Alan Dickson Photography

I recently heard a very funny commercial on the radio that actually made me laugh out loud. (I think it was a beer commercial!) It said, "Up here in the North, we have two distinct seasons - Winter... and July." It got me thinking about life here in Thunder Bay, and the belief that our brand of Northern Weather frowns upon any and all weddings that take place in months other than June, July or August, and that beauty can only be captured in the summer or fall. Now, Alan usually shoots several weddings in the winter months, and like I've mentioned in the last few blogs, these weddings take on a magical, haunting quality that defies description. In fact, I know that strolls along snow-laden paths are rich with memories for these couples (honestly, who can forget walking outside in a wedding gown on a -25 degree day?) There's something about the cold Northern landscape that speaks timelessness and strength, as well as beauty. So I wanted to share some of my favourite images from our more recent winter weddings and perhaps inspire some brides to rethink their ideas about the best months for a wedding. Trust me, Winter will thank you for it!















Thanks to all those brave and romantic couples who chose to make winter work for them, and a little bit warmer for the rest of us!

There's something so magical about a wedding in December! Jennifer and Chris really worked with the Winter theme for their wedding, creating a mood and atmosphere that started with the first shots at the house in the morning, all the way to the reception. Snowflakes and crystal decorations captured both the light and the imagination, and even the church took on a merry, festive tone. There were so many great shots to choose from, so I had to show a few pages from their album - that way I could show off multiple images at once, giving you an idea of the brilliance of a winter theme. Here are some of the images:













  


Kudos to Jennifer and Chris for dreaming up this beautiful, magical day! It just goes to show that Thunder Bay weddings can be spectacular, no matter what time of year!

Sometimes, when the November skies are grey, you just need to heat things up a little. Laura and Doug did just that during their wedding this month, inside the Thunder Bay Conservatory. With her 'Mona Lisa' smile and his laid-back 'GQ' coolness, Laura and Doug made a perfect couple for these very romantic, intimate shots. To me, there's something very beautiful and haunting in these images - they're simple, organic and elegant, no gimmicks, no flashy locales, just great portraiture at its best. She had just a touch of red in her dress and in her flowers, to add that pop of Gothic colour, making this wedding a superb study in rich contrasts. Take a look at some of my favourite images:













Thanks Laura and Doug for bringing the warmth back to a traditionally cold, grey month, and for allowing yourselves to be the subjects of 'Fine Art Portraiture' on your wedding day.

The theme for Krystal and Jeremy's wedding this year was simple - Black and White. From the black & white bridesmaids dresses to the hall decorations, the Black &White theme was carried out throughout the wedding day, giving it a very 'Old Hollywood' glamour and feel. Krystal was a natural in front of the camera - happy and playful and just plain gorgeous! (Again, very much the Hollywood starlet!) and her retro gown and wildly breezy veil completely suited her personality. Jeremy is a little lower key, and he and the guys got into the laid back 'gansta' groove. Here are a few photos from the day, in Black and White, of course!







  







Many thanks to Krystal and Jeremy and their sense of drama and flair. Your photos will be on our wall for a long time to come!

In Asian cultures, Red is the colour of joy, and for Jill, it symbolized the joy she feels with Justin at her side. Her red wedding gown is a trend-setter, as colour is a new and upcoming trend in the wedding fashion world. In fact, nothing was 'traditional', average or expected on their wedding day. Both Jill and Justin are a happy, fun-loving and outdoorsy couple, so their choice of Rose Valley as the venue for both the ceremony and the reception was ideal, especially on the last exquisite Saturday in the month of October. It was a quiet, intimate setting, perfect for celebrating the beauty of the changing seasons, and the sunlight at this time of year can be rich and golden, which made Jill's dress glow like the maple leaves in the distance. Jill also loves horses, and Rose Valley happens to have a few that were quite willing to have their photos taken with the Bride and Groom! Take a look at some of the images from their day:














Thanks go out to Rose Valley, for a spectacularly beautiful property, to the amenable horses who were most cooperative, and most especially, to Jill and Justin, for their sense of fun, joy and adventure! Your biggest adventure has just begun!

Take a wedding gown from New York, a groom from Los Angeles, a bride from one of the loveliest neighbourhoods in Thunder Bay and hundreds upon hundreds of blush roses, and you have a recipe for Haute Couture straight from celebrity fashion magazines! The dress is a "Reem Acra, New York" design, (designer of dresses for Reese Witherspoon, Eva Longoria, and Halle Berry to name a few!) made of Diamond White Italian silk/satin, with a 15 foot veil of pure spun silk! Under the gown was a lace bodysuit, one of the newest trends out of Europe, making it the most stunningly original gown Alan has ever photographed! Lisa's bouquet was made of blush roses and the Valhalla was transformed into a glam metropolitan venue by some of Thunder Bay's hardest working decorators! (Good job, Miranda and Maggie!) And we can't forget the groom! Charles, or Charlie to his friends, an LA exec in the entertainment industry, brought an easy-going 1940's Retro style to the formal affair, matching Lisa's glam with some 'bling' of his own! Check out some of the photos from this elegant affair:











 




Props to the Valhalla, the Flower Shed, Maggie's Magicals, Reem Acra New York, and most especially, the fab couple themselves, Lisa and Charles, for bringing this most amazing day alive with sparkle and class!

Talk about Beauty and the Beast! When Alan was talking with Lyndsay and Sean months before their wedding, Sean had mentioned the idea of shooting at the Ore Dock, as he is an Architect and did his Master's Thesis on it a few years ago. He loved the grandeur and design of the place and had even climbed it all the way to the top! The idea stuck in Alan's head and just days before their wedding, when the couple was beginning to have second thoughts about using it as a backdrop for portraits, he vigorously defended it as a location. He'd already scouted it out and could just see the shots already! The wedding day arrived, cold and windy - even more so at the harbour, but with Lyndsay's wonderful veil adding a whimsical element, the massive architecture of the place began to take on a life of its own, the 'Beast' to Lyndsay's 'Beauty'. This sparked even more ideas, and they ventured into downtown Fort William, finding alleyway after alleyway with amazingly beautiful graffiti designs and old iron millwork (which will probably be the subject of yet another blog later!) that just came to life with this classy couple. Here are some of the images from the ore dock and just a 'teaser' of some of the others:











    



Thanks to Lyndsay and Sean, for their great ideas and creativity (and bravery against the cold!), to the Harbour Master for giving permission to shoot there, and to the Ore Dock itself - a magnificent piece of Thunder Bay's Waterfront that is still a relevant part of our city life!

One of the challenges of shooting in Thunder Bay is the weather. This year, we had one month of summer and that was September! But really, if you looked at the images from the weddings Alan has shot this year, you'd never know! Daniella woke up on the morning of her October wedding to rain, rain and more rain. But rain doesn't have to cramp a photographer's style, especially if you're trying to evoke a quiet, romantic mood. Daniella works at the Richmond Inn and Spa, so we started there, warm, toasty and dry by the fire, but eventually moved on to a small log-cabin built by the groom and his dad several years earlier. It was drizzling pretty much constantly, and Alan got more that a little wet, but the shots made it all worth while, as the rustic charm of the cabin just worked with the elements to create that quiet, thoughtful mood Alan was trying to capture. Just take a look at a few of the shots...

       



                       






Thanks to Daniella and Ryan for not allowing the rain to cramp their style, but finding love, happiness and romance and for shining like the sun on a cloudy day!

Sometimes Thunder Bay can surprise you! Angie and Steve were pretty easy-going when it came to locations for their wedding day shoots. She had mentioned the Government  Building as a possible locale, and that they as a couple really enjoyed fine dining and good wines. Alan and the videographer, Jason Bowers, had a brainstorming session Thursday evening to come up with some ideas. So, the day before the wedding, Alan and I took a little trip downtown Port Arthur to see what we could see. The Government Building itself was brilliant - just the architecture alone was stunning, especially with the older historic sites, such as the Pagoda and the Train Station, in the background. But then we took a stroll around the corner to one of our favourite restaurants, Gargoyles, and we knew we had our destination! The manager, Doug, was most accommodating when we asked permission to pop into his place on the Saturday with a fairly large wedding party. In fact, he was delighted, and even gave us a tour of Gargoyles new expansion which is under construction next door. When I suggested it to Angie and Steve, they both agreed that since Gargoyles was one of their favourite restaurants, it would be a perfect place to say "them". Here are a few photos from the day - downtown Port Arthur has a style all of it's own, just like Angie and Steve!















Thanks to Gargoyles, to Jason Bowers for his creative input, and most of all, to Angie and Steve, for giving us a peek into one of their favourite past times and allowing us to create stunning portraits that are second to none!

Sometimes you just get lucky! A few weeks ago, we were shooting with Karen and Eric on their wedding day, and they had chosen a beautiful portrait location which was about a twenty minute drive from town. Alan was already imagining the scene - crystal lake, stunning skies, attractive couple - it was the very picture of romance. But on the drive out, he saw something in the distance, and immediately pulled the Mini Cooper over for a better look. It seemed the groom had seen the same thing, as he pulled up right behind, and the two of them couldn't help but shout "Did you see that?!" It was a dilapidated shack up on a hill, obviously scarred by fire and years of hard weather, and it seemed to be just begging for some attention. So bride, groom and entire wedding party hiked up the hill for a one-of-a-kind portrait shoot that seemed tailor made for this couple. Here are some of the images we were able to create, with a little bit of courage, a whole lot of talent, and more than just a little bit of luck!














 Many thanks to Karen and Eric, who could see the potential and beauty of this new and radically different 'landscape', and thanks to the little shack for just being there, and being a welcoming backdrop for such beautiful portraits.