:: Jessica Blaine Smith ::

Next Boudoir Marathon - January 24th!

2009-01-05T07:10:00.000-05:00

My next boudoir marathon is quickly approaching - Saturday, January 24th! It is perfect timing for that special gift for your Valentine! Click here for more details.

Happy New Year!

2009-01-01T08:02:00.001-05:00

Happy New Year! I can hardly believe that another year has passed. It has been fun for me to look over the last twelve months of this blog to see all of the photo shoots that I was lucky enough to be a part of. As I predicted at the end of 2007, 2008 was definitely the year of the baby! It seemed as though everyone (and their sister!) had a baby and I had a lot of fun photographing them all. Already 2009 is shaping up with the promise of being a great year. I have so many great weddings and portraits to look forward to. Thank you to all of my fabulous clients - you make my life that much brighter!

Cheers,
Jessica

[Here is one of my favourite images from a recent session with L'il K. This was me practising with my new baby - Canon 5D Mark II!]

Barbara + Cameron Are Married!

2008-12-31T07:17:00.001-05:00

How fitting that on the last day of the year I am posting some of my favourite images from the last wedding that I photographed in 2008! Barbara + Cameron's wedding took place on November 29th in Hamilton and Ancaster. I started with getting ready shots of both sides before heading to Dundurn Castle for the formal photographs. I love shooting the posed portraits before the ceremony as it gives time for the bridal couple to relax before all of the formalities of the day. After the photos we then headed to one of my favourite venues - The Ancaster Old Mill - where both the ceremony and reception took place. Barbara + Cameron: your wedding was absolutely perfect! Congratulations!

These stunning flowers were created by the awesome Cool Green & Shady!

Barbara's sister performed a handfasting ceremony.

Boudoir Boudoir!

2008-12-29T10:11:00.000-05:00

Here are some images from one of my most recent boudoir portrait sessions! Her husband loved the photos! My next Boudoir Marathon is Saturday, January 24th - just in times for Valentine's Day! Click here for more details.

Happy Holidays!

2008-12-24T07:41:00.000-05:00

Happy Holidays!

Wishing you much laughter + love this holiday season.

Cheers,
Jessica

[Main image taken at the Temple-in-the-Sea, Trinidad. Overlay image taken at the Basilica of St. Archillius (10th c.), Greece]

Shannon + Steven + Ruby!

2008-12-23T07:49:00.000-05:00

This smiling little lady came into my studio a couple of weeks ago with her parents for a portrait session. I could not believe how easygoing and happy she was! I am told that she is like this all the time - talk about perfect little baby!

Holiday Boudoir!

2008-12-22T07:38:00.000-05:00

Her boyfriend has no idea what Santa will be bringing him this year! I am sure that he is going to love these photos! They were taken at my most recent Boudoir Marathon.

Melanie + Chris + Baby Edan

2008-12-19T08:51:00.003-05:00

Look at this little studmuffin! In eighteen years, the ladies had better watch out for Edan, aka future heartbreaker!

As some of you know, I am the eldest of three sisters. As a kid, I always had the dream of having an older sister. My best friend, Wendy, was also one of three girls in her family, except that she was lucky in that she had both a younger and older sister. Meet Melanie, Wendy's older sister (and the one that I sometimes pretended was mine)! When I found out that Melanie + Chris were expecting, I was very excited for them! I know that they are going to make great parents to little Edan! I cannot wait to see my little "nephew" grew into his own little person. Who is he going to be when he grows up? A firefighter like Daddy?

Isabela + Richard Are Married!

2008-12-17T07:07:00.001-05:00

I have known Isabela + Richard since they first got together. I knew Isabela first and when Richard officially came into her life, it was as though he had always been there. They complete one another. They are always laughing and having fun. Even through serious times, they come out of it hand in hand with a smile on their faces. When they told me at the end of October that they were getting married, I was ecstatic for them. I could not imagine them any other way. They then told me that they had set a date - November 10th of THIS YEAR! They did not want the big fairy tale wedding. They wanted something simple that represented them. They wanted their closest friends and family to be present and they wanted each other. I met them at City Hall for the ceremony. The officiant was lovely, everyone was beaming. We then headed to Peter Pan on Queen Street for a lovely wedding day meal. Since we were on Queen Street West and you may remember Isabela + Rich's love for grafitti, we had to do some portraits in that neighbourhood, their style. Before we headed to the dark alleys of Toronto, we stopped in at Fashion Crimes to show the ladies there how fabulous Bela looked in her dress that she bought from them. Congratulations Isabela + Rich! I could not be more happy for you!

Happy Monday!

2008-12-15T07:25:00.000-05:00

Happy Monday! What a beautiful city we live in!

Jenn + Mike + Laurier!

2008-12-12T10:46:00.004-05:00

You may recognize Jenn + Mike from their Trash the Dress session that we did in September. In November they came into my studio for a family portrait to be used for their Christmas card. By family, I mean the two of them and the cutest puppy ever, Ms. Laurier!

Wedding Bells Feature!

2008-12-09T09:59:00.007-05:00

Have you seen the new Spring & Summer issue of Wedding Bells yet? If not, pick up a copy and check out my photos featuring Caroline + Vav's fabulous wedding! Roseanne Dela Rosa was also kind enough to give me a shout out on her blog. Thanks Rosie! To see the whole story on Wedding Bells, please click here.

The Mason Family

2008-12-05T07:50:00.001-05:00

I was excited when Stefanie from Convert Marketing Inc. contacted me about booking a portrait session for her sister and her adorable children! For the session, they came to my studio in early November. We first did some "standard" studio shots before heading outside. We got lucky with the weather - it was warm and there were still autumn leaves about. Here are some of my favourite images from their session.

Recent Thank You Cards

2008-12-04T07:34:00.000-05:00

Here are some samples of recent Thank You cards that my wedding clients ordered. I love creating these custom cards! They come in two sizes - either 4" x 5.5" or 5" x 7" (perfect for framing!).

Sara + Mark Are Married!

2008-12-03T07:52:00.002-05:00

Sara + Mark were married on October 25th at the beautiful Richmond Hill Country Club. After doing their engagement portraits back in June, I was very excited to photograph their wedding! The weather was gorgeous that day so we managed to do portraits outside. Sara + Mark are a fantastic couple. I love the way that they look at one another, particularly during the ceremony. Their reception was a lot of fun and I would say that everyone present had their turn on the dance floor! Congratulations Sara + Mark!

Mark chose the best guys to be a part of his wedding party! They had no problem helping Sara with her dress and flowers!

Sara is Finnish and tradition has it that the groom drinks a toast out of the bride's shoe! Good man, Mark!

Latest Boudoir

2008-12-01T07:51:00.000-05:00

Another lovely bride was in my studio a couple of weeks ago for a Boudoir Marathon. I loved the outfits that she brought in. I know that her fiancé is going to die when he sees the photos!

Shayne + Howard are Married!

2008-11-27T07:57:00.000-05:00

I have a confession to make regarding Shayne + Howard's wedding - I spilled a couple of tears, not once, but twice at their wedding! I am such a sap when it comes to people really, truly loving each other! You may remember Shayne + Howard's engagement session that took place a mere ten days before their wedding. I was super excited to photograph their big day that took place on October 17th at the ever-so-lovely Carlu in Toronto. I met Shayne + Howard before the ceremony to get the formal portraits out of the way. We even managed to go outside for a few. Their candle-lit ceremony then took place in the Sky Room, while their reception was later held in the Round Room. I loved the food stations that they had set up, especially the yummy desserts! There was much celebration and dancing for Shayne + Howard once the speeches were over. Shayne + Howard, you are a fantastic couple! Thank you for allowing me to capture your big day for you. Congratulations!

Look at how adorable/in love they were walking down the aisle after the ceremony!

Holiday Cards!

2008-11-26T11:49:00.004-05:00

The deadline is near to order your own personalised Holiday Cards! The last day to order is Monday, December 1st. Here is a sample of one of the latest cards that Jennifer + Mike (+ Laurier!) ordered. To see the templates for the cards, please click here. All templates are fully customizable. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions!

Cheers,
Jessica

Stacey + Josh are Married!

2008-11-25T15:24:00.002-05:00

My lovely friends, Stacey + Josh, got married on the best day of the year, September 20th, aka my birthday! Theirs was an intimate wedding filled with lots of Simpsons references that took place in British Columbia. Unfortunately I did not get a chance to attend the wedding but upon their return, I made sure to schedule a post-wedding portrait session with them. We met one evening in their 'hood and took photos along the ever-so-cool Ossington Avenue. Here are some of my favourites! Congratulation Stacey + Josh - you two were made for one another!

January + March Boudoir Marathons!

2008-11-25T08:01:00.005-05:00

My Boudoir Marathon dates have been very popular and booking up quickly! Saturday, January 24th and Saturday, March 14th are my next Boudoir Marathons!

My boudoir portraits take place at my studio located near downtown Toronto. The cost of a session is $330 and includes a disc containing high resolution files of all final photographs, including your top twenty favourite portraits all retouched so that they are as close to perfect as possible! The fabulous Megan Pais will be doing make-up. Please contact me if you would like to book a session or if you have any questions about my boudoir sessions.

Saturday, January 24th, 2009
11:00am -
12:30pm -
2:00pm -
3:30pm -

Saturday, March 14th, 2009
11:00am -
12:30pm - booked
2:00pm -
3:30pm -

Carolyn + Mike + L'il Maddy, Part 2

2008-11-21T07:48:00.001-05:00

Carolyn, Mike + Maddy came to my studio a couple of weeks ago for their second portrait session as part of their "Baby Bundle". Maddy has grown a lot in the past few months. She's now sitting up and smiling away! My third portrait session with her will be for her first birthday in the spring!

Laramie + Marc Are Getting Married

2008-11-19T07:37:00.000-05:00

I met Laramie + Marc for an engagement portrait session back in September. I have known Marc for a long time as we went to middle and high school together in Port Hope. His Mom was also the french teacher at the middle school. When he contacted me a number of months ago about photographing his wedding, I was excited! Laramie + Marc are a cute couple and I cannot wait for their wedding in March!

The Kemp Family

2008-11-17T07:57:00.000-05:00

I met the adorable Kemp family at the end of October to do a portrait session. I was initially worried that we had missed the autumn colours but luckily, our location in Newmarket had plenty of leaves!

Shayne + Howard are Married!

2008-11-14T07:57:00.000-05:00

[More Images Coming Soon!]

Eva + Mike + Baby!

2008-11-12T07:31:00.000-05:00

Back in the day I photographed Eva + Mike's wedding. They appeared again at Heather + Strahan's wedding in 2006 and most recently at Yvette + Al's wedding when Eva had a "baby bump". I was very excited to meet their wee one and was waiting patiently for Eva + Mike to book their portrait session with me! I knew that I was coming as Eva's co-workers bought a gift certificate from me as a Baby Shower gift near the beginning of the year. Finally they called and we booked the session when their li'l guy was about seven months - perfect timing to capture those first smiles!