Congratulations Glen and Louise!

I am honoured to have been at Glen and Louise' wedding. They were such a fantastic couple! Their wedding was a relaxed and fun affair and I have seldom had a couple who were just so comfortable in front of a camera. They both told me that they were normally not that much at ease when being photographed but I find that hard to believe.

Photographing a wedding is an honour for any photographer. You are entrusted with so much that will be of such importance in years to come. Thank you to you both for honouring me, and for allowing me to have so much fun with you on your Day of Days.

Congratulations and best wishes to you both!

New Total Image and Better Pictures

The latest issues of Total Image and Better Pictures will be available from participating Australian photo retailers soon. This issue deals with some of the basics of exposure, and has a look at Tamron lenses. There is a great article by Greg Beyer about getting expression from your subjects and Ian Rolfe discusses the many decisions made in each landscape image. Plus Much More! Total Image is available from photo retailers across Australia and Better Pictures is available from Camera House stores.

My YouTube Tutorial

I learned a long time ago the power that depth of field has in highlighting the subject in an image and leading the eye through the frame. Some time ago my depth of field tutorial was placed on YouTube and has since had several thousand plays. Well, I hope the thousands who watch it are using Depth of Field to their advantage, or at least now understand its power in an image. If. you want to see it yourself, go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uzedefUXARE and check it out! Let me know what you think of it....I have some more plans.

Nathan's Photography

My son Nathan has achieved something quite incredible. His images from Canada are quite wonderful, and I am very proud of him. Nathan is only 15 and has endured Chronic Fatigue Syundrome since he was around 9. Naturally he has been exposed to all things photography in those 15 years. He has been to photographic conventions, hob nobbed within the industry and been in our house when it has been filled with photographers as guests. He has sat through endless slide shows and seen thousands of prints and he has been out shooting with some of the best photographers in the country, including Ian Rolfe and Dan Paris..and...me (he he...). No doubt all of this has become a part of him and he has learned from it. In Canada, he came into his own. He used my Nikon D100 while we were there and while he often found himself planted right next to his Dad, many of his images were taken on his own, created without any assistance from me. He has an innate vision and an excellent understanding of the creative and technical processes that make an image dynamic. These are just a few of the many he created. Well done son! I am proud.

Tamara and Graeme's Wedding

Congratulations to Tamara and Graeme and their newly formed family. I had the privilege of being a part of their special day recently...as their photographer of course! Well done to you both, and thanks for the honour to capture your day.

Shoot all the Lawyers

Corporate headshots are part and parcel of the life of most photographers. They are required for corporate profiles, internal newsletters, annual reports, websites and press releases. I was recently asked to set up a portable studio in the city offices of a major law firm and photograph each member of the law team.

The difficult thing often about a task such as this is that no matter how accomplished a person may be, few of us enjoy having our pictures taken. This includes lawyers. It even includes photographers! Trust me. I know! However, the photographer's task is to make each person as comfortable as possible, but not take too much of their time.

When Mark Twain said "Shoot all the Lawyers" I am sure he meant something far more sinister than taking their pictures. Me? I enjoy the process!

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...;-)