JAMES HODGINS PHOTOGRAPHY

Later this summer Vanja & Anthony will become husband & wife but today they were just as happy being engaged for their engagement session with us.  Now we hear this a lot…….”We don’t really photograph that well” and it always makes Joce and I laugh.  Let’s be honest, how many of you have gone and had Professional Portraits done before?  As a couple?  Not to many I am sure.  Most of your couple pics would be from family snapshots on special occasions or friends snapshot while partying.   In the end however our couples quickly realize that they DO photograph amazingly.   Especially when it’s with someone you love.  When your in love, you are always at your best, and the camera captures it exactly how we see it.  Thanks again you two, it was  great time with an amazing location.  Looking forward to posting more.

Halfway through the session Anthony mentions that he has his guitar, and it really means a lot to him and is a big part of his life.  Vanja has a good laugh while I roll my eyes and say “you tell me this NOW?  Why not say something before, OF COURSE we will do images with the guitar!!”  hahaha.  And of course we did.

Who says photographers don’t get their exercise?  Not only do you get to burn some calories but you also can come across some great shooting spots at the  Lake Laurentian Conservation Area.  That is where we just finished Krista & Jeff’s Engagement hike and nature walk.  We had the whole place to ourselves except for a few mosquitoes and deer flies (minus two now).  Every 20 or so feet I would stop them to capture a few more images where the light was spread out through the trees, or grass was high and the trail wide.  Some of the best images from this shoot is when I wasn’t really shooting at all.  I would be changing lenses and they would be snuggling up together or kissing and I would quickly grab the shot before they knew I was photographing them.  So many times I would tell them to stop as they just had that fleeting moment in a perfect capture.  These to “mold” together very well.  What does that mean?  It means when they are wrapped in each others arm, they are like one.  It’s soooooo easy to photograph couples like  this, you just can’t go wrong.

Along with most of the wedding locations, Kayla & Shaun’s engagement session took place in New Sudbury.  Sometimes it’s great to find new spots closer to home then heading to Bell Park or Downtown Sudbury.  You would be amazed at some of the cool spots you can find if you look hard enough.  This spot gave us the perfect pre-sunset backlighting for the soft etheral look and is only a 3 minute walk from Barrydown.  On their wedding day we will be heading to a variety of different locations in the New Sudbury area before we make our way to Falconbridge (another part that has some outstanding photographic possibilities).  This will be a great change of pace and Jocelyne and myself are looking forward to creating some more wonderful images of this young in love couple.  Thanks Shaun & Kayla for the great session.

Just got back from Lynn & Ryan’s engagement session.  Their wedding will be our last of our 2010 season and we are kicking it off with a bang.  From
Sudbury to Dowling and everything in between we plan on taking the bridal party of 18 to every nook and cranny we can find.  If this couple laughs half as much on the wedding day as they did on this engagement session I know we will create some amazing images.

At least that is where Ashley & Chris will be spending their honeymoon this August.    Joce and I just finished photographing their engagement session this evening and the talks continued on after about St. Lucia.  As most of you know that is where Joce and I got married and where we also met our good friend Kirk Elliott.   We had a blast photographing them this evening, dodging dirt bikes & dust clouds we managed to create a great variety of images.  I take it as a true compliment when a guy (or groom) says “Hey, that was actually a lot of fun.” because usually it’s the guys that take a bit to warm up to the photography session.   If you think the engagement session is fun WAIT until the wedding day, it’s an engagement session on steroids.

Thanks again  Ashley & Chris, we are very excited for your upcoming wedding and we look forward to creating more stunning images and of course hear all about your honeymoon in St. Lucia.

P.S.  For those of you who are planning on going to St. Lucia, get certified, St. Lucia has amazing diving.

The clouds were out yesterday and it looked like rain, but yesterday evening turned out to be full of sunshine.  It was a perfect night for Leslie and Sav’s engagement session.  We love finding new spots in the New Sudbury area for photographing our engagements and you would be very surprised at some of these spots and just how small the area we are shooting in really is.  We always tell our clients “trust us”,  as we sometimes are looking for a background that is no larger than 5 ft wide.

I love using the edge of sunlight to rim our subjects hair and outlining their bodies.  Bringing in a reflector to lighten up the eyes is a must  in  my opinion and if you can’t see the catchlights then you need to move the subject or the reflector.    This was the second engagement session in a row where I got to talk about fishing (Leslie is another fish whisperer as well).  Nothing like throwing my 2 loves together.  If only I could have my own photography fishing show.  Ahhhh to dream.   Thanks again you two, we had a blast, looking forward to documenting your wedding which will be extra special as it will be my birthday.

We just finished photographing the engagement of Sheri & Mark.  They will be married this June right here in Sudbury.  Mark and I have known each other for years, going to the same highschool, hanging around the same friends, and I casting a few lines in the water every once and awhile (he is another fish whisperer).  We photographed a in a great little spot in New Sudbury keeping things close to home.  I  know Mark is not one for photographs, but I have to give him credit as he was all smiles for this session, even though he seemed to sulk a bit because he didn’t get to hold the dog’s leash.  Speaking of which, their little Pomeranian Sly was also on hand for a few photo ops.  Thanks again Mark & Sheri, it was great catching up and talking shop….fish shop.

We are truly blessed living where we are, are we not?  Now I do complain about the winter every chance I get, but I will tell you no lie that I would not want to live anywhere else during the summer months.  We feel very fortunate that we have been able to create our Photography Business here in Sudbury. It’s also great to see other business’s thrive in our city.  Dr. M Martic just opened up his new Dental Practice  at 1122 Lasalle Blvd and business could not be better.

What another great addition to the New Sudbury  District.  We have had the pleasure of getting to know Dr. Martic (Martin)  and his beautiful wife Virginie over the past few years.  In fact, if you follow our blog you will remember them from their engagement session.

Of c0urse no post with engagement photos can be posted without adding a reminder of their wedding photos.

Did you notice anything about the above photos?  Their smiles looked AMAZING!     Thanks again to the both of you for allowing us to create some memorable images for you, and CONGRATULATIONS again Martin and we both wish you the greatest success.

Dr. Martic is now accepting new clients at his 1122 Lasalle Blvd Practice so don’t hesitate to give him a call at (705) 560-7000.

Disclaimer: No teeth were harmed during the creation of this post.

Especially when it is from our clients. We just received this wonderful card from Melissa & Eric. I scanned it below.

Over the past few years we have managed to capture a variety of images of Melissa & Eric.  Starting with their engagement shoot.

Then this past summer we documented their wedding

and then later this summer we did Mels Trash The Dress.

Joce and I truly feel that when you hire  a photographer for your wedding, you are not just having someone show up at your wedding and take photos.  In reality, and if you chose right, you are hiring YOUR photographer for the rest of your life.  A photographer that will be there to document the important moments in your life.

Thanks again Mel & Eric for the card.  We look forward to our future photography sessions together.

at the camera that is. When photographing couples I find myself liking the images where the couple are not looking at the camera, mid laugh, caught in the moment. Don’t get me wrong, looking at the camera is part of the process, but we like make sure we give our couples a good variety of both.  It also helps the couple relax in front of the camera, especially at the beginning of our session.

Sometimes, while they are looking at the camera, you can  capture that image where you know…as a couple… they “clicked”