Blog

2019 was another awesome year for us with wedding photography taking us all over Australia and around the state of NSW.

Wedding photography has allowed me to go to some dream locations around Australia and shoot some wonderful couples. Some highlights and things that just happened this year at weddings are…

• I only had two rainy day weddings in 2019 which is totally unheard of. Normally I would have had a lot more.
• Most of my couples this year wrote and said their own personal vows and had unplugged weddings… which is amazing! It makes it really special and more personal. I highly recommend that all couples do this.
• I had an amazing wedding in Alice Springs where the couples gifted me my first Acoubra Hat!
• At weddings, I saw Kangaroos, wombats, alpacas, horses, cows, dogs and even one red belly black snake.
• I was lucky enough to do an elopement at Uluru, which has been in my bucket list for years.
• Who knew there was a mountain top in the Hunter Valley where you could have a wedding? I shot one!
• I shot my first wedding where half the bridal party were acrobats and I shot many weddings with no bridal party at all.
• Had a wedding on Halloween night with a Tim Burtonesque feel.
• Brides had many different styles of dresses. I had brides with black, red, pink, gold and silver dresses, and there might have been one or two in white ;) There was one bride with a $20 wedding dress that looked awesome and one with a dress that probably cost more than my car, that also looked amazing.
• There also were lots of Brides and couples in general wearing boots. Which makes sense since to do a lot of country weddings.
• Sadly towards the end of the year, most of my weddings were affected by the bushfires to some extent. Either by the smoke or actually trying to get to the wedding. The worst was a Port Macquarie wedding in November where roads were closed everywhere because of fire. But I managed to take a big detour around the fire and make it to the wedding. You will see some really crazy skies in some of the photos below.

Thank you to all the amazing wedding venues, wedding vendors and other wedding photographers who refer us. And of course a huge thank you to all our amazing couples who have trusted us to capture your most special day.

Wedding photography for 2020

My wedding photography has been changing and evolving over the 12+ years of shooting. In past years I have focused on different areas to work on, improve or just take more of. Do more night photography, do more drone shots, use more flash, use less flash etc. But my unofficial goal over the last couple of years, and going forward, is to take more meaningful images. And I think my work is attracting more like-minded couples who want this. Without couples who fully trust you, that open themselves up and actually be themselves then I can’t take the sort of images I would like to take artistically. This is how I would like to shoot more in 2020…

• Zero posing. I actually really don’t pose couples at all. I don’t like it in wedding photography because it is too contrived and gives the photos less meaning. I talk to couples, joke with couples, tell them to run through some grass or have a quiet moment together on the hill as the sun sets. And I do give a little direction if you get stuck and just stare at the camera, like a deer in headlights. I understand why some photographers pose couples more, and it’s because they can create the perfect image… which is awesome… but for me, no posing means for meaningful photos for the couple.
• Get more couples to be themselves and show their real personalities. Forget everything you think wedding photography will be like. With me, there are no rules. Do whatever you like, be whoever you really are… as long as you stay true to yourselves. Because this is when you get real natural photos without any forced smiles. These sort of photos will mean more to you in years to come.
• More fun and craziness. Weddings and wedding photography doesn’t have to be serious and boring. I want my couples to go crazy and have the most awesome time ever at their wedding! As long as it is legal and no one is going to get hurt… you can do whatever you want!

So with all that being said, here are a few of our favourite images from 2019.

The Leaves and Fishes wedding of Andrea and Mitchell in the Hunter Valley was a beautiful and intimate wedding with some really lovely moments. I love shooting weddings in the Hunter Valley and I particularly love shooting at wedding venues that I have never been to before. So I was really excited to photograph this wedding as I have heard so many good things about this amazing venue.

Leaves and Fishes

Leaves and Fishes is located in Lovedale, right in the heart of Wine Country in the Hunter Valley. It is just two hours from Sydney and just forty-five minutes from Newcastle.

This beautiful property is set overlooking a gorgeous lake and has a luscious natural Australian bush surrounding it. The restaurant and the reception venue have an almost Tropical North Queensland feel to it with some of the huge palm trees and ferns surrounding it.

It first opened in 2004 and has become known for its luxury accommodation and delicious and innovative food. What I also love about this venue is that the whole day from start to finish can happen here. There is accommodation available, and you can do the ceremony the photos and the reception all onsite. So it makes it much easier for you and for your wedding guests.

Wedding Preparation

The bride and groom both got ready in separate properties. The boys got ready at a private property just around the corner from Leaves and Fishes, while the girls did their wedding preparation onsite at Leaves and Fishes.

Leaves and Fishes offers some beautiful and luxurious wedding accommodation called ‘the boathouse accommodation’. There are only four of these private boathouses available. They have their own deck and they overlook a lovely pond. And they are perfect for wedding preparation. This is where Andrea and the girls got ready.

Leaves and Fishes wedding ceremony & photos

The wedding ceremony took place just out the back from the wedding reception in a beautiful garden area surrounded by trees.

After the ceremony, we took some family photos before taking a few relaxed photos around the pond. We chased the setting sun and got some lovely golden light through the trees.

The Wedding Reception

The wedding reception took place at “The House”, which is separate from the main Leaves and Fishes restaurant. There were heaps of laughs, just the right amount of tears and some crazy dancing!

So enjoy this beautiful Leaves and Fishes wedding and I can’t wait to go back there to photograph more weddings at this gorgeous venue.

The Uluru elopement Mary-Anne & Edward was an amazing experience and one that has been on my elopement bucket list for a long time. We actually honeymooned at Uluru and had thought of doing our elopement at Uluru ourselves. So I am so grateful that they trusted me with this really special Uluru elopement.

Uluru is located right in the centre of Australia in the Northern Territory and is a UNESCO World Heritage site. It is also known as Ayers Rock, a name given by the Europeans in 1873. But Uluru is the Aboriginal name and its official name. It is probably Australia’s most famous and iconic landmark. People come from all over the world to see this amazing, giant stone monolith. Which at 348 metres tall is higher than the Eiffel Tower. It is 600 million years old and is an incredibly spiritual place, particularly to Australia’s indigenous people. And it can be said that Uluru is Australia’s heart.

And it absolutely blows my mind that more people, and yes I mean Aussies, aren’t getting married and eloping in this magical destination.

Uluru is only a three-hour flight from most state capitals. It has heaps of accommodation options, ranging from camping grounds, apartments to five-star luxury and more. It is a great central destination to have your wedding or elopement. So if you are planning a destination wedding, I strongly recommend you short-list Uluru. If you don’t mind a little red dirt on your wedding dress, then Uluru is the ultimate location to have a truly Australian wedding.

Longitude 131 Elopement

Mary-Anne & Edward decided to have their elopement at the luxury desert resort called Longitude 131. It is the premier place to stay at Uluru and is the ultimate in glamping if you can even call it that. Luxury tented pavilions with the most amazing views of Uluru from every room.

I met up with them the day before the elopement at Uluru to have a chat, meet them in person, meet their amazing kids and take a couple of casual photos of them.

The elopement day itself was a beautiful relaxed day at Longitude 131 and was all about their two families coming together as one. A sunset ceremony at ‘The Dune Top’ with 360° panoramic views of Uluru and Kata Tjuta. It doesn’t get any better than that. And it was so wonderful to witness them say their personal vows to each other.

After the ceremony, we popped some champagne and did a few photos around the property. And as the sun fully set they were whisked off to a secluded private dinner just for Longitude 131 guests.

They had travelled from Cairns and I had travelled from Sydney. So we arranged to meet up the following morning for a few photos before we caught our flights back to our home cities. Uluru is a truly amazingly beautiful and spiritual place. I feel so privileged that have been chosen by these guys to photograph their elopement. And I can’t wait to return and explore more of this amazing region of Australia.

Uluru Milky Way

I really wanted to get a night shot of Uluru under the stars. On the night of the elopement, there was actually clouds in the sky… I know it never rains in Uluru and I got clouds. So on the final night, before I left to return home to Sydney, I headed out to a sand dune in the dark and took this panorama photo below. I was just hoping for a clear sky so that I could see the stars. I wasn’t expecting to see the Milky Way like this!

It is actually about 30+ photos, stitched together because you just can’t fit the whole milky way in, in one shot. And the milky way actually went over Uluru like this. It was incredible to witness in person and this photo really doesn’t do it justice. I haven’t photoshopped the milky way from somewhere else and put it in this photo.

And while taking this photo in the pitch black, I swear I could hear a Dingo sniffing around in the bushes not too far from me… but it was totally worth it for this Uluru elopement!

“In one word, amazing!
We love them all and the variety and quality of the shots is just what we were hoping for. You truly have a wonderful eye and superb skills.”

Mary-Anne & Ed