This year we did it at His Majesty’s Theatre. Rob had never stepped foot inside the building before the day so everything was very much off the cuff.

The overcast sky outside reduced the amount of natural light coming in through the windows and with Rob wanting to keep the sensitivity of the camera tuned down for quality, most of the photographs were taken with shutter speeds between 1/2 and 1/8 of a second. Our model Sam did a fantastic job working with us in conditions like that.

The cameras used were;
2x Leica S2 (37.5 megapixel medium format SLR’s)
30mm f/2.8
70mm f/2.5 (x2)
120mm f/2.5
180mm f/3.5

That’s about $80k of camera. The extra camera body and some of the lenses were supplied to Rob for the shoot by the new Leica boutique at PRA Imaging on Newcastle st, where he bought his body and lenses.

Photos from previous years

We love shooting for Exclusive brides, there is an appreciation for good photography that is not found with most other publications. Our creativity flourishes there. I recommend you grab a copy when the new issue goes on sale.

I’d love to tell the story of this day, but I think the photos do it for me.

It is what I would expect from a man who runs a company selling sports cameras however these types of photo shoots have become common for us with all types of couples wanting the nicest backdrops for their photographs.

We keep hearing how rain will ruin your wedding day. I just don’t see the problem with it. Look at these images!

Both Hugh and myself (Rob) shot photos for the day. We had captured video and photography for their wedding back in September however Nicole was keen on getting some beach action and the swan valley location was too far for us to travel there on the day. We decided instead to do this post wedding photo shoot and both Nicole and Colin were excited to get dressed up again and back into the wedding spirit.

After this wonderful shoot, we were asking each other why Colin and Nicole are such wonderful people to photograph. Our conclusion was that they are absolutely smitten with each other and embrace each moment as a treasured experience with each other.

We visited Capel Valley Winery first for some photos amongst the grapes. It was lightly raining while we were there and it really added to the soft feel of the scene. We then went to Back Beach in Bunbury, which is a location I had visited on my own for some amazing stormy seascapes. Since we had the stormy weather, it was logical for us to use it to our advantage rather than complaining about what we may have wanted elsewhere.

Something interesting to do with video is to pull individual frames out and present them as photographs. We recently uploaded a series of frame grabs to Facebook without the slightest suspicion from our followers. Let’s have a look at some now from a wedding ceremony we filmed a week ago. These images are from original raw footage captured by just one of my (Rob) cameras and have not been edited in any way.

Capturing important parts of the scene to help set the stage for the story.

While Hugh set up audio equipment, I followed the groom around as he helped his friends preparing the church.

The groomsmen have their finishing touches as the guests arrive.

The guests are seated and the groom decides to entertain some of them.

Emotional support for the groom. This was a powerful scene for guests seated and waiting for the bride.

Tracking moving subjects with the video camera produces a cool effect.

The bride has arrived!

I love this shot, someone always finds a way to be different.

The groom tries to rally a bit of support from the crowd.

Prayer time.

We found taking the ring-shots later kept us out of the way.

A newly married man plays with his wedding band. A lot to get used to.

The fact that a video camera is always rolling means a quick gesture is always captured.

The final shot at the church grounds.

Cupcakes have become increasingly popular over the years and in that time have developed new forms and presentations. This cake was an excellent design, aided by the inclusion of a large sword used to do the cutting.

The advantage to cupcakes is that each guest can readily approach the table and take their share, without the venue kitchen needing to remove the cake and cut it up for later serving.

The bold elegance of this cake attracted my attention. The criss-crossing and black and white theme made it stand out amongst the equally bold interior of Mosmans restaurant. Each tier of the cake was a different flavour, appealing to the whole guest list.

Johanna’s Window

Sometimes it feels like nothing has changed,
Same place, same view, same home,
But time has come, time has gone,
Time has lifted us above
And left us all undone,
Then put us back together again,
Here by the window glass.

A five year old, a small young girl,
Innocence, purity in all its light and life,
And through it all, she still remembers,
Life through a child’s eyes,
Glowing with the fire of faith, curiosity,
Embers still give off a pure light,
That shines on the window glass.

Twelve years old, sometimes the world feels cold,
It turns so fast and suddenly slows,
Everything changes, but here she keeps warm,
Here she feels at home,
Familiarity that remains,
When nothing ever stays the same,
Nothing but the window glass.

Dreams of love, the fairytale kind,
Of a prince and his castle and a warm honest smile,
Catch a drift through time, royal dress flows behind,
The perfect day soon to come,
And now she stands where dreams began,
Here by the window glass.

Reminisce after so long, memories, where has time gone?
The life she lived so long before,
Now waits one final day,
As a new life begins,
So too does this one come to an end,
And it ends where it began,
Here by the window glass.

© Mia Buttsworth 2013

Tom & Tamara in the South West

In anticipation for their wedding one year from now, Hugh and Rob joined Tom and Tamara for a shoot across the South West region of WA. Apart from having the chance to capture some amazing photos and videos, we also got to visit locations for the wedding and talk to the venue operators.

Another fantastic lighting design by Blissful Affair, this time in the heart of Kings Park. Mt Eliza House was transformed by these incredible red lights and it made shooting there challenging, but very rewarding.