Vanessa Lalonde Studios

A Muskoka Wedding at the Windermere House

2009-10-03T11:33:00.003-04:00

We are shooting a Muskoka Wedding this weekend at the beautiful Windermere House: Resort + Hotel...what a truly gorgeous venue!! Rather than simply coming up here for the one evening and capturing the wedding, my husband and I decided to make a weekend getaway out of it. And, I am so glad we did:) It's always so nice to get out of the city, even if it is only for a couple of days.

The ceremony is set to take place out on the original stone veranda that wraps around the front of the Windermere and overlooks Lake Rosseau. Which we just learned is the only original element of architecture that remained after a fire swept through here in 1996. The entire hotel was rebuilt and reopened in 1997. And, what a wonderful location for a Fall Wedding.

All the best to Heather + Clint today...I know that Heather will be a beautiful bride:)

"Magic Time"

2009-09-14T13:38:00.007-04:00

I recently had the honor of shooting one of my colleagues engagement pictures. Shane happens to be one of our studio photographers here. We have been friends and colleagues for quite sometime, after having been through school together and frequently shooting weddings as a team. Shane has just recently come on board as one of our studio's lead photographers.

Anyhow, the shoot was supposed to take place at a local sunflower field. This giant field of towering sunflowers had been somewhat of a myth for the last year or so until finally Shane had noticed it in full bloom. We were both pretty excited about doing the shot's there. Unfortunately, when we arrived at the field all of the sunflowers were dead! So we settled on another location- a nearby deserted dirt road, running through a beautiful field of tall grass. Even better then the actual location was the fact that the sun was setting right behind us. According to my dad (and Van Morrison) , this is called "Magic Time"...and it sure was. There really is something so magical about this natural, beautiful light hitting a couple in love.

The pictures say it all! Thank-you to Shane and Dawn for a great shoot and all the best with your upcoming wedding:)

Back to Business...

2009-09-03T09:15:00.007-04:00

This past month sure has been busy. Married & moved. Quite possibly two of the most stressful events you can take on. And, yes, it did rain for our big day...our "Garden Wedding". It poured to say the least. Funny enough though, the sun cleared just as we exchanged our vows and we were able to celebrate outside as planned. As a bride, of course this is your worst nightmare and there is absolutely nothing you can do. All you can do is not let it ruin your day. Which we did not and it was a wonderful evening spent with good friends and family.

I would like to thank our photographer and friend, Ken, for such a wonderful job. Ken took this shot of my girlfriend and I as we looked outside in horror at the pouring rain. I actually find it quite funny.

Anyhow, it's hard to get back into the swing of things...but I finally am...with a new husband and a new office!

On that note, our studio is expanding and building a talented team of wedding photographers. We are currently accepting resumes and portfolios. To apply, please email your resume, cover letter and relevant portfolio samples to jobs@vanessalalonde.ca. Applications without a cover letter and relevant portfolio will not be considered. No Phone Calls!

About the Job

This is a working lead position, candidates are expected to produce senior level photography. We are offering a competitive pay plan. Our studio fosters a team spirit and we hope to attract individuals with the same values.

Position Responsibilities:

- Ensure quality photography

- Own professional level camera equipment, must shoot with a digital SLR

- Must be organized and able to manage multiple projects

- Thorough knowledge of both digital and conventional photographic equipment

- Able to maintain excellent working relationships with clients and team members

- Must have been lead photographer or assistant photographer on a wedding within the last year

- Encourage photographer creativity and provide ongoing feedback to fellow team members

- Willing to work a varied seasonal schedule, including early mornings, long days and weekends

- Ability to work independently and in a team environment

Please cross your fingers...

2009-07-21T14:55:00.004-04:00

This Saturday is our Wedding day!!! So please cross your fingers that the rain holds off. I figure that there is no way that I can shoot for the past 5 weekends with no rain...and have it rain on my own wedding. Is there? As our wedding will be an outdoor ceremony and reception this would be quite awful. Either way, the weather can't ruin our day...we are so excited!!!

I would like to thank my friend and colleague, Shane, for taking our engagement photos...amazing job! They are exactly what we wanted. We did a nighttime photo shoot in the heart of Waterdown. I would recommend a late night shoot to anyone who is truly looking for something different and a little bit racy:)

**Please note that I will be unavailable as of July 25th until August 7th. Feel free to send any inquiries to the studio during this time and I will return your emails as soon as I am back.

New Studio Logo Image...

2009-07-07T18:35:00.005-04:00

I spent Canada Day with family around the Georgian Bay area. It is always so beautiful there, not only gorgeous landscapes, but great architecture. I am somewhat obsessed with old barns...the older the better and there are plenty of old barns around and on the way to Georgian Bay. This one in particular caught my eye...although I suppose it is more of a garage than a barn...either way, loved it! Someone spray painted "love" on it. I couldn't get enough images of this old garage with it's graffiti. What a perfect logo image for our studio, since the word "love" is so important in everything that we capture within weddings.

A Whole new endeavor for our Studio...

2009-06-24T08:09:00.001-04:00

Our studio has always offered "custom framing", but only recently has that taken on a whole new meaning!

In the past, we sent our framework out to be done and to some degree it was custom. Allan (our framer from way back) was great. He was fast, reasonable and he would frame pieces that were not the standard size, building each frame & matte to fit my individual pieces. Although, after it was all said and done, the finished product looked just like any frame that you could pick up at Home Sense. We wanted something unique so we moved on...

Our studio began collaborating with a talented young carpenter from the area, Joshua. His creativity is endless. His beautiful frame designs seem to transform every piece (photo and/or painting) into an entire work of art! Oh...did I mention that this accomplished genius is my little brother? Anyhow, Josh's imagination opened my eyes to a world of possibilities for custom framing.

So this past weekend I took my ideas to the shop ("the shop" being my dad's beautiful new workshop that he has built in his backyard...it has ever tool/machine/gadget that you could every think of)!! With the help of a handsome teacher (and soon to be husband) I learned how to use the essential power tools necessary for constructing a sturdy frame. Once I had that down pat, I put my artistic ideas into action and I am so excited about the results and the possibilities for our studio.

Needless to say, our studio now officially offers custom framing & matting! Natural, raw, chunky, classic, bohemian, contemporary, chic, artistic framework-customized to suit every client's individual style!

2009-06-18T21:47:00.000-04:00

Such a cute couple, Lauren & Kevin, couldn't stop laughing during their shoot...it was making me laugh. Nothing makes for better photographs than genuine laughter:)

Too cute...

2009-06-10T18:45:00.000-04:00

Spent the afternoon going through photographs from 2008 wedding season and came across this one. Thought I should share:)

and the Blogging Begins...

2009-05-26T13:55:00.000-04:00

Must admit, that I am new to the "blogging scene", but excited!

My vision for this blog is to create a scrapbook of sorts, that will capture the details of each wedding season and our studio, as it changes. Hopefully, it will be interesting enough to keep the attention of a couple of followers?