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Woodstock Winery Wedding – Michelle & Ryan

  • Michelle & Ryan

    Woodstock Winery Wedding

    Bride and groom on Maslins Beach

It was a stunningly sunny day for Michelle and Ryan’s Woodstock winery wedding, just out of Mclaren Vale. I was asked to be their wedding photographer from their ceremony through to their first dance at their reception, whith photos in between down at Maslin Beach and of course using the vineyards about Woodstock winery.

Woodstock Winery Wedding Ceremony

The main appeal of having a Woodstock winery wedding in my book would have to be the beautiful picturesque, but still private surrounds of the winery. There is a large, open grassy area out the back of the main restaurant, lined by gum trees, bushes and of course the Woodstock winery’s vineyards nearby. Michelle and Ryan chose to set up their wedding ceremony so that the vineyards were the backdrop to their arbour.

The sun was out in full force throughout their ceremony, causing some rather harsh light shining on poor Michelle’s face, but thankfully the ceremony wasnt overly long and it also wasn’t so hot that it got uncomfortable – but the guests quickly found some shade before and after the ceremony.

The highlight of the ceremony would have to have been the moment when the exchanging of the rings was held up by Ryan and his best man’s antics where they faked forgetting the rings, only to reveal that their little dog was waiting in the wings with the rings tied around it’s collar.

wedding sign
Groom waiting patiently
Bride hiding behind the wall
Waiting out the front
Bride walking towards ceremony
Grooms first look of bride
Dad giving away bride
Together under the arbour
Wedding ceremony at Woodstock winery
Woodstock winery wedding ceremony
smiling bride during ceremony
Groom reading vows
Dog ring bearer
Woodstock winery wedding ceremony under the gum trees
exchanging the wedding rings
first kiss under the arbour
Woodstock winery wedding ceremony exit

Glamour Photos

What was a little different to most other weddings, was that directly after the Woodstock winery wedding ceremony, we immediately jumped into a bus waiting to take us down to the beach for the glamour photos – forgoing the usual family group photos that usually follow a ceremony. Michelle and Ryan had purposefully planned it this way so as to have a more relaxed, leasurely time down at the beach and to make sure they got all the photos they wanted.

I was quite excited by the copious number of flying seagulls in the air during Michelle and Ryan’s photoshoot on the beach, that it made it that much easier to have them smiling in their photos as they were laughing at my own antics being excited about the birds. Thankfully they held their distance away from us, along with another nearby wedding ceremony that was taking place a top the cliffs – nothing worse than gate crashing another wedding, but the birds made for an awesome backdrop in many of their photos!

After having photos on the beach, and posing for a Starwars themed photo, we then head back to Woodstock winery and used some lovely trees they have in their car park before being announced at the reception. During the reception, we head out for the family photos and used the dying sun for some photos amongst the nearby vineyards.

Bridal party walking to beach
Bride and groom walking down to the beach
Being all lovey
Bridal party walking the dog along the beach
Bridal party on the beach
Wedding couple walking along the beach
Wedding couple walking along the beach with their dog
Bridal couple kissing on the beach
Flowing veil on the beach
Bride and Groom on Maslin beach
Star Wars Wedding Photo
Minimal wedding photo of bride and groom on beach
Bride and groom on Maslins Beach
Beach shot
Bride and groom amongst the sanddunes
Bride and bridesmaids
Groomsmen
Kisses on the Beach boardwalk
Bride and groom amongst the Woodstock winery trees
Bride and groom amongst gum trees
Sitting together in the vineyards
Holding hands
Walking around the Woodstock winery
Walking through the woodstock winery vineyards
woodstock winery vineyards
Woodstock winery wedding at night

Woodstock Winery Wedding Reception

The wedding reception took place in the Woodstock winery’s beautiful two-tiered restaurant, with the head table in the center of the arc, and family tables lined up either side. There was no indoor dancefloor, so the first dance took place outside, and there was no shortage of people out there enjoying the wonderful, warm weather. Emotions were running high during the daddy daughter and monther, son dances with family members all joining in, and was lovely to see 🙂

Michelle and Ryan opted to have a cool, modern take on a wedding cake, having doughnuts piled up with a starwars themed topper, adding a little bit of quirkyness to the whole day.

Guestbook sign
Woodstock winery wine bottles
bridal entrace at Woodstock winery wedding reception
Helping with the veil
bride sharing a drink
Woodstock winery at dusk
Doughnut wedding cake
Inspecting rings
Engagement ring amongst bouquet
first dance
hugs on the dance floor
Daddy daughter dance
Singing

I’d like to thank Michelle and Ryan for having me photograph their special day, and I hope they enjoy their photos!

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Batman cosplay photoshoot – Blackwood Batman

  • Batman Cosplay photoshoot

    Blackwood Batman

    Batman cosplay batarang in wall

Once in a while I might be asked to do something quite out of the ordinary, and very different to my usual wedding-related or family photography 🙂 One such time was when an old firend of mine asked if I could go out on a Batman cosplay photoshoot with him. It sounded like a bit of fun, so we went out and did it! It’s great as Anthony Chammas, or otherwise known as the ‘Blackwood Batman’ (ig @abatman94) dresses up in his Batman cosplay to inspire kids and head to hospitals, schools etc as a bit of a hobby, while also working as a personal life coach. He also has several other cosplay outfits, but Batman is his favourite.

For our little shoot, we made use of the rooftop parking in one of the carparks along Hindley street in the Adelaide CBD, whith the idea that I’d get some of the taller buildings in the city as a backdrop to mimic that of Gotham city’s skyline. We also made use of the dingy little allyways nearby, and even head all the way out to Crozier St in Port Adelaide to use the lovely weathered industrial walls out there. Much to the amusement of a security guard who asked what we were doing 🙂 As this was Batman I was shooting, I made use of some smoke bombs and smoke in a can to create the hazy effects seen in a few of these shots, while also applying some liberal colour adjustments to make the shots look more like they belong in Gotham city.

Blackwood Batman would very much be eager to act as an officiant at your wedding ceremony if you’d like that sort of thing 🙂 Just contact him through his IG page!

Batman cosplay photoshoot

Batman cosplay batarang in wall
Blackwood batman
Batman looking around
Batman standing menacingly
Batman looking at bat signal
Batman shadowplay
Batman shadow on joker grafitti
Batman retrieving his batarang
Blue light behind Batman
Batman surveying his city
Batman cosplay looking out over the city of Adelaide
Batman cosplay portrait
Angry batman
Batman striking a pose
Batman cosplay in Adelaide allyway
batman in an alley
Batman standing in the sun
batman black and white portrait
Batman cosplay looking out parking lot

 

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Heartfelt Asatru wedding on a farm – Astrid & Corey

bride and groom amongst foliage

It was a long time coming for Astrid and Corey’s Asatru wedding on a private farm near Mt Compass. Astrid had booked me a few years prior, but due to some unfortunate events had to postpone their big day until mid November, 2019. Their day was blessed with some amazing weather, beautiful scenery, some fluffy animals and plenty of emotion!

Preparation

Astrid and Corey were being prepared on the same farm, a short walk apart from one another in separate units that were constructed on opposite ends of the property. While Astrid and her bridal party were having their makeup done, Corey and his groomsmen were busy putting finishing touches on the outdoor reception setting, and I was able to take photos of the dress and any details already set up.

The walk between the main house where Astrid was being prepared and the hut that Corey was to get ready in was a great opportunity to plan out where we would take the glamour photos after the ceremony. The whole farm was a beautiful setting, and we were very much looking forward to seeing the sunset!

Asatru wedding circle
bridal prep
Wedding dress hanging in tree
Bridal bouquet in tree
smiling bride while getting ready
Bride playing with flowers
Corey putting on tie
Groom getting ready near door
Bride standing in doorway playing with flowers
Decor
Looking at bear
Bride with Mum
bride putting on makeup
Bridesmaids getting ready
Wedding rings on box
Groom about to get ready
Bride standing in doorway
bridesmaid helping out
Groomsmen setting up asatru wedding altar

Asatru wedding ceremony

In case anyone reading this is wondering, the Asatru faith is a religion which believes in the ancient Germanic spirits and Gods. It was officially recreated in the 1970s in Iceland, but its roots go back many thousands of years. The name comes from two words in a language called Old Norse. It means “faith in the Æsir.” The Æsir are the Germanic gods.

Astrid and Corey’s Asatru wedding involved having the ceremony inside a sacred circle, where each member of the bridal party were to light a flame surrounding an altar while stating pleasantries regarding the bridal couple. Corey had planned on having a Thor’s hammer sigil placed on the altar, but unfortunately it would not stick to the concrete before the ceremony, despite the best efforts of his groomsmen. Their Asatru wedding was presided over by a local Asatru priest, and included the drinking of mead from a communal chalice, the exchanging of swords and a hand fasting ceremony over a hammer.

I’m not overly knowledgeable about the proper names to call each of the aspects of an Asatru wedding ceremony I’ve just described, so I apologise if I have messed anything up. But what I learnt is that the ceremony is very much a family oriented affair, that celebrates the bonds each person involved has with the bridal couple as was wonderful to be a part of!

wedding sign
Groomsmen putting finishing touches on
Groom waiting patiently
Bridesmaids approach
bride and Mum appraoch
Grooms first look of bride
Asatru wedding priest
smiling groom
Lighting the flame during the Asatru wedding ceremony
Groom Lighting the flame during the Asatru wedding ceremony
Bride holding bouquet
Asatru wedding ceremony
laughing bride during wedding ceremony
laughing bride during
bride and groom at altar together
groom looing at bride
hand fasting ceremony
Asatru hand fasting
Holding the wedding swords
Bride holding a wedding sword
Drinking of mead
together getting married
together getting married on the farm
Bride and groom exit

Glamour Photos

Directly after the ceremony and family photos, Astrid had arranged for a native animal display from a local company to have a chat and bring in some cuddly animals. These ranged from an adorable sugar glider through to a large python and a baby croc – much to the delight of Corey who is employed as a snake catcher.

After the animal display, we went for a walk along the farm land to make use of the dying sun filtering through the lovely trees and wide, open cow pastures for some glamour photos. The jovial nature  of Astrid and Corey meant that the whole photo shoot was full of smiles, and fun times between the two of them.

owl
wombat
Bride holding wombat
Flying glider
snake
kissing the bride
bride and groom in front of bridal party
all the bridal party
close up of sugar glider
Sugar glider with bride and groom
bride and groom with snake
Tiny danger lizard
Hugs with the wombat
Wedding swords
bride and groom under the sun
Bride and groom amongst the tall grass
laughing bride and groom
hugs on a walk
bright bride and groom
walking together in the farm
Laughing together in the trees
standing together amongst the trees
amongst the trees together
bride and groom amongst foliage
holding hands
kiss behind the bouquet

Farm reception

Out the back of the farm house, on the lawn was where Astrid and Corey held their wedding reception. There were 4 different kinds of mead available on tap, along with a rather speccy ice sculpture where you were to pour your mead inside it to cool it, before recaptureing it pouring out the end. Their wedding cake was also embalzoned by Thor’s hammer. the reception was a fairly casual affair where heartfelt, and emotional speeches were heard, while the house’s decking was used as the dancefloor.

Dancing together on their wedding day
Cutting the cake with a sword
Farm wedding reception setup
Fun song to end the night
dancing bridal party
Dancing bub
Dancing pile on
dancing with Mum
guests
first dance on patio
laughing together during speeches
Asatru wedding decor
Enjoying refreshments
dancing guest
wedding cake
dancing little one
first dance closeup
Dancing lessons
groom talking
first dance at their Asatru wedding
groom’s speech
Mead ice sculpture

Thanks so much for Astrid and Corey for having me as your wedding photographer. It was a lovely day and I hope you enjoy your photos!

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Al-Ru Farm Wedding – Hailey & Brad

  • Hailey & Brad

    Al-Ru Farm Wedding

    hugging bridal couple

Hailey and Brad’s Al-Ru Farm Wedding took place on a stunning day in mid November and made for some stunning photos and awesome memories for all those involved! Hailey and Brad had put huge amount of effort into making their day as stunning as possible, and they certainly did a great job! I was so pleased to be Hailey and Brad’s wedding photographer and I feel as though I took some neat shots!

Preparation

The day started as it usually does with Brad and his groomsmen where they were being prepared in room at the Mawson Lakes hotel. It was a nice sized room which allowed everyone to move about and create some nice wide sweeping shots. The atmosphere was jovial, with the boys all ripping on one another and drawing attention to their matching underwear they had bought specially for the occasion! They made an appearance again later in the night during Eagle rock.

Tieing tie in front of window
Dad and Groom
Wedding rings on shoe
looking on helping
Boys getting ready
Standing in front of window
Groom getting ready
Leaning on the balcony
groomsman helping
Looking out of window pensively
Wedding ring box

Hailey and her bridal party were being prepared on site at Al-Ru farm in the awesome little cottage bed and breakfast they have. The cottage features some wonderfully rustic features like a wall of arched windows and beautiful wooden floors. It’s a great set up – perfect for wedding photos like this! The girls were all enjoying their morning when I arrived and were enjoying sharing a bottle of their favourite wine. The highlight of the morning I feel was when Dad walked in for the reveal of Hailey’s dress – which is always an awesome moment to capture!

Engagement ring in bouquet
Wedding dress hung in window
Bridal party on bed
Pinning flower on Dad
Mum
Girls helping out bride
Smiling bride
Bridal party getting ready at Al-Ru farm
Bride getting ready at Al-Ru Farm
Al-Ru Farm bridal preparation
Dad’s first look
Bride looking pensive at Al-Ru farm
Dad looking on
Bride looking pretty at Al-Ru farm
Bride standing in window at Al-Ru farm
Bride in cottage door at Al-Ru Farm
Bridal party chatting

Al-Ru Farm Wedding ceremony

Hailey and Brad’s Al-Ru farm wedding ceremony took place in the purpose built little grassy area on site with the sun located behind the bride and groom. As it was a fairly sunny day, this is always appreciated by a wedding photographer as it makes it that much easier to expose correctly.

There was a humerous moment as the ceremony began where Hailey seemed to purposely take her time to make an appearance, the guests all made funny faces towards Brad, heckling him as if she wasn’t arriving – but of course she did 🙂 The whole ceremony was a light hearted affair, complete with several readings from family and friends. The whole thing was quite beautiful.

bride walking toward ceremony
Groom waiting
Bridal approach under flowers
Groom’s first look
smiling bride
Wedding at Al-Ru Farm
Al-Ru Farm wedding ceremony
smiling groom
Laughing bride
Guest speech during ceremony
Exchanging wedding rings
first kiss
just married
Exit from wedding ceremony at Al-Ru Farm
Al-Ru Farm wedding ceremony

Glamour Photos

Al-Ru farm is an incredible little gem hidden amongst the Adelaide hills, it almost seems purpose built to take stunning wedding photos wherever you venture – I could easily spend all day just wandering about the gardens with a couple and take awesome photos! After the usual family photos, Hailey, Brad and their bridal party went for a bit of a walk through the gardens making use of the incredible foliage available. From the trees, to the yellowed grass and the sunset setting over the pond – they were all amazing scenes. During the night we also head out to the lovely little greenhouse Al-Ru Farm has on site and I opened a smoke bomb, filling it with white smoke to create an awesome effect, worked really well!

Flying veil
hugs
bridal party on Al-Ru farm’s driveway
bridal party
Leaning against a tree
against a tree in Al-Ru farm
Amongst the foliage
Amongst the grass at Al-Ru farm
hugs in the grass
fun in the veil
kisses for the bride
Skipping groomsmen
Sunshine at Al-Ru farm
The famous Al-Ru farm pillars
Bright
Together along the pond
Al-Ru Farm pond
hugging bridal couple
bride pushing groom
Walking along the pond
Standing together on the pond
Al-Ru Farm pond photo
Sun set through the trees
Passionate kiss in the sun glow
Smokey greenhouse
Al-Ru Farm greenhouse wedding photo

Al-Ru Farm Wedding reception

Speaking about smoke – Hailey and Brad has a bit of smoke going all night on their dance floor – making it tricky to get shots of their first dance – but the ones that did turn out, turned out awesomely! Really adds to the atmosphere. Everyone involved at the reception all seemed like they had an awesome time, complete with copious amounts of drinking and fun times. 🙂

Al-Ru farm wedding reception hall
wedding sign
wedding cake setup
wedding cake topper
Wishing well
Bride and groom entrance
Cutting the wedding cake
Guests
Al-Ru farm wedding reception
bridal party
teary bride
best man speech
Daddy daughter dance
first dance in blue smoke
first dance
kisses on the dance floor
Bouquet toss
bouquet toss winner
fun on the dance floor
wee
groom on the dance floor
Girls having fun

I’d like to thank Hailey and Brad for having me as their wedding phtoographer – I had an awesome time at their wedding and I hope they enjoy their photos!