Winner of the 2017 People’s Choice photo of the year contest
So ends yet another year of wedding photography with the conclusion of my annual little contest! now all that needs to be done is to announce the Winner of the 2017 People’s Choice photo of the year contest. The below video lists all the entrants, with the finale being the winning image that will be receiving a large, framed print of their photo. Just a reminder that these are the favourite images chosen by the bride and groom from each respective wedding I covered during 2017. So it’s very interesting for me to see what others see in my photography as these images would not necessarily be the same images I would have chosen as my favourites from the weddingsd I covered in 2017. I actually put together a bit of a video my my own personal favourites here if you’re interested 🙂
Winner of the 2017 People’s Choice photo of the year
The $100 winning voter
I also give away $100 each year to a randomly chosen voter. If it weren’t for the voters on this little contest, the entire idea of having a contest wouldn’t work, so I do this just to thank everyone involved and hope you all come back next year to vote also! 😀
And the winner is…
Nathaniel!
Thanks so much to everyone who took part! 😀
Emma & Ashley
Milena & Steven
Chloe & Alex
Ciara & Max
Michelle & Jordan
Sheree & Shane
Jane & Roland
Kate & Callan
Anita & Albert
Anna & Jeremy
Lauren & David
Faith & Ryan
Lexi & Matt
Georgia & Ben
Carlee & Chris
Kylie & Matt
Lauren & Nic
Recent Sunday Mail Wedding Feature
Occasionally, the a wedding I photograph are given the honor of a Sunday Mail wedding feature – the Sunday Mail is a publication circulated around South Australia affiliated with the Advertiser. It’s a really neat occurrence when one of my weddings are covered by the largest newspaper publication in South Australia, especially when they dedicate 3/4 of a page in their weddings section! The wedding they chose to cover was Sheree and Shane’s wedding at the Glen Ewin Gatehouse which was highlighted by their use of wonderfully white horse and carriage!
Sunday Mail Weddings Feature
Sunday Mail Wedding Feature Excerpt
You never know when a seemingly minor decision will change the course of your life forever. Just ask Sheree and Shane, who met at a 40th birthday party they both nearly didn’t attend. That fateful event was at the Riverland in March 2014, and the couple have been together ever since. They got engaged during a holiday in Hawaii.
“We hired a convertible for the day, a Mustang, and it was the only day it rained,” the bride said, with a laugh. “We went to Turtle Bay and Shane proposed in front of the beach while the sun was setting.”
The couple held both ceremony and reception for 60 guests at Glen Ewin Estate in Houghton.
“We liked that it was very intimate and the staff were just wonderful,” Sheree said of the popular venue. “We also really liked that everything was there at the one place – and it wasn’t too far from the city – you feel like you’re far away but you’re not really.”
At the ceremony, the bride made a grand entrance with her father on a horse-drawn carriage. “It was such a highlight of the day,” the bride said, adding that the whole event was very family focused.
“Shane’s daughter, Abbie, and my niece, Ava, were my two junior bridesmaids and they did a special dance for us at our reception – that was really special. “They (the kids) just had a ball. By the end of the night their hair was everywhere … it was the cutest thing ever.”
The newlyweds cut a three-tiered cake by Lou-Lou Belle Cakes. Bridesmaid was Sofia Milojkovic and the groom’s daugher Abbie Coles was junior bridesmaid with the bride’s niece, Ava Field. Flower girls were Tori Barr and Asha Armet. Best man was Rebel McCloy, while groomsmen were the bride’s son, Blake Field-Bond, and the groom’s son, Lachlan Coles. Sheree is the daughter of Jim and Maxine Field, of Fullarton. Shane is the son of Gary and Sue Coles, of Redwood Park.
How being a Landscape photographer helps me with wedding photography
As many of you may know, I was crowned as South Australian Professional Landscape Photographer of the year through the annual state-based AIPP awards in 2016. I also happened to win the national title of Science photographer of the year at the national awards. One might think that this is a bit of a disconnect with being a better wedding photographer, and may be asking why I’m not winning the title of ‘Wedding Photographer of the year’. But I’d argue that due to my professional-level prowess in these other genres of photography, I’m able to approach wedding photography in a unique, laid-back and genuine way. It’s like having an professional chef come in and cook you dinner, it’s not as if that chef would only be capable of cooking a single meal would they? So how does being a successful Landscape photographer help at all with being a better wedding photographer?
Landscape photographer of the year 2016
How being Landscape Photographer of the year helps with Wedding Photography
Having done both landscape and wedding work professionally for over 5 years now, I’d just like to point out the type of adaptability required to move from one work situation to another. In the landscape field, people appreciate a huge amount of technical ability, and the ability to create works of art from the mundane. This skill set is easily transferred over to wedding photography as my work is always of a high calibre technically and I love to incorporate an ‘epic vibe’ to much of my work.
Having worked in a variety of different situations I have the experience to quickly adapt to whatever is thrown at me in regards to scenery, lighting and weather. It’s through my ability as a landscape and scientific photographer that I can quite quickly and easily adapt to anything a wedding throws at me, while also drawing on my 5 years experience of shooting weddings. Neither skillset is mutually exclusive of one another and it’s one thing that I feel sets me apart from other photographers, that and my additional services I provide for free.
Bride and Groom under trees
The general knowledge of photography needed to be successful in these fields also comes into play in a huge way. I am intimately familiar in how a camera works and frequently utilise home-made cameras to create some of my award winning work. While I’m no gear snob, and couldn’t care less how much your camera costs, I understand what equipment is needed to capture the shot the way I would like. It’s for this reason my work looks the way it does, it’s the root of my artistry. Say I want to use a sun flare or sunset happening behind my bride and groom, the same knowledge is used when thinking about shooting a landscape.
Glenelg sunset
Being so successful in other genres of photography also allows me to see things in ways others don’t. I hate being a cookie cutter at my weddings, I cringe at how many photographers approach weddings by taking all the same shots at every single wedding they do. Of course there are some shots that just work and look amazing, but every single one? I think it’s important to personalise each wedding based on the personality of the bride and groom, and I shoot accordingly using my knowledge in all genres of photography.
Through the foliage at Bridgewater Mill
Due to my work in a variety of different genres, I’ve also become quite proficient in photoshop. This would also be due to my several degrees in Multimedia and associated subjects, but it’s truly doing the work that gives me the practice. It’s a lot of fun too 🙂 The below photo may not be suited to every wedding, but I think it demonstrates the technical ability in photoshop I have garnered through my prowess in other genres of photography, and not just weddings.
Star wars wedding at Auchendarroch House
For a bit of a taste of my Landscape work if you’re interested, I have a separate website built to showcase my work at https://stevenduncanart.com
