With a Little Help from my Friends

Over the Christmas break I had the opportunity to shoot my very first e-shoot with arguably a couple of the most fun people in the world! Although it was the dead of a Canadian winter, cold, down a winding path to the Elora gorge, and worst of all- 8am on a Saturday morning... we survived. In fact we had a blast. Armed with my camera, my girlfriend was kind enough to act as my voice-activated-light-stand, towing around a monopod topped with a softbox. No easy task in the uneven and forested terrain of the area.

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Read more after the jump!

Christie and Jon were a dream to shoot with. Very natural and their love for each other made shoot a breeze! Having subjects that are full of ideas helps a lot as well. The shoot was more like a casual hike through the picturesque trail with the occasional "this would be a nice place" or "I have an idea!". Best of all there was no awkward posing or staged shots- Jon was always ready to turn and smooch his beautiful bride-to-be! I believe only one shot was really posed, every other shot was very spontaneous and natural which really helps convey what I feel an e-shoot should be- an expression of the to-be couple's love for one another.

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The above two images were captured at the end of the trail, where the forest opened up into the Elora gorge, river, gorge and single boulder just screamed to be photographed. Of course with the couple as the main subject the gorge really set a beautiful scene. A little bit of light supplied by a single SB-28 through a softbox above illuminated the couple enough to bring them away from the background. The beauty of the scene really came from the muted tones which did not distract from the subjects.

The remaining images in this post were captured along the trail leading to the Gorge. I had never been down this trail before, so I was in for surprise after surprise, after surprise! It was very difficult to not stop every few meters for a shot! But I am so glad I was able to do it, otherwise we may have given in to the cold before reaching the end!

Below is one of the most fun images from the set. While entering the more forested part of the trail this collection of trees really caught my eye and I suggested Christie and Jon sit their butts down in the cold snow in the crook of the trees, and... and if they believed I knew what I was doing, they did it! Sorry guys, I know it was cold- but I absolutely loved the moment captured as Jon began to flick snow at Christie. Glad the two of you had fun! (Well, Jon at least).

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The trail offered a variety of different settings that were ripe with photographic possibilities that I may end up posting about along with different techniques and avenues to try out when shooting. 

The last two images below were among the first few on the day, I had started with the Canon 70-200mm f/4L, but opted for a lens change later on. The longer focal length made for some difficult shooting in the more more dense forested areas.

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Thanks again to the most awesome couple ever. You two made the day so easy and put a lot of my anxiety at ease (yeah, I was nervous!). The experience has no doubt made me a stronger and more confidant photographer! I hope the two of you enjoy smooth sailing for the rest of the wedding planning process and I'll see you there!