Last June I posted a Blog talking about the advantages of Thinking Outside of the Box when it comes to locations for your photos.  I have decided to write about this again since I think that it is an extrememly important aspect of a photo shoot.  I am constantly trying to think of new locations and find new locations to take photos.  It makes my job more interesting and more challenging.  For my clients, it can bring out their personalities and their style when we venture to new locations rather than the "traditional" spots around town.  I am certainly not putting down our local parks, since we are very lucky to have such clean, beautiful and safe parks in our community to enjoy.  And they make great backdrops for photos as well.  I just think that a less reconizable location - perhaps one that matches my clients individuality better - is a great way to showcase my clients and their relationships with each other, better.

A couple of weekends ago I was at Ribfest here in Kitchener and I thought, "...this might be an interesting location for engagement photos..." for a couple who loves community events, rides, candy apples and music.

Then I thought of some other ideas:

Go pumpkin hunting in a local pumpkin patch to find the perfect pumpkin. 

Go walking on your favourite trail together.

Visit your Grandparents farm, throw on your rain boots and have some photos taken on their land.

Go to a tree farm and search for your family Christmas tree together.

These are a few more of my ideas however the possibilities are endless!  Contact Beyond The Window for your family photos, engagement photos or wedding photos.  Together we can come up with a great location to make your pictures even more personal!

I'm extremely excited to announce that Beyond The Window is moving!  I'll be working out of my new location by the middle of July.  I will create a blog to showcase my new office once I'm settled in. 

Stay tuned!

THE REVEAL!!

On October 4, 2009, we held our 3rd Trash The Dress photo session and I am thrilled to share some of my favourite photos from the day with you!

This event was the same as our first 2 Trash The Dress sessions- FABULOUS!

This time around, I really wanted to photograph in a rural setting.  I was very excited and extremely thankful to find a family in Shakespeare, Ontario, that would allow us to use their natural, rustic farm for the day.  Their property was perfect.

Once again Carrie Tibbs of www.beautymarked.ca was outstanding.  Her hair and makeup ideas matched our models personalities wonderfully and her makeup application was fantastic.  Carrie is continually creative, edgy and fun in her ideas.  Thank you Carrie!

Our brides/models; Karen, Sarah and Kelly were amazing!  I thoroughly enjoyed working with them.  They were relaxed, open to all of our ideas and of course, STUNNING!

Here are a few of my favourites from each of the brides.  Remember, you can click on the image to make it larger, then click on it again to come back to the home page.

KAREN

      SARAH 

KELLY 

It seems early to discuss our 4th Trash The Dress photo session but I want to bring it up now as space is limited to only 3 brides/models.  Details are still being worked out however we do know that it will be held in Spring of 2010 and most likely in Waterloo.  (We have been brainstorming a few different ideas for locations).  Again, we will have the pleasure of working with Carrie Tibbs for all of our makeup needs.

I would greatly appreciate any feedback regarding the photos that you see on my blog, so please feel free to leave a comment!

If you are interested in receiving further information about this upcoming event, please email me at info@beyondthewindow.ca.  I will keep you informed as plans are finalized.  Alternately you can request a Trash The Dress session for just YOU!  An independent session can be held at any time of the year and at a location of your choice.  Please give us a shout if this idea interests you!

Have I ever mentioned that I love Trash The Dress? This is a perfect example of why... Carrie Tibbs did a phenomenal job with makeup on all our models. Kelly was no exception. Carrie played up the drama here with the dark eye makeup and wicked black accessories. To top it off, we had beautiful old windows, rusty railings, and a fire pit to play around with!    Here are some of my favourites...

     I adore this window shot. The colour of the window. The reflection of the sky.  

      The lines of Kelly's posture. The general muddiness. I love it.

 Kelly pulled off intensity like no other. I love the contrast between the femininity of her outfit and the aggression in her face; the bows and the bonds. Love it!

Stay tuned for the final installment of Trash The Dress Fall 2009... Karen's TTD Session!

I'd love your feedback! Get in touch at info@beyondthewindow.ca.

At our TTD session in October, we had 3 phenomenal women interested in a fun and different photo shoot! Between climbing trees, sitting in a fire pit, and laying on a barn floor, we had a great day. Here are some of my favourites from Sarah's session:

Stay tuned for Kelly's and Karen's sessions!

 It's here folks.

Just click on the Sudoku Challenge link to start working your way towards $500 worth of photography services!

Make sure you tell all of your friends and family about the contest to help uncover more pixels.

The contest has been beta tested, and debugged.

It's ready to go.

Will it hold?

Who knows.

We'll find out November 1st, 2009.

I have the distinct honour of providing an official contest teaser for our growing audience!

I'm usually kept in the cave working on business development tasks for Beyond The Window and rarely get to interface with the many people that Jillian has the pleasure of meeting.

Well we've been cooking up a pretty cool contest that involves facebook, friends, colleagues, photos and winning things.  That's way too exciting to keep secret, and way too exciting for me to stay in the cave. ;)

If you are interested in being one of our BETA testers for the technical part of the contest, please send me a line and I'll hook you up. 

Everything else will be made clear November 1, 2009.

Well, we are now in the middle of August so that means that my wedding season is more than half way over.  My season started on April 25 and will carry through until October 24.

I have thoroughly enjoyed the first half of my season.  I have worked with so many wonderful couples and have been surrounded every weekend with comical wedding party members and emotional and proud parents. 

I wanted to share some of my favourite photos from the year so far.  It was difficult for me to choose since I have so many that I'm proud of!

Katie and Tyler - July 11, 2009

The energy in this photo is wonderful.  What a fabulous group of friends.

Leanne and Mike - July 18, 2009

A stunning couple.  A wonderful location. 

A sincere moment.

Dina and Dave - February 21, 2009

A creative shot of the groomsmen to showcase their love of football.  This is one of my favourite groomsmen shots that I have ever taken.

Angie and Marcel - July 25, 2009

Fun!  Light-hearted!  Genuine!  Beautiful!

Darren and Peggy - July 4, 2009

This couple celebrated in a less traditional way with a backyard pool party with great food, great conversation and lots of laughter.

Jen and Jeff - June 18, 2009

A gorgeous day with warm temperatures and a bright blue sky. 

I love the angle of this photo and the lens flare that was created from the sun as well.  Not a bad kiss either :)

Karla and Casey - May 23, 2009

Alone and content.

Mike and Kelly - May 2, 2009

I love using unusual locations for wedding photos.  Kelly and this bright red chair really "pop out" against the grey, stone wall.  I really like the contrast!

Jayna and Andrew - August 1, 2009

When couples hug each other tightly when they kiss, it makes for a very romantic photo.  I love this kiss.

I'm excited about the last 2 months that are ahead of me.  I'm eager to meet new people, photograph in new locations and find new interest in locations I have been to before.  I will write another blog at the beginning of November to highlight some of my other favourite photos from 2009!

I still have some weekends free in November through to April 2010, so please contact me if you are interested in meeting!