Sneak peek from Denmark wedding...

Here's a quick one from yesterday's wedding in Denmark, taken just as we left for the church (for the most entertaining sermon I have heard... but more on that later).  

I think my brother/second shooter, Ben summed it nicely when he said it would be pretty hard to take a bad photo of this Bride.

Friday's Family Photo Tip No. 8

Negative space

Negative space, in photography, is the space around & between the subject(s) of an image.  This empty space can seem like an unimportant waste of ... well, space. But it is this emptiness that adds an important element to the composition of your photo. See how much of an effect the extra space has on the photo below?

Almost every picture has negative space, but it is not every image that uses that negative space as a strong, even dominant element of the composition.

Have you used this technique before?  If no, have a try!

The Dog's a Dude...

I've just been out doing a photo shoot for another of the Ella Rae knitting books.. .this time a whimsical garden tea party with two gorgeous teenagers - can't wait to show you!  But as I'm downloading the photos, I'm having a chuckle at this happy chappy.  His name is Merlot, which makes sense since he lives at Oranje Tractor wines. Does he make you smile too?

Businesses I Adore ... Catherine Ross Collections

I feet like getting married.
Again.
Just so that I can wear one of these veils.  

It was like stepping into a dress-up-box-for-grown-ups. Today Catherine showed me her collection of stunning veils. Breath-taking. I was truly surprised by the variety of styles she has created from a 1950's influenced scull-cap style to quirky whimsical feather numbers!

If you're getting married, even if you thought you wouldn't wear a veil, do yourself a favour & visit Catherine Ross anyway ... you might just change your mind (or get married again!).

Tell us a little about Catherine Ross Collection’s veils…  

My veils are all hand made using various laces, organza, fresh-water pearls, Swarovski crystals and feathers. All the lace is hand sewn which may take 8-10 metres. They are all unique.

What inspires your unique designs? 

I have always had a passion for any forum of art / painting & intricate embroidery / textiles so I have combined the two to create my intricate veils.

Noticed any wedding veil trends lately? 

Each bride is unique in her taste & style so I think there really isn’t so I think there really isn’t a trend in a certain style. There are so many veils & other bridal headwear that a bride will easily find the veil that will suit her.

What five words best describe your service philosophy? 

special – satisfied – individualistic – unique - incomparable 

What one tip would you give any readers who are planning a wedding? 

I would tell them “go with your hearts & create a date that you will love and cherish forever”. 

Any dreams for the future of Catherine Ross Collections that you can share? 

To continue creating unique veils that brides will love to wear. 

How can our readers find out more about Catherine Ross Collections? 

My website will be coming soon. For Private Viewings, call me on 0408 932 912.

Friday's Family Photo Tip No. 7

Shoot lots!

This week's tip is a continuation from last week. While kids move quickly, their expressions can change in a nano-second.

When you shoot multiple images quickly of a person, you can sometimes get some surprising & spontaneous shots that you’d have never gotten if you shot just one. Switch your camera to continuous shooting mode & shoot in bursts of images & in doing so you’ll increase your chances of that perfect shot.

These two were snapped just seconds between each other as this little Girl Guide was performing in the Christmas Pageant. But there are six others with her eyes shut or face looking awkward. I like the first one best.

Itsy bitsy album...

This little a 3.5x5" album comes in a very cute box & is the prefect size for a hand-bag.  We call it the
Brag Book but maybe it should be called the Bag Book?

Sock it...

If you're not from Albany, you may not see the humour in this photo I took at this year's  City of Albany Christmas Pageant on Saturday.

I don't normally get political on this blog, but let me quickly fill you in on the story so far...

For almost fours years, our precious Middleton Beach had become the home of a very big & very ugly vacant block because The Esplanade Hotel (home of many summer Sunday Sessions) was bowled down by developers of a new 5 star resort.  One problem - they forgot to build the  news resort.  

Albany's Urban Sock Bombers had successfully created a loud but  peaceful protest on the ugly fence surrounding the sad, neglected site by stringing socks along the perimeter.  It was quite impressive & had even become a tourist attraction in itself - I've seen many a hire-car parked alongside with cameras out.  

However, recently, surprisingly, the City of Albany removed the socks & vowed to remove any new socks placed on the fence. Read the full story on Jon Doust's blog, Sock It.

This pageant entry was a fabulous reaction to the sock-removal, and the City of Albany named this entry joint winner in this year's parade.  I love this town!  Where else in the world is politics so much fun?

If you'd like to see more of the City of Albany's  Christmas Pageant, watch this video.

Businesses I Adore ... Morgan Annie

Meet Kylie Apostoles-Nevile.  She's the brains behind Morgan Annie - All Natural Beauty.  Yes, she actually developed her own range of make-up ... I can't even begin to imagine what a huge accomplishment is. She's totally focused on creating products that contain no mineral oil or petroleum & that are free of harmful chemicals & preservatives -100% natural.

(Kylie tells me that there's soon going to be an announcement of an award... but she won't tell me any other details!  I'll keep you posted...)

Kylie is also a trained hair-dresser which means she's pretty handy to have around on your wedding day.  I asked Kylie a few questions about her weddings.

First, tell us a little bit about Morgan Annie

It is all natural beauty!  A full range of 100% Pure Mineral Make-up. Creates a beautiful all natural flawless finish without sacrificing the health of your skin.

You've been doing hair and  make -up for weddings for 15 years now.  What was your most memorable "wedding moment"? 

Every wedding is memorable as each one is special in its own way. Spending the morning with the bride & being part of her special day... lots of laughter & some tears.  Weddings just bring out  all the emotions...AND definitely the moment the Bride walks out with her gown on for the first time - seeing her face glow with happiness..

Noticed any wedding makeup trends lately?
Hair - soft, tousled & a lot on the side ... more red carpet hair!

Make-up - dewy & flawless, eyes defined but more smokey browns and greys ... and LASHES, beautiful full long LASHES. I use the single eyelashes which is more natural but makes a BIG difference to the eye.  Lips - soft pink nude lips.

What 5 words best describe your service philosophy? 
I think I need someone else to answer this!   calm - helpful - creative - passionate.  I can only come up with 4.  (Note from Editor; I'll add one - knowledgeable)

What one tip would you give any readers who are planning a wedding?
Have a good beauty routine, have your trial 1-2 months before, & make sure you have pictures of looks you like & don't like.

Any dreams for the future of Morgan Annie that you can share?
Morgan Annie -all natural beauty has been a dream come true. Educating women and young girls more about using 100% Pure minerals and teaching how to apply mineral make-up to enhance your own natural beauty and making them feel good about themselves. I would love to take Morgan Annie nationally and internationally..

How can our readers find out more about Morgan Annie?
Very soon you will be able to buy Morgan Annie mineral makeup from The Hair and  Beauty Company in Albany. I also do Mineral Make-up make-over parties..  And soon I will be launching my new Morgan Annie website - www.morganannie.com.au

Kylie's email address is kylie@kylieapostoles.com

Friday's Family Photo Tip No. 6

Quick Tip Number 6 -  Wear Your Running Shoes

I probably don't need to tell you that kids move fast.   It's a good thing that they tend to run in circles, otherwise we'd be hard pressed catching them in photos.

There are a few techniques you can apply to overcome the blur that fast kids create. The most important way is VALIUM by adjusting your shutter speed.  Using a slow shutter speed will only blur your object.  As to which precise shutter speed is appropriate, it differs with cameras & situations.   Get out & play when they are playing!

If you have a point-and-shoot, look for the "sports-mode" control - it has a little picture of a man running.  If you're shooting with a DSLR, start with a shutters speed of about 1/200  of a second & experiment until you get the appropriate one.

This photos was taken on a very overcast day with a shutter speed of 1/500 sec at f1.4 ISO 800.  I make my camera work hard!!

Kym + Laurent, 20 November 2010 {wedding}

Photos & Slide Show

 

Laurent is a Frenchman, and many of the wedding guests, including his groomsman-brother and flower girl-niece, had travelled from Europe for Kym + Laurent's marriage.    And what an afternoon Perth put on for them on the banks of the still-as-still Swan at Matilda Bay.

The day before, the temperature had reached a blistering 39 degrees., and we were all  a little nervous.  Kym was 6 months pregnant so we were all praying for a cool change.  Well, our prayers were answered,  so we had to switch our prayers to a request for a no rain... and we were blessed.

It was a stunning afternoon for this tres chic couple.  I loved the simplicity of this wedding - no fuss, no fluff - so elegant!  It must be a French thing... 

 Kym + Laurent - thank you for inviting me to record your wedding - and good luck with your little family!

If you'd like to see more from Kym + Laurant's wedding, here's a slide show...