If you’ve ever sold your home before and quite strategically opted to use the stylings of a professional decorator/home stager, then this gorgeous face will be well familiar to you. Very recently decorating maven Cheri Mayes contacted us {cherimayes.com} with 2 questions: (1) “would we do a family photo shoot” and (2) “could we include the dog?” Emphatic nods all around!  Cheri and her husband David have no shortage of energy, between their multiple businesses, their two young children, hockey tournaments and dog walking; they are a family on the go and a force to be reckoned with.  It was a privilege to be invited into their home to glimpse first-hand the passion with which they lead their lives.  Merry Christmas to the Mayes Family! xoxo

Personality. Personality. Personality. !!! This family has it in spades and the camera sure seems to love them! We had the distinct pleasure of connecting very recently with long-time friends Krista + Dan and their *effervescent* children, Piers (7) and Freya (5) for a family photo shoot that was long overdue.

Given the recent onslaught of cold wintery weather, they opted to gather at their church — a place which holds special significance to them and serves a dual purpose of reflecting their strong family values and the spiritual ties that bind them.

It is worth noting that this shoot required very little direction or encouragement from Alvi… from the tender kisses exchanged by Krista + Dan to the goofy shenanigans showcased by Piers + Freya; they were all simply just being themselves (probably one reason we love them so much!).

As a sidebar, we’d like to thank Dan + Krista for their ongoing cheerleading and support of Bliss Pictures.  Their company (www.eleven-seventeen.com) has been with us all along on this epic journey. We’ve made some strategic new(ish) decisions thanks to their branding/marketing/identity insight.  We are grateful for their friendship, their honesty, their savvy business acumen, their integrity and sincerity. It’s nice to feel like we can just be ourselves, and they can just be themselves. There is a lot of love in this family and it makes us feel all warm and fuzzy. Muah!  xxoo

Enjoy your sneak peak.  There are massive amounts to choose from….

Had to save these ones for the end. I am told this was quite *the kiss*!

I know. Groan.  But hey, who doesn’t love a good pun these days?  It’s about as creative as this little brain can handle at this hour. But I digress…

Following a quick flight in from Sioux Lookout (for the express purpose of this shoot, might we add), Alisa + Mark connected with the Bliss team this past Saturday  and brought the sunshine with them.  What started out as an *innocent* engagement session rapidly turned mischievous as soon as the first snowball flew.  And at the risk of getting in trouble, we’re pretty sure it was Alisa who took the inaugural shot! Fast forward to wrestling in the snow, a ride in a toddler’s sleigh and then a blissful retreat to Seattle Coffeehouse for hot cocoa warmers — this e-session was rife with wonderful moments to capture.  We love that they felt completely uninhibited.  And we are counting down right alongside them for their August 2010 wedding.  Enjoy your sneak peak, guys!  {Alisa you are a force to be reckoned with!}

Note: this shot is not set up. Mark's phone did ring {he's an on call airplane mechanic} and Alisa did spontaneously whip that snowball at him!

No recollection of who tackled whom.

A few weeks ago we had the opportunity to do a family photo swap with our friends over at Fioritofoto.com; if you haven’t yet met Nik + Dana, they are not only a force to be reckoned with, but they are just so genuine and sincere!  We were  stoked with the images they produced and wanted to share them with you.  As irony would have it, we had not yet done any family photos since adding (nearly two years ago) our train wreck daughter to the equation.  So if you’re new to the blog and have not yet met our brood, allow us to introduce you to our crazy, nutty intense but lovely family: Saffron (22 months, Piper 6, Sam ?, Alvis 42).  Enjoy!

Cynthia and Ben have been longtime friends of ours; and over the years we’ve watched their family grow to include not one, not two, but three gorgeous fair-haired munchkins with the most expressive eyes and mischievous little grins.  Originally from Thunder Bay, Cynthia’s roots {not hair!} are deeply entrenched in Finnish culture.  For as long as I can remember she’s kept close ties to her Finnish background, perpetuating all the usual customs from saunas to traditional cuisine to heading on down to our renowned local eatery, the Hoito.  In keeping with these ties, we thought what better place to honour her background than a family photo shoot right on Bay St.

You have to know Cynthia to really *get* why these images are so representative of her.  She is fun-loving, goofy {quirky, she’d say}, glamourous {she would not say this, we say this!} and admittedly not so comfortable in front of the camera.  We think she rocked it!  Special shout-out to Ben for all his patience, and Suvi, Max, and Finnigan who were such troopers on a frigid afternoon.  We love you guys!

We finally had the opportunity to meet this dynamic duo — the husband-and-wife team of Fiorito Foto & Design — at the Wedding Show earlier this month.  As artists, it’s always a little unnerving checking out the competition… but it certainly keeps our fragile egos in check.  Nik + Dana are about as genuine and personable as it gets; not to mention we’ve been admiring their work for the past year.

So when they asked if we’d be up for a family photo shoot with an *urban* flair, we were simultaneously honoured and humbled. Thankfully today’s weather cooperated (seriously…. it could have been -20!!), affording us the chance to be versatile and flexible in our locations.  Their three young sons were so well-behaved and such troopers.

We can’t wait for the Fiorito’s to capture our crazy family!  Nik + Dana, thank you for putting your confidence in us.  We hope this sneak peak does justice to the love that clearly exudes from your family dynamic.

Hello world!  Happy Saturday….. So how WAS everyone’s Friday the 13th???  Hmmm.  Ours was a delight.  And it spilled over to today; with the proverbial cherry being the RBC ATM that ate my bank card.  Good times.  !!  But seriously, from where we sit, we’re pretty blessed. Although the pace of life can get frenetic at times, we wouldn’t change a thing (not even the high-altitude-seeming berg of laundry that just never gets smaller).  And not even the carpet, which was once a lovely shade of oatmeal, and is now boasting its true colours of aubergine and pink thanks to Saffron finding my make-up.  Guess they don’t call her Saffster the Disaster for nothing!

But I digress.  The reason for this post is to harken back one week ago, to the gloriously warm November afternoon that was Michelle + Jordan’s wedding.  We promised to post some more pics for them and so here we are.  They are such an expressive and genuine couple and we think that radiates through in their imagery.  These pictures narrate the anticipation built up prior to and during Michelle’s unveiling to Jordan.  Enjoy.

In the unfortunate event you were hiding under a rock; kidnapped and held for ransom; getting an early start on your Christmas shopping (we’re told there are very few wii’s left!); or down and out with H1N1 (oy, that would have been rough); AND you missed yesterday’s Wedding Wishes Show, we thought it’d only be prudent to trumpet our exclusive promo… which YOU can take advantage of by booking with Bliss prior to December 31, 2009.  How’s that for the world’s longest, most grammatically-incorrect sentence?  

Top of the morning to you, folks.  It’s late (or depending on how you see it, early)….. and we’re burning the candle prepping for today’s big Wedding Show.  But admittedly, we’re still on a high from yesterday.  Seriously.  18 degrees ABOVE zero in November… as if!!!  A perfect day for Michelle + Jordan’s nuptials.  

This is one hip, savvy and fun couple!  We first met Michelle + Jordan at the Spring 2009 Wedding Show where we learned about their plans for an intimate late Autumn wedding with close friends and family.  Seems like just yesterday we were chatting about the pros and cons of front-loading the photo session {prior to the ceremony, yes, that’s right}.  Fast forward a few months and today dawned about as beautiful as any bride could order up.  It was as if on cue.  But I digress.

Our approach for imagery with M + J was to try and stir their emotions on a few levels… {This is at the heart of the Bliss “M. O.”, as we desperately try to avoid images that might be “cool” but are flat and created for the sake of being created.  We want every couple’s photographic documentation to have a deeper, authentic meaning.}  So, all this to say that we incorporated a few ideas our industry peers have had success with; ideas that have in turn inspired us to take action.  

The first “strategy” was to build up the anticipation for their first glimpse of each other.  Given that their photo session was a full three hours prior to the ceremony, this was accomplished by blindfolding Jordan with ueber insistence that he “not peak”. Ultimately the big reveal resulted in a very sweet, poignant moment captured by the camera.  As though that were not enough drama, the second strategy involved them pulling out the iPod to listen to “their Johnny Cash song” at the same time.  It moved Michelle to tears and of course this was also captured. 

Their beautiful ceremony and reception were held at the White Fox Inn and it’s quite possible, at the time of writing this post, that they might still be there with their best pals whooping it up on the dance floor.  This was a crowd that new how to have fun!  

Thank you for the honour of documenting your wedding guys.  Today was an absolute blast.  Following a deep slumber on Monday we promise to post some more images.  For now, here is a wee teaser of some favourites. Congratulations, Michelle + Jordan!

Alvis + Sam

News #1 — WE’RE WEDDING SHOW BOUND!

Bliss Pictures is excited to connect with you at the upcoming Thunder Bay Chamber of Commerce Wedding Wishes Show, next Sunday, November 8th at the Valhalla Ballroom starting at 11:30.  Drop by the booth to size us up, view our work, and let us in on all your planning glory!  This year we’ve been asked to contribute to the Grand Prize and are eager to meet the lucky couple who will enjoy one of our deluxe imagery packages.  

News #2 — WE’RE RENNOVATING!

Our portfolio site is down for some deliberate refreshing and rennovations (www.blisspictures.ca).  On November 8th 2009 we’ll be going live with our new galleries and packages.  We are stoked; stoked I tell you!  Thank you to all of our wonderful clients for allowing us the honour of using your images to showcase our work.  

News #3 — WE’RE REFINING!

Bliss has had some growing up to do over the past few months.  We are, after all, but 5 years young; still figuring out what works for our clients and doesn’t; and what works for us, and doesn’t. Thanks to the fine folks at eleven-seventeen.com and no small amount of reflecting on who we are; we’re about to unveil a more distinct and accurate representation of the Bliss Pictures experience.  

News #4 — WE’RE HIRING!

Bliss Pictures is looking for some part-time assistance; both on the administrative side and in editing cinema.  If you know of anyone eager to contribute their creativity and organization, drop us a line and we’ll flesh out the details.