Posted in: Baptism

A symphony of tears.  Little, 2-year old Marlena likely had no idea what was in store for her.  She arrived with her family to the beautiful Panagia Greek Orthodox Church in Toronto, in a playful and happy mood.  She ran around the church, through the aisles, towards and away from her parents in joyful oblivion.  And then the Baptism Ceremony began.  As did the tears.  A two year old child understands far more than a 3-month old baby.  And this is why it makes it a more difficult ordeal for the youngster.  How do you explain to them that it is okay to be placed nude by the priest and then to have your Godfather run oil through your hair and rest of body, while your parents stand nearby?  And then the priest cuts a lock of hair from the child.  You can see that below.   In the first photo she is looking up at the scissors and then she puts her hands on her head, wondering what has happened.  I’m sure when she gets older, her parents will explain all the meanings and customs.  It is a beautiful and important tradition, however, and I hope my photos have caught some of the spirit of that afternoon.

Posted in: BaptismTags: , , , ,

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  • June 20, 2013 - 12:14 pm

    Heather Kanilopoolos - I love the way you captured all the little details! Gorgeous work!ReplyCancel

  • June 20, 2013 - 2:44 pm

    Porter - awww too cute! she was NOT too pumped about it, but beautiful coverage paul!ReplyCancel

  • June 20, 2013 - 3:11 pm

    stefan hellberg - great story, well told!ReplyCancel

  • June 20, 2013 - 6:49 pm

    john bello - I’ve never seen a baptism covered before, great work!ReplyCancel

  • June 20, 2013 - 11:17 pm

    rich - the story of this baptism was told perfectly!ReplyCancel

  • June 21, 2013 - 4:43 am

    David McNeil - I have never seen a baptism before so this was great to see so up closeReplyCancel

  • June 21, 2013 - 7:20 am

    Adam Ward - Thats so cool. You’ve captured the raw emotion of it so well.ReplyCancel

  • June 21, 2013 - 9:47 am

    Jessica - The submersion shots are fabulous!ReplyCancel

  • June 21, 2013 - 12:35 pm

    Anton Chia - This is so cute! Puts a smile on my face.ReplyCancel

  • June 23, 2013 - 10:46 pm

    ALMA // - You captured the emotion and the cuteness at the same time!!!ReplyCancel

  • July 4, 2013 - 11:18 am

    Lightworks photography - I think these are beautifully and sensitively photographed. Such a challenge to know how much to record and to be brave enough to go with the authenticity of the moment. I am sure that the little girl will look back and be hugely appreciative – amazing job!ReplyCancel

  • July 14, 2013 - 2:54 am

    Matt - Brisbane Photographer - That’s a beautiful looking church!ReplyCancel

  • August 5, 2013 - 11:37 am

    Joseph Hall - So refreshing – they’re wonderful.ReplyCancel

Posted in: Baptism

Baptisms can be scary, especially for 2-year old children.  And the Greek Orthodox tradition has them immersed in Holy water and oil.  This little youngster was in tears throughout most of the ceremony.  In this picture, she has already been Baptized and this is near the end.  You can see her peeking over her dad’s shoulder as she stifles another round of tears.

Toronto Baptism Photographer at Greek Orthodox Church

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Posted in: Engagement

A little while ago, Yulia and Robert had hoped to get married on Ward’s Island, but in the end decided on another location in Toronto.  So we settled for having their engagement pictures there.  We met by the ticket booths and boarded a ferry towards Centre Island, about a 10-minute ride.  It was a very sunny day and I hoped to capture some of that gorgeous sunlight.  Here are some of their photos from that day.

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Posted in: Engagement

I have never been to Ward’s Island before. It is located on the Eastern point of the Toronto Islands.  A ferry ride for $7 gets you across and the Island is one big park.  While walking from Centre Island to Ward’s Island we spotted this blue wall and I asked Yulia and Robert to pose for a picture on their engagement session. The photo was taken at 6:20pm and based on the position of the sun, it made making a silhouette possible.  So I snapped this frame.

Toronto Engagement Photographer at Ward

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Posted in: Engagement

Jessica and Kenneth’s July 6th wedding date is fast approaching and after some unpredictable Toronto weather, we managed to photograph their engagement session.  They are a very kind, friendly and fun South Korean couple who happen to live very close to me.  And they are very open to my suggestions, which is always a great formula for the photography.  Case in point.  I had a sudden idea (while at the gym) to do some ‘rain shots’ for their engagement shoot.  But not on the same date as they were scheduled.  So a week before their photosession, I contacted them and suggested that they come to Mel Lastman Square.  The weather called for a 90% chance of rain and my idea was to take photos in the rain with no umbrella protecting them.  Unfortunately it only rained for a few minutes and not really that hard.  You can barely make out the rain in a couple of the water fountain photos.  That’s okay – it was worth the effort and they get some extra photos out of it.  For their scheduled engagement session we started off at Yonge and Bloor and walked west towards U of T campus, for some more photos at that classic location.  Here are some photos from those days.

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  • June 12, 2013 - 12:11 pm

    Mark Pacura - Lovely work, so many great photos!ReplyCancel

  • June 12, 2013 - 1:27 pm

    Brittany - The fourth images – your use of the architecture lines is beautiful. Absolutely stunning. I love how they are so into each other. Also the last dress she is wearing is stunning.ReplyCancel

  • June 12, 2013 - 3:29 pm

    Jessica - What a cute couple! I really love all the fun you captured!ReplyCancel

  • June 12, 2013 - 3:32 pm

    Shyann - Wowzers, I love her dress. What a beautiful set of images. I particularly love the 6th one up from the bottom.ReplyCancel

  • June 12, 2013 - 6:05 pm

    Albert Palmer - 4th one down for me – that building is insane!ReplyCancel

  • June 12, 2013 - 11:03 pm

    Dennis Pike - stunning session, my favorite is the reflection shot.ReplyCancel

  • June 13, 2013 - 5:20 am

    john bello - love your compositions, great session!ReplyCancel

  • June 13, 2013 - 10:13 am

    Stefan Hellberg - well done. 5th from the top looks great.ReplyCancel

  • June 13, 2013 - 10:37 am

    ryan - Really amazing work, Paul. The ones at the ROM are my favourite. ReplyCancel

  • June 13, 2013 - 1:00 pm

    small - This couple has incredible style! Love the portraits against the red door. Great work!ReplyCancel

  • June 13, 2013 - 7:20 pm

    Tomasz Wagner - Rock it Paul!ReplyCancel

  • June 16, 2013 - 7:27 am

    Matt the Brisbane Photographer - Love the location of the first shot – being stationary in the middle of a crossing seems so down to earth but creative at the same time. Nice work!ReplyCancel

  • August 5, 2013 - 11:39 am

    Joseph Hall - Again amazing – love the 4th one as well but they are all stunning.ReplyCancel

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