Earlier this summer I teamed up with the folks at Langdon Hall to create a video for their homepage (Note: it only appears in a desktop browser, not on mobile). The idea was to create a handful of shots to illustrate the experience of visiting Langdon, whether you’re staying overnight, getting a spa treatment, tasting wine with one of their sommeliers, or eating a gourmet meal prepared by chef Jason Bangerter. The images have very little, or at least very simple staging, with zero camera movement, meant to feel almost like still photos. The mildly OCD part of my brain that loves the art direction of Kubrick and Wes Anderson movies was very satisfied by all of the straight lines and symmetry to be found at Langdon.
It’s also one of the nicest wedding venues in the area. The one hit against it in the past, I think, was that you couldn’t have a large number of guests. They’re currently expanding, with the construction of a brand new reception hall. See a wedding video set at Langdon Hall in the above video!
Ella and James had a gorgeous winter wedding at Langdon. Check out those photos here.
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.
I love this song! The Urban Monks are a band that I first saw in concert performing note-for-note Beatles albums with the KW Symphony. Being a bit of a Beatles fan I took note and was sure to catch as many shows as possible. A few months later it turns out they had been hired to play at a wedding I was shooting (kate+andrew). They saw some of the footage and said, “wow, that’s really cool,” and since I was already digging their music, the idea to work together on a project came naturally. This is my first attempt at a music video; watching all the innovative videos in the 90’s was one of the things that attracted me to film making in the beginning (See Weezer’s video for Say it Aint So, another “guys jamming in a living room” style music video that I love, and drew inspiration from). Producing this has been a fun detour from my normal work and a great excuse to experiment. By now I’ve heard this song approximately 3.6 million times and it only gets better with each listen.
The song is called “Hook in my Mouth” by the Urban Monks. Composed by Pete Oldridge. Produced by Pete Oldridge and Rob McFee. Engineered by Rob McFee and Nick Iden. urbanmonks.bandcamp.com/
Lead voacals: Pete Oldridge // Bass guitar: Dave Neigh // Keys: Ryan Kimmich // Drums: Jonny Sauder
2nd Camera: Ben Kane // Best boy grip, PA, and BTS camera: Steven Yu
From the official site: “Tough Mudder events are hardcore 10-12 mile obstacle courses designed by British Special Forces to test your all around strength, stamina, mental grit, and camaraderie. With the most innovative courses, half a million inspiring participants, and more than $3 million raised for the Wounded Warrior Project, Tough Mudder is the premier adventure challenge series in the world.”
This was the first Tough Mudder event held in Canada. It was a 16km course around Mount St. Louis Moonstone Ski Resort, with 19 massive obstacles along the way. Turned out to be a great photo-op! However, I managed to get covered in mud to bring you these shots. Go figure.
