I love when it rains. In fact, I love it even more when it pours.

One of my favourite things to do as a kid (and even now) was to watch the rain come down sitting by the window; it was even better if it was a rip-roaring thunderstorm with lightning and all! It seemed like time was quite still except for the steady fall of the rain drops. Calm. Peaceful.

There’s something therapeutic about watching the rain come down. It’s like a clean slate or a fresh start and everything is ready to begin all over again. So many people duck and run when a rainstorm comes upon them unexpectedly, but have you ever looked up? It’s fantastic! Yes, your face will get wet by -oh no!- water, but it’s pretty neat to watch how the drops seem to form out of nowhere and streak past you in a race to the ground beneath.

The next time you get caught in the rain, put the umbrella down for a second and look up!

Happy rainy Saturday!

Penpals… friends… confidantes… soul mates.

Christine and Frank met through e-mail via a family relative, Christine in Toronto, Frank in Ottawa. Back and forth, they corresponded over the months, like keeping a personal journal of daily musings and activities, yet never having met in person or even seen a photo of one another. They bonded over words and kept in touch regularly… "You’ve Got Mail" in the making! They almost didn’t meet over Labour Day weekend at Nathan Phillips Square in Toronto without some words of encouragement from Frank’s buddies. Finally, Frank approached Christine while she was on her break MC’ing a Vietnamese children’s festival, and shyly asked, "Are you Christine?"

It wasn’t happily ever after from that point on… Frank went back to Ottawa, Christine in Toronto continuing to correspond via e-mail…

Christine: "Frank didn’t respond back to some e-mails for three weeks! I thought that was it, we were just penpals…"

Frank: "I was reeling her in, keeping her interested!" (He grins and laughs at this point)

 A few months later, before the new year, feelings were sorted out and the relationship was made official - they were finally a couple!

I remember speaking with Christine two months after that and even at that point, she knew in her heart that she had found the one to spend the rest of her life with. It’s been a whirlwind since… she asked me to design her engagement ring, made arrangements to have it on her trip to Vietnam last summer and got bridesmaid dresses as well, and finally asked me if I would be her photographer for the day when she and Frank were to marry!

We started off at the Harbourfront Centre where Christine and Frank went on their first date together and then went on to the University of Toronto campus to take some gorgeous shots with amazing historical architecture. We finally finished the day off down on Cherry Beach by Lake Ontario. This was an amazing shoot with some fun and tender moments between Christine and Frank.

I cannot wait to shoot your wedding in August - I’m so honoured and delighted! So much love and hugs… Jenne.

The architecture at the University of Toronto is gorgeous!

I got this piggy-back shot on the first try!

Doesn’t Frank kind of look like an Asian version of Keanu Reeves here?!

The light was absolutely phenomenal by these stairs… so beautiful!

For more photos from the day, CLICK HERE for a slideshow!

Long weekends… such a love/hate relationship. Love them because I have so much time on my hands, hate them because I don’t know what to do with all that time! Actually, there’s a long list of things that Graham and I compiled the other day: Things to do this weekend" - needless to say, only about a third of the list has been accomplished as of yet.

So, amidst my infinite boredom and whilst staring into the vacuous space that is the Internet, I decided to download a sample of Boutwell’s Totally Rad Actions for Photoshop. Needless to say, there were some pretty neat actions that enhanced my photos while allowing me control over the strength of the application. Impressive… I’ve been reading about these actions and seeing the results on other photographers’ blogs and I might just bite the bullet and purchase the whole set!

Without further ado, here’s the fruit of my boredom today… she might kill me for posting this photo but I think Jane is absolutely gorgeous in this photo! For all you photographers that want to know the process, I ran Boutwell Magic Glasses (decreased opacity to about 50%), a tiny bit of Kent’s Skin Fix v.1 and some sharpening.

Stay tuned later this week as I’ll have photos from my Grad Formal… it’s at the Eglinton Grand and the theme is 30s/40s Hollywood glam so I’m sure I’ll have some stunning photos from the night!

Happy Victoria Day for all you Canucks out there!

Jenne.

I was down in the Distillery District today developing some photos for grad formal and this wonderful smell wafted down the main corridor of the District. I couldn’t resist! Every time I’m in the District, I have to stop by the Brick Street Bakery for some yummy treats!

Today, I decided to try the mini lemon tart and got a mini pecan tart for Graham. And then my tummy started rumbling because the smell of succulent sausage rolls was so overwhelming… so I caved. I’ve been pretty good about eating decent food these days and half-assed attempts at home-cooked meals that I felt that I deserved to treat myself. And, since I had my camera with me, I couldn’t resist taking some photos of the freshly baked breads that were frolicking in the woven baskets! I ended up liberating a pesto and basil loaf as well.

If you’re ever in the District, stop in to the Brick Street Bakery and nibble on some freshly baked treats!

Happy Thursday!

Every time I see a baguette now, I think of Ratatouille (possibly one of my favourite animated movies of all time!) where Colette instructs Linguini (and Remy) about how to know when you’ve got good quality bread… makes me want to squeeze every loaf I come across just to hear that crackling of the crust!

Came across some interesting signage: I didn’t realize aggression could be manifested in bread-bagging!

This was the detail on the bakery’s cash register! It was an old school register that makes the pretty "cha-ching" noises when it gobbles up money! Beautiful detailing!

The first ever Naturopathic Cancer Research Golf Tournament was held yesterday at the Angus Glen Golf Club in Markham by a group of students from Medical Students Who Care. This was a phenomenal event run by several students from CCNM including Jonothon (this was his brainchild), Frank, Mike, James and Ellen. It was great to see so many supporters out golfing on what turned out to be a fantastic day. You couldn’t have asked for better weather than what we got yesterday: sunny, a few clouds and 15 degrees! Great golfing weather!

There were just over 100 golfers participating in a foursome, shot-gun start, best ball, 18 hole, round of golf at one of the most prestigious golf courses in the country… all in support of a great cause. There were a wide variety of players, everyone from naturopathic doctors and students to chiropractors and chiropractic students to friends and family and celebrity players such as hockey great Darryl Sittler!

I had an awesome time photographing the event… I got to boot around in my own golf cart for the entire day and the guys put my logo on the back of the event golf shirts! (Thanks guys!) I was excited because I was able to get outdoors and shoot but also because it was my first time driving a golf cart! So much fun! I also got to try out Graham’s newest lense, the 28-70 f/2.8 L! What a sharp lens… I couldn’t believe it… and fantastic image quality on the 5D. So anyways, enough talking because I’m sure you want to see photos of the day! Enjoy and don’t be afraid to leave a comment!

Jenne.

Golf bag tags anyone? The service at the Angus Glen was awesome! You’d go park your car and an attendant in a cart would come around, pick you up and drop you off at the front doors… even if you were only 30 metres away from the centre.

The driving range was pretty nice… all the golf balls and the ball bags were branded with Nike logos! Every single ball.

Some lovely volunteers for the day! They had fun as well later on puttering around in their own golf carts!

Holy crap! Darryl Sittler! It was pretty funny, there were a lot of guys shuffling around, trying not to be too obvious in their awe of this hockey great!

Ooohh… Vespa! This one’s for Lily… I remember when you said you wanted to arrive at your wedding on a Vespa, although you wanted a yellow one right? These Vespas (there were two) were up for grabs at the 11th or 12th hole… how you ask? Hole-in-one! Sadly, I don’t believe anyone was successful, although I hear some came pretty close…

On your mark… Set…

…GO!!!

I love this shot of Iris! It looks like she’s all pro and stuff! Look out Annika!

This was the view from the 9th hole! It was pretty awesome… golfers teed off from the top of a ridge and then drove down in their carts to play the rest of the hole!

Love this shot… can you spot the golf ball?

I will shoot a wedding here someday… such a gorgeous sight at the 18th hole. What a way to end off the course!

I convinced Amy to pose with the Lexus that was up for grabs at the 17th hole… What a hot chica! Somebody came real close to winning the car with a hole-in-one! Sorry, babe not included.

One of my last shots of the day… Basking the warm glow of the late afternoon sun.