This leg started at the Waitpinga campground and was fairly easy going. The Waitpinga cliffs are breathtaking – photos can’t do them justice. One day I’d love to hire a boat and eat dinner at the base of the cliffs.

After making it to King’s Beach Aki and I drove back to Waitpinga Beach, and we pretty much had the whole place to ourselves! We made curry on a gas stove and stargazed. Was amazing!

Photos were taken on a D700 with 28mm AI-s f2.8 or 100mm f2.8 macro lens.

There’s something about the Clare Valley that attracts couples who want an enjoyable, authentic wedding.It’s a great place for weddings, and for photography, but it’s also a place where bridal parties and guests alike seem more comfortable to chill out and have a great time.

Samantha & Tristram’s slideshow can be seen here

Thanks for reading the blog (“,)

Just as I took the photo I saw the shooting star fly through the sky in my viewfinder. I thought it had happened too fast to capture, but upon inspection, it was there!

Some things can’t be planned, but when you take enough photos – every now and then – a treasure turns up.

The reception was held in a sheep shearing shed! Pretty awesome, and all the rustic country style details were done by Samantha and Tristram – great effort.

Christina and Shaun (especially Shaun) made it pretty clear when we first met that they didn’t much like having their photograph taken. However, I think they did a wonderful job during the posed kind of photos, and the all the really natural photos turned out great in my opinion (am I allowed to say that about my own work? Probably not, but anyway..), especially the ceremony; having snuck into the St Francis Xavier Cathedral a handful of times for some peace and quiet, I knew it was really dark in there.

The Italian Centre was a great place for a reception. The staff are courteous and professional and the setup is pretty amazing. Christina and Shaun had 3 videographers (from Cinecraft) on the day, which prompted Shaun’s father to refer to us as recording a reality TV show (good point), but I think it’ll be a reality TV show to treasure for generations to come.

Thanks so much for having me there to capture the day for you, Christina & Shaun!

When Anneke and Jamie first contacted me I was overseas in Japan (shooting this wedding in Okinawa) and so we Skyped. I had a fairly long beard at the time and so was nervous meeting over Skype (first impressions last and all). But we got along really well and were on the same page photography wise – covering the day naturally with some enjoyable portraits thrown in for measure. By the time it came to start organising the details and timing we Skyped again. This time I had long hair. I think I said “I wear a suit but with hair like this I look a bit like a hippy”. “No worries at all,” said Jamie, “You’ll fit in fine with a few of the guests.” Truth be told I felt more than comfortable amongst all the guests, and Jamie’s and Anneke’s families; a fantastic fun-loving down to earth group of human beings.

Full wedding story coming soon.

Brooke and Troy have an interesting relationship. Just when we started taking photos I remember Brooke turning to Troy and saying “Now don’t be a dickhead!” And to be honest my challenge while photographing Brooke and Troy was the capture the brief sweet moments they shared between the goofing off and banter . The bridal party weren’t much better – for any of you reading this: My name is Joel; not Jimbo or Jack But in all honesty it was a really fun day and Brooke and Troy have lovely friends and family.

After a fiasco with the Adelaide City Council not allowing Brooke & Troy to hold their wedding at Rymill Park in Adelaide’s east, they found Stockade Botanical Gardens for their ceremony. The photographs taken at the jetty are from Semaphore Beach – near The Palais (where the reception was held).

One of the beautiful things about weddings is they are an opportunity for family and friends to reunite. It was lovely to see family coming from all around Autralia to celebrate Brooke and Troy’s commitment to each other.

Little-known fact: Just after Troy proposed to Brooke, they slow danced to “Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town” by Pearl Jam, and this became their first dance. Thank for being a wicked couple, we wish you all the best in married life and for your honeymoon. (in the Maldives?)

Full wedding story