For over thirty years, the well-known Abela Photography name has been built on capturing the emotional, romantic and significant moments of London wedding days. And though weddings have changed and evolved over the years, Darlene and Michael Abela seem to have always kept sight of the reason they do what they do, "Our work has taken us to many places and has given us the opportunity to meet countless wonderful people. From the very beginning, our goal has been to provide images that, in every instance, are creative and professional."

With a ton of experience, flexible wedding packages and a promise to capture all of your special moments in a creative, artistic and timeless manner, staff at The Ring met with Darlene and Michael in their home studio – surrounded by portfolios. Let us explain...

Photography runs in the family

The doors to Abela Photography were opened over thirty years ago by Fred Abela. As years passed, the business grew and Abela became a familiar name to many Londoners. From the beginning, Fred taught his wife Darlene all of the skills and techniques of the photography trade so that the business would continue to thrive, even after he retired in 2006. So what began as a hobby for Darlene, became a career. Since then, she has become the principle contact - and shooter - for many weddings.

For Darlene, hanging out with brides and grooms for their big day seems to come naturally. October 2008 bride, Liska Martindale-DuBrule, says, "Working with Darlene was perfect... I couldn't have asked for a more spunky, personable woman who truly put in her ALL to get the job done... and not just done, but done right." Liska adds that "The detail she put into it and how much fun she made it" was what she loved best about the photo shoot with Abela.

William and Christina used Abela for their engagement and July 2008 wedding photos. They say that "reliability and professionalism" are what they liked best about Abela's photography. Christina explained, "Darlene knows what she is doing and she has a wonderful ability to get everyone set up for a photo...without spending a lot of time adjusting people or poses... they know how to get the best lighting and angle."

Adding more family talent to the picture, Darlene's son, Michael, has also become more involved in the business. He started out as Darlene's assistant at an early age. His artistic side came through almost immediately and, over the years, came to be a part of every aspect of the company.

Darlene says "the people" and "the customs" are part of what she loves most, not to mention "it's always a new experience." Michael agrees. "It's always a happy occasion and it's exciting." He also loves that weddings allow him "to capture [the] clients' raw emotion."

Brides spread the word about Abela

Brides already seem to love Abela's creative approach to posed, romantic wedding photography - Darlene says that most of their clients come from referrals from past brides. That's exactly how Christina chose Abela; her sister used them for her 2004 wedding so when it came time for Christina to choose a wedding photographer she "knew how good they were and how well the pictures turned out."

Darlene says that brides choose Abela because of what they do and the great, individual customer service they offer each couple who comes through their doors. "We know how important photography is to an event... We promise to effectively capture all the special moments of your day in a creative, artistic and timeless manner." Michael says that their artistic vision and dedication to each client has contributed to their success as well.

Liska admits that her biggest reason for choosing Abela was that the photography just 'stood out' for her and her husband. "It wasn't the same old thing you see out there. Not to mention, you could tell that Darlene was very passionate about her work; it wasn't just a 'job' to her, it was a career and a career she loves."

William and Christina say Darlene was fantastic to work with. "She and her son Michael were warm and friendly. We felt so comfortable working with them and had a lot of fun taking the pictures, which was great because you can see how happy we were in our photos."

It's not just a job, its a passion

Darlene and Michael are obviously passionate about what they do. They say they don't let anything get in the way of allowing them to capture each moment. "There's no restriction to true creative abilities; we utilize our resources," explains Michael. That's why, when Mother Nature rears her ugly head and brides look poised to panic, Darlene and Michael roll with the punches, taking their couples with them.

When William and Christina's photo shoot looked to be washed away by torrential downpours, Darlene and Michael encouraged the wedding party to venture out to the site anyways. "We could tell we were pressing our luck," says Christina, "but we wanted to try to get a few more shots and we ended up getting stranded in the middle of the park in a huge downpour. Michael got out the camera under their umbrella and snapped a couple wonderful photos of us huddled under our umbrella and I absolutely love the shots. It was great that they were willing to keep shooting even though it was clear we were all going to get soaked."

Though they set-up shop in London, Darlene and Michael are willing to travel; in fact, they have travelled all over Ontario, and abroad for destination weddings, which they absolutely love to do.

Darlene and Michael have photographed many different types of weddings from traditional to ethnic traditions and even a Japanese Tea Service. And though they are the experts, they're open to requests for wedding photo locations, like coffee shops, theme parks, fairs or anywhere that you feel is a location significant to your relationship.

Walking you through it...

Darlene and Michael recommend booking their services about six months to a year before your wedding. Brides can call or email to book an appointment for a one-on-one consultation to discuss details and options with either Darlene or Michael.

On the wedding day, your Abela photographer (whether it be Darlene or Michael) will go to the bride's home prior to the service, and then off to the ceremony location. Following the ceremony they shoot wedding photos in various locations suitable to the couple and then capture all the moments at the wedding reception.

Packages & prices...

There are five package structures that range from $1995 to $3950, depending the amount and type of coverage you are looking for. After the wedding, your proofs will come in print as well as in an online album. You can also choose to have Abela create a DVD of photos set to music.

"The one thing we like about our album options is the choices we have and the flexibility to alternate a few things in the package," says Liska of the customization Abela allowed her to do. "We wanted to take out certain things with our package and we were able to do that and put the money towards something else." Liska adds that Darlene was very creative in showing her the wedding proofs by "making collage pictures, changing pictures from colour to sepia/black and white/antiqued, etc."

William and Christina purchased a collage album and say "it is wonderful to look through because it tells the story of our day in photos."

Liska says she "found the overall price of Abela Photography very comparable to what other companies are charging" and that the quality results proved the old adage: 'you get what you pay for'.

Since they decided to invest a bit more money in their wedding photography than in other areas, William and Christina were pleased with Abela's prices and the service they got. "We have a lot of quality photos and those are going to be with us forever. The prices were exactly as laid out, no surprise fees, and they handle everything from picture taking to proofs to professionally developing the photos."

Details, details, details

• It's best to book Abela 6 to 12 months ahead of time.
• 1/3 of your package price is the deposit to book your date with Abela.
• Payments are made in installments with 1/3 due when the proofs are ready (usually 2 to 3 weeks after the wedding) and the final 1/3 due when the package is complete.
• Packages are subject to applicable taxes.

For more info...

Check out Darlene and Michael Abela's expertise in their online gallery at www.abelaphotography.com. You can also visit them at their 81 Westbrook Drive in Komoka location, but they request that you call or email to book an appointment first at 519-472-4512 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .