Wedding photographer, Federico Vanoli, effectively uses a red umbrella to draw our eye across the frame and back into the gaze of the wedding couple.
Federico has graciously provided a few images for Creative Potager of my daughter Josie and her husband Ryan’s wedding. You see, I was too busy to take photographs that day.
There was the overseeing of the set up for the ceremony.
There was the strengthening of the thin thread for the clasp at the top of the wedding dress.
Just to name a few. But thanks to Federico and his assistant Jo-Ann, we do have some outstanding photographs. I am going to intersperse comments from Federicio (Fede) and then from Josie in between the images so we can savor the experience.
bridesmaid and estition with Josie
When Terrill asked me to write a bio as an introduction to the pictures that I took at her daughter Josie’s wedding, I went for: born in Italy, moved to Canada, living in Victoria. Surprisingly, that did not make the cut, so now I have to redo my homework.
Born in Italy, correct. I’m from a small town in the north, close to Milan. Love brought me to Canada.
I’ve been interested in photography since I was a teenager. I set up a darkroom (which means a room to work when it is dark out) in my parents’ home. I still find magic seeing a picture coming from a white sheet of paper. I’m still using black and white film for my personal work even if it is getting quite difficult to find places to develop it.
Josie with her brother Kris walking her down the aisle photo by Jo -Ann
Self taught, I then attended the Western Academy of Photography in Victoria, in 2009. That experience showed me how complex photography is. From a friendship with one of the teachers, the photographer and gallery owner Quinton Gordon, I got interested in documentary photography. Being an unobtrusive observer and a witness but at the same time having the freedom to give my personal interpretation, be part of a moment but not manipulate it—with this kind of approach I started taking pictures of weddings.
'the kiss"
Being part of a special and joyful moment is extremely satisfactory and rewarding. I like the intensity and the variety of the events, the emotions and the “real” moments.
Josie gives her bouquet to her grandparents who have been married 54 years
I would like to thank Terrill for giving me this opportunity to show some of my work and writing more than a sentence about myself.
Josie has this to say….
There are many aspects of Fede’s approach to our wedding photography that I liked. Before the wedding, he asked a lot of questions, listened well, and made notes.
Fede is quick, and stealthy, and I actually didn’t even notice he was there during the ceremony (but I saw him in other people’s pictures later). He is confident, but humble, and this combined with his happy demeanor was very reassuring (almost soothing) during a very busy day.
So if you have a wedding coming up and you are considering a wedding photographer, I recommend Federico Vanoli and you can reach him by email at balores17@hotmail.com
Sprout Question: If you were to write a biography about your creativity what would it say?
Note: Creative Potager has a new page Artist Biography and a post announcing my solo exhibition “SEA, LAND AND TIME.” Please share both as appropriate.
© 2010 Terrill Welch, All rights reserved.
Liberal usage granted with written permission. See “About” for details.
Purchase photography at http://www.redbubble.com/people/terrillwelch
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From Mayne Island, British Columbia, Canada
Creative Potager 
Federico, where were you in July of 1995?
Lucille and I were married that day, and the “Juliano/Mancini” sign on the wedding hall’s announcement board might have you thinking you were still back in Europe! Ha! Just kidding my friend, I’m assuming you moved to Canada after that time. Your work here is magnificent, of the first-rank, and it’s no wonder that your services were retained by this lot of fervent art and nature lovers, who will always conjure up their their most passionate sensibilities in preserving the inherent beauty in every moment. It was great reading your biographical info as well, and the entire layout here is gorgeous. Nobody should even think of getting married without Federico and Terrill on board, of this much I am certain!
My own creativity is an outgrowth of my passion. Without the latter as the catalyst there can be no creative growth. But that’s a given of course.
Oh good Sam! I am so glad you showed up to comment and add a sprout I was beginning to think that none of my subscriptions went out. As always, I so appreciate the care you put into commenting. Thank you so much!
Absolutely beautiful pictures. I really like Josie giving her bouquet to her grandparents — very classy touch.
I like Fede’s brevity. So, here goes: Grace Meadows writes stories that pay tribute to femininity – its power and its passion.
Yes Grace Josie giving her flowers to her grandparents was a very touching moment. Her and her brother lived with my mom and dad for her kindergarten school year while I traveled 300 miles a weekend to pick them up and return them while working full-time and going to school half-time. Sometimes I would just go and stay but most times not as I wanted to give my parents a break. It was a hard year but we made it through and they were off to Victoria with me the next year where I reversed my schedule and went to school full-time and worked half-time for the next three years to complete my undergraduate degree. Besides that school year the kids spent many school holidays there and we often went all together to their grandparents on weekends. As a single parent the time my kids spent with my parents made a bigger world for them of people who loved and cared about them and who loved and cared about each other. I don’t what we would have done without them in our lives during those years.
Okay… Fede didn’t get away with a sentence… it is a good start Grace but we need more in a bio to satisfy our desire to “know” a person. Nice tag-line though! Thank you for your sprout just the same. I am looking forward to seeing it grow:)
My Creative Approach to Teaching : Create lessons and activities that allow students to walk away from their physics class thinking “Now that wasn’t so hard.”
(Okay it’s actually a creative spin on my teaching philosophy of making physics more accessible – that is less intimidating – to students)
Thanks for posting such a beautiful blog mom!
Jose it is my pleasure. And as for your bio Jose… you, Grace and Fede must have been talking to each other. It is a beautiful brief caption about your working style but a bio has more… it tells the story about how you came to be “creating lessons and activities that allow students to walk away from their physics class thinking ‘Now that wasn’t so hard’.”
Dear readers, a biography tells a story in such a way that when someone else is talking about you it sounds like they know you – personally. They can say things like “did you know so and so…. went Iceland, or climbed a mountain, or recovered from cancer three years ago. A biography – even a short biography tells at least some of the inside scoop. It can be brief but it needs to be full of context to support your even briefer tag-line.
Terrill – I thoroughly enjoyed reading this multi-voiced blog post! And the creativity behind the extraordinary photographs is exquisite.
If you were to write a biography about your creativity what would it say?
She listened with her heart.
Laurie I am glad you enjoyed the post as well. And you also must have been to the same biography class as Fede, Grace and Josie…. I want more – much more:)))) I love “she listened with her heart” but how did the “she” come to know how to do that? What were her personal struggles and challenges that brought her to this place with such powerful strength to give to others. I now know a wee bit of your back story but I would love to hear you tell it in a paragraph or two… maybe even three – because you like to be brief they will for sure be fruitful paragraphs!
So looks like every has homework for the weekend:))))) See Fede? Everyone is asked to do the same… flush out the details by sharing a wee bit of context to support those powerful brief tag-lines and sentences.
Terrill asked, “‘She listened with her heart,’ but how did ‘she’ come to know how to do that? What were her personal struggles and challenges that brought her to this place with such powerful strength to give to others?”
I ran away from home at the young age of 15, not so much to avoid unpleasantness (although my dad is manic-depressive, paranoid schizophrenic and that did make things difficult), but to conquer the world. Which I didn’t do, but as the only female logger at a lumber mill in Washougal, Washington I certainly learned a lot about life.
During this period of time, I was the sole survivor of a horrific car accident that took the life of the young man that I loved. The silver lining on that cloud is that I met Len and we’ve been married for over 30 years. We’ve been through 5 miscarriages together, and have 1 grown son, Eoghan.
My mother, one of the most amazing human beings I’ve ever known, died in my arms from metastasized breast cancer when she was 53 years old (I will be 53 this fall). She, more than anyone, was the most positively influential person in my life. During the time she was on the oncology floor of the hospital, I saw things that were not only brutal, but ineffective, and I intuitively knew there was a different approach—a better way.
That experience spurred me on to become a Holistic Health Practitioner and eventually earn a PhD in Energy Medicine. Because of my deep desire to share knowledge about energy medicine, I’m a teaching practitioner and I also write health and wellness articles for a variety of magazines.
Laurie I can see that you want to get YOUR homework out of the way before the weekend! All kidding aside I so appreciate you going to the extra effort and posting your full biography on Creative Potager. As a regular here I am sure readers will appreciate being given a little window into your life. Thank you so much!
I was born in one small town, but quickly moved to another, cradled in the arms of my young mother and always under the watchful eye of my protective big brother. My mother was dedicated, hard-working and compassionate, these qualities inspired family and friends to help my single mom raise her two kids. I was fortunate in that my childhood was filled with endless outdoor explorations and activities. I spent a lot of time on my grandparents farm, a 400 acre haven on a river bank free from the hum of power lines and traffic. My grandparents taught me how to observe, respect and appreciate my surroundings, values that eventually led to my interest and enjoyment of studying physics.
I studied physics at the undergraduate and graduate level. I most enjoyed the experimental approach to the study of physics as the discipline demanded that I design and build custom equipment which involved machine shop work, computer programming and circuit building among other things.
Though I thoroughly enjoyed the rigor of my studies of physics, I did find endless hours in a large laboratory somewhat lonesome. It was then that I decided to embark in a new career path, teaching.
I have now been teaching science at a small private school on Vancouver Island for four years. I spend my days presenting physical phenomena to a classroom full of excited and curious minds. The days when I prepare a special demo for them (which I present as a magic trick first, then explain the physics behind the trick second), with my safety goggles and custom lab coat on, I find it hard to believe that I am getting paid.
Josie Herman.
Hey Jose…. thank you, thank you for going ahead with your full biography. I thought I knew you as you are my daughter but reading your story from your perspective is like getting to know you all over again:) … but I seem to remember a wedding happening this summer and I seem to remember a different name becoming attached to your first… something like Olszewski? I know in BC you can legally use both names… but it is fun to tease you… just a little.
Absolutely beautiful. Congratulations Terrill, and to Josie and Ryan. The photographs are just breathtaking.
Meenakshi so good of you to drop in. It has been awhile and as always, lovely to see you. I’m glad you enjoyed the post:)
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Lovely photographs of a wonderful day. You can see the joy in them and that takes the good eye of a professional! Thanks for sharing the day with us.
You are welcome Stephanie and congratulations on sticking with your Drawing Lab workshop. It has been warm here on Mayne Island as well. I think we have one more day before it starts to cool down. We have been loving it though because it rarely get up about 90 degrees here and it is even more rare that it stays warm at night like it is right now.
Dear readers, I have big fat tomatoes ripening in the garden. Maybe I will share some garden photos in the morning so you can see.
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