Because of this one photo
my Aunt felt
like a movie star, not just
for one day, but for her lifetime.
Toronto 1936
My Aunt Olive (then a teenager) was walking home after a long shift supporting her family during the depression when a man from a photo studio stopped her on the street and asked to take her portrait.
She said yes.
She kept this portrait on her coffee table for the rest of her life sharing her story with every visitor: smiling, proud, and a little mischievously she'd say.
“I was a hottie.”
This photo was never Just a photo, it was a portrait of how she saw herself well into her eighties.
This may not be a wedding photograph but the idea that someone would hold onto a photograph for an entire lifetime is the driving force behind the absolute creative responsibility I feel when I get to photograph a wedding (or other type of session).
I am photographing you to give you a return ticket to the day when time stood still.
It is my "why".
Details about me
I was a "Weekend Warrior".
My 30-year full-time career included being a shoe store manager, and a shopping centre marketing director (Hazeldean Mall and Carlingwood) and through that I spent weekends photographing weddings.
I grew up in a family that owned newspapers. Through my teen years, from the age of twelve onward, I spent every weekend taking and processing pictures in darkrooms. I was even a yearbook and school newspaper photographer, you could say I was obsessed.
I photographed my first wedding when I was 16.
In 2017 I left my full-time job at Carlingwood and concentrated on being a full-time photographer. Using my marketing skills I have successfully created brands that involve photography - from Architectural (IDEA3) to Santa Claus (Holiday Studio) and also People photography (Frank Fenn Photographer).
At 500 Weddings I stopped counting how many I've photographed
Experience is only one part of the equation that shares how good you are capable of being - and it can sometimes lead to a "been there done that" attitude. But I've seen the exact opposite in my response to having these experiences.
Every wedding is unique, the dynamics of style, individualism and relationships show up at every wedding.
And I quite enjoy that.
The technical (the process, if you will) aspects of photography matter - but I've discovered that the social skills I have developed to bring those dynamics out into the open create images that are Never Just Photos, they are moments of when time stood still.
Constant Evolution.
In 2020 I had become concerned that, after photographing so many weddings, I would become complacent and was on a track to “just dial-it-in.”
Fear of becoming a boring hack can be quite motivating.
So I challenged myself to constantly improve (it was 2020).
First lesson was to appreciate the unique social dynamics and relationships I could observe at each wedding I photographed and found that treating each person, especially in COVID times, the way they wanted to be treated created better experiences for them and in the resulting photos.
I also expanded and experimented with other forms of photography (from Santa Claus, to headshots, to architectural and even pictures of toys) and discovered that I was able incorporate what was learned in those genres into the weddings that I photographed.
And then, in 2023, I joined the Professional Photographers of Canada (PPOC)
I had always wanted to join PPOC but didn’t think it applied to me (I was a “weekend warrior” until 8 years ago, when I left my daytime job as a Marketing Director at Carlingwood Mall) and had left that dream on the backburner. Knowing that I was on the road to improving the experience I provide, joining was an essential next step.
But to become a full member, I would need to seek Accreditation.
It’s not as easy as it sounds - and that’s the reason so few wedding photographers in Ottawa have accreditations to their name (here’s a link to the directory).
In 2024 I chose my category, Environmental Wedding Portraiture, and submitted a portfolio of ten different images from ten different weddings. Then each image was judged by a panel of expert photographers - all pictures would need to meet a minimum standard.
It was a proud day when I received my Accredited Professional Photographer designation in Environmental Wedding Portraiture from PPOC. (I even bought hoodies with the seal)
Next stop: National Salon Competition
At the beginning of 2025 PPOC holds an image competition “Salon” with awards in 2025. In this competition you can enter up to 4 images and they broadcast the judging on Facebook Live - which is kind of frightening, but exciting at the same time. With 1 Excellent (which was also received a Judges Choice Award and is in the Loan Collection), 1 Merit and 1 Accepted my dedication to improving is paying off.
Link: PPOC Loan Collection
Accredited Member of The Professional Photographers of Canada (PPOC)
FROM THE PPOC website
The Professional Photographers of Canada is a diversified group of creative artists dedicated to the highest standards in professional imaging. We welcome photographers of all genres to join our community of dedicated professionals.
Accreditation is the degree of elevation above the general membership level and is achieved by submitting samples of the applicant’s photography in a chosen class. Accreditation
demonstrates that the photographer has proven professional ability to the Board of Examiners of the Professional Photographers of Canada.
In assessing Accreditation submissions, the judges will consider the following criteria: Vision, Impact, Composition, and Technical merit.
Accreditation in Wedding Environmental, earned in 2024
Member of
Smiths Falls Chamber of Commerce
Professional Photographers of Canada
Perth Chamber of Commerce
ICSC
Frank Fenn Photographer
Kanata Studio
300 Eagleson Road
(Hazeldean Mall)
Kanata Ontario K2M 1C9
email: FF@IDEA3.CA