2011 – here we come!!!!
I havent had a lot of free time to add to my blog lately. Some of this has been caused by my crazy schedule, floods, editing, and my addiction now to FB. The main reason is that it is easier to add images to FB than to my blog due to sizes. So, a catch up is required. So here they are…Nat and Neil’s wedding on the NSW coast and for some strange reason all my blog images are going really weird but if you click on each one they open up. More to come as soon as I can edit more for the blog and get my website guy to figure out what is going on with the blog thingy. I am not techie enough. LOL
Bundaberg Floods 30 December
We are an island. North cut off from South, East from West. I am blessed to not be under water but others are not so lucky. In the last two days of shooting our town, I have met some brave and inspiring folk that are facing an uncertain future. Sitting on a porch of a flooded unit with no electricity and no yard or garage left, a man told me that if he had a boat he would go fishing, and that all his life he had dreamed of living on the riverfront. “Million dollar views” he joked with me. I don’t think I would be quite so happy.
I have no idea if my shoot space over north is under water, and if it is, so would be the other businesses that I am blessed to share the space with. Most of my friends are safe. Some are locked in with water. Thank God i all I can say. I have only had one person mad at me for taking photos. She told her friend that I should be run over. What I don’t understand is the following:
People letting kids swim in the dirty and extremely dangerous water.
People in boats with no life jackets on zipping through the water around submerged cars
People wading through it just to get a better look
Things I am thankful for:
The SES
The police and fire service
THE SES!!!! I used to be a member until I had to become a full time dad carer, and i never had to go out in an emergency but they do the most amazing job…TOTALLY UNPAID! So please don’t make it harder for them.
So photos….I have been putting them up on FB but it is down so here are todays shots.
Jamie and Sophie
Sophie and jamie are blessed. They have a simple adorable little girl, and a love that takes your breath away. I was the lucky photographer that shot their wedding day and as much as we asked for sun, God gave us rain. Little Josie was also under the weather, so we shot the I do’s, and we shot the party and we shot some really sexy gorgeous steamy shots of the two of them in their luxurious resort apartment but there was that whole romance shoot missing. The shoot we had planned out and scouted fabulous locations and talked about why the spots chosen were significant. We talked, and I realised that I couldn’t do half the job, so we booked in a new date to shoot the romance part of the day when Josie was well, and the sun was shining.
So this Friday, my fabulous assistant Alister and I headed to Agnes/1770 and did it all again.
And it was perfect. Ruth re-did Sophie’s hair, Philip and the boys emptied water out of the perfect boat, the cutest wedding car ever was brought out of storage again from Grandad’s shed, and magic happened. I love it when it does. This is a couple that are so in love it makes you believe in miracles, and who love their little angel so much that you can’t help but be happy around them.
So – perfect weather, love everywhere, and some amazing locations…what more could a photographer want.
little blue eyes and some chickens!
And what a cute little man he is. what do you get when you put a very cute little baby on a kitchen bench with great-grandmas sponge cake and me with my camera…some very cute shots! but those aren’t on here—sorry. those are for family to see first. so, now that I have you looking, here are two shots from Sunday. It was a sunday that also included two dogs, one cane chair, great-grandpa’s bikes, a whole bunch of chickens, some vintage moments (well you know me…I can’t help it), a pair of 1950′s Clarks school shoes, more chickens, a red wall, a yard, two bandaids and a whole bunch of freshly made sponge cake.
so here are the chickens and a baby!
how to trash the dress without trash
Today my fab Megan and I did a trash the dress for fabulous Rian and Kelly. there are so many gorgeous images from the day but I have only have had time to work on a couple. So much work to do with other images. I love my clients. How many people get paid to have fun every day, I ask you???? Love my job. Hate the mess in my house from not having enough time to clean up. This is teh only bad thing about working from home. Every time I pass my MAC, she calls to me to work more.
anyhoo, here they are. enjoy – and please feel free to comment.
depression era Nadia
the year…1925….ish – the great depression…ish…and Nadia plays for nickels and dimes
G & J wow…yep, just wow….
It is funny how you can start off a day with one set of expectations and then magic happens and everything changes. That happened today. One of my beautiful wedding couples allowed me to be creative with them today and all I can say is WOW – I am so blessed with my clients. They rocked, the locations were amazing and we ended up using a whole bunch of places that weren’t on my menu but so glad for it. So here are a couple of my couple. And again, WOW! I love my job when magic happens.
les amants marchent dans provence
I am just a hopeless romantic…
What I love about weddings is the emotion. the love. the eyes. but mostly 
the kiss.
quote for today….
Kisses kept are wasted;
Love is to be tasted.
There are some you love, I know;
Be not loathe to tell them so.
Lips go dry and eyes grow wet
Waiting to be warmly met.
Keep them not in waiting yet;
Kisses kept are wasted.
~Edmund Vance Cooke
sunday shoot
Lessons on light and thirds:
Someone once told me to always find the light.
smile
soft smile and light
blue
steps
Kelly and Rian – congratulations to a lovely couple
- Saturday was a weird day. I wanted to buy a zoom lens all day. Why? Too hard to explain. As you all know, or some may not know, I recently changed from zoom to primes. I traded in my last big’en – my 100-400 for another prime lens. Love my primes. Love the speed, love the intimacy, love having to think about the shot before I shoot it, rather than the fast “got it in zoom” thing that I used to do.
- Kelly’s Cake
- first dance antiqued up
My primes did what I wanted them to do and paid for themselves later at the reception of the gorgeous Kelly and Rian. Their reception was elegant, the bride looked amazing, and the groom looked handsome and debonaire. Having not met everyone at the wedding made it a little bit hard to know who everyone was, but it didn’t take long. The families and friends were lovely and made my job easy. I set up my photo booth with my antique props and that was fun. I have some awesome shots for the bride and groom when they get back from their honeymoon.
Below are a few of the shots from the reception: the amazing cake that matched the brides gown, my new favourite lady whom we will call Mrs bucket – pronounced Bouquet “the lady of the house speaking” and whom I need to take to me to all my weddings from now on, the first dance, the conga line, and few other shots just for fun.
I don’t usually blog reception shots, but it was such a lovely one. Congrats guys, and have a lovely honeymoon.
- dance with my father
- light dance
lets conga
bridesmaid supermodel
Annika and Juha
It was the perfect day..sun shining, clouds kissing the blue sky, a beautiful bride and pretty bridesmaid, a handsome groom, bunting, old fashioned afternoon tea, orchids, Martha Stewart, live music, apples, sexy cars, beautiful babies, happy people, a grandfather who had just celebrated his 101st birthday, and so much love.
There was loads of happy tears.
Here are just a couple of the shots from the day and when the honeymooners get back, we will going to their farm for an after the wedding shoot with all the chickens.
Congrats to you and thank you for allowing me to capture your beautiful day. Martha would be so proud.
Apple Blossom Time
1940 Kiss
Gayndah, 1940. Love. Engagement shoot.
Megan and I travelled to Gayndah and back in time to create an amazing engagement shoot with a difference. My fabulous couple Jordan and Rachel wanted to create something that would be art, magic and allow them to play.
So began my hunt for all things 1940, originals…not costumes.
A HUGE THANK YOU too to some fantastic locals who got into the spirit. We used Mellors drapery, 3 fabulous men and their magnificent old cars, clothes from Mick Boysen in Woondai and all my new best friends on ebay, the Gayndah museum, the team up at the Gayndah hospital who found all kinds of lovely and gruesome old medical stuff, a lovely couple’s back yard and hallway, and a motel that let us keep all our props there all day, and the ladies at the second hand shop for just being so lovely.
So was it worth it all. All I can say is OMG. We truly went back. Rachel donned underwear from 1940, stockings and then had her hair and makeup done and she took on her role like a supermodel actor star. She even had to sleep in rollers. Authentic! Jordan also became the man of the 40′s. Debonaire, and handsome, he wooed his lady with picnics and whisperings in her ear. No kisses until the very end of the day.
I am working on the images now, but here are some sneak peeks…more to come.
1940
Robert and Chloe
tears of joy
Robert and Chloe said I Do at a beautiful property in Sharon. With Avocados and horse stables as far as the eye could see, it was the perfect spot. Chloe’s exquisite dress was designed and hand crafted by the fabulous and awesome Sharyn. It was a very 1920′s inspired elegant gown, with simple flowers hand made by Kathy. My amazing makeup artist made magic again and a lovely bride walked down cobblestones to meet her handsome groom.
With just two weeks of preparation, this amazing event shows that you can make magic happen with a little outside the box thinking and people that love you. Congratulations Robert and Chloe. It truly was a pleasure to be there, and be a part of it all. One of the images is a black and white version of the antiqued. Loads to work on.
my creative couples engagement & family shoots – new shots coming!
My costume and antiques prop cupboard is overflowing which is really great because in May one of my fabulous couples and my amazing makeup artist Megan will be making magic in Gayndah, followed closely by one of my other couples hitting the 60′s with me for sexy gorgeous. No shots to show off from these yet, but I am still on the hunt for one more nurses uniform. Also, if you have a car from before 1948, we would love to have it in our shoot in Gayndah.
What I love about these shoots are they allow my brides and grooms to really let their hair down and be as creative as they would love to be. It is like being on a movie set, with makeup and styling, as well as s story that shows off who they are as people. It is about creating a love story that is unique to them, and I get to capture this.
I also love shooting families with a bit of an edge too. These are some older shots…Tara and Mitchell’s engagement shoot last year, and baby M and his mommy…new shots coming soon…
Vivienne and Bernie – presenting Mr and Mrs Brown and the art of love
What a lovely wedding. Simple, intimate, elegant and very emotional. Vivienne and Bernie had their fabulous family there to help them celebrate their I Do. I cried. Yep, me. I always try not to at weddings because it is my job to stay focused and work, but there were moments that I got caught up and found myself in tears too. I think it has to do with love. All my beautiful brides have it. They all are loved, and they love back and it shows in the magic that we capture together. I never want to become a cookie cutter photographer and forget the way it makes me feel. I was blessed and I am grateful to have been a part of Mr & Mrs Brown’s wedding. Thank you heaps.
What is Boudoir?
As I cant show you any of my beautiful clients shots I decided to take shots of my granddaughters barbie doll. This is sort of what boudoir is girls.
TTD – Trash The Dress Bundaberg
I love shooting these Trash The Dress shoots. They rock. It is a way for my brides to get amazing magazine styled shots with my fabulous makeup artist and stylist and the rest of my team. My beautiful bride got dirty and wet and looked fabulous while doing it.
Hollywood glamour all the way!
Kirsten: you rock!
I love my job
Having passion in what you do is so important to getting what you want out of life. Lately I have been blessed with the best clients. Clients that let me shoot and have fun. Clients that get my vision for their shots. clients that want art. Clients that trust me. I have shoot boudoir this week – too hot to blog. I have shot pre-formals. I did a gig for the local paper. I had a very sad morning shooting another little angel. That was hard, and she was so perfect. My sincerest condolences to her family.
So it has been joy and it has been sorrow and every thing in between. I even had two of my clients jump in a river in dresses. And soon I will be shooting a secret – sorry can’t tell you all yet. It is still secret santa shhshh.
I have also joined BNI and Barter Card. New clients from these were the lovely team at Villa Mirasol and their cute little grand-daughter Milly.
So here are a mix of shots from the recent shoots.
Kara and Vern
Sunny day, beach wedding, groom handsome in boardies, bride stunning in a short sassy wedding dress, and a photography student, Natalie, came and enjoyed working a wedding with me. What a lovely day!
weddings weddings weddings
I have been shooting a load of beautiful weddings for some very beautiful brides. Trying really hard to get them all done so that they can see them, so here, girls, are some teasers.
First Chrissie and Steve…I loved her black and white dress and his cool tux. We had a lot of fun dong movie styled shots and again, I am blessed with couples that want something a little different. Yay!