Weddings 2012 Planning Guide: Photography

Weddings 2012 Planning Guide: Photography

Weddings 2012 Planning Guide: Photography

ALL THIS HAPPINESS
For engagement shots, Sinereh Soleimani and Mani Mehramooz (friends since they were 12 years old) like to find out what makes couples click. If they’re gourmands, Soleimani and Mehramooz might capture them at their favourite restaurant. If they love sports, they can use elements of that. It’s all to capture a more intimate portrait of the couple. On the wedding day, they shoot in a photojournalistic style, and their work takes advantage of negative space; think far-off photos of couples in verdant fields and wide shots of the wedding party in expansive rooms. It’s a more contemporary approach than the typical standing-in-front-of- the-church shots. Prices start around $2,300. By appointment. 416-820-7373.


ARTÄGE PICTURES
Husband-and-wife team Heidi and Steven Somfalvi are like the Lucy and Desi of wedding photography, bouncing off each other a mile a minute and laughing all the while. Describing their style as “eclectic, soulful and foxy,” the pair make cutting-edge combinations of stills, stop-motion photography and high-definition video set to music. Clients have included Toronto Argonauts and Citytv personalities. From $2,900. 140 Queen St. W., Mississauga, 905-278-2432.


BAREBONEPHOTO
Billing her services as an alternative to traditional wedding photography, Emma Smallbone brings a no-fuss, small-town friendliness to her big-city clients, creating fine-art photographs that have an effortlessly ethereal and tranquil look. Smallbone becomes an honorary member of the wedding party to get her intimate shots (engagement photo shoots come with the package). She accepts only 10 commissions per year. From $3,000. 1-888-841-7840.


BARBARA ANN STUDIOS
Barbara Ann’s high fashion–inspired wedding shots aim to capture the emotion of the big day while eschewing, as she says, the trite “walk in a field, hold hands and stare at each other” style of pictures. Her high-drama photography (one couple took a trash-the-dress shot with ocean waves crashing on them in the Dominican Republic, echoing the classic Davidoff Cool Water ad campaign) is unique, and lucky grooms (or brides, no one’s judging) can be gifted with a set of boudoir photos (the classy way to say tasteful nudes) on the big night, as Ann shoots those, too. Prices start around $4,000 and go up to around $9,000 for travel to Toronto. By appointment. 613-850-9378.


BOSTON AVENUE WEDDINGS
This powerhouse has been around for 16 years and offers a troupe of shooters who work in a photojournalistic style that’s won them international awards for wedding photography. Such clients as the Boston Bruins’ Daniel Paille and jazz singer Sophie Milman have embraced the company’s classic, straightforward imagery and consummate professionalism. From $3,850. By appointment. 722 The Queensway (at Rosemeade Ave.), 416-255-6228.


BOYFRIEND/GIRLFRIEND
Partners Vanessa Heins and Jess Baumung use their doubles act to get multiple perspectives on the client’s big day, producing stylish and candid images backed up by Heins’s arts experience and Baumung’s background in live-music photography. The pair brought these two loves together when they shot the wedding of rocker George Pettit. From $3,500. By appointment. 416-841-9125.


CLAUDIA HUNG WEDDINGS
Editorial photographer Claudia Hung brings her high-fashion sensibilities to her crisp, chic shots. “I’m actually not that into weddings,” she admits with a laugh. “I feel like the hoopla overshadows the essence of the wedding.” Instead, Hung documents life in a candid manner, while making her clients look photo spread perfect. Couples get a free engagement photo session, which helps Hung figure out the bride and groom’s best angles while building a relationship with them. From $6,500. By appointment. 416-858-0783.


5IVE15IFTEEN PHOTO COMPANY
The photographers at 5ive15ifteen like to keep their work natural and relaxed, but with the lush colours and elegant composition of a high-toned editorial spread. (The studio has had its work featured in The Knot, Martha Stewart Weddings, Grace Ormonde Wedding Style and Today’s Bride.) From $3,950. By appointment. 429 Spadina Rd. (at Lonsdale Rd.), 416-487-0515.


IKONICA
Weddings 2012 Planning Guide: Photography (Ikonica)One of Toronto’s best-known studios, Ikonica captures breathtaking shades, settings and fleeting moments that often appear right out of a storybook, whether it’s a rosy-cheeked flower girl running down the aisle or a couple gazing at a sky full of fireworks. Prospective customers can view an online video of shooter Jackson Huang at work. Typically $5,000. By appointment. 388 Carlaw Ave. (at Dundas St. E.), Ste. 302B, 416-259-6795.


JOHNNY LAM PHOTOGRAPHY
Johnny Lam’s shots are casual, breezy and fun. With a style he calls classic, bright and simple, Lam prefers to shoot outdoor weddings and to use nat­ural light (he almost never uses a flash, claiming it drowns out a lot of the ambience.) Lam “soft poses” couples, having them just stand and talk to each other, even about trivial things, like what they had for dinner the night before. This airy nonchalance is captured in unexpected moments, like prepping flower girls and pinning boutonnieres. By appointment. 416-893-3974.


JOSEPH + JAIME PHOTOGRAPHY
Joseph Paget and Jaime Maddalena have been married for six years and shooting weddings for seven, favouring a documentary style and fresh compositions inspired by their editorial work. Those looking for something different can have a few pics taken on a toy camera, like a Holga or a Diana. From $2,900. By appointment. 416-214-2588.


LET THEM EAT CAKE FILMS
Owner and lead cinematographer Mike Rybinski has embraced video technology, to the benefit of brides and grooms everywhere: he can have an expertly produced DVD documenting wedding preparations and the ceremony itself in the couple’s hands in time for the reception. LTEC’s shooters use Hollywood techniques—including professional off-camera lighting, audio and Steadicam—to capture primping bridesmaids and a behind-the-scenes peek at the bride-and-groom photo shoot. From $2,500. Closed Saturday and Sunday. 2834 Lake Shore Blvd. W. (at Fourth St.), 416-252-7768.


MANGO STUDIOS
Rather than a business, partners Nancy Da Costa and Mo Govindji prefer to think of Mango as a collective of artists helping each other hone their craft (many of the shooters are graphic designers and fine arts majors). They describe their aesthetic as timeless nostalgia, making use of natural light (solar flares are de rigueur in their pics) and eschewing Photoshop (which Govindji notes is “like adding makeup; when you overdo it, it doesn’t look right.”) Packages start at $3,500, but Govindji recommends the $5,500 one, which comes with two photographers and an album to make the day all the more memorable. By appointment. 477 Richmond St. W. (at Brant St.), Unit 101, 416-366-4723.


REBECCA WOOD PHOTOGRAPHY
Gorgeous and romantic, Rebecca Wood’s work has an intimate, heartfelt feel, often radiating a soft, dream-like quality. Couples will love all the little extras, too: clients can choose prints online and have their memories preserved in a exquisite handmade album made of Japanese silk and adorned with Swiss ribbon. From $4,500. By appointment. 9 Davies Ave. (at Queen), Ste. 400, 647-880-9669.


STOREY WILKINS PHOTOGRAPHY
Storey Wilkins produces stunning group portraits that rival those in Vanity Fair. At the same time, she is a virtuoso of the less formal documentary style. When working in the latter mode, she can capture her clients’ emotions and personalities so vividly that even strangers feel moved when they look at her photographs. An engagement session and album are included in her packages, which start at $5,850 for seven hours of coverage. By appointment. 416-483-4122.

(Images: Emma McIntyre)