10 days, 2 cars, 8 bed and breakfasts, and so many photos I am going to have to buy more hard drive space!

I am going to start with my favorite photo, it gives me goosebumps just looking at it. It turned out exactly how we envisioned it. This was taken at Goðafoss its like a mini Niagara Falls only there are no guard rails or cheesy tourists shops. You can stand on the edges, its actually a little terrifying, one of the best parts about the entire country is that all their natural sights are free, even their parks.

Greg & Lisa have a thing for waterfalls, so this was a must shot for them. There were at least 60-75 tourists watching this impromptu destination honeymoon photo shoot.

This next location is called Námafjall it is my 2nd favorite place in Iceland. The home of boiling mud pots! It smells like sulfur non-stop, the earth is bright orange and blue gray, and the holes in the ground make weird squishy noises as the mud bubbles. Steam is rising out of piles of rocks. It is like another planet! Its located in a town called Lake Mývatn. It reminds us of our Muskoka. Lots of lakes, tons of campers and even more flies. But its absolutely stunning.

The black sand beaches at Vík pronounced “veek”.

During our entire 10 day trip it rained only twice. Once in the West and once in the East. The first day it rained was in the west. We decided to go a local museum inside these cute, ancient Icelandic Turf Houses.

On the day it rained in the East we were on a quest to see Puffins. Now there is a place in Iceland where they say millions of Puffins live and you can see them. It was 1.5 hours of the beaten track. We actually found out later that Icelanders don’t even drive those roads we drove down because they are too dangerous. Damn GPS! The drive was brutal, white knuckle, face pressed up to the windshield in thick mountain fog, rain and cliff edges so close we had to drive 15 km/h. But we did manage to get to our destination. An old fishing village hidden behind mountains. In the rain we drove out to the look out spot, and as we climbed up the steps to the look out only to read a sign that said Puffins are here from April to August 15th, the date was August 14th. But they were gone, not a Puffin in sight, everyone was really bummed out. For a place that is supposed to be the home of millions had none.

Then suddenly in the distance we saw one last lonely Puffin. The photo below is really zoomed in.

If the weather gets too bad at the top of the mountain you can stay here. It has a little bed and supplies inside. Note: this was not one of the places we stayed at. At least the option was there. If it were dark outside I would have been cuddled up in this hut.

The lava field & church at Búðir.

This is the base of Seljalandsfoss you can walk in and behind this waterfall. It is the closest waterfall to the volcano Eyjafjallajökull. If you are wondering “foss” does mean falls.

Greg & Lisa in a trolls cave at Dimmborgir. From the outside this cave is actually shaped like a church or “Kirkajan”

Krafla Volcano.

This is my favorite place in Iceland Jökulsárlón, the glacial lagoon. We spent 4 hours here just shooting,  looking and being an awe of natures wonders.

Lisa had some cute rubber boots on and she wanted to do a shot standing in the water. Greg did not have cute rubber boots on. He is bare foot. You should have heard the tourists all gasp when Greg ripped off his shoes and joined his wife in Arctic waters.

The Icebergs you see in the lagoon break off of the Glacier Vatnajökul. They hang out in the glacial lagoon for a while and then float on over to a mini waterfall which pushes them out to the ocean. Sometimes they get stuck in the shallow water and beach themselves. Here is Greg & Lisa on an iceberg!

That is the end for now of our trip and Greg & Lisa’s honeymoon adventure in Iceland. Greg & Lisa have had a nice stay here on our blog but it is now time for us to start preparing their wedding & honeymoon albums. Thank you so much for having us along for the ride, I don’t even have words to describe how much we love the images from this trip. This week Ryan put up a 20×30 print in the meeting space at our studio of 3rd image in the Jökulsárlón set of images from this blog post. It is so interesting and detailed, just to see it printed so large is captivating. You guys did such an amazing job!

Cheers

Thank you or Takk fyrir

E & R

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   Us in Iceland
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   Capitol Theater Wedding- Toronto, ON
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   Wedding & Honeymoon Location Wish List 2012

This is our dream list! We are thinking BIG. Nothing is unachievable (well maybe the rooftop wedding in Toronto, I would love to see someone pull that off)

If you or someone you know is getting married or honeymooning at any of these locations in the next year or so, please leave us a comments below or contact us.

We would love to hear all the details about your big wedding adventure and take some photos along the way.

Here is the list:

St. Lucia, Jade Mountain

Barcelona, Spain

Prague, Czech Republic

Paris, France

Marbella, Spain

Ice Hotel, Quebec City

Niagara- on- the- Lake, vineyard

Lake Louise, Alberta

Prince Edward Island

Rooftop wedding in a big city (Toronto preferably)

Venice, Italy

Bali, Indonesia

Iceland

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   Wedding & Honeymoon Location Wish List 2012
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   Quebec City in winter

Happy 6 year Anniversary babe….TOMORROW!!!!
Erika

Enjoy my favourite image from Tara & Ryan’s honeymoon session in Paris, Fr.

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Dear Erika & Ryan

Dave and I wanted you to know that when we remember what a great time we had in Mexico, you two stand out as an important part of that. We were so impressed with your professional, get fun work ethic. The photographs you took were so perfect and lovely that is still takes our breath away when we look at them. And we look at them often.

Take Care

Josephine & David

One year ago last week almost to the date, David and Josephine’s son Brett had a destination wedding in Mexico. We photographed that wedding. We have received many thank you cards from couples in the past, but this was our first 1 year anniversary thank you card from the family.

It means so much to us.

Thank you

E & R

Josephine, Kristin, Brett & David on the beach for their family portraits.

Brett & Kristin at their destination wedding in Tulum, Mexico March 2009.

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This is our very last post on the blog of Tara and Ryan honeymoon photo session adventure for a while, they have had a very nice stay here on our blog, but its finally time for me to start putting together their albums (they have ordered one from each country we visited). Yesterday Tara and Ryan left for Dubai, to move into their new home. Congratulations!!! we can’t wait to see photos of your new place. Stay in touch. (I know you will)

Erika & Ryan

Ryan, Tara and I in the Hall of Mirrors, Versailles Palace.

A goofy shot of Ryan and I shooting Tara & Ryan

Ryan took this shot of the reflections of chandeliers in Marie Antoinette’s bedroom, I took the same shot when I was there 7 months earlier.

The ceiling fresco in the Bastille Hall, and an ornate doorknob with Louis The Sun King’s face on it.

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Surprisingly the taxi was not that expensive, it worked out to being a lot cheaper than a hotel car! Completely worth staying up late for.

Check out some of our favorite honeymoon destination images we took along Champs Elysees, the Louvre, Arc du Triomphe, and Montmartre.

Erika & Ryan

These images below were taken in a small garden beside Place des Abbesses, there is a tile wall dedicated to the words “I Love You” in every language.

The steps to Sacre Coeur, Montmartre.

The steps at Sacre Coeur Basillica are always bustling with people and street performers. It is my favorite unobstructed view of Paris.

Evening honeymoon photo session at the Louvre.

My favorite shot of the trip! Ryan and Tara at Arch du Triomphe, Paris.

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If you want to do an awesome honeymoon photo session anywhere int he world just contact us for availability.
Cheers

Erika & Ryan

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   Family Photo session – Innisfil, ON

Around this time last year we made a list of some of the locations we want to shoot weddings at, and we are so happy that we were able to cross a few off the list as booked locations or locations we shot at this past year.

Paris France for a New Years Wedding in 2010, Dominican Republic, Punta Cana for Meredith & Joey’s wedding this past Oct 2008, Mexico for 2 weddings in 2009 (one of which was the winners Jenni & Mike from our wonderful wedding contest),  Montreal for Jen & James, Fredericton for John & Laura’s engagement session this past summer, and even some winter family sessions in Saint John N.B over the holidays 2008.

So here is our wedding/photo shoot location wish list for 2009-2010

• Paris, France (maybe some photos in the gardens of Versailles if that’s allowed, the Eiffel Tower)
• a castle wedding in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Scotland or England
• The ice Hotel in Quebec City
• Belize
• anywhere and everywhere in New Zealand
• anywhere and everywhere in Iceland
• Cape Breton, Nova Scotia
• Montreal, Quebec (old Montreal is so amazing, we shot an engagement there this past summer, and we would love to go back)
• Barbados
• Tuscany, Rome, Pisa, Amalfi coast, Italy (any of these places would be a dream)
• The Parkwood Estate, Oshawa
• Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario
• Lake Louise, Banff, Alberta
• The Berkeley Church, Toronto
• The Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto
• Bavaria, Germany
• Venice, Italy
• Amsterdam, Netherlands
• The Jade Mountain, Saint Lucia
  
• On a mountain, anywhere

Contact us if you are looking for a photographer to photograph your wedding or event, or photo session at any of these locations and we will make it worth your while!

Cheers

Erika & Ryan

Me shooting in Dominican Republic

Ryan Shooting in Dominican Republic

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3. This past weekend we had the pleasure of

   Our Photo shoot Wish List

So here they are the trash the dress photos, this session was awesome, as was the entire week we were there. The morning of the trash the dress we could see the storm coming in over the ocean, and thankfully we got a few shots before it hit, oh but when it did it was crazy!

if you have ever been on the Maid of the Mist in Niagara Falls then you know what I am taking about, the rain was coming down in sheets, and in all directions, my camera was no match for the rain. Meredith and Joey were drenched before they got in the ocean. But it was still a great time.

Here are some of our faves from the shoot, we hope you have enjoyed the photos from our first destination wedding as much as we enjoyed shooting them.

Thanks to Meredith and Joey for being such sports on a rainy day in Punta Cana, it was so worth it you are going to love these pics.

Cheers

Erika & Ryan

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   Waterfalls, a little trash the dress, Cara & Hugo
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The Muskoka’s , Ontario

The Distillery District, Toronto Ontario

Punta Cana, Dominican Republic

Here are a few locations we would like to photograph Destination Weddings this year (2008-2009) and also an update one some of the exciting places we are going to be visiting and photographing weddings at.

p.s- I know some of these locations are not too far away but we would love to photograph a wedding there.

Wedding Photography Wish List

• A vineyard at Niagara on the Lake, Canada
• Downtown New York City, U.S.A (Booked an Engagement session for April 2008)
• Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, Canada
• Hawaii
• Bahamas
• Mexico (Booked a wedding for January 2009)
• Boldt Castle, Gananoque, Ontario Canada, or Hart Island New York, U.S.A (Wedding September 2008)
• Casa Loma, Toronto, Ontario
• Lake Louise, Banff areas of Canada
• Paris, France-This is a big dream for us!! So please call us if you are getting married here, we promise it will be worth your while!!!
• Tobermory, Ontario Canada
• Italy
• Scotland, Ireland or England
• Fiji, New Zealand
• Newfoundland, Canada
• The Parkwood Estate, Oshawa Ontario
• Baddeck, Nova Scotia
• Quebec City, Quebec (Booked a wedding here for January 2010)
• La Basilique du Sacre Coeur de Montmatre- Paris France

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   Shelby & Derrick – Gibson Center Wedding – Alliston, ON

We are coming into our 4th year at Rowell Photography and one thing that we have enjoyed doing from the very beginning has always been taking a day trip to the wedding venue to jot down ideas for shots, lighting set ups, seeking out great vantage points, and getting to know the staff who works there. Its always a big help to get familiar with the location beforehand so that when the wedding comes around you know the place inside and out, and the whole photo process moves a lot smoother on the wedding day.

Here are some great new venues Ryan and I will be shooting at this year, I have also includes on some links to the locations for any brides and grooms looking for that perfect wedding venue.

Toronto’s Historic Distillery District Our first wedding of the year takes place in Toronto’s Historic Distillery District, our wedding couple has purchased photography permit for the day. Ryan and I absolutely love this district, we have spent countless hours perusing art galleries, sipping lattes and eating some the best meals in Toronto at the Mill Street Brewery. We have wanted to shoot a wedding at this location for quite sometime and were very happy to get the chance this March.

Here are a few photos from a few summers past.

The Distillery District is a walking district, and is always bustling with people. I love how the streets are lined with cobblestone, and the windows are all framed in green.

For more information on weddings at the Distillery, check out their website.

http://www.thedistillerydistrict.com/

The Gibson Centre for Community, Arts & Culture

Nearly 120 years old, Mercer’s Farm Implement & Co., or as it is known today The Gibson Centre for Community, Arts & Culture is a beautiful building. Built in second empire style, much like that Canada’s Parliament Buildings only smaller. The centre has been meticulously restored and designed to accommodate the thriving art community in New Tecumseth area in Alliston and with that a theater, art gallery and upper level for weddings and special events was created. The upper level easily accommodates 150 guests with kitchen facilities and landscaped grounds. This building is a great place for a wedding and we couldn’t be happier that a building this beautiful is so accessible to us, and brides and grooms from the surrounding areas.

Here are a few photos we snapped while taking a small trip into Alliston.

This building is a lot bigger than this image shows, we just didn’t bring a wide enough lens.

The theater, also where wedding ceremonies take place.

The second floor dinning room, is full of windows and the natural light just pours into this room.

For more info on The Gibson Centre weddings check out their website.

http://www.gibsoncentre.com/

Grace & Speed on the Muskoka Wharf

Next up we have a very unique location, Grace and Speed in Gravenhurst. This is actually a boat museum that is large enough to host special events. In June we will be shooting a wedding here among classic boats, antique boating equipment and the water around us. The reception is going to be in the middle of the museum! Check out some of these photos and see what we are talking about.

The main floor where the reception will be.

because it is a museum first, everything is set up mini a scene from the 1800′s with antiques from that era, and even a summer lake house.

I am very excited to hang out up here during the reception to catch some great dancing shots.

Once again another set design of a wood shop.

The indoor boat housing. It wasn’t open today because it is winter but I suspect we will see the large garage doors open in June!

View from the top of the steamboat over looking the reception floor.

If you are considering having your wedding at Grace and Speed I highly recommend taking a trip up there and just checking out the museum for a while. The set designs and the boats are amazing!

For more info on weddings, see their website below

http://www.realmuskoka.com/boat.php

Finally our last location for this post, and don’t worry we will have more posts of our 2008 wedding locations to come.

The Majestic Colonial Resort, Punta Cana, Dominican Republic

This will be our first destination wedding, and we couldn’t be more excited. So during today’s day trip in the car we did not have enough time to swing by the beaches in Punta Cana, but we did have time to peruse the galleries on their website.

This place looks like a dream, and from what I hear it really is a dream come true wedding location. I have spoken with many brides who have been wed there and many photographers who have shot there and they all say that Majestic is the place to be.

Check out some of the photos below from the official Majestic Colonial Punta Cana website. For more information on Majestic weddings check out the website below and for more information on Rowell Photography Destination weddings contact us email hidden; JavaScript is required, maybe your dream wedding location is our dream wedding location to shoot at, you may be eligible for a discount on your destination wedding.

Enjoy these photos, and stay tuned for some amazing wedding photos later on this year from Punta Cana.

http://www.majesticcolonial.com/default.asp?idcat=3509〈=EN

Thank you for reading, and stay tuned to the blog for more 2008 locations

good night!

Erika & Ryan

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