Melbourne & Geelong Wedding & Portrait Photographer Robb Duncan

Darkness and Light

Robb Duncan — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 06:26:17 +0000

The time comes when you finally feel like you can write about it. Like you HAVE to write about it.

Its too quiet, I have been too quiet…

People notice…

Questions…

But where is the start? The Beginning? That pivotal moment? How did this happen??

Well it wasnt like that, not really. With depression it never is… is it? Not for me at least…

Someone said its the price you pay for your art… some days I think they might be onto something… other days I think they are full of shit…

Depression has always been there, in the background, just a few steps behind me… Every now and then I get a tap on the shoulder… Then weeks roll by almost without change, except bit by bit the world gets smaller, darker. Even the most basic of tasks becomes more burdensome, concentration slips, the world now slightly out of focus.

I know this, I have been here before. I know what to do, I know the path to tread. Slowly but surely I always push my way back.

Except this time was different… deeper and darker… I was in freefall and hadnt even noticed… the whole world was like a slow motion train wreck and I was just sitting there watching… unable to lift a finger… Even now as I look back its almost terrifying…

And then it got worse… much worse, things would never be the same.

Its not even 6am when the phone rings… “Hey its Dee” she says with tears in her voice, “somethings happened to mum, she is in hospital, its not good, you better get over here…”
I’m shocked… lost for words… the conversation is a blur…
Silence, sitting on the side of the bed… bugger, my passport has expired… the whole world is spinning… so much to organise…
2 hours later the phone rings again… its Dad… “its not good at all mate, get over here as quick as you can….”

Its amazing what you can get done when you have to, a replacement passport in 3 hours… and a one way ticket to New Zealand… But it was late afternoon before I kissed Narelle and the kids goodbye and boarded the plane…

Walking to my plane… I like flying, I hated this.

A four hour flight and another 2 hours getting to the Hospital (thanks Jase & Amy)… all the while praying I am not too late…

Tears fill my eyes as I type this, just rolling down my cheeks… remembering that long night… but at least I got to say goodbye, we all did.

The following day mum slipped away quietly…

I try not to think about the next week to much… the grief of others, so much harder to bare than my own it seemed… Tears, flowers, warm spring sunshine, condolences, helplessness, sleepless nights, decisions, silence, heavy wooden casket…

I cant imagine what Dad was going through… surrounded by family and at the same time so alone…

A thousand words I couldn’t write.

It was great to see everyone again, it had been a few years… but all too soon I was saying goodbye at Wellington Airport, as lightning flashed and the rain fell in torrents.

The flight was uneventful, the welcome at Tullamarine was everything I had imagined. I was home!

The next few weeks were rough to say the least… I couldnt sleep… it was hell. I needed help… so I went and got it.

I still miss her so much… and its at the strangest times. Like during a discussion with the kids about how many of us as 4-5years olds had cut our own hair with scissors…I think to myself, “I will ask mum when I cut my hair, I think I was 5″… “Oh… wait… I cant…”

I see her in the expressions on the kids faces… little glimpses… and I like that. She would too.

Yes, it was hard to write this, its taken weeks… I dont even know if this is exactly what I wanted to say… But at least you know where I have been and why. I have to thank many people for their kindness and understanding over the past few months, especially since this has been so difficult to deal with and talk about..

Am I back? For the most part I would say yes… but it is a long road.

What I can say is that its a hell of a lot easier to be around a hundred or more smiling happy people, than it is sitting here alone in my office!!

Photographs Captured by iPhone and Canon 5DII

97/200

Party of Nine !!!

Robb Duncan — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 08:08:25 +0000

Its amazing how quickly 8 months pass… as that’s how long it has been since we first found out we were pregnant with our 7th.

And as week 38 came and went, we were booked in to be induced at Werribee Mercy.

I wont go into the details of the labour, but suffice to say, the staff were awesome and everything came together perfectly. And thank you honey, we make a great team!!

Zoe Olivia – Born 22/7/11 @ 6.34pm. 3.695kg (8lb 2oz)

And I am happy to announce that both mum and baby are doing fine !!

So we are now officially a party of nine… Bring it on!!

96/200

Melbourne Wedding – Witchmount Estate Winery

Robb Duncan — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 08:03:34 +0000

Special thanks to Alex Gardner for his most awesome skills as a second shooter. Thanks mate!!

And in case you hadn’t noticed, this is my biggest blog post ever… crazy I know!!

95/200

That awesome Adelaide wedding.

Robb Duncan — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 01:41:20 +0000

I know I have already posted about this wedding, but I just wanted to give you all a heads up on how much of a big deal this was, for everyone involved. :)
Special thanks to Melody for her kind words, a strong network of photographers is what makes our world go round. Here is a quick quote from her blog post.

Quote: – Robb stepped in when I couldn’t and did an amazing job. I will never be able to thank Robb for everything he has done for me and my family. So I’d just like to publicly thank him, and his wife Narelle, who made the long trip down from Melbourne together. Click through to see the whole story and of course some images !!

The Rings, nothing says country to me more than an old Ford Tractor.

Photograph Captured by Canon 5DII & Canon 24mm/1.4 IIL

93/200

A Werribee Mansion Wedding

Robb Duncan — Mon, 18 Oct 2010 05:11:26 +0000

As a wedding photographer, living half way between Melbourne and Geelong has its advantages.
For one thing, I get the opportunity to photograph a wider variety of clients in loads of different places.
From here its only a short trip to Ballarat, the Great Ocean Road or anywhere in between.
Its also very cool that one of Melbourne’s premier wedding venues, the Werribee Park Mansion, is just down the road.
In fact its not just cool, its all kinds of awesome.

To be honest, as a wedding venue, The Mansion at Werribee Park is almost without equal anywhere else in the state.
So its always a pleasure when I get to photograph a wedding in the grounds, and its even better when we have a little time inside the Mansion itself.

Told you it is an awesome venue!!

Photographs Captured by Canon 5DII & Canon 24mm/1.4 IIL & 50mm/1.2L

92/200

Williamstown Beach Wedding Photography

Robb Duncan — Sun, 17 Oct 2010 05:33:09 +0000

First of all I would like to say I loved the red wedding shoes!!

Yesterday Annelise and Jason were married one of my favorite wedding venues of all time, Witchmount Estate Winery.
Why is it a favorite? Because thats were I was married !!

And once their afternoon reception had finished, we went for a quick trip to the beach at Williamstown for a few more photos.

This is one of my favorite images from the day.

Photograph Captured by Canon 5DII & Canon 70-200mm/2.8 L IS @200mm
ISO 100 – 1/400sec @ f/3.5

94/200

Liza & James – Ballarat Wedding

Robb Duncan — Fri, 15 Oct 2010 04:56:53 +0000

I am lucky enough to shoot a couple of Ballarat weddings every year, and I love it. Here are some of my favorite images of the bridal prep at Oscars in Ballarat from the wedding of Liza and James.

Another perfect start to a perfect wedding day.

Photographs captured by Canon 5DII & Canon 24mm/1.4 IIL & 50mm/1.2L

So there you have it and like I always say, please feel free to comment… Especially those of you viewing this via Facebook !!!

91/200

My Melbourne 19

Robb Duncan — Thu, 14 Oct 2010 07:06:44 +0000

Just Another Melbourne Laneway

I actually have a soft spot for this laneway, as seen HERE.

So there you have it and like I always say, please feel free to comment… Especially those of you viewing this via Facebook !!!

And for the Camera/foto geeks: -

Photograph captured by :- Canon 5D II & 50mmL f/1.2 – ISO 800 – 1/250 second @ f/1.8

92/200

Back from Adelaide

Robb Duncan — Thu, 07 Oct 2010 07:46:46 +0000

Well, we have been back for a few days now, and its difficult to put into words the experience that was our Epic Adelaide Road Trip, because awesome or amazing just doesnt quite cut it!! I have told a few people now that I am not the same person I was this time last week. Why? I hear you ask… Simply put, it was a curious combination of events, luck and emotions that only come together on the rarest of occasions and when they do, its life changing. Thats the best way I can describe the trip.

Really? I hear you say… Yes, really. I can honestly say I have not had 4 days quite like it. Everything was perfect, I don’t have any complaints!! The weather was warm, the food was amazing, the people were laid back and relaxed, Adelaide was so pretty and so clean, Traffic and driving were enjoyable, I got to spend some real quality time with my lovely wife, and even the motel we stayed at was clean and tidy and the staff were excellent. There was so much more, but you get the picture right?

My eyes were opened and my horizons were expanded.

I cannot thank the Bride and Groom, Chloe and Simon, enough for being so warm and friendly, considering that I was a complete stranger and not the wedding photographer they had booked for their special day.

Also, a special thanks to Melody, for being awesome. Keep your chin up, things will get better. :)

And lastly, I will finish with a snapshot of the Big Rocking Horse.

Photograph captured by :- Canon 5D II & 24mm L II f/1.4

90/200

Road Trip to Adelaide

Robb Duncan — Thu, 30 Sep 2010 13:14:32 +0000

Just a quick post to say that I am road tripping to Adelaide tomorrow, to help out photographer friend Melody G who unfortunately is too ill to photograph a wedding this weekend.

We should be back on monday, so all going well I will reply to emails and return calls on Tuesday. :)

Its going to be an epic adventure!! My lovely wife and I get 3 nights alone, thanks to our awesome niece who will be sitting on babies and such.

We plan on seeing a few Australian road side icons, such as “The Big Koala”, “The Big Rocking Horse” and “The Big Orange”, among other things.

I might keep you updated with the odd iPhone image, if I get time.

So wish us luck (not that we need it), and spare a thought or two for Melody and her family.

89/200

Tanya and Angus – part 2

Robb Duncan — Fri, 24 Sep 2010 01:42:51 +0000

I love my job, and I love the fact that I have clients who are Awesome enough to allow me to shoot their wedding in Square format, but thats Tanya and Angus for you!! And its a real buzz to photograph a whole wedding that is composed and shot in-camera exclusively in square format, something I have not done since the olden days when Medium Format Film was king of the hill. I will admit it did pose a few technical difficulties at first, with masking the viewfinder etc… but once that was overcome, the experience was incredibly liberating, photographically speaking.

So there you have it and like I always say, please feel free to comment… Especially those of you viewing this via Facebook !!!

And for the Camera/foto geeks: -

Photographs captured by:

Canon 5DII & 24mm/1.4L II
Canon 5DII &50mm/1.2L

88/200

Stormy Melbourne Sunset

Robb Duncan — Wed, 22 Sep 2010 13:26:48 +0000

So often I find myself out and about as the sun sets, and more often than not I am treated to something a little special. Most times, I am in no position to stop and capture the scene, due to time constraints or a poor location, but when I do get the chance, you can be sure I take it, and its always worth the wait !!

Like I said, totally worth the wait !!

So there you have it and like I always say, please feel free to comment… Especially those of you viewing this via Facebook !!!

And for the Camera/foto geeks: -

Photograph captured by :- Canon 5D II & 24mm L II f/1.4 – ISO 200 – 1/200 second @ f/6.3

87/200

Stormy Williamstown Wedding

Robb Duncan — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 09:02:57 +0000

On the rocks - Williamstown

Here is an epic image from Steph and Brens Stormy September wedding, with more to follow I promise!!

So there you have it and like I always say, please feel free to comment… Especially those of you viewing this via Facebook !!!

And for the Camera/foto geeks: -

Photograph captured by :- Canon 5D II & 24mm II L f/1.4 – ISO 50 – 1/200 second @ f/4.5

86/200

My Melbourne 18

Robb Duncan — Mon, 20 Sep 2010 08:32:18 +0000

Random Shoes.

This safe to say that even at its best, Melbourne is a strange place.

Take a walk down any one of the Cities numerous laneways and you are sure to find fine examples of what could be described as public displays of artistic expression, adoring almost every available surface.

Now don’t get me wrong, some of it is ART, of that I am certain, but there is also a whole lot of… well… crap… lets be honest.

But I love it, because its My Melbourne. And either way, who doesn’t like a few sets of shoes hanging from a street light?

Right?

So there you have it and like I always say, please feel free to comment… Especially those of you viewing this via Facebook!!

And for the Camera/foto geeks: -

Photograph captured by :- Canon 5D II & 85mm f/1.8 – ISO 1600 – 1/640 second @ f/2.5
580EX flash on the ground below the shoes in manual mode.
Triggered by ST-E2

85/200

I have a brain – 2 years on.

Robb Duncan — Sun, 19 Sep 2010 09:39:55 +0000

Two years ago today I published a follow up blog post to a series dealing with my journey and our family history of Brain Aneurysms.

The following is an excerpt from that post, and seriously, I really do have a brain and I still have the images to prove it.

An image of my Glorious Pumpkin.

The dust had settled on July and things were beginning to return to normal, August was looking good as I booked 3 new wedding dates for 2009. A happy smile on my face, driving along a suburban street after dropping our 3 year old Ben at his play group, I pulled into the parking lot of our Family Doctor. No appointment, but I had a good feeling, the waiting room 1/4 full as I took a seat. I think ipods were invented for times like these, and 4 songs later, I was sitting across from the Doctor, as he called the local Medical Imaging centre to see if they could fit me in for a CT scan.

Unbelievable to me, but there I was less than 35mins later stretched out on the bed of the Scanner as the iodine contrast, that had just been administered, rapidly spread to every part of my body. It started with a weird metallic/chemical taste in my mouth, a little unpleasant, but that was soon overshadowed by the intense heat that seemed to radiate from every cell in my body. Its a feeling that was once described to me by a surfer friend who had had one too many close encounters with the local reef. It was hotter than taking a leak in your wetsuit when the water temp was 10 degrees…

I don’t surf, but I now know the feeling, extremely warm and wholly uncomfortable. Almost as quickly… the feeling was over, and so was the scan… “Results tomorrow” said the front desk and “please wait for about 10 minutes to make sure you don’t have an adverse reaction to the dye.” Or words to that effect.

As I unlocked my car I couldn’t believe that the whole process, including the Doctors referral, had taken less than 2 hours… A CT scan and home in time for lunch, God Bless Australia and our Medicare System, we do indeed live in the “Lucky Country” (apologies to Donald Horne.).

It’s still weird to have images of the inside of my head that I can look at when ever I like… and as a Photographer, I am still amazed at the whole process.

So there you have it and like I always say, please feel free to comment… Especially those of you viewing this via Facebook !!!

And for the Camera/foto geeks: -

Photographs captured by :- Canon 20D & 50mm f/1.4 – ISO 800 – 1/60 second @ f/3.5

84/200

A Barwon Heads Wedding

Robb Duncan — Sat, 18 Sep 2010 07:17:31 +0000

If your lucky number is 13, and you are getting married at the Barwon Heads Golf Club to someone who is Mad about Golf, then why not get ready just down the road at the 13th Beach golf links, that just makes sense!!

one of my favorite images by far!!

And of course, Anyone who is anyone knows what the answer to the meaning of life is... Right?

And for the Camera/foto geeks: -

Photographs captured by Canon 5DII &

24mm/1.4L II
50mm/1.2L

83/200

Tanya and Angus – Yarra Valley Wedding – part 1

Robb Duncan — Thu, 16 Sep 2010 15:40:30 +0000

Like I said a while back, there are many upsides to leaving home at 5.30am to drive to the bridal makeup and hair session, and I think the following images illustrate my point perfectly.

I love my job !!

And yeah, this whole wedding was shot exclusively in Square format, and there is more to follow on this one I promise !!

So there you have it and like I always say, please feel free to comment… Especially those of you viewing this via Facebook !!!

And for the Camera/foto geeks: -

Photographs captured by Canon 5DII &

24mm/1.4L II
50mm/1.2L
70-200mm/2.8L IS (the sunrise images)

82/200

Second shooting for Dekuji Photo

Robb Duncan — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 16:32:36 +0000

I have had the absolute pleasure of having Justin Hill of Dekuji Photo work along side me as my trusty second shooter a number of times over the past year.
It has been awesome, and the guy has serious talent.

And last month I finally got to return the favor and become his “slave for the day”, we had a blast!!

Here is a quick one I captured while I was watching out for Trams. Its always a good idea to have a lookout when you are photographing people standing in the middle of the street!!

Sommer and Matt on Collins St, Melbourne

Thanks Justin. :)

Please feel free to comment… Especially those of you viewing this via Facebook !!!

And for the Camera/foto geeks: -

Photograph captured by Canon 5DII & 100mm/2.0 – ISO 1600 – 1/160 sec @ f/2.2

81/200

Frank and Devi – Poets Lane Wedding – Part 1

Robb Duncan — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 12:49:52 +0000

Here is the long awaited, and oh so awesome wedding of Frank and Devi, Part 1.

And a big thank you to my main man Justin Hill, of Dekuji Photo for being my rather awesome second shooter!!

So there you have it and like I always say, please feel free to comment… Especially those of you viewing this via Facebook !!!

And for the Camera/foto geeks: -

Photographs captured by Canon 5DII bodies &
24mm/1.4L II
35mm/1.4L
50mm/1.2L
24-70L

80/200

Jill’s Journal Cover.

Robb Duncan — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 13:22:01 +0000

When Jill showed me her stunning new Journal cover, I just had to photograph it!!

Its hard to describe in words something so beautiful, something so precious, such are the thoughts and memories that this journal contains.

Jills Journal Cover

And there is nothing quite like the look and feel of real leather !!

Please feel free to comment… Especially those of you viewing this via Facebook !!!

And for the Camera/foto geeks: -

Photograph captured by Canon 5DII & 50mm/1.4 – ISO 800 – 1/100 sec @ f/4.0

2x 580EX on stands, one on each side of the camera. Triggered by PWII’s

79/200

The Rotunda – Williamstown Wedding Reception

Robb Duncan — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 01:01:33 +0000

Its always nice to photograph somewhere a little different and The Rotunda on the beach at Williamstown is certainly a little different. It has that intimate feel to it that you just cant get with a larger venue, and I like that.

The Wedding day had been a little wild and stormy, with plenty of wind and rain. But just as the sun set, the clouds parted, and…

The Rotunda - Williamstown

Considering the Rotundas tinted windows, this shot is actually a lot harder than it might first appear. But we can cover that another day.

So there you have it and like I always say, please feel free to comment… Especially those of you viewing this via Facebook !!!

And for the Camera/foto geeks: -

Photograph captured by Canon 5DII & 24mm/1.4L II – ISO 400 – 1/200 sec @ f/3.5

2x 580ex flash on stands, one behind each pillar in the rotunda, full power, 105mm Zoom, 1/2 CTO gel aimed at the roof.
Triggered by PWII

78/200