Toronto Wedding and Family Photographer Carmen Farrell http://blog.carmenfarrell.com blog featuring the photography work of Carmen Farrell Fri, 10 Feb 2012 19:31:17 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 [ January 2012 ] My Photo-a-Day Project http://blog.carmenfarrell.com/2012/02/10/my-photo-a-day-project/ http://blog.carmenfarrell.com/2012/02/10/my-photo-a-day-project/#comments Fri, 10 Feb 2012 19:24:13 +0000 Carmen http://blog.carmenfarrell.com/?p=1117 Photographing my day-to-day family life is something that’s really important to me.  For the third year in a row, I’m embarking on a very personal project:  to take a photo every day of something that is going on in my boring day-to-day existence.  The previous two years, I didn’t make it all the way to the end of the year.  Actually, I barely broke the half year mark.  This year will be different.  I’m determined to create this visual memory for my children and for myself.

 

]]> http://blog.carmenfarrell.com/2012/02/10/my-photo-a-day-project/feed/ 1 Alexie and Jamie get hitched at Fifth Social Club http://blog.carmenfarrell.com/2012/02/06/1073/ http://blog.carmenfarrell.com/2012/02/06/1073/#comments Tue, 07 Feb 2012 02:20:22 +0000 Carmen http://blog.carmenfarrell.com/?p=1073 I had the pleasure of being present at the wedding of Alexie and Jamie this past fall.  These two were incredible to be around.  I don’t think I’ve ever seen two bigger smiles.  The venue was also impressive.  Fifth Social Club ticked all the boxes for great place to have a fun party:  Great food.  Fantastic ambience.  Cool factor.  I found myself thinking, “If I could rewind the clock to my own wedding, this place would totally be a top contender for our reception”.  But alas, that’s not possible…so I’ll live vicariously through amazing couples like Alexie and Jamie.

 

]]> http://blog.carmenfarrell.com/2012/02/06/1073/feed/ 0 3 days in Philly http://blog.carmenfarrell.com/2011/12/14/3-days-in-philly/ http://blog.carmenfarrell.com/2011/12/14/3-days-in-philly/#comments Wed, 14 Dec 2011 20:42:00 +0000 Carmen http://blog.carmenfarrell.com/?p=1029 Every busy woman needs a “girls weekend” once in a while.  This fall I got to spend 3 days in Philadelphia with some wonderful women/photographers that I only see once a year.

We drank a lot.  We ate a lot.  We swore a lot.  We snapped a lot of photos.

Sigh…perfect weekend.

]]> http://blog.carmenfarrell.com/2011/12/14/3-days-in-philly/feed/ 1 Ben & Mary get married at the Kortright Centre http://blog.carmenfarrell.com/2011/12/06/ben-mary-get-married-at-the-kortright-centre/ http://blog.carmenfarrell.com/2011/12/06/ben-mary-get-married-at-the-kortright-centre/#comments Tue, 06 Dec 2011 05:52:27 +0000 Carmen http://blog.carmenfarrell.com/?p=959 On a gorgeous day back in September, I got dolled up, grabbed my camera gear, and headed out to hang with Ben and Mary on the biggest day of their lives.   It was such a great day, and totally worth the sore feet I had by the end.

In terms of planning an amazing wedding, Ben and Mary pulled out all the stops.  The ceremony took place in a small clearing in the forest, the reception was in an open-air gazebo decorated with twinkling lights, and the vintage-inspired details were breathtaking.  I kind of did a little joy dance when I saw all of it.

What made the day most magical though, was seeing how much Ben and Mary truly love one another.  It was palpable – and I’m so glad that I was there to capture some of that awesomeness with my camera.

As always, it was a pleasure helping Alex Neary on this one.

Vendor details:  Dress: Carol Hannah  /  Bride’s accessories:  BHLDN  /  Flowers: Coriander Girl  /  Venue: Kortright Centre  /  Cinematography: First Kiss Films

]]> http://blog.carmenfarrell.com/2011/12/06/ben-mary-get-married-at-the-kortright-centre/feed/ 3 Jess & Kevin http://blog.carmenfarrell.com/2011/11/25/jess-kevin/ http://blog.carmenfarrell.com/2011/11/25/jess-kevin/#comments Fri, 25 Nov 2011 05:20:04 +0000 Carmen http://blog.carmenfarrell.com/?p=872 Meet Jess and Kevin.  They were married back in September in a charming outdoor ceremony.  Then they threw an amazing party to celebrate.  It was one heck of a good time.

Here’s my conundrum:  I’m not sure what I was more in awe of – the bride’s staggering good looks or the groom’s infectious smile.   Either way, these two were a joy to follow around and photograph.

Big thanks to Alex Neary for asking me to work with her on this one.

]]> http://blog.carmenfarrell.com/2011/11/25/jess-kevin/feed/ 1 Life with boys – LEGO http://blog.carmenfarrell.com/2011/11/09/life-with-boys/ http://blog.carmenfarrell.com/2011/11/09/life-with-boys/#comments Thu, 10 Nov 2011 03:57:45 +0000 Carmen http://blog.carmenfarrell.com/?p=866

 

]]> http://blog.carmenfarrell.com/2011/11/09/life-with-boys/feed/ 1 The arrows that pierced my heart http://blog.carmenfarrell.com/2011/11/07/the-arrows-that-pierced-my-heart/ http://blog.carmenfarrell.com/2011/11/07/the-arrows-that-pierced-my-heart/#comments Mon, 07 Nov 2011 17:19:32 +0000 Carmen http://blog.carmenfarrell.com/?p=858 When I was 18 I got a small, meaningless tattoo.  It was a spur of the moment thing, and thankfully, it’s in a spot that almost no one ever sees.  I am fascinated by tattoos and have wanted, for a very long time, to get something on my body that felt important and special.  Having had kids, I knew that I wanted something that, to me, would represent how much of an impact they’ve had on my life.  The trick was to figure out what sort of imagery spoke to my heart.

Two years ago I had my last child.  Scott and I knew that 3 was our number.  He “took care of his end of things” and our family felt complete.  Around that same time, I came across an image of hand-drawn arrows that I found unbelievably beautiful.  This summer, when I started feeling the pull quite strongly, I shopped around for an artist who understood where I was coming from.  I really wanted that important tattoo, and if not now, then when?  So, in early October, with Scott holding my hand, I got what I wanted.  There are four arrows, one for my husband and each of my boys.  They are the four arrows that penetrated my heart, and changed it forever.

 


Side note:  Each of my guys picked an arrow that represented them (from left to right: Reese, Theo, Quinn, Scott).  Reese, age 5, likes to cuddle up with me and stroke “his” arrow.  Theo, age 2, draws arrows in marker on his forearm to match mama.  I love these boys like crazy.

]]> http://blog.carmenfarrell.com/2011/11/07/the-arrows-that-pierced-my-heart/feed/ 5 Life With Boys – Tool Crazy http://blog.carmenfarrell.com/2011/10/15/life-with-boys-tool-crazy/ http://blog.carmenfarrell.com/2011/10/15/life-with-boys-tool-crazy/#comments Sat, 15 Oct 2011 17:36:26 +0000 Carmen http://blog.carmenfarrell.com/?p=852

]]> http://blog.carmenfarrell.com/2011/10/15/life-with-boys-tool-crazy/feed/ 2 Natasha, Paul, Felixe and Julian http://blog.carmenfarrell.com/2011/10/05/natasha-paul-felixe-and-julian/ http://blog.carmenfarrell.com/2011/10/05/natasha-paul-felixe-and-julian/#comments Wed, 05 Oct 2011 21:54:39 +0000 Carmen http://blog.carmenfarrell.com/?p=799  

As much as I enjoy the energy and excitement of shooting weddings, there’s something truly magical about capturing the everyday moments of a family.  I got to hang out with Natasha, Paul and their twins, Felixe and Julian, one morning back at the beginning of September.  When Natasha contacted me to shoot her family, her most pressing request was that I capture some tender moments between her and her kids.   She felt that the years were passing too quickly and she really needed to document their closeness at this stage.

It happens quite often.  Kids, when faced with a stranger in their home holding a big, black camera, just clam up.  Well, that happened. And we dealt with it.  Natasha was patient and I was chatty and eventually things started to roll.  We hung out at home for a bit then took off to the local school yard where the kiddos ran and climbed and in between did some snuggling too.    Phew!

I think you can tell from these images that Natasha is an amazing mom and that her love for her family is palpable.  Every family has their own way of loving, of being together.  This family made me want to go home and hug my kids a little tighter, and look into their eyes a second longer than usual.

Felixe and Julian, I hope you enjoy these images, and I hope you continue to snuggle with your mom for a really long time!

]]> http://blog.carmenfarrell.com/2011/10/05/natasha-paul-felixe-and-julian/feed/ 1 Caroline & Dario http://blog.carmenfarrell.com/2011/10/03/caroline-dario/ http://blog.carmenfarrell.com/2011/10/03/caroline-dario/#comments Mon, 03 Oct 2011 20:23:06 +0000 Carmen http://blog.carmenfarrell.com/?p=779 Back in August, I helped Aron Goss capture Caroline & Dario’s big day.  They were cute as a button.

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