At the Belcroft Estates, Innisfil, Ontario.
Every wedding is a fresh new start. New light, new challenges. Fresh faces, fresh experiences. Photographing Mary & Greg at the Belcroft Estates in Innisfil is the closest feeling to a “countryside, destination wedding,” within 80km of the CN Tower.
Drive up the 400 North. By the time you ask yourself, “people live out here?” you’ve probably arrived in Innisfil. Start a living here? That’s a far stretch. But to throw a wedding party? Epicness in the making.
People flock to the countryside to be at ease. If an hour at Starbucks is our idea of therapeutic rehabilitation it wouldn’t be so difficult to get a fix while at Lake Muskoka. A “getaway,” not just in the metaphorical sense of vacationing, but simplifying and muting the things we experience allows us to focus attention to our inner thoughts. By contrast, living densely is having to constantly cope with the bombardment of pollutants.
Creating a compelling portrait, designed to illustrate a wedding day is a game of eliminating these distractions. A bank, fast-food chain, garbage can, random faces in photos, LED signage, road construction...stuff, always redirects our attention to what’s tantamount: “I’m marrying the man/woman of my dreams...maybe I can get a better mortgage rate if I switch banks; the McRib is back; Gardiner is down to one lane, still.” If you’ve had enough of that in your life, it's time to switch gears. From today, carry forward this thought: your wedding can be a getaway. A great wedding photo starts by making it look like a wonderful vacation; or maybe at your wedding, you’re already there.
The Big Question of the week is: “Are you getting the wedding you want?/Did you get the wedding you wanted?”
Terry Ting.
