Well, the rain made an appearance or two throughout the day, but nothing could dampen Jason & Di’s sprits. Di started out the day a little tense, even the delivery of a bunch of flowers from Jason, didn’t help calm her nerves! But as soon as the two of them walked back down the aisle of the Sanctuary Cove Hyatt chapel, she was all smiles!

After the bridal party took time out for a few drinks, they were ready to hit the formal shots! I’ve never seen one group laugh so much together. We then headed back into Brisbane to Customs House for some more photo’s and the reception. I can honestly say, spending the day with this group was more like hanging out with friends, than actually working!

I’m looking forward to Jason & Di returning from their honeymoon, and getting together for their album planning session over a few glasses of wine!

Yet another glorious winter day for Tony & Ali’s wedding. We met up with the girls at the Novotel, and Ali was a tad nervous - but that soon lapsed once she saw Tony, and their little boy Braith, waiting for them at the rotunda in Newstead Park.

It was an emotional moment, when Tony got down on one knee to say his vows to Ali, making up for not doing it when he proposed. Even I had a tear in my eye (and let me tell you it makes it really hard to focus!!!)

With the huge Bronco’s fan that Tony is, where else could the reception be held, than at the Bronco’s Leagues Club at Red Hill.

The first Friday wedding since January. I used to work with Michelle, and can remember the day she walked up to me at work and said “Are you Toni Snell?”. Here I was thinking I was in trouble, and she wanted to discuss wedding photography!!

Steve & Michelle are such characters, and they really had a lot of fun with the bridal party. Even nearly getting wiped out by a BMW couldn’t stop these guys laughing, and having a great time!

My favourite moment of the day was this moment I caught when Michelle was having her makeup re-touched, and her grandmother candidly reached out to fuss over her veil. I have a real soft-spot for grandmothers, no longer having any of my own, so moments like these are precious.

Professionally

My love of photography began at a very young age when my father taught me to use my first SLR camera (an old Pentax P30). Dad started his own wedding photography and video business, and once I was about 14, I began assisting him at weddings. It was quite the apprenticeship for a teenager! While my friends were out enjoying themselves on the weekend, especially on a Saturday night, I was covering a wedding. Looking back now, I probably had more fun!

As I got older, my dreams grew. I longed to one day have my own business, where I got to take pictures for myself. I would look at the work of photographers I admired, and wish that I could produce work just like them. The art of wedding photography was changing, and the old fashioned boring photographs that our parents had were no longer good enough. People wanted contempory, dynamic, and imaginative photography, and I wanted to master it!

I remember the day that I took the camera off my father and told him that I would be shooting the wedding for a change. I don’t think I ever looked back. When Dad and I were filming wedding videos, we were also very fortunate to work regularly with a photographer who knew us quite well, and would often give me the camera to take some shots for him. That kind of experience was truly invaluable, and I don’t think I’d be where I am now without it.

Before too long I was all grown up, and itching to make it on my own. I was so excited by the prospect, and scared half to death at the same time! I still had big dreams, but also a lot of frustration at not being where I wanted to be. When you’re young you want everything yesterday, and don’t realise you need to work hard to reap the rewards.

I went out and invested in a Canon digital SLR camera. Compared to the equipment I have now its so amateur, but everyone has to start somewhere. I still have it, while it doesn’t get much use anymore, it still has sentimental value.

I had that camera for a good 12 months before I kicked off the business. It was still my goal, but working full time shift work made it difficult for me to find the time to devote to getting it off the ground. It was a good job, very safe and secure, but it stopped me from stepping out of my comfort zone and just going for it. So I took a chance, threw it in, and I will never be the same again.

From that point on everything is very much a blur. I was working a regular full time day job, but had the time on evenings and weekends to apply to my business. I got the tonisnell.com.au website, and made myself a very average, but effective site to peddle my photo’s. I had a portfolio of about two weddings that I’d shot alongside another head photographer, but it was enough. And then I signed on to advertise with yellowpages.com.au. This was November 2004.

Between then and Christmas, I had one enquiry which resulted in a booking. Things were pretty quiet, but as soon as January rolled around, the phone was running hot. All these brides emerged and were enquiring about wedding photography, and wanted me to meet with them. By March/April I pretty much had most of the year booked up. I’ll always be greatful to those brides who took a chance on the new kid on the block and gave me my start.

2005 was an amazing year. I was beginning to live my dream. I ended up shooting about 30-35 weddings, still working full time, and still trying to have a life. And the bookings for 2006 kept coming. By the end of the year, I had upgraded to a new camera, and had an effective workflow in place.

2006 has been a great year. I was able to stop working full time, and now am working a more manageable part-time job - and yet still don’t have a life!! I’m shooting weddings most every weekend, and now my Dad is off-siding me! How times have changed.

Its amazing to look at how much I have grown both personally, and in my photography. I look back now at some of the first weddings I ever did, and I cringe. I’ve changed, my style has changed, and my knowledge and equipment has changed. Maybe changed is the wrong word, evolved is how I would describe it. I’m always trying to evolve the way I work, the photo’s I take, and the post production involved with my photo’s and albums. And there’s still so much further to go…….