Clarke~Tavera Photography

ELINOR & JACOB - TORONTO WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY

2010-11-16T11:39:00.000-08:00

We figured it was about time to post photos from Elinor & Jacob's fabulous wedding, shot towards the end of the summer. We had so much fun shooting this wedding! It was filled with bright colours and tons of gorgeous people who weren't at all shy about glamming it up and posing for the camera. We were also thrilled when we heard that Elinor had decided to go with a red dress - our first red bride!

Huge thanks to Elinor & Jacob for a truly amazing day of shooting!

ESTHER & DAN - WEDDING PHOTOS

2010-10-12T09:56:00.000-07:00

This summer we had the pleasure of taking photos at Esther & Dan's wedding near Creemore, Ont. We absolutely loved shooting at this gorgeous location - out and around the property of an old family farm. Esther & Dan (and their families) made our job so easy, because they are such a fun loving and creative bunch.

Thanks so much to Esther & Dan for an unforgettable weekend!

LILY & MARCI - TORONTO WEDDING PHOTOS

2010-10-01T10:31:00.000-07:00

We had so much fun at Lily & Marci's wedding. It was such a delight to get to shoot these two gorgeous brides...and these ladies aren't just good looking, they are also such wonderful people!

Here's a little peek at some photos from their fabulous wedding...

too small???...just click on the photos for a larger view.

We just love you two! Thanks so much for letting us be a part of your special day...

JILL & DAN - WEDDING PHOTOS

2010-09-07T08:42:00.000-07:00

Here's a peek at some photos from Jill & Dan's wedding in Muskoka earlier this summer. We had such a lovely time taking photos for this fabulous couple - the weather was great, the location was beautiful, and all of the people were so warm and friendly. Plus, as you can see, Jill and Dan are absolutely adorable!

Thanks so much to Jill & Dan for being such kind and gracious hosts. We're so glad that we had the chance to be a part of your amazing wedding!

ESTHER & DAN - ENGAGEMENT SESSION

2010-07-30T07:09:00.000-07:00

Our good friends Esther & Dan are getting married this weekend, and we're so excited to have the opportunity to shoot their wedding and be a part of capturing such priceless memories.

Here are some of the photos from their engagement session, done this past spring. We had such a fun and relaxing afternoon with them frolicking in the forrest, playing catch, and laying around in the tall grass.

Such a handsome couple!

Congrats Esther & Dan!

LILY & MARCI - ENGAGEMENT PHOTOS TORONTO

2010-07-07T17:36:00.000-07:00

Last month, on a lovely Sunday morning, we had the pleasure of going out with Lily and Marci to do their engagement photo session. These ladies were awesome, we had such a fun time with them! They were full of energy, and so natural in front of the camera.

We can't wait to shoot these beauties at their wedding in just a few weeks...

can you see their tiny reflections in this mirrored building?

Thanks so much for a wonderful photo date Lily & Marci. We are soooo looking forward to being a part of your wedding day.

DAN & JILL - ENGAGEMENT PHOTO SESSION

2010-06-17T09:57:00.000-07:00

Peak wedding season is upon us, and we've been super busy these days with wedding and engagement photos. It has been so wonderful to get outside, take photos, and enjoy the spring/summer weather.

These photos were taken on an early morning in May during a freakish cold snap, after a few weeks or warm sunny weather. Perhaps you remember this day?...You finally brought out all of your summer clothes, started planting your garden, turned off the heat in your house, and then had a rude awakening when the temperature dropped back down to 5°C.

Jill and Dan were troopers, and after weeks of schedule coordinating we were all determined to get this photo shoot done! Jill had to abandon her plans to wear her new sun-dress, but she was determined to wear her sandals...

click on the photos for a larger view

Thanks so much Jill & Dan. We had such a wonderful day shooting these photos with you, and we can't wait to help capture the memories of your wedding day.

Come back next week to check our engagement photos of Marci & Lily

TORONTO PHOTOGRAPHERS :: WEDDINGS, BABIES, etc.

2010-05-26T11:16:00.000-07:00

Sorry we haven't been posting much lately...we've been busy doing lots of shooting, as peak wedding season is fast approaching! At this point we're completely booked for July, but we still have a few openings in August and throughout the fall. If you're considering booking your wedding with us please don't hesitate to contact us with inquiries:

clarketavera@gmail.com

You can also follow this link for a little sample of our wedding portfolio.

AILEEN & AARON
PREGNANCY PHOTO SESSION

Weddings aren't the only thing we've been up to lately....We recently took pregnancy photos of Aileen & Aaron - such a beautiful couple! Below is a sneak peek at some photos from this session.

Stay tuned for upcoming posts of our latest engagement photo sessions...

FAMILY PHOTOGRAPHY

2010-04-20T08:13:00.000-07:00

This past winter we had the opportunity to help out several families by volunteering at a local community organization to take family portraits. We had an amazing time and met so many inspiring young parents with such fun and adorable kids.

During 3 epic photo sessions, we managed to shoot 15 different families - what a blast! Below is a selection of shots from some of these photo sessions.

Special thanks to all of the parents for letting us post photos of them and their children.

2010-04-20T08:12:00.000-07:00

SUPER CUTE & STYLISH CLOTHING FOR WOMEN WITH CURVES

2010-03-23T12:08:00.000-07:00

STEFANIE BEZAIRE

Fashion & Styling

Size 12 +

This year we had the great fortune of working with fashion designer Stefanie Bezaire, and doing the photography for the launch of her fabulous new clothing line. We had a great time working with Stefanie - and we absolutely adore her clothes! One thing that we love about Stefanie is her genuine passion and excitement for what she does. She is dedicated to making quality clothing for plus-sized women that looks and feels great.

Below are a few selections from out photo shoot. If you like what you see, check out Stefanie's website: www.stefaniebezaire.com

BEHIND THE SCENES...

Here is a sneak peek behind the scenes at our photo shoot.

A2D2 - AERIAL DANCE CIRQUE COMPANY

2010-03-05T07:30:00.000-08:00

This past month we photographed some fabulous performances by A2D2 - Aerial Dance Cirque Company. This Toronto-based company specializes in aerial cirque and dance performance and they offer entertainment packages and complete event creation for all types of gatherings including; corporate parties, galas, fundraisers, charities, weddings, special events, etc. We really loved working with A2D2, were thoroughly impressed with all of their talented performers, and would highly recommend their services.

CIRQUE-TACULAR!!
One of our photo sessions with A2D2 took us to Carmen's Banquet Centre, where the company performed their full-length production Cirque-tacular: Seven Deadly Sins for a dinner theatre audience.

...This show blew us away!

We really got to see A2D2 shine, as they showed off a large variety of aerial, floor, and dance acts - representing each of the seven deadly sins. The show was a treat to photograph, with great lighting and truly spectacular performers.

2010-03-05T07:25:00.000-08:00

We were also able to photograph a sneak peek dress rehearsal of a new A2D2 production geared towards young audiences.

Thanks again to A2D2 for having us out to photograph these two dynamic shows.

For more information about A2D2 please visit their website: www.a2d2.ca

HEADSHOTS AND DANCING...

2010-02-02T09:15:00.000-08:00

Our good friend Naomi is a professional contemporary dancer based out of Calgary. When she passed through Toronto recently, and asked us to do some headshots for her dance portfolio, we readily agreed - knowing that she'd be an animated and interesting model to work with. We started the session by taking a series of headshots for her, and then asked her if we could take some candid photos while she practiced and warmed up. Here's a small sampling of photos from our session with her...

WALKABOUT WITH TYRA

2010-01-17T10:55:00.000-08:00

We love doing walkabout photo sessions, where we follow you to a favourite location (i.e. a park, your favourite neighbourhood, your backyard, etc.) and snap fun candid photos. We find that when people choose their own special location, it helps the shoot feel more comfortable and meaningful. While the walkabout works well for all ages, we find that it is particularly great for photographing children because it allows them to just hang out and do their thing (without feeling pressured to "say cheese" and pose for a long period of time).

Just before it started to get cold outside, we did this fun photo shoot with Tyra. She was such a delight to shoot...As you can see, she's absolutely gorgeous and has great style! We had a great morning frolicking in the park (showing off the soft and contemplative side or her personality), and then finished off with some more urban shots (to show that she can be a hip city girl too!).

KRYSTAL SPECK - ceramic art & tableware

2009-12-01T20:19:00.000-08:00

The other day we visited our friend Krystal Speck at her studio and took some photos of her at work. It was really fun and interesting to see all the steps that go into making her ceramics. It was also great to see her light up, while doing what she loves to do. While she was working, she explained the long process that goes it to each of her pieces. Here we are posting an abbreviated version of this process, with a few photos so you can get a general idea of how its done. If you want to know more about Krystal, check out her blog http://krystalspeck.blogspot.com/. You can also visit her from now until December 6th at the One of a Kind show (booth H51).

Here she is pouring clay into her moulds.

She lets the clay settle in the mould for a while, and the clay particles magically gather and stick to the sides. Then when when she pours out the excess clay, those settled clay particles stay back - still stuck to the sides of the mould!

She lets the rest of the clay sit in the mould for a while to dry a bit, and when it's ready she trims off the access clay from the top.

When the clay dries out enough, it pops out of the mould and she trims it up some more.

The clay then gets fired one time before she paints on the design and does the glazing.

Then it goes into the kiln for a second firing, and voila! The beautiful finished product.

Thanks Krystal, it was really great to take photos of you in action, doing what you love to do...

THE ARTWORK GALA 2009

2009-11-05T20:45:00.000-08:00

Last week we had the opportunity to take photos at a fabulous event. The Artwork Gala is a yearly fundraiser art auction, hosted by Youth Employment Services (YES), to raise money for their organization. YES is a non-profit organization that provides a variety of services, such as counseling, job training, and employment placement, for Toronto's unemployed and disadvantaged youth.

For more information about YES, visit their website at http://www.yes.on.ca/

For information about the Artwork Gala, go to http://www.artworkgala.ca/

Here is one of the fabulous art pieces

Youth entrepreneurs from the Biz Start program showcase their work

Guests have a chance to mingle, eat, and view the art pieces before the live auction begins...

The auctioneer was fabulous! We loved her tough yet funny personality...

We had a great time...and for a great cause!

Thanks to YES for having us there to take photos.

SHANNAH + FAMILY

2009-10-19T18:52:00.001-07:00

We recently had the pleasure of doing a pregnancy photo session with Shannah and her family. They are a such a fun and creative family, which made for a great afternoon and some wonderful photos. When we were planning this photo session, Shannah told us that her 4 year old son Noah had been asking for a baby sister even before she got pregnant. She told us the cutest story that we used as the concept behind these next few photos...

"... one afternoon noah was asking me/telling me that we should put a baby in my tummy (i wasn't pregnant yet) so he ran up to me with this jar full of sunflower seeds saying, "mama, put these seeds in your tummy and we can make a baby...it will be so cute!" (he knew at that point that in order to make a baby..you need a mama's egg and daddy 'seeds'- my version of the birds and the bees) we laughed and laughed. i love that story. he was so convinced, and thought he had it all figured out...."

2009-10-19T18:50:00.001-07:00

We managed to snap a few great shots when we went outside for a little break from the studio...

2009-10-19T18:49:00.001-07:00

Noah was really sweet and pretty patient for a kid his age, but when he finally got board of the camera in his face we let him play cars around the floor of the studio while we snapped photos of Shannah and her partner John...who are expecting another little one any day now.

John gives these amazing hugs, where he just wraps his body around Shannah's pregnant belly and just melts into her.

Thanks so much Shannah and family. We had such a wonderful afternoon with you all and can't wait to meet the newest addition to your family!

WELCOME TO OUR NEW BLOG...

2009-09-24T12:35:00.000-07:00

We are both fairly new to the world of blogging so you may notice lots of changes and we continuously learn more and continue to beautify our blog. Keep checking in as we post the latest work that we've been doing, as well as updates to the photos in our portfolios.

Thanks for visiting,

Maju Tavera & Michelle Clarke

NOW BOOKING WEDDINGS FOR 2010!

2009-08-23T23:49:00.000-07:00

With the 2009 wedding season approaching it's end, we are now in the process of booking weddings for the 2010 season. If you're looking to book your wedding with us for next year, or if you just want to inquire some more about our services and rates, please don't hesitate to email email us:

clarketavera@gmail.com

Check out the photos below for a small sample of our work. To see more of our work, please visit our respective websites www.michelleclarke.ca and www.majutavera.com. Also, feel free to contact us and we can sit down with you to find out more about what you are looking for and to show you our detailed portfolio.

2009-08-23T23:44:00.000-07:00

2009-08-23T23:36:00.000-07:00

2009-08-23T23:33:00.000-07:00

2009-08-23T23:30:00.000-07:00

SALON MOD PHOTOGRAPHY SESSION

2009-08-23T21:24:00.000-07:00

In July we did photo shoot for Salon Mod - a newly opened hair salon on the Danforth in Toronto. They are still in the process of getting their website up and running, but you can get to know more about them and see the beautiful transformation they made from an old shoe shop, to a hip salon with a spa like atmosphere. The salon really looks fabulous! They did an amazing job!

We had an amazing time and really enjoyed working with the owners, Natasha and Christopher. Not only are they extremely talented hair stylists (as you will see from the photos below!), but they are also very hospitable and genuinely nice people. We also had a blast with their 4 hair models, who were really giving all they had, making for a super successful shoot.

Athena

Athena was cool, calm, and collected...but this girl really new how to pose! She was so easy to work with and knew exactly what to do to show off her fabulous hair style. What a beauty...

Here are a few more of Athena - getting prepared for the photo shoot.

2009-08-23T21:18:00.000-07:00

Danielle

Danielle had such a perfect old time look about her - so elegant and classically beautiful. It's like we took her straight out of the 40's and dropped her onto our set. She was the perfect model for this intricate up do - check it out! We really loved this hair style on her, we think it's one of the most amazing up do's - a fabulous mix of old time class, with young and modern flair.

Here are a couple shots of the Danielle and the stylists making it all happen.

2009-08-23T21:14:00.000-07:00

Todd

Todd was so easy to work with. As you can see, he's naturally good looking and has beautiful eyes. We got really silly with him and had him doing all kinds of crazy poses, but decided in the end that we liked him best in this calmer pose that shows off his striking features - and what a cool haircut!

2009-08-23T21:12:00.000-07:00

Here he is...getting ready for his moment in the spotlight...

Here's Todd again, earlier in the day, getting his hair professionally coloured by the fabulous Christopher.

2009-08-23T21:10:00.000-07:00

Skai

We clicked immediately with Skai. We had her doing all kinds of crazy poses, and she even had a few ideas of her own. She's a real fun loving person, and gave this shoot her all, producing some amazing results. We found that this cut really suited Skai and the many facets of her personality. It can be combed straight for a classy or professional look, or messed up for a fun night out on the town.

Here are some more shots of Skai getting ready for her photo shoot.

2009-08-23T21:05:00.000-07:00