Tag Archive for: photography

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Adelaide Botanic Gardens Wedding – Ciara & Max

  • CIARA & MAX

    Adelaide Botanic Gardens Wedding

    Adelaide Botanic Gardens Wedding

It was a beautifully sunny day for Ciara and Max’s Adelaide Botanic Gardens wedding in April, which was great considering the kind of unpredictable weather we had been having leading up to the big day. With Ciara’s Irish heritage and Max’s Korean heritage, their wedding was a wonderful example of the coming together of two very separate cultures within one of the most multicultural of cities, Adelaide. I was asked to be their wedding photographer for the entire day, and we made good use of the time, covering a lot of ground to get the most diverse portfolio of wedding photography as possible in and around the Adelaide CBD and botanic gardens.

Preparation

I was to cover the preparation of just Ciara and her bridal party, who were getting ready nearby in the Mayfair hotel, as Max was spending the morning running about putting final finishing touches on things before the wedding ceremony. The girls were fairly laid back and had a lovely morning being pampered and getting pretty. Unfortunately the plan was to have a few photos taken in the upstairs Hennessy rooftop bar, only to find out it required a prior booking. This didn’t dampen spirits however while we took a few photos in and around the hotel room instead.

Adelaide Botanic Gardens Wedding Ceremony

Ciara and Max’s Adelaide Botanic Gardens Wedding Ceremony took place on the far side of the gardens, nearby the ‘Friends Gates’ on Plane Tree drive. The location boasts a beautiful grassy area, bordered by a small stream and a picturesque footbridge in the background of the whole setting. Despite the Adelaide Botanic Gardens being a public place, the venue can easily host around 3-4 weddings on the same day in different locations around the gardens without having too much of a hassle with members of the public wandering in the way of any photos or guests attending a wedding. The area also provides for some top notch vantage points for some incredible wedding photography, so I always enjoy visiting the gardens!

The ceremony was a lovely affair, complete with a traditional giving away of the bride by the father, and a rather beautiful hand binding ceremony that brought together the customs of the celtic together with Korean culture by using a traditionally woven sash brought from Korea specially for the occasion. The sun was out, and provided for a stunning backdrop filtering in through the giant gum tree Ciara and Max were wed under.

Adelaide Botanic Gardens Wedding Photos

After taking the family photos, Ciara and Max, flanked by their bridal party went for a walk around the gardens for their glamour photos. As I said before, I love covering Adelaide Botanic Gardens Weddings as the area in and around the vicinity of the gardens provides for an incredibly diverse pool of scenery I can call upon as a wedding photographer.

Once we exhausted the areas we wanted to visit within the gardens, we said farewell to the majority of the bridal party to expand out around the Torrens and North Terrace where we made use of Government House, and the buildings in and around Adelaide University. Ciara and Max had one of their first dates near the Torrens so it was important for them to revisit on their wedding day.

Adelaide Botanic Gardens Wedding Reception

What was absolutely glorious about Ciara and Max’s wedding as opposed to any other wedding I had covered at the Botanic Gardens was that they chose to have their reception at the cafe located at the very center of the entire place which meant that I had the very rare opportunity to make use of the Gardens after dark! The Botanic Gardens Restaurant is a lovely intimate venue that can cater for a smaller wedding guest list. The food was wonderful, and staff more than friendly which all combined for a wonderful evening.

During the night I took Ciara and Max out into the night to make use of the magnificent arch way of trees at night, which is a rare opportunity as member of the public aren’t allowed to enter the gardens at night.

Thanks so much to Ciara and Max who had me as their wedding photographer and I hope they enjoy their photos as much as I enjoyed taking them! 😀

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Thorngrove Manor engagement shoot – Rya & Evan

It was quite an exciting time when Rya contacted me from Indonesia asking me to shoot her engagement shoot as she was coming out to Adelaide specifically to use the Autumn colours around the Thorngrove Manor for her engagement shoot. I had never shot there before, but I had seen it’s beauty in the past through other wedding photographer colleagues in the AIPP. Rya was quite keen on having a castle-style photo shoot and chose the Thorngrove Manor as her ideal location. She also originally planned to go on a whirlwind tour of Adelaide, shooting at the Manor, Mt Lofty Botanic Park, then head up to Cleland nature preserve to hug a kangaroo, and also head into the city to use Veal Gardens and North Terrace, all within 3 hours. We ended up only going to two of these locations, but I think they turned out great!

Thorngrove Manor Shoot

The Thorngrove Manor is a small luxury hotel located amongst the side streets of Crafers. Despite it’s medieval looks, the hotel was actually built relatively recently, only around 32 years ago. The hotel is billed as one of the most romantic and intimate places to hold a wedding, or photoshoot as the surrounds are something out of a fairytale. It really is quite an incredible place to shoot at.

Mt Lofty Botanic Park Shoot

After the shoot around the Thorngrove Manor, we head down the road to the Mt Lofty Botanic Park to make use of the waning autumnal colours still present around the gardens. With the sun popping over the hills, the colours came to life quite quickly however and created some lovely bright  scenes – much to the delight of Rya. 🙂

It was a lot of fun shooting at the Thorngrove Manor and I hope Rya and Evan enjoy their photos! 🙂

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Royal SA Yacht Squadron Wedding – Anika & Phil

  • Anika & Phil

    Royal SA Yacht Squadron Wedding

    Sitting on the yacht together

The wedding of Anika and Phil took place on the sunny day in April, amongst the wonderful surrounds of the Royal SA Yacht Squadron. I was asked to be their wedding photographer for the entire day so I was shooting from both locations of preparation, through to the end of their reception. The entire day from the Ceremony took place on the grounds of the Royal SA Yacht Squadron and we were lucky enough to be able to utilise a yacht that was moored within the marina – which is a very rare occurrence! Was fun.

Preparation

I arrived at the house where Phil and his groomsmen were getting ready, only to find that no one was there! Apparently the guys were chasing some choice sushi in the city before heading back to get ready. Once there, we had less time than usual to shoot some choice photos, so the morning was a bit rushed, but still pretty organised regardless!

The girls on the other hand were nice and organised, sitting about waiting for the makeup artist to finish, and having set up all the items I needed to take photos of before I arrived. The atmosphere was laid back and they were keen on having a good time and some fun leading up until they left. They ended up leaving a little late,m but that’s just to be expected. 🙂

Royal SA Yacht Squadron Wedding Ceremony

The wedding ceremony took place on the decking area located next to the bar behind the boat shed. This was a major difference to the other times I had covered wedding ceremonies here, with others opting for having their ceremony on the large, open grassy area located nearby the boat house. The location Anika and Phil opted for however was wonderful for such a sunny day however, as the sun provided for a wonderful backdrop to the ceremony, and it helped keep their guests cool under the umbrellas.

The Sailing club has been on this location since 1924 after having been founded at Birkenhead in 1881. The Royal SA Yacht Squadron has recently been renovated into what has become quite a popular wedding venue, with myself heading there quite a few times a year!

Glamour Photos

After the group photos and family shots on the grassy area, we used the inside of the historic boatshed for a few shots, then walked about the marina taking some shots with the magnificent sunset as a backdrop. We were lucky enough to be able to use a family member’s yacht for some photos, in which case I was super keen to bust out my drone to get some unique angles of the bridal party on the yacht from the water.

Royal SA Yacht Squadron Wedding Reception

Anika and Phil had set up the Royal SA Yacht Squadron’s function hall with a slightly nautical theme, making sure that their personalities and heritage was on show. With Phil’s affinity for fishing, and a beautifully cultural wedding cake the night was topped off with a live band which kept the dance floor full the entire night! Anika’s bouquet throw was quite a bit different as she held a ‘reverse’ bouquet through were only married women were allowed to be in contention. The MC then had them all dance and having them leave the dance floor the longer their wedding has gone on, with the winner being the longest married women receiving the bouquet. I thought it was sweet and a great way to hold a bouquet throw when there arent many single ladies in attendance!

Anika and Phil’s wedding was a blast to be part of, and I very much hope they enjoy their photos as much as I enjoyed taking them!

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Sinclairs Gully Wedding – Jessica & Adam

Sinclairs Gully winery is the type of venue you just have to jump at the opportunity to shoot a wedding at, which is exactly what happened when Jessica and Adam asked me to be their Adelaide Hills wedding photographer. In order to cater to their short wedding plans, they asked to use my engagement shoot rate to cover their wedding for only 90 minutes which was enough time to photograph their ceremony and a few glamour shots after.

They held their wedding a little later in the day so by the time their ceremony was scheduled, the sun was already fading, and the overcast skies weren’t helping either. However this kind of light is pretty much perfect for photography so I was having a blast 🙂

Before the wedding

As usual I was on site at Sinclairs Gully early, in fact only Adam and his groomsmen were there putting the finishing touches on the venue. So I wandered about taking photos of all their personal touches and the boys helping calm the nerves of Adam. Once the girls arrived I was able to take a few shots of them together with their adorable VW van.

Sinclairs Gully wedding ceremony

Sinclairs Gully is a winery hidden away in Norton Summit, and when you’re there it feels as though you’d only even know about the place if you already knew it was there. The incredible privacy the venue provides due to the lush Australian bushland is perfect for an intimate wedding ceremony such as Jessica and Adam’s. The bushland provides for beautiful bokeh when used as a backdrop to wedding photos and it really is just beautiful. There’s even a Australian animal reserve on site too!

Jessica and Adam’s wedding ceremony took place in a small clearing situated at the foot of the Sinclairs Gully winery carpark, so the setting was completely surrounded by gum trees and scrubland. During their ceremony they held a time capsule ceremony where they placed a bottle of Sinclairs Gully wine into a home-made timecapsule, along with love letters to one another only to be opened on their 10th anniversary. It’s a lovely gesture and a fun thing to put on display in their home.

Sinclairs Gully Wedding Glamour Photos

After the ceremony and family photos, we had around 30 minutes for some glamour photos around the winery grounds. It was quite an easy task to create something epic and eye catching as the surrounds just simply lends itself well to the task. I was really looking forward to getting around to editing this wedding as I knew some of the shots I took were absolutely stunning!

I had an amazing time capturing Jessica and Adam’s Sinclairs Gully wedding, despite the short coverage. The wedding was filled with love, happiness, and unforgettable moments that I was honored to witness and photograph. It was a pleasure to be a part of their special day and to create images that will serve as treasured memories for years to come.

I hope that when Jessica and Adam look back at the photos, they will be transported back to the joyous atmosphere of their wedding day and relive the love and happiness they shared. It was a privilege to document their love story and to provide them with visual keepsakes that will last a lifetime.

Once again, thank you to Jessica and Adam for choosing me to capture their special day. I am grateful for the opportunity and wish them a lifetime of love and happiness together.

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