Monthly Archives: March 2010

Serena + Seputro • Civil Wedding Ceremony • Niagara Falls, Ontario

Last year Serena contacted me while working and living in Australia. She was coming back to Canada for a few weeks this March to make her marriage legal in Canada, so she was looking for a photographer who would take some casual and fun pictures on the day of the civil ceremony. I gladly accepted. When I met up with them, Serena and Seputro were married two weeks prior at a traditional ceremony in Indonesia. I could only imagine what a wedding in Indonesia would be like!

That afternoon, it was pouring rain and extremely cold so most of the pictures were taken indoors at the Charles Inn (at Niagara-on-the-Lake). You wouldn’t have noticed the weather with these two laughing and smiling away the entire afternoon…it was quite contagious actually.

Safe travels back home to Australia and I wish you two all the best. Thank you for letting me be a part of your special day.


Wendy + Yorick • e-session

You could feel that spring was in the air when I met up with Wendy and Yorick at Sunnyside Park in Toronto. Although it was still chilly even with the sun beaming away, people were out and about rollerblading, playing catch with their dogs and bringing their kids to the park to play in the playground. We even spotted a guy out ‘suntanning’ in his speedo (uhhh…yah). With Wendy and Yorick bundled up and ready to go, I thought I would loosen them up a little by making them go on some of the swings in the park. It probably wasn’t the greatest feeling on their faces since the cool breeze from the lake was blowing right in their direction. Sorry guys!

Not only did we take pictures at the Park, we had a change of wardrobe and took pictures at the Humber Bay Arch and the Brookfield Place (formerly known as BCE Building) downtown. The inside of that building is so beautiful with it’s clear arched roof and glass-lit floors.

Now this is going to be a little off topic, but during our time together that afternoon I found out that they were interested in getting a shar-pei. So they asked Adam and I (yes Adam was with me as my amazing bag boy), if we had any kind of advice on breeders and of the breed itself. So we recommended our breeder and maaaaybe just maaaaybe they might get a relative of Magnus later on this year!

Thanks for the great afternoon you two and I’ll be seeing you both in April for your wedding. Weee!

Domo Arigato Japan

Well it’s been over a month since we returned from our honeymoon in Japan, but it still feels like we were there yesterday. Adam and I chose to go to Japan because it was a country that was on our “MUST GO TO” list. It was was quite the experience. I was in my second month of being pregnant so I was a little worried about how I was going to handle this trip waaay overseas with the different foods, let alone the 11 hour direct flight to Narito Airport from Los Angeles. But I successfully made it through our 2.5 week trip even with some good days and some pretty rough nausea/fatigue days…ok, enough about how the ninja was already kicking my butt.  ;P

The timing for our honeymoon trip was based around the Tokyo Auto Salon in January (I’m an awesome wife right?). We met up with the DSport Magazine group in L.A. and then headed to Japan. The tour and show was about a week long but when that wrapped up, Adam and I were on our own. Adam planned most of our sites to see and had everything organized for us for this trip, which I’m SO thankful for. Some of the places and areas we went to see was Himeji Castle, Harajuku, Shinjuku, Shibuya, Kyoto, and Osaka, just to name a few. We even stayed in a Ryokan, which is a traditional Japanese inn where you get to experience true Japanese culture and hospitality. I wish we could have stayed there a few more nights since I found it so relaxing.

This entire trip had amazing and breathtaking views where pictures just don’t do it justice. I will definitely go back to Japan again, but at a much warmer time of the year. I really wanted to see some cherry blossom trees in full bloom, but they don’t blossom until the end of March – beginning of April. *Sighh…but the trip was based around the date of the Tokyo Auto Salon (again, I’m an AWESOME WIFE…right Adam??? *wink*). We are already planning to go back in a few years, then I can bask in the warm sun and take in the pretty sweet blossoms.

So enjoy some of the pictures that we took with my Canon 5D and point and shoot.

With the set of pictures at the Salon show, I let Adam have my 5D to take pictures of cars. Great pics, but with the collage below, can you tell me which picture doesn’t really belong??? I’m glad he enjoyed all the great “bodywork” there. *tsk *tsk *tsk…

They even had some cool Recaro baby seats there. We really wanted to get one but these models are illegal in Canada.  :(

I even liked the design on their street sewer covers. I love geometric shapes and patterns.

Adam striking a pose with amazing light.

This is Himeji Castle in all it’s glory. This Castle was used in a James Bond movie, “You only live Twice” and the Tom Cruise’ movie,“The Last Samurai”.

Me inside the castle.

The stairs in this castle were extremely steep. Inside, there were six levels in total, and with a lot of climbing and rests, we both made it to the top!

How can you go to Japan without seeing anything Hello Kitty?! I’m not a cat person but she is the only cat I love. So while we were out and about shopping, I found this place where they had some flavoured stuffed treats shaped as, you guessed it, Hello Kitty! Yum!

Random smoker on the side streets in Harajuku.

Inside one of the many crazy, expensive malls we just window shopped in.

Adam looking at shirts in cool packaging and interesting display.

The majority of restaurants in Japan have this type of display inside their windows or entrances. It’s a realistic mould of the dishes they serve. Pretty cool and they looked so real.

Adam finally met up with his penpal of ten years, Mariko, whom we had a nice dinner with, which included Japanese-style pizza and Baskin Robbins for dessert. Thanks for the gifts Mariko, you are too sweet!

I took a picture of this because it was the only pug I saw in the entire time I was in Japan. No Shar-pei’s either! Boo.

These next series of shots were taken at the Ryokan, where we were dressed in traditional yukata’s while we stayed there. As you can see, we liked…

Domo Arigato Japan, we will see you in a few years in full bloom with an adventurous ninja in hand.  ;P

And thankyou Adam for such a great adventurous honeymoon. Can’t wait for next time!

F A C E B O O K