It took me literally 4 months to finish this because I had so much difficulty narrowing down my favorite 500 shots down to a more manageable 200-ish.  Also, selecting the songs for was a huge undertaking in itself.

This slideshow is dedicated to all my amazing couples, their families and their friends.  Thank you so much for having me be a part of your lives both now and in years to come. 2009 would not have been possible without you and without the kindness of everyone that was part of your special day.

Please sit back and enjoy.

*** Facebook readers, please go to the original post. Comments are always welcome. ***

Music Credits:
All I Ever Wanted – Brian Melo
When I’m With You – Faber Drive

I want to thank all my amazing industry friends, old and new, for sharing their time and talent in giving our couples the wedding they have always dreamed of.  On the business side of things, I want to thank Nathan Holritz and his team at Photographer’s Edit for helping out with the editing so I could get my life back.

I also have to thank my amazing support team and colleagues who helped out throughout the year in more ways than one: Kevin, Kevin, Eugene, Francis, Claudia, and Sandy.

Lastly, thank you to Jeanette and my kids, Ethan and Brandon, for welcoming me home to hugs and kisses after a long day of partying. Thank you so much for your love and support throughout the years.  I love you.

Looking forward to more major good times in 2010 !  Wedding season is going to kick off with a secret wedding in Tennessee and then off to Florence, Italy for the beautiful wedding of Carmen and Elton.

-Joee

One of the most asked questions from my couples is if I would ever offer wedding films. Not videography…wedding films.  I’ve thought about this very carefully and one thing I knew for certain was that I was not going to try and learn this stuff and offer it to my couples as a value-added service. Any photographer who does this ‘fusion’ offering is really doing their couples a disservice. My couples commission me to photograph their wedding. Not photograph and then switch to filming their wedding in between moments. By default, I will learn this art, but I will always be a photographer first.

Now, If I were to ever offer cinema, I would do it right the first time. I would work closely with someone who is an actual filmmaker. A master of their craft. And more importantly, someone who I would trust to document your wedding along with the rest of my team.

The time has come…

I would like to introduce to you my good friend and lead Cinematographer: Konrad Czystowski

Who is he ? Google him. He’s kind of a big deal. He was recently named one of the 25 hottest and most influential event filmmakers in the world. And now my couples will be able to relive their wedding like never before.

To celebrate this launch, we are offering cinema coverage for three (3) weddings starting at $5,900.  Afterwards, local wedding cinematography starts at $6,900.  Availability is extremely thin as Konrad will only be accepting 12 commissions a year, worldwide.

Fusion Collections will start at $14,900.

If you’d like more information on custom collections, please complete the contact form.

Stay tuned as JW and KC invade Florence, Italy for a beautiful wedding in this coming May !!!

-Joee

*** Facebook readers, click here for the video.

-Joee

I figured I’d have a few weeks or so to get prepared for this.  I got the call on Wednesday ! The shoot was on Saturday and I got the script late Thursday.  I had about 1 day to memorize, not a few lines, but 9 lines !  Talk about having a panic attack !  Thankfully, I got some great advice from some of my friends and I was hoping to rock this shoot with their techniques.

I arrived at Pie in the Sky studio Saturday a little earlier in hopes of getting into hair and make-up sooner.  I had a ’situation’ on my nose and figured the MUA would need some more time with it haha.  It was snowing outside.  As I arrived to the back door, I started to kick my boots against the wall to shake off all the snow.  Unbeknownst to me, the film crew was right on the other side of the door filming another person.  Thankfully, the tape wasn’t rolling.  It was dead quiet in there on set and you could seriously hear a pin drop ! … Actually, it was so quite, you could hear a “GO TEAM CANADA” pin drop !  And hear I am, kicking my way into the set.

The girl before me was finishing up her part for the commercial.  I was starting to get really uneasy knowing that it was going to be me standing on the marker very soon.  After make-up and a few wardrobe changes, it was my turn to stand under the lights….the HOT lights !  I had a chance to speak to the awesome director who guided me through the whole process.  I ran throught he script a few times.  It was obvious I was talking too fast.  The director stepped in and helped me with this.  I think we shot for about 20 minutes or so.  It was nerve racking and I was very self-conscious about my disposition and how I looked.  Mentally, I was totally not prepared for this, but as prepared as I’ll ever be.  There is definitely an art to acting.  Getting out of your comfort zone is definitely harder than I thought.  Overall, I think (and HOPE) it went well.  Mad props to real actors out there !  You actors definitely earn your keep !

After the shoot, Eva, the MUA, asked if I wanted her to remove my make-up.  I stupidly decided to keep it on b/c I thought I looked pretty damn good and my ’situation’ was taken care of haha.  So, I left the set and met up with a complete stranger downtown quickly..in public…with make-up on !  I didn’t really think too much about it.  Then I stopped off at the grocery store to pick up some food.  It wasn’t until I got home that Jeanette says to me, “Do you have blush on ???”.  Oh sh*t ! Seriously ?  She could totally tell that make-up was caked on !  Apparently, it was very obvious in regular lighting that I was wearing make-up !  No wonder everyone at the grocery store was staring at me !

Lesson learned…

Anyways, the print ads and commercial should out in the next few weeks and I should have a copy of them so I can blog it.  Oh man, this is going to be a very humbling experience.

-Joee

Last Wednesday, I had a beautiful bride-to-be send me a message on Facebook telling be about her plans.  How exciting would it be to be part of this ?!  We exchanged many messages just trying to figure out the logistics.  Considering the decision to ambush her fiance was made that day, only two things were for certain:  (1) The groom-to-be was going to be in for the shocker of his life, and, (2) Says the bride-to-be, “There is no other photographer around whom I would want more to photograph this amazing day for me.”

Having said that, it really came down to cost.  I mean, when my creative fees are more than the entire wedding budget, it was a little tough to swallow. The next evening, I received an email from her while driving:

Bummer…until I opened the actual email to read:

It’s on like Donkey Kong, kids !  I nearly crashed my car from the emotional rollercoaster she put me through !

This is going to be bananas ! The only things I know are the date, where I’m staying and when ‘rehearsal’ dinner is !

Flights are booked for Kevin and I !  We’ll be arriving Friday to get familiar with the area and do some scouting.

Just when I thought I was going to kick off my season with a wedding in Florence, Italy, I get blessed with this amazing opportunity to photograph, by far, the most unique wedding that’s come my way.

I’m so pumped for some major goodtimes !

Stay tuned…

-Joee

Just been really busy working on album designs and recently got a good laugh at this video by Natalie Tran.

*** Facebook readers, please go here for the original post.

Natalie, you’re hilarious !  If you’re ever in Toronto, Canada, I would love you photograph you !  I’ll have you working this “putting one hand over the opposite shoulder” look like it’s nobody’s business !

Be sure to follow her on Twitter and also check out her YouTube page for some more good times.

Stay tuned for some work-related posts coming down the pipeline real soon !

-Joee

I bought a pair of ‘bob’ skates for him on Friday and picked up a helmet before we headed downtown.  Watching him get all dressed up was really special.  I’ve always dreamt of this day and as much of a hassle it was to lug around my gear, I just had to document his first time on skates.

Jeanette took him onto the ice because I don’t have a pair of skates, so I just observed.  Seeing the smile on his face was priceless.

They were making their rounds at a snails pace.  Apparently, this was due to a lot of  ‘fake’ falling haha.

What better tunes to skate around to than our very own Barenaked Ladies !

Brandon was just chillin’ out with daddy.  Literally.  He’s so adorable.  Every time Ethan went by, he’d point and say “brother” in Cantonese.

Ethan really got a kick out of this skating thing and I hope he continues with it.  I can’t wait until he graduates to real skates and maybe pick up a hockey stick while he’s at it.

I hope everyone is enjoying the amazing weather this weekend !  It was an awesome day to get out.

-Joee

A few days ago, my good friend Audrey sent me a text message asking if I was interested in doing a shoot for an upcoming awareness campaign in Toronto.  Her good friend, Nancy, was casting for the shoot.  I’m not sure if I am allowed to talk much more about it, so I’ll leave it at that.  I said sure…why not.  I was kinda nervous, but what the hell.  How hard can it be.  I photograph people all the time.  So she got me in touch with Nancy and we got the ball rolling.

The following day, I had a conference call with the art director and two of the writers of from the ad agency to talk about the campaign. It was a go, however, I was told that I couldn’t direct the shoot though haha

This morning, I arrived at a downtown studio greeted by smiling faces.  What a relief !  One of them was the photographer.  Being a photographer myself, it was a big deal for me to have the photographer make me comfortable right from the beginning.  I’ve met some really impersonable commercial/editorial photographers on the sets of my kids shoots and they all looked like that hated their jobs.  Right away, I can sense that this photographer knew how to connect with human beings.

I pretty much got right into hair and make-up.  I was having a pretty good hair day, so nothing was done there.  I had my make-up done by the one of the artists from Judy Inc. – Shawna Lee.  Shawna was cool to work with.  She said the most flattering thing after we were introduced “You could be a model !”.  WOW, what a way to make a dude blush ! If she only knew…haha.  After Jeanette, she was defintiely my next favorite girl today.  She did an amazing job.  I was well aware of how I looked ‘au naturel’ today, given the early wake up call from Ethan.  She made quick work of me.  I was done in like 2 minutes and she knocked off at least 5 years off me ! Thank You !!!  I would definitely recommend her to my brides (and grooms!) so if you’re looking for an amazing Hair Stylist/MUA for your event, please drop her an email here .

We were all ready and got down to business.  I saw a wooden stool just a few meters behind me with a few softboxes lit up.  Tony says to me, “Assume the position…”  Funny enough, I use that line a lot when I photograph people haha  It’s a great ice breaker for all you new photographers out there, but use carefully and sparingly !  And make sure you know your subjects can take a joke.

It was a little weird being on the other end of the camera, but Tony made me ultra comfortable during the shoot.  I’m one of those types that thinks too hard about looking good in a photograph.  I favor my left side and let Tony know.  Well, we were shooting square today and I totally felt myself fighting it.  But there was something about this guy that made me really relaxed and forget about all my insecurities and good things started to happen.  It was quick and dirty and we had a lot of laughs in between takes.

Anyways, everyone has to check out his body of work.  He produces some killer images ! His USER project is just beyond words.  Definitely check out his blog while you’re at it.

After the shoot, I was very fortunate to have been able to spend a few minutes with him talking candidly about his work and life in general.  I will forever remember what he told me in reference to the path of reaching my full potential:  “…You gotta make your own sh*t and climb it !…”.  Awesome !

I’m dying to see the shots they end up selecting. I’ll be sure to post the image from the campaign once it’s all said and done.

-Joee

Andrea is actually old high school friends with Jeanette and found my site though Jeanette’s facebook.  She told me that she had always kept me in the back of her head once she became engaged.  And Atkinns pulled through ! That a boy !  This is going to be an amazing wedding that will be under the guidance of Rose Tenuta | Bridal Soliutions Inc. I’m really looking forward to working with her.

On that note, I have officially hit 50% capacity for 2011.  New creative fees will be in effect on March 15, 2010.

-Joee

Ethan’s Birthday was on Feb 12.  Since we celebrated with his friends and family the weekend before, we just went out to Boston Pizza for dinner.  Boston Pizza is one of our favorite kid-friendly places to go to.  They really have it together there and loved the kids.  Ethan knew it was his birthday so he asked for cake.  Jeanette picked up a Dufflet cake before she came home from work.  The staff there were nice enough to dress it up a little with some candles and since Happy Birthday to him.

For Valentine’s Day, we celebrated it on Saturday, instead of Sunday.  Mainly because the restaurant I booked was not open on Sunday haha  Jeanette’s mom came over to watch the kids so we could enjoy a nice evening together…well a nice 2 hours together sans children.  We jumped in my car and headed downtown for a nice dinner at Vertical Restaurant.

I had made arrangements with Vertical beforehand with our selection of food so that Jeanette didn’t have to think about anything.  With the exception of her drink, everything was taken care of.  Vertical was great in that they offered a Valentine’s Day menu and also an a-la-carte option.  The itinerary was as follows:

First Course:
Hers:     Roasted Vegetable Salad
His:     Tagliatelle

Main:
Hers:     Organic BC Black Cod
His:     Branzino (Sea Bass)

Desert:
Hers:     Ed’s Real Scoop Gelato & Sorbetto
His:     Apple & Quince Costata

Like most dinners without the kids, we kept talking about the kids lol.  Honestly, there are some people who enjoy time away from their kids, which is totally understandable.  It’s tough raising kids and everyone needs a break here and there !  We, on the other hand, just can’t stand being away from them.  Next year, we’re going to do Valentine’s Day together, now that Ethan actually understands it a little.

Dinner was fantastic ! Service was great ! And the overall experience was just perfect.  I have to give a huge thanks to JOE, one of the managing partners at Vertical, for accommodating all my requests.  He prepped Lindsay, our server, with my requests and she was awesome !  Timing is key when you are rolling out fresh plates.  The pace was just perfect and the food was always hot. Yum !

Yesterday was Chinese New Year.  We had dim sum with Jeanette’s family.  It was a good time.  The restaurant we went to even had a Lion Dance during lunch and the kids got a chance to pet and feed the Lions.  Ethan’s hilarious.  He always talks about the Lions and wants to get closer to touch it, but once it came down to feeding the Lion ‘food’, he chickened out and threw the lettuce on the floor for the Lion to eat haha He had seen the Lion Dances the day before at the mall and he keeps telling us he’s worried the Lion is going to bite his finger !  Here are some photos I took of the dances we saw this weekend.

Today is Family Day in Ontario, so we spent the day with family all day.  Today is also President’s Day in the USA — Happy President’s Day to my friends in the US.  Good to see you have a great leader since Clinton ! We had lunch with my side of the family to celebrate Chinese New Year.

Today is also my birthday.  I am celebrating the X-th anniversary of my 25th birthday !  I’ve stopped counting ever since I was 25….*sigh*  You’d think that with Ethan’s Birthday, Valentine’s Day and Family Day falling around the same time, my birthday celebration would be a thing of the past.  I love Jeanette for never forgetting to celebrate my birthday.

Honestly, once Ethan was born, I just assumed we’d consolidate our parties to make it easier for our waistlines.  But NO ! Jeanette always has something planned for me.  Tonight, we did some more eating at one of my favorite joints…Guu-Izakaya.  We’ve only tried the one in Vancouver, so when Jeanette heard that one opened in Toronto, she made plans for us to eat there tonight.  It was supposed to be a surprise, but Ethan’s godmother kinda spoiled it haha It was sooooo Guuuuuuuuu’d. I’ll try to post some pics tomorrow when I’m more awake.

Of course, almost everyone asked how I felt to be another year older.  And my reply is always the same.  I feel great !  I think I age like a fine wine haha  I have a fantastic life – loving family, beautiful kids, amazing friends and a rewarding career.  Another important thing is that I am really healthy.

Thank you everyone for their well wishes.

Anyways, I just wanted to wish everyone a Happy Year of the Tiger !  If you’re interesting in reading your horoscope based on your Chinese zodiac sign, check out this 2010 horoscope site:

Happy Monday !

-Joee