I am first to admit, it's been slow here on the blog as we head into our last stretch of wedding season (is it October, already!?!).  Of course, thanks to emails from our faithful blog readers for calling us on that and for asking for more updates!  You guys are awesome and so great to know you're out there and interested in our work and everyday life...

The summer has really been packed with scoping out locations, prepping, shooting and it's been insanely busy.  But, back to our scheduled blogging... Here's a location that you'll really dig!

Lago is Ottawa's NEW bar and grill restaurant with a view at the Dow's Lake Pavillion along the Rideau Canal. If you haven't been here yet, you must go check it out! We love the decor, colours, and vibe of the place.

Even the restrooms are well designed and we LOVE the concrete sinks!

This is one of the lounge areas. I just love this photo that shows the quiet side of Sam that I get to see once in a while : )

We get so excited to see new cool places and venues, so we'll definitely be coming here again. It looks awesome in the evening too as the ambience changes to more of a nightclub. Lago also offers a large private 140-seating banquet facility (it was unfinished at the time we were there, so no pictures yet!) that is a great idea for weddings and events, so if you're a bride looking for something different, give them a shout as we'd love to shoot here!

Have a great weekend!

It means so much to us when clients of ours, or people we've met in person or online write to us or in this case write about us. Last week, we stumbled upon this blog from an aspiring young photographer that featured us:

Thanks so much, Roon-bop, for your kind and sincere words! Sam and I feel so honoured and continue to explore and get better at what we do. We wish you all the best in your photography adventures! Keep it up!

The best advice we can give to photographers who are learning and starting out is to follow your passions and be true to who you are! Go out there and practice shooting what you love. Staying in touch with what moves you is one of the things that has helped us to develop our style of photography and keeps us grounded in creating images that tell the story of each of our subjects, who they are, and how they love.

Last weekend we had an awesome time with Stephanie and Travis. They are an uber cool couple (even though they won't admit it!) to hang out with and we had so much fun with their engagement session! We'll introduce them more when we post their images, but just wanted to tell you how excited we are to have our Sam and Mary Photography swag hot off the press recently and they were gracious enough to model for us! They really made it look super easy! love these images of them looking hot!

Here is Steph chillin' out in the Sam and Mary Photography ladies Racer Back Tank... with a little bit of pink, of course! And, Travis sporting our original classic men's Macho Tee. Vintage, surf style for supreme comfort. 

Thank you so much, Steph and Travis! You guys really rocked it!

We can't wait to see you guys in a couple weeks. Your official teaser will be out soon, promise!

Love,
Mary (& Sam)

Here's a photo I found that Sam took of me during Spencer's lifestyle session. I was quite unaware he took it, obviously, as you can see how intently I was concentrating on taking the photo!

For this shot, we wanted to utilize the amazing natural window light that was filtering through the couch. Even though we do bring lighting to our sessions and are prepared to use it creatively, we love to find natural light!

So there you have it. A raw behind-the-scenes at what goes on at Sam and Mary Photography. Don't worry, I got Sam back and have some incriminating shots of him at work, so stay tuned for more.  Happy Wednesday!

Sam was out shooting a wedding today for a super fun couple. Despite the cold and bitter wind, the day was sunny and beautiful. April and Sean had the most unique story for their wedding day. They had planned their wedding for sometime this summer, but on a last minute whim, decided 'let's get married now'.

We got a call from April yesterday afternoon and met with them this morning for their wedding today. It was the craziest thing we've ever accepted to do as photographers since our brides normally book us up to a year in advance, but it was their spontaneity that taught us so much. They got all that was important to them that day, and that was enough.

This just reminds me of how much I love each of our brides! They are all so different and we really support each of them in their decisions and celebrate the things that make them unique. We love listening to their dreams and thoughts on what is important and symbolic to them on their wedding day.

We just wanted to wish April and Sean the most wonderful day! Here's to spontaneity, love and fresh air!

There were a lot of great moments, but here's one we wanted to post as a teaser. More to come so stay tuned!