toronto lifestyle photography Archives

Fall High Park Mini Sessions

December 4, 2020

Fall High Park Mini Sessions: 2020 has not been exactly what we expected! In fact, I would wager that it’s been a lot more of the unexpected! But, hey, that’s okay – we make the best of it and we keep on keeping on! Am I right? That being said, this was a year of learning, reflecting, and adaption. It was also a year of the minis – mini weddings, mini ceremonies, and, of course, mini sessions! For me, it was so lovely to revisit more intimate ways of capturing love, happiness, and families! That is why I was so excited to do something this year, that I was too busy to do in the past: Fall High Park Mini Sessions!

High Park has always been a place close to my heart! I remember visiting it with my family when we first came to Canada. I marvelled at how such a beautiful natural space was just minutes away from the busy city. Now that I am lucky to live so close, it just made sense to capture some memories surrounded by High Park’s natural beauty!

This year, my fall High Park Mini Sessions were a lovely combo of family, maternity, couple, & newborn photos. It was wonderful to re-connect with past couples & families, but also to connect with some new clients. I included some snaps from the session along with some great suggestions for what to expect during a fall High Park Mini Session. Enjoy!

Beautiful fall leaves during fall high park mini sessions

Maternity High Park Mini Sessions

Maternity sessions are some of my fave sessions to capture. I love immortalizing those moments right before a new human comes into its new family. The happiness, anticipation and love is so beautiful and palatable – this truly is a magical time. I usually have clients asking me what to wear & what to expect. The first thing I always tell my clients is to be themselves! I love to capture authenticity in my photos. Therefore, wear something comfy, something you always feel good in – no matter what the session! I love movement, so you can expect to be walking and moving at least a little bit even in a shorter amount of time!

couple kissing under a tree during fall high park mini sessions

Pregnant belly during fall high park mini sessions

pregnant couple kissing under a fall tree during fall high park mini sessions

Couples High Park Mini Sessions

Think of this as a mini engagement session (if you are newly-engaged) or a fun, mini-romantic photoshoot! Whatever your preference the same rules always apply: be snuggly, be kissey, (I love PDA), but above all else be yourself and have fun!

Couple in love during fall high park mini sessions

Two photos of a couple snuggling in High Park

Walking through high park during fall high park mini sessions

Two photos of couple hugging during fall high park mini sessions

intimate photo of couple kissing during fall high park mini sessions

Family High Park Mini Sessions

Families are so fun to capture (check out some fun sessions here!) Families tend to be full of energy, enthusiasm, and love! My favourite combination. Kids are always a pleasure because they aren’t shy, they love movement, and aren’t afraid to be silly! Parents don’t sweat it if your little ones don’t want to stand or sit still, their silliness always makes great photos! Just enjoy the ride! Oh and if you have pets, please bring them!

Family with toddler during fall high park mini sessions

Two photos of toddler and parents during fall high park mini sessions

Black and white photo of toddler holding hands with mom

family walking away during fall high park mini sessions

Family portrait in High Park during fall high park mini sessions

Boys being silly with dog during fall high park mini sessions

Cute puppy at fall high park mini sessions

Parents having a really cute moment during fall high park mini sessions

Newborn High Park Mini Sessions

While I prefer to do a combo of indoor and outdoor spaces for newborn sessions, with the current pandemic restrictions, outdoor mini sessions are the perfect compromise! Just bundle up, bring your stroller, carrier, whatever, and smile!

family with newborn wearing sunglasses during fall high park mini sessions

Mom and newborn baby hugging during fall high park mini sessions

Intimate moment between dad and newborn baby during fall high park mini sessions

That’s it – those are all the rules! Be comfortable, be yourself, and have fun – leave the rest up to me!

Creemore Family Session

April 12, 2019

We have known the Boake family for a while now. We have grown with them and captured their engagement, wedding, & newborn photos! So when they invited us to come to their beautiful property to capture their Creemore Family Session, we were delighted! We met Molly, their little firecracker a year ago when we captured her newborn session, and couldn’t wait to see how much she’d grown!

Fun fact: We named or little company after Hugh’s cabin, Boakview! It is an old paper mill, turned train station, turned cabin! It was originally owned by, you guessed it, the Boake Family! So when Markie and Andrew were looking for wedding photographers, our company name immediately grabbed their attention. The rest is history!

The family now resides in Creemore, Ontario and it’s truly majestic! The property lies nestled on a hill surrounded by forests, fields, and the most magnificent view of the countryside. It’s a photographer’s dream! So on a rainy fall day, we packed up our gear and headed to this little slice of paradise two hours away from the city. We were not disappointed – light drizzle and all!

Although rainy, the conditions for a fall family session were perfect. Clients always ask us what kind of weather is ideal for an outdoor photo-session, and tend to be surprised when we respond with a resounding “overcast!” While sunny conditions are amazing for playing outside, for photos we prefer the slightly gloomy. Overcast weather allows for even lighting, no shadowing or squinting, and makes everyone look great on camera!

Don’t get me wrong, we will capture your family and loved ones in any weather – rain or shine – but when it comes to what we love? Give us a grey day any day of the month! So when you are planning an outdoor session with little ones, don’t worry too much about a little drizzle – we promise we will make it fun!

Personal Brand Photography – Ms. Beltempo

April 4, 2019

I don’t generally make New Year’s resolutions – I feel that they raise unrealistic expectations and when you don’t achieve them, they can leave you with a sense of failure and unaccomplishment. Let’s face it, no one wants to feel that way! But this year, I forced myself to evaluate what it is that I wanted to us to do more of with Boakview Photography. So as I sat down to think about my business goals for the year, I realized that aside from wanting to be more creative with our couples, I really want to expand our personal brand photography portfolio!

We’ve had the absolute pleasure to work with bloggers, business professionals, and wonderwomen throughout our career as photographers and it’s always the type of work that we are delighted to do! So the more I thought about it the more I came to realize that the main reason why I absolutely love capturing people doing what they love is how inspirational it is in our own work!

Enter, Ms Beltempo! This lady is definitely one of our favourite unicorns! We’ve (well really me because Hugh also has a day job!) had the absolute pleasure to work with Alyssa for almost 7 years now – starting in Ottawa, where we lived prior to coming back home. She is a phenomenal fashion stylist, blogger, & influencer whose main focus is on slow fashion and sustainability (who doesn’t love an environmentally conscious ladyboss!?) But not only is Alyss super stylish and incredibly smart, she is also one of the most down-to-earth and lovely humans I’ve ever met! Despite the fact that she now has over 25K followers on Youtube she has remained humble and sweet and kind! But enough gushing – this is just one example of why we love doing personal brand photography – it allows us to capture inspiring individuals who are passionate about their work! So if you are thinking of having some visual content for your biz, blog, IG, website, whatever – give us a shout here, come by for a tea and a chat and let’s see if we can capture your inner unicorn! In the mean time, check out some of Ms. Beltempo’s photos from our last Spring session together! Cheers and hugs lovers!

Ms Beltempo tea at Contessa & Durant headquarters

Ms Beltempo at Contessa & Durant headquarters

Ms Beltempo tea at Contessa & Durant headquarters fireplace

Ms Beltempo tea at Contessa & Durant headquarters' kitchen

Ms Beltempo and Contessa & Durant Design

Ms Beltempo in a den - Contessa & Durant Design

Ms Beltempo hanging at Contessa & Durant Design

Ms Beltempo and Contessa & Durant Design Library

Locations: Roncesvalles Ave, Fantail Cafe, Reunion Island, Contessa & Durant

Markie & Bella ~ An Epic Creative Bridal Session on Horseback

February 16, 2018

I think it’s safe to say that when someone asks you to do something completely off the beaten path and epic the resounding answer should be a joyful “Heck Yeah!” This is exactly what happened when I was asked to do a creative bridal portrait for a former bride / equestrian, Markie! Markie and Bella have been friends for a long time now, basically since Bella was a wee little thing, but they’re not what you would expect BFFs to be. For one, Bella is about 10 times the size of Markie, has four legs, and would most like be asked to leave any restaurant, bar, or club, which limits one’s dining and hanging out options! Bella is a horse you see, a magnificent and magical beautiful white horse! When we first met Bella on the day of Markie and Andrew’s wedding, we were instantly in love – not only is Bella super photogenic (every photographers’ dream!) but she was also the most unique part of any wedding we have captured to this day. Markie rode in on Bella to the hilltop ceremony (stay tuned for the blog coming soon) and stuck around to witness the vows. Apparently a party animal (pun fully intended) she did not want to leave once the festivities began and hung out at the wedding into the later evening – if this isn’t a sure sign of a good friend I don’t know what it! Fast forward a few months, I opened an email from Markie asking me whether I would like to capture her in her wedding dress riding her beautiful Bella. To say I was beyond excited is a gross understatement, I was over the moon – I mean, how often does a bride ask you to photograph her riding a horse!? It was a dream come true (I love horses myself just never really took the time to learn how to properly ride one – one day!) So, on a sunny fall afternoon, I made my way to Creemore to meet Markie and her Bella to take some photos of the two of them doing their thing. I am beyond excited to share some of my favourite photos of this amazing creative adventure – and have to extend a very special thanks to these two beautiful ladies for letting me capture it all!

Kelly, Vince, & Joie ~ A Fun Family Engagement in High Park

June 8, 2017

There is truly nothing more special than the melding of two families – two hearts, two souls, two sets of dreams to become one…unless there is a third little heart, soul, and set of dreams involved. When Kelly and Vince first approached us to photograph their engagement session we were thrilled, not only are they our kind of people (you know, laid back, easy-going, creative, and slightly dorky) they also wanted to include Vince’s beautiful little girl Joie. We absolutely loved the idea of having a little lady included in their session (I mean who doesn’t love a little girl in a pink tutu!?) but also because we love the idea of this unique little family coming together and sharing their love. We had so much fun roaming high park, swinging on swings, picking flowers, and snuggling. It really made all of us feel like big kids again…

Lena & Hussain ~ An Intimate Elopement in Toronto

June 2, 2017

When we first met Lena & Hussain, I could instantly sense the love they had for each other – the light touches of their hands, the stolen glances at each other, the secret smiles all made my heart melt. Their story even more so. The two met at a holiday party for international students at their university in Montreal in 2010. A few glances across the room, a light conversation, and both were utterly in love. They dated for a few years and then on New Years eve in 2016 Hussain popped the question. For varying reasons the couple decided not to have a big splashy wedding and instead invited only the very closest of their friends and family for a small urban elopement in Toronto. It was an absolutely lovely way to spend a day. Lena and Hussain rented an AirBNB and got ready together with Lena’s mom and Hussain’s sister-in-law – it was a beautiful family affair with lots of laughs, embraces, and even a few tears. We then made our way to city hall, where the couple said their “I dos” while their nearest and dearest watched. Finally, underneath a huge mural of a Persian rug (Lena is Persian so the rug mural held a lot of cultural significance for the bride) the couple danced, snuggled, and laughed while I snapped away. We ended the day with a round of warm cups of tea and coffee – the perfect finale!

I asked Lena some questions about her big day, here is what she had to say:

What inspired your wedding? “There was no “real” wedding involved and I think that was the theme, just celebrating two of us, how we met and how we struggled through life during our “international student days” and how all of those experiences brought us closer. The day was symbolic of our love and we wanted to celebrate that intimately in our new city.”

What was the most important and unique thing about your elopement? “Our photography – usually when you are getting eloped you do not have photos of it, all I wanted was photos, and that was done in the most unique way possible.”

What was your favourite part of the day? “Mine, was when I said “I do.” No doubt.”

What advice would you give to couples who are planning an elopement?

Stay relaxed everything will fall in place.

Focus on what you want not on what others want – it is your day!

Have fun during planning, that part lasts longer than the actual day and should be fun just as well.

Kiss and hug your parents and in-laws as much as you can on your wedding day, this will make your pictures really lovely and it makes them feel special.

A Week in Review

May 25, 2017

It’s that time again, another week has gone by (okay a little late this time, but I’m thinking it may make more sense to do this at the end of a week as opposed to the beginning?!) So here is what went down, what inspired me, what made me laugh, and what I found intriguing from last week – enjoy….

Ida & Nolan ~ An Intimate Breakfast Engagement in Toronto

May 19, 2017

Once in a while we come across people we just know we were meant to meet. We get that lovely inexplicable feeling in our guts that these humans may be friends for life – this is exactly the feeling we go as soon as we met Ida & Nolan. Not only do we have oodles in common (including our mutual love for greasy spoon burger joints) but we instantly clicked not only with Ida and Nolan themselves but their entire family (honestly Italian families are the bomb!) For their engagement session, the couple invited me into Ida’s family home, where we had a late breakfast, chatted about their epic wedding at Hockley Valley and played with their adorable Visla fur baby, who also tried to steal some of the goodies served at breakfast (she’s fast that one). It was the perfect way to kick off the weekend, Nutella included!

A Week in Review…

May 12, 2017

When you own your own business, especially a creative one like ours, it’s sometimes really difficult to stay inspired – despite loving what we do, work sometimes becomes something you just “do” and not something you “create” and there is a huge difference in that. One piece of advice that I keep hearing from other photographers, in order to escape the the trap of feeling like photography is no longer an art, is to shoot for yourself. So this week I made a new resolution for myself and that is to photograph at least one little thing each day and, if I feel inspired, shoot as much as possible. So far the first week has been challenging, I’m not going to lie. Being sleep-deprived (Little Miss Vie has decided that she is over sleep) sometimes makes it hard to look at the world through a rosy/ artistic lens. But nonetheless, I am trying to do this for myself as well as for my work. So every Friday I will do my best to post my own week in review, to capture the world as I saw it with all of its beauty, darkness, laughter, tears and joy. I hope you enjoy the project…

Jacqueline & NJ ~ An Engagement in Little Italy

May 3, 2017

When a couple we met at another wedding asks us to photograph their own big day, we can’t help but high-five each other (yes, we are THAT dorky!) To us, this means two things: one – we already get along and our chemistry is aligned (BONUS!) and 2 – we must have done something right (DOUBLE BONUS). So when NJ and Jacqueline asked us to capture their special day we were thrilled. Their wedding is fast approaching and we are super excited to spend even more time with them, and so in honour of the yet-to-occur occasion, we are posting some snaps of their engagement session in Little Italy.

We always suggest to our couples to have fun with their engagement session location and to choose something and some place that strongly represents them and their relationship. Somewhere you feel comfy and/or are familiar with so that it is a true representation of your journey together. Because NJ & Jacqueline are huge fans of board games, we started the evening at Snakes and Lattes a cafe that holds oodles and oodles of games and serves some pretty great lattes. After a pretty heated game of Scrabble, we made our way through the charming Toronto neighbourhood taking in the gorgeous weather and light. It was a lovely and chill way to spend a warm summer evening…