=The beautiful Saint Dimitrios Orthodox Church was the backdrop to baby Iliana’s baptism in mid September. This incredible church is lined wall to wall with ornate decorations detailing the stories of the bible and makes for an incredible backdrop for anything as a wedding venue to baptisms.
Being a part of little Iliana’s Saint Dimitrios Orthodox Church Baptism was an absolute honour to be a part of and was delightful to see such a large congregation come together for such a special ceremony.=
Iliana’s Saint Dimitrios Orthodox Church Baptism
Iliana’s whole family turned up to witness her christening and her transition into holy life, which was wonderful to see. Carried by her god mother and assisted thoughout the ceremony, little Iliana was quite brave throughout, with only a little cry as the priests immersed her into the holy water. Once she was out however, she was quite happy again!
I got to have a bit of a chat with the church hand who was setting up for baby Ilania’s Saint Dimitiros Orthodox Church Baptism, and I was astounded to find out that the church was purpose built for things like baptisms, with a plumbed chalice for the holy immersion right at the center of the stage – meaning that the transport of that much water need not be a hassle! I just thought that was interesting.
Iliana before the ceremony
Iliana and Dad
Iliana greeting guests
Iliana’s Christening dress
Entering Saint Dimitrios Church
Approaching the front of the church
The priest
Iliana looking around
Saint Dimitrios Orthodox church baptism
Iliana getting changed
Guests looking on
Iliana being baptised
Iliana being placed into holy water
Saint Dimitios Orthodox Church Baptism
Upset bub
Upset baby during christening
Putting on crucifix
Surrounding baby Iliana
Church details
Baby iliana getting her dress put on
bressings from the priest
Greek Orthodox church
Baby iliana during her christening
Godmother and baptised little one
Saint Dimitrios Orthodox Church Baptism photo
Godmother with little one
Family together at front of church
Kisses from guests
Family together in front of church
Baby Iliana on church floor
After the ceremony, the whole family congregated at Svago on Unley road for a shared lunch and speeches thanking everyone involved. It was a wonderful day to be a part of and capture with my photography!
5 Tips To Achieve Perfect Wedding Photos Without A Photographer
Planning a wedding is perhaps one of the most exciting journeys in one’s life. The joy of sharing such a milestone with the person you want to spend the rest of your days with is quite an experience you wish to intimately remember in more ways than one. However, a wedding is also a bed of roses that consists of challenges you need to overcome as a couple.
Among these challenges would be the financial burden that a wedding can painstakingly take its toll on you. Even if you want the best for your special day, the budget can restrict you from having the best and the most expensive things. But of course, there’s no way you’re letting the burden get the best of you. Instead, you have to think of ways to achieve the wedding of your dreams on a budget.
Wedding Photography 101: Sans The Photographer
Naturally, your instinct would be to make a list of wedding preps and effects that you can downgrade or possibly get rid of so you can save more money. For sure, not hiring a professional photographer has crossed your mind, especially after knowing the typical rates of such services nowadays. Capturing wedding photos without a photographer is sure to save a chunk of money!
Personally as a professional photographer myself, I’d always advise against foregoing such an expense, as the photography you receive as a result of your wedding often represents the only memories you will retain going forward with your life. However I am also realistic with the notion that photographs are not always the most important items on people’s checklists. Hence this blog post! This may also help you realise how valuable having someone who has the experience is!
Wedding Photos
If you’re wondering if you could make it work, here are some tips you can try to achieve the perfect wedding photos without a photographer:
Invest In A Good Camera
You may think that this isn’t a practical tip since you still have to shell out money to purchase your first camera. However, if you think about it, investing in a good one won’t only mean having the ability to take beautiful and high-quality photos for your big day. Even when the day is over, the camera stays with you, and you can use it for other special memories you want to capture as you embark on your married life.
Moreover, there are several digital single-lens reflex (DSLR) cameras in the market that you can consider based on your budget. They’re fairly easy to use and won’t even require professional skills to operate them. Alternatively, you can consider buying a second-hand camera that can serve the same purpose.
Know What Accessories You Need
To make sure your camera will work as expected, you might want to consider purchasing additional gear and accessories for an ultimate setup. A tripod, for one, can greatly help in stabilizing the camera. Hence, you won’t need to worry about blurry or out-of-focus shots.
Having a tripod also makes it possible to get photos of you and your spouse together, mainly if no one else knows how to use the gear. Group shots are also achievable because of this incredible accessory.
Just make sure you learn how to assemble and attach the timer so you won’t have a hard time navigating it when the day of the wedding comes. Also, find out how to set the camera’s timer, which will be greatly useful when you’re taking group and couple shots.
Make Use Of Beautiful And Natural Backdrops
If you’re having an outdoor wedding, you won’t run out of beautiful and creative ideas for a backdrop. Trees and flowering plants will suffice if you want to capture candid and romantic photos of yourself and your partner. If you can’t find such options, you can also take pictures in the venue with a stunning view or setting.
If you know you won’t have enough natural backdrops to utilize, you can prepare a dedicated corner in the venue where you can set up a photo booth of some sort. You can then adorn it with artificial or fresh flowers, depending on your budget.
Ask Your Guests And Friends
Although you can try, it’s nearly impossible to do all the picture taking yourself. There’ll be times when you need to entertain your wedding guests, so it’s also a good idea to ask your friends if they can hold the camera for a few minutes and start snapping away when you’re too occupied to do it.
If you have friends who are good with cameras, try to ask for their help. Just be sure not to burden them entirely because, of course, they also want to enjoy the day as much as everyone else does.
You could also host a bit of a ‘photo hunt‘ with your guests using a QR code based photo collection app like Selfbooth. This gives your guests a bit of a gamified reason to head out and take photos for you during your day, and with everyone with a smart phoone on them these days should result in a lot of photos.
Wedding photo hunt invitation encourages guests to capture and share memorable moments using a QR code, with a list of suggested shots to photograph.
Seize The Lighting
If you don’t know it yet, certain times of the day are considered the best times to take amazing photos. The golden hour, for example, is when the sunlight is less squinting and can look naturally beautiful when taken at a good angle. To achieve perfect wedding photos, it’s recommended you start your pictorial at least an hour before sunset.
You can use the camera’s flash to avoid getting annoying shadows on faces, especially if you’re doing the shoot outdoors. Additionally, pay extra attention to everything around your image. Eyesores can easily get captured in your photos, such as garbage cans or a tree branch obscuring your face.
Wedding photos in album
Final Thoughts
Wedding photos don’t have to be expensively taken for them to be beautiful. Sometimes, all it takes is a good eye and enough preparation on your end. If you want to save chunks of money on your wedding day, consider taking your own photos. Just be sure to consider some of the tips above so you can have perfect photos.
I’m not going to lie, being your own photographer and shooting wedding photos without a photographer is going to be tricky, but it probably can be done!
Verity and Jake’s Quince Brook wedding took place on an absolutely sunning day in late August. The wedding venue being the fortunate backup to another nearby, and what a spot it is!
Quince Brook boasts rolling green hills over farmland that goes on for as far as the eye can see, and suited Verity and Jake’s care free personalities to a ‘tee’.
Preparation
I started out the day just up the road from the Quince Brook wedding venue, at a delightful bed and breakfast where Verity and her entouage were being prepared. The Evansdale Villas are perched right at the top of the rolling hills that surround Strathalbyn, and are surrounded by farmland, complete with cows and wonderful looking trees that are great to hang dresses in!
verity and her bridesmaids were jovial all throughout the preparation process, and had little flower girls and page boys to run about to have a bit of fun.
It ‘s always nice to see the reaction of the father of the bride when he first walks in and shees his little girl done up in her wedding dress!
makeup
Engagement ring in flowers
Bridal ugg boots
Bride looking in mirror
Wedding dress hanging in tree
Kids squishing faces
Looking at the camera
Father’s first look at daughter
bridal party fussing over bride
Bride standing by herself
Bride and bridal party together
Bridal party on dirt road
Quince Brook Wedding Ceremony
Verity and Jake’s Quince Brook wedding ceremony took place under a large gum tree, behind the large shed that serves as a rustic hall suitable for receptions. Their guests sat and stood around them on the lush, green grass as they witnessed these two beautiful people come together.
Verity and Jake’s little dog got special mentions during their ceremony, and included numerous heartfelt tidbits from their relationship.
Smiling groom
Groom striking a pose
Kids arriving
Bridal entrance at Quince brook wedding
Grooms first look at his quince brook wedding
Smiling bride looking at her groom
Fur baby
bride and groom together at their Quince Brook Wedding
smiling groom looking at his bride
Quince brook wedding ceremony
Quince brook wedding ceremony landscape
Exchanging wedding rings
First kiss at Quince Brook wedding
Bride and groom exit from their Quince Brook wedding ceremony
Glamour Photos
Walking about and taking glamour photos at Quince Brook was an absolute breeze. My affinity for the natural surroundings really helped out with what was available surrounding the property!
After a short time of mingling with guests and enjoying themselves, Verity, Jake and I went for a little walk out over the rolling hills to take some intimate photos together in amongst the gum trees, before calling on the bridal party to come with us in the opposite direction to make use of the driveway and the setting sun.
I big fun part of a Quince Brook wedding is the fact that there are rather tame cows just wandering around the property, which allowed us to get a few different shots featuring these bovine friends! A really sweet aspect of the day was that a calf was born on the morning of Verity and Jake’s wedding, and the owners named the newborn Verity – after the bride!
Very cute.
Bride and groom with their fur baby
Flower girls playing in the bride’s veil
Bride and groom leaning on a gum tree
Sharing a hug under the sun light
Bride and groom standing looking at the camera
Bride and groom through the gum trees
Bride and groom dancing in the gum trees
head butt
Close up of bride and groom looking at camera
Bride and groom leaning on separate gum trees
Getting close and personal
Quince Brook wedding photo
Bride and groom in front of the Quince Brook wedding venue
Cow watching the bride and groom
Bride and groom in the cow paddock
bridesmaids and groomsmen
bridesmaids and groomsmen through the faces of the bride and groom
Skipping towards the bridal party
Bridal party
bride and groom in the sunlight
Ministry of silly walks wedding photo
bride and groom checking out the cow
bridal party lost amongst the trees
bridal party trying to rip the bride and groom apart
The calf named after Verity
Wedding photo during Quince Brook Wedding
Quince Brook Wedding Reception
Verity and Jake’s wedding reception which look place in the large shed, just behind where their held their ceremony was full of heartfelt speeches, plenty of food and a bunch of people there to really have a great time!
Verity and Jake’s beautiful personalities shone through with the way their speech makers talked about them, and in the way they went about celebrating their big night! From the first dance, to the cutting of the cake, it was all just a joy to be a part of!
Wedding sign at Quince Brook wedding
Green wedding cake
Bride and groom entrance to reception
Bride and groom dancing
Bride and groom with their wedding cake
Food platters
Speeches
Speech giver
bride and groom giving their speech
First dance closeup
First dance at Quince Brook wedding
Mother son dance
On the dance floor
I’d like to thank Verity and Jake for having me as their wedding photographer! I had an absolute blast shooting your wedding, and I hope you enjoy your photos! You guys are absolute gems, and I wish you all the best in your married life!
So it’s finally your wedding day. You spent so much time planning it and making sure all the preparations go accordingly that you found yourself stressing over it for the past several months. Now that the much-awaited moment of your life has come, all you have to do is live your best day and hope it doesn’t end too soon!
When you hire wedding photographers to document the most memorable occasion of your life, you may tend to feel conscious about each pose you and your partner make. You can’t help but be nervous about how the photos will turn out, especially if you aren’t used to being in front of a camera. It’s crucial to avoid overthinking the situation because you aren’t strictly required to pose. In fact, depending on the style of photographer you choose, your photographers will prefer it if you keep it as natural and candid as possible!
Keep reading below to find out some of the best wedding moments that can be perfectly captured on camera without the need to pose so much.
Monique Anthony
5 Wedding Moments That Look Good When Naturally Captured
Trying on the Dress
It’s every bride’s dream to wear the perfect wedding dress on their big day. You spend months or even years finding inspiration for the dress you want, looking for a reliable tailor, and waiting for the day you can finally fit into it. On your wedding day, when you finally put on the gown, you don’t have to think about anything and let the natural emotions flow—and that precise moment makes for an unforgettable wedding photo.
Al-Ru Farm bridal preparation
The Groom’s Preparation
Just like the bride, the wedding is also a groom’s big day, so he should also be given his fair share of the spotlight. While a groom’s preparation can much faster than the bride’s, every step involved counts—from putting on the shoes, buttoning the suit jacket, and buckling the belt, to wearing the watch and securing the bow tie in place. The groom’s preparation should also be best captured as naturally as possible to really showcase the emotions leading up to the actual ceremony.
Groom staring out window
The Walk Down the Aisle
The most stereo-typical moment of every wedding is when everyone is gathered at your wedding venue waiting for the bride to finally walk down the aisle. As soon as she enters, the groom finally gets to lay his eyes on his soon-to-be wife—which is a moment of pure magic.
Given its intense nature, it’s the very moment that has to be captured candidly because you don’t have to think about anything else—not even the photographers. All you have to do is focus on the moment and see the people you love, especially the person you’re looking forward to spending the rest of your life with.
Bride arriving
The Slices of Life
Part of wedding photography is ensuring that not all the necessary poses have to be serious and planned out all the time. The random moments where everyone is laughing and having a good time are the ones that are best captured on camera, without you even remembering that there are photographers present. They often happen during the preparation and the reception.
Laughing couple
The Couple Shots
Even though there will still be times that a wedding photographer will ask you to do specific poses, you can play around with the shot however you like. If it comes down to the intimate couple photos where you’re strolling along the wedding venue, you can genuinely be yourself with your partner. It’s one of the few moments you can be together, and there’s no one with you, so you should savour the moment and let the photographers do their magic.
Kangraoo Island Elopement photoshoot
A wedding happens only once in your lifetime. Instead of going over how you want it to happen, it’s best to let things be and enjoy every second of it. When it comes to wedding photography, you can leave it to the experts and let them handle the shots—because more often than not, the candid photos make the best memories. The wedding moments captured by your photographer will better represent you as a couple, rather than a contrived overly-posed ‘representation’ of the day.
Clare and Craig’s Mount Torren’s Hotel wedding took place in lieu of a larger wedding they had planned right back before all this COVID stuff happened. Instead of having dozens of friends and family members in attendance, they opted to hold a tiny little ceremony at the delightful new Mount Torrens Hotel wedding venue in late August, with the plan of holding a large reception once everyone is able to travel again.
Mount Torrens Hotel Wedding Ceremony
The Mount Torrens Hotel wedding spot is an old, rustic little barn which according to Craig they had only just emptied of trash ready for their wedding ceremony! The Hotel boasts a delightful rustic vibe with old-world charm within and without the hotel itself, while also being surrounded by a beautiful little town, and a grassy area that would be suited for a large marquee – should the need arise.
Clare and Craig were drawn to this simple little corner of the world as they said they enjoy seeking out the simple beauty in smaller locations like this – which I felt made this wedding that much more intimate.
Around 10 witnesses were in attendance, those which could not attend made use of my 360 virtual reality recording I produce for all the weddings I cover, which makes the fact that not being able to attend that much more bareable.
Clare walked down the aisle to some very untraditional heavy metal, while the area was also decorated with fluffy dinosaurs and other things which made the space uniquely theirs.
Groom waiting patiently
Mount Torrens Hotel wedding decor
Bride arriving in gown
Bride arriving at Mount Torrens hotel wedding
Groom seeing his bride for the first time
bride arrival at Mount Torrens hotel wedding
Holding hands during ceremony at Mount Torrens hotel wedding
Groom looking at his bride
Wedding Ceremony at the Mt Torrens Hotel barn
Wedding Ceremony at the Mt Torrens Hotel
Smiling bride looking at her groom at the ceremony
Bride and groom holding hands during the ceremony
Mount Torrens Hotel wedding
Exchanging wedding rings during the wedding ceremony
Mount Torrens Hotel wedding ceremony
First kiss at Mount Torrens Hotel wedding ceremony
Groom thanking guests
Bride hugging guests
Glamour Photos
After the group photos which we took in front of the barn’s brick wall behind the Mount Torrens Hotel wedding venue, we head off to a nearby farm which Clare and Craig had found online after a bit of a shout out on social media, simply looking for someplace nice to take photos in.
The farmstead boasted a lovely curated garden, somplete with walkways and little wooden brides and huts which we made use of, before also making use of the natural Australian bush land in the dying sun of the day. I really enjoyed myself here as the sun was shining through the foliage in the most delightful way!
Clare and Craig told me that they had chosen me as their wedding photographer as they liked the way I managed to capture not only a bridal couple, but also the simple elegance of the landscape around them without drawing too much attention away from the subject of the image.
Getting comments like this is really what being a photographer was all about and it really made me smile! Not only because these lovely people enjoyed my work, but also the fact that I was with them on such a delightful day in which it was super easy to produce such wonderful work!
Bride and groom together at their Mount Torrens Hotel Wedding
Mount Torrens Hotel wedding photo
groomsmen
bride and groom under little hut
bride and groom under little hut traditional portrait
bride and groom through flowers
Bride and groom amongst the foliage
Bridal party together on the road
Together on the road surrounded by gum trees
Groomsmen cufflinks
bride ad groom in between two trees
bride ad groom in between two large trees
Bridal party amongst tree plantation
Bridal party amongst trees
Bride and groom backdropped by sunlight
Bride and groom with sun peeking through
Bride and groom in tree plantation
bride and groom amongst young trees
bride and groom together
I had an absolute blast photographing Clare and Craig’s wedding day, doubly so as I wanted to help them out as much as possible as Clare is a member of the CFS, who battled the huge fires at the beginning of 2019 – and are just lovely people all round. I wanted to do my part in putting some smiles on Clare and Craig’s faces and I hope they weren’t too dissapointed in not holding their large wedding, and having to postpone to a later date!
