Archive for September, 2009

Jessica and Gavin chose the gazebo and gardens of the tropical Cairns Colonial Club Resort to be married. The wedding was performed by Barry Waugh at 3pm and included a candle lighting ceremony. Jessica’s Mum also read a lovely poem.

After the ceremony, kisses and hugs, a group photo from the balcony of everyone at the wedding was followed by friends and family photos. We took some photos in the rainforest around the resort as well as on the magnificent staircase in the foyer.

I love the photo of Jessica and the red car! We all piled in and headed down to the Esplanade to do some more photos. A walk along the path, stopping for pics along the way, we ended up at the jetty for the final sunset shots.

Jessica and Gavin and the bridal party then made their way back to the Colonial Club where the reception was held.

Below are some of my favorites from the day. You can also check out Jessica and Gavin’s on-line album to see more images from their special day.

Three days after their wedding I met up with Sarah and Brenton again for a Trash the Dress Session. We drove to a typically beautiful North Queensland location. Surrounded by pristine rainforest, the river was flowing crystal clear and surprisingly not that cold! Yes, I did get in too! Only up to my waist though, got to keep the camera dry somehow!

We started with some “dry” trash photos, building up to the “dunking”! My favorite is Sarah lying in the leaves. Brenton had fun sprinlking the leaves over her!

Into the river for a refreshing swim in their good gear! A few horrified spectators gathered on the bank, completely gobsmacked about why a bride would want to go swimming in her wedding dress on her wedding day! We left it unexplained!

After the swim in the main pool we re-located to some big boulders. Sarah proved to be adventurous yet again, climbing to the top of the biggest boulder and executing a big bomby off the top into the water! Of course Brenton was waiting with arms out stretched to catch her!

Thanks for enjoying yourselves on the day Sarah and Brenton and entering into the spirit of it all with such gusto! It was a great day!

Check out the on-line album and below are some of my favs from the day!

I first met Sarah back in January when she came to Cairns with her Mum to plan her wedding to Brenton. We hit if off straight away and I have been looking forward to Sarah and Brenton’s wedding since then!

They chose a special day, 09/09/09 and the weather was perfect at Palm Cove that afternoon. Sarah was glowing in her sparkly gown and her Mum’s veil from 40 years ago!

The ceremony was held at the picture perfect Angsana Chapel. They brought their priest, Father Sean, up from Adelaide to perform the ceremony. Father Sean turned out to be quite the entertainer and the ceremony was lovely.

After the ceremony the bride and groom walked out of the chapel under an arch of flower petals. A group photo of all the guests in front of the chapel followed, and then we took all the family and friends photos.

I shot some pics of the bridal party on the beach and around the Resort before I drove Sarah and Brenton to the jetty for some photos there with Double Island in the background. Down onto the beach and clambering over the rocks, Sarah was a very game bride and keen to try anything for a good shot! She even climbed up onto the pointy rocks with no shoes on!

The reception was alfresco beach-side by the avenue of palms in front on Angsana. The wind died down at sunset leaving the perfect setting for Sarah and Brenton to enjoy a delicious meal with their family and friends.

Thank you for having me as your photographer Sarah and Brenton, it was heaps of fun!

Some of my favorite shots are below. You can also visit Sarah and Brenton’s on-line album to see some more images from their special day.

Watch this space for Trash the Dress with Sarah and Brenton coming up soon!

What a great day to be married! Hayley and Justin were married at 2pm at the picturesque Angsana Chapel at Palm Cove.

Hayley looked absolutely stunning in her wedding gown. The bridesmaids were gorgeous in their floral dresses which Hayley found at Tea Lilly, a local boutique here in Cairns.

A delightful ceremony was performed by Barbie Anderson. After the ceremony the guests gathered together outside the chapel to shower the bride and groom with flower petals and then pose for a group photo, taken from my ever present and trusty ladder!

Friends and family photos followed the group photo and then I took some shots of Hayley and Justin and the bridal party sitting on the beach front, being careful to omit the inevitable spectators which always seem to gather at the beach when a wedding is in progress! Usually, the spectators are wearing a brightly coloured dress or shirt to completely distract the eye from the bride and groom!

A walk along the palm tree avenue and into the Resort for some shots on the timber bridge. Then we headed down to the jetty for a walk out to the end where the locals go fishing! Back onto the beach and around the rocks for some added texture to the photos!

The entire wedding was captured by Harry from Sosure DVD and video. Harry and I work well together and with his 30 years plus of experience the results speak for themselves.

Here are a few of my fav’s from Hayley and Justin’s wedding.Check out their on-line album to view more of their images.Thanks for asking me to be your photographer Hayley and Justin, I had a great day!

The weather here in Far North QLD has been magnificent these past few weeks. Bob and I couldn’t resist the urge to get up in our little plane and go flying on Sunday morning.

We departed Atherton at 7am and headed to Port Douglas. The Coast always beckons on such a glorious day!

As you can see from the images below, the view did not disappoint!

I landed at Port Douglas for Bob to take over and then we continued North along the Coast over Wonga Beach and then turned west to fly over the Daintree River, doing a bit of croc spotting along the way and then up the Daintree Valley as far as we could go before hitting the thermals and tiger country!

Port Douglas from 1500 Feet

The mouth of the Daintree River (croc country!)

The Daintree Valley

Wonga Beach

What a great day the 1st September was! Jason and Kelsey came all the way from Arizona, USA, to be married next to a waterfall in the lush tropical rainforest of the award winning Daintree Eco-Lodge & Spa in Far North Queensland.

At around 2pm a delightful ceremony was performed by Rosina Santarossa .

After signing the essential paperwork and the obligatory glass of champagne I had Jason and Kelsey climbing over and sitting on the moss covered boulders surrounding the waterfall.

We had a good old gas bag and a bit of fun taking some photos in the rainforest on the walk back to the Resort. We did a few more shots around the Lake in front of the Restaurant and then headed down to Wonga beach to beat the tide and enjoy the warm sunshine, sandy beach and blue sky.

The photos below are a couple of my favorites from the afternoon. You can view Jason and Kelsey’s on-line album to see some more of their rainforest and beach photos

Amanda and Roy traveled with their family and friends from Thursday Island to be married in Cairns. Other guests had traveled from as far away as New Zealand.

Amanda arrived in a stretch limousine and was attended by 6 bridesmaids all dressed in gorgeous red dresses. Roy’ s groomsmen were dressed in black and gold, with Roy wearing a white suit and red vest to complement the red sash on Amanda’s dress.

The ceremony was performed by Jan Defferrard on the pool deck of the Pacific International Hotel at 3pm. Amanda’s Mum walked her down the aisle and gave her away. Both of Roy and Amanda’s cute little kids watched closely as the ceremony progressed.

After the ceremony I took a group photo from the balcony over looking the pool followed by friends and family photos. With all the photos complete, we headed down stairs to the waiting limo to be whisked away to the Esplanade for the photo shoot.

This weekend was also the Festival Cairns weekend. There was lots of stuff going on including a rock concert, buskers, street performers and people in general out enjoying the perfect weather we have at this time of the year. All these people out and about made the photo session quite a challenge! We managed quite well though!

A wander along the water front and then down on to the Pier for some water shots.

Thank you Amanda and Roy for asking me to be your wedding photographer, I had a great day and I hope you did too!

Below are some of my favs from the day, you can view Amanda and Roy’s on-line album to see some more of the photos.

A few days after their wedding I met up again with Claire and Shane for a Trash the Dress session. Claire had visited the hairdresser that morning and turned up with a funky new short haircut! So, we Trashed the Dress and the hair in the same day!

The beautiful rainforest location is a private property owned by friends. We started out with some tame photos on the grass then moved down to the creek. We climbed and clambered over and around the boulders and carefully crossed the creek to the water hole.

Finally, having worked up a sweat, Claire and Shane were ready to hit the water! By all accounts it wasn’t too freezing, but cool, crystal clear and refreshing. They swam across the water hole, quite a feat in a sopping wet wedding gown, and had a rest on the rock next to the waterfall.

I love photographing in the rainforest with all the interesting textures of the gnarly trees and the moss covered boulders.

Thanks to Claire and Shane for being brave enough to “Trash” the dress and many thanks to Mark and Lynda for sharing their beautiful part of the world with us for the morning. I had a great time and I’m sure Claire and Shane did too!

Here are a few shots from the morning. You can also view their on-line album.

Claire and Shane were joined by family and friends to witness their marriage in the tropical gardens of the Cairns Colonial Club at 3pm.

Shane and the boys looked very handsome in their black suits! Claire looked stunning and happy in her strapless crushed taffeta gown, tended by her two gorgeous bridesmaids. They all carried amazing arrangements of native flowers.

Pastor Gary McGinty performed a lovely ceremony in the gazebo.

After the ceremony, I took a  group photo of all of the guests from the balcony followed by family and friends photos in the garden.

I took some lovely romantic shots of Shane and Claire in the rainforest surrounding the gardens and after that a stretch limo was waiting for us on the driveway ready to whisk us away to a few other locations for photos.

I have just purchased a couple of new lens and wanted to try one out on a graffiti wall in the city. I am very impressed with the results from the new super wide lens!

Next we headed down to the old Trinity Wharf for some photos with the stretch. The backdrop of the hills across the inlet are hard to resist!

We ended up at the Esplanade for some sunset photos. It was a perfect afternoon with no wind and clear skies, making my job a lot easier!

Here are a couple of photos from the day. You can also visit Claire and Shane’s on-line album. I am trying out a new program for these so see what you think!

Stay tuned for “Trash the Dress” with Claire and Shane coming up soon!