Montreal Dancers: Adele

January 19, 2018 Morgan Petroski

Energetic, daring, and talented are just a few words to describe Adele. We had so much fun shooting in Old Montreal. We could have kept shooting all day! I knew it was going to be a great shoot when we first met and Adele told me she wanted to climb and jump off things. :)

Adele

Dancer: Adele

Location: Old Montreal

Want to schedule a shoot? Contact me here.

Montreal Dancers: Sheida

January 17, 2018 Morgan Petroski

Old Montreal day or night is just full of photo possibilities. Sure it's touristy, but the cobble stone streets and architecture make you forget that. Sheida was awesome to work with as we wandered the streets after sunset when Old Montreal began to glow. I can't wait to do some more evening shoots across Montreal.

Sheida

Dancer: Sheida

Location: Vieux Montreal

Want to schedule a shoot? Contact me here.

Montreal Swing Riot 2017

December 7, 2017 Morgan Petroski

As a lindy hop dancer I have known about Montreal's Swing Riot for a few years. I had always hoped to make it one year as it brought something new to the swing world that I had not seen before, the yearly infamous Street Dancers vs Vintage Dancers Invitational Battle. Professional lindy hop dancers can perform to a crowd and throw tricks just as much as the next professional dancer. Often thought of first as a social dance that your grandparents did (which it is), the showmanship side of it is equally as fun. And when lindy hoppers compete, watch out, people will be flying in the air. So at Swing Riot, two teams of vintage and modern street dancers were invited to battle against each other. Since it was invitational you knew the dancers were going to be great and the battle was going to have you screaming. This year's battle didn't disappoint. Both vintage and street dancers were amazing. In the end, the crowd crowned the street dancers as this year's winners.

Now for the technical side of this post. At the time, I had just recently upgraded my Fuji X-T1 for a Fuji X-T2. Because I wasn't the primary photographer for Swing Riot, I chose not to use my normal swing event OCF set up. I typically set up two flashes, but I wanted to test this camera and it's autofocus and low light capabilities. Seriously, photographing dancers (especially lindy hoppers) in low light with no flash is a huge camera test. Finally switching from my Canon 6D that I had been holding on to for solely this exact situation, to the Fuji was a tiny bit tricky. There's definitely a learning curve to the Fuji coming from a DSLR. I have been shooting Fuji primarily (except dance and a few weddings last year) for a few years now. I have loved my Fujis and always gush about them. But this was a new test. A hard test for a camera system that has been known to not have the fastest AF. After a few tests of different focus settings I finally started to feel comfortable with it and then by the end of the night I was convinced. This Fuji X-T2 could hold up to the Canon 6D. I had learned how to adjust my shooting and was catching the moments I needed to catch. So, since then, I have sold my Canon 6D. I finally felt like the Fuji could do anything the DSLR could do. It was a great feeling.

Krista & Sam - Denver Union Station Engagement Session

January 29, 2016 Morgan Petroski

An engagement session at the beautiful Union Station in Denver, Colorado.

Robin & Faye's Florida Wedding

July 7, 2015 Morgan Petroski

I had the great privilege of not only photographing Robin and Faye's wedding in June but surprising them as well! Yes, they had no idea I was going to be there or photographing their wedding. It was a huge surprise that my parents and I had planned for months. These two wonderful women have been part of my life since I was young. They have been part of my extended family, rooting me on and encouraging me through the years. They were finally able to get married this year in Florida, their home state.

They decided to rent a gorgeous riverside house for the week and hold their ceremony on the back patio overlooking the river. Their casual Florida wedding was filled with laughter, happiness, and tears of joy, as family and friends gathered to celebrate their marriage. Stones customized with their initials that they had everyone hold during the ceremony and then toss into the river with a wish, birds flying overhead, and stunning sunsets were just some of small pieces that made up their incredible day.