Chinese Ceremonies in the Vines

This past weekend I had the absolute pleasure of photographing the special day of Mat and Jenny! They had their beautiful ceremony at Iron Bark Hill. Jenny's family is Chinese, so it was very fitting for them to include tradtional Chinese elements into their day. As I have never been part of a Chinese wedding before, it was quite a treat for me to experience.

The day started at the Vintage photographing the girls getting ready. My second shooter Matt was with the boys. Late in the morning I got quite an amusing experience when the boys came to play the traditional door games. In these door games the groom has to come to the door of the house where the bride is getting ready and participate in a number of tasks set by the bridesmaids. I had a great time photographing as Mat and the groomsmen had to wear frilly bras, put on lipstick, eat chillies and sing love songs. My cheeks were so sore from laughing.

After the ceremony, the couple moved outside where they had a more modern twist on the traditional tea ceremony. The day was so full of beautiful little traditional details that I look forward to incorporating into their album.

The whole day was a mile of fun! Thankyou for having me be part of your day guys!

Choosing the right Wedding Photographer...

Choosing a wedding photographer can be one of the toughest choices you need to make in regards to your wedding. These will be the remaining, tangible memories you will have from your wedding day. These will be what you sit down and show your grand children one day. So how do you ensure you choose the right photographer?

Many times over, price seems to be the deciding factor in whether or not the photographer is right for you, but this is not always the best factor to base your decision on. Your wedding memories will be captured through the eyes, heart and talent of your wedding photographer… so remember the old adage, "You get what you pay for".

A wedding is one of the most intimate things you will ever go through in life, so intimacy can be an important factor in choosing your photographer. Are you comfortable having them with you all day in your intimate space? Does their personality gel with yours?

It is also important you are getting someone with experience who can handle anything that is thrown at them on the day. No two weddings are the same, so your photographer needs to be confident enough not to faulter if something unexpected happens. Will they be able to capture every moment? Weddings are so fast paced it is not always possible to restate something if they miss a moment.

What products do they offer? Do they offer professional quality albums, prints on archival papers, canvases? Its not always easy to judge a photographer's work on a website or Facebook, so be sure to go to their studio and view their albums and products, so you can see the finished product you will be receiving.

Another important factor, does their style work with yours? Not all photographer's work is the same. Many will have different processing styles and different shooting styles. So see as much of their work as possible to see how you feel about their style.

And lastly, have fun with your photographer! When you've picked the right one, it will be a rewarding and enjoyable experience for everyone!.

Beautiful Baby Girl

This past weekend I met a beautiful little baby girl named Morgan. She is just 11 days old and came in for her very first photoshoot. She was such a sweet little girl and really enjoyed being curled up in the picnic basket. The shoot was filled with lots of laughs as my new little kitten decided she wanted in on the action and was trying to help during the shoot.

Here are a few sneak peeks of the adorable little girl.

Surprise weddings!

This past Saturday was such a fun filled day. The first wedding of spring! And what a magical wedding it was. Roxanne and Sam had planned a surprise wedding. All their guests thought they were arriving at Cessnock for an engagement party, only to receive a map to send them to a new destination - a beautiful old church in Wollombi.

I had an absolute blast with the girls before the wedding. I have worked with the girls before as they were bridesmaids (and the bride) at another wedding I shot last year.

At the conclusion of the ceremony, Roxanne, Sam and Roxanne's children released butterflies. We then made our way to a lovely little vineyard in Wollombi for photos. When visiting the vineyard the week prior, I was struck with inspiration to do something a little quirky, so I had come prepared with a car full of vintage suitcases, bottles of Moet, picnic rugs, cakes and plates. The couple had a fabulous time doing something a little different, and the bridesmaids had a great time getting photos ruining the picnic shortly afterwards.

Roxanne and Sam had their reception in a small community hall and had run with a very handmade shabby chic theme. It was beautful! And the candy buffet was definatly a hit with everyone (myself included!)

Thankyou so much for having me be part of such a perfect day!

A sunny afternoon full of giggles

Yesterday I was able to spend a lovely afternoon in the sun with an adorable little one year old. I shot Harper's newborn photos, and looking at her now, it is hard to beleive that was a year ago! She has grown into quite the little girl, happily chatting about Dora the explorer and playing with her mum's sunglasses.

We were lucky to have the most beautiful light for the day! the golden light was streaming through the fig trees creating some really beautiful bokeh and colours in the background. I had a great afternoon!