I spent an early morning with Melanie and Michael at the Evergreen Brickworks to soak in the morning light and sunrise.
I’ll admit, I’m not much of a morning person, but the moment I’m out there seeing the sun rise, I’m quickly reminded why I bother getting up crazy early in the summer for these sunrise engagement sessions.
Although I don’t get to photograph their wedding until next year, Melanie and Michael are giving me the opportunity to head out to Canmore Alberta to photograph their big day next summer.
Now living in Ottawa, the two of them decided to get their photos done here in Toronto, where they spent a bulk of their lives together and a place they still consider home. The Evergreen Brickworks provided the perfect scene with the slightly changing colours of the trees, the golden light of the sunrise and the taste of coffee fresh on our lips, it made for a great start to the day.
The golden light, combined with their style, made for a laid-back photoshoot with a hint of editorial flair, but mostly it was easy capturing their down to earth personalities and being (literally) the only people around, the mood was intimate which led to some beautiful quiet moments overlooking the Toronto skyline as the sun rose above the concrete jungle.
If you’re wondering if waking up for engagement photos at the Evergreen Brickworks during sunrise, the answer is, yes, it is. Very worth it.
This past weekend I got to photograph Aimee & Nuno’s family fuelled, urban themed wedding, but for now, I’m taking it back to this past fall when I first got to hangout with the two of them for an afternoon.
Our time together started at one of my favourite local coffee / beer spots, Boxcar Social Riverside, where we had some incredible coffee tasters and Aimee had some wine along with Ryanne. Aimee’s family runs a successful winery here in Toronto called Macedo Winery, so she definitely knew a thing or two about the selection on hand and gave us a quick glimpse of her incredible knowledge of wine.
From there, we made our way over to the Evergreen Brickworks to explore the urban meets nature vibe the place has going on. Both Nuno & Aimee grew up in the city and they very much feel that the atmosphere and aesthetic of urban landscape is very much part of who they are and where they come from. So of naturally, the Brickworks was a fantastic location for us to spend our afternoon and evening lifestyle session to enjoy the scenic sunset overlooking the CN Tower and the rest of the downtown Toronto skyline.
Since it was fall, the season brought us some interesting and diverse landscape to work with including minor pops of colour to contrast with urban decay and oddly beautiful gloom of plants reaching their final cycle. Combined, it created a beautiful and honest environment for Nuno & Aimee to be themselves and enjoy the final moments ahead of the winter season.
It was the first time I worked with a Portuguese couple (I am Portuguese for reference) , and it was insane how crazy comfortable we all were around each other, it’s like we’ve known each other our whole lives, like distant cousins you see during the big holidays scattered throughout the year.
Looking forward to sharing their urban themed wedding in the coming weeks.
