NEW YEAR - NEW YOU - NEW OFFER!

Get slim and save $90!

How many times have you said, I'll organise a family portrait when I've lost a few more pounds?! 
Well, we'd like to give you an incentive to lose some weight and get some great family portraits at the same time!
For a limited time, we are offering a great deal - for just $50 we will create a wonderful portrait of that slimmer you! 

You will have a beautiful hand retouched 5x7 print plus a portrait shoot (value $140) and you can even bring the family and do a full family portrait session! 

Make an appointment today for your 'before' shot, or take it yourself and book your shoot for anytime before April 30th.  What a great incentive!

To book, simply call us at the studio on 519 886 1313 or email info@artandsoulcanada.com and mention 'New Year - New You' offer! 

Christmas Greetings to one and all!

Element Dance Arts - Cambridge’s Newest Prestigious Dance Studio

Wow! At last we can share the hopes and dreams of one of our favourite clients.

Last year we showcased the wedding of Larry and Michele Smith, a livewire couple who took wedding day fun to a whole different level.  This year, Michele asked us to get involved in the photography of a fantastic new project, the creation of her lifetime ambition, her own Dance studio in Cambridge, Ontario.

A few weeks ago we opened our studio to Michele, Stephanie (her talented sister), her friend Cat and a whole team of dancers and little girls of all ages. As well as Larry who came along as moral support and whatever he could lend a hand to. The idea was to capture the talent of Michele and a flavour for the many dance styles available for the promotion and website of Element Dance Arts Inc, Cambridge’s fantastic new dance studio. The girls were amazing!

Of course, for professional reasons, Michele was keeping the project under wraps.  Today we are happy to say that Michele has announced the opening of her new dance studio as of July 2011. Available immediately will be summer camps and a few open classes as well as a full season which will be underway starting in September.




When Michele told me about her new Dance Studio building I was blown away. She's starting a new business life in a brand new property with three large studio spaces, each with professionally sprung dance floors, spacious mirrors, high ceilings, and impressive sound systems.

Way to go Michele!

Michele’ s dance credentials are pretty impressive but you only have to hang around her for 10 minutes to know that it’s her bubbly personality and positive attitude that going to make this new business fly.

You can check out Michele’s website complete with our photographs of course at http://www.elementdancearts.com/

Good Luck Michele!

A Canadian Legend - Roberto Alomar at Art and Soul Studio for KR3

Although we didn't arrive on the last banana boat and are careful to add "eh" after every sentence, some events in life just serve to remind us that we didn't grow up in Canada.  In fact we often smile and tell other Canadians that living here is like coming in half way through a movie. We know the story line from when ...we joined, but every day a little bit of the plot is revealed.

This works fine if nobody leaves the movie before we arrive. I believe this is the reason it took a bit of time and discussion to realise that on Tuesday morning we were comissioned to photograph a Canadian legend, Roberto Alomar.

Of course we had put in the usual 200% into the planning and preparation of the shots which we had discussed with the client (KR3, one of Canada's top baseball bat manufacturers) in detail beforehand and we had dozens of great ideas with a limited time to try the best of them.

As you may know, we are no strangers to photographing celebrities and are blessed to have never dealt with the difficult ones. Robbie was no exception. His willingness to help in the shoot and even try his own ideas made it a dream gig. A real professional. He even made time to sign autographs and be photographed with us after the shoot.

Robbie tells us that he is to be inducted into the baseball hall of fame this year. We wish him every success.
 

Asters and Goldenrod - First Birthday Portrait for Cohen

I guess that as adults we forget that kids see the world as a different place. But when you photograph kids for a living you get to go back down there again and see how beautiful the world is at a level you forgot all about.

Our favourite field had suddenly come alive with beautiful fall Asters and Goldenrod so when Gran Maggie and Mom Stephanie brought Cohen in to celebrate his first birthday we knew just the place to go. It’s become a bit of a family tradition to photograph the kids at this age. Sister Mia who is now 5 had her photos done at just the same age so Stephanie and Maggie were keen to make sure Cohen didn’t miss out.

What a fun afternoon. We got the most enjoyment watching Mia picking the flowers in the field and looking after Cohen while Cohen was just as content sitting watching the grasses blowing in the wind. The world must be a wonderful place when you’re a 1 year old.

Just for a bit of variety we took some shots down by the river and in our Cambridge studio and it was in the studio that Mia really came into her own. She jumped and danced making our job so easy. But she never forgot it was Cohen’s day and she sat patiently by while Cohen was dressed in a cute little miniature hockey outfit.

The kids worked so well together it was a real pleasure. I guess to Cohen it was just another exciting day but now he has some amazing images which the family can share with him to help remember the days when he saw the world from a very different angle

If it’s top secret, why is it on the blog?

We’re not even telling the names of these 5 fun girls.

Suffice to say that they decided to get together to award a very special guy with a great selection of images from their recent shoot. Of course we know who this man and no, he’s not a gigolo. Just a great dad and husband.

We immediately decided we would wait till after “Gift Day” to tell this story. But the girls wouldn’t hear of it. “He doesn’t have a Facebook account” they say and “He doesn’t subscribe to your blog either”. The first we can understand but in the second we say he doesn’t know what he is missing! LOL

OK girls, be it on your own head. Oh and thanks for the fun evening. It was the best!

It's Never Too Late To Make Mother's Day

I bumped into Ed Carrington looking for a last minute Mother’s Day gift for his wife Jazzmine. He saw our gallery in Conestoga Mall and decided to purchase a certificate for a family portrait session.

But Ed is in construction management and it's summer so squeezing in time for a shoot proved more difficult than he thought. Still, the best things in life are worth waiting for, right?

Mother's Day eventually came to be just a few weeks ago when Ed and Jazz came in to see their portrait presentation. They loved their shoot and so they should, as all the planning really paid off - coordinating work, sleep and feeding schedules! 

It’s always difficult choosing which prints to put up on the blog and this little family made things doubly difficult.  They make a real handsome couple do Jazz and Ed, but the icing on the cake was their two gorgeous children Marabella and Madalena.  

Every season brings different light and backgrounds in the landscape around our studio on the banks of the Eramosa river.  An enchanting meadow near our studio came to life with beautiful blue flowers and made an amazing setting for some close family shots. This also gave us an extra location for what was already a very varied shoot. Next day it was mowed down but it was great while it lasted.

Ed and Jazzmine now have some great images to remind them of a beautiful summer morning in 2010 and we have the memories of a great experience with their amazing kids.

Gone Fishin' at La Hacienda Sarria

It’s great shooting weddings for friends, especially when the friendship started when we were hired to photograph a family portrait many years ago. That’s just what happened with Sarah Tisdall and Adam Cichorzewski.

Sarah's mum Brenda met us at one of our gallery shows many years ago. It wasn’t too long before we met the rest of the gang.  Dad Stephen is Brenda’s other half.  Mary, Mark and Sarah complete this happy, high spirited Irish Canadian Family which now includes partners and grandchildren.

Soon the boundary between business and friendship was pretty blurred and even though the number of dinner invites has well outnumbered portrait shoots, we still consider ourselves the family archivist.  Recently, dad Stephen tells me I have reached family status. Wow!  No pressure here then, a family wedding eh!

It was nothing but the best for Sarah and Adam - their choice of venue was Kitchener’s wonderful La Hacienda Sarria -  an exclusive joint and a joy to for photography too!

Despite some unexpected wet weather the day went like a dream.  Both Irish and Polish communities are not unknown for their party spirit so when the rain disappeared the party went on into the near tropical night with an amazing band to top off the exceptional meal and copious amounts of fine wine.

Sarah and Adam are keen anglers so they couldn’t resist a fun shot of them fishing in the ornamental pond at the Hacienda to complete a stunning range of images for album.  We can't wait to create it for you!  Congrats again guys, we wish you many many happy years of fun and fishing!

Great Fall Offer!

Fall is a fantastic time in Ontario - warm, vibrant colours and big blue skies make it an ideal time of year for outdoor photography.

Take advantage of our limited offer of a full professional photographic shoot for you and your family and enjoy a fun experience at the great price of just $45. Beautiful hand finished prints start at just $45 too.

Offer valid for bookings made before October 23rd.

To book your shoot or to order a gift certificate for someone special call us on 519 886 1313 or e-mail info@artandsoulcanada.com

Mr & Mrs Smith

I guess most wedding photographers have the odd Saturday off. It’s strange but sometimes everyone wants one date and another is destined to be a day off. Last Saturday was one of these days for us this year. Or so I thought! With less than 6 weeks to the date, Larry and Michele decided that they wanted to book a different wedding photographer and gave me a call to fill the slot. I knew they were a great fit for us from the getgo. They really care about their photos and they were looking for fun and drama, artsy shots with a cool look and well, lots of motorbikes. We ticked all the boxes here so it was a no brainer.


We met with Larry and the guys at Riverside Park in Preston. Larry had kitted out his team in brand new Harley Davidson T-Shirts. Between the Groomsmen Keith and Ryan as well as best man Kirk and MC Mike. We had plenty of bikes to do some cool guy shots from grungy to hip. Larry is a great looking guy and knows exactly how to work the camera. It made much of our job so much easier.


We finished of at Riverside and left the guys to get into their wedding gear while we set off to get the girls. Flower girl Jodie was already dressed when we arrived. What a cutie - eyes like saucers, she was so striking.


Soon everyone was ready and we used Michele’s mum and dad's beautiful home to the max.


Michele’s sister Stephanie was the maid of honour and being a dancer like Michele, she needed so little guidance. It was quite a big show on the girls' side. We had two bridesmaids, Lauren and Kirstie as well as Juniors Mikaela and Madison. I think the striking colour of the bridesmaids dresses owed more than a little to Harley Davidson which seemed to be a theme in the guys bow ties and vests too.


By 2.10 we were at St. Peter's in King Street Preston for the arrival of the guests. Larry and the guys were now in wedding attire so we had a round of photos to celebrate. It wasn’t long before the girls arrived. We split up to capture the service from the gallery and the altar. I stood to Larry’s right as I watched Michele coming down the isle. She was so beautiful. I watched Larry brush a tear from his eye with a Harley handkerchief but didn’t have the heart to capture his private moment.


With the service safely captured we grabbed some great shots of all the guests outside the church before starting our planned tour of locations before heading to Whistle Bear Golf Club for the reception.


First stop was Galt Collegiate Institute. Larry and Michele met here. I hear that their first date was prom night so this school holds some very special memories for the happy couple and their bridal party. Here we created some fun stuff for the bridal party and special romantic moments with the Bride and Groom. I have to say that here and throughout the day they didn’t take much persuasion to show affection. Its pretty obvious they are a great fit. The camera loved them too and they both knew how to get the best out of us.


We stopped off again at another planned location before heading off to Whistle Bear Golf Club and the family shots. We finished our list of family and relations in record time thanks to great organization by both parents and Mike. With some time to kill before dinner we headed of in golf carts down to the woods on Whistle Bear Golf Course.


The lads broke out the cigars (chocolate ones but they fooled me) and we fooled around doing some fun shots before heading back for dinner.


Earlier in the week before the wedding I was told a little secret. I was also threatened that if I told another living soul, my life was in mortal danger. Why, because the bridal party had spent months practicing a well choreographed routine to surprise the guests at first waltz time. I guess I had to know to be prepared but I took this so seriously that I didn’t even tell my partner and we were shooting the wedding together. She caught on quick though. The guests were flabbergasted. It was a great show.


Larry and Michele are a very special couple. They treated us as friends throughout the day. It’s a real privilege to reach that status with wedding couples. Thanks guys, we wish you every happiness for the future.

Chris & Kelli's Big Day

After all this amazing weather in Waterloo, I couldn't believe that things could turn so cold, wet and windy. When I arrived at the St Jacob's Best Western up beside the Farmer's Market in Waterloo, I expected to see a dejected bride. I thought wrong, it was as if they hadn't even noticed. Kelli and the girls were already good to go so we spent the best part of an hour keeping our minds off the main event taking fun shots around the hotel.


Kelli's choice of bridesmaids was perfect. Laura, Lisa, Leanne, Vanessa and Rosemary, every one of them a star. They couldn't do enough to help. Danielle, our Junior bridesmaid watched expectantly. I knew she couldn't wait for her turn to be photographed, her little eyes twinkled every time she caught mine.


The maid of honour and her husband Chris are really special to me so I was pleased when I arrived at the hotel and Lindsay came across and gave me big hug. I haven't seen Lindsey since her own wedding in Cambridge 4 years ago and I swear she hasn't changed a bit. Kelli was one of the bridesmaids and Lindsay's wedding so I guess she is responsible for my involvement in Kelli's. Thanks Lindsay!


Best of all Chris and Lindsay now have a little girl, Mckenna was the flower girl for the day. She is so pretty. When she walked down the aisle everyone let out a big ahhh! It was too funny.


The boys were waiting at the hall when I arrived, a great buch of guys. Chris told he was nervous, understandably, but he hid it well. His brother Paul was the best man. The wedding ceremony and the wedding reception were at St George Hall in Waterloo.


Chris's other brother Mathew was one of the groomsman along with friends Jason, Chris (Lindsay's husband), John and Frankie. Last came the our junior Groomsman Michael, he was Mr Cool. 8 going on 16 and he stole the show.


The wedding was over in a flash and we captured all the families at the hall before heading off with the bridal party for City Hall Kitchener. Our original plan was to shoot the wedding photographs in Uptown Waterloo but the weather just wasn't with us. On wet days It can be difficult to get moving for wedding photographers at Kitchener City Hall so I was pleased to see that having a 1pm wedding meant we had the place to ourselves for the first hour.


The bridal party did Chris and Kelli proud, working like pros to make sure their bride and groom got the best out of me. We had great fun doing lots of artsy motion shots. We even ventured outside for a few shots but quickly remembered why we were working inside and retired to the warmth of City Hall. Wedding photography in Kitchener and Waterloo can be like that all spring and summer.


By the time the other wedding parties arrived with their photographers we were just finishing then it was off to St George's Hall in Waterloo for the reception in light snow. All in all I had a great day. The weather may have been challenging but Chris and Kelli saved the day with their positive outlook and happy bridal party. We got some amazing shots. I can't wait till they come back from their honeymoon to show them all. What a fantastic day!