If you’ve been around this blog long enough, you’ll know I have these two friends Richard & Courtney. A few years ago these two friends got together, fell in love, got engaged, got married (their outtakes are my favourite), and occasionally still model for me! So it may not come as any suprise that these two have gone on to have a baby. And her name is Lily Grace.
If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a thousand times - I am not a childrens photographer. I can’t do the things my good friend Kym Berry does with kids. I can’t do the naked on the sheepskin rug, with the gorgeous little bobble hats. I wouldn’t know where to start, and besides, it’s just not me. What I do love doing, is getting up there to that hospital in the first 24 hours or so, and just spending about a little time taking photos of whatever the hell is happening at that point in time. It’s no Anne Geddes, but it’s real, and it’s heartfelt, and its a record of what it was like when life began for this precious little person.
Lily’s very own slideshow….
I love this photo. It reminds me of a similar picture I saw on a billboard on Corro Drive of a screaming baby. It was an advert for a fertility clinic, and had the tagline of “for some parents this is the most beautiful face they’ve ever seen”. Only once I saw what Richard & Courtney had to go through to get Lily here, did I understand…
Aunty Toni brought Lily a special present she picked up in New York in November. This made Aunty Toni very popular……
SHAM-WOW! That’s about the only word I have to describe Bruce & Jacqueline’s wedding. It’s still so hard to believe that I only met these guys on the day of their wedding. Let me explain.
Bruce & Jacqueline have been living and working in China for some time now, and planned their entire wedding over the internet. No visits back and forth to check details, just putting their faith in the world wide web, and flying in three days before the wedding. And it couldn’t of been executed more perfectly!
The best thing that any bride can do in this situation is book quailty vendors who you can trust to pull the day together for you. Jacqueline did just that. Danielle Robinson was in charge of making the girls look beautiful, Karen from Bliss Floral provided the bouquets, Ken & Robyn from Kenz Classic drove the cars, and the always delightful Sarah-Jane from Cake That! served up a four tiered creation that was just to die for. These guys all read like a who’s who of my preferred vendors, because I’ve worked with them all - multiple times - and they are amazing at what they do.
We walked in to the suite at the Stamford to meet the bride I’ve been emailing for the best part of a year. Instantly, I knew she was my kind of bride. Our sense of humours were very similar, she was gorgeous, and was not afraid to “work it” to get the shots we wanted. It was a match made in heaven.
It was then around to St Stephens Cathedral, where I met Bruce and the boys, and the day just continued to get better. Bruce & Jacqueline couldn’t have picked a cooler bridal party to surround themselves with on the day. The guys and girls were hilarious and kept the mood going all afternoon, and well and truly into the night.
The storm clouds began to gather after the ceremony, and it was only a matter of time before we were going to be wet. Very wet. But my rule is until that rain falls (and I mean REALLY falls), we continue to work. We’d already been up to Bowen Terrace, and was then down at Tenneriffe when we were running close to the wire. Jacqueline had one eye on the approaching storm but we kept forging on until I finally called it, and we took shelter in a nearby bar. Not being one to waste time, I managed to sweet-talk the bar staff into letting us shoot inside until the rain had passed and we could go outside again.
Once it eased off, Poo retreived the umbrellas from the boot of my car, and it was back into the street for some more photos. Big thankyous go to the best man, known only as The Silver Fox, for working tirelessly on being the “Umbrella Boy” and providing shelter for Bruce & Jacqueline so we could still get some photos out in the rain.
I got to stick around and enjoy the reception at The Stamford, where there was one hell of a party! We really had the best day getting to know Bruce & Jacq and I cannot thank them enough for trusting me to be a part of their day. xxx
A new favourite slideshow of mine…
When you book Danielle Robinson and she brings Bec Narvaez on hair, it’s pretty much a winning combination….
Two of the most grown up, well behaved, and not to mention gorgeous flower girls/junior bridesmaids ever….
This little fella was adorable, but I would love to know what his Dad was saying to him here…
