Toronto Wedding & Portrait Photography - Michael Moore Photography

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Angela & Brad - Wedding

noreply@blogger.com (Michael Moore) — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 01:01:00 +0000

An unseasonably warm winter's day set the stage nicely for what was to be a beautiful intimate wedding for Angela and Brad at the Irwin Inn on Stoney Lake near Peterborough ON.

As I usually do while the girls were getting ready, I took some time to get a few detail shots of the dress, jewelry and Angela's bouquet:

Applying the finishing touches before the walk down the aisle:

I love watching the bride and groom during the signing of the registry. There's always some great moments between the newly married couple!:

I couldn't decide which version of this pic I liked the best...

This second example shows the different look we can get when using different lighting techniques for the exact same scene:

Back to the suite for some intimate portraits of the bride and groom:

Angela came prepared for the snow with some cool Mukluks:

It wasn't long before Angela and Brad really started to have some fun with it and I think it shows in the following photos:

Sometimes the outtakes between the posed photos can be the best ones:

To the happy couple: Thanks for allowing us to be a part of your special day and I can't wait for you to see the rest of the photos!

Cheers,

Michael

Shanna & Jason - Maternity Session

noreply@blogger.com (Michael Moore) — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 00:44:00 +0000

I recently had the pleasure of photographing the maternity session of Shanna & Jason (along with their curious pup).

We started out with some nice relaxed portraits of the whole family:

Then we toured around their home to get some beautiful portraits of the mommy-to-be:

It took a little while but once he got used to the camera, he couldn't get enough:

I'm looking forward to seeing you all again once the little one arrives!

Cheers,

Michael

Kellye & Sean - Engagement

noreply@blogger.com (Michael Moore) — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 16:29:00 +0000

Kellye and Sean had their hearts set on some fall foliage shots so we made our way out to Edward's Gardens in Toronto. Unfortunately there were only a few trees to be found with good foliage but we made the best of what we had:

Then we found one tree that had shed some leaves early so we had a little fun with that:

It was getting dark so we headed back to their apartment to finish the session:

They had this cool frosted pocket door and I thought it would look cool with them silhouetted on the opposite side. It was tricky since I couldn't see them until the flash went off, but we ended up with a nice sequence that works nicely with a variety of colour tones.

It's too bad our schedules didn't work out for the peak foliage season, but I think we came away with some decent results anyway and I look forward to round 2 this winter or spring!

Cheers,

Michael

Michelle & Mike - Wedding

noreply@blogger.com (Michael Moore) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 16:21:00 +0000

It was a beautiful sunny fall morning as we made our way out to see our fellow Miltonites, Michelle & Mike.

The ceremony took place at the modern and beautiful Holy Family Catholic Church in Toronto.

I love this moment with Michelle's brother-in-law getting ready to walk her down the aisle:

Mike celebrating the fact that the hard work is now over!

Another touching moment between Al and Michelle after the ceremony:

We then made our way to the Mississauga Civic Centre (City Hall) for the formals.

We managed to get some great shots despite the fact that nearly the entire place was torn up and fenced off due to construction!

A dramatic grand entrance as they made their way into the hall at the Mississauga Convention Centre!

I hope you guys had a great day!

Cheers,

Michael

Christmas Special & Fine Art Gallery!

noreply@blogger.com (Michael Moore) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 22:43:00 +0000

Well, it's almost that time again and I'd like to kick off the holiday season early with a special gift to all of my valued customers from the last couple of years.

I’ve reactivated all of your proofing galleries until December 31st, 2009 and if you enter the code “christmasbonus” when checking out, you’ll receive 35% off your entire print order.

The 35% discount will be available for all print orders placed before December 31st, 2009 but if you'd like your prints delivered before Christmas, please be sure to place your order by November 16th. This promotion is available to my past clients as well as their friends and family.

If you need your access information again, just let me know and I'll email it to you.

I’m also excited to announce the debut of my personal Fine Art Gallery which you’ll find at www.michaelmoore.ca/photocart/ It’s a collection of some of my favourite photos taken around the world from Europe, New Zealand and across North America. All Fine Art prints are professionally printed on archival paper and mounted to gatorboard for added durability and to prevent warping over time. They're a great way to liven up your home with some vibrant colour and also make great gifts. The Christmas Special also applies to these Fine Art Prints until December 31st!

Stay tuned for more info on my new Canvas Gallery Wraps which are now available for wedding/portrait prints as well as the new Fine Art prints!

Michael

Jennifer & John - Wedding

noreply@blogger.com (Michael Moore) — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 21:59:00 +0000

It's no wonder why Jennifer & John chose Graydon Hall Manor for the entirety of their wedding festivities - what a beautiful place!

We met up with the guys in the morning and got this cool shot of John as they cracked open their first bottle:

Jennifer had an elegant bridal suite to get ready in:

I loved the birdcage veil - very chic.

I find takes a lot of the tension out of the day when the couple meets before the ceremony (it also gives us extra some for some great shots):

A nice moment between Jennifer and her bridesmaids in between poses:

Sometimes the best shots are taken in the most unlikely of places:

What a dramatic "walk down the aisle" as Jennifer and her Dad made their way from the mansion and across the gardens:

The decor was expertly coordinated and the cake even matched the table settings an invitations:

The library offered the perfect setting for this shot of John with his groomsmen and "Best Woman":

Later in the evening we popped outside and got some awesome GQ-worthy shots of the guys (and girl) with their cigars:

There were so many great spots at Graydon Hall that I just had to end the evening with a few more portraits of the happy couple:

Thanks for making us a part of your day and I can't wait for you to see the rest of the photos!

Cheers,

Michael

Kristy & Jeff - Wedding

noreply@blogger.com (Michael Moore) — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 19:13:00 +0000

Despite a couple of "hiccups" early in the day, everything came together in the end and we had a great time at Kristy & Jeff's wedding.

I was pleasantly surprised by the unique touch of colour incorporated into Kristy's dress:

I liked this candid moment between Kristy and her Dad:

Even though we had a couple of major delays, I'm glad we had scheduled enough time to still get some great shots of the happy couple:

Here's another nice moment between Kristy and her Dad. Special circumstances before the wedding very likely made for an extra emotional Bride and Father dance:

I wish you both all the best in your new life together!

Cheers,

Michael

Stephanie & Kris - Wedding

noreply@blogger.com (Michael Moore) — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 23:44:00 +0000

Stephanie & Kris put together a beautiful intimate wedding in my home town of Lindsay, ON and we all had a great time.

Here's a nice candid moment of the girls helping Stephanie with the dress:

With the right light, sometimes all you need is a nice curtain or plain wall to make a beautiful portrait (a gorgeous subject helps too though):

I love trying to capture the expressions of the bride and groom during the receiving line:

This is the beautiful rural background where the ceremony took place:

The Bride and Groom with their new puppy who seemed to like Stephanie's bouquet:

Really dramatic skies that day - I was loving it!

After the nice backyard ceremony, we make our way to the Lindsay Golf & Country Club for the reception:

Thanks for allowing us to be a part of your special day!

Cheers,

Michael

Rona & Johnder - Wedding

noreply@blogger.com (Michael Moore) — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 12:58:00 +0000

In a rare turn of events this summer, we actually had a hot sunny day for Rona & Johnder's wedding! We got some great photos of Rona and the girls looking gorgeous in the morning:

Then it was off to the church to grab some shots of the guys before the ceremony (had about 5 minutes but we still got some money shots):

Here's a great candid shot of the happy couple as we made our way out for some formal photos at the Old Mill Toronto:

I've done a couple of weddings at this location before, but each time I discover a new place to shoot. This hall is now my favourite spot!:

They had a very photogenic wedding party and we had some time left before the reception so we grabbed a few more relaxed shots of the party before the "party":

The room looked fantastic and that cake was amazing!

Right after the cake cutting:

I hope you all had a wonderful day. I really enjoyed working with you!

Cheers,

Michael

Michelle & Mike - Engagement

noreply@blogger.com (Michael Moore) — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 23:07:00 +0000

I recently had the pleasure of photographing Michelle & Mike's engagement session in my new home town of Milton. We had some great fun exploring our new town together and found some great spots along the way:

I'm looking forward to the wedding in October and it was a pleasure getting to know you both better!

Cheers,

Michael

Kim & Mike - Maternity Session

noreply@blogger.com (Michael Moore) — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 00:08:00 +0000

Kim & Mike are going through some major life milestones - they recently moved into their new house and are expecting their first child any day now. What a great way to commemorate these moments by arranging a maternity session in their new place!

Even the dogs wanted to be a part of the occassion:

This was taken in between poses and I love the way it turned out:

Looking forward to seeing you both again once the little one arrives!

Cheers,

Michael

Ainsley & Adam - Wedding

noreply@blogger.com (Michael Moore) — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 01:00:00 +0000

Wow, Ainsley & Adam totally rocked their wedding photos last weekend! It was so tough to narrow the selection down!

We got to the house a bit early so we spent some extra time getting more creative shots of Ainsley's jewelry:

I love this moment. Ainsley had a great bunch of girls to help her relax and prepare for the big day ahead:

We had a beautiful home (mansion) to work with in the morning and there was definitely no shortage of amazing photo opportunities there!

I love mixing cool daylight with the warm tungsten fixtures and video light:

Now for some off-camera flash:

Getting ready to go...

...but not before pausing for a great group photo-op:

To my great surprise, the guys were just as eager and photogenic as the girls - what an easy bunch to photograph!

It's great when we have enough time go get some photos of the groom before the ceremony:

I love it when the officiant adds something extra to the photo and she really sums up the feeling in the room here:

There was a torrential downpour during the tented ceremony and photos so we kept dry inside the Emerald Hills Golf Club clubhouse:

This one reminds me of scene from and old old film-noir movie:

Luckily the rain let up later on in the evening so we could pop outside for a few more photos:

Sunsets after rain storms are often spectacular:

The Bride and Groom started out with their standard first dance...

...but that was cut short for a little "rockin' the reception" action as the whole wedding party broke into a choreographed dance routine!

It was so great working with you guys and your awesome wedding party. Hope you had a great day!

Cheers,

Michael

Anita & Richard - Wedding

noreply@blogger.com (Michael Moore) — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 00:37:00 +0000

Anita & Richard chose to celebrate their wedding on Toronto Island, and what a great wedding it was! We started out at the Westin Harbour Castle for some photos with the girls:

Then we hopped on a private ferry with some of the guests over to the Islands and St. Andrews by the Lake Church to meet up with the guys:

After the ceremony, we caught another ferry over to the Royal Canadian Yacht Club for the photos and reception:

Just as the dessert was being served, I noticed an amazing sunset over the Toronto skyline and luckily Anita & Richard were game for a few more photos:

This was the view we saw as we made our way to the home-bound ferry:

It was a pleasure working with you both on our fun trip out to the Islands. I hope you had a great day!

Cheers,

Michael

We've moved!

noreply@blogger.com (Michael Moore) — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 17:00:00 +0000

This news is a bit overdue, but for those of you don't already know, we've recently moved from the Peterborough area to Milton, ON. Luckily we still have an alternate base of operations near Peterborough so we're still able to offer the same service to our Peterborough and Kawartha wedding clients and we're now much closer and more accessible to our GTA clients.

I'm excited about setting up our new showroom and meeting area and look forward to having existing and prospective clients over to check out our awesome new presentation once everything is ready!

Michael

Angela & David - Wedding

noreply@blogger.com (Michael Moore) — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 00:53:00 +0000

They were calling for severe thunderstorms for most of the day, but as luck would have it, we didn't get a drop of rain all day! It turned out to be a beautiful sunny afternoon for the outdoor ceremony and photos.

After an anxious yet fun-filled morning with the girls, it was off to catch the guys at the Caledon Country Club before the beautiful sunlit ceremony:

After getting a few shots around the clubhouse, we took a fun little ride through the course on a couple of golf carts to the main entrance that had this cool tree-covered path:

Just down the road from the country club was this awesome spot on the Bruce Trail called the Cheltenham Badlands. I'm glad we had the time to pop over there - we got some really cool shots out of it!

There was a nice view of the course from the dining area as the sun set:

I'm so glad that the weather worked out for you two as I know you had your heart set on the outdoor ceremony and photos. I hope everything turned out just as you had dreamed.

Cheers,

Michael

Band Shoot - Tamarack

noreply@blogger.com (Michael Moore) — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 14:45:00 +0000

Last week I had the opportunity to photograph a local rock band by the name of Tamarack and we had a blast!

We started out with some "live" shots in the Cherry Beach Studio jam room before heading outside for some individual and full band portraits:

This is our real estate agent, Eric Axiak (best agent ever...helped us find our new place in Milton!)

The guys also play weddings so they also wanted something a bit more formal for that market...hint, if anyone is looking for a band for your upcoming wedding... ;)

It was great to finally meet the rest of you guys. Looking forward to getting some live shots down the road!

Cheers,

Michael

Katie & Josh - Wedding

noreply@blogger.com (Michael Moore) — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 17:24:00 +0000

After a fantastic engagement shoot last fall, we caught up again with Katie & Josh at The Briars for their wedding festivities. The weather certainly didn't cooperate as it rained non-stop throughout the day but Katie & Josh didn't let that dampen their spirits and had a great time with the photo session and celebrating with family and friends.

Getting ready at one of the cottages:

Then we popped over to the main house for some shots with the guys before the ceremony:

The halls at the resort were filled with mingling guests so we headed down to the games room and got this cool shot of Josh:

After the ceremony, we took some time to explore the various rooms and halls of the resort for our photo session with the bride and groom:

We got so many great shots in this staircase going up to the top of the tower:

Right before the reception, the rain let up to a light drizzle so we managed to get a few photos out on the grounds as well:

Thanks for being so cool and easy to work with. I'm glad you both had a great time regardless of the weather.

Cheers,

Michael

Rona & Johnder - Engagement

noreply@blogger.com (Michael Moore) — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 22:16:00 +0000

It was a beautiful day for photography as we set out to the quaint little town of Unionville for Rona & Johnder's engagement session:

That hat made for a very versatile prop!

They had been working hard so I figured it was time for an ice cream break...and we got some great candids out of it too:

This one also looks great in sepia but I couldn't decide which version I liked better:

There was some gorgeous natural light streaming in from the setting sun and it just made Rona glow beautifully!

It was great to finally meet you guys and explore Unionville with you...what a fun evening!

Cheers,

Michael

Melissa & Darragh - Baby Session

noreply@blogger.com (Michael Moore) — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 21:34:00 +0000

...And without further ado, I'd like to introduce...London! Here are some photos we captured at Melissa & Darragh's photo session with their new bundle of joy:

Proud Daddy and his baby girl:

I love the range of unpredictable expressions that babies provide for the camera:

It took a little while, but she eventually warmed to the idea of having her photo taken!

Being a model is hard work...someone was starting to get sleepy:

Now you know the significance of this photo in the background from the previous session:

I love the tenderness in this photo:

What a cutie!

It's been an honour to be there to capture all of these wonderful moments in Melissa & Darragh's lives! From wedding to maternity to their newborn baby, they're going to have a great collection of images to look back on for many years to come...and I hope London will enjoy looking through them when she grows up too!

Congratulations again on your beautiful baby girl!

Michael

Melissa & Darragh - Maternity Session

noreply@blogger.com (Michael Moore) — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 01:44:00 +0000

I shot Melissa & Darragh's wedding almost two years ago to the day and I was honoured to be asked recently to photograph the next big step in their lives!

This was my first maternity session and I was very grateful that Melissa & Darragh let me go wild and try some different stuff:

After getting a bunch of "lifestyle" photos around the house, we switched over to a little home studio I set up in their living room which is something I've never done before. It's amazing what you can do with a single hotshoe flash, a couple of blankets and a white ceiling...and a beautiful pregnant model of course!

A little homage to one of my favourite movies of all time (American Beauty):

Now for some more traditional "studio" portraits:

This one makes me chuckle every time...so cute!

This was kind of an inside joke and an homage to a similar shot I took of Darragh at their wedding (see next image):

Or I guess it would make more sense in B&W:

It was so great catching up with you both again and I can't wait for part two when the little bundle of joy arrives!

Cheers,

Michael

Three Photographers at the Brickworks

noreply@blogger.com (Michael Moore) — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 03:52:00 +0000

Back in August, a couple of photographer friends of mine - Dave Biesse and Charlotte Leonard - thought it would be fun to get together and try some funky stuff at the Brickworks in Toronto. I've always wanted to shoot there so I was psyched and I certainly wasn't disappointed with the location - so many awesome opportunities for unique photos!

It was so hard to figure out where to start as the possibilities were endless. Take this shot for example...it was captured using just the available light as the sun streamed through a window and bounced off the warm bricks to the left:

Then we switched to off-camera flash for a more dramatic effect:

Having beautiful subjects who already know how to pose makes my job much easier, of course. ;)

I hope we didn't cause any permanent lung damage after kicking up all that dust for these photos, but the results were worth the risk!

I finally gave up the camera and took my turn at the other end of the lens:

Some more awesome ambient light:

This passage was amazing. You have blue light filtering down from the sky on the right and orange light on the left bouncing over from a small group of sunlit bricks high and to the right. It just comes down to knowing where to place the subjects and how to pose them in order to take advantage of the incredible light (plus some Photoshop enhancements, of course).

My turn again...great shots Dave & Charlotte!

I love the juxtaposition of a beautiful woman in a grungy, dirty environment...the contrast just seems to emphasize the natural beauty that's already there:

All natural light again (albeit with some heavy contrast enhancements in post-production). Loving the drama here!

I knew we had to get some shots with this cool old machinery when I first saw it and they turned out even better than I had imagined:

Now we get really funky! We found this long pitch-black tunnel and it was the perfect spot for some "painting with light!" This was taken with a 13 second exposure while Dave and Charlotte sat really still. During the exposure, I'd walk around with my little video light and "paint" the light in the areas I wanted. This was the result:

The cool thing about this technique is that you never really know what you're going to get and each shot is completely unique. So much fun!

Same deal, but with Dave wielding the light:

This one was "painted with light" as well, and I also incorporated a flash behind the flowers to backlight them:

I love how you can simulate the look of multiple lights with a single mobile constant light source. Good idea with the cross-light look, Dave!

Thanks Dave and Charlotte for the awesome photos and a great afternoon of shooting! I hope we can do it again some time.

Cheers,

Michael

Patrizia & Sheldon - Trash the Dress

noreply@blogger.com (Michael Moore) — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 01:11:00 +0000

After a few days of relaxation and fun in the sun, we awoke at the break of dawn for an wild and fun "Trash the Dress" session. Well, I think it came out cleaner than when we started, so it was in fact more of a "Wash the Dress" session...

I wanted to get some sunrise photos before we braved getting into the water. The light was amazing!

It was getting warmer so now there was no excuse...time to get wet!

We took a lot of cool shots playing around in the water and I couldn't decide which of these two I liked best:

We couldn't let Patri have all the fun...time to get Sheldon into the water:

I hope you two had as much fun as I did! What a blast!
Hope you had a safe flight home and I can't wait for you to see the results!

Michael

Patrizia & Sheldon - Wedding (Mexico)

noreply@blogger.com (Michael Moore) — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 21:15:00 +0000

Last week I had the great pleasure of being part of Patri and Sheldon's wedding celebration at the Grand Sirenis Resort on the Riviera Maya in Mexico. We had a group of about 50 family and friends show up from across Ontario, Saskatchewan, the US and Italy. We all had an amazing time!

Here are a few of my favourites from the time we spent at the lavish resort spa in the morning:

After the girls got pampered at the spa, we were whisked away (and blazing speeds) across the resort and back to the room by a crazy singing shuttle driver! Time for the dress, some flowers and a few photos before we made our way to the ceremony on the beach.

A nice beach-themed detail, kept safe by the brother of the bride.

Patri being walked down the aisle by her two brothers:

The two dress-holding flower girls were so adorable earlier as they methodically planned out their strategy for holding the train back at the room:

We had perfect weather - a nice breeze off the ocean and the clouds were kind enough to give us a break from the sun, just in time for the ceremony:

When a peck on the cheek just won't do:

As much as I love taking dramatic, posed portraits, sometimes the candid moments can make the best photos:

The whole gang...ready to party!

The wedding party:

The schedule was about the same as a non-destination wedding with the usual events and time restraints, but somehow everything seemed much more relaxed. I guess walking barefoot on the beach does that!

After a few shots on the beach, we took a tour of the resort grounds, including the botanical garden:

I love this kind of relaxed, candid portrait. For some reason, we always get better expressions when the couple is interacting with each other, rather than staring into the camera. ;)

Definitely one of my favourites:

A low camera angle, polarizer, off-camera lighting and setting sun combined to make for an interesting image:

Even though we weren't supposed to use this staircase, I knew we had to get a shot up there when I saw it the day we arrived. I'm glad we risked it. ;)

It's amazing what one little off-camera flash can do to make a scene more dramatic:

The resort had these cool four-poster beds set up around the pool. Talk about relaxing in style!

We took a few more shots of the bride while waiting for the guests to arrive at the reception:

The happy couple were musically announced by a traditional Mariachi band:

They had these awesome jazz musician portraits all around the room. I knew I had to include them in some shots:

...and sometimes all you need is a plain red wall for the perfect shot to end the perfect day.

Thanks to Patri and Sheldon for allowing me to share their special day in sunny Mexico. It was an experience I won't soon forget!

Stay tuned for the "Trash the Dress"...or more like "Wash the Dress" session coming soon!

Cheers and "tequila boom-boom!"

Michael

Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays!

noreply@blogger.com (Michael Moore) — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 13:22:00 +0000

Hi everyone,

I just wanted to wish you all a very Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah and a wonderful holiday.

I hope your holiday season is filled with joy and laughter with family and friends and a special wish goes out to all of my clients who will be spending their first Christmas together as a married couple!

I've also been keeping track of our enlargement print sales, and as promised, I've just sent our donation to Oxfam for the year (click here for more details). The total (including my usual monthly contributions) has come to $384. With your help, we're working to help end poverty and injustice across the globe and here's to hoping we can do even better next year!

Peace, love and best wishes to you and yours,

Michael