Griffen and Curtis had a lot of attention during their Trash the Dress session. At the time, the Cinematography team was holding a workshop in California, and they decided to bring their students to the shoot. It was Patrick, Konrad, Jaime and myself, with students Big Shawn, Little Shawn (sorry Little Shawn), and Jim. Not to mention all the spectators along the way! We started out close to Napa Valley at a vineyard and corresponding castle. What an incredible place! We went deep underground to where the barrels were kept and along the way we found a torture room, musty nooks and crannies, and about a million photo opportunities. It was pretty chilly down there, which was nice since it was scorching hot just outside. According to my estimates, it must have been at least 35 Celcius, 95 Farenheit. We took some shots outside and then headed to the coast…. where it was freezing! We were wearing fleece sweaters and shivering to bits – especially Patrick and Griffen who went swimming for a few shots. Because we went to 2 vastly different locations, we got an amazing variety of photographs. Here are some of my favourites.
A couple days after their wedding, we took Amit and Mandy out for a Day-After shoot. I tried to pursuade them to do a TTD shoot – but when you go all the way to India to have your garments custom made…. I guess it’s hard to wrap trashing around the brain. John and I chose the location. And I could see the look on Mandy’s face when she saw the rubbish we’d be putting her into. “Dont worry” I told her. I assured her that it just looked like we’d be trashing, but we really wouldn’t. Without a thread out of place (on Mandy at least), we finished the shoot.
-Amina.
Here are some of our favourite images (click images to enlarge):
Is that a true tilt-shift lens used in shot 003 or a post production effect to achieve similar results. In any case, great use of the effect and stunning images.
Sheila – We totally agree. Big things coming soon.
Jason – We believe strongly in creativity through the lens as opposed to creating ‘effects’ in post. All of our editing is done by hand, without any actions, and always with a strong purpose. That image was shot with the 45 TS lens.
P.
Sheila Lory - January 11, 2009 12:00 am
Love these shots. Kind of wish that i didn’t have to “click to enlarge” thought. Great work as usual.
Mandy - January 11, 2009 12:00 am
These pictures are amazing! Can’t wait to see the rest of them. Great work once again Amina and John.
Mel - Still Motion Bride from Sudbury - January 10, 2009 12:00 am
These are spectacular images in true Still-Motion Style. Congrats.
Vicky - January 10, 2009 12:00 am
sooooooo beautiful :D
Ngoc - January 10, 2009 12:00 am
These photos are amazing. I’d turn them all into posters and put them up everywhere! Seriously, they don’t belong on a blog, they should be on covers of magazines or something!
Jenny F. - January 10, 2009 12:00 am
Absolutely stunning….the contrast between the beauty of the couple and the rubbish. The black and white is a photograph of great portrayal of depth of feeling.
Amina and John, these are outstanding!
Donna and Bobby came to us after their wedding and asked if we could do something a little different from the norm. Obviously, our ears perked up. They were looking for something that in our opinion, was to look a little on the gothic side. Ever seen Sweeney Todd?
Donna brought a hair stylist and a makeup artist to our studio 3 hours before the shoot, and they did her up nice and good. They even put a little eyeliner on Bobby, but in the end we felt it was a little too Green Day. I think this time John wins the shoot with “best Sweeney photo” (see first image below). I was a close second. Here are some of our favs – some “a la Sweeney” and some “a la Still Motion”.
Sweet shots guys… haven’t checked your blog for a few weeks and as always, we’re very impressed with your recent work. We’ll catch up with you guys in the new year.
Claire - November 28, 2008 12:00 am
I absolutely LOVE these pictures. I love Sweeney Todd, I love Sweeney Todd inspired..the whole Tim Burton theme is excellent! I want pictures like this!
John your first photo is awesome! I love it, it is very Sweeney Todd, with the whole trap door theme. I love it. I also love the feet hanging through shot as well.
Good stuff!
-erika
Mel - Still Motion Bride from Sudbury - November 23, 2008 12:00 am
SWEET! Where do you guys dig up these locations? I hope we can find stuff half this interesting in Sudbury! Love this!
Well, hoooooooooly moly. If that isn’t one of the most beautiful pictures EVER (congrats, John) then I don’t know what is. What a great, inspired shoot. I love those daring couples – that’s totally our style :)
Ngoc - November 23, 2008 12:00 am
The first and last picture are my favorite. I think the perspective is totally unexpected. I had to look twice at the first picture to see what was going on. Very cool use of angle and light, John. You rock!
Okay, how is the world did you get a fridge for this shoot? I hope you’re not expecting this in CA. It’s totally random, but kind of cool!
So here’s the blog post with the photo portion of the shoot at Finn Slough. China Town was super cool, but the NO TRESPASSING signs at the Slough were way cooler. (For those of you who know us well, such signs translate into “WELCOME – BUT BE QUICK”). Danielle (from MindCastle) and I had a chance to scout out the Slough the day before. We had gotten together with Cheryl’s parents and they offered to take us there. Cheryl’s dad thought she was craaazy for thinking about getting in that water. We’ll see what he thinks of the photos… :)
The first one is my favourite. You’ve got houses on stilts, welcome signs, and the fetal position. What else could you want?
Hey, we are followers of you, from the Canary Islands (Spain), long ago. We love his work. In this particular we saw the Makin-of, and the result in both video and photography, and sincerely is impressive. Congratulations
We continue to work for a long time and we love it. We live in the Canary Islands (Spain) and do what we can here. I saw the making-of for the photo session and the resulting video and photos. Frankly spectacular. Thank you for sharing your work with the world. Greetings and if you wish you can see our work in http://www.reflejosdigitales.blogspot.com Thanks again
These are beautiful, great job. I can’t begin to tell you how inspiring these photos are.
I better head out to the Slough myself!
Vicky - November 7, 2008 12:00 am
wow, charming and absolutely beautiful!
i particularly like the colors of the 3rd one, and it seems like Cheryl is sitting inside a crystal ball.
i’m in love with these art!
wow… i just wanted to say that your work has inspired me in a way that i don’t think any photographer or videographer has in a while. ur work is truly amazing and i enjoy every bit of it.
Kevin and Tracy - November 7, 2008 12:00 am
we absolutely LOVE.LOVE.LOVE your work!!!! can’t wait to see how ours turned out.
Ngoc (writing for Link) - November 6, 2008 12:00 am
Wow, the last one is gorgeous! I love the lighting.
Oh man… Cheryl is like a wee china doll… so delicate and lovely. It makes the juxtaposition of the location all the more dramatic. They’re stunning!
stella - November 6, 2008 12:00 am
wow, so beautiful! my sister and i are waiting for our other sister to get married and the three of us are dying to do a TTD shoot with you guys! hope it happens soon!
I love these shots… my favourite is probably the last one because here you have a bride and groom posed like a wedding cake topper in the most unusual setting… love the light off the door behind them too. Great work girls!
Steve and Chrysta have got to be one of the nicest couples we’ve ever worked with. They did everything to make sure that we had everything to make us comfortable at all times – well planned itineraries, directions, food, and best of all, enthusiasm.
They braved all of our crazy ideas and in the end, it resulted in a really great gallery. Of course, this is just a sample (much much more to come), but there’s just so much gold that came out of this day. One thing for sure: that photo above is the best first dance shot I’ve ever taken…
Steve and Chrysta’s day began in Burlington, where we got some shots of the guys getting ready. There were quite a few Greek traditions throughout the day, such as communal shaving of the groom! Then we headed off to see the girls. Tom and Kathy Cochrane were kind enough to host the bridesmaids’ preparations in their lovely home on the lake. The church was filled with traditional Greek decor, highlighting the many icons in Greek Orthodox religion, which you will notice in the photos. Their reception was filled with Greek traditions, such as the Pig Dance where several groomsmen danced with the pig that was to be served for dinner. Another dance, one that involved breaking a loaf of bread, was a tradition that involved the establishing of power in the family.
That’s the best part about working in the wedding industry. We learn so much about other cultures and have the honour of being involved in some of the traditions!
WOW- absolutely stunning!!!! Chrysta- you look soooo pretty!
Annabelle Crisostomo - December 20, 2007 12:00 am
First, I was so excited when i saw your name in my incoming box.
Second, I was speechless after opening it and saw the picture.
Third, the beauty of the picture captured a very solemn and sincere union of the two of you — it made me want to get married! Congratulations and Best Wishes…..Love, Annabelle
Sherri Springer - December 18, 2007 12:00 am
Your pictures are absolutely breathtaking. The only thing that makes me sad is that I couldn’t be there to see it for real. I am so happy for you both, congratulations.
Kelly O'Neil - December 14, 2007 12:00 am
Chrysta,
I’m sitting at my desk crying. What a beautiful scene! I wish I could have been there to see this in real life. Steve, I don’t know you but you are a lucky man. Congratulations to both of you. You make a stunning couple.
Love from Kelly.
Troy McCaig - December 7, 2007 12:00 am
What beautiful pictures. They capture Chrysta’s exquisite beauty. Steve, you look good too.
Love you guys.
See you soon
Kathy from the Block - December 5, 2007 12:00 am
Was there ever any doubt…..this was the most beautiful day with the most beautiful memories. Thank you for the honour of being there for both of you. I cannot wait until you are hanging on my wall. Love you.
Now thats the way to do it.
Kathy
jenny from California - December 5, 2007 12:00 am
stunning as usual!
Wendy - December 4, 2007 12:00 am
Hey, you two, the pictures are amazing!!!! I can’t wait to see all the rest. I’m sure you are lying on a beach enjoying some quiet time after such a wonderful wedding!!!
Watching those pictures really makes me feel left out for not being there!!
Absolutely incredible stuffs!!
- Michael
melanie - December 2, 2007 12:00 am
Wow! The photos are absolutely gorgeous, just like the whole day was. I can’t wait to see them all. Chrysta … you are stunning. Thanks for including me in your special day. Lots of love, Melanie xxoo
Lindsay - December 2, 2007 12:00 am
The pics are so beautiful. I can’t wait to see the rest of them! Love you guys!
John had the pleasure of photographing the wedding of Mary and Curtis. While most of our couples have already spoken with or met John, we wanted to take this opportunity to more formally spotlight John and what he has done for StillMotion.ca.
John came on board back in July and has been doing just about everything to help out since then. While his main jobs are shooting and business development, he has been helping out with just about everything he can, and that has made an unbelievable difference for us with how crazy things have been this year.
So a big thank-you goes out to John, for all that he has and continues to help us out with, and for the awesome wedding images you see in Mary and Curtis’ gallery.
Hi, good post. I have been wondering about this issue,so thanks for posting. I’ll definitely be coming back to your site.
Sam - December 7, 2007 12:00 am
John, these pics are completely amazing. You really have a talent for capturing the warmth and character of the people you are shooting.
John's Mum - December 4, 2007 12:00 am
John, You are brilliant! I knew that all along! Happy birthday and all best for your future….you’ve already made it as far as I can see!
Wendy - November 30, 2007 12:00 am
John…these are wonderful!!! What a fantastic addition you have been to the Still-Motion Team with a talent that matches your outgoing personality. Seems a perfect fit. Congrats.
Kelly has to be one of the biggest Still-Motion enthusiasts. You must have seen all her comments on our blog!
So because of her (and Mike’s) love for photos, I’ve prepared a little sampler to hold them over while they wait for their photos.
You may notice little snippets of Blue Jays paraphernalia here and there… they’re huge baseball fans. In fact, baseball had a lot to do with Mike’s proposal…
So enjoy the photos, and be sure to leave a comment for Kelly. I’m sure she’ll love it!
I’m a new FB member, thank you so much for posting this link, absolutely gorgeous!!! We’re just about to book at Premier Place too, so it was nice to see the venue in a few of your shots! I’m going to PM you soon…thanks again for sharing, congratulations! I don’t even know you and I’m tearing up!
Samantha
LiveLaughLove
petra - November 30, 2007 12:00 am
OK How awesome is this body of work. I can not wait to see the rest. Kelly you were right to tell me to get kleenex.You are like my daughter and friend and we have been through alot and I just wanted you to know how much I love you.
Brandy - November 30, 2007 12:00 am
Amazing your gonna have to have a party just for all the pictures! start planing i cant wait! ;)
Kelly - November 30, 2007 12:00 am
Mike and I just watched this together…WOW.
If this is just a sample I can’t imagine how the whole thing is going to come together.
These are amazing and meaningful shots…Thank you so much – I can’t tell you how thrilled we are.
Thank you!!!
Cheryl Clark - November 30, 2007 12:00 am
Wow – I’m blown away! That was absolutely gorgeous…. how do you do it Amina? I was so involved in every detail, yet somehow you make it seem as though I’m seeing the wedding for the first time…. every single image gives me goosebumps! Can’t wait to see the rest…. It’s all so beautiful!
klara - November 29, 2007 12:00 am
Amina, that was amazing. Really, I think you hit a new peak with that one. And it comes together so beautifully with the music…
I love the one with the bouquet throw the best- it almost feels 3D!
Mandy // Trash the sari (I wish)
That is one bad-@$$ blade.
Is that a true tilt-shift lens used in shot 003 or a post production effect to achieve similar results. In any case, great use of the effect and stunning images.
Mel – Your turn is coming soon :)
Sheila – We totally agree. Big things coming soon.
Jason – We believe strongly in creativity through the lens as opposed to creating ‘effects’ in post. All of our editing is done by hand, without any actions, and always with a strong purpose. That image was shot with the 45 TS lens.
P.
Love these shots. Kind of wish that i didn’t have to “click to enlarge” thought. Great work as usual.
These pictures are amazing! Can’t wait to see the rest of them. Great work once again Amina and John.
These are spectacular images in true Still-Motion Style. Congrats.
sooooooo beautiful :D
These photos are amazing. I’d turn them all into posters and put them up everywhere! Seriously, they don’t belong on a blog, they should be on covers of magazines or something!
Absolutely stunning….the contrast between the beauty of the couple and the rubbish. The black and white is a photograph of great portrayal of depth of feeling.
Amina and John, these are outstanding!