Congrats to Helen and Russell. Married on the 6th of February 2010 at St Mary in the Valley Anglican Church. After the ceremony we headed to the shores of Lake Tuggeranong where everyone caught their breath and we had a pretty relaxing time. We headed over to the Tuggeranong Southern Cross Club for the reception (another very short drive). It's pretty unusual for me to shoot an entire wedding in the Tuggeranong area, but it's good not having much travelling time! It was also so great with so many kids around - you can get some great photos... check out the little boy below who was not impressed by having to wear those formal clothes!

More photos here: Helen & Russell

I was lucky enough to take a balloon ride in January 2010. Lucky, because my wife received a double balloon ride as her birthday present from a group of her friends... and she chose me :)

So, what does a photographer do when in balloon? Take photos of course! Here's a selection:

There's a slightly larger selection and at a much better resolution on my flickr page: Canberra Balloon Ride Photos

To my darling wife of 11 years, happy valentines day! :)

ps. and I hope all those other couples out there had a wonderful valentines day too!
pps. if you're wondering, yes, this is the rose I gave to my wife today.

It was the "Canberra Bridal Expo" on Sunday (7th February 2010). T8 Photography was an exhibitor, and also a major sponsor this time too. We donated a prize for the Major Prize draw and a very lucky winner walked away with free engagement shoot worth $1000! It was a very busy day and the photos and albums at the booth seem to be well received. Also, it was fantastic to see so many couples that we'll be photographing later this year and also those brides and grooms that had already had their wedding (not quite sure why they were at the expo again though.... maybe to help their friends plan for weddings?)

A few photos of the booth:

What improved this time was the decoration on the walls - we had a horizontal row of high gloss acrylic wall mounts and three vertical rows of 11x14" framed prints. There was also a large canvas print that we managed to squeeze in too. On the tables out the front were a range of albums and books ranging from a tiny little brag book, all the way up to my top-of-the-range 17x12" Presentation Album and plenty of stuff in between. The competition was fierce though - apparently there was 18 photography booths in total, but I think that T8 Photography's quality, value, and level of service is still very tough to beat. Big thanks to Michael who helped out on the day - couldn't have done it without you!

Congratulations to Jess & Nigel. Married on the 30th of January 2010 at St. Christopher's in Manuka, photoshoot at the Carillon and the National Museum and the reception at The Boat House.

Now, Nigel seemed he was a bit stressed before the ceremony (sorry mate... hope you don't mind me saying? :) I'm sure he wasn't worried that Jess wasn't going to turn up, just a few nerves getting to him on one of the most important days of his life! There was a bit of a long pause before Jess and the girls entered the church too (the minister was furiously waving his hands around trying to signal for them to come in), but the girls did eventually open the doors and the ceremony went very smoothly after that.

We had a nice relaxing photoshoot at the Carillon. There was another bridal party when we got there so we did a quick photo with them also... And while the bridal party was having a bit of a break from photos, yet another bridal party turned up. This time it was what looked like Barbie in a huuuge stetched Hummer (quite a sight!). Anyway, we quickly headed over to the National Museum for about 10mins (sorry Mr Limo driver), got some cool photos there, and then went to The Boat House for the reception. The guests were a lot of fun and we just squeezed in a couple of sunset photos.

See more here:Jess & Nigel

Firstly, happy new year to everyone. I've had a pretty good break and all refreshed for an exciting 2010! I just finished editing my last wedding from last year and it prompted me to reflect on some of the beautiful brides during 2009. This is no means an exhaustive list, just a few shots that I really like. The photographs show off the glamour of the dresses and the beauty of those brides. They have been processed in a "fine-art" kind of way - I hope you like them. Feel free to leave comments.

First up is Emma. This photo uses some wonderful soft window light and is shot at the brides house. The photo focuses on Emma's thoughts of the day and highlights her simple but elegant dress. The colours of the flowers also reflect the softness of the image.

This is Heidi. Quite a different photograph that's for sure - it shows a lot of movement and of course the bride's joy as she hurries towards the reception venue. The background is the wall at reconciliation place and was taken as the sun was setting (the bright pole in the background is actually one of the lights embedded in the wall). The photo is processed in a way to accentuate the flowing movement of the dress.

Hello Camilla! I love this window portrait. You can see the smooth silkiness of the dress as Camilla turns around to admire the flowing lines. The bold lines of the window help to frame the bride and you just get a hint of her expression.

And these are Gabi's feet. I wanted to show the different textures and materials that go together in this dress. I like the silkiness of the fabric and a tease of the environment. You can even tell Gabi was relaxed here by her pose - we had plenty of time for some fun and creative photos before she left the Hotel Realm.

This portrait is of Gemma. The dress was this amazing textural delight! I wanted the image to show the exquisite intricacies of the design and contrast it with the surrounds. It also has a nice soft warm glow and you can imagine what's going though Gemma's mind as she contemplates the rest of the day.

Last, but not least, is Anna. This is the image I was working on yesterday. I just love the innocent look of admiration of the bride as she studies her dress. Taken after the ceremony at the church at the main doors, you can just make out some of the interior. It feels to me like a painting and I just love that amazing dress!

Congrats to Anna and Anthony, married on 12th of December 2009! It's always fun photographing people with big families... I counted at least 21 people at Anna's house where she getting ready! The kids were chillin' out watching TV, people in the kitchen cooking, and the bridesmaids were rushing around so they'd make it on time to the ceremony. And Anthony had warned me that it would be a long ceremony. He was right - it went for about 2 hours... but the weird thing was that it didn't feel that long, probably because so much was happening (singing, communion, speeches, prayers, etc). After the ceremony we headed out to Ginninderry Homestead for some photos and the reception. This was the first time I'd been there. It's a lovely homestead very close to Canberra with some beautiful gardens... but watch out for the white chair under the tree as it leaves white stripes on anyone that sits on it! Oops!

Some more photos here: Anna & Anthony

Wow, what a wedding season!! I've had a ball this year shooting weddings. Yes, it's hard work on the day, but after a beer or two when I get home I think back and remember how great the wedding was. I can't help but go through the photos as soon as I can and look for those "cracker" shots! Yesterday was the last wedding for me in 2009 and I have a (well earned?) break until end of January 2010.

So, without further ado - check out my Christmas Greeting for 2009. It features two shots from every wedding T8 Photography has been privileged to be a part of in 2008 and 2009! Have a happy holiday and see you in 2010.

Ok, sorry all, this is a somewhat technical post with no photos.... bear with me though!

So, see the logo up the top there. Yes, look up... top left hand corner. Does that look right? T8 Photography logo on a black background... Let me know if it looks wrong? (and tell me your operating system & browser please). Obviously I can't test on every browser under the sun.

Next thing. Have a look at the home page. Click on Home or the Logo. I'll wait here for a minute or so...
Ok, you back? Right... did you see a nice slideshow of images? Yes? No? If no... please let me know... (and tell me your operating system & browser :)

That's all for today! Thanks for everyone who can help out!

[Background info: the logo was originally on a gradient background. Through a combination of transparent PNG's and different ways that browsers rendered gradients, there were some combination of browsers and operating systems that the website looked totally crap on. So... hopefully fixed now with no gradient. Also, the home page needed sprucing up. Hope I've succeeded!]

Big congrats to Linda & Gareth! I really enjoyed the photoshoot with these guys. The bridal party was well prepared with plenty of drinks and we had a fun relaxing time shooting at the National Museum of Australia (and the weather held off too which was a bonus!). I've got a few of my favorite shots from the photoshoot here and just love using the bold colours and interesting textures of the museum. On the way to the Hellenic Club we stopped for literally a few minutes at Lennox Gardens (near the Hyatt) for a bit of variety. Yes, that is the bride and groom in the reflection of the tow-ball!

This image below was obviously worked heavily. I'm liking the interesting red of the pathway as it almost looks like some kind of carpet. And the grass looks pretty cool and sureal too... It's not for everyone's taste, but I do have fun experimenting sometimes! :)

For the rest of their photos, see Linda & Gareth