Here are a few of my favorite shots from Teriq and Reales wedding. The were such a great couple to work with. Their ceremony was at Lago, then we went to the National Art Gallery for formal shots and finally ended up at Centurion Hall for the reception. Any brides looking at locations I highly recommend these 3 places. The bottom photo was taken by my second photographer Charles Williams.
Here are some shots from Rebbecca and Bryden’s engagement session. We decided on Mackenzie King Estate. Being my first time shooting there I was quite excited to try out this new location. It turned out to be one of my favorite spots to photograph at. Brides out there looking for a cool location for their wedding or engagement session definitely have a look here. Even if you are looking for a romantic place to go on a date, hands down this is my favorite spot. Any photographers in Ottawa looking for a place to bring your brides and grooms check this place out!
Mackenzie King Estate Information
Getting Married at City Hall
A couple weeks ago I got to be the photographer at my first ever civil wedding here in Ottawa. There were 4 guests and the entire wedding lasted 30 minutes. There was an exchange of vows, putting on the rings and a first kiss. The ceremony was preformed by a judge and was very intimate and actually quite refreshing. It was by far the most relaxed wedding I have ever attended. After the ceremony we went around City Hall and took some portraits of the couple. To any couples out there there that want to keep it simple and save some money for the honeymoon, I gotta say go for a civil wedding.
Danjiella’s Wedding
Ever since childhood I have always had a fascination with vintage things. I used to snoop around my grandmothers, check garage sales and loiter in antique stores just to get a fix of the olden days. This fascination has never really gone away and now that I am a photographer I have developed a love for old photos. Since it can take a long time to sit around and wait for a photo to look old, I have started experimenting with ways of getting it done faster. There are two ways of making a photo look old. Digitally or “manually” (couldn’t think of a better word). I have been trying a bit of both.
To make a photo look old digitally it involves a lot of Photoshop. Generally you want to add texture by adding different backgrounds, then add tints, color casts, dodge, burn and vignettes. Basically doing the opposite of what I usually do to a photo to make it look good.
Now I haven’t quite nailed down the “manual” side of things yet but Ill keep you posted. This involves taking a photograph print and adding textures by using heat and abrasives. To add the old photo color I have been experimenting with soaking photos in tea, coffee, wood polish, lemon juice etc… After doing this then I would re-photograph the print and re-print it. This way you don’t have dried coffee and lemon juice on your photo. The bottom line is there is a lot of trial and error involved.
In the wedding market there is a huge demand for vintage weddings and I really want to reach these couples with photography. One thing I have learned since becoming a photographer is “Do what you love”, in my case its “Photograph what I love”. What I’m hoping to do with all this, is create a Vintage Wedding Album. I want to offer couples a custom wedding album that looks like it was made in the 1800’s. Right now I’m still developing the album with a friend of mine. I will keep you posted on our progress.
Take care everyone!
Winter Engagement
Here are a couple shots from my latest engagement sessions. Lately I have really been focussing on improving my engagement sessions. Since the engagement photos can easily end up very “posey” I have learned that I have to make it something other than an engagement shoot. I usually tell the bride and grooms to pretend they are on a date and I’m a third wheel. For 2 hours be that couple that everyone gets annoyed at for public affection. Just let loose and show your love for each other…
Wedding photographers all have different techniques for getting natural photos of a couple but the key is to get natural shots. Get them comfortable in front of the camera. I just do my best to document the couple on a date.
Thanks for stopping by!
Hello from Mexico
Hey everyone! I’m away from Ottawa on vacation in Mexico. Right now I’m sitting on the beach relaxing and reading my book on famous wedding photographers. I just got to a section on ceremonies. What they say and I agree with is “The ceremony is the climax of the wedding day.” This is when photographers feel the most pressure. There is nothing in the ceremony that can be redone or paused. The bride will only walk down the isle once, the first kiss is only the first kiss the first time.
Anyways so I have decided to work on catching moments even harder. I now make a point to bring my camera almost everywhere and take pictures of pretty much everything. I remember a few years a go when I brought my camera out often times I would be totally unispired and take very few crappy pictures of nothing. Now when I take my camera out I force myself to take pictures, and I force myself to attempt to find a good picture in a seemingly boring subject.
So to anyone out there wanting to get into wedding photography my advice is take tons of photos of everything. Take your camera everywhere and force yourself to take pictures even if you feel they are pointless. Some of the most important photography lessons I have learned were from taking “pointless” photos.
Take care everyone and see y0u back in Ottawa!!!
Wedding Photographers Ottawa | Ryan Parent
8 Chancellor Ct.
Ottawa, Ontario
K1V 0W7
The flowers at Luc and Monica's wedding
So over the last few months I have been reading a lot of books on famous wedding photographers from around the world. I have been trying to really refine my way of shooting and develop a trademark style. One thing I have learned from reading these books is all the top photographers have something unique about their style that no one else offers in such a way. Some shoot all film, some shoot all available light, some shoot candid, some shoot more of a portrait style. And its the mix of the and many other elements that make each of these famous photographers unique.
Here is a couple quotes from Ben Quillinan one of my favorites.
“ What separates good photographers from mediocre ones is being able to know and foresee our ever-changing surroundings and being able to control the lighting, focus and composition in a split second.
Photographers must know their equipment well enough to be able to make on-the-fly adjustments without taking their eye off the subject. Equally important is their personality. It helps a photographer stand out from the pack, keeps the day flowing smoothly and allows them to truly connect with their brides.”
“Only recently have wedding photographers been widely recognized for their multifaceted talent. During the course of the day they serve as architectural photographers, documenting locations; as portrait photographers, flattering the days key players; as product photographers, shooting all the details; and as a photojournalist, telling a story, under pressure, with pictures.”
I found both of these quotes very inspirational, coming from someone whose entire life revolves around is wedding photography.
Thanks for reading and as I am in Mexico right now I will be posting some shots from my trip and hopefully have something interesting to write about.
Take care everyone!
Marcail's Bridal Party
This shot was taken at the Kanata Golf Course here in Ottawa. I remember this day pretty specifically because it was the rainiest wedding I have ever shot. It rained from when I woke up at 6:30am until about 5 minutes before this photo was taken at sunset. One good thing about rainy days is often when the rain clears a dramatic and beautiful sky is left. When I took this shot I used direct on camera flash to light the subjects. I powered my flash so that the sky would be slightly underexposed and give a deep blue color. After I used photo shop to create the orange in the sky giving it an even more dramatic look.
One other thing I have to add is golf courses are a great place to have a wedding! Amazing outdoor scenery for the ceremony and always a great place for a party after.
Over the past few months I have been looking high and low for another wedding photographer to join the team. We have been swamped with requests the last few months. It turns out in 2010 a lot of people are getting married. We’ll I’m pleased to announce that we have found Chris. He is a very talented wedding photo journalist. For his day job he shoots freelance for Reuters and has been published in The New York Times, Toronto Star and regularly appears in the Ottawa Citizen. Chris’s style is very journalistic, he shoots with mostly available light, often using prime lenses. Here is a link to his wedding portfolio. Anyone interested in booking Chris to shoot their wedding, just send us a message and we will arrange a meeting.
Below is a shot I took last summer at the bride Marcail’s house.
Marcail's Dress
Ryan Parent Studios | Wedding Photographers in Ottawa, ON
8 Chancellor Ct.
Ottawa Ontario
K1V 0W7
Flower Girls and The Ring Bearer
Always a fun place for receptions is the Sala San Marco in Ottawa. This hall has a great vibe to it. For wedding photographers in Ottawa you won’t be disappointed shooting here. This show was taken when the flower girls, ring bearer made their grand entrance right before the bride and groom. I decided to us a wide angle lens to capture the surroundings. Because the kids were moving I increased the flash, shutter speed and iso a bit and opened the aperture in order to freeze their motion and still allow in the background light. The great thing about this place is the high white ceilings. They allow photographers to bounce light very easily and get great results.
Thanks Ali I had a great time at your wedding!!
Ottawa wedding photographers | Ryan Parent Studios
8 Chancellor Ct. Ottawa, ON K1V 0W7
