This is a collection of a few of my favourite natural-light portraits from recent shoots. I love people’s faces, and I love to go in for extremely close, intimate portraits. Whenever possible—whether it’s a wedding, engagement, or family shoot—I’ll try to find a time to grab a few of these super close-ups. My one rule is to never ask for a smile (or have ’em “say cheese”)… instead, I have to illicit a natural reaction. The technical aspects are important, but not nearly as important as an honest expression.
Kristen and Jeff moved from Ontario, Canada out to the Bay Area of California about two years ago. At first they only had each other and the insanely beautiful Cali weather to rely on but they’ve since built up a great new community of friends. Shooting their engagement photos (and an upcoming engagement video!) I was honoured to experience and document the new life they’ve built. Jeff’s a good friend of mine and training partner in Brazilian Jiu-jitsu. When he asked me whether we should do the shoot in Cali or here in Southern Ontario, on one of their return visits, it’s not hard to guess what my suggestion was! There are few places I enjoy visiting as much as San Francisco (see this video), and was intrigued by the chance to use it as a shooting locale.
Ella and James met in class at the University of Waterloo… we snuck into a classroom to recreate the moment when they first met. James assures me this is exactly how it went down:
