Auleene & Alberto wedding ceremony took place earlier this year in Stanley Park during the month of June. I still remember the day very well as we had a downpour and all you could see from their Westin Hotel room were clouds and more clouds. There was no sight of clear skies. We’re very use to rain in Vancouver but on a wedding day I think almost all brides pray for sun or at least no rain! This was especially important for Auleene and Alberto’s wedding because…the wedding was to take place outdoors! I also soon found out that they had rented a classic convertible car for their wedding and thought it would be gorgeous if we could get the top down on it. I knew just the wedding photo I would take while in Stanley Park .

I’m happy to say that the weather gods decided to be nice that day and on arrival at the wedding venue the skies cleared up and the sun peeked through! I guess that’s something we’re also use to hear in Vancouver, one minute it could be hailing, the next minute it’s clear blue skies.

Below are a few of the photos we captured during the day. The photos right after the ceremony were a bit rushed but we nailed down what the couple was looking for in such a short time frame. I was also able to get the photo with convertible’s top down, a photo I’ve been waiting to capture since I started wedding photography.

A week after Tomo & Jamie’s wedding I found myself yet again at the Minoru Chapel for another Anita & Raymon’s wedding! I didn’t mind this since I was already familiar with the church. The day started off with pouring rain, definitely not the most ideal wedding weather but makes for a different set of photos. We were lucky that the rain stopped after the ceremony so we headed off to Richmond City Hall to get in some wedding photos. Anita & Raymon and their bridal party were great to work with. They were on schedule with all of their events which made taking their wedding photos a breeze, we never felt rushed! Thanks for letting us be  part of your day! Check out some of their photos below! (Photos shot for Three Sixty Photography)

A little over two weeks ago Jun and I found ourselves photographing this beautiful wedding cermony at Minoru Chapel in Richmond. Tomo and Jamie exchanged vows in front of their closest family members and friends and we were there to capture it. Tomo’s mother had a smile on her face the entire time she was helping lace up the wedding dress. She didn’t seem stressed at all even when pressed to get it done. Coincidentally they had the same wedding minister as the wedding I photographed the week prior at Queen Elizabeth Park. His speech was almost identical as well. I guess if it works why change it right? Slightly long winded but good nonetheless.  We were only there for the ceremony and a few photos after. I hope you enjoy some of the memories we captured!

Back in October Tom and I attended Barb and Jeff’s wedding on the Sunshine Coast at Rock Water Resort, a beautiful venue for such an event. If you haven’t visited the resort or looked it up I highly recommend you do. Visitors can stay in one of their many ocean side cabins. These luxurious tents are situated in the tree tops and they’re connected via tree top bridges. Barb and Jeff you chose a spectacular venue!

The day was very laid back which was a nice change from the usual. The couple exchanged vows outdoors with the ocean as their backdrop. The group wedding photos were captured by the water side and the evening reception took place outdoors in a nice white tent.

Thanks for handling our accommodations that evening Barb and Jeff, I only wish we could have enjoyed it more the next day (I had to ferry back over to Vancouver early the next day for another wedding). We had a place that was just a few feet from the water. Random note, I was the shortest person in attendance.

Below are just a few of the photos the two of us captured. Since I was photographing for Tom these are edited by him.

The paths to the ocean side tents.

The wedding venue as seen from the tree path.

The bridal party went for a run before the wedding.

The guys getting ready.

The guys are good to go!

Let’s check out how the ladies are doing.

Our accommodations by the water.

A couple weeks ago I had the pleasure of photographing Parveen and Saj’s wedding in Vancouver. Their ceremony took place at the beautiful Lions Gate Jamatkhana Mosque. We took some pre-ceremony photos in a small hiking trail I found behind the mosque, lucky find actually. There wasn’t much around the mosque besides the upper levels highway. From there we went down to Gastown to take photos of the bridal party. It was close to where the couple lives plus within distance to the reception. The entire party was a joy to photograph and it shows in the photos below. Thanks Parveen sand Saj for letting me and Tom be a part of your special day.

I haven’t had a chance to upload or edit these photos yet but I thought I’d put up a teaser and the video that Steve Tan put together for Jimmy and Michelle’s wedding in Vancouver. This was another wedding I was shooting secondary for Vancouver wedding photographer Tomasz Wagner. The couple was awesome and so was the ceremony and reception (can’t go wrong when a big group of their friends are DJs).

Back in early June Tomasz Wagner from Mananetwork Wedding Photography in Vancouver asked if I was available to shoot a wedding with him. Looking at my schedule I had nothing booked for the day so I said sure why not! The couple were past co-workers of his so this made things a lot easier. They were all about the photos so anything we asked of them they were all for it. I was shooting secondary for the day so I was tasked with following the groom around as well as the photos of the bridal party.

The couple was East Indian and Italian, an incredible mix! They had two different ceremonies and the reception was awesome! East Indian and Italian food, need I say more? Catered at the Italian culture center. The reception was up there with some of the best receptions I’ve ever been to (and I’ve been to quite a number over the past three years). Suman and Mario, I loved your entire wedding day!

Have a look at some of the photos below shot for Mananetwork Photography. Photos were edited by him and the style is his own. His wedding packages cost  more but this is the type of photos you expect from him. They have been stylized and very well edited (lots more hours in post). You can see the rest of the photos here. If you like what you see contact one of our Vancouver wedding photographers today.

A big congrats goes out to Annie and Vincent for surviving their wedding day! The two seemed a bit stress throughout the day but they got through it. They had their ceremony at Hycroft Manor in Vancouver would provided a great back drop for some of the images. After the ceremony we took some time out to take some photos of the wedding party at the Vancouver convention center. The lighting was extremely harsh that day but us wedding photographers made due with what we had. It was also quite windy as well. We had attempted a shot at the top of one of Coal Harbour’s apartment buildings but that didn’t work so well as the girl’s dresses (and hair) were flying in all sorts of directions! The night ended off with a nice performance at a chinese dim sum restaurant in Richmond. The photos below were shot for Three Sixty Wedding Photography.

Images photographed by Vancouver Photographer Michael Lee.

Going through last season’s photos gives me an idea of where I did well and where I have to improve. It also gets my head back into wedding mode, not that it’s hard to given the number of ones I’ve done over the last three years. I also like to look at other people’s portfolios and blogs for inspiration.

This year I’m probably going to focus a lot on using off camera lighting. Last year I started using more of it and getting comfortable using it in different situations. For example indoor as a main light, outdoor as a fill, or using it to add another dimension to the photo. I use to mainly only shoot in available light with light modifiers such as reflectors. Shooting with off camera flashes really gives you a lot more ability to shoot anywhere.

The below photo is a great example of off camera lighting. The venue also has to be lit well enough for the camera to track focus. If the place is pitch dark except for some strobes it’s hard to get a clear photo. This was shot in a one of the ballrooms in Richmond.

More to come…