Quirky Love Photography

Exciting news (especially for me :P) Thanks to the rad Liz Cooper, our new *blogger extraordinaire* for Quirky Love, we'll now be pumping out fresh blogs waaaaay more often ... That means we'll finally get to share those stories I've been meaning to share with you from couples past <3... PLUS LOTS of other awesome content, like tips for couples, help with choosing vendors & venues, our own take on weddings, and so much more!!! Without further ado.... Read this wonderful summery fairy-tale styled shoot story, peppered with hints of meadow - butterfly - bee - vintage wedding dress - gorgeous family - vow renewals - at The Bee Spot, with Tammy Fitzgerald-Duporte and Dion Duporte PLUS featuring their adorable daughter Raven. https://www.quirkylovephotography.com//hidden-meadows-elop hosted by Nadine Rochette & family on their beautiful 50-acre brand new wedding elopement venue (The Hidden Meadows!) that will be all the rage next year <3 You heard it hear first! We at Quirky are early adopters of all the cool things, don't you know?

Did you know that if you try to reclaim some parts of your childhood, you actually start to feel freer? I kid you not (ha-ha-ha), it’s true. I cut my hair & got bangs, which emulates a haircut I had at age 10, and I feel as happy and carefree as I did 30 years ago. Weeeeeird. ... But even before that... I’m *remembering* the stuff of childhood. The things that made me feel creative, alive, inspired. I read somewhere that we can all be happier if we try to reconnect with our inner child, but that’s so much easier said than done, right? Did you know that many artists spend their entire professional lives attempting to regain that unbound creative freedom that comes so easily in childhood? That stuff that gets trained out of us through years of learning rules and boundaries... All I mean with this post is this: If ever you are starting to feel a bit stuck... a bit bound by rules... Just close your eyes for a few seconds and take a deep breath and try to find a happy anchor from your childhood. Not necessarily to remember the memory, but to relive the *feeling*. The emotion of being carefree. Now once you’ve done that, try it again that day. And the next day. I promise you’ll have results #ygk #ygkphotographer #ygkweddingphotographer #kingstonontario #kingstonphotographer #kingstonweddingphotography #ontarioweddingphotographer #ontarioelopementphotographer #childhoodnostalgia

I love that look of absolute radiance and joy. This is how you should feel your entire wedding day. I love that the light is soft across her face, making her happiness just as soft and squishy, like the most comfortable pillow of love. That's the feeling I imagine was bubbling up inside of her that day. Because at the end of the day - it's not all those tiny things that you might have forgotten, all those details you fret about.... At the end of the day, it's you and your family and friends, gathered all in one spot to celebrate *you*, and the one you've chosen to have by your side, through thick and thin. I try to get at least one shot of radiance like this from every bride, every groom, every marrier. -- this photo was taken as a 2nd photographer for the wonderful @sarahrouleauphotography in 2019

Some day, a long long time from now, she'll look at this photograph with her grandkids or her grand-nibblings... And they'll say, "Wow! You look gorgeous and happy, grandma! Can we see more?" And she'll flip to another page, pass her fingers along the images lovingly, and tell them another story....

This photograph makes me emotional each time I look at it. When Jessica messaged me to ask if I can photograph her wedding, she had one thing on the centre of her mind: her father was very ill with cancer. She so wanted him to be able to attend the wedding, and time was of the essence.... It was a gorgeous day, a beautiful back-yard celebration in Jessica's home. Only the most important people were there: close family and friends. There was a delicious spread of foods, and don't even get me started about the home-made desserts that stretched the length of two tables... Jessica wore a beautiful burgundy wedding dress, and her mother helped her into it. Shawn welcomed her with open arms as they exchanged their vows and shared their first kiss as a couple. But the one moment I remember most of all: it was this moment pictured here. It was the moment Jessica sat down with her father, and she put her head to his, just gently, just like so. He had been trying to rest most of the day before this moment. Unable to be up for any length of time any longer, he mustered up all the strength he had so he could be present for his daughter at her ceremony. A few days later, Jessica's father sadly passed away. What I will always remember was the joy in his eyes at being able to share in this moment, which couldn't have come a moment too soon.

Two gals after my own heart. At weddings, don't forget about the food. I recently had a consultation with a wonderful woman who said, "the photographer and the food. Those are my two main objectives. If I cover those, I'm all good."... And I was like, A-MEN.

Quirky shot of a beautiful bride on her way into a beautiful car for a ride to the Discovery Centre for her reception and festivities to begin. I love the green grass and blue skies behind her. It could have been taken at any time, representing endless happiness and wonder, the kind I hope she'll have throughout her marriage. (There's a reason why the Windows background picture was just a straight shot of green fields and blue skies, you know. Because it speaks to universal optimism and hope)

I'm a big sucker for symbolism, so these deep shadows behind her and nothing but light in front of her always speaks to me of hope and joy and optimism. At the discovery center, shot as a 2nd to the amazing @sarahrouleauphotography

I bet Kelly’s daughter (to the left) will revisit this photograph of her mother - glowing radiantly on her wedding day - countless times in her life. Maybe she’ll study it carefully when she’s older and planning her own wedding. It will fill her with love, seeing how much joy there is in Kelly’s eyes in this moment.... It will remind her of the most wonderful things in life. And it will make her endlessly proud of who she is, I bet: Her mother’s daughter Our hearts beat for the company of those we love. #ygk #ygkwedding #ygkphotographer #kingstonwedding #kingstonweddingphotography #elopementphotographer #ontarioelopementphotographer #canadaelopement #canadawedding #ontarioweddingphotographer #bnwphotography #happybride #classicbride #weddinginspired #bnwwedding #outdoorweddings #weddingbeauty #elopementlove #eloped #weddingphotojournalism #documentaryweddings

Have you ever found a four-leaf clover? I have one from my childhood, searching for them with my grandmother. I put it inside the pages of a book, and now it's dry and brittle, and each time I chance upon those pages, a small bit of one of the leaves falls away. This bride clutched a four-leaf clover on her wedding day.

Kathleen & JP’s 45-spread album has just arrived and it looks GORGEOUS It’s big and bold (14x14 of full glorious colour images) and definitely heavy as it’s filled with beautiful hard pages of photographs - thank you @floricolor I love the faux-suede finish & the beautiful box, too ... I love that I can be proud to tell clients like Kathleen & JP that this album comes with a lifetime warranty against warping & defects, which in plainspeak means: they can enjoy their beautiful memories easily and as many times a day as they want, for an entire lifetime!! Choosing to provide a complimentary album design service for my clients was the best decision I made in 2020 Photographers who have considered doing this but aren’t - what is holding you back? #weddingalbum #qualityalbum #floricolor #kingstonweddingphotography #ygkweddingphotographer #ygkweddings #ygkphotographer #kingstonbusiness #albumdesign #weddingphotos #weddingkeepsake #lifetimememories

Andrew has a very particular stance when playing this game, and Bronwyn enjoys watching him. (by the way, I'm going to just call this ring toss, even though I believe there's a better name for it). But for this shot, they both posed as if throwing. Why? Because we thought it would be funny and cute. Because we DO that kind of thing during engagement sessions.... It's supposed to be fun and funny and quirky. Especially for those people who are awkward being posed. :P

When I show up as a second photographer, I often hang out with the "guys". And the guys do stuff like sniff cigars, chug shots like it's last call, moon each other, slap each other's butts, and all sorts of other hilarious shite. So here's a cigar-sniffing one for ya.

Two little girls at the top of the stairs at Fort Henry. They loved running around with me while @sarahrouleauphotography was taking the grown-up photos. This is why it's good to have a 2nd photographer for bigger weddings. You can divide and conquer.... But anyway, me and these two cuties had a lot of fun in these dark hallways, exploring and imagining adventures and stories. I took lots of pictures of them, too, but they didn't mind one bit. It was all part of the game.