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Crafers West NYE 20s Theme Wedding – Alana & James

February 28, 2020/in Wedding preview, Wedding /by Steven Duncan

Alana & James
Crafers West NYE 20s Theme wedding

Alana and James opted to make their wedding a little bit of fun by holding their big day on New Years eve, and have a 20s theme wedding. All their guests would dress up in 1920s era clothing with a nod towards the fact that they were ringing in the 2020s. There were pin striped suits and flapper dresses galor on top of the hill at Crafers West and their reception ‘roared’ right into the early morning hours!

Preparation

Both Alana and James had made it fairly clear to me that they werent a huge fan of having photos taken, and requested that I mainly stay in the shadows for the entire day taking more candid shots of what was going on. This included the preparation period of the day. So after having set up the photo booth at the venue in Crafers West, I head down to the friend’s house that James was being prepared in. Alana and Jame’s son was getting ready there too, and made the whole scene a delight with his silly antics.

Groom Wedding shoes

Helping the little one

Putting on shoes

Putting on tie in bathroom

Looking out the door at guests

Groom getting ready in hallway

Groom getting ready at door

Boys hanging out

Having some fun

Pearls of wisdom

Hanging wedding jacket

Groom enjoying himself

Alana was being prepared nearby in the family home, surrounded by family and friends, and while most people I shoot state that they dont like being in front of a camera, I’m that kind of a photographer that likes to sneak in a shot or two during totally oragnic moments that capture a proper smile and authentic emotion. Thats what I feel as though wedding photography is all about!

Wedding dress hanging in hallway

brides wedding shoes

Girls having a chat

Putting on jewelery

Bride looking pretty in hallway

Little one looking on

Bride playing with bouquet

Smiling bride in natural light

Guests looking on

Bride having fun before the ceremony

Guests in kitchen

Crafers West NYE 20s Theme Wedding Ceremony

Usually when I do a writeup of a wedding I have covered as a wedding photographer, I like to make sure everyone knows the venue, however the venue that Alana and James chose isnt actually on the map. Although the oowners live on site, it is a venue that is public, and has held weddings and events in the past, but it’s not published anywhere due to the owners not feeling as though the site isnt quite ready yet. It is an amazing spot in Crafers West though, with sweeping views of Glenelg and everything inbetween. The fun part of having a New years Eve wedding here was that we could watch the Glenelg fireworks at 9pm and 12pm, although they were quite small and far away.

Asthis was a 20s theme wedding ceremony, all of Alana and James’ guests had dressed for the part and watched them get married over the nifty little duck pond found at the center of the property. Alana and James had set up their arbour overlooking the view, and although it was a fairly cloudy, and smokey day due to bushfires, it was a stunning view.

Groom patiently waiting

bride arriving at Crafers west

Under the arbour looking over Glenelg

Smiling couple during the wedding ceremony

Crafers west NYE 20s Theme wedding ceremony

Couple holding hands

Listening to his vows

20s Theme wedding ceremony

Hand fasting ceremony closeup

first kiss overlooking Crafers West

Walking back along the bridge together

Glamour Photos

As I mentioned earlier, glamour photos were not a thing Alana and James were looking forward to, so I made sure that our glamour shoots were short and to the point. I had them walk along the driveway surrounding the reception venue twice and that was it – I then tried to use some of the natural features of the garden during the night when convenient.

Walking along the driveway overlooing Glenelg

Dancing along the ridge together

Walking amongst the bush

Closeup smiles

Looking straight at camera

Walking together along the driveway surrounding the reception

Standing together with the arbour in the background

Together amongst the tall grass

Standing in the glowing haze of the dying sun

Hugs in the last light of 2019

Crafers West NYE 20s Theme Wedding Reception

The main event of the entire day was really the reception party – Alana and James had sources several food carts and caterers to feed and water their guests, while also making a splsh with an impressive champagn flute pyramid which was filled up towards the end of the night. All their guests were very chummy with one another which made the whole 20s theme wedding really come together nicely and made the whole night a joy to be a part of!

20s theme wedding outfits

Guest through leaves

20s theme wedding getups

MC doing his thing

Aerial view of the Crafers West property

Smiling bub

Boys playing cricket

Guests hugging in the twilight

Giant jenga game

Lifting

Talking guests at sundown

Speeches with bride

Wedding cheese cake

Guests having a good trime

Watching the fireworks on their wedding day

Glasses pyramid

Having fun on the dance flor

Stting about chatting

Pointing at the camera

chatting in their 20s themed outfits

Bouquet toss

Thanks a bunch to Al;ana and James for having me as your wedding photographer! 😀

Surprise Backyard Wedding in Woodville – Natasha & Jono

February 21, 2020/in Wedding preview, Wedding /by Steven Duncan

Natasha & Jono
Surprise Backyard Wedding

Natasha and Jono held their wedding in their backyard on what turned out to be a lovely day surrounded by intimate family and friends who had mostly travelled to Adelaide for their engagement party. Natasha and Jono decided, considering everyone had travelled to attend their party, they’ll turn their engagement party into their Surprise Backyard wedding instead. An alternative was going to be holding their wedding on a beach in New Zealand, but they figured it’d be easier for everyone if they held it here, in their backyard. 🙂

Preparation

Natasha and her bridal party were geting ready with a small selection of family and friends in a house nearby. I took photos of the girls getting ready, and together in their custom kimonos, before heading over to the boys before Natasha had put on her dress – as I was going to get that shot ust before the ceremony when she changes again.

Chatting in the garage

Wedding shoes on bed

Gran looking on

Laughing in mirror

Bridesmaids helping out

Putting on makeup

Girls together

Doing the hair

Hanging wedding dress

Jono and his groomsmen were getting ready on site at the couple’s home in Woodville. In between putting on their shirts, and trying on their new fedoras, they were also running about putting some finishing touches on small parts of the wedding reception setup in the backyard.

Smiling groomsman

Groom wearing a hat

Groom finishing up

Wedding rings with bowtie

Groom’s flowers

Groom walking the hallways

Smiling groomsman

Smiles all round

Putting on groomsman tie

Putting on shirt

Glamour photos

As their engagement party ruse was set up as an evening affair, with a marquee set up on the back lawn and food and drink available for dinner; Natasha and Jono decided to have their glamour photos done prior to their wedding ceremony. We head down to the Semaphore Beach to make use of the pristine sand and dunes available there for family photos, before heading just up the road a bit for the more photo friendly Largs Bay jetty.

bride and groom with their dog

Bride and groom on the beach together

bride and groom walking along the beach

Bridal party on the beach

bride and groom on Semaphore beach

Bride and Groom next to Semaphore Jetty

Bridal party on top of Semaphore Jetty

Bride and groom celebrating their wedding on Semaphore Beach

Semaphore Beach wedding photo

Bride and groom under the Largs Bay Jetty

Largs Bay Jetty wedding photo

To add a little bit of variety to the photos, and also because the sky was looking a little grey, I suggested heading through Port Adelaide and using the famed Crozier Street for a bit of an industrial slant to Natasha and Jono’s photos.

Bride standing in front of doorway

Bride and groom on crozier st

Bride and her bridesmaids together in a doorway

Bridal Party playing rugby on Crozier st

Bridal party chilling in Port Adelaide

Crozier street wedding photo

Black and White Crozier street

Bride and groom having fun in a doorway

Surprise Backyard Wedding Ceremony

Many of Natasha and Jono’s guests had travelled from around Australia and New Zealand in order to attend their engagement party that was set up in their backyard, and they continued this ruse riught up until the beginning of the wedding ceremony where Jono’s groomsmen carried out the arbour that was hidden in their shed. Natasha snuck off during a time where guests were mingling and settling in for a fun night of celebration to change into her wedding dress again before reemerging.

Talking to guests

Bride out waiting for guests to arrive

Kids having fun the the marquee

Bride playing with kids

Waiting for the Surprise Backyard wedding to start

Welcome to country

Bride and groom listening to the Welcome to country

Bride peeking out window

Smiling bride

Many of their guests were quite surprised about attending their wedding there and then, whichwas great to see! It’s often the case that the surprise is ruined well before by something, but their surprise wedding was quite successful! The ceremony itself was a nice affair with Aboriginal and Maori traditions coming together, complete with a ‘Welcome to country‘, Maori songs, and even a didgeridoo procession. It was lovely to be a part of!

Groom waiting out the front

Groom waiting patiently

Bridal approach

Groom seeing bride at the wedding ceremony

Start of the wedding ceremony

Surprise Backyard wedding ceremony

Maori song

Groom looking at his bride

Holding hands during the ceremony

Bride looking at her groom

Backyard wedding ceremony

Exchanging wedding bands

Surprise wedding ceremony setup

First kiss under the arbour

Excited bride and groom

Digeridoo in the wedding ceremony

Smiles all round

Bride and groom exit

Surprise Backyard Wedding Reception

All the food was set up on a long table within their shed out the back, which guests were asked to serve themselves from, and drnks wer self served from a pretty neat rental bar with several different drinks on tap. During the night I took Natasha and Jono to a nearby spot to make use of the incredible sunset that had set in, and also made sure to get some of the spaklers within the photos during their first dance. It was a great night!

The food

Sunset on the oval

New Zealnad Themed wedding cake

Bridal speech

Cutting the cake together

First dance in the Surprise Backyard wedding

Surprise Backyard wedding under the marquee

Sunset

First dance with sparklers

Speech

Having fun during the first dance

MC doing her thing

Smiling bride during the first dance

Lolly bar

I’d like to thank Natasha and Jono for havingme be a part of their Surprise Backyard wedding, and I hope they enjoy their photos! 🙂

The Best Wedding Photography from 2019

February 13, 2020/0 Comments/in Interesting, Wedding /by Steven Duncan

SvenStudios’ Best Wedding Photography 2019

It’s almost that time of year again, when I finally have all the previous year’s wedings edited and sent out to my loving couples! As I mentioned before in my 2019 wrap up, last year has been as absolute gangbuster year with no less than 37 weddings covered, with almost half (17) of those coming within October, Novemeber and December last year! As of writing this, I still have 2 weddings to edit and send out from 2019, but I feel its time to showcase some of my best wedding photography from 2019!

I’ve head back into each and every wedding I covered last year and chose 2-3 of my favourite photos from each, while also making an effort to showcase photography from different periods of a wedding day – not just the glamour, pin-up photos. I’ve then stuck them to music in a simple little slideshow which I’ve uploaded below. I like to do this every year as a bit of a learning experience for me, so look back at my work in reflection and figure out why and how some things worked while I was taking the photos.

The Best Wedding Photography from 2019

These are my own personal favourites, and I’ve certainly omitted quite a few, but I did limit myself in only selecting 2-3 photos from each wedding. I also like to run a contest each year where I ask each of my previous year’s couples to select their single favourite photo from their own wedding and put it to a vote on my website. The winner of the popular vote goes home with a large framed print of their selection, while I get some valuable insight as to what people see in my work, which is invaluable.

So Look out for this year’s edition of the SvenStudios photo of the year contest on my Facebook page, which I plan to begin at the beginning of March, after I’ve completed these last two weddings I’m editing at the moment. All voters also go into the draw to win $100 cash, so it’s worthwhile to vote! I’ve sent out an email to each of my couples from last year seeking their favourite photo, however some emails go unread, so if you’re reading this and I covered your wedding during 2019, get in contact with your favourite photo and I’ll put it in the draw! This contest isn’t just for research into how I take my photos, it’s also run as a bit of a thankyou to all my previous year’s couples for having me as your wedding photographer!

Burbrook Forest Wedding – Brooke & Lachlan

February 6, 2020/1 Comment/in Wedding preview, Wedding /by Steven Duncan

Brooke & Lachlan
Burbrook Forest Wedding

Since Brooke and Lachlan got in contact with me to cover their wedding at Burbrook Forest, I had been looking forward to it as it’s in my opinion one of the best wedding venues in all of South Australia! I may also be biased as it was the venue for my own wedding, but anyway…

The weather was perfect, the trees were beautiful, and the day just turned out to be so awesome that I included a record number of photos on their USB, more than I have ever included on a USB 😛

Preparation

The day started for me at Brooke and Lachlan’s house in which they were in the middle of selling, so the whole place was set up like some sort of display home – perfectly clean and prepared to look awesome. This made my job that much easier! All of Lachlan’s groomsmen were being prepared along side his parents which made for a wonderfully heartfelt time!

groom enjoying himself

Groom walking out door

Mum adjusting ties

Groom getting ready by window

Wedding ring box

Groom and groomsmen on road

Groom smiling in mirror

Groom by window

0 days to go

Wedding rings on shoes

Dad putting on grooms tie

Groomsmen gifts

Mum looking on

Similarly Brooke was being prepared alongside all of her bridesmaids, her parents and even a gaggle of kids who made for some cute distraction to any wedding nerves that people may have been feeling. Brooke had found a delightful bed and breakfast just up the road from Kuitpo hall, and Burbrook forest which was super convenient, and also stunningly beautiful as a backdrop for their preparation photos!

Bride looking in mirror

wedding dress hanging in tree

engagement ring in flowers of bouquet

wedding shoes in tree

The bridal party together

Bridal affects

Little flower girl

Helping Dad get ready

Kids sitting together

Bridal book

Bride getting ready

Bridal party helping out

Dad’s first look of bride

Smiles all round

Bride standing alone looking pretty

bridal party ready to go

Burbrook Forest Wedding Ceremony

Brooke and Lachlan’s wedding day took place on a very hot and sunny day in which the nearby Kuitpo forest had been closed due to fire danger. Luckily, the privately owned Burbrook forest had no such restrictions so their wedding ceremony could take place with no interruptions. The tall trees surrounding the lovely gnarly ‘wedding tree’ (as it’s affectionately known) supplied some nice shade for the entire wedding congregation, and actually made the area quite comfortable.

The Burbrook forest wedding tree would not look out of place in any Harry Potter film, and it mades for an imposing setting for a wedding ceremony where the bride and groom would stand under it, with guests looking up at them with the tree overlooking the whole clearing. It’s quite a sight.

Wedding sign at burbrook forest

Guests waiting

groom waiting patiently

bridal arrival

Bride walking with Dad

Groom’s first look at Burbrook forest

Holding one another under the wedding tree

Wedding party standing under the tree

Together under the wedding tree

Burbrook forest wedding ceremony

Wedding ceremony

Groom smiling during ceremony

Bride smiling during ceremony

Burbrook forest wedding tree

Wedding under the wedding tree in Kuitpo

Guest speech

Kuitpo forest wedding

Holding hands

First kiss under the wedding tree

Burbrook Forest Glamour Photos

The main appeal for holding a wedding at Burbrook forest is using the awesome rows of pine trees with the sunlight shining through to create a stunning effect in photos. it’s a big reason why my wife and I also chose to be married here! After the family photos, we made sure to make use of these trees and sweeping views around the forest. We also made some time later in the day, during the reception to head back for the sun setting through the trees.

Unfortunately some clouds had appeared, hiding the sunset proper, but I’m pretty good with photoshop so… 🙂 It’s also a bit of a fun story to know that behind Brooke and Lachlan in some of the photos is Brooke’s mother crouching down spraying some ‘atmosphere in a can’ to frame them in a bit of a neat haze for the photos.

Sun shining on bride and groom

Bridal party standing in Kuitpo forest

Burbrook forest bridal hug

Bride and groom walking about Burbrook forest

Kisses for the bride

Bride and groom in front of bridal party

Bride and groom in burbrook forest

bridal party standing in Burbrook forest

under the veil together

Loving embrace in the forest

Bride and groom against a tree

Bridal party walking otgether in Burbrook forest

Sunset

Bride and groom in amongst the trees

Kisses in the forest

Sun peeking through Burbrook forest

Bride and groom sitting in front of wedding tree

Together amongst the trees at Kuitpo forest

Dark shot in Burbrook forest

Veil floating about Burbrook forest

Kuitpo Hall Wedding Reception

Kuitpo Hall, which is conveniently just down the road from Burbrook forest is a beautifully rustic spot to hold a wedding reception at. This is particularly true on a warm night, like what Brooke and Lachlan enjoyed, where guests can enjoy the large grassy field outside the hall itself. Brooke and Lachlan had the entire area lit with outside lighting and well stocked with barrels, and outside furniture so everyone was comfortable.

Wedding cake at Kuitpo Hall

Bridal party entrance

cutting the wedding cake

photos with guests

wedding favour

Wedding sign hanging at Kuitpo Hall

Bride and groom in Kuitpo hall

Guests having fun

Guests enjoying themselves

Dad speech

Bridal party speech

best man giving a speech

First dance at Kuitpo Hall

First dance at Kuitpo Hall at night

Daddy daughter dance at Kuitpo Hall

Kuitpo Hall wedding reception

I’d like to thank Brooke and Lachlan for having my wife and I as a part of their wedding day! I had a blast as their wedding photographer at their Burbrook forest wedding and I hope they enjoy their photos as much as I enjoyed taking them!

Woodstock Winery Wedding – Michelle & Ryan

January 25, 2020/1 Comment/in Wedding preview, Wedding /by Steven Duncan

Michelle & Ryan
Woodstock Winery Wedding

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.