Toronto Marathon 2024 /  by Raymond Hui

Toronto hosts two international marathons every year. I have photographed one or both on my own since 2017. This year, for the first time, I was an accredited photographer at the Toronto Marathon — one of a team of about 20 photographers.

I was stationed at the finish line, which was also roughly a 100 m dash from the starting line for the 5k and 10k courses. My job was to photograph the racers getting prepared for these shorter distances, and as many runners as possible picking up their medals after crossing the finish line (everyone gets one unless they decline it during registration).

In many respects, photographing the starting and finish lines is typical event photography. It is about both quantity (capture as many people on camera as possible) and quality (settings, light, emotions, etc.). I was delighted to find that the vast majority of the runners, including those staggering across the finish line, were receptive to and even enthusiastic about being photographed. My camera opened and closed its shutter for roughly 1000 people, mostly smiling and and even posing. Perhaps a total of 20 runners declined, all politely.

Here are some runners waiting for the start of their 5k or 10k races:

And here are some tired finishers displaying their medals and pride:

Another weekend, another wedding ... /  by Raymond Hui

In the past, I thought and felt that wedding photography wasn’t for me. I value quality over quantity, preferring to take some time contemplating how to set up a perfect photograph rather than pumping out over a thousand image files in a single day.

Recently, on a whim, I applied to various studios and agencies for the position of wedding photographer. All but one agency rejected my application or didn’t bother to respond. But, like many opportunities in life, one is all you need (and all you get). So far, it has worked out well. And I have been able to parlay my initial experience into other wedding gigs.

Having shot a number of weddings as first and second shooter, I can say that I am a very competent wedding photographer. I pride myself in being able to capture excellent photographs at decisive moments (and there are a few of those on a wedding day). I am also getting better than producing quantity, albeit somewhat reluctantly. Sometimes, this means capturing many shots of the same moment, or capturing more of the “less decisive” moments.

Most importantly, I am rather enjoying each wedding day. It’s difficult not to be caught up in someone else’s day of great joy. Sure, every participant, including the wedding party and the service providers, is under stress. But the organized chaos has a structure that, once learned, provides ample room for creativity.

A good wedding tog has to be nimble of feet and mind. Pre-planning helps. Many clients submit a shot list. In the absence of that, most agencies and weddings togs have their own. I try to add to this myself, using inspirational photos from great wedding photographers around the world.

A good wedding photographer must also be good at “customer service,” and an in situ ops manager. One must take control where and when possible, “directing” the bride and groom as well as the rest of the wedding party where to go, what to do and how to pose. I wasn’t sure if my preternaturally introverted personality would be a serious liability. It turns out that I come out of my shell at a wedding, motivated by the drive to capture great photographs for the couple. At the end of a recent wedding, the groom gave me a bear hug, without having seen a single photograph. He simply enjoyed my “choreography”, and made me so happy by expressing gratitude for adding fun to his joyful but stressful day.

Wedding day /  by Raymond Hui

Wedding day.

Here’s an oft-used but true saying: shooting a wedding is like getting on a train. Once it gets in motion, it follows a schedule that the photographer passengers cannot change.

Yes, there are stops along the way. For me, the first one is the one to two hours before the official start of the day; sort of like waiting for train to leave the station.

I like to take this time to confirm that all batteries are fully charged; the memory cards in the cameras are erased and properly renamed. I also go through the locations on a map app to confirm where I need to be; the train stops. Sometimes, the drive between the ceremony and the reception can be long and prone to traffic. The bride and groom can be late; not the photographer.

As part of my preparation, I like to look up inspirational images taken by wedding photographers I admire: Sam Hurd, Two Mann Studios, Paris for Two, Raquel Benito; to name a few.

I also check the weather forecast for the whole day. Couples often ask for sunset photos. But will there be a golden hour? Today, for example, it doesn’t look good.

Once the train leaves the station, the first stop is photographing the groom and bride preps. Typically, the primary photographer shoots the bride prep while the second documents the groom and groomsmen. Today, I’m with the “boys.”

The “shot list” for the groom prep includes the details (photographs of tie or bow tie, shoes, rings, watch, cologne, etc.), the outfit (typically the jacket hanging by the window), everyone getting dressed (tying shoelaces, putting on the jacket, the best man or one of the parents helping the groom with the tie, etc.), all permutations of pairing and grouping (the parents, the groom with each parent and both parents, the groom with each groomsman and the whole gang, etc.). Then there are candid moments, which only manifest themselves. Part of the thrill of photographing a wedding is anticipating and capturing them.

Each groom prep is different. Two weddings ago, I arrived at the house of the groom’s parents to find trays of food laid out for not just the groomsmen but also for the photography team (myself and the videographer). The groom’s mother kept asking me to eat (which I never do until the reception). At the most recent wedding, both parents were frozen in front of the TV watching Italian Serie A football. I had to ask the groom to persuade them to get up and get changed for photos (not to mention the wedding) … twice.

Often, the groom and bride leave each other notes to read while getting ready. At the last wedding, I asked the groom if I could photograph him reading the note, if there was one. He replied that there wasn’t. After he got dressed, he noticed something in a pocket of his jacket, and pulled out a surprise love letter from his bride-to-be. His eyes became so saturated with tears that he had to ask his best man to read it. So glad my camera was there and ready to capture this moment. This is what makes wedding photography so gratifying.

The Photograph Shoppe /  by Raymond Hui

Introducing the Photograph Shoppe

I’ve taken an official plunge into e-commerce. For some time now, I have sold prints of my images (or just photographs, as I call them) either on the side or as part of portrait/headshot package. Concurrently, I have been climbing the learning curve of printing. Yes, printing is a skill and art unto itself. I can’t say that I have become an overall expert at printing. But I am an expert at printing my own photographs. When using third party printers (preferred vendors selected after a painstaking process of trial and error) for sizes beyond the range of my printers, I still go through the process of iterative soft and hard proofing (until the details and colours are just right). All to say, I make best efforts to deliver an optimal product.

Today, I am launching the Photography Shoppe with the release of the REDsplendent Series #1 – a dozen fine art photographs of my favourite sunrise and sunset photos. You will also find a diptych comprised of two Torontohenge images from this series, as well as two hexaptychs, respectively comprised of six sunrises and six sunsets also from this series.

Orders can be placed from most countries around the world. Where applicable, shipping charges are applied and will be visible. For now, only Canadian currency shows up. I aim to rectify this in the future. Two payment methods are available: credit card and Apple Pay.

Whether you are looking to adorn your walls at home or at your place of business, I hope you will find something interesting. Each photograph is available in three sizes (except for the hexaptychs, which are available only in medium and large). Contact me regarding custom sizes (specifically larger ones): chromaticToronto@gmail,.com. Also contact me regarding framing, I can quote you accordingly or offer advice on framing options.

Simultaneously, I am re-launching my website (www.raymondhui.photography) where you can not only peruse galleries of my photography, purchase my prints but also book my services as a professional photographer.