Every year I say 'I can't believe I've been doing this for X amount of years', and this year is no exception. I actually can't wrap my brain around being in the same career for the past 20 years and having been part of almost 300 weddings and thousands of other shoots and events! It's a wonderful, exhausting, creative and beautiful job to have.

No career comes without challenges but I want to focus on the reasons why I keep hustling in photography.

With that I wanted to look back at 20 of my favourite photography moments...

1. It's not everyday you get your photo on a billboard and the fact I randomly got asked to do this shoot made it even better.

Networking, go do it. Shout your profession and skills from the rooftops (this is my pro advice, yes.)

Shooting Nick Filigno was the height of my nervousness in life but he put me at ease instantly. I made him laugh so hard he spat and this photo made it onto the Sens walkway. I'm both amazed and embarrassed this was shot with a Nikon D80 - who remembers that beast?

2. Judging the pwpc competition. Nothing quite like judging your peers and awarding one of them. It was inspiring to see all the beautiful work coming from photographers across Canada and it pushes you to think outside the box!

3. My biggest and most proud moment was joining the photography powerhouse known as Third Floor York.
My Third floor dorks taught me so much more than just photography techniques and I don't know how to top that first day feeling. All good things come to an end, and while at the time I felt like a failure giving up my dream to have a commercial space that I shared with some amazing humans, everything happens for a reason!

Right around the corner was years of intermittent lock downs that would have made the last few years literally and figuratively impossible.

4. The year was 2016, The Pittsburg Penguins won the Stanley cup and Jacques Martin brought it home to Rockland. I was hired to shoot guests with the cup (and eat St. Albert curds out of it)

At the end of the event I had the opportunity to take a sip; It was bud light so that was pretty horrifying to this beer snob, but otherwise once in a lifetime!

5. Every food shoot ever!
Even before I was old enough to drink, my Mom would take me with her to the LCBO to get my favourite publication, Food and Drink Magazine (please hire me!)
When I started photography, Chatelaine and Food and Drink were my inspirations of choice!

I started doing food photography on the side of my portrait business because it was a passion that I didn't think Ottawa would be big enough to support.
Here we are, many years later and I've shot over 100 restaurants and eaten many, many of their dishes.

6. 2020, the year fun stopped, except the two of my favourite photography memories that happened then.

Realizing work is what makes you happy and then being told that you cannot work even outdoors, from a safe distance, is pretty heart wrenching.
When I was asked to photograph Sarah's Kin vineyard bachelorette I was super excited. The whole group made me feel like one of the girls, including me in the yummy tasting, and I left feeling like I was on a cloud.

7. We Day, a little more controversial now than when I shot it for 2 years, a decade ago but still a big moment.
The energy was contagious, the stage and speeches were inspiring, the day motivated me in many ways!

8. When couples put this much effort into personalizing their session, it's just something you don't forget.

Laura and James were getting ready to paint their living room after a lengthy renovation and thought, why not capture this as our engagement session. They styled up paint cans and used colours that matched their wedding colour scheme.

9. You never forget your first conference! The over planner in me somehow booked a one way ticket to Toronto (with no actual plan to get home) to attend the Canadian Photography conference, including talks from my biggest inspirations, with my biggest inspirations.

The Manns bought me a beer and I never recovered from the excitement!

10. Sometimes the greatest joys come from something so 'simple'.

Jess and Phil chose an all Boyce Avenue cover cocktail hour and I personally didn't know 1) Anyone in Ottawa knew them (I was very wrong) and 2) They loved their music that much.

I've met Boyce Avenue twice and would say I listen to their playlist a couple times a week. If you're unfamiliar go check them out.
This Stanleys Olde Maple Lane Farm wedding was a joy!

11. My first magazine cover!

So exciting my bff threw me a party! Some ups and downs with this opportunity but a wonderful learning experience and hey, a beautiful tearsheet for the portfolio (which from this year the portfolio was pretty awful and I will be outside burning that book now)

12. Realizing you've shot 200 weddings was like, whoa! Now that I'm so close to 300 it's even crazier and completely amazing that I've been a big part of this many couples' big days, it brings me a ton of joy! The 200^th was no exception.

It was a beautiful brunch wedding at Chateau Laurier where I even left with a centerpiece (my favourite thing about brunch weddings after the brunch itself, is being able to nap afterward)

13. You don't get bigger than the Prime Minister in Canada, regardless of your political views, this is a career moment.
Being the only media woman representing the female photographers who shoot commercial photos and events is always an honour.

If Barbie can be a photojournalist, so can I.

14. There aren't really enough words to describe how the friendships formed because of photography make everything worth while, so here's a fun photo from Noel En Noir (The wedding industry Christmas party) from my favourite memory capturers, MDRN photobooth!

15. Being chosen to shoot a couple's wedding day is an honour, being chosen to shoot a couple's wedding week, is an amazing honour.

This one was a very special one that was during the 16th workiversary and I remember waking up the day after the last event and being bummed I wasn't photographing C + A

16. While 2020 was arguably the worst year of life for so many people, there were two amazing days from then that made this list!

Katherine and Eric's pandemic wedding was the most beautiful day despite the unpredictable weather.
Sarah J crushed this wedding and keeping the couple out of any drama so they could celebrate (safely) the love they have for each other, in the most gorgeous location that only a couple of people have gotten married at.
Super fortunate to have been brought along for this one and the gracious prosecco chats that followed!

17. Oh the Grey Cup CFL fantasy experience... This felt like a lifetime ago, because it really was. When you're young and cute you can get anything; except paid equally.

Someone thought I was the best and I got asked for MY autograph (smooth ;)), followed by jumping through a bouncy castle with our gear on, this day could not have gone any better.
I would have to look through old DVDs and a memory box to try to find more photos from this day but I do keep this in my basement as a reminder to be a 'yes' man - I remember almost not agreeing to be part of this experience where fans met players from each team at the Grey Cup, but it tops the list of memorable career moments for me!

18. This one is less a definitive moment and more moments, but looking at your customer's socials' grid and seeing you've been there at all their special occasions and that these people value your photography that much, is fuel for my creative soul.

19. Seeing my custom content for Mcdonalds Canada for the first time blew my mind! Then seeing it shared by Narcity (only the beautiful photo on the left I can take credit for) was a whole other thing.

20. Graduation day!
Tell me it was early 2000's without telling me it was the early 2000's. Avril Lavigne raccoon eyes and white lipstick (shutters)

School wasn't a breeze, so getting out of there with the other 34 people who managed to stick it out was probably the best day of my life.

If I never see film again, it wouldn't be soon enough.

Looking at this collection of memories I realize the variety in what I shoot and the people I get to shoot it with are what make it such a rewarding career!

If you've made it this far, thank you for coming along for the ride and I look forward to approximately 35 more years in business!

XO, Mel

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My 20 favourite photography memories

No career comes without challenges but I want to focus on the reasons why I keep hustling in photography.

With that I wanted to look back at 20 of my favourite photography moments...

1. It's not everyday you get your photo on a billboard and the fact I randomly got asked to do this shoot made it even better.

Networking, go do it. Shout your profession and skills from the rooftops (this is my pro advice, yes.)

Shooting Nick Filigno was the height of my nervousness in life but he put me at ease instantly. I made him laugh so hard he spat and this photo made it onto the Sens walkway. I'm both amazed and embarrassed this was shot with a Nikon D80 - who remembers that beast?

2. Judging the pwpc competition. Nothing quite like judging your peers and awarding one of them. It was inspiring to see all the beautiful work coming from photographers across Canada and it pushes you to think outside the box!

7. We Day, a little more controversial now than when I shot it for 2 years, a decade ago but still a big moment.
The energy was contagious, the stage and speeches were inspiring, the day motivated me in many ways!

8. When couples put this much effort into personalizing their session, it's just something you don't forget.

Laura and James were getting ready to paint their living room after a lengthy renovation and thought, why not capture this as our engagement session. They styled up paint cans and used colours that matched their wedding colour scheme.

10. Sometimes the greatest joys come from something so 'simple'.

Jess and Phil chose an all Boyce Avenue cover cocktail hour and I personally didn't know 1) Anyone in Ottawa knew them (I was very wrong) and 2) They loved their music that much.

I've met Boyce Avenue twice and would say I listen to their playlist a couple times a week. If you're unfamiliar go check them out.
This Stanleys Olde Maple Lane Farm wedding was a joy!

11. My first magazine cover!

So exciting my bff threw me a party! Some ups and downs with this opportunity but a wonderful learning experience and hey, a beautiful tearsheet for the portfolio (which from this year the portfolio was pretty awful and I will be outside burning that book now)

13. You don't get bigger than the Prime Minister in Canada, regardless of your political views, this is a career moment.
Being the only media woman representing the female photographers who shoot commercial photos and events is always an honour.

If Barbie can be a photojournalist, so can I.

14. There aren't really enough words to describe how the friendships formed because of photography make everything worth while, so here's a fun photo from Noel En Noir (The wedding industry Christmas party) from my favourite memory capturers, MDRN photobooth!

15. Being chosen to shoot a couple's wedding day is an honour, being chosen to shoot a couple's wedding week, is an amazing honour.

This one was a very special one that was during the 16th workiversary and I remember waking up the day after the last event and being bummed I wasn't photographing C + A

16. While 2020 was arguably the worst year of life for so many people, there were two amazing days from then that made this list!

18. This one is less a definitive moment and more moments, but looking at your customer's socials' grid and seeing you've been there at all their special occasions and that these people value your photography that much, is fuel for my creative soul.

19. Seeing my custom content for Mcdonalds Canada for the first time blew my mind! Then seeing it shared by Narcity (only the beautiful photo on the left I can take credit for) was a whole other thing.

20. Graduation day!
Tell me it was early 2000's without telling me it was the early 2000's. Avril Lavigne raccoon eyes and white lipstick (shutters)

School wasn't a breeze, so getting out of there with the other 34 people who managed to stick it out was probably the best day of my life.

If I never see film again, it wouldn't be soon enough.

Looking at this collection of memories I realize the variety in what I shoot and the people I get to shoot it with are what make it such a rewarding career!

If you've made it this far, thank you for coming along for the ride and I look forward to approximately 35 more years in business!

XO, Mel