Empirical Photographic Arts

Don’t let Frank and Brigitte’s shy appearance fool you…
These guys are just hillarious and a blast to work with. There wedding ceremony took place in Paris Ontario and reception at the Brantford Golf and Country Club. Check out Frank and Brigitte on the dance floor below. This is the first time I’ve seen the bride and groom video taping their own party…you guys rock!

Toni and Derek met us in Paris Ontario for their engagement shoot recently. They will be getting married at the Paris Golf and Country Club in August 2010.
These guys swear they haven’t done any modeling. Between you and I, I don’t believe them! Here are a few of the images from their engagement shoot in Paris. More to come later this month after their wedding.

Vince and Andrea were married on July 3, 2010 in Stoney Creek and a kick-ass reception service at Galileo’s Garden. Nothing says I love you more than an antipasto bar!
Both houses were a buzz in the morning, complete with live Croatian music and tons of family and friends. We had a blast with everyone – thanks for such great hospitality.
Andrea’s parents neighbours were kind enough to let us use his garage as a backdrop with a couple of old Studebakers, climbing ivy, old gas pumps, and more – it was absolute eye candy.

Graham and Cara drove down from Oshawa for their engagement shoot last week. Through hellish 401-major accident-traffic and all, they made it, a little frazzled -  but they made it! We ventured off to Apps Mill for a few cool shots and then off to downtown Brantford. Downtown Brantford is a junk pile of eye candy for photographers. You’ve got old, new, great architecture, and great food. Speaking of which, upon learning that Cara is a fellow french fry junky we had no choice but to introduce them to the Admiral’s large fry. Mmmmm, so bad but so good!
Below are a few images from the day. Graham and Cara will be tying the knot on July 31, 2010 at the Royal Botanical Gardens in Hamilton.
Thanks for making the trip guys!

Check out this awesome VW beatle! This was Dave’s first car and now it sits in Dave and Heather’s backyard! I think they should leave it there as it fits right in…or they should sell it to us!! We started off at their house, just had to get some shots with this cool car, and then off to a couple locations in Brantford Ontario. Looking forward to Dave and Heather’s wedding this September at the Brantford Golf and Country Club.

It’s funny how things seem to happen for a reason. So we met up with Vince and Andrea last week at Dundurn Castle in Hamilton to start out this great venture to various locations for their engagement shoot. Well, what was suppose to be this really nice day turned into a dark and gloomy night reaaally quick so we finished up at Dundurn with this wicked shot out front (first image) and decided to meet up again another day. Off to Stoney Creek we go for some more shooting and scouting for the wedding day yesterday. We finished off back at Andrea’s family home and after meeting the family and neighbours we start looking around….Andrea’s neighbour has been generous enough to offer up his antique cars for her wedding day so we go next door to have a look and….OMG!! Goldmine!…..that’s it, now you have to come back in a few weeks to see what we found! hahaha

D’Arcy and I had the pleasure of photographing Brad (aka ‘Janet’) and Twila’s wedding on May 29, 2010 and enjoyed a fun filled day with a great bunch of friends. Brad is a member of the Paris Port Dover Pipeband, a local pipeband ranked number 3 in the world! They are an amazing group of people and you are guaranteed a good time when you’re with them. Much of Twila’s family made the trip from Calgary which just added to the emotions of the day….her father practically had the whole assembly in tears as he sang butterfly kisses during the ceremony in Selkirk, Ontario. We finished off the night at the Courtyard Marriott in Hamilton. Talk about a little hidden gem on the mountain. Beautiful venue, nice gardens, and great food!
Thanks for allowing us to be part of your wonderful wedding, hope you’re enjoying the cottage!

We got together with Frank & Brigitte last week for their engagement session and did some shooting around the Brantford area. Most of the time when we ask to use someone’s property for a few shots they are thrilled and take it as a compliment….this wasn’t so much the case this time but never the less,  after a little reassurance and chit chat, we were able to pull it off.
We started off just outside of Brantford and worked our way back into town. The engagement session is always a good chance for us to learn a little more about the bride and groom to be. We now know that you can take the boy out of the city but you can’t take the city out of the boy! Just kidding Frank, we’ll be sure to keep you clean on the wedding day!

Frank and Brigitte will be tying the knot on July 10, 2010. Looking forward to the big day!

Brad and Twila are getting ready for their wedding which takes place May 29, 2010. We went back to Brad’s roots for the engagement shoot and took a drive down to Selkirk. Those that live in Selkirk probably think we’re crazy for doing an engagement shoot there. But for those of us that rarely drive through there, it is a little oasis. A quaint little village that leads you to cool beaches and rocky terrain on the shores of Lake Erie. We finished off with a little visit to their old neighborhood in Dunville, we still don’t understand the reason for leaving when you had the lake as your private back yard! Looking forward to the wedding guys, cheers.

Mike and Joni’s wedding show just went live tonight, make some popcorn and have a watch. You’ll have to download a presenter plugin but it is completely safe. Below are a few pages from their album….awaiting approval – hint hint!!

We’ve been taking a break from some commercial projects to finish up wedding work from 2009 so stay tuned for more.

Bride.ca has made their list of favorite engagement shots from 2009  and this image of Joni & Mike made the picks! We had an amazing day with Joni & Mike doing their engagement shoot. After hearing that Joni is a farmgirl at heart and loves tractors, we took a stroll down to her uncles place. I grew up on a farm and must say, I’ve never seen so many John Deer tractors in one place! To her uncles dismay, one of our favorite shots was this one with an old red massey!

We’ve been working away at album production lately. Each album is custom designed, this takes more time but is definitely worth it. Below are a few images from a few recent album designs.

So if you’re out shopping for wedding rings and debating titanium, silver, or gold, this should make up your mind! We photographed Don and Tara’s wedding in July 09′. On a proofbook delivery mission we were forced into having a beer with the newlyweds and witnessed this….

It’s always great when you get a chance to see old friends as was the case at Mark and Krystina’s wedding. It was a nice surprise upon arrival at La Bella Donna hair salon to see some friends from school…..you know, from a whole 5 years ago, right, yeah that’s it! Krystina was quick to point out that they were up for anything…always a dangerous thing to say to a photographer! So without getting too crazy we took them to a wild little spot that we had found earlier this year.  If you’re planning your wedding keep in mind that if you leave extra time for photography you get the chance to explore different locations. It really does make for a great mix.

Thanks guys, it was a great day. Hope you had fun in Greece!

Had a lot of fun with these two. Have fun in Hawaii!

Yet again the rain broke and the skies cooperated with us for Sean and Nicoles wedding in August. Growing up on a farm I have a little soft spot for farm weddings! What better background than old barns, tractors, and hilly side roads. The old cars were an awesome touch guys. Nicole’s dad actually picked up her mom for their first date in the GTO below, how cool is that!

Ang and I had a great time with some very cool people this past Saturday! Joni and Mike got themselves hitched at the Caledonia Presbyterian church. We had a wee bit of rain(it’s only rain if the cameras have to come in) Everyone was a trooper! We did a little work at the Caledonia train station and later on at the abandoned mill. We did have one more stop that was a first for us. Miller Funeral Chapel Ltd‎  in Caledonia is apparently the new “in” spot for discerning Brides and Grooms. Just for you hunters out there, they do have a camouflage casket available…now you know! We rounded off the night with the stellar service of Carmens, always a good time there!

This is don and Tara…they are cool! We had so much fun at this wedding it would be rude to tell you about it! Thanks guys for being patient with us.  You will see more of these guys soon.

We met up with Nicole and Sean at their new house to start off their engagement shoot. An amazing, beautiful old house with lots of character and love put into it. It even comes with a cute Italian neighbour that gives out flowers! Our session ventured into downtown Hamilton, Dundas Conservation Area, and finished off at Nicoles family farm where the wedding will take place on August 29, 2009. Thanks for the panini guys! Looking forward to the wedding.

Click Play below to view a slideshow of Nicole and Sean’s engagement shoot. Be patient…it’s worth it!

Anne and Jordan were married on June 13, 2009 at the Hamilton Art Gallery. We had an awesome, hot spring day for an outdoor wedding. Anne and Jordan chose to go to Whitehern Museum for photographs, a beautiful old estate located in downtown Hamilton. The reception was absolutely gorgeous and the music rocked!
Congratulations guys! It was a wonderful day and it was great to see some old class mates too!

Lisa and Murray tied the knot at the Best Western Beacon in St.Catherines, Ontario on June 6, 2009. The spring rain took a break and we had a spectacular day for an outdoor wedding. Here are a few images from the day, stay tuned for a complete show coming soon.
Congratulations guys!

We met with Prisilla and Marco in Hamilton, Ontario for their engagement shoot last week. This camera shy couple (ha!) met us at Dundurn Castle to start off an amazing shoot. It quickly became apparent that Marco looooves the camera and Prisilla is no nubie either.
We then scoured around town looking for some grafitti, we didn’t have to go very far! Grafitti seems to be hot this year so I think D’Arcy and I will buy some spray paint this week and go nuts! Press play below to see them in action…enjoy.

Officially our longest engagement shoot ever….and worth every second!! We started out in Dundas and then proceeded to Joni’s uncle and aunt in Grimsby where we witnessed the most insane John Deer collection ever! For any of you interested, they are part of the Golden Horseshoe Agricultural Antique Tour on May 30-31, 2009.

I’m sure Joe will be quite upset to hear that our favorite spot of the day was with the old Massey Ferguson tractor across the road!!
Joni’s quest for graffiti lead us back to the Hamilton Psych Hospital. Rumor has it that this old abandoned hospital is haunted. Friendly, highly medicated ghosts no doubt!
And finally, off to Caledonia where we finished off the day. Thanks so much guys, hope you both had as much fun as we did.
Joni and Mike will getting married August 8, 2009.

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