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Pepper Tree Cafe Wedding – Amanda & Daniel

  • Amanda & Daniel

    Pepper Tree Cafe Wedding

    Under the gate

I was super excited to be a part of Amanda and Daniel’s wedding at the Pepper Tree Café due in no small part to Daniel’s enthusiasm and endearing eagerness to hold the most perfect wedding possible for his bride to be. He was in constant contact, making sure I knew all the details including how well the dancing lessons I had got them at Dance Amor were doing, and how the Pepper Tree was going to be set up on the day.

Everything he had planned came to fruition on the day, with the slight unfortunate hiccup of a bit of rain directly after the ceremony. Fortunately it let up a bit for us to get out and about in the garden for a few photos J

Preparation

I started the day as I usually do at Daniel’s place of preparation. He and his boys were all getting ready and were in various stages of undress when I arrived. Daniel was keen on having everything set up and running smoothly – he was obviously excited!

Wedding Rings
Putting on cufflinks
Shoes
Putting on shirt
Putting on shirt
Cheers!
Groomsmen Gifts
In front of car
Looking out window
Smiling groom
Groomsmen getting ready
Dad helping out

I then head over to where Amanda and her bridal party were being prepared – the atmosphere was noticeably more laid back and fun filled with the ladies, with laughter and fun times being had. Emotions were high when gifts were handed out which made for some marvellously genuine photos!

Helping with the dress
Smiles
Wedding Dress
Love the new bub
Flower crown
Bridesmaids gift
Smiles
Mum looking on
Smiling
Smiles
Helping with the dress
Cork popping
Smiles
makeup
Engagement ring

Pepper Tree Cafe Wedding Ceremony

The Pepper Tree Café was a wedding venue I had not yet had the privilege of visiting, but it turned out to be a lovely little intimate space in Aldinga, featuring a large Pepper Tree (naturally) alongside a rustic live music and dining area surrounded by a nice mix of curated garden and wilder natural scenes. Quite a nice spot for photography.

Their wedding ceremony took place on the grassy area in the centre of the gardens, with all the guests standing either side of an aisle lined by small lanterns. The rain was threatening by this time, but thankfully held off until after I had my drone in the air and took a couple of group photos.

Together
Smiling Bride
Groom’s first look
Holding Hands
Putting on ring
Bridal Exit
Holding Hands
Cars arriving
nervous groom
Hugs
First Kiss
Together
Wiping
Smiling Groom
Family Hug
Bride arriving

Glamour Photos

Directly after the ceremony ended we had to rush into the Café area to avoid the rather heavy rain that was now falling. We made use of the time to take family photos on the stage and have a bit of a mingle with guests. Once it was evident that the rain had set in a bit, Amanda and Daniel decided we’d need to head out in the rain for a few photos, so that’s what we did. Thankfully soon after this decision, the rain stopped for long enough for some proper shots around the garden.

Standing in the Pepper Tree
Under the trees
Under the Gazebo
Under the trees
Amongst the trees
Kissing amongst the Pepper Tree
Bridal Party
Under the Gazebo
Wedding Rings
Under the gate
Under the trees
Holding one another
Groomsmen
Under the gate
Under the Gazebo
Walking together

Pepper Tree Wedding Reception

The reception area at the pepper Tree Café is an intimate, rustic little area, decorated with steel and wooden styling, akin to an old wool shed. The area boasts a nice live music stage and room enough for a modest congregation.

Amanda and Daniel’s reception was a lovely display of heartfelt speeches, impromptu bagpipe recitals and high running emotions, it was a ball to be a part of, and I thank Amanda and Daniel for having me be a part of it! 😀

Catching the bouquet
First Dance
Thumbs up
Best Man speech
Speech
Guests having fun
Catching the garter
Dancing
Cutting the cake
Guests having fun
First Dance
First Dance
Smiles all round
Smiling Bride

Tiwi Islands Engagement shoot – Jane & David

Since expanding my operations to the Northern Territory, in particular Darwin through my website https://svenstudios.com/darwin-wedding-photography/, I’ve been super keen on heading up to the Northern End of Australia to shoot again. So when Jane contacted me via my instagram feed, I jumped at the chance on shooting in the most remote area of Australia I have yet visited.

Jane and David were awesome hosts for a 2 night stay on the islands, where they both work in the local community,  and in exchange for their wonderful hospitality I was to shoot a bit of an engagement shoot while galavanting around the island!

The first day

After having spent a few days in Darwin – taking photos of the lovely beaches and the amazing sunsets Darwin has to offer, I head out to the Tiwi Islands on a ferry to meet Jane and David whom were both working, so once I arrived I was picked up by David, then had a bit of time to explore the community before they both knocked off work. It was rather surreal witnessing the Liberal coup where former Prime Minister Turnbull was ousted for Scott Morrison in such a remote part of Australia, from within an Aboriginal community – it felt quite distant an unimportant.

It’s this remoteness I think appeals to both Jane and David who both hail from Sydney originally that makes them love this place. The culture and sense of community surrounding them where they live is obvious in that everyone knows one another, when driving about, everyone waved and one another and the entire town felt very laid back.

Once Jane and david had finished their work, we went on a shot expedition to a small wood with lovely tall trees, through which the sun was beating down in typical Northern Territory fashion, so I made use of it!

On the road
Engagement ring
Smiles
Walking through the bush
Hugs
In the forest
On the road
On the road
Dancing
Dancing
Walking together in the forest
laughing

We then head out of town for a bit to a lovely secluded beach beyond the so called ‘international Airport’ of Wurrumiyanga to make use of the fading sun. I found it quite funny that it was classified as a major airport when considering flight paths and ability to launch my drone as the airport consists of only an airstrip – that is apparently sinking into the ground – and a small shed. But anyway, the beach was stunning and out of range from flight limitations anyway.

Walking along the beach
Tiwi Islands Engagement
From above
On the beach together
From above
On the beach together
Kung Fu!

The next morning, the plan was to get up at sparrows to make use of the sun rising over the local bay – while avoiding the giant croc that apparently inhabits the water around the area 🙂

Smiling David
Smiling Jane
Sitting together
Tiwi Islands Sunrise

Shortly after breakfast we were on the road to a delightful little natural spring waterhole were we stopped to have lunch and go for a dip. I was assured there were no crocs around the place here, but the water was so incredibly clear that nothing would be able to sneak up on us anyway. 😛

Waterhole hugs
Waterhole hugs
Amongst the wattle
Waterhole hugs
Jumping in together

By the late afternoon we had reached our campsite for the night, a long white sand beach at the northern tip of the island. We spent some time fishing from the rocks, however caught more rocks than useful fish, then made use of the spectacular red cliffs and sunset for some more photos, all the while dodging the millions of hermit crabs scuttling along the beach, and keeping a wary eye out for crocs.

Twirling
Family portrait
Sun set on the rocks
Running together
Sun set on the rocks
Sun set on the rocks
On a rock
Sun set

On the final day, once we returned home to town, we spent the afternoon waiting for the Darwin-bound ferry fishing on Jane and David’s boat. It was the first time I had experienced fishing on a boat, and Jane managed to land a huge 90cm Barramundi! Which we released, but she also caught herself a smaller one which David filleted up and gave me a fillet for dinner that night 🙂 I also managed to catch quite a few other fish – including some good sized snapper! All in all, my weekend in the Tiwi islands was not one I will soon forget!

Thanks so much to Jane and David for having me photograph them on the Tiwi islands – It’s a place I would never have thought of visiting otherwise, but I’m so glad I had the opportunity!

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Adelaide Glamour Shoot – Jasmine & Mervyl

Jasmine and Mervyl were in Adelaide for a short while and while here they figured they’d use the time to have a bit of an Adelaide glamour shoot before their wedding next year back in Singapore. They are also planning on having photos taken in Canberra also a few days later, so they’ll have quite a bit of diversity to show on a big screen at the forefront of their wedding reception.

Himeji Hardens

We began our short shoot in the Himeji Gardens, on South Terrace. We were very lucky at this time of day as the weather surrounding the shoot, both before and after was pretty atrocious, with wind and heavy rainfall – so i was happy to make use of any sun we had! Unfortunately the hem of Jasmine’s white dress started to get muddy towards the end, but lucky she had a change in dress! 🙂

Smiles
Walking about Himeji Gardens
Sitting about
Holding one another
Holding one another

Veale Gardens

After about 30 minutes walking about the Himeji Gardens, we head over to the nearby Veale Gardens – a popular wedding venue in it’s own right the gardens boast beautifully manicured grassy areas, with a splash of unkempt Australiana just in the rear which we made use of.

Engagement ring
Amongst the trees
Holding hands in veal Gardens
Under a tree
Walking together
Suave

North Terrace

After a bit of a dress change and makeup touch-up, we continued our Adelaide glamour shoot around the lovely North Terrace buildings, including the Adelaide University and Bonython Hall. It’s at this time when the heavens started opening on us and it looked as though our luck with the weather was running out.

Walking alone
Holidn one another
On the footbridge
North Terrace
Cathedral
Holidn one another

Grange Jetty

We ended the shoot at the historic Grange Jetty, when fortunately the sun peeped out from the clouds for just a minute allowing us to run about in the bitter cold to take a few shots 🙂

On the jetty
Under the jetty
Under the jetty

I hope Jasmine and Mervyl enjoy the photos from their Adelaide Glamour Shoot and hope their wedding in Singapore goes fantastically!

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Preparation Wedding Photography

Bride leaning on door

Preparation wedding Photography

One of my favourite times of day on a wedding day is the preparation time, the time of day when the bride and groom are getting ready for their big moment in front of family and friends, which allows for some incredible moments of emotion and nerves to show through, painting a story of the personalities of the couple through Preparation Wedding Photography. Capturing the individual moments of personality of the bride and groom before they become an ‘item’ so to speak is a primary goal of taking photos during this time of day. This is the last moments of their lives where they aren’t sharing a family with a significant other. I feel it’s important to make use of this time to paint a portrait with my photography of the lives and personality traits the bride and groom exhibit as an individual. The lovey dovey moments when they are together come later.

If you consider a wedding album as a photographic story, then the preparation photos are the beginning of the story, the coming together of these two individuals would be the ceremony, and the happily ever after the glamour photos and reception.

Groom preparation wedding photography

When photographing the preparation of the groom and his groomsmen, it’s important to recognise the atmosphere of the situation, by gauging the nerves, and/or playful (or lack of) nature of the party getting ready. One is able as a photographer to guide the party through a series of unposed photos while getting dressed, while also focussing on small things like wedding rings and shoes. When having as many weddings as I do under my belt, I’m able to read when would be appropriate to also transition into a more traditional, formal shoot after the more photojournalistic scenes.

groomsmen preparation glenelg
All together
Smiling groom
Groom and his groomsmen
Smiling groom
Getting ready
Groomsmen being monkeys
Ring Box
Boys walking together

Bridal preparation wedding photography

When heading over to the girls and the bridal party, the approach to preparation photos is largely similar. There are still nerves, emotions and drama occurring all around, with the difference being that there’s an additional process (usually) considering makeup and putting on much more complicated clothing (bridal dresses). Once again it’s important to capture the small things, like jewellery and shoes while also being photojournalistic leading up to the point where the ladies are putting on their dresses. Preparation wedding photography also tends to become highly traditional in parts with the bridal party, with shots of the bridal party fussing around the bride, and other scenes such as putting on the garter which are very traditional scenes.

Wedding Dress
Having fun in the veil
Lacing up
Looking in mirror
Smiles all round
Putting on the dress
Engagement ring
Smiling Mum
Flower Girl in Window
Dress

I strongly believe however, particularly with preparation wedding photography that it’s far better to be as invisible as possible when being a wedding photographer as I feel that there would be nothing worse than having someone with a huge camera taking shots of you while you’re getting dresses on the most emotionally charged day of your life. As a result, I tend to stay primarily photojournalistic in having the bridal parties get ready as usual and take photos of that,m and then once they’re used to me being there, join in a little for more constructed photos. I tend to hate turning people into mannequins 😀