and family. Films about people falling in love are completely cool. I don’t understand the term “Chick flick”. As a photographer, capturing honest emotions shared between people is a wonderful experience. It’s magic; a creative process unlike any other. Witnessing the amazing reactions of my clients when they view my work makes me feel like I’ve the best career in the world.

In my previous life, I was an international TV / film distributor, and traveled the world. I made TV programs, too. Some of them won many awards.

If you’d like to be in front of my camera, send me an email. I’d be happy to hear from you.

Hats off to Love.”

And with these well-wishes from their family, Tania and Alex start a new chapter in their life together. Congrats to the happy couple!

I travelled to Montréal to photograph this special occasion. I lived in Montréal for a number of years, so it was a pleasure to be there as a photographer. In the weeks leading up to their wedding day it became clear to me how close the families of these two lovely people are. Alex’s Godmother contacted me advising the newlyweds-to-be were having a difficult time finding a photographer whose work they admired and whom they felt they would have good chemistry.

I met Alex and Tania in Toronto along with Alex’s mom on a Sunday morning. It became quickly obvious there was lots of love going into the wedding day from everyone involved. I was then introduced to Rayissa, another family member. A former event planner, she was co-ordinating the wedding day. And I have to say she was fantastic. It was a pleasure to work with a real professional.

This wedding was one of the few times when, after my day was done, I relaxed, and was invited to join the family on the dance floor! Thank you for making me feel so welcome.

It was a celebration full of humour, tradition, and the warmth of family. There was lots of story to capture throughout the day. The following images will provide a glimpse into their special day. If you’re soon to wed, maybe you’ll find some inspiration.

If Tania and Alex have shared log-in details to their online Gallery Collection, be sure to sign in soon!

Click on an image to view a larger version.

The brides basks in natural light streaming in through the window.

Getting ready.

People gather inside the church.

Buddy, the pooch and ring bearer.

The important rings of the day.

The happy newlyweds.

The groom and his boys. They ought to be in GQ Magazine.

A fun picture of the bride and her girls.

The bridal party in silhouette.

Can you say "This could be a book cover?"

A quiet moment shared by the newlyweds.

Stealing a kiss by the dashboard light.

The groom lifts his new bride into the air during their first dance.

Awww, too cute for words.

There were many people and venues who helped to make this a perfect day:

Church: Cedar Park United
Reverend Ron Coughlin
Wedding Dress: BCBG Max Ariza, Montréal
Reception and Dinner: Le Crystal Salles de Réception
Florist: Westmount Florist
Lighting and Backdrop: Fantasy Productions
Music / DJ: PAC Productions
Wedding Cake: Patisserie Lafrenaie
Accommodation: Pointe Claire Quality Suites
Rosemount Bakery (Montréal)
Future Bakery & Cafe (Etobicoke)

Until next time…

So, the following are but a few highlights. If the happy couple have shared log-in details to their Gallery Collection, be sure to sign in soon! Click on an image to view a larger version.

The day started at the Le Meridian King Edward Hotel, where the mother of the bride, the bride’s aunt (who flew in from Egypt!), and the bridesmaids were getting ready for the special day. In the above picture Alexandra, who was a lovely flower girl by the way, watches Myriam and Dahlia chat in front of the mirror.

The University of Toronto’s Trinity College Chapel is a spectacular venue. I did a bit of research and can share the following: Built in the modified perpendicular Gothic style, the main chapel extends 100 feet to the reredos and is 47 feet high at the vault bosses. Using only stone, brick and cement, the architects employed Italian stonemasons using ancient building methods; the only steel in the construction is in the hidden girders supporting the slate roof. The exterior walls are of sandstone.

I have to say the day flew by for me. Part of the reason was the warmth and genuineness I experienced from everyone. Photographing for ten hours felt like ten minutes. In the above image, the matron of honour makes her way down the steps towards the aisle.

It did rain on and off for a good part of the afternoon and evening, but that didn’t deter us from capturing formal portraits and candid moments outdoors. We had pretty, white umbrellas on hand. I love how they complimented the colours of the day.

I love how this image turned out. There is a lot of meaning and symbolism behind a bride’s bouquet (just ask any bride!). So this image may have different meaning depending on who is viewing it. Did you know that even before flower bouquets were used by brides in weddings they were used in a different form of art? They appeared as early as the 17th century and possibly earlier. Flower bouquets were captured in paintings and on pottery as decorations. Myriam’s flowers were by Genius Loci Fine Flowers (another Beaches neighbourhood business, just like my studio).

The happy newlyweds share a quiet moment.

The next location was Toronto’s Distillery District. I’ve photographed here so often I feel like I know it like the back of my hand. It was a busy day there, and I noticed we were getting a lot of attention, especially because of the next image.

Sherine and Dahlia sittin’ under a tree. Don’t they look adorable?

Love how Myriam’s veil is caught in a gentle breeze in this image.

Cocktails, dinner and reception was held at Archeo. Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful. There was lots of tradition, including Egyptian bellydancing. Beautiful energy, colours and skill! Cory has a Scottish background, and when bagpiper Jack Jackson started playing along with the Egyptian music, it was amazing. I kid you not when I tell you it was beautiful to listen to and watch. Wow, such talent!

Myriam and Cory, it was a pleasure photographing your special day! Bye for now.

The following images are a couple of favourites from a recent wedding. There is so much story!

The above image captures every one experiencing their own moment. The three people on the right (a best man, and two bridesmaids) are in thought while they walk as part of a large group. To the left is the bride chatting with her sister while she makes her way through grass after a rain shower. And, the other groomsman at front left is truly enjoying himself as he kicks up his feet and smiles to himself. The sunshine flaring through the top of the frame illuminates the scene while creating a beautiful backlight. And, just visible over the right shoulder of the best man is one of the flower girls.

The church pictured above is filled with many beautiful angles which makes it very unique. It’s lit entirely with carefully placed spotlights that create narrow streams of light against a variety of shadows and dark surfaces. The ceiling at its centre was quite high, and framing a shot of the interior without drawing attention to myself during the ceremony was challenging. At the bottom left of the frame are the bride and groom, intently listening to the sermon, whom I never let leave the corner of my eye.

The studio has been very busy this summer with some very cool projects, including a 45 year old photo restoration. That’s coming up in a future post.

Until next time.

I was recently commissioned for such a shoot that took place at the very last minute. The super-models were present for another major event, and during a bit of downtime had only a few minutes to spare for some exclusive photo-ops. I didn’t have time to pre-shoot or even get a proper light-meter reading, and had to shoot quickly while getting the best performance out of the super-models. All in all, the shoot went well, and the client is very happy. It included high-fashion, succulent food, and super-models. Quite the combination! Below are some exclusive “behind-the-scenes” from the shoot.

Above: A super-model snacks as some lights are quickly set up.

Above: A super-model poses for a test shot. She’s still snacking. At least she’s eating, not like some other super-models I’ve seen.

To view more exclusive pictures from this shoot, log-in to Katarina and Ryan’s Wedding Gallery Collection.

I hope you enjoyed this post!

Until next time…

I’m excited to share Katie and Brad’s lovely wedding with you. Friend and fellow photographer Matt Green introduced me to Katie and Brad, asking if I’d be interested in photographing their wedding. He was part of the wedding party and wouldn’t be able to photograph it. And, he wanted to celebrate the day instead of working. Understandable. I wasn’t booked that day, so I was happy to say “Yes!”.

You may have noticed that I wrote “lovely” in italics above. That’s because there’s a story to it. After the ceremony, which was held at Fairvew United Church in Brantford, we stayed to do formal portraits. I often tell people how lovely they look. Before I knew it everyone was telling each other how lovely they looked. Haha. For the rest of the day everything was “lovely”. The entire wedding day was “lovely”. And, I’d have to agree!

Above: Katie’s sisters listen intently to the sermon.

I always enjoy photographing a couple’s special day. This wedding was no exception. You can see the sense of humour Katie and Brad have. Just look at their wedding cake. How original is that! I had a small audience watching while I photographed it. It took me a few minutes because it’s an elaborate cake with a story to tell. Those cake toppers are rather small and difficult to photograph in low light. But I got what I wanted. You can even see the fishing line on the bride’s fishing rod.

Afterward we headed to Glenhyrst Art Gallery. For newlyweds-to-be, if you reside in the area you may want to consider this location for your bridal party pictures and bride / groom portraits. It’s very pretty. By this time we were greeted with afternoon showers. We were prepared with umbrellas. It made for some nice photography and didn’t put a damper on anyone’s spirits. We did some pretty funny setups in the park (if Katie and Brad give you log-in details to their Gallery Collection you can see them there).

In the image below the girls are hamming it up for the camera. Katie’s sister doesn’t quite know what to do with her. I think they look lovely!

Before we knew it time was running out, so we rushed back to the hotel for the dinner reception. There were great speeches. The lovely MC’s recited Katie’s self-proclaimed corny (and funny!) jokes. Dinner was sumptuous, the staff were lovely (oops!), and the night ended with music and dance.

Above: The flower girls make their way down the hotel hallway to the wedding reception.

To view Katie and Brad’s complete Wedding Gallery Collection, visit the Client Area and log-in. You’ll be able to view all the galleries, order prints and more.

Until next time…

We survived the heat as we hung out at Belfountain Conservation Area in Norval to create some candids and formals. The cave was amazing and a great place to sneak away for portraits, not to mention it was the place to keep cool!

Then we were off to Pearson Convention Centre for the lovely reception and dinner. Congrats to Katarina and Ryan! I’m so happy for you!

If the newlyweds have provided you with login details to their Gallery Collection, click here to enjoy all their pictures once they go online.

Above: Ryan awaits his wife-to-be. In a few minutes she will walk down the aisle.

Above: Katarina, a beautiful and happy bride

Above: Kat and Ryan share a newlywed kiss

Above: Katarina fans herself to keep cool while getting ready

Above: Slipping on the garter

Above: Ryan spends some time with his closest friends

Above: Katarina with her girls

Above: Portrait of the lovely newlyweds

Above: Boys with a cutie!

Above: The bride's beautiful bouquet

We’ve also added new images to the Images of a Promise website. Sit back and watch the opening slideshow in full-screen. Our wedding art looks best when viewed BIG. Viewing The Brides’ Ballet, for example, on a 30″ colour-calibrated monitor is wicked. It’s the first image on the new slideshow, so check it out.

Thanks go out to Photoshelter, Graph Paper Press and WordPress. We couldn’t perform these upgrades without them.

There will be more upgrades coming your way during the year, too.

Enjoy.

When two...

...become one.

Congrats to Melanie and Jordan!
__________________________________________________________________________________________________

There were many spectacular moments throughout the day, including the kiss shared when Melanie and Jordan first saw each other in their wedding attire.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

I first met up with the girls for the getting ready part of the day at Toronto’s Yorkville Marriot Hotel.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

The wedding ceremony and reception was held at the Edward Day Gallery. It’s a sweet, intimate venue with lots of airy spaces both inside and out. And of course, art adorns the walls.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

What a day it was! It was sunny and hot. Which is what we were hoping for our urban series of gothic-inspired bride & groom portraits.

If Melanie and Jordan have provided you with the login details to their Gallery Collection on the Dean Oros Photo + Design Website, click here to see more images.