Melbourne Photographer | Wedding and Portrait Photography | Kids Photography | JD Blog » Uncategorized

Movember Promotion just around the corner

JD — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 08:53:52 +0000

We have a huge Movember promotion coming up soon with a great portrait special available on for the month of November. You can buy a voucher to the value of $225 for only $20 which can be used for 6mths – all proceeds of the vouchers going to the Movember foundation.

There is going to be some funny & interesting things of our Facebook page coming up, as well as prizes & giveaways so click on the link & like our page to be a part the Movember action – you won’t be disappointed.

Movember promotion – Coming Soon!!

JD — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 00:27:35 +0000

We are very excited about a promotion that will be announced soon based around Movember. We can tell you that it will be interactive and heaps of fun so anyone can join in and help us raise money for this great cause raising awareness about men’s health.

There will be prizes and giveaways as well as a great portrait special all based around our FACEBOOK page – go there now and ‘like’ us to be involved. Each new ‘like’ and comment etc we will be donating money to Movember so ‘like’ the page so you can be apart of it.

No blog post is complete without some photos so below is a few shots from a recent portrait shoot we completed in the school holidays.

Food!!

JD — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 02:58:09 +0000

I recently did a photo shoot for Leonda by the Yarra of some of their new additions to the menu. Wow these dishes looked great and as I had the pleasure of trying some of them at a function there a few weeks earlier I know that they tasted as good as they looked.

It is great when wedding venues go the extra mile and create different and beautiful dishes for weddings as the guests and couple really appreciate the extra effort. It also sets them apart from the traditional beef or chicken alternative.

Although I don’t usually do many shoots like this it was a bit of fun to mix it up and try something that I wouldn’t normally do.

Enjoy!

Wedding At Potters

JD — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 00:52:24 +0000

I met Tatum & Paul back in early 2010 at a wedding expo at Potters in Warrandyte, and kept in touch with them throughout the year about their wedding and how their plans were going. They had a difficult period during this time with their premmie son quite ill and in hospital since birth so they had to change the wedding date until June this year. The great news is they got to take him home for the first time just after the wedding which was over a year after the birth and I am glad to hear that all is going really well.

They have both been through a lot for a young couple; they also lost their first son a few years back, so we went down after the ceremony and got some beautiful images at the cemetery in Warrandyte, which was one of the most picturesque and tranquil places that I have ever had the pleasure of visiting.

It was a joyous day and a real celebration of Tatum & Paul’s life, love and testament to what a great relationship they have. Once I know the back story to a couple it really helps me capture their day with relevant meaning and compassion. I therefore know what images are going to be important, what style is going to suit and how best to approach the day.

There was a real sense of fun, celebration and excitement in the air all day being that the wedding had finally arrived. I left just before the reception started but everyone was in the mood to party so I think it would have been a great night.

Enjoy the images!

Tips on capturing great portraits outdoors in Autumn

JD — Wed, 11 May 2011 00:49:57 +0000

The key to great photography is light, always has been always will be and the morning light in Autumn is hard to beat. It is soft, subtle and with the beautiful colour around with the leaves dropping is probably my favorite time of the year for portrait photography.

This post is a bit different in that I am going to give a few tips to take great photos of kids outdoors this time of year. Just to clear things up this is just to help you get better images at home as you can’t get professional images done every week, so this will help you fill in the gaps between professional shoots.

These are just general rules to help you achieve better results and will work better with a digital SLR instead of a point and shoot as you don’t have much control over the settings with them. Rule number 1, don’t place them in sun and facing the sun. I see this all the time at weddings etc firstly they will be squinting and you will most likely get dark rings under their eyes and isn’t very flattering. What you need to do is find some ‘open shade’ this might be under a tree on veranda where there is directional light coming in which is more subdued. This also helps highlight their eyes and bring out the colour in them.

An example of this is the image of Jess below. The sun is actually behind her but because I have put her under a tree canopy the light actually becomes directional from the front highlighting her face. In doing this you also get some beautiful highlights and enough light to illuminate the background so it isn’t too dark. Now this scenario is created the easiest in the morning or afternoon when the sun is lower in the sky.

There are a few more examples below as well, you can see that where Jess is placed in the garden and where the light is dramatically changes the feel and look of the image. I hope this helps you to get some better image of your family, if you have any specific questions or you would like a one on one lesson just shoot me and email and I would be happy to help.

Real wedding showcase evening

JD — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 06:23:46 +0000

Yes it was a real wedding, Brendan & Simone exchanged vows and were married in front of over 150 strangers. I was asked quite a few times on the night if it was real and why they were doing it. Well only they can ?accurately answer that but I think there were a few reasons such as not being able to afford the ‘big’ wedding, they were a bit unique (in a good way) and I think the whole idea appealed to them, and it’s not every day you get some of the best wedding suppliers in Melbourne doing your wedding for free.

After months of planning and preparation the REAL wedding showcase evening was held on Wednesday evening at Bram Leigh. 70 couples were lucky enough to win tickets to witness this unique event, it was a great opportunity for those couples to see how a real wedding runs, get a chance to talk to the suppliers and witness how the whole weddings comes together on the big day.

I have to say that this was totally different to any other wedding I have photographed before, usually being the photographer you concentrate on taking the images the couple want and in a style that suits them. Not only did I have to do this but I had to take photos that would showcase 12 other suppliers wares and do it all in half the time of a normal wedding – it was hectic but fun!

Check out some of the images from the event below, click on the thumbnails to see them.

Steve from Eldorado productions did a brilliant job on video, you can check out a quick 6 minute clip below.

Simone & Brendan\’s wedding

All the suppliers on the day were fantastic to work with and are some of the best in the industry, check out their websites below and if you are planning a wedding book them all!