Margot and Pascal - A Richmond Wedding Story

The morning of the wedding came with rain. Lots of rain. I packed the car with studio lights and as many umbrellas as I could carry! But on the way to Richmond the rain stopped, the clouds lifted and a beautiful afternoon emerged from the grey morning.

The ceremony took place at Canadian Martyrs Catcholic Church in Richmond, a beautifully light environment for photographing the ceremony.

After the ceremony we visited Garry Point for some photographs of Margot, Pascal and their attendants before returning to the Hilton Hotel for the reception.



At the reception the newly-wed Mr and Mrs Desmarais were serenaded by Margot's nephew Miguel, before the evening was turned over to serious partying!



You can see some more pictures from the wedding day here.

Monica and Otto - A West Vancouver Wedding Story

On Saturday I had the pleasure of spending four hours with Monica and Otto for their intimate wedding celebration. The ceremony took place at St. Francis-in-the-Wood in Lower Caulfeild, West Vancouver.


After the ceremony we took some family photographs, then moved on to Dundarave Beach for a fun photo session with the happy couple.


It was chilly by the water, so Otto gallantly stopped off to buy Monica coffee on the way to the reception, which was held at the Wedgewood Hotel in Downtown Vancouver.


You can see some more pictures from the wedding day here.

Congratulations Otto and Monica. I had great fun working with you and feel privileged to have been part of your wedding day.

Sandy and Wiliam - A Richmond Wedding Story

You might remember Sandy and William from their engagement pictures. May 12th saw us back together again for their big day. I met Sandy in the morning at her parents' house to catch the action as she got ready. Then we all headed off to Gastown where we met up with William, the bridesmaids and groomsmen.

Our second location took us to Richmond and Garry Point where we had some fun taking informal group shots before heading off to the ceremony and reception at Bethany Baptist Church.

Sandy and William were fun to work with. I hope you enjoy the pictures from the day as much as we did.

Alison and Brian

Alison and Brian are getting married in July, and they were great sports at their engagement shoot - or should I say shoots? Our first attempt was on a March Saturday and it rained all day. We braved the weather for about an hour before postponing to another day.

For our second session, we all held our breath as the forecast was for more rain. Luckily the weather was kind to us and we had a great time at various locations around downtown. I can't wait for July 21st!

Fun portraits

George Lange is a New York-based portrait photographer whose work has appeard in Life magazine, among others. I am a big fan of the way that he uses movement in his pictures, and the relaxed sense of fun he seems to bring out in his subjects.

I thought you might enjoy seeing some of his work, so here is a video from his web site reviewing some images from 2006.

Sandy and William

I had great fun with Sandy and William, finding some great locations around Vancouver to create some unique engagement shots. Our reward for dodging the April showers was golden light and a rainbow down by the water in Stanley Park.

Vendor Spotlight - Charicaturist Mark Siermaczeski

On Sunday I was photographing a wedding at the Hotel Vancouver when I came across a really neat wedding reception idea. Caricatures. Now you have probably seen caricaturists at events before, but stay with me because Mark Siermaczeski is different on two counts; the technology he uses, and the philosophy behind his caricatures.

Other caricaturists I have seen use pen and paper to create their pictures. Mark uses a Tablet PC, drawing his cartoons by hand on the computer screen and immediately producing prints with his inkjet printer. The advantage of this approach is that your guests can request several copies of a popular cartoon.

The second difference is that Mark produces caricatures that he describes as cruelty-free. In other words his goal is to create fun and flattering pictures of your guests in a cartoon style.

Mark's pictures were very popular with the guests, and he was usually surrounded by a group of children who were fascinated by the computer artistry involved.

To find out more about Mark, you can check out his web site at www.crueltyfreecartoons.com.

The Quiet Season

Winter is the quiet season for wedding photographers. Apparently. Obviously I can't comment for everyone, but I seem to be pretty busy.

November saw me at Christchurch Cathedral on Remembrance Day. What a wonderful location for photography!


The following day must have been one of the wettest days of the year and I was scheduled for North Shore Alliance Church. Armed with lots of umbrellas and an enthusiastic wedding party it was still possible to have some fun and get some great pictures! More about that in a later post.



The Snow in early December added a different look to a wedding in Abbotsford. This was followed a week later by a trip to Steveston United Church, and a return to North Shore Alliance Church at the end of the month.


January actually was pretty quiet for photography with a visit to a new location for me, Our Lady Fatima in Coquitlam.



Of course, January and February have also been very busy for 2007 wedding bookings, with my phone and email inbox being very popular. I have met many great couples and I am looking forward to working with them all. The warmer weather also means that it is engagement portrait season.

So I really have only one question. “Quiet season – what quiet season?”

Welcome to 2007

2007 is with us, memories of the Holiday Season are fading, and thoughts turn to resolutions for the new year. Along with my perennial aims - eat less, exercise more - I have decided to start this blog as a way to share my thoughts and ideas about wedding photography.

I had a great time during the 2006 wedding season. I was fortunate to work with some great couples and continued to learn from other wedding photographers. Now I am looking forward to another great season in 2007, creating images that are fun, spontaneous and unique to help you capture your wedding story.

One of my first projects of this year has been to update my website. If you are new to my photography, or if you have visited my site before, please check out the new content at www.jamesachurch.com.

Best wishes for health and happiness in 2007.