What do you do when it's really important for you to have photos with your favourite human and your best furry pal, but you don't want your adorable 180-pound English Mastiff to steal the show on your wedding day? You bring your dog to your outdoor engagement session of course!
We pull into the parking lot at Toronto's Evergreen Brick Works and park Dee's burnt orange Toyota next to Krzysztof's ivory white Subaru. As Dee opens the back hatch, Izzy slowly stands on all fours before elegantly descending from her orange chariot. Her ears perk up when she spots Krzysztof on the other side of the parking lot. With the three of them united, we slowly amble up a sloping path to the top lookout, which provides a clear view of Toronto's CN Tower. With the soft light of the setting sun we descend into the valley's trails and I use foreground elements like trees, flowers, and grasses to frame the trio.
As I photograph Krzyzstof and Dee, I give them space for intimate moments, photographing them from afar while they express things they appreciate about each other. In a quiet moment, Krzysztof gently pushes Dee's hair off her face, his eyes reflecting the care he feels for her. As they walk with Izzy, their attention stays focused on each other, their clasped hands holding them close together. I also elicit fun stories about their relationship, catching Krzyzstof in a burst of laughter when I ask the two of them to sing "Hotel California" together.
Selena will be back in Toronto to photograph Dee and Krzysztof's wedding in October. This Life by Selena Photography blog post was written by Montreal wedding photographer Selena Phillips-Boyle. The non-posed portrait prompts used during this session were originally inspired by Corinne Alexandra. Selena often travels to Toronto for weddings and other projects. Here you can see a Toronto Island wedding and one at Artscape Sandbox Toronto She also accepts photo commissions worldwide, so send her a message on her contact page if you have a visual project in mind!