In the midst of high-wedding season it’s more and  more challenging to keep up on the blogging, but I’m really psyched about this session and I’m very excited to share these images with you!  Justin and I are really, really lucky to have cool, young, fun and genuinely sweet clients to create beautiful imagery with.  Take Sarah & Mike for example.

Okay – apologies in advance for including so many images in this one blog post, but I couldn’t help it.  Sarah & Mike are getting married next year, and their location of choice for engagement photos was up North at Mike’s family cottage in the small town of Elmvale, Ontario which is near Wasaga.  These guys truly love Elmvale, and they wanted their engagement portraits to reflect the time they have spent together in and around cottage country.

Justin and I had the pleasure of spending the afternoon and early evening shooting anywhere we thought looked cool – everywhere from a rural drive-in movie theatre to the 50’s and 60’s Diner!  The locations were so different these two were total naturals on-camera, and so in love!  Always smiling at one another.

Beginning our day on a main street in Elmvale, we first visited an antiques shop where I found a really cool gold painted frame – perfect to use in our shoot, so I picked it up and it came in handy later on for some creative photos in a field.  We ended up on Wasaga Beach at one point, and even though it was quite busy with subathers, I still managed to grab some nice romantic shots along the water.

After dinner, we headed to the cottage and the private beach from which the most gorgeous sunset could be seen – it was so relaxing just being there – really didn’t feel like work (did I mention how much I love my job?  We finished the session with some creative lighting, cold beers and a bunch of laughs.  A perfect end to a perfect shoot day!

Thanks to Sarah and Mike for being so fun to work with and for having us up to visit such a beautiful place.  Stay tuned next year for this lovely couple’s wedding photos!

Cheers,
Lisa

The weather could not have been more beautiful.  So beautiful in fact that Dana and Darren had nothing but sunshine for their stunning open-air wedding ceremony held in the vineyard of the Cave Springs winery, located in scenic Jordan, Ontario.  The wedding ceremony sign located in the vineyard was so cute and was one of my favourite details of the day!

The beautiful bride carried red roses (as well as the Maid of Honour), while her bridesmaids carried calla lilly bouquets.  The boys rocked some cool shades during the photos and we had lots of fun running around the vineyard, and using a gorgeous antique Rolls Royce in the wedding party photos.  The car really added a cool, vintage feeling to this stunning vineyard wedding and was the epitome of class.  I also brought along a cute parasol that worked as a dainty prop for Dana to pose with.

After their “I do’s” and some photo time in the vineyard, Dana and Darren arrived at The Inn on the Twenty restaurant and hotel where the reception was held in The Windows Room.  The room is aptly named, and later that evening we were treating to a gorgeous sunset as guests finished their dinners and listened to the final speeches.

Later on during the reception, Dana, Darren, Justin and I moved down into the Cave Springs wine cellar to pose the newlyweds among the stacked barrels of wine.  Those of you who have been watching my blog posts might have noticed that I am LOVING shooting night-time or dark scenes lately.  I find that by using a room with little to no ambient light, I can control my own light completely and create beautiful and dramatic scenes, which are very different from my daytime photography.  I love it because this gives my clients something totally cool and unique to use as a dramatic finish in their wedding album.  It’s also fast becoming my favourite way to shoot!

Thank you Darren & Dana, and congratulations again on becoming husband and wife!

Cheers,

Lisa

My favourite part of this session has to be the hilarious and adorable faces Sophie was making for the camera.  She would go from cutie smile to sticking her tongue out!  Loved it.  My hope is that Mom and Dad will smile at these images for years to come.

Thanks to Beth and Joe for having us over to meet & photograph you with little Sophie, who is absolutely a doll!

These two currently are living in Ottawa, but they are getting married here in the GTA, so we did their engagement session at Adamson Estate in Mississauga, Ontario.  This was my first time shooting at Adamson Estate, which is located along the Lakeshore Blvd., and it was a great location for engagement photography!  The barn is great for texture, and the lake and greenery add such a beautiful natural backdrop.  Even the arch was draped in flowers.  Just gorgeous.

This happy couple will be saying their “I do’s” this September, and in fact theirs will be the first wedding Justin and I will shoot as husband and wife after our own wedding earlier the same month!

Thanks Patricia & Stephen – we’re excited to see you at the wedding!

At the time of our session, baby Anna was 3 months old and she is gorgeous!  She had such adorable expressions and so much personality, even at this early age.  I wanted to capture this family’s lifestyle portrait session in a natural setting, so we chose Spencer Smith Park in Burlington, Ontario on the Lakeshore.  The grass was lush, and so I loved using it as a vibrant background against Anna’s cute pink ensemble.  And just look at those little feet!  I could eat them up.  Pretty sure Justin fell in love with baby Anna too!

Thanks to Heather, Andrew and Anna for such a fun & natural family portrait session.  Here are a few of my favourites from the session:

The rain held off, and in the afternoon even turned to sunshine!  Love was in the air, and the food was to die for (Justin and I have shot at the Ancaster Old Mill a couple times now, and the steak both times was amazing.  HIGHLY recommended).

From the wedding dress & shoes (seriously, check out those gorgeous shoes!) to the bouquets, the details were wonderful.

During the reception I asked the happy newlyweds to join me outside by the Ancaster Old Mill’s signature waterfall for some dramatically-lit night-time photos.  I was very pleased with the lighting on these images and how unique & moody the final results are (you can even see the spray from the waterfall in the final image).

Thank you Mellissa & Colin for asking us to capture this important day in your lives!  We had so much fun with you both.  Here are some of our most loved photographs from their big day.

Cheers,

Lisa

We headed to the Ashbridges Bay beach to shoot some romantic and fun images of these two, then near the end of our session we all drove to the nearby Cherry Street lift bridge for a few more fashion-inspired images.  I love using off-camera flash techniques to create vibrant colours.

Thanks to Quyen & Brad for a great session!  Justin and I are looking forward to your wedding in August.

Cheers,
Lisa

Wedding season for 2010 is in full swing, and I just had to share this stunning teaser  image from Sarah & Peter’s beautiful wedding at Cullen Gardens in Whitby, Ontario this past weekend.  Congratulations Sarah & Peter!

And to my future clients, I look forward to creating beautiful and unique imagery with you all.  My wedding to Justin is also this year in September so I look forward to being on the other side of the lens soon!

Cheers,
Lisa

As you may have noticed the blog has changed – the darker colour scheme is gone for a more light and airy vintage charm, which I feel best reflects my most recent work.  Not only the blog has changed – the portfolio website for my weddings and portraits is completely NEW, full of the latest work.  Check out the new site for my most recent wedding, portrait and commercial music & editorial work.  Pricing and more is also now available on the website located at http://www.LisaMarkPhotography.com under ‘Wedding & Portrait’.

Thank you in advance to everyone who has booked me to shoot their wedding or portrait session this year.  I hope to add many of your images to this site and blog during 2010!

Also a friendly reminder that I am almost completely booked for weddings for 2010 (I have very limited availability – please inquire regarding your wedding date), and booking has begun for 2011 weddings.  If you are saying “I do!” in 2011, please book as soon as possible if you’d like to work together next year.  Thank you for checking out the new work on-line and I hope you enjoy!  Comments and feedback are always welcome.

Please click here to visit the new website, and click on ‘Wedding & Portrait’, or follow the link in the blog menu.

Cheers,
Lisa

WEDDING CREDITS:

Ceremony, Reception Venue & Caterer:  Graydon Hall Manor
Photographer:  Lisa Mark Photography
Event Designer:  Jacqueline Rogers, Graydon Hall Manor
Decor:  Graydon Hall Manor
Florist:  Linda Downey
Bride’s Gown:  Watters
Bridesmaids’ Dresses:  Dessy
Groom & Groomsmen’s Tuxes:  Moore’s Clothing for Men
Make-Up:  Melanie Sivitilli
Hair Stylist:  L’Attitudes in Oshawa
Officiant:  All Seasons Weddings – Bruce Monro

A gorgeous Spring day awaited Sarah & Jeff who said their “I do’s” in front of family and friends in the courtyard of stunning Graydon Hall Manor.

This was our first time shooting a wedding at Graydon Hall Manor here in Toronto, and I must say we were very, very impressed.  The venue was gorgeous, the grounds immaculately kept and the staff were very lovely to everyone.

The day began with Sarah and her bridesmaids getting ready in the bridal suite.  One of my favourite features of Graydon Hall is the sweeping staircase with an ornate crystal chandelier hanging above.  A mirror is perfectly positioned on the wall opposite the staircase, making it a perfect photo opportunity for an elegant bridal portrait.

Once the girls and guys were ready, the Groom Jeff headed outside to await “the reveal” of his Bride.  You see, when we do photos before the ceremony, we photograph the couple’s first glimpse of each other.  This way you still have the element of that first look, even if it’s not while she’s coming down the aisle.  Jeff waited alone in the middle of the courtyard, making for a cool ‘lone Groom’ image I quite like.

After the big reveal and some photos around the Manor, we did family formals and the most adorable thing happened.  While I was shooting some images of the flower girl and ring bearer (who are brother and sister are get along like best friends) I asked the flower girl to give her brother a kiss.  Out of nowhere both kids turned and kissed each other on the lips!  It was too adorable and everyone laughed at how sweet it was – a really priceless moment.

The outdoor ceremony took place on the grounds and the bridal party had quite the grand entrance walking from the Manor into the garden.  Bruce Monro did a lovely job officiating the wedding, and guests enjoyed cocktails in the courtyard following the sunny ceremony.

Let me just say that the food at Graydon Hall Manor was excellent.  Really amazing.  Justin and I were very impressed not only with the staff and how kind and helpful everyone was (especially Jacqueline), but we also loved the food.  The cinnamon ice cream was particularly fabulous.

A big thank you to Sarah and Jeff, and their friends and family.  You made our jobs easy and we loved loved loved working with you.  Thank you to Graydon Hall as well – you did a fantastic job with everything, and I know the Bride and Groom were thrilled.