VENDOR SPOTLIGHT: CORYNN FOWLER PHOTOGRAPHY
Unique in design and theme, each Pop-Up Chapel works with some of the best-in-class vendors in the city to bring our vision to life and create a one-of-a-kind experience for our couples! Based out of Toronto and Collingwood, Photographer Corynn Fowler has participated on 2 Chapels capturing candid, relaxed and timeless wedding photographs that focus on the excitement and joy of the day!
Tell us a little about yourself, how long you have been in the industry and your business.
I opened Corynn Fowler Photography five years ago now. I never thought I would end up working creatively as a photographer, or in the wedding industry, (my background is in marine biology, oceanography, and outdoor recreation!) but I always wanted to work for myself and run my own business. Photography had always been a hobby, and the business idea fell into my lap when I agreed to second shoot for a friend who was capturing some weddings. I LOVED it, and immediately knew that this would be my first business. So, I wrote a grant application, secured some funding, and launched right into running my business full time. I’ve loved every minute of it ever since.
Which chapel has been your favourite?
I think the most recent chapel I photographed at the Evergreen Brickworks in October was my favourite. All of the chapels are so creative and so beautiful, but it was the couples and families I had the chance to work with at this chapel that made it so memorable. 2020 was such a difficult year for couples who had planned to get married, and the vendors who were supposed to work those weddings. It was so incredibly refreshing to photograph couples at this chapel who were just so happy to be married there that day. Of the 7 couples I photographed, all of them had chosen the chapel as their plan A to get married this year, and it brought me back into the energy and joy that I truly love about weddings.
What do you love about working in the wedding industry?
I love the genuine joy, laughter, and emotion that I get to photograph at weddings. More than any other day, weddings bring out the best in people. There are very few moments in a person’s life when they get to gather all their loved ones to show their love, appreciation, and support, and I adore getting to capture these simple moments and meaningful interactions between people!
How is the chapel unique to your typical work/weddings? What do you love about it?
I always love taking part in the chapels because they’re a refreshing change in pace from my usual weddings. I put a lot of time and detailed work into being closely involved with my couples through their wedding planning process, and everything is carefully planned. The chapel is an opportunity to step lightly into a couple’s life and love story, quickly asses their energy and style, and capture them and their day on a very quick and intuitive level. We have a short amount of time to photograph people, and I love the challenge of getting a feel for the couple and their family, and finding ways to form quick connections with everyone. It leaves a lot of space for creativity, inspiration, and intuitive photography decisions that I don’t always get the chance to explore.
If you could design a chapel what theme would you pick?!
There’s a reason I’m a photographer and not a planner, envisioning a whole theme for a wedding stretches my creativity to the max! In my day to day life, my fallback is classic and timeless style, so I would probably plan a wedding that fits along these lines. Classic, elegant, black and white, channelling Audrey Hepburn in menswear, lots of focus on form and shape and old world Hollywood style. This is hard! Mad props to you guys and your creative visions, I’m tired just thinking about it!
What are your favourite types of photos to capture, your influences, and your favourite moment during a photo session?
I’m influenced by old photojournalistic photography. Photography that includes many levels of a story within a frame, that you could spend hours looking at and noticing all the different details that pull together to tell a story within one photograph. While it’s not possible to make every photograph on a wedding day look like this, my favourite photographs are the candid capture I get to make that tell a multi-layered story. I usually get to shoot these moments during the getting ready portion of the day and during the reception, times that are a little less formal, when people let their real selves show. I also adore any photograph that radiates so much joy that it makes you smile, so photographing couples laughing and having the best time together on their wedding day is pretty much my favourite thing ever.
During the months of quarantine, have you found a new hobby or project you've grown to like?
I found myself with a lot of extra time on my hands this year, so I’ve used it as an opportunity to start a new business that has been percolating in the back of my mind for a few years now. I spent a lot of time streamlining my wedding photography process as well, and improving my client experience, so that I can pass more back end administrative tasks off to my assistant next year and have time to keep two businesses running smoothly. In a way covid was a blessing, because it gave me the time to dedicate to starting something new this year, that would have otherwise taken me years to get off the ground! I’m also an avid outdoors lover, so this year has given me lots of time to enjoy going hiking, trail running, kayaking, skiing, snowshoeing, and paddle boarding, all things that make me the happiest. :)