Katie & Darryl's finished albums :)

Katie & Darryl had a perfect, beautiful wedding day at Waterstone Estates - they were both so sweet and full of smiles that it was a joy to photograph them :) Since then, they've been busy: a new house, a new job, and most recently a new baby! Designing their albums was a pleasure for me as it brought back memories from a great day.. I love knowing that they will feel the same when they look through these images and share them with their families on Christmas day :)

Here are a few of my favourite spreads from the bride and groom's album..

 I love this last page..

I took a couple of quick pictures of the finished albums before wrapping them up for Katie so you can see how the pages lay totally flat, which gives a really nice finished look :)

This great image wraps around the cover of their album..

The big one is the main bride & groom album, with two smaller matching ones for Katie & Darryl's parents :)

As a bonus we also got to meet wee Baby Harper, who treated us to lots of smiles and giggles :) We hope we'll be seeing more of her soon!

Thanks again to Katie & Darryl for being such a pleasure to work with, and we were so happy to be able to be a part of your families' Christmas this year :)

xo

Jessica + Norman

Sneak Peek of our Awesome Japan trip (October 2012)

As some of you already know, this October we went to Japan - a trip I had been dreaming about for over a decade, and which my lovely husband not only agreed to but actually set in motion. I had been putting it off for ages, at first because of how expensive I assumed it would be, and later because secretly I was afraid that there was no way Japan could live up to the expectations I had steadily been building up. I will admit - I had the entire country and culture on a pedestal. In my mind, it was a fantasy land where the distant (and very romantic) past happily coexisted with a sort of science fiction future, where everything was not only steeped in meaning but also aesthetically stunning. Long before I ever went to Spain, France, Ireland or Mexico it was the only trip I ever wanted to take - and yet it was the trip I continued to not take. 

So last January when Norman and I were discussing possible places to visit,  I mentioned always having wanted to go to Japan. In that way that people who are not you have of making very obvious and simple observations about things that you have made very complicated in your own head, he said "so let's go". And that was it.

We ended up going for just over 3 weeks in October. We took one DSLR, one point-and-shoot, and one Super 8 camera. There are now over 2300 images, 80 short videos, and four rolls of Super 8 film, along with a journal that is so far three books long. Needless to say - it's going to take a while to edit through all this and process and absorb the whole experience, but so many people have asked to see pictures from our trip that I thought I would share a few snippets :) I will also share the two major things I learned as we were in Japan - 1. it doesn't have to be nearly as expensive as I thought it would be, and 2. it is even more awesome than I could have imagined :)

Here are a handful of my favourite images.. some are from the farm we stayed on in Gifu, and others are from Kyoto and Hiroshima (I promise - stories to follow at a later date!) - enjoy!

This last image is a piece I put together by collaging different elements of images from Tokyo, Kyoto, Miyajima, and the airport in Taipei (seriously!) - it's my plan to do a collection of collaged pieces as I've done with my France images (if you missed those at the Queen West Art Crawl this fall, stay tuned for information about upcoming shows..)

Have a great weekend!

xo 

Jessica

Sweet Tiny Newborn Baby Asher :)

I know I might be a bit biased since I've known his Mommy for years and years, photographed his parents' wedding, and even photographed him earlier this year when he was still in his Mommy's tummy - but I think Baby Asher has one of the sweetest little faces you'll ever see :) I love this first one, where it looks like he couldn't be more excited that his photo shoot is finally happening! Soo cute :)

 Perfect little baby toes :)  Asher was very alert for most of the time we were there, but I love how when he did finally drift off he maintained a firm grip on Daddy's finger..

 Smiling as he drifts off to sleep in the snuggly blanket made for him by his Auntie Jen :)

Nathalie & Rich - we are so happy for you! It was lovely hanging out with you and your little guy, and we can't wait to see you again soon :)

xo
Jessica + Norman

{if you're expecting a tiny new addition to your own family and would love gorgeous maternity and newborn portraits of your own - email us now for more information! We also do gift certificates and registry - inquire for details!}

Dawn's 21st Birthday Party at Angus Glen Golf Club

We recently had the pleasure of photographing a 21st birthday party for a lovely young lady. Dawn and her family were so gracious, and threw a fantastic party. The evening had a very art deco and jazz feel to it, beautifully designed by the talented Sara Baig (of Sara Baig Designs). There were lots of pretty and delicious details, and a jazz duo setting the mood... I'm going to start off with a few images of the details just to show you how luxurious it all was!

And here's the beautiful birthday girl, blowing out her candles..

 Dawn's Mum & Dad started the dancing off with cha-cha style!

 And then of course, there was the photo booth :) Once they got over being shy, everyone seemed to enjoy picking props and posing away!

Miss Dawn - you have a really fun group of friends, and an amazing family. It was an honour to be with you to capture this celebration as you enter adulthood - we hope you had a great time, and we wish you all the best for your 21st year!

xo
Jessica + Norman

{We love capturing any event that combines pretty details with happy memories! If you're planning a special event that you want captured with a fun and artistic eye, please get in touch!}

Planning and Day-of Coordination: Sara Baig Designs
Stationary: Felecia Cagle
Venue: Angus Glen Golf Club
Event Styling, Decor & Florals: Sara Baig Designs
Cake & Desserts: The Wedding Cake Shoppe
Jazz Duo: Tara Davidson
DJ & MC: DJ Knoxx
Photography: Jessica + Norman, Jessica Lin Photography

Baby Max at Three Weeks and One Day :)

I may as well start by confessing that I'm in love with Baby Max. He's not only adorable - he didn't shed a single tear the whole time we were there, and even smiled for us a few times :) Here's a sneak peek of some of my favourite Baby Max expressions..

 One of my favourite things about new parents is the glowy look of sheer joy they have whenever gazing upon their newborn babies..

 I love his look here - like he's trying to figure out exactly what these strangers are doing in his house!

 {if you think those toes look tiny above, wait until you see them next to Daddy's thumb below!}

 Lucky Max has an awesome monkey-themed nursery :) His Auntie Kim did the monkey painting that hangs above his crib, and Mommy's good friend Sarah crocheted the monkey mobile - so cute!

Lara & Frank - congratulations on your tiny new addition to your family! I can't wait to see what faces he'll make for us next :)

xo
Jessica + Norman

{if you're expecting a tiny new addition to your own family and would love gorgeous maternity and newborn portraits of your own - email us now for more information!}

Cheryl & Damian's Cozy Fall Wedding at the Glenerin Inn

The first time we met Cheryl & Damian in person was the morning before they got married. They live in Edmonton, but came back to Ontario to have their wedding at the beautiful Glenerin Inn, closer to where their families are. My first impression of them as a couple about to get married is that they were both very calm - they both just seemed really happy and excited about spending a great weekend with family and friends :) On the following morning it was the same, so I could tell it was going to be a really fun day!

I knew that Damian had proposed to Cheryl on a mountain-top, but didn't realize the extent of his romantic tendencies until we saw the long stemmed red roses he had given Cheryl the evening before the wedding - along with a card inviting her to a date to celebrate their one-week anniversary the following weekend (awww..). Not only were Cheryl and Damian a really relaxed and easy-going bride & groom, and a couple of the nicest people we've ever met, but both of their families were fantastic to spend the day with. Even a fire alarm going off in the middle of their ceremony didn't faze these guys!

As I was looking through the images after the wedding, I could still hear Cheryl laughing..

 I loved how elegant Cheryl's gown was - my favourite part was this beautiful broach detail..

Cheryl's Aunt Chris did a beautiful job with all the flowers for the day :)

 Through some sort of incredible wedding-day magic, even the wallpaper in this room at the Inn looked fantastic with the eggplant and bright green colours of the wedding :)

 We planned the photos for before the evening ceremony, so that afterwards the happy newlyweds could relax and enjoy their cocktail hour. This meant we got to do one of my favourite things - a "first look" moment :) The Glenerin Inn has a beautiful patio perched above the forest it backs onto, which was the perfect spot!

 We all loved the classic stone of the old Inn, and they had this beautiful sitting area that was great for the family photos..

 .. and the stone exterior was perfect for some shots of the happy couple :)

The ceremony took place in this lovely intimate space, and was performed by the same woman who had done the ceremonies for Cheryl's siblings as well :)

There were three elegant cakes - each a different delicious flavour!

I loved Cheryl & Damian's wedding - it was a perfect day: a beautiful setting full of really wonderful people :) The best wish I could think of would be to hope that the rest of their lives together is full of days, moments, people, and places as lovely as their wedding day!

Cheryl & Damian - it was such a pleasure spending time with you and your families. Thank you so much for allowing us to be part of your day :)

xo
Jessica + Norman

{We love to photograph non-traditional weddings :) If you've got one in your future, please get in touch!}

Photography: Jessica + Norman - Jessica Lin Photography
Venue: Glenerin Inn, Mississauga
Cake: Teresa Trivino - Sophie's Sweets
Flowers: Chris Irvine