Jonetsu Photography Blog » Vancouver Wedding Photography Blog

Masthead header

HAPPY HOLIDAYS AND THANK YOU TO OUR ASSISTANTS! JONETSU WINS “BEST OVERALL WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY” AT THE BC WEDDING INDUSTRY AWARDS 2012

It’s crept up so fast again.  It’s Christmas time. I ADORE Christmas.

Naturally, as the year comes to a close (and New Year resolutions/challenges crowd my head at 3am), I find myself being thankful for all the blessings in our lives over the past year.  The list is long and quite personal, but I thought (here) I’d focus a big part of my thanks on TEAM JONETSU 2012.  I always feel like we give everything we have to our shoots and our clients, and though it would make sense that Chadwick and I are the ones to work the hardest, we have to say that our amazing assistants are such a key part of our wedding days and our couple’s experiences: they work as hard as we do.  They help us focus on the important bits of a wedding day, and are such talented, truly GOOD people.  We feel honoured to have the opportunity to work with such fantastic souls.  Thank you Gabi, Mark and Matt.

Gabi Moeller:

Gabi contacted us last year, she’s already a wonderful Whistler Family Photographer, but she wished to explore wedding land with JONETSU this season.  Full of life with an authentic, honest edge that makes you love her even more, Gabi has always thought one step ahead and has helped us out with some very solid ideas : one wedding, she perfectly navigated a very critical situation where our car was blocked in the parking lot (on the way from wedding portraits to wedding CEREMONY).  German ingenuity, we call it.

A great friend, Gabi helped us with location scouting in Whistler for one of our favourite shoots of the year: Jon and Di’s engagement session.  She’s incredibly gifted with children, and it’s genuine- kids can smell the fakes from a kilometer away.  We love you Gabi, and we look forward to working with you next year, when you have the time for us 🙂  Thank you for being so helpful, and thoughtful and supportive.

(pictured: Gabi finessing Julie’s spectacular veil at the Vancouver Club)

Mark Epstein:

It was such a pleasure to get a note from an acquaintance from so long ago – from my times in Japan, no less!   Mark is a photographer and teacher in the UK and is such a wildly, delightful diplomat (he’s not actually a diplomat.  but could be… he’d represent the Queen Mum with much aplomb).    You know those people that make you think critically and question everything you know (like you’re back in Uni!)?  That’s Mark, with a big smile and a cheeky joke attached every time.

Chadwick and I were asked (and felt honoured) to judge this huge  Russian wedding photography competition this year.  Incredible work, inspiring, so time-consuming. To judge a colleague’s work is awkward, it’s quite stressful.  We decided to feel confident that we were actually chosen to judge because of our biases an so, from which other perspective were we to judge this talented group of photographers?  Mark was able to sit in on a portion of our judging, and offered some absolutely intriguing perspectives that I carry with me today. I’d love to attend one of his classes- he teaches English and lectures on photography at Manchester University- lucky students!   Thanks, Mark.   Your spirit is contageous and you gave us more than we gave you.  You’re hilarious and truly kind.  Looking forward to seeing you again in the UK!

(Pictured: Mark couldn’t believe he was stepping out of a Hummer in Vancouver.  With Canon gear, at that!)

 

Matt Day:

Matt and I go way back, he used to assist me before Chadwick times!!  It was so great to get his email that he’d be up to helping us out for Sarah and Riley’s wedding after I posted the opening online. Matt’s become a fantastic photographer and is a passionate about music. Matt, I really have enjoyed your self-portrait work and look forward to seeing all the fun you get up to in the coming years… you’ve always been such an open and kind person- good things will always come your way!  Thank you for being in touch, that made me so happy and you were great to work with again!  Love and hugs to you and your family too!

(Pictured: loving the look here- Matt lookin’ tight in all blacks with every bit of gear on his person (minus the four cameras we carry).  oh Matt- we have your shades at the studio- forgot to mention!

 

Some shots of us this year… Yes, I wear the same outfit every wedding.  I have four copies, it’s a no-brainer.

To my husband.  I don’t want to say everything here that I’m going to write in your Christmas card, but I will say that this has been a crazy year and I wouldn’t have wanted to share every bit of it with anyone else.  You are my ultimate support in life and your talent blows me away.  Love you so much boo.

The Year End was capped off with a super awesome surprise for team JONETSU at the BC Wedding Industry Awards 2012 where we won the”Best Overall Wedding Photography” award!  We tried to drag Gabi up to the stage to accept our crystal bling at the River Rock with us but she refused to go – too shy, Ms. Gabi, too shy!!  There will be professional images surfacing at some point, along with our winning entry published in Real Weddings Magazine, but for now, here’s our little iPhone pic at the end of the night, back at the studio.  Thanks to Nadia Albano who did my hair and makeup for the event, and to our friends Leanne, Melia, Jules, Gabi, Jenna and Tristan who joined us for great times at a little pre-awards dinner/drinks at WEST that night.  Congratulations to all the winners and runners up, and to the organizers for making it another wonderful night to remember!

Looking a little rough… but there we are:

To our clients from 2012 and years past,

We love you and we so appreciate your support and kindness over the years.  It makes us very happy to be able to make images for you and your families that you enjoy and keep visible in your lives.  Thank you for being the incredibly interesting and caring people you all are- every single one of you!

Happy holidays to all of you and to your families.  May 2013 be another beautiful year for each of you!

Love, Camille & Chadwick

 

 

 

 

 

Trevor - December 24, 2012 - 7:04 pm

Way to go guys! Well deserved for sure!

Blu Studio Photography - February 7, 2013 - 4:00 pm

Congrats!

Quebec Photography - February 19, 2013 - 12:52 pm

Congratulations on your award and what a nice way to say thank you to your assistants.
The bird’s eye shot of the tables on the patio is a great photo.

Jasser Abu-Giemi - February 28, 2013 - 9:33 pm

I LOVE that last photo of you guys. Camille WOWZA.

JONETSU Canon Northern Explorers of Light, Camille Fortin Bensler and Chadwick Bensler

 

 

Chadwick and I are so excited and honoured to share the news that we’ve accepted an invitation to join the Canon family as inaugural members of their Northern Explorers of Light initiative.   The Explorers of Light program has already existed in America and the UK since the mid-nineties and features several of our favourite photographers and cinematographers, each masters of their creative specialty.  Canon Canada is currently working on their new pro website which will feature our work along with the other five photographers of other genres initially chosen to help educated and inspire through Explorers.

 

This relationship with Canon feels really great and quite surreal, to be honest.  It’s been one of those dreams that’s percolated since I started my career fifteen (ahem… plus, plus)  years ago.  Saving up for my first SLR camera as a teenager… slowly building my lens and body collection as work came along… wondering if one day I might be able to make photos that would “get noticed” outside of the darkroom drying lines.  Now I get to make photos with the love of my life and we can share our stories with many people, that feels sweet in an all-encompassing kind of way.

 

We have incredibly fantastic, genuinely loving clients and gear that does not let us down on the job.  Those two things are exactly what we need to be happy photographers.

 

Busy designing albums, booking up 2013 couples and delivering our last wedding of the year. Also, look out for our very first workshop to take place in Vancouver at our studio in 2013.   Alright, enough of the blog party times, back to work…

 

Hope you are doing well this beautiful (almost) holiday season!

xo camille

Daniel Kudish - November 26, 2012 - 10:58 pm

that’s amazing news guys! congratulations!!

Mike Vallely - November 26, 2012 - 11:39 pm

You guys are the raddest! Thanks for being such a huge inspiration. Congratulations, you guys deserve it!!!

melia - November 27, 2012 - 12:09 am

Well deserved indeed! Congratulations!

VancityAllie - November 27, 2012 - 3:19 am

Congratulations to the best photographers in the world. You guys deserve it and I am overjoyed that this is happening to two people as talented, in love, professional, and dedicated as you.

LOVE YOU GUYS! CONGRATS!

lyndsay - November 27, 2012 - 1:32 pm

WHAT!!! amazing, amazing C&C Photo Factory! that is truly wonderful and utterly well deserved. you guys work so hard and are so amazing!! xo

Dajuan Jones - November 27, 2012 - 8:40 pm

This honor couldn’t be provided to a more amazing team of photographers. Love you guys!

Steff Kobialka-Eckersall - November 27, 2012 - 9:48 pm

Congratulations you two! You work so hard and deserve it! 🙂 Well done!!!

Leanne - November 28, 2012 - 1:44 am

sweeeeeet!! congrats again guys!
so awesome:)

C+L - December 13, 2012 - 7:03 pm

Whoah!!! Congratulations, guys! Awesome accomplishment & huge honor! xoxo C+L

JONETSU ENGAGEMENT ALBUM: SONIA AND ADAM

Happy Thanksgiving!  The weather around here is stellar and as I write this post, I can’t help but feel like this shoot could have happened yesterday, even though it’s Fall now.  Sonia and Adam have just tied the knot and are enjoying newlywed life (their day was spectacular and meaningful- what great families!!).  I wanted to share their Vancouver and Burnaby engagement session album with you, we love how it turned out!

We used this images for their cover:

Dust Jacket, JONETSU style

Sonia and Adam love going to the races!  We went to Hastings Park to start our session, and we visited Sonia’s dad’s horses at the stables.  I loved their wardrobe choices- a splash of colour really stands out beautifully!

Pet (the horse), kiss, pet, kiss… these two are so cute together!

Always searching for dreamy light… backlit field in a park S&A love to spend time in.

Soft, romantic… even from our first consultation, Sonia wanted to wear this beautiful vintage lace gown for our shoot- doesn’t she look amazing?

One of my faves:

Sonia was giddy when she picked up their album- she is in love with this man, and this image of him!  He was looking straight at her when the photo was taken.  Very handsome.

It’s always a good shoot when there is a beaver sighting! (oh yes, I did!)

We wrapped the shoot at Sonia’s house.  Twilight Chess Times.  Love you guys!!  xo c&c

Come visit Chadwick and I and lots of Vancouver’s finest artists and service providers at BLING- a super-deluxe boutique bridal show at the Rosewood Hotel Georgia THIS SUNDAY!  You can get tickets online or at the door.

 

UPDATES IN JONETSULAND

Hello again!  Over on our Facebook page, I promise we look more alive!  Come and “like” it for more regular updates.

It’s been a busy and very enjoyable summer, one of my favourite wedding seasons of all time. Chadwick and I feel so grateful for being able to work beside each other and spend the kind of time we do with our couples whom we care for deeply.  We’re really lucky to be full time wedding and portrait photographers, and I’m thankful daily for this life.  Sorry to get all mushy, but it’s true.

Here are a handful of our couples on their big day this summer (I cannot get enough of “I’m so into you and this moment that my eyes close so I can focus on your embrace” images lol):

Sarah & Riley at Grouse Mountain right after their ceremony in the forest.  Reception followed at the Vancouver Club.

Diana and Jonathan taking a break from their stunning reception at the Vancouver Convention Centre

Julie and Eugene seconds after their ceremony “I am always with you”.  Reception followed at Vancouver Club.

Jacilyn and Ryan feeling the warmth of the late day sun before heading to their reception at the Fairmont Waterfront Hotel

Amy and Brian’s snuggle in the wildflowers at Westwood Plateau

 

 

I know kids are back to school, but it’s not quite Fall until I can wear some cute new boots with my jeans tucked in!  Also, it’s not officially Fall until Sonia and Adam tie the knot on September 22nd (I’ll share their summery, romantic engagement album when it arrives).

The studio re-fresh is almost finished: the artwork is slowly arriving and the wallpaper has yet to be installed.  Sheers went up last week and I’m so excited about them: they BILLOW with the window open!!  (did I use “billow” correctly?)  I’ve always loved airy, billowing sheers, and I wasn’t sure I’d get my billow effect with 18 foot high draperies- I shed a tear at the first sight of it  🙂

We’ve had a few in-studio sessions over this busy season that have been fun, and they’ve helped us nail down the details we need to cover to be fully operational at the most comfortable, convenient level for our clients.  Things like hooks and makeup locations and beautiful throw cushions that accentuate your gorgeous eyes!!

Here are Caitlin and David with sweet baby Cecily!!  We photographed C&D’s wedding back in 2009, and they visited the studio on their last trip into Vancouver.  Cecily is the perfect blend of these two, we loved her instantly!!

 

Oh, and the most exciting professional news of our careers is coming.  It’s always a little cheesy to half-announce something, but we’re cheesy like that!  And excited, and inspired.  I love it when everything feels genuine and right.  Alright, back to editing all night long!! xo c

 

 

 

 

 

HIS AND HERS iPhone 4s Capsule Covers!

So excited to open up our new iPhone 4s Capsule covers- manufactured by Uncommon.  We were constantly grabbing the wrong white iPhone so I shot and designed custom covers featuring our sweet Whippets, NiNi and Mya.

Our first little shoot since the white floors and ceilings graced the Vancouver studio.  Cleaning the floors is a nightmare, but I love the look for photography.  Natural light bouncing around all over the place!

Very happy with the PERFECT fit and print job of these Uncommon cases.

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...
angela hubbard - August 16, 2012 - 12:06 pm

these are spectacular!!! great job C+C

F A C E B O O K
T W I T T E R