I'm Back!!!!

That's right I'm back in Brisbane after my two amazing weeks away in Mougulu PNG. Wow what an experience - but that will wait for another (few!) posts.

Thanks for accepting my two weeks of complete inactivity (or radio silence as I have taken to calling it) on the Internet. 

In the meantime I'm slowly starting to tackle the over 100GB of RAW photo files I took while I was away. Honestly I have barely started to scratch the surface but I couldn't resist sharing one... Just one... One that's defiantly going to get a place on my wall on a nice big canvas. A definite favorite for sure!

There will be many, many more posts to come full of plenty of photos and my attempts to put the whole glorious experience into words. But just for now I leave you with this:

 

Last Thursday

So... Words and pictures, right? That's the goal. Let's see how it goes...

In case you didn't know I'm quite the music fan. My little music mix CD (yes CD... you do remember those?) keeps me company whenever I hop in my car and my mobile phone handily doubles as my personal music player. 

And while I like and appreciate a wide variety of music (though some would disagree) I always seem to circle back to... well I'm not quite sure what to call it really. Soulful, acoustic, singer/songwriter, kinda mellow (at times), meaningful, one-person-with-an-acoustic-guitar kinda vibe genre? Music shouldn't be in a box anyway. But that's what I listen to the most.

Anyway last Thursday I headed to the Dowse Bar to surround myself with the incredible talents of Mr Stu Larsen, Mr Luke Thompson and Mr Chris Simmons. I first heard Stu Larsen at a Passenger gig a long while back (if you haven't heard of Passenger then you are truly missing out!) And when I found out Stu was doing a headliner at the Passenger gig earlier this year I knew that was something I couldn't pass up. I am ever so glad that I went! Plus I got to hear to new-to-me artists who will be featuring on my playlist for sure.

My camera accompanied me (of course... really would you expect nothing less?) on this lovely evening out. So I thought I'd share some of my pics from the night... Do yourself a favor - as you're looking at these pics press play on the little video below to listen to Luke Thompson's song 'Water' to get the full effect: 

 

I was sorely tempted to make all the photos black and white. Who knows I may yet do just that. There's something about black and white photography. It's like it just strips away the detractions so you can really focus on the heart of the image... Or at least that's what I think.

I am falling more and more in love with live music photography. I've had the chance to take my camera along to a few gigs so far this year and there's just something about this type of photography that makes my heart...sing (pun intended). So if you're a musician looking to get some photos done don't been shy about giving me a call!

So that was my Thursday night... Filled with stunning and soulful music and a little bit of photography thrown in for good measure. Kinda perfect if you ask me. I can't wait to share my next post which is some news I've been dying to share so stay tuned!

 

George & Crystal - First Look

Let me tell you the story...

I have a wonderful cousin who lives in Sydney and shares my passion for photography. She has been slowly but surely building up her own photography business - Samara Joy Photography. A while ago she shared her joy at the opportunity to photograph her friend's wedding and build her portfolio.

I, of course, delighted in the news and offered (half jokingly) to fly to Sydney and act as her assistant/second shooter ... As it turned out the wedding was taking place in Brisbane and my cousin and the bride were happy to have me come along as second shooter! Truly amazing! It was a joy to photograph the delightful couple's special day with Samara. Click here to see her take on the wedding day. (While you're there take a look at the rest of her blog and subscribe)

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To capture the absolute beauty of two people making a lifelong commitment to one another is an honor. Crystal and George began a journey that day and I was privileged to witness it. Click on the images if you would like to view them larger.

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I'm still working through my images from the day but I thought I'd share a few of my favorites so far. There was laughter. There were pictures. There was the occasional tear. There were precious little moments. There were stories shared. There was love... And there was a couple starting their new lives together as husband and wife. That is pure beauty...

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I'd like to share another quick story if I may. As you may notice the groom is a Papua New Guinean. I cannot recall if I've shared before of my connection to the country. From living there when I was little to going back for (at times heartbreaking) visits - the place holds a special place in my heart. It is undoubtedly part of my history... And there are times I yearn to go back for a visit... At this wedding I got a taste of Papua New Guinea and my heart was full. Thank you George and Crystal for allowing me to capture your special day and for giving me a sweet little taste of PNG.

There are many more images to go through and a lot more exciting news to share... But that shall wait for another post. In the meantime I say thank you to George and Crystal for entrusting your special day to Samara and I... And thank you Samara for a wonderful weekend of photography, fun and laugher - we must do it again sometime!

 

Inspired By Song - 'Let Her Go'

A while ago I decided to start a new photographic series called 'Inspired By Song'. Because I'm such a visual person whenever I listen to music I always 'see' pictures to accompany the music. I figured it was about time that I start making these imaginary photos into a reality.

I shot the first set of the series yesterday... Inspired by 'Let Her Go' by Passenger. If you haven't heard of Passenger you are seriously missing out! Click through and listen. Then do yourself a favor and buy all of his albums... and oh my is he magnificent live! I've had the privilege to go along to a few of his gigs in recent years and he is one of my favorites for sure.

Here's the official video clip for 'Let Her Go':

Now that you've heard (or are listening to) the song here are a few of my favorites from my photoshoot 'Inspired By Song - Let Her Go':

A huge thank you to Miss R for being my amazing model! She got my vision for the shoot the minute I started explaining it and was on-board with it all. Even after mosquitoes started eating her alive she happily was traipsing through the forest when I asked. If that's not dedication I don't know what is! Thanks so much Miss R!! I can't wait to work with you again. 

Also a big thank you to Miss D for the fantastic make-up artistry skills. I'll be calling on her again for sure... It was so wonderful to be able to capture the images that I saw in my mind's eye. I'll leave you with my two favorite images from the set.
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Thanks for taking a look at the first set in the series! I'd love to hear what you think!!

Stuff Your Eyes With Wonder..

A while ago a friend and I headed out to take a few photos of the sun fading from the sky and stare in wonderment at the stars above. We managed to find a spot not too far from my place that seemed like the perfect location with very little light pollution. A spot I'll be coming back to I'm sure. Here are my three favorite photos from our little adventure.

 Standing out there in the cold beholding the beauty of the stars shining bright and true I couldn't help but think of Ray Bradbury's thoughts in Fahrenheit 451:

"Stuff your eyes with wonder, live as if you'd drop dead in ten seconds. See the world. It's more fantastic than any dream made or paid for in factories."

 

I've got to say after sitting in that spot for a few hours gazing at the stars above I felt as if I managed to stuff my eyes with the wonder of the world. All in all it was a wonderful way to spend a few hours... But next time I'll be bringing a thermos of hot chocolate!

Twin Bridges

About a week ago I got up and dressed before the sunrise to capture the beauty of a brand new day. It seemed like the perfect day to re-visit a spot that I'd been to roughly a year before. Thankfully I got there a bit before the sun rose which gave me the chance to scout the location a little bit more than the last time and fit in a few sneaky l-o-n-g exposure shots before the sun started its climb to start off a new day.

Of course this was the perfect opportunity to break out my ultra wide lens (gotta love that 8-16mm focal length) and experiment with perspective and distortion. I just loved this little spot underneath the two towering bridges above. While I was there I couldn't help but think that it would make a magnificent backdrop to some stellar portraits. I'm slowly gathering an arsenal of perfect portrait backdrops... So if you're in the area and feel like some photos be sure to contact me.   

As can happen when I'm off taking landscape photos on my own I got completely wrapped up in the experience - completely enthralled in my long exposure shots underneath the bridge. So much so that the next thing I knew colour was starting the creep into the sky and I wasn't in position. Luckily I am now able to pack down my gear in record time and I (almost) ran to the best closest spot to capture the sunrise. 

I know I say it every single time but there's something kind of breathtaking about watching the sunrise. Seeing a band new day full of infinite possibilities take hold is something everyone should witness at least once in their lives.

 

I decided to add a black and white treatment to one of my under the bridges digital shots. I have a bit of an infatuation with black and white photography. Especially film black and white photography - the grain, the texture, the varying hues of black and gray - simply bliss. Given all that you can understand why half my rolls of 35mm film are 'true black' rolls. I'm going to get a bunch of my rolls of film developed soon and I'll be sure to share once I get my hands on them.

There should be a lot more coming up on this little blog super soon so keep your eyes peeled. In the meantime I hope you're having a wonderful week!

A Bit of Friday Night Fun

How has everyone's week been? Are you all excited for the weekend like I am? I hope you have a great one!

So last night a friend and I went on a little adventure... well a slightly bigger adventure than planned but it was still pretty awesome. After taking the long way round and a couple of false starts we found the prefect spot to set up our cameras and tripods to try and capture some magic within the night. I thought it would be nice to share my three favourite pictures of the night.

If you read this blog or follow me on Twitter or know me personally at all you would know that I am a dreamer... BIG time! Be they extremely vivid, detailed night dreams (or nightmares) or spending my time daydreaming my imagination just runs wild. If you ever catch me staring off into space chances are that I'm caught up in a dream. Anyway as the fog settled over our little spot I felt like I was living out one of my many daydreams. The road leading off into the darkness just adds to the idea of the unknown dream...

What do you think of it? This one little spot we settled on was such a fantastic find. Full of wonderful little vignettes that allowed for quite a few different photos within the same spot... I think I'll head back there sometime soon. There was a fantastically beautiful gnarly, half-dead tree that I simply had to work into a few of my photographs.

This last photograph was kind of the reason why we headed off on this adventure. My friend had found some absolutely stunning star photographs on flickr (like this one) and we were keen to give it a go ourselves. Unfortunately mine didn't turn out quite so spectacularly but I'm still rather happy with it given that it was my first try.

I am completely keen to get out there and give this type of photography a go again. Once I manage to get the technique absolutely spot on I think I could get some stunning star photographs of my very own. I always love trying new techniques and adding things like this to my photography bag of tricks.

I hope to post again soon. But in the meantime I'd love to hear what you think of these photographs. Thanks for stopping by my little part of the internet. I hope you have a fabulous week!

 

A Photoshoot With Friends

I've been wanting to share these photos with you ever since I took them. But I wanted wait for something...

WELCOME TO THE WORLD Little Miss Eva Leone Vivian Hutson!!!! I cannot wait to meet you and take your picture! 

My very dear friend Mrs T very recently (like yesterday morning!) gave birth to a lovely little girl. So I thought now would be the perfect time to share some of the pregnancy photos I captured recently. Mrs T - you are amazing!!! I love you a million times a billion times all the starts in the sky.

Just a little over a week ago my dear friends allowed me the absolute privilege of coming into their home to take a few photographs. And it was amazing! It was beautiful to spend some quality time with two much-loved, wonderful people and it was great to be behind the lens again.

 

This little photoshoot took place 4 days after I had my plaster cast removed. So I was quite literally still finding my feet. But it felt so good, so right, so natural to be back behind the lens doing what I love. Thank you guys again so very much for giving me the opportunity.

Quite honestly I'm still going through and editing the photos but I just couldn't wait any longer to share some of my favourites from the day. 

These people are phenomenal and are going to be amazing parents. I simply cannot wait to witness their family grow even more in strength, character and love. It's going to be a wonderful thing to watch. 

There's a vintage-y, classic vibe about their home. It's so beautiful and has such a peace about it. I simply adore all the little touches. There are these two amazing chairs in their home that I had to photograph. For some reason this photo just seemed right to me. Maybe it's because the little chair is a gift for the baby... For whatever the reason I liked the visual of the chairs together in a photo.

So there it is... My first photoshoot post-break (or AB - after break - as one of my friends suggested). Every time I get the honour of doing something like this it serves to further cement the belief that this is what I want to do with my life. I can't wait to get out there and capture some more beautiful moments. 

Rest assured that there will be more photographs to share. But in the meantime thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful week.

 

Pre-Break Photos

 So before I broke my ankle I was busily taking photos basically every day. Some for school and some just for me to re-connect with why I love photography so much in the first place. I thought it might be nice to share a few of my favourites from my little journeys. I've got to be honest though some of them I barely remember for they were so long ago... Anyway on with the pictures!

 

I've got to be honest there are others... Better ones in my opinion. So why not share? Well, I'm in the process of collating, building, and launching my photography business website and I kind of want to save a few of the best photos for it. Which, when I'm logical doesn't make that much sense but that's how I feel at the moment. If I take to long to get the website done though I'm sure that will change and the blog will be bombarded. 

 

By the way dear Blogger, if you could make it easier to sit photos side by side instead of having a huge gap between them I'd be ever so grateful.  

Oh my feet... Pre break! Had I have know what manner of trouble you were about the cause me I probably wouldn't have been so inclined to take your picture. There are times when... Anyway...

 I have discovered I had an addiction to anything old, rusty, retro or vintage. May I just say that it make eBay a very dangerous place to be. But that's besides the point. I hope you enjoyed this little look at some of the things I was getting up to before I took a very unintentional break. I can't wait to share some of my more recent photos some time soon.

Thank you so much for stopping by my little corner of the internet. Here's hoping I manage to update it sooner next time hey??!

 

Insomnia Sucks... But the Skyline Sure is Pretty

I went to bed Friday night fully intending to sleep. I went through my usual nightly ritual (it's important to have good sleep hygiene), closed my eyes and waited for blissful sleep to envelop me... And I waited... And I waited... I tossed and turned and I waited. Eventually it was time to admit defeat and just get up. After reading through my Google Reader and researching about what bit of kit I'd like to buy next I was at a loss as to what to do. Watching home shopping commercials is never a good idea for me as I become convinced I desperately need a (insert product name here). I realised sunrise was only a few short hours away and it seemed like the perfect opportunity to break out my neutral density filters and see what I could capture. As it turned out however I am much happier with the photos I took before sunrise and I thought I'd share a few.

I'd be willing to bet that most if not all photographers in Brisbane (be they enthusiasts or professionals) have been to the Kangaroo Point cliffs to take photos of the city skyline. Armed with this knowledge I took along a prop to add a little something different into the scene.

 It was heaps of fun tossing a torch around to light up the foreground. Testing out different angles and directions to light the birdcage from to see what looked best. If you ask me it was the prefect way to spend a few hours while I was waiting to feel sleepy.

Once the sun had fully risen I loaded myself up and walked the short distance back to the car to put most of my gear away. Side note: I only got in the way of three super keen, super fit jogger types on the way back to the car so I'd consider that a complete success.

As I put away my tripods and bags I was stuck by the beauty of the morning. So I decided to go for a walk without any of my bags weighing me down. Armed only with my camera and a 50mm 1.8 lens I set off again to enjoy the morning and capture a few more photos along the way... But that's for another post.