SFU Diamond Alumni Centre Wedding - William and Pia
As my first post for 2017... I'll post something from 2016. It's been really busy here at Jonathan Desmond Photography but as I've been catching up and looking at some of the photographs taken over the course of the last 365 days, I'm seeing some great stories pop up that I'd love to share with you. Here's one of them!
All photographs taken while seconding Assignment with Todd Duncan Weddings.
Year End Review of 2016 - Photographs And Their Stories
Instead of just showing beautiful photos, I wanted to talk about some of the stories behind my documentary photographs that really struck a chord with me this year. Some photographs were fantastic little moments that were tiny, “in-between” parts of a wedding day. Others were great big moments involving green goop…
Heritage Hall Vancouver Wedding - Jesse + Patricia
Just recently, I received a response to a questionnaire I sent out and this is what Jesse and Patricia had to say:
" Jonathan's photography is technically excellent and artistically inspired. He is a pleasure to interact with. Photography was a top priority for us and we shopped way way ahead. We had our pick of the best of Vancouver and met with several of the best-known, award-winningest wedding photographers in the city. In the end, Jonathan came out as our first choice…”
Brix and Mortar Yaletown Wedding - Nick + Dayna
As a documentary wedding photographer, I approach a wedding with the mindset of a photojournalist and am on the lookout for amazing “candid” moments to build a story of an entire wedding day, giving brides and grooms and authentic retelling of their day. However, as I soon learned, we as wedding photographers usually have to wear many hats on a wedding day!
So I found out pretty quickly that my little Honda Fit car is able to fit a bride and two bridesmaids... and with room to spare. You see, the bride was about a 15-20 minute walk away from her venue but the day was hot and I didn't want the bride Dayna to sweat like crazy just before her ceremony at Brix! (We were at David Lam Park and it was warm that day). That's when it dawned on me: "Why don't *I* drive the bride up? I'm parking there anyway!" So there I was, with a client clad in her bridal gown and with her bridesmaids were in my car as we scooted up a few blocks in my little Honda Fit to Brix & Mortar. I've photographed in a lot of weddings and this was definitely an amazing first.
Irfan and Sajeda - A Muslim Wedding Assignment (Seconding for Jody Nay) - Reception
Day 3 of 3 - Reception at Swaniset
The final day of the wedding consisted of a reception at Swaniset Bay Resort and Country Club, located deep within Pitt Meadows. It was great being able to document all the people and friends and family interacting with one another. Also, there was a Lamborghini.
Irfan and Sajeda - A Muslim Wedding Assignment (Seconding for Jody Nay) - Ceremony
Day 2 of 3 - Vania (Ceremony)
The second day of this assignment with Jody Nay Photography started back at the hotel. Today was the Nikta, which I believe translates to the Muslim marriage ceremony (someone correct me if I'm wrong!). I started in the room with Irfan the groom and his buddy Seef, who was his best man (or Muslim equivalent).
While I spent a lot of time with the groom and his best man, I also had a chance to head over to the women's room to document them getting ready as well. Out of respect for their customs, you will only see a few selected photos here from the women's side. With that in mind, I only spent a limited time with the women and stayed in the room with Irfan and Seef.
Irfan and Sajeda - A Muslim Wedding Assignment (Seconding for Jody Nay Photography) - Vanai
Day 1 of 3 - VANAI
I remember arriving at the hotel in Richmond and standing next to all the participants with water balloons in their hand and a big pot of green goop on the side. There was also silly string canisters and one of the girls was putting on a helmet with a GoPro camera on it.
This was my introduction to a Muslim wedding.
Deer Lake Burnaby Wedding - Andrew and Alyssa (Seconding Assignment with Natahsha Priya)
…It is photography that has allowed me to get assignments such as these. Natasha Priya asked me to second shoot for her at Andrew and Alyssa's wedding and I was very happy to take it on. It was a day filled with laughter, emotion, some real cheesy puns and some Tim Hortons... oh and the limo broke down! In the end, though, the day went smoothly, Andrew and Alyssa tied the knot and I gained a couple more friends than I had before.
A Documentary Photosession for Tallie the Cat and Her Owners
…A prior conversation with Elizabeth gave me the story of Tallie. While initially a dog person, Elizabeth fell in love with Tallie and soon became a cat person (cats tend to do that to us... hehe). I can't recall the reason why Tallie was in the shelter but that's where Elizabeth found her. Tallie was a mother of some kittens at the shelter but as the kittens were soon adopted off, Tallie was left all alone. Elizabeth wanted to adopt a cat that would have a tough time finding a home and found Tallie at the shelter, who approached Elizabeth and they instantly bonded. I found Tallie to be a shy cat but after a few moments of walking in and around the place, Tallie got used to the commotion in her home that was me and my various clattering cameras.
How To Hire Your Wedding Photographer - A Few Tips
There’s been a lot of buzz over a recent Facebook post from Singapore with a bride posting a few of the “worst” photos from her wedding. There’s a whole background story to this that I will not repeat here (you can google it) but the conversation that started got me thinking that perhaps many brides and grooms don’t know necessarily where to start when looking for a wedding photographer. As much as I’d like to write an entire book on this, I’m going to provide just a few items to consider…