Nothing reaffirms our belief in the institution of marriage more than seeing a happily married, over-the-moon-in-love couple after ten years of togetherness. And as far as we can tell, the couple that surfs together… well, they stay together!

Shooting Amy + Chris for their 10-year anniversary was literally our pleasure. Amy has been one of our most vocal champions on Facebook… her own talent in photography and all things creative somehow lead her over to our site. After meeting her in person we concluded that she also happens to be the biggest sweetheart on the planet. This musically-inclined, crafty, mini *Martha* is a Red Seal (Journeyman) Carpenter who teaches “tech” at a local high school. She also holds an HBA in Music and can sing, play piano, guitar, bass and percussion. In fact there are so many layers to Amy that this little paragraph just won’t do her spirit the proper justice it deserves!

But what of her hubby? Who is this Chris dude that has stolen the heart of our blond beauty?

Chris is a Red Seal (Journeyman) Carpenter, and as of May 2011, also a bona fide Civil Engineering graduate from Lakehead. His life is beginning to take on new meaning and focus through this recent accomplishment. According to Amy, he is not only the hardest working human she knows, but he’s also likely the most clever. “Whatever he sets his mind to he achieves. Nothing will ever stand in his way.” In fact, along with four of his peers, this spring he recently won the National Steel Bridge Competition, competing against 47 other US universities, and 1 other Canadian University. To say Amy is a proud wife is the understatement of the year! In Chris’ spare time {we’re like…. “how could he possibly have any in between building bridges and winning prestigious contests?!”} he furthers his own self-taught musical skills {the dude can play guitar, bass and drums}. But what he lives for most {aside from the beautiful Amy} is SURFING. His fave surf partner? We’ll give you one guess.

Naturally a chance to photograph them in their element at a place that held sacred meaning was something we jumped at. This July we accompanied the pair to a beach just outside of Grand Marais, Minnesota where memories of Chris’ romantic proposal played out in Amy’s mind. On that day, they had packed a picnic and Chris surprised her with a re-written version of the song “Beautiful” that he played on his guitar and sang. Moments later he asked her to dig around the sand a bit and lo and behold… she finds the most beautiful buried treasure: her engagement ring. A quick summer wedding was pulled together in a matter of 6 weeks! Craziness!

And so to Amy + Chris, we wish you both a continuation of this beautiful life you’ve created for yourself. The love you have for each other inspires us and no doubt many others. We hope these pictures inspire you. –xo {Alvis + Sam}

Theirs is an international love story we can’t wait to share; but we are reserving these splendid details for Sabrina + Tor’s upcoming wedding post. You see, timing and geography prevented us from capturing engagement images prior to their Big Day. So in an unconventional twist a few days after their wedding, we opted to simply go for a little stroll and just start clicking the camera. Drinking in the rugged beauty of Northern Ontario, it was clear that this couple have such fondness and respect for nature, the earth, and nothing but crazy love for each other! Their genuine happiness seemed to leap off my screen as I began to edit their photos, and more than once I found myself thinking “Man! These guys are h-a-w-t!” But what else would you expect from a former local beauty queen and a Norwegian runway model with piercing {non-photoshopped!} blue eyes?

Sabrina + Tor: the words that come to my mind in thinking of how to describe you and the love you have for each other are authentic, natural, deep-rooted, enlightened, respectful, fun-loving and kind. I hope you are as enthused about these images as I am! You will have your work cut out for you in deciding what to enlarge and frame for your new home in Amsterdam… and wait until you see your actual wedding day photographs. Better have a lot of naked walls to cover!

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*!

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!

You would think that two active little boys, one 5-month old Brindle Boxer and a wide, open farm would result in pandemonium (or at the very least a significant amount of running!); au contraire.  Yesterday’s shoot with the Little family at Gammondale Farm was a great success; resulting in some very sweet, realistic proofs that illuminate their special family dynamic.

Cole and Caleb found themselves horsing around <groan.  could not resist that one.> in the barn while Tito <named for UFC fighter Tito Ortis> did his best to sit pretty while the camera clicked away.  All things considered, for a puppy this was one well-behaved animal!

Here are just a few of their shots as a wee teaser.  Enjoy!

{ Extra special thanks to Sue at Gammondale for the privilege of using her beautiful grounds and barn as a backdrop, and for taking the time to show the animals to the kids.  If you’ve never been to Gammondale you are missing out on one of Thunder Bay’s truly iconic rural settings.  Heaps of fun for the family all season  long. }