A dog of a wedding

I've learned over the years that you should never close your mind to the opportunities that present themselves. That is especially true of photography. Your options for photographs should never be limited to the actual reason you may have turned up anywhere.Case in point...

While photographing a wedding recently, I found myself being followed around the house by an old mutt that seemed to have taken a shine to me. While doing some candid photographs around the house, I turned to see the dog behind me, on the floor. I lowered my camera to its perspective and without even my eye to the viewfinder took this portrait. Its a great stock shot that could find itself on a calendar or greeting card, perhaps with a funny caption...

Either way, it was an image I had no intention of taking on a day when I was there to do everything else but portraits of a dog..

So, keep your eyes open folks!

I agree with you, W.C!

W.C Fields is renowned for saying "never work with children or animals'...and I have listened to his advice as often as possible. Not that I have anything against children, or animals. I have been known to eat a few, ah, animals that is. But I have avoided photographing them as much as possible. Its just not my thing.

But, wouldn't you know it? Kodak Australia needed some images, supplied the baby, and off I went. While I naturally went about capturing the smiling baby images they required, I also managed this one too. This is probably one of my favourites from the shoot, not that Andrew wasn't cute. He was very cute. Its just that this is a departure of the smiling baby shot I was hired to capture. Its more about that beautiful little crop of hair babies have...and that baby smell...

OK, now I am just getting all girlie on ya...

An Australian Icon

I had the privilege this week of meeting and photographing an Australian Olympic legend, Cathy Freeman. Cathy is an Olympic Gold Medallist and has represented Australia and won medals in many international running events. She is well known for her victory lap draped in the Aboriginal flag, a symbol, as she said, of her origins and one of the most Australian things she has done.

I was asked by Penguin Publishing to cover the official launch of her autobiography, Born to Run. For a woman who has seen and stood in so much limelight, this friendly and unassuming lady was so unaccustomed to it, and her humble, natural manner was refreshing and new. I asked my old friend and offsider, Greg, to take a picture of the two of us.

Jasmine and Vince

One reason I enjoy wedding photography is the opportunity it provides me to experience and learn from other cultures. Vince and Jasmine's wedding was just that opportunity. I have been to Vietnam twice and I enjoyed it very much. The photography in that land is wonderful. But this is the first time I have been to a Vietnamese wedding.

Vince and Jasmine's wedding took place over two separate days. The first day I covered the ceremonies, in which offerings were made to ancestors, families were officially welcomed and introduced to each other and all wore traditional Vietnamese ceremonial attire. The second day was more like the weddings I am used to covering here in Australia. Jasmine wore a white dress and we went into the Dandenong hills to do some photography before heading for the reception.

It was great fun, and I enjoyed it very much, even though they worked me like a soldier! ;-)

Joy and Matt.

Congratulations to Matt and Joy, whose wedding I photographed over the weekend. I enjoyed the process, and it was lovely to once again be honoured with the task of capturing an important day. Matt, I know you weren't into the photo thing, but you were great to work with. Joy, you lived up to your name!

Loving Them French

As part of my ongoing (but relatively new) relationship with Cokin Filters, I have been asked to become a part of their Cokin Experiences website. I am an avid user of Cokin filters, and despite the fact that I shoot entirely digitally, I still believe in using filters to create the image as much as possible in camera. I use filters to give me a better image in terms of colour, exposure and effect and this saves time in post processing. These filters would definetely include some of my favourites such as the Cokin G2 Grad, the Circular Polariser and their Blue-Yellow 173 Polariser. I have used these filters extensively here in Australia and during my recent trip through the Canadian Rockies. It is an honour to be a part of the Cokin Experience and have my work honoured by this long standing French photographic company.

I can Relate

One of my bestest, goodest, most favouritest clients is Relate Technical Communications. I have been working with Allan, Deb, Ellen, Ben and the team there for a few years now and it has been one of the most pleasureable experiences of my career. These are just great people.

Recently I was asked to provide images for them of a base station being updated with new cabling...at least that's how I understood it. Relate write alot of technical stuff for technical publications that I would never understand. However, despite my inability to understand the tech stuff, they are always happy with my images and my invoices. Now, that's a great client.

To me, these images are...ok, but nothing flash. But they love 'em. I suppose it depends on what flips your wig. Everybody's wig is different I suppose. I got to go up in a cherry picker, so I had some fun. Good thing I am not acrophobic!

It was an Event!

For the past few years I have been very busy doing event photography, travelling all over the country for Kodak and other clients. But the recent AIME Expo held here in Melbourne was an event that won't soon be forgotten. AIME is an incentive and marketing expo where people who are involved in corporate events gather, and my team and I were there to offer our services and introduce the idea of photography - not just as a coverage of any event but as an event in itself. Somehow, from the response we received, I think we are going to be busy over the next year or so....

The theme of this year's AIME Expo was "Love is in the Air" and our Love Lounge, along with the presence of Australia's own 'Dr Phil' was a big hit. Attendees were able to have their pictures taken and go home with their memory in a branded folder. My good friend and fellow photographer, Greg Beyer, did most of the photography while my wife, Kerry, Meryn Pratt and I did alot of talking at my Photography By Shelton stand. Greg and I have travelled Australia together doing event photography and we have had so much fun.

As for the future of our event photography business...the idea was a big hit with many major corporations...and rightly so. What could be more memorable than a photograph...?

High School Sweethearts

Jeen and Hock have known each other since they started high school. Why it took Hock so long to make this beautiful girl his wife I will never know. But, he eventually got around to it, and I had the pleasure and honour of photographing their wedding. It was a large affair with over 200 guests and plenty of Chinese humour to make my job a whole lot of fun. Jeen and Hock had warned me in their original meeting with me that neither of them were photogenic, but as you can see, they were lying! After all, everybody tells us that. We photographers know who is, and who isn't...

I wish you both every happiness, and thank you for the pleasure it was to be your photographer.

How do you repay?

An old mate from Sydney came to stay. John Robertson, his wife Rachel, his son Liam and his baby daughter Rebecca were with us for the weekend. Robbo and I have known each other for over twenty years. We played in a band together, I've photographed both his weddings, had a million laughs with him and shared some really good times.

Robbo turns up with two extra tickets for the Roger Waters concert here in Melbourne - one each for my son and myself. Nathan and I love Pink Floyd, so it was a great gift. He has always been a generous man. How do you repay such kindness when the only thing you can do is take pictures? Well, take pictures.

While his daughter Rebecca was exploring our kitchen floor, I grabbed my D200, my 85mmf1.8 and shot away. Ten minutes later I was able to repay to some degree his kindness. I printed this portrait of his daughter out on canvas paper before he left.

You never know when...

You never know when you will take an image that someone will want to use. I received a call from a client yesterday who needed a generic sporting image. I am not a sports person, nor am I a sports photographer, so there wasn't much in my stock. But wait a minute! Didn't I take my son to a couple of soccer games recently...? Did I take a camera? You bet!

So anyway, all I had to offer were some generic stadium shots for the editorial piece...and they were all that was needed. So, as you can see, carrying my Ricoh GR Digital has paid off.

I love that little camera....

Your job as a photographer

One of the most mistaken notions about photography as a job is that everything you get to photograph is exciting. This is not true. Yes, its a great job, but in essence, often your job as a photographer is to make everyday things appear exciting. That is why you are hired. There are many jobs that anyone could take pictures of, such as the one I did yesterday. They pose little in the way of technical demand or know how but their ordinariness makes them a challenge.

Rob (above) runs a small construction company. These images of him on site was taken for Mylund, a client for whom I do a fair amount of work. A photograph of him on a building site could be one of two things - incredibly boring, or quite dynamic. Its the job of the photographer to make it the second of these two options.

If photography is your desired profession, understand that this is the kind of curve ball you are often thrown. The challenge is to swing, and hit a home run.