Leanne and Tyler's Wedding

...And, let us not forget the reason I was in Canada in the first place! With many thanks to Leanne and Tyler and their families, I was able to spend some time once again in the grandeur of the Canadian Rockies. But, I must admit, the wedding was fun. Tyler and Leanne were great to work with, their families wonderful and the locations fantastic for photography. They even insisted that I travel in the limousine with them! I made sure not to have any champagne though. I needed a clear head for photography!

(oh, and I prefer whisky - pure malt, no ice..)

But talk about pressure! A young couple flies you halfway across the world in the hopes that you will produce better images than someone they could have hired locally...? Now that's pressure. But,...it sure was fun! They even let me sing The Tender Trap at the reception!Thanks you guys! May you both be eternally happy together!

Returned From Canada

Well, it should go without saying that our Father and Son Rocky Mountain Road Trip was incredible. So why am I saying it? Because it needs to be said! Does that make any sense? How would I know? I am jet lagged!

Nathan and I had a wonderful time, and the Rocky Mountains gave us so much in the short time we had there. Golden Autumn leaves, Snowy Peaks, Sunny drives through the Rockies, and beautiful soft light for waterfalls and lakes. I will soon be placing my favourites on my website, so look out. Nathan took some incredible images too (chip off the old block maybe? Or better?) and they will no doubt find themselves somewhere where you can check them out! One thing is for sure...the kid can shoot! Nathan used my Nikon D100, and I used my new D200. Also we each carried a Ricoh digital compact. I had the GR Digital, and Nathan used the new Caplio R5 - quite an impressive camera, and one that yielded some great pictures.

As for seeing them...we will keep you posted!

Rocky Mountain Road Trip

Once in a lifetime a man may get the chance to do something special with his son. In 1981, my father and I travelled through the Canadian Rockies together on a father and son roadtrip we will never forget. I was only beginning as a photographer and the images and experiences from that memorable trip set me on the career path I now enjoy.

So, when Leanne and Tyler invited me to photograph their wedding in Edmonton, I immediately set into motion the chance to do the same thing with my son, Nathan, who is now 15. Nathan and I both enjoy photography together, as well as listening to Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon, and a touch of ACDC and a number of other rock classics..So we will be rocking in the Rockies. As you can imagine, we are both looking forward to this. We fly out tomorrow, October 11th at 7am...

So, while I will try to keep you updated, at least you will know where we will be...See you at the end of October. My thanks (with all my heart) to Leon and Gina at House of Holidays for their help in getting me there, on budget, on time. You guys are the best. You Rock the Rockies!

Editorial in Better Photography

Once again I am pleased to be a part of the editorial line up for the 45th issue of Australia's second best photography magazine, Better Photography. In this issue I discuss the techniques behind successful environmental portraits. The techniques I reveal in this article are those I use whenever I travel and find myself in search of great travel images of the people from each culture. Better Photography is out now in Australian news agents.

Making it Exciting

I learned many years ago that one of your jobs as a photographer is not to photograph exciting things, but to make everyday things exciting. Clients are very excited about their products, but that doesn't necessarily mean that they are visually exciting in themselves. My shoot yesterday at SEW Eurodrive in Tullamarine was another example of that. Great product, a great story, but not necessarily a great visual. A touch of underexposure and the addition of an off camera flash, using Nikon's i-ttl technology made this shot a little more interesting.

Grand Final Luncheon

Aussie Rules Football and I do not even belong in the same sentence let alone the same room. But when the Carlton Football Club asked me to photograph their annual Grand Final Luncheon at the Grand Hyatt in Melbourne...well of course I accepted. After all, I have a family to feed!

Event photography is alot more than just sticking your flash on your camera and firing away. Anyone with a camera can do that and I wasn't hired to behave like anyone with a camera. An understanding of the parameters of each event, the nature of its attendees and of photography are all needed if your images are to turn out better than those who bring their compact family digital cameras along.

The Luncheon had many notable Australian celebrities and business figures in attendance, along with well known footballers whose faces I recognised but didn't know the names of. You see, as I said, Football and I do not belong in the same sentence. Naturally I knew who Nicky Buckley and HG were as well as famous yachtsman and philanthropist John Bertrand - for whom I have previously worked as a photographer. Star Carlton player Anthony Koutafidis was there along with his Dancing with the Stars partner and they had a giggle over his performance, which actually wasn't too bad. I had a beer with Carlton legend Steve Kernaghan after the event, and didn't even know who it was who had bought me the beer!

Oh well, I suppose he didn't who accepted it...;-)