Jeremy's slideshow
Here is a link to slideshow of a recent family portrait shoot with two great little guys and their parents:
One month to go?
We have photographed Gabrielle a couple of times before and when we heard she was pregnant we were so excited to have the chance to capture some really beautiful shots with her and her gorgeous baby belly. She looks amazing without any props or adornment, but we also used some dyed silk (thanks Mum for creating them for us) and a scarf of Gabrielle’s. We are so looking forward to doing some more photos with her partner and then some with the new baby next year!
A softly coloured wedding
09/12/12 17:01 Filed in: Wedding
Last month we shot our first wedding at Mavis’s Kitchen. It is a wonderful venue for both ceremonies on the hill and feasts at the restaurant, so we’re glad we’ve broken that drought! Mount Warning stayed clear of cloud all afternoon and the cloud cover made for soft light and some drama in the sky, which was a good match for Rosie’s beautiful vintage dress and the soft range of colours of the bridesmaids dresses and the protea bouquets. Rosie and Jay then had some fun with us down by the river (the Tweed) before joining their guests for the reception. My favourite photo - hard to pick, but maybe the one with the balloons on the combi?
Three red-heads plus Mum
Little Jeremy came into the world several weeks premature, but he’s certainly going great-guns now. This was our second session with him and the third with his family. A picnic rug in their backyard under the flowering jacaranda made the perfect relaxing setting. A few grizzles (from Jeremy not Alan) were followed by a very photogenic nap, then loads of smiles and fun with his brother. the last few were taken under the house and had a completely different feel to them.
Local with a 50's twist
09/11/12 08:08 Filed in: Wedding
Last month we had the pleasure of shooting a real local wedding! Simone and Dennis are from Murwillumbah and went to Mount Saint Pat’s, as its known here. They had a full Catholic mass (a first for us) at Mount Saint Patricks church. Not a lot of light but it made for some stunning moments. For the photo sessions afterwards we went to Murwillumbah’s levy wall with its great wildlife mural (the lyre-birds seemed fascinated by the proceedings) then back to Bray Park where Simone grew up. A small park and the bridge over Dunbible Creek were meaningful backdrops for all that loving! Dennis was quite in love with the Dodge that they had for the day too. We then went to the Hitchens garden where the golden tabebuyas were flowering. It looked like we might get a storm, but it seems it was only there to make a great dramatic sky for the final photos. Then back to the reception at Greenhills on Tweed where Rebecca did a wonderful job as wedding decorator and coordinator. Our warmest wishes to both Simone and Dennis - they were a really sweet couple to photograph.
Ali and Jaye at home
24/10/12 15:44 Filed in: Couples | Portrait Shoots
Ali and Jaye were finally in the one place long enough to have us come to their lovely little farm-house at Doon Doon (with the view to Mount Warning that you see below) in order to do a portrait session with them.
We wanted to capture their chilled out alternative life-style (in between all the amazing work and play each of them achieve) and the dynamic between them. At the end, Ponyo had to get in on the act too. We thoroughly loved the time we spent with them again.
We wanted to capture their chilled out alternative life-style (in between all the amazing work and play each of them achieve) and the dynamic between them. At the end, Ponyo had to get in on the act too. We thoroughly loved the time we spent with them again.
Lotus garden wedding at Byron
30/08/12 16:08 Filed in: Wedding
Last weekend we had the pleasure of photographing Danni and Ollie’s wedding which was held at the stunning Byron @ Byron resort. The ceremony, conducted by the lovely Chiquita Mitchell, of lifecelebration was held in the Lotus garden which turned out to be a beautiful setting with the light filtering through the trees. Many of the photos were taken on the boardwalks that thread through the resort’s very natural and intact tea-tree wetland. Danni and Ollie live in Townsville and their family and friends flew in from all over the country to be there. They are a truly sweet couple and we were happy to be part of such a beautiful celebration of their love. (And as I always say) here are a few of our favourite photos from the day:
A hill-top wedding shoot
28/06/12 09:59 Filed in: Wedding
Last month we met up with Barney and Sarah whose wedding we photographed back in April. The wet weather back then prevented us from accessing a beautiful hill-top that is part of Midginbil Hill and the giant fig-tree where they had hoped to hold the wedding. We met up with Barney and Sarah at Silk Pavilions at Mt. Burrell to take some extra photos with the amazing outlook there. We then made it to the fig-tree just before sunset and were able to capture some beautiful images through a combination of the fading light and our portable flash lighting. They are really happy with the results. Here are a few of our favourites:
A professional and family shoot combined
16/06/12 16:54 Filed in: Portrait Shoots | Family
We met Bob and Amelia through their business, Fig Jam, but they are not foodies, rather experts in E-commerce, MySQL etc. They engaged us to take some professional but relaxed portraits for a work-related website. While there and all set up we also did a short family photo shoot with their gorgeous daughters - quick and pain-free for all involved!
A Fruitilicious Model Shoot
Last month we were approached by Zoe Wechter of Fruitilicious Fashion and Design down in Byron Bay. She was planning a photo shoot for her Autumn / Winter collection and was looking for some llamas to interact with the model in one part of the shoot. We’ve had llamas for years and still have two males, Berry and Druen. Zoe didn’t know we were photographers and had already engaged a photographer, the lovely Carly Brown. They all turned up fairly early on a misty May morning and Zoe and Carly invited us to join in. We all had a ball, the model, Celeste, did a great job and didn’t seem to mind the wet grass and the llamas behaved beautifully! Zoe then used our woodshed for another outfit, which worked out so well. A small black snake was disturbed while they were arranging the firewood in an artistic fashion, but no-one was too bothered by that! Here are some of our favourites. Carly’s great photos of the whole day can be seen on the Fruitilicious Facebook page.
Autumn leaves and cool reflections
Today the very stoic Gabrielle came back for another demanding photo shoot with us. We didn’t ask her to sit in a cold creek this time, just on cold damp leaves and an icy cold mirror. We wanted to feature the last of our autumn leaves in a grove of wild persimmons up on our hill. There was no mist to create the rays of light we were hoping for, so we focused on the fallen leaves. Later we worked on some ideas involving a long mirror and some very concentrated light, which we envisaged would work well in black and white. Here are some of our favourites:
Wedding advice
07/05/12 15:58 Filed in: Wedding
I was just looking at a sweet wedding in South Africa:
http://ruffledblog.com/handmade-cape-town-wedding/
and I love the advice from the bride, Kirsten, as a lot of it is similar to what we say to brides:
- Don’t leave anything until the last minute
- Some things won’t go according to plan – BIG DEAL!
- Start planning well in advance, this will help you save on costs and be more organised
- Just relax!
- Don’t be afraid to delegate. I’m one of those people who wanted to do everything myself, but I had to learn to trust other people
- Remember that it’s your wedding and incorporate elements that are special to you as a couple
- Stick to your guns even if nobody understands your ideas
- Have loads of fun and savour every moment of your planning experience
- Make family members like your mother & mother-in-law part of the planning experience even if you don’t share the same ideas
- Invest in a professional photographer"
We especially agree with that last one!
http://ruffledblog.com/handmade-cape-town-wedding/
and I love the advice from the bride, Kirsten, as a lot of it is similar to what we say to brides:
- Don’t leave anything until the last minute
- Some things won’t go according to plan – BIG DEAL!
- Start planning well in advance, this will help you save on costs and be more organised
- Just relax!
- Don’t be afraid to delegate. I’m one of those people who wanted to do everything myself, but I had to learn to trust other people
- Remember that it’s your wedding and incorporate elements that are special to you as a couple
- Stick to your guns even if nobody understands your ideas
- Have loads of fun and savour every moment of your planning experience
- Make family members like your mother & mother-in-law part of the planning experience even if you don’t share the same ideas
- Invest in a professional photographer"
We especially agree with that last one!
Birth of a nature spirit
What a courageous model Gabrielle (Wheelie Wicked Womyn) turned out to be. Must be those years of roller derby that toughened her up! Our prearranged dawn shoot turned out to be the coldest day of the year so far. (Well cold for the Tweed Valley and fairly cool for sitting in a pool in the creek for half an hour!) Alan’s pre-visualized image of the birth of a nature spirit came together really well with the light of the baby (aka the flash) lighting up the beautiful trees and rocks. We then moved into a more usual portrait shoot of Gabrielle in some of her favourite clothes - she had never actually worn the stunning coat dress in the last images before. Thanks again Gabrielle.
A wedding high on Mt. Burrell
28/04/12 17:19 Filed in: Wedding
Barney and Sarah had long been planning to have their wedding on the beautiful hilltop under the old fig tree at Midginbil Hill on the south-western side of the Tweed Valley. The week of showery weather persisted up to the morning of the wedding, making the track up to the hill very difficult, so they moved to Plan B, to hold the wedding at nearby Crams’ Farm, overlooking the dam and Mount Warning. But it was too muddy and far from shelter there, so Sue and John from Silk Pavilions very flexibly allowed them to move the ceremony there, where Sarah and her family were staying. We were all rewarded with clear weather around us and stunning clouds and sun rays on the Border Ranges in the distance. The wedding was beautiful and was followed by a great reception and some wild dancing at the barn at Midginbil Hill. Our wedding present to Sarah and Barney was to offer them another photo session up by the fig tree when the weather improves. Stay posted!
Dawn at Cabarita with Chrissy
Late last month we arranged to meet our friend and model, Chrissy, at Cabarita Beach just before dawn. When we arrived there was a heavy downpour of rain, but it passed and left us with the most sweet golden dawn. The water was warm, the reflections on the sand were beautifully coloured and we all felt blessed to be there. Here is a broad-range of images from the morning:
Alex and Tiana
While in Canberra last month I stayed with a family of old and best friends and had the opportunity to do a back-yard photo session with my gorgeous god-daughter, Tiana, and her older brother, Alex. We started with them lying around on the trampoline that was a big part of their childhood. They then suggested that they’d like their chickens in the photos. Great ideas often come from the subjects! The chickens weren’t totally cooperative but we got some good moments. The teenagers haven’t grown much since I was there, but I bet the chickens have!
Sonia and Jorge get married!
23/04/12 09:57 Filed in: Wedding
Last month we photographed such a warm and romantic wedding. Sonia and Jorge were childhood sweethearts, but now, in there late 30’s, they have finally joined their lives together and are moving to Argentina! They had a farm wedding at Hosanna at Stokers Siding for their Australian friends. This was followed 3 weeks later by a family wedding in Italy. Here are some of our favourites from the day at Stokers Siding.
.
The Candle Ceremony and Light-up
Red Tent Festival
I had a fantastic experience doing over 20 indoor portrait sessions on the one day at the recent Red Tent Festival held at Mullumbimby. Met so many beautiful women, babies and bellies! Everyone was so friendly and appreciative and I was pleased with results considering I don’t usually rely so much on flash - preferring to use as much natural light as possible. It was so good to see women of all ages talking, laughing and sharing such crucial knowledge and experience with each other. Here are a few photos from the day.
Naomi and Ollie schmoodling at Julita
27/02/12 11:11 Filed in: Couples | Portrait Shoots
We had been wanting to photograph Naomi and Oliver for about a year now and it finally all came together (the timing is always perfect - we have to remember that!) The opportunity came at a promotional shoot we did about Julita - the lovely holiday apartment at the back of the Old Convent in Uki. Naomi has had a very successful modelling career and is now getting back into it. They were both really natural and relaxed in front of the camera (though we usually seem to help create that even with people who are usually camera-shy). They certainly had no problem when we asked for more kissing and schmoodling - so in love!
From the balcony
The luscious indoor day bed
Great little spot for chilling out
General schmoodling
The gazebo bathhouse
The outdoor shower with Julita in the background (Oliver foreground)
Separate portraits
and together.
Ethan turns 1
18/01/12 13:45 Filed in: Portrait Shoots | Baby
Last year we had this informal photo shoot to capture young Ethan’s first birthday. We like the one of him using his “mobile”, but were most pleased of the ones with his amber necklaces. The small necklace is to help with his teething. The large one belonged to his great-great grandmother and came from Estonia.
