Wedding & Travel Photography in London, Toronto, Stratford & Southwestern Ontario
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Thursday September 17, 2009 (08:40) | Bridal Shows, General
It is hard to believe that fall is almost here! And every fall, there are always many great bridal shows in London, Ontario.
We recently exhibited at the London Fall Bridal Show – it was a great success. On September 26th and 27th, we will also be exhibiting at the London Bridal Expo which is being held at the Western Fair Grounds. There are lot of great ideas for those of you getting married soon – so come and check it out.
And if you do go, please stop by our booth and say hello! We apologize that we are no longer accepting new clients for 2010 (as we have reached our maximum number of bookings for next year), however, if you are one of the first 100 people who mention this blog post when you stop by, Anne, Zeus, and I will have a little “something” for you.
p.s. Aren’t these great shoes? Hey, guys can appreciate great shoes too …
Sunday September 13, 2009 (19:19) | Bridal Shows, General
Anne and I want to take the opportunity to thank all of the great people who came out to the London Fall Bridal Show this weekend – it was a great success. And to top it off, as we accept a limited number of wedding commissions each year, we are now completely booked for 2010.
The image that you see at the beginning of this post is the cover of our 2010 price list. It features one of our lovely brides, Aliyah, who had her wedding this past July in Toronto. Aliyah was paid the ultimate compliment this weekend. On Saturday, before the show closed for the day, a photographer came over to our booth to say “hello” and wanted to know why we would use a “model” instead of a “real” bride on our cover. When I informed her that Aliyah is an actual bride and not a “model” we hired for our cover image, she was quite shocked.
So, congratulations Aliyah! It is great to know that some of our competition think that our clients are super models!
p.s. I apologize in advance to those people who wanted to hire us recently for their wedding next year – we had no idea we would sell out the 2010 season so quickly. If you would like recommendations for a great photographer to capture your wedding day, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Tuesday September 1, 2009 (10:22) | Bridal Shows, General
Happy September everyone!
For those of you in the London, Ontario area getting married next year (or even late this year), I encourage you to attend the The London Fall Bridal Show which is being held on September 12th and 13th at the London Convention Centre. You’ll find lots of great wedding ideas all under one roof.
If you would like to attend, we have a few guest passess to give out as we will exhibiting this year. Contact me at info@roelphoto.com if you are interested in a ticket (please note that the complimentary tickets are available on a first come, first served basis).
And if you do come to the show, don’t forget to drop by our booth and say hello!
Sunday June 14, 2009 (08:25) | Fashion, General, Glamour, Travel
My apologies as my last post was a bit rushed… I was trying to complete it when I heard the boarding announcement for my flight home from Venice.
As you know, I just spent the past week with Joe McNally in Italy. IMHO, he doesn’t need an introduction to fellow photographers or his clients… he is one of the world’s finest photographers. For those of you who are not familiar with his work, his images have graced the covers of National Geographic, Life Magazine and Sports Illustrated… just to name a few publications.
Joe is a master of light and he uses some incredibly complex lighting setups (I’ve never met anyone who travels with 12 speedlights!). Watching Joe work and having the opportunity to shoot along side him was an amazing experience, to say the least. Whether I was shooting on my own or helping Joe setup his lighting, it is amazing how much you can learn from him.
Our week together had us working pretty late into the evening and one day, we even started working at 4am to photograph some lovely ballerinas at sunrise (yawn). I must say that I was exhausted by the end of the week – and it was an incredibly rewarding experience.
To the other photographers who were present in Venice: it was truly a pleasure to meet all of you. And to my friend Rob in Ottawa: thank you again for this wonderful opportunity.
Joe: thank you for a phenomenal week and I hope our paths cross again.
Here are a few images that I shot during the week…
Friday June 12, 2009 (02:52) | Fashion, General, Glamour
Our regular readers will have noticed that I have been absent for the past week…. but it as been one heck of a week!
Once in a while a guy gets really lucky… and lady luck has been smiling at a lot at me lately.
I am sitting in Venice airport waiting for my flight home. I just spent the past 6 days shooting with legendary photographer and author, Joe McNally (special thanks to my friend Rob in Ottawa for giving me this great opportunity). Joe, IMHO, is the best photographer alive on the planet … period. It has been an exhausting week but my head is spinning with all of the great things we did.
Anyway, my flight is being called… I will post a few more images once I land and get a little sleep 
Ciao bella,
Roel
Sunday May 31, 2009 (09:00) | General
A little while ago, Anne and I celebrated our fourth wedding anniversary. We went out for a really nice dinner – and what I didn’t know what Anne bought me a little gift – a clock! But it is no ordinary clock – it has my name on it. Not sure where she found it, all I know is that it is a great gift.
When I was a kid, I always wanted a personalized mug. Every other kid had one, but since my name was so “unique”, none of the stores had a “Roel” mug in stock. Oh well.
So, not only is there a clock with my name on it, it appears there is a beer with my name too. How great is that?
Friday March 13, 2009 (20:42) | Dogs, General, Zeus
For those of you who know Anne and me really well, you will attest to the fact that we adore our dog, Zeus. Not only is Zeus our Chief Executive Dog (he slept his way to the top), we think he is the cutest little guy on four paws. Then again, we are very biased.
For those of you who have a dog, you will know exactly what I mean. When Zeus was a puppy, we would teach him tricks, how to sit, etc. Then one day I realised that we teach dogs very little… but dogs teach us a lot. They are very old and wise souls, IMHO. They know how to have fun, play, be themselves – and they are one of the few creatures on the planet that know how to love unconditionally. Who could ask for anything more?
So, if you have a dog, give him/her a great big hug and a cookie. We’ll be doing the same for our little Zeus!
Monday February 9, 2009 (11:08) | General, Wedding Photography
Happy February! (where did January go?)
As a lot of people are now booking vendors for their wedding day, we’ve been receiving a lot of inquiries and meeting with many people regarding our services. A question that often comes up is, “How soon after our wedding will we receive our proofs, etc?”
The answer:
Within one (1) week of your wedding date, your images will be posted in a password protected online gallery and you can share this with anyone you choose. Then, within three (3) weeks, you will receive your printed proofs and DVD of edited high resolution files.
The album process is a little more complicated than that, however, after you select the images for your album, you will be shown the initial design within three (3) weeks. Once you approve the final artwork for your album, the finished product typically takes about 7 to 9 weeks to be delivered to us.
If you have any other questions, please feel free to drop us a line at info@roelphoto.com
Wednesday January 28, 2009 (12:45) | General, Wedding Photography Tips
As many couples are now booking their wedding photographers for this year and beyond, I wanted to discuss the importance of having a contract with your photographer that clearly outlines the details of your wedding day coverage.
Contracts by their very nature are designed to protect both the consumer and the service provider. A well written contract will clearly spell out the deliverables (products or services) that are to provided and the payment required. The conditions on how both parties will operate are also clearly listed in plain english.
Sadly, I have witnessed some couples who did not have a contract with their photographer, which lead to a disastrous result. And some couples who had a contract ended up paying additional fees for things they “thought” was included such as proofs and digital files.
Here are the four main things to look for before you sign a contract with your photographer.
Deliverables – Make sure that all items that you want in your package are clearly listed in your contract and are included in the fee being charged. These include, but are not limited to the length of coverage, high resolution files, printed proofs, albums, parent books, prints and engagement sessions.
Extras/Options – Make sure that the contract outlines the fee charged for additional options such as overtime, travel charges and what the photographer deems to be “additional products”. If there is an additional fee for items, what exactly is that fee?
Photographer’s Standard Fee – What is the fee, including taxes, for the deliverables in your contract. What are the payment terms? What forms of payment do they accept (cheque, cash, credit cards). Make sure their Canadian GST/HST number is listed as it must be on all invoices and receipts issued by legitimate Canadian businesses.
Terms & Conditions – I often call this the “fine print”. Read this section carefully as it discusses cancellation policies, payment terms, refunds of payments, backup equipment, limits of liability, etc. These terms need to benefit both parties, not just the photographer.
I wish you well for your wedding day…
Sunday January 18, 2009 (22:50) | General
For those of you who know me well, you know I can get quite philosophical at times, especially when it comes to topics such as life, love and the universe.
I’ve been slowly (emphasis on that last word) going through my images I shot in Spain late last year and one of them really stood out amongst the others … it is the one above which I captured just outside of a church in Cadiz, Spain.
Someone once told me that the eyes were the gateway to one’s soul. I actually don’t understand that statement on an academic level, however, I do understand when I look into someone’s eyes and listen to that inner voice that is in all of us. People come in and out of our lives so quickly and it is so hard to know their “story” and what they are all about with such brief encounters.
Anyway, as I entered this Spanish church, this gentleman caught my attention and I gazed into his eyes. As I walked around the church which was really beautiful, I couldn’t help but feel some sense of connection with this man, even though I had never met him before. I couldn’t even speak his language. As I exited the church, I looked at him again and asked him (with hand gestures) if I could take his photograph and he graciously said yes.
So, as I continue to look into this man’s eyes to this day, what is important to me is that I actually had the opportunity to connect with another human being on a non superficial level, if only for a moment. I didn’t care what he did or what he was… all I saw was a friendly soul who was reaching out to me.
I still do not know this man’s name – and whoever you are, thank you for the opportunity to know you on a deeper level.
Thursday January 15, 2009 (09:05) | General
For those of you in the London area who have been wanting to see our images and albums in person, here’s your chance. We will be an exhibitor at the Divine Details Bridal Show this Sunday January 18, 2009 which is being held at the Four Points Sheraton in London from 12:00pm to 5:00pm.
Feel free to drop by and say hello. We’re looking forward to seeing you!
Monday January 12, 2009 (09:51) | Bridal Shows, General
Anne and I had the pleasure last weekend of traveling to London, Ontario and being an exhibitor at the London Bridal Expo held at the Western Fair Grounds. It was a fantastic 2 day show and we met a lot of fantastic brides and grooms to be.
We were also fortunate to meet quite a few top notch wedding vendors from the London area such as Scott & Sue from Essential Music Service and Natalie of Village Vines Florists. We look forward to building more friendships in the community as we spend more time in the London area.
So… if you are getting married next year, don’t hesitate to come out to the show this fall. It is being held at the Western Fair Grounds again during the weekend of September 26th and 27th, 2009.
