Brittany + Elroy | iPhone Wedding Photography

You know I love my iPhone.  I take so many images on it and have such a blast breaking boundaries and trying new things with it, since it allows me to just be creative without a ton of technical settings to fiddle with each time.  I have been considering photographing a wedding with my iPhone for a little while and in September I decided to throw the idea out into the world to see what would fly back to me. What flew back to me were two of the sweetest, most fun and relaxed people I could have ever imagined.  Brittany connected with me over the Labour Day weekend in response to my call out, basically open to whatever I had in mind, including the wedding date! So we selected a date that worked for all of us, which happened to be about two weeks after our first chat and she and Elroy started planning the day.  For my part, I knew that I wanted to make the most of this for them, checking out different iPhone shooting techniques online and pre-scouting the location they chose for the best little spots to capture the moments.

Finally the big day arrived and I knew as soon as we all met in person that they were the perfect couple for this little whimsy of mine.  They laughed at my jokes, didn't take themselves too seriously and had a loving supportive family to witness their simple, lovely ceremony.

Once they were wed, they gave me free rein to take them wherever my heart desired, so we hit downtown Kitchener to check out various parking lots and back alleys and just have a damn good time.  They playfully ran together, let me flash them in the bushes and braved darkened warehouses.  In short, they were PHENOMENAL.

I asked them to tell their story for the blog, so that they could share in their own words why they decided to participate in this project with me.  Here is what they had to say:

"We have known each other through friends of friends for a long time. We started dating in 2010. Three months into our relationship we went to Cuba for a week.. something Elroy’s friends asked him if he was sure about it... they asked, “This soon?” That was a big step in our relationship.

After a year, we both knew we wanted to buy a house. After we had been in the house for a while, we knew we wanted a baby. Baby before marriage, not a route most people would prefer. At the time we weren’t too big on marriage, starting a family was our priority.

We eventually came around to the idea of tying the knot. We knew there can be a lot of stress surrounding a big wedding – that was what we wanted to avoid. Our families knew we wanted something small and simple. Not everyone was happy about it, but this was the way we wanted to celebrate our love.

We kept talking about getting married, we took a trip to Asia and even thought about doing it there, but we didn’t... (Brittany thinks Elroy was still nervous!)  Labour day weekend, Elroy says “I think we should get married in September”. Brittany’s priority was making sure she got her hair done. Luckily Brittany’s hair stylist, Hollie, is also her friend and was more than willing to squeeze her in for the special event. Hollie also happens to follow Mandy on social media and she put us in touch when Mandy’s status said she was looking for a laid-back wedding to shoot with her iPhone.

We checked out Mandy’s portfolio… we felt her work was so genuine and candid, like she was a professional at freezing special moments in time. We got in touch with Mandy and told her we were so laid back that we didn’t even have a date yet. She chose September 25 (good choice Mandy, the weather was great!). We had 2 weeks to make arrangements : get rings, a dress, a marriage licence and an officiant. We invited our parents.

By talking to Mandy on the phone, we got to know her sense of humor.  Brittany laughed the day of when everyone was there but Elroy & Mandy jokingly asked if the groom was coming. We had a beautiful and brief ceremony at Rockway Gardens in Kitchener. After that we went with Mandy to take pictures. She had us laughing the entire time! Elroy doesn’t usually like getting his picture taken, but he said everything with Mandy was so natural – it didn’t feel like a photoshoot!"

I felt the exact same way you guys - just like hanging out with firends and taking some pictures.  Pretty darn awesome.

Thank you so much Brittany + Elroy for being so open, genuine and willing to go on this adventure with me!

M xo

(All images taken with an iPhone 6 and edited using the VSCOcam app.)

A Road Trip with Scribsy + My iPhone | Kitchener iPhoneographer

A road trip.  That thing that to some is daunting, to others boring, to many, an absolutely amazing adventure.  Hours in the car with no one for company but your chosen travel companion, nights in hotels and ever-changing scenery. It can make or break a friendship and can spawn both irritability and inside jokes. When Scribsy (aka Hilary) and I set out on our journey to Nashville, Atlanta and Orlando, we knew that at the very least, we would survive this trip as friends, having done a similar excursion only two years ago.  We set off early and only had one slight detour 45 minutes in the wrong direction before getting in the groove for the long haul.  Before we even reached our border crossing, we were laughing hysterically at our own silliness and officially named our trip the "Shake-a-Deuce Road Trip."

The first day we powered through all the way to Nashville, wondering how long Ohio could possibly go on while counting deer carcasses left on the roadside (okay, that might have just been me.  There was a exceptional amount of roadkill). We tried hard to predict the next lyrics of the country songs on the radio and nearly lost one flip-flop at a gas stop.  Before we knew it, the temperature was climbing and we opened the sunroof to soak in the sunshine.  Scribs loved keeping close tabs on the dashboard thermometer, letting me know every time it rose even a degree.

We rolled into Nashville late in the evening and tiredly but excitedly tumbpled out of the car and into a magnificent hotel called The Hermitage.  The lobby was expansive and elegant and we couldn't wait to get to our room, which it turns our, was equally fabulous.

For the next couple of days, we explored downtown Nashville, visited friends and checked out some of the cultural sights.  It was during this time that I decided that I would do an iPhone "Art Series" of Hil during our trip.  Sure, my big camera had been lugged along, but I felt like my phone images would be more interesting and immediate.  Scribs was a very cooperative "muse", leaping on cement barriers and sitting in narrow window ledges at my request.  I am sure some of the locals thought we were slightly unhinged, me with our collected array of bags and purses at my feet, shouting to Scribsy across a distance to move her head or arms as directed, sometimes mimicking the actions if she couldn't hear me.

After taking Nashville by storm and getting a bunch of fun "art series" shots under our belts, we set out for our next destination: Atlanta.  It was an absolute whirlwind of friends and fun, a late night and early morning, but we had a blast.  It is amazing the amount of visiting you can squeeze in in less than 18 hours!

We set off from Atlanta under a bright, white sun and were en route to sunny Orlando.  Along the way, we realized that our original estimate of 6 hours to our destination was somewhere around 2 hours off base but we resolutely kept on, stopping for emergency Dairy Queen and laughing at the mysteries of Google Maps.  Soon we were seeing the trees and flowers along the freeway turning deep green and bursting with life, the temperature climbing again after cooler temperatures in Tennessee and Georgia.  We scrambled for toll money and held up the line with our lack of US coinage but eventually made it to my hotel.

This was the end of our journey together, but we were not yet finished travelling.  Scribs was heading to meet her awaiting family for a much-deserved vacation while I would be boarding a flight home in the morning.  But we had done it. Five days, three cities, twenty-one hours on the road.  And still laughing.

After taking a few last frames for the "art series", we parted ways sadly, even though we knew we would talk on the phone every day until she was back and we would see one another in a week.  But somehow, the was a magic being broken, let go, from our road trip.  Memories that were being cemented and archived.  I waved to her as she drove away, happy and tired, ready for a quick dip in the pool before re-packing to head home the next day.

Once I was home, I decided that I would share some of my favourite iPhoneography from the trip, partly to share with family and friends who were not following along on Instagram, but mostly as a way to relive it for a few moments.

Thank you, my dear Scribs, for being the best road trip partner-in-crime a girl could ask for.  I would do it all over again in a heartbeat.   Shake-a-Deuce Road Trip FOREVER, baby.

M xo

Tennessee sun and clouds.

Visiting our dear friend Mandy Johnson at her phenomenal studio in Franklin.

At Belle Meade Plantation.

The Hermitage Hotel had this cool window in the stairwell that I was kind of obsessed with...The infamous Scribsy top knot.Her favourite.My favourite.Downtown Nashville.Last Starbucks of the night.

Hotel morning light falling on "command central".She makes me take the stairs. I love her for it.Our dear friend Elizabeth opened her home to us in Smyrna.  Isn't it just the most adorable little slice of Americana?

Love wins.

The last light together in Orlando.

My view of New York City as I flew into Newark on my journey home.

The shores of Lake Ontario call me home at last.

Personal iPhoneography 2014 | Kitchener Family Photography

Looking back through 2014, a few things come to mind.  Adventures in the woods.  Swimming, lots of swimming.  Skateboards and scooters. And family. This year was one where I put down the "big" camera and just brought my phone.  My phone, that I can slip into my pocket after the not-so-perfect-but-memory-capturing photo is taken and then engage in the moment.  Play with my girls. Kiss my husband. Pet my old dog.  These moments are what can get lost when my big camera comes around, as I struggle to get just the right frame rather than just the right moment.  That split second where my kids laugh a true laugh, or hit the water after a huge cannon-ball or stick out their tongues playfully.

Now don't get me wrong, lots of these images were taken with a vision or because the light was pretty or because I love me some Instagram and like participating in that community, but underneath all of that, this is our life.  And I love our life.  That is what I take away from these images as I reflect on the past year.

I am blessed beyond my wildest imagination.  And these photos are the proof.

M xo

Cell Phone Photography: A Guide

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