February in Brisbane equals storm season. This set took just an hour and a half out of my Wednesday evening. I got caught out by how quickly the storm developed and the initial couple of photos were taken atop a park bench hiding from the rain. Got absolutely drenched!

Received our DVD Folios. Happy days!

Now this is how to celebrate New Years Eve. Shane and Fiona picked a perfect spot overlooking the Brisbane River for their stylish cocktail reception. The riverfront restaurants and bars were buzzing with activity as the sunset and the bridal party walked along riverside to The Strand at Rugby Quay. Even on her wedding day Fiona was happy to stop and offer directions to a tourist at the Story Bridge…he was looking for Mooloolaba.

Such a fun wedding to be a part of, you guys throw a great party.

Working on this wedding at the moment. Where better to start than with the stunning bride. Full blog post to follow.

Just a fun shot after a portfolio session on the weekend. Was taken outdoors in natural light just after 5PM. The only other light came via fill flash from a wireless strobe, positioned just behind the tank on the left. Thanks Emily for agreeing to it!

Summer has officially arrived down under, so it seems appropriate to share some photos taken on the beach at the Gold Coast. A warm breeze and salt haze made conditions interesting, but having had the fingers crossed all day, we were lucky to have bright sunshine on a weekend that had promised nothing but rain. Typical Queensland summer forecast! As I write this, it’s less than one month until 2012, and by then Fiona & Shane will be married. An exciting month ahead!

Another great week. Charity golf event, camping and a relaxed portrait session in New Farm Park. Sunday afternoons and spring weather  are a perfect combination for catching up with friends for picnics in Brisbane’s riverside parks, then wandering down to the Powerhouse to check out the live entertainment as the sun drops behind the city. Along with the hope for good light, there is the challenge of dodging the games of cricket and avoiding the picnic blankets.  Luckily, Erika was prepared for all occasions and had brought some ‘flats’ with her. I have to admit, the playground in New Farm Park may get a visit again. In my day (and I’m not that old), we had a few swings, a see-saw and for the dare devils the steel jungle gym.  I am not sure what they even call most of the new play ground equipment, “Timmy, I’ll race you to the plastic bucket that spins wildly on the end of a pole”. I’m sure that’s the playground lingo. Anyhow, here is the result of our endeavors. Thanks Steve and Erika for a wonderful evening!

The months spent in Europe recently have been some of the most memorable times of my life. Road-trips, snow capped mountains, rolling hills, vineyards, searing sands, crystal clear water and so much culture to absorb. Everywhere we went the landscape changed and so too did the people. The taxi drivers in Paris were crazy, the Swedes were quirky and the crew on board our boat in Croatia were humble and hospitable.

I’ve tried really hard to limit this post to 25-30 of my favorite black and white shots from four months of touring, including at least one from each country visited. I love them all. Selecting the ones to be printed and mounted on our wall at home is going to be strongly debated! For those interested the trip went as follows, Italy – Croatia – Slovenia – France – Spain – Ireland – Sweden – Denmark – Greece – England.

After all the hours spent flying recently, including two round trips to Europe, the short trip to Melbourne really did feel like jumping on a bus to go downtown.

Why Melbourne? Well that’s the home of Nick Ghionis and Rocco Ancora, two of Australia’s most celebrated wedding photographers. So when I heard that they were putting on a workshop in Melbourne it was impossible to resist. The promo said that it included being carted around in a big red London bus for the day. Sold!

Day one was spent simulating the wedding with twenty one other professional photographers, the Xmentor team and the models for the day. How the models put up with so many photographers in their face for the entire day is beyond me. Needless to say, when they do it for real, it’ll be a breeze. A big thank you must go out to all the models for being great sports and contributing so much to the workshop. The images below bring you through most of the day, so I won’t waffle on anymore about them. One of the highlights of the day not shown in images, was returning to Spitiko Restaurant in South Melbourne for a four hour Greek feast! It had everything we have come to expect from Greek cuisine, including of course, some wonderful entertainment compliments of Jerry Ghionis on vocals for the evening. If you are in Melbourne or planning on a visit, then drop into Spitiko. You won’t be disappointed.

We were afforded a sleep-in on day two, after our previous thirteen hour day, and spent most of the day dealing with the business and post-shooting side of photography. No time today for four course Greek meal, but chicken and chips went down a treat. Courses such as this are fantastic as they keep you sharp, and are a great way to meet like-minded individuals. It is a great way to receive a different perspective on a shared passion.

Thank you to Nick, Rocco, Sharifa, Paul, the models and the twenty one other photographers for a wonderful experience!

How cool is Sweden? Well, its off any scale of coolness I’ve ever come across.

I’ve never visited a country where I’ve liked so much about it! Cool people, quirky dress sense and great cider. Basically if a Swede thinks its cool, chances are its probably cool!

The other thing that’s sweet about Sweden, is the fantastic light in summer; and it’s certainly not in short supply.

This was a fun lifestyle shoot with Esther out on the Stockholm archipelago. Wonderful kid, great light and a fun day!