Dallas Curow Blog

It's time for the second annual edition of COZY GLAM BOUDOIR!

On Saturday December 6th, I'll be offering a small number of spots for some stylized boudoir portraits in Toronto. Booking is now open!

Last December, I offered my first all-day boudoir special and had an absolutely fantastic time with everyone involved. I'm bringing back this special event just in time for the holidays. COZY GLAM is boudoir with a soft and cinematic sensibility. It's the glamour of special occasion lingerie wrapped in the comfort of a cashmere sweater. It's about creating gorgeous images that celebrate you at your loveliest, just for you or for someone special, for today and for posterity. So grab your favourite cuddly cardigan and snuggly knee-high socks, and definitely bring along something lacy as well!

Here's what you can expect from your COZY GLAM portrait session:

- One-hour relaxing and confidence-boosting portrait session

- Full makeup application in a style of your choice

- Styling assistance, and lots of props and accessories to borrow

- 12 beautifully retouched portraits

- Delicious refreshments

Cost: $300 + HST.

A 50% deposit is required to secure your spot. I now accept credit cards!

Contact me here or send me an email at dallascurowphoto[at]gmail.com for more information or better yet, to book your session! We'll have so much fun.

Your portraits would make a perfect gift for your loved one, and they'll be ready in time for Christmas.

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Model in first image: Stephanie Stewart/The Rock Agency. Special thanks to the other models as well, beloved past boudoir clients :)

Earlier this fall, I travelled to Burlington to take some family portraits of my dear friends Rozlyn and Kris and their dogs, Sadie and Evy, near their home. This wonderful family has some exciting things on the horizon, so it was a pleasure to document their life together at this lovely time in their lives. Roz and Kris, thank you for inviting me to photograph so many of your life milestones. It's always a privilege to capture your stories on camera.

As he recounted in his speech on their wedding day, Bhavesh clearly remembers exactly when he realized he was falling hard for Aarti. While out in Toronto one day in the early stages of their relationship, they witnessed a confrontation between strangers. As soon as she realized what was happening, Aarti sprang into action. She flagged down a police officer, gathered witnesses, and made sure the victim was safe. All of this, she did without hesitation, and Bhavesh felt incredibly lucky to have met such a brave and decisive woman. In that moment, he knew he wanted to keep this courageous and compassionate person in his life.

Aarti and Bhavesh share a love that is warm, strong, and full of humour. They deeply inspire each other and consistently push one another to pursue their greatest dreams. In fact, Aarti defended her PhD dissertation only a month after their wedding, so when she wasn't wedding planning, she was writing and prepping like crazy, and Bhavesh encouraged her every step of the way. These lovebirds recently reunited after a year of living long-distance, just in time for their wedding festivities to begin. And oh, what a series of celebrations it was!

I am deeply grateful to my longtime friend and her lovely new husband for the incredible amount of faith they showed in asking me to document their day. Although I've attended many Indian weddings, they knew this was the first one I've captured as a photographer. When I asked Aarti about different traditions and certain moments, she outlined a few key things and then said that she trusted me completely. I can't overstate how much it means to a photographer to know that you have a person's complete trust. Aarti and Bhavesh, you put your faith in me and Brian and we are so appreciative. It was an absolute thrill on every level to photograph your wedding day in all its vibrant glory. Wishing you so much happiness and love, and congratulations again, doctor!

Okay guys, get ready for an explosion of colour, love and joy. I will warn you I've gone overboard with how many photos are included, but there are so many amazing traditions that I wanted to include them all. I'm sure you'll be as obsessed with the beauty of their wedding as I was.

The day really kicked off with the baraat, in which drums and singing heralded the groom's arrival, by bicycle!

Then the milni, which is the meeting of both the bride and groom's families

While the milni took place, Aarti secretly watched from above, though I was spotted by a few guests!

Then it was time for the ceremony, which was spectacular

Then it was time for the doli, where the bride leaves her family to join the family of her husband. It is traditionally a bittersweet ceremony, given the bride's mixed emotions of excitement about her marriage and her sadness over leaving her family home. Though she certainly did her best to remain solemn out of respect for tradition, there was the occasional smile.

We headed to Spencer Smith Park for some portraits.

The sweet owners of Kelly's Bake Shoppe kindly let us step in for a few photos. Aarti is a huge fan of cupcakes, so it was pretty great.

Then Aarti and her gorgeous sisters headed to the studio of South Asian makeup and hair guru Shirley Wu to prepare for the reception.

Once they were ready for the party, Aarti and Bhavesh and I headed to Brampton for some more portraits. Two amazing looks and two portrait sessions? It was a photographer's dream!

Thanks for indulging me with this next photo, A + B! I couldn't resist.

The day culminated in a reception with incredible food, heartfelt speeches, a really, really awesome dance floor and an epic dessert spread that included a milk and cookie bar!

Oh, and I almost forgot to tell you about one other awesome thing they did! Aarti and Bhavesh love Nuit Blanche, and were sad to miss Toronto's version for, you know, their wedding day. They decided to bring a little of the spirit of Nuit Blanche to their reception, and included this beautiful poem in their dessert buffet area. So cool!

Credits:

Ceremony Venue: Burlington Performing Arts Centre // Reception Venue: Embassy Grand // Photography: Dallas Curow Photography, with Brian Fauteux // Makeup & Hair: Beauty Concept by Shirley Wu // additional credits coming soon!

This post is the next edition of my The Feeling of Fragrance series, where I show you the final image that was chosen for my collection, then share some of the other options and talk about the stories behind the images. Today we're looking at my "Spring Blossoms" portrait featuring my wonderful model, Shannon. Here is the image that was included in the collection:

This image was shot earlier this past spring in Owen Sound, Ontario. Both my birthday and wedding anniversary are in May, and I've always loved the pastel tones of blossoming trees at this time of year. I wanted to create a portrait that captured the dreamy and fresh feeling of waking up after a long winter and the promise of warmer days to come. This was one of the first shoots I did for the project and the one that really got my momentum going.

When it came to choosing a model for this portrait, I immediately thought of Shannon. We'd worked together before for these portraits and I knew she would have the perfect look and personality for this project. I thought her freckles and blue eyes would look so pretty alongside the pink shades of the flowers, and they sure did. I kept her makeup very natural and dewy by using a very sheer foundation and a bit of highlighter and some cream blush. I gave her bold brows but made sure they matched her auburn hair. For her lips, I pressed on a pink lipstick then blotted most of it away to leave just a stain of colour. On her eyes I blended together a handful of shimmery brown and nude shades to create depth without hard definition. I finished the look with a hit of crisp liquid liner on her top lashline and a few coats of mascara. We left her hair in relaxed waves and pinned part of it away from her face.

The light blue dress is vintage Michael Kors, which I picked up at a charity shop for a cool $15. I was so pleased to find it as the subtle but graphic flower embroidery in pastel blue was exactly what I had in mind. I also loved how its colour matched the sky perfectly that day. The white dress you'll see further below belongs to Shannon, and she kindly brought it along for the shoot.

My brother, Jeremy, and I did the location scouting the morning of the shoot. We drove all around town looking for trees in bloom and we found a few different spots that we thought would work well. The pink tree you see above was on an industrial street between a partially demolished building and what I think was a livestock feed supplier. Lovely locations can be anywhere; you just have to know how to isolate the details from their surroundings!

The tree below was on a main thoroughfare beside a coffee bean shop. Shannon quickly became a pro at ignoring the stares of many curious drivers.

The final location, and home to these pretty pale pink blossoms, was in the quiet residential neighbourhood where my parents live.

Shannon, thank you for being such a patient and sweet model, as always. It was great to spend time with you. I look forward to sharing a glass of champagne with you when we see the exhibit up in Owen Sound together over the holidays!

Its time for the next edition of my The Feeling of Fragrance series, where I show you the final image that was included in my collection, then share some of the other options and talk about the stories behind the images. Today I'd like to talk about the "Forest" portrait. Here is the image that I selected:

This portrait was a special one, because it features the very person who inspired the entire project. Courtney is a fellow photographer, and the woman behind Full Spectrum Gallery. I've worked with her before, for this shoot. Last year, she invited me to show my work in the space. I knew I was really into the idea of creating all new work for the show, rather than just showing a bunch of stuff I'd already done. I wanted the collection to have a theme, and I wanted it to be, you know, really fun to conceptualize and shoot. Courtney, thank you for being the driving force behind this photographic adventure!

Two behind the scenes snaps from Instagram

This photo was taken during the summer of 2014 in Owen Sound, Ontario. The town has many waterfalls, and this one is my favourite because it's small and accessible. Yes, the walk to approach it can be a bit muddy, but it's much less hazardous than some of the other waterfalls. On the day of our shoot, nature threw us a bit of a curveball in the sense that it wasn't calling for much rain, but it definitely poured. I had just spent nearly an hour arranging Courtney's hair into the most perfect curls when we arrived at the site and were ambushed by a sudden downpour. We stood beside the creek and shielded ourselves below the trees (and under shirts and jackets - see below) and watched the prettiest thing begin to happen. As soon as the rain dissipated, a mist began rising from the water. Soon the whole forest was filled with a pretty magical looking mist. We decided to start shooting immediately to take advantage of this natural effect.

Part of the reason I wanted to include a forest portrait in my collection is because of my many memories traipsing through the woods around my cottage near Owen Sound. My family has had the cottage since the year I was born, and much of my life has been spent up there, going on adventures with family and friends. I love that earthy, mossy, misty scent of the forest. I love dipping my toes in fresh water until they freeze, and breathing in the fresh air while feeling all my worries float away. In order to illustrate this feeling for the portrait, Courtney was brave enough to wade barefoot into the river and let the rush of the waterfalls chill her skin. We were cold, but we had so much fun.

For her makeup, I wanted the look to be as natural as possible. I focused on contouring and highlighting her skin, and did a sculpted bronze eye with no mascara or liner. I've always thought blue eyes look amazing with just eyeshadow, so that's what I wanted to go with. I finished the look with a nude balm on her lips with just enough sheen to reflect the light but not so much that it looked glossy. For her outfit, I wanted something that would blend seamlessly with the woods in forest green. If you can believe it, the dress she is wearing was my grade eight graduation dress, which was still kicking around at my parents' house. Thank you, mom, for holding on to it!

Here are a few of the other images from the "Forest" shoot.

After we wrapped our shoot, I did a few casual photos of Courtney in her own clothes for fun. Courtney, thank you so much for your instrumental role in this project, and for lending me your time as a model as well!

A month has flown by since my last personal update and I can barely believe it. Since last time, I've wrapped up my 2014 wedding season. The final big day was the nuptials of Jackie & Geoff, and I'm excited to share the images and story of their wedding with you guys this week. Since then, I've been doing lots of family portraits and yesterday I spent time with a beautiful expecting mama during a maternity session. I'm also getting really excited as my 2015 season begins to take shape!

In my spare time, I've been baking cookies, attending workshops, sipping tea to stay warm in my chilly apartment, reading magazines from SOOP SOOP, snacking on British fare and cider at this cozy pub, joining a new gym, celebrating friends' birthdays, going on my first holiday home tour, enjoying weekday brunches with friends, searching for a choir or singing group to join, collecting a few more treasures for our place, and trying to finish my Goodreads reading challenge before the year's end.

Apart from snapping photos on my camera for instagram, I hardly took any personal photos this month. I did, however, bring along my camera to the 89th birthday of my grandma. I rounded up her dogs for a birthday portrait in the middle of the celebrations.

The evening ended with my grandma karate chopping her cake (evidence below) after we told her it was a Swedish tradition. It was a beautiful day and I was so grateful to get to celebrate with the sassy and formidable matriarch of our family.

Wishing you a wonderful week!

For their wedding day, Jackie and Geoff envisioned an Old Hollywood theme and, oh, did it come together beautifully. They chose a former movie theatre for their venue, then cleverly incorporated elements like movie ticket invitations, a custom poster, golden chandeliers and a twinkling marquee. There was a beautifully cut tuxedo for the groom and ruby slippers for the bride, and the entire day was painted with touches of black, white and red. Guests were encouraged to dress in the spirit of the theme, so family and friends arrived sporting feathers and sequins, white dinner jackets and bowties.

In addition to the aesthetic details, their theme definitely extended into the atmosphere of the festivities. It could have been the thoughtfully crafted timeline that left lots of space for relaxation, or it might be attributed to the softly candlelit dinner, but time seemed to move slowly on their wedding day. The classic theme created a sensation of timeless fun, like a favourite film that fills you with joy every time you watch it.

I couldn't have dreamed up a more perfect wedding to conclude my 2014 season. I've known Jackie her entire life, as our families are tightly interconnected. I'm so thrilled that she found a person as sweet and funny as Geoff. I'm looking forward to watching their love grow as we all create more memories together throughout the years. Jackie and Geoff, congratulations! Thank you so much for inviting us to document and share in your day. It was beautiful in every way. I'm so happy for you guys! Enjoy the holiday season and get ready for your amazing honeymoon. So much love to you both.

Ellie, Jackie's niece, was an adorable presence and a beam of sunshine throughout the entire day.

Meanwhile. Geoff and his guys got ready at a nearby hotel.

We headed to Graydon Hall Manor, which Jackie had reserved for a few hours for portraits. It was a dream location with so many different spaces within one estate. She was so smart to reserve a set portrait location for their November wedding. Winter brides, take note! The weather could have been really intensely wintery, and we still would have been warm and cozy and worry-free for photos. As luck would have it, however, it was clear and mild on their wedding day, so we were able to use both the indoors and grounds of the manor.

J & G had their first look in the cloud room, with their close family watching from the balcony above, which was so sweet.

The main event began in the evening at The Eglinton Grand.

Jackie printed a mock movie poster for outside the venue using one of the images from their engagement session. So awesome!

Credits:

Ceremony and Reception venue: The Eglinton Grand // Portrait location: Graydon Hall Manor // Officiant: Enduring Promises — Jim Emerson // Photography: Dallas Curow Photography, with Brian Fauteux // Ceremony musician: Don Niblett (father of the groom) // Catering: Dynamic Hospitality // Florist: Eunice Denby // Décor: the Bride and her family // Baker: Nicole Niblett // Favours: Bridlewood Soaps // Invitations: Paper Cake Designs // Bride's dress: Da Vinci // Bride's shoes: Princess Pumps // Fascinator: Brenda's Bridal Veils // Bride's coat: Christian Dior, purchased at Holt Renfrew (Groom's family heirloom) // Bridesmaids' necklaces: Pearls by Linda // Earrings for Bride and Bridesmaids: Bitter Sweet // Bride's bracelet: family heirloom // Bridesmaids' dresses: David's Bridal // Groom and Groomsmens' attire: Moores // DJ: Legends Entertainment // Hair: Salon Elle // Makeup: Mary Kleinpaste //

It's time for the next edition of my The Feeling of Fragrance series, where I show you the final image that was included in my collection, then share some of the other options and talk about the stories behind the images. Today I'd like to talk about the "Mint" portrait. Here is the image that is featured in the show:

Of all the scents featured in the collection, "Mint" is one of my favourites, as it has perhaps the greatest number of memories associated with it. Up around my cottage, wild mint grows alongside creeks and rivers and natural springs like this:

Throughout my life, I've had so much fun going on hikes and adventures with my family and friends in the area surrounding my cottage. One of our favourite things to do, especially as kids, was to pull on our rubber boots and walk through the creeks. In remembering these moments, I always think of the heady scent of mint. When it came time to choose a location for this portrait, I knew from the outset that I wanted to shoot in the back creek of my relatives' property, which is just down the road from my family's cottage. Working through my initial sketches last fall, I knew I wanted to have the models in the creek itself. I know my drawings are creepy—they make sense in my head and then look super weird on paper!

In terms of models, I also always knew I wanted to ask my cousins Elise and Deanna. They've kindly modelled for me countless times throughout their entire lives, and are both incredibly photogenic. Fun fact: they were also the flower girl (Deanna) and ring bearer (Elise) at my wedding. I kept their outfits as simple as possible. Elise borrowed a dress of mine while Deanna wore her own. They both grabbed their own boots from the mudroom of their cottage. I went with their existing hair and makeup to keep things as natural as possible, but added a generous amount of a coral cream blush (Le Blush Crème de Chanel in "Intonation") to their cheeks for extra brightness.

The weather forecast had been calling for rain, which I was actually happy about, as a rainy or even just overcast day would have been perfect for the lighting and colour tones I had in mind. I wanted soft pastel tones and a cloudy afternoon would have been so ideal. It actually ended up being an incredibly bright and hot day, so I had to alter my vision quite a bit!

Instead of soft and pretty and serene, I went with bright and fun and adventurous, which was so much more appropriate than what I'd had in mind. After all, that was the original spirit of the memory of mint: youthful adventure in the fresh air. To be honest with you, I feel that this shoot in its entirety does more justice to the memory than one photo, even the one I chose in the end. I love all the images here, because they are taken precisely where some of my favourite memories were born, and they feature the people with whom the memories were made.

Elise and Deanna, thank you so much for always supporting me and for lending me your time for my crazy pursuits. Love you both so much!

After we wrapped our shoot, we headed to the shade to cool off and take a few simple portraits. I guess I got my pastel tones after all!

Good morning! I'm taking the day off today to take some much-needed time away from my computer. But before I go, I just wanted to share a little video I've been working on. I realized at some point this month that I had a year and half's worth of video clips that were just sitting around. so I wanted to give them a home. These are some great memories from July, 2013 up until last month. The footage was shot in Madison, New Glarus and Spring Green (WI), Chicago, Toronto, New York, Vancouver and Owen Sound.

Thank you to all my family and friends who are featured in the clips. I'm looking forward to working a lot more with video in 2015.

It's time for the next edition of my The Feeling of Fragrance series, where I show you the final image that was included in my collection, then share some of the other options and talk about the stories behind the images. Today I'd like to talk about the "Fresh Linen" portrait. Here is the image from the show:

This portrait was inspired by the heavenly sensation of clean sheets, and the clean scent you inhale when fresh laundry comes out of the dryer all fluffy and warm. To me, the fragrance of fresh linen is one of comfort, safety, and childhood. For this reason, it was important to me to have a mother and daughter as the subject of the portrait. I asked one of my longtime friends, Lindsay, if she and her daughter, G, would be interested in posing for the project. At the time of the shoot, Linds was just a few weeks shy of the birth of her second daughter as well, so she was radiantly pregnant.

These portraits were created in June, 2014, and was shot at the home of Lindsay and her family. We were assisted by my friend and 2013 bride, Karly Boileau, whose help was instrumental to the success of the shoot. It was a very dark, rainy day in the spring, so it was really important to use reflectors and sheets to bounce the sparse natural light wherever possible. Karly, thank you for all your help!

The essence of this shoot is natural beauty and being at ease in the comfort of one's own home. I kept the makeup very natural, really just applying blush and highlighter to Lindsay's perennially awesome complexion. L & G wore their own clothes in the pastel shades I'd suggested, and Linds did her own hair as well. G's favourite stuffed animal made a cameo throughout the photos. Lindsay and G, thank you so much for letting me come into your home and photograph you together. Your whole family is beautiful inside and out, and it was a wonderful thing to photograph you together.

As of a few hours ago, I delivered my final images to clients and models, which means I'm just about ready to go on vacation for the holidays! I thought it would be fun to begin to wrap up 2014 by sharing some of my favourite moments from this past wedding season. These photos were taken during in-between moments by me and my second shooters and assistants. Looking back through them made me feel overwhelmed with gratitude and happiness in the best possible way for everything that transpired this year. To everyone in the images, thank you.

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My season began in the spring with the wedding of Alison and Jason in Kingston, ON. Their day was an intimate family affair complete with a private tea party for the couple and their little ones. I love the middle image where Alison and I are having some kind of heart-to-heart.

Later that month, I crashed the Toronto City Hall wedding of my sweet friends Courtney and Kemp. They were married on the new moon in June, and later celebrated with a wider circle of family and friends in September before moving to the US for a spell.

In July, Brian and I flew out west to document and attend the wedding of our friends Jenn and Ian. They were married at a gorgeous resort in Golden, BC, and exchanged their vows while overlooking a mountain valley. In the three images below, Brian is acting as a stand-in as I tested out various portrait locations the day before the wedding.

A quick snap of me doing Jenn's hair on the morning of her big day.

Photographing details at their reception.

Photographing groups. In the image on the right, I suggested the bride and room and wedding party close their eyes to escape the sun while I adjusted my settings.

Later in July, we photographed the stunning wedding of Lesley & Graeme at Cambium Farms.

The bride made the lovely place settings you can see in the photo below. Mine now sits on my vanity holding bobby pints. Thanks, Lesley!

More lighting tests and climbing into lofts at their reception:

In August, I was lucky to have not one but three assistants for Lisha and Baden's wedding at Cobble Beach, as several members of my family were present as guests. My dad helped me out by holding umbrellas over me while I stood in the rain to photograph groups, then came along during portraits of the bride and groom as well. My mom and brother helped me carry my bags and hold my lenses throughout the day as well.

Marvelling at Lisha's 5" heels and how she wore them all day in the rain with such grace!

Then we headed to Trenton, ON to photograph the wedding of our friend Peter's mother, Jennifer, to her sweetheart, Bryan.

Caught instagramming during a break in the festivities

That one time I had to chase a very enthusiastic guest to get my camera back...

When September arrived, it was time for the wedding of my badass friend Amy and her man Derek at their Cave Springs and Inn on the Twenty Wedding. Don't let that sweet face fool you, this girl is one of the toughest ladies I know!

Then I headed to Montreal to photograph Amanda and Kory's big day. I adored these two and their multigenerational love story.

Explaining the game plan for their First Look to Kory

Posting a photo to Instagram for the couple :)

I was so thankful to have Lisa Griffiths by my side on this day. She is an incredibly kind and supportive friend in addition to being a kickass photographer. You can see her below, fluffing Amanda's dress.

The following weekend, we travelled to Ottawa to photograph Jenna and Phil's spectacular wedding at the Canadian Museum of Nature.

Testing out the pretty photo booth

When October rolled around, we returned to my teenage home in Burlington to document the epic day of Aarti and Bhavesh. I've been friends with Aarti since grade nine, so it was amazing to see her entire family throughout the festivities. Aarti and her sisters lent me (and many other guests) clothing to wear, which was awesome. After she and her sisters agreed that a pale yellow sari was not the best colour for me, we decided I would dye it to a more flattering shade. Two packages of "flamingo pink" dye later and it was good to go!

(Above) That time I was pulled into the dance circle while wearing my lens bag :)

In November, it was time for my final wedding of 2014. Jackie and Geoff are honourary family members, so I could think of no better way to finish the year!

Brian handing out bouquets to the appropriate people while I get ready to photograph family portraits.

Sometimes we get to play chauffeur on wedding days

I'll close with this final photo of me doing the Elaine dance (Seinfeld fans will hopefully get the reference) taken without my knowledge by someone in my family after I was finished with my photography duties for the night. I was really into it, by the looks of things.

Thank you so much to all the wonderful couples who invited me and my various second shooters and assistants to spend your special days with you. You all mean the world to me!

Today marks 10 years since Brian and I started going steady.

On our first official date, it was a frightful blizzard so one of our best friends drove us to a restaurant (and picked us up) as though we were high schoolers. In fact, we were quite young, just twenty-one. At dinner, I ordered at least five things because I get hungry when I'm nervous. Brian recalls being taken aback by how much food I thought I could eat. I still feel guilty that most of it went untouched, because once we started talking, I couldn't focus on anything but him. In the weeks leading up to that night, we would meet off campus to study in the quiet confines of our university town's public library. He gave me his number on a scrap of paper after lunch one day to set up our next study date. I clutched it tightly between my fingers so an errant breeze wouldn't steal it from me. He and some friends would sometimes knock on the window of my basement bedroom after the bars closed, so I'd invite them in for some godawful student snack like fried meatballs on a plate. One wintery night, we sat facing each other, kneecaps touching, and admitted we liked each other a whole bunch. We stayed up talking all night and he walked home during icy dawn. He walked down my back steps and looked back with a final smile and I knew I was done for. Before all this, we were friends for three years, until one day I saw him and thought, "how did I never notice what a hunk he is?" It took me months of heart palpitations and butterflies and being so lovesick I thought something was physically wrong with me to get up the courage to tell him I liked him. Bracing myself and telling him I how I felt was the most defining declaration of my life, because it earned me a partner who has since shaped the course of my days, and illuminated each successive year. It's been 10 years of love and friendship, simple everyday life and wild adventure. Brian, I adore you, now more than ever before.

I took a journey back through time in my external hard drives to find a favourite image of us together. Instead, I found a lot of snapshots of casual moments that I will cherish forever. I can't believe how bad my hair and outfits are in some of these shots. And the self tanner, oh lord the self tanner. In my defence, some of the images were taken at costume parties. But for real, I applaud him for staying by my side throughout some of these hair phases.

And our most recent photos together, taken this spring and summer by our friends Sophia (left) and Mark (right):

And these last two by my sister-in-law, Carolyn.

Cheers to the next 10 years!

Right before the holidays, I ventured to the east side of the city to meet my friends Jill and Chris and their enthusiastic vizsla, Hudson. These sweethearts hail from Vancouver, and they've managed to create a really cool west coast-esque lifestyle for themselves right here in Toronto. Living steps from The Beach and a short jaunt from Cherry Beach, they enjoy daily adventures along the water with their pup and even have their own kayaks for shoreline paddling. It was such a joy to explore their favourite haunts with them, and to venture to all the gorgeous photo locations Jill herself had scouted.

Jill and Chris, thank you for inviting me to document the spirit of your little family. Wishing you a beautiful 2015.

It's time for the next edition of my The Feeling of Fragrance series, where I show you the final image that was included in my collection, then share some of the other options and talk about the stories behind the images. Today I'm sharing more shots from my "Grass" portrait. Here is the image from the show:

Grass is such a quintessential scent of summer. It reminds me of picnics, garden parties and just feeling really relaxed and free. I asked my cousin Tara to pose for this portrait, as we share many great memories of walking around the lush terrain of our relatives' property at family get-togethers. Tara has modelled for me many times before, most recently during this shoot in 2013, and I lover her vibe in photos. She's a talented artist who's studied animation and illustration and is now learning the art of tattooing. She recently did an illustration project for my business that I can't wait to share with you shortly.

When it came to styling this portrait, I kept things quite simple. I left her hair natural, as she'd styled it that day, and just added a flush of pink to her lips and cheeks overtop her everyday makeup. I chose a dress that had texture and a bright enough shade of seafoam to pop against the green of the grass.

While I was really happy with the lighting and depth of the images of Tara standing in the clearing (above), I ended up choosing an image where she was sitting right in the long grass itself as it had more of the carefree and quiet feeling.

Tara, thank you so much for being part of this project!

I first met Sarah and Paul nearly seven years ago when they were my very first engagement session clients. This year, we reconnected when I commissioned Sarah to make some sweets for my Feeling of Fragrance gallery show. She did an outstanding job and her treats made a lot of guests very happy. I met up with her in November and it was an absolute pleasure to follow around their sweet family with my camera. I always love it when families invite grandparents along to their portrait sessions, so having the children's nana, Lynn, join in the fun was extra special. To the whole Burns family, thank you for spending a morning with me and for being such a joy to photograph!

In the process of rounding up my the best of my professional work from 2014, I thought it might be cool to also share some of my favourite personal images, kind of like my last week in pictures feature, but the whole year at a glance. This is only a small sample of the many favourite moments, featuring photos that cause great memories to sing in my mind.

The year began in Madison, Wisconsin, where things were very cold and snowy indeed.

This sweet little house on the lake was where we lived from January to May. The window on the second floor was my office.

In February, I dyed my hair violet blonde

Our friends Amy and Derek flew to Madison for a visit, where I shot their engagement photos. We also went to Chicago together.

As spring approached the midwest, and the ice started to melt, I ventured outside as often as possible.

In March, we took a trip to Seattle, where I studied at creativeLIVE with Miss Aniela and did a shoot with Andria Lindquist.

One of the images from my shoot with Andria. You can see more on her blog here.

We explored the city for several days with our friend Andrew.

In April, we met up with some of our best friends in New York.

Then we were treated to a week-long visit in both Madison and Chicago with our friends Jennie and Zach.

Spring in Madison was beautiful and peaceful. I began to store up mental energy for the busy months ahead.

Of all the places in Madison I was sad to leave, the Terrace (below) was one of the top contenders. My very favourite, however, was the Victory Cafe. I miss it every day! We'd become very loyal regulars during our stay as both Brian and I loved the place so much. When the owner heard we were leaving and we stopped by on our way out of town, he treated us to a full spread of our favourite stuff and a chocolate bar for the road.

In June, we moved to Toronto and into the home of the mother of the bride of one of my beloved clients from 2013 who has also become a lovely friend. We got to take care of her home and kitty (see below) for two months!

I was really happy to be back in town and get to spend time with a lot of my favourite people in Toronto.

In the summer, I started photographing more families, which also meant I got to spend time with some of my friends' adorable kids!

Whenever possible, I spent time relaxing with family.

In July, we flew to Alberta for the wedding of our friends Ian and Jenn and took in some incredible sights along the way.

I explored the Bruce Peninsula

I felt very grateful to be home and to be able to attend some bridal showers and bachelorettes, such as Amy's (below).

In August, we got our very first apartment in Toronto. It took us until the end of the year to finally get it set up, as we had to paint the whole place and gradually shop for new furniture, but it was and continues to be a labour of love.

Over labour day weekend, we flew out west again to attend a family wedding and got to stay with Brian's sister and her puppy!

In October, I celebrated Thanksgiving with family up at our cottage

It was also the month I launched my first gallery show, The Feeling of Fragrance, thanks to lots of help from family and friends.

When November arrived, we travelled to New York to celebrate the wedding of our friends Jenn and Pierre.

And with December came a visit to Montreal, exploring the Toronto Christmas Market with my parents, and a few really nice holiday parties.

2014 was a year with a lot of ups and downs, big adventures with friends and quiet moments just working or sitting alone and reading. I am grateful for the small and large miracles the year presented, and I'm already so excited about 2015. Wishing you a beautiful year!

It's time for the next edition of my The Feeling of Fragrance series, where I show you the final image that was included in my collection, then share some of the other options and talk about the stories behind the images. Today I'm sharing more shots from my "Soap" portrait. Here is the image from the show:

Of all the portraits in this project, "Soap" was the most labour-intensive, but man I loved every single moment! I always knew I wanted to create a portrait that embodied the heady, clean scent and playful feeling of a bubble bath. From the beginning, I envisioned layers of pastel tones and when I found this pink, pearl-covered cardigan at an antique mall in Wisconsin, my vision for the portrait suddenly sharpened. By pairing the sweater with a frothy skirt, I'd have the dreamy outfit that this portrait required. The main problem was that I couldn't find a multi-hued skirt anywhere, and I didn't know how to sew. I had decided to just buy some tulle anyway and break out my glue gun (my family's version of a needle and thread) when two of my friends, Christina and Courtney, offered to help out. They showed me how to use a sewing machine and helped me start the skirt. Lo and behold, I kept at it and somehow produced an approximation of a tutu!

I found the beautiful model for this portrait, Meredith, on instagram! I really don't remember how I first came across her account but once I did, I thought she would be perfect for this photo. I reached out to her and she agreed to make her modelling debut for my project. She is a very talented photographer, so please take a moment to check out her lovely work if you have a chance! She and her mother, Heather, travelled to Toronto to be part of this project and I am immensely grateful for their time and assistance.

I location scouted extensively for this shoot, as finding the perfect backdrop to show off both bubbles and a tulle skirt was tricky. I had narrowed it down to a half dozen backdrops, most of which we tested (see below) and found wanting due to lack of contrast, weird texture or less than ideal light.

Finally, we found the perfect backdrop!

Once we found it, we tested out the small bubble maker. Heather, I appreciate your assistance as bubble machine technician that day!

We also tested the large bubble wand:

From the beginning, I planned for "Soap" to be a composite image, as I wanted as many bubbles in the photo as possible. In the end, the portrait is composed of elements from nine different images! In the process of photographing Meredith from many vantage points to create lots of options, we produced some really pretty pictures of her. I couldn't believe it was her first time modelling. Her poise and grace were really impressive.

We had a lot of fun with the bubble wand

After I decided we'd collected the shots I'd need to create the composite image, we played around in the alleys to create a few more images for Meredith and Heather.

I absolutely love photographing mothers and daughters together, and it was so great to see the love and friendship between these remarkable ladies. Meredith and Heather, thank you so much for being part of my project. It meant the world to me to have you involved!

When I think about 2014, I feel grateful for so many things. For every client, model, editor and creative collaborator. For every friend who offered an encouraging word. For every person who recommended my services. For every family member who supported me in myriad ways. For every fellow photographer who inspired me. And for you, dear readers, for following along. This past year was stimulating and wonderful and so full of experimentation and fun because of all of you. Your trust and encouragement pushed me to push myself as an artist and business owner. The momentum you've given me has carried into the present and I can't wait to see what 2015 brings. Thank you so much. Here are some of my favourite images from the past year.

PORTRAITS

COUPLES + ENGAGEMENTS

WEDDINGS

FAMILIES

CREATIVE & COMMERCIAL PROJECTS

I've got a few more projects from 2014 that haven't been shared yet, but I'm excited to show some peeks in the future!

Are you on Goodreads? If you're a book lover, it's the best! Both the website and complementary app are a lot of fun, and quite helpful for both organizing your current reads and discovering new books. At the beginning of last year, I noticed they pose a Reading Challenge to their members, so I decided to join in. It's totally customizable, so you set your own goal in terms of how much you plan to read. Once you've got it set up, you can track your progress and also see what your friends who are participating are reading. It's basically just a good tool to keep you encouraged and organized.

Reading has always been one of my top sources of inspiration and the stories I read always fuel my work. As much as I love television and film, the written word is the medium that engages my spirit the most. Sitting down with a book and a cup of tea or a glass of wine is just heavenly, and I found that pushing myself to read consistently this year made me a more relaxed person overall. When life gets too crazy, taking even 10 minutes to sit and read is my form of meditation. My goal was to read 40 books for the challenge and I ended up reading 41. That's definitely the most I read in a year since grad school and it was glorious!

Here is everything I read, ranked in order. If you love to read, I hope you'll check out some of these gems yourself. Anything in the 4-5 stars range is truly exceptional, and many of the three stars books are worth reading too. I'd love to know if any of you have read anything on my list and what your favourites were. And if you're into being book nerd friends, here's my Goodreads profile.

Rating System:

***** Took my breath away and/or broke my heart
**** Excellent stories that I could read again and again
*** Solid, satisfying/fun reads
** Left much to be desired
* Definitely worth skipping

*****
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
The Slow Regard of Silent Things by Patrick Rothfuss
The Perfume Collector by Kathleen Tessaro
An Object of Beauty by Steve Martin
The Chronology of Water by Lidia Yuknavitch
The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman
The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman

****
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
Where'd You Go Bernadette by Maria Semple
The Lions of Al-Rassan by Guy Gavriel Kay
No One Else Can Have You by Kathleen Hale
The Book of Life by Deborah Harkness
Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn
Me Before You by Jojo Moyes
The Magician's Land by Lev Grossman
Tomorrow There Will Be Apricots by Jessica Soffer
The Silver Star by Jeanette Walls
Percy Jackson Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan
Percy Jackson and The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
Voyager by Diana Gabaldon

***
Nose by James Conaway
The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfiled
Hello New York: An Illustrated Love Letter to the Five Boroughs by Julia Rothman
Juliet, Naked by Nick Hornby
The Pink Hotel by Anna Stothard
The Drums of Autumn by Diana Gabaldon
The Light Between Oceans by M. L. Stedman
The Shining Girls by Lauren Beukes
Eight Girls Taking Pictures by Whitney Otto
The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton
Chocolat by Joanne Harris
Dragonfly in Amber by Diana Gabaldon
Percy Jackson and The Titan's Curse by Rick Riordan
Complexion Perfection by Kate Somerville
The Venetian Years by Giacomo Casanova
The Innocent by David Baldacci
The Pioneer Woman: Black Heels to Tractor Wheels by Ree Drummond
Annie Leibovitz at Work by Annie Leibovitz

**
The 4-Hour Chef by Tim Ferris

*
Whiskey Beach by Nora Roberts

I'm doing the challenge again this year, but this time around I'll do two things differently. Whereas last year I just kind of read anything I stumbled upon or whatever people lent to me, this year I'm really going to choose my books thoughtfully and focus on stuff I've been meaning to read forever or new stories that I'm really excited about. I also want to read more books about business, marketing, personal finance and creativity rather than just fiction. In fact, it's always nice to read fiction and non-fiction concurrently. If you've got any recommendations, I'd love to hear them. Happy reading!

It's time for the next edition of my The Feeling of Fragrance series, where I show you the final image that was included in my collection, then share some other options and talk about the stories behind the images. Today I'm sharing shots from my "Roses" portrait. Here is the image from the show:

These portraits were shot in late September, 2014, just around the corner from my apartment. We shot in the quickly fading light of dusk, with almost no direct light. In fact, many of these portraits were done after the sun had set using only the lingering ambient light and shot at a high ISO. I chose the shot above as my final image after much internal debate and suggestions from family and friends. I landed on that image because it captured the feeling of buying or receiving a giant bouquet of roses, and the buoyant effect their aroma can have on your mood. I think my friend Paige did a wonderful job of embodying that blissful feeling where just for a moment your reality is elevated by a fragrance alone.

The coolest thing about prepping for this shoot was walking home from different flower shops with all the roses I bought. Almost every person I passed would break into a grin when they spotted the bouquet. A lot of people even said "aw, for me?" or "congratulations!" as they passed.

I wanted this look to be very natural. Paige arrived with her hair and makeup done, so I just added a few touches of products that I always use for natural light portraits, such as luminous cream and extra blush. And though it took me a few tries to get the colour right, I finally found the perfect lip shade to complement Paige's both colouring and the roses. Part of the reason I asked Paige to model for this portrait is that I thought her peaches and cream complexion and vibrant hair would look really lovely with the multi-hued roses.

While scouring the entire west end of Toronto for roses (I'm not exaggerating!) and finding so few, I discovered that early fall is when many florists have their lowest stock of roses. Obviously they stock up for the holiday season, Valentine's Day and springtime, but apparently roses just don't sell well in the fall. Luckily, I found Poppies, and the friendly ladies who work there were able to help me. The introduced me to the creamy/pale yellow roses in the bouquet known as Crème de la Crème, which are incredibly gorgeous and startlingly fragrant.