Darren + Jess | WA Ballet Centre & Oakover Grounds | 21 May 2016 {Perth Wedding Photographer}

Earlier this year, Darren and Jess tied the knot with a beautiful ceremony at the incredible WA Ballet Centre in Maylands, Perth. This stunning art deco building, with its porticos, piers and defined plinth features, is a relatively unknown and little used wedding venue in Perth.

But I'm betting that's set to change, because its high ceilings, rustic wooden floors, exposed brick walls and wide, spacious rooms, make it absolutely perfect for weddings, especially if you're after an industrial or classical feel on your special day. 

And what a perfect venue for a wet weather day too!  And we should know, because on the 21st May, the wind blew sideways all day, broken only by intermittent, sleeting rain, and the odd burst of hail.  So we shot almost entirely indoors, from the bridal prep, to the ceremony, family photos and bridal party photos, using a mix of wide open apertures, high ISO's and on-camera flash - something we don't often need to do here in WA, where we are blessed with bright sunny days more often than not. 

 Then it was on to the reception at the rustic Oakover Grounds in the Swan Valley, where we did manage to grab a few outdoors shots, when the skies cleared for all of five minutes!  But despite the weather, and its best efforts against us, it was a fabulous day, and I'm just super glad that Darren and Jess chose me to be a part of it with them...

Shaun + Miriam | Quindanning Country Wedding | 27 February 2016 {WA Rural Wedding Photographer}

It was a cracking hot day for Shaun and Miriam's rustic country wedding, held on a beautiful local property in Quindanning WA, in late February 2016.  But that was no deterrent for these two, or for their family and friends, many of whom came all the way from chilly Ireland to celebrate.

Held on-farm in the historic region of Quindanning, this wedding had all the elements of a great Aussie shindig, from the dusty bush setting, to the rustic, purpose built bar, tubs of beer on ice, a rather obliging dog with a go-pro mounted to her collar, and some sweeping sunlit views across a stunning summer landscape.

And the light!  There is nothing quite like the warm, golden, late afternoon light of an Australian summer, so although it was a little hot, harsh and shadowy earlier in the day, it was totally worth waiting for the incredible backlighting we were blessed with during our bridal portraits later in the day.

Congratulations Shaun and Miriam, it was a fabulous day, and I'm so glad I got to be a part of it with you all!

National Tidy Towns Awards | Event | Toodyay 18th March 2016 {Avon Valley Event Photographer}

I was thrilled to be asked to cover the recent Keep Australia Beautiful National Tidy Towns Awards, which were hosted by our very own 2015 winner Toodyay, and held right here in the stunning surrounds of the Avon Valley in WA.

Held in the historic Memorial Hall, which was transformed into a veritable wonderland by Sean from Christmas 360, and members of the wider local community (complete with dripping festoon lights, table settings of native flowers, and moss coloured chairs!), these awards aim to recognise communities who actively undertake to improve the environmental health and well being of their towns and landscapes across Australia.

The awards include categories such as Waste Management Resource Recovery, Environmental Sustainability, Environmental Education, and Community Action and Well Being (to name just a few), with nominations being drawn from across the country.  Category awards were given to towns from as far away as Orange (NSW), Horsham (Vic), Liebig (NT), Roma (QLD), Triabunna (Tas), and as close as Albany, right here in WA (once again, to name just a few!), with the overall winner for 2016 going to Triabunna in Tasmania. 

A beautiful dinner was served as guests listened to inspiring speeches from the Hon. Kerry Sanderson AO, Governor of WA, and the Hon. Albert Jacob MLA, Minister for Environment, as well as guest speaker Rhys Williams and past winner representative Greg Warburton, amongst others.

From a technical viewpoint, it was a challenging event to shoot, due to low lighting inside the venue, contrasty stage lighting, and some heavy colour casting.  But these things help create the lovely dreamy, celebratory mood of an event such as this, so wherever possible, I left my flash off, bumped my ISO up to 3200 - 6400, and opened the lens up to F1.8.

I think the results are just delightful, and I hope that all those who contributed to, and attended this amazing event feel I have done justice to their hard work and vision.  Congratulations rural Australia, you have done it again...

Paige | Family Portrait Photography | 18 May 2015 {Avon Valley Family Photographer}

I have been itching to find the time to blog this one, and already 6 months have flown past!  I loved everything about this session.

From the moment Paige's mum called me, I knew this was going to be a special shoot.  A 10th birthday present to her daughter.  Not an ipad, or any of the latest fads, but a photoshoot to mark that special day you hit double digits, and to celebrate the magic of childhood.

And a daughter who loves dolls and matchbox cars, vintage dresses and her amazing big brother, who wanted to incorporate all these things into her shoot.  Someone who wanted to style it with me.  Someone who had her own ideas and vision, and who was clearly excited about what might unfold.  And all at the age of 10 - what a dream client!

So at the end of Autumn, with the first cold Winter winds blowing in, we found ourselves an open grassy space, a railway line, some tin sheds, tracks and puddles just over the back of our place in Grass Valley, and this is what we came home with...