Bali + Lembongan | Travel | August 2015 {Avon Valley Documentary & Travel Photographer}

A seemingly endless run of frosty nights and icy days has me dreaming of warmer places, so I'm casting back to a year ago, when I travelled to Bali and Lembongan with my girlfriends from school, for a week of R&R...

No husbands, no kids, just us and a week of lazy days spent by the pool and on the beach, drinking G&T's, laughing till our sides split, and savouring the most amazing array of food this special place has to offer.  Plus a heap of shopping, countless massages, a couple of crazy motorbike rides, and a few random nights out.  And then an ash cloud to keep us there for a few more days! 

So who wants to pack me in a suitcase, take me on their next holiday, and have me document it all in beautiful pictures?

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...

Petallica Flower Co | Commercial & Product | 13 February 2016 {Avon Valley Commercial Photographer}

I recently spent a delightful evening with florist Sarah, from Petallica Flower Co here in the Avon Valley, shooting her beautiful blooms as she assembled them for Valentines Day.

Working from a Pop Up Shop at her dads steel fabrication business in the industrial end of town, these little bunches of prettiness proved to be very popular, selling out quickly to scores of loved up locals on Sunday morning!  But before they were snatched up and taken to their new homes, I got to spend time photographing them with our beautiful model, and friend of Sarah's, Jenna.

All images were shot on my Pentax camera system, and processed to create a lovely moody look and feel for the end product.  And all were shot within walking distance of the shop, literally just across the road, on the grounds of the old town bakery, and the vacant block next door, and in front of one very cute little white picket fence! Yep, we are indeed spoilt for shoot locations and backdrops out here!

Northam Open 2016 | Northam Swimming Club Event | 7 February 2016 {Avon Valley Event Photographer}

The annual Northam Open interclub swimming carnival was held again last week, with clubs from as close as York, and as far away as Perth joining our local swimmers for a successful day of competition, despite the +40 degree heat!

A huge amount of time and energy goes into organising an event like this, with all credit going to the committee, members and parents who volunteer for jobs ranging from setting up, to data recording and time keeping, baking and packing up at the end of the day.

But the kids absolutely love it, and all swam well on the day, with many breaking Personal Best times and being awarded medals for their efforts.

Following are some of the images I shot, in all their bright, warm, glary, +40 degree glory!

A Portrait of Harvest | Personal Project | November 2015 {Avon Valley Documentary Photographer}

I've just spent a month working on an exciting personal project, documenting the story of harvest, from paddock to bin, while I drove a grain truck for my brother on our family farm.

This was a special opportunity for me on a number of levels, but mostly because I was able to return to my farmy roots, and at the same time, have oodles of time to record the story of a unique and ever changing season on a farm in the Wheatbelt of WA.

All shot on a Fuji XPro1 mirrorless camera, with the 18-135mm F3.5-5.6 and 35mm F1.4 lenses, this is a collection of spontaneous, opportunistic 'grab shots' which were taken while I was working, often as I pulled into a paddock or sat in line waiting to deliver my load of grain at the CBH bins. 

In most cases I didn't have the luxury of waiting for the best light, or taking time to position someone better for a portrait, or even to shoot on anything but aperture priority mode, because, well, I was meant to be working, which for the most part includes holding the steering wheel in a truck! Which is why you'll see lots of loosely composed images, and shots taken through the windscreen, bugs, dust and all.  But as many of you will know, I kinda like to shoot like that anyway, so really, I was completely in my element on this one!

Following are some of my favourites.  But there are so many more, so I suggest you settle in and enjoy them all in slideshow format, because that's where you'll see plenty more of the farm, my fellow truckies, and the friendly staff at CBH Avon Yard, who so kindly allowed me to poke around with my camera for an entire month!

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...

Australian National Balloon Championships 2015 | Northam, Avon Valley Event | 24 August - 6 September 2015 {Avon Valley & Perth Event Photographer}

This year we were blessed to be able to host the Australian National Balloon Championships, right here in Northam, in the picturesque Avon Valley of Western Australia.

Last held here in 1981 and 1984, this event saw balloonists from Australia, China, Hong Kong and Japan fill our skies each morning at daybreak, in an explosion of colour, as they competed for the national title.

And I was lucky enough to be there. On the ground, and in the air. Over four mornings of 4am starts. And mostly on and over our family farm, which made it just that little bit extra special!

The following set of images were shot over those four mornings, as I tailed, launched and flew with local balloonists Pete, Mick and Andrew Clements from 'Team Jenna'. 

And all I can really say about the experience, is that it was completely stunning. We were blessed with morning after morning of soft light sunrises, fog in the hollows, and incredible Wheatbelt landscapes of canola and wheat, mixed with little pockets of Salmon and York Gum bushland.

It was a photographers dream come true, and I even learnt a thing or two about flying...

Cairo Lunch 2015 | 2/28th Battalion & 24th Anti-Tank Association Event | 26 July 2015 {Avon Valley & Perth Event Photographer}

The annual Cairo Lunch was held recently, at the RAAF Airforce Association Club in Perth, and I was again privileged to be able to cover this amazing event, which celebrates the pivotal role our Diggers played in both Tobruk and Borneo during the Second World War.

Now a lunch for veterans and their families, this event actually began many years ago as an annual Ball, to celebrate the rest and recreation our soldiers had whilst on Leave in Egypt (Cairo) during their time abroad (which is why you'll see plenty of Fez hats and belly dancers as you scroll down the page!).

Sadly, my Grandfather passed away earlier this year, and will be greatly missed by both our family, his comrades, and the association. But I feel immensely proud of both him and his comrades for the sacrifice they made, and their ongoing contribution to all things veterans affairs in the years since. 

This is definitely one of my favourite regular events, and I think well deserving of its own Journal entry featuring some of the images!