Cara and Chris live eat and breathe hockey, so they decided to incorporate the theme into their winter engagement photos. Living in Orillia, it made sense to utilize the frozen lake and use it as the focal point of their photoshoot. It tied the hockey theme to their natural habitat beautifully, resulting in some heartfelt imagery. When a couple isn’t connected to their location, there is a loss of emotion tied to somewhere which holds meaning.

We started the shoot out on the ice and had the fun idea to write the dates on the hockey pucks. The vastness of the white ice, combined with the simple black pucks and hockey sticks, made for a powerful image.

The beautiful thing about winter engagement photos is that they offer such a contrast to the wedding photography. Weddings are typically held in summer or fall, so we are used to seeing bright, vibrant colours and sunny days.

I positioned Cara and Chris on a bank of rocks which featured winter trees and cottages in the background. The pop of colour from their hockey sweaters added a powerful pop of colour to the composition.

These winter engagement photos will leave you thinking, what the puck?!

Due to the -20C temperatures, we decided to keep moving and head to JB Tudhope Memorial Park, Old Brewery Bay. Bare naked branches and long grass added extra texture and a different background against the snow and my couple.

It was so cold at this point in the shoot that Cara brought out her blanket. Although it was meant to keep warm in between takes, I liked the way it translated through the lens. It also added a realistic reminder as to the conditions we were shooting in.

When I capture images that encapsulate raw emotions, I love to present them in black and white. By eliminating the colours, the viewer isn’t distracted with where to focus and the eye is naturally drawn to the subject and the emotions.

We decided to have a bit of fun and play with focus and textures. I had my couple thrust their arms towards the camera whilst holding a heart shaped snowball with her ring atop. The focus was on the heart and ring and therefore left Cara and Chris blurry in the background.

This hockey loving couple took being on the ice to a whole new level in their winter engagement photos

I always like to get a good shot of the engagement ring and utilize something relevant to the location. This time I shot a close up of the ring surrounded by a vibrant green moss. The diamond detailing of the ring sat amongst the greens of the moss and greys of the bark looked beautiful.

Our final shot of these winter engagement photos is one of my favourite from their session. The frame consists of a black and white image showcasing a windswept barren tree leaning towards the lake. Cara and Chris are positioned underneath in a natural arch made by one of the branches. Its simplicity is what makes it so great as I captured a snapshot of what nature had presented us with.

I loved being able to exceed my couple’s expectations and present them with something meaningful to keep forever. Their wedding was shot in the fall that same year and we managed to incorporate the hockey theme once again. Keep tuned for a breakdown of what exactly we did.

Check out some of my other winter engagement photos from sessions of Leanne+Geoff, Sanja+Vic and Jessica+Anthony.