8th Apr 2010, 9:41pm

Dear Santa,

I've been scouting locations a bit recently and I thought I'd let you know what to include when you bring me my perfect wedding venue.

Some walls with a bit of texture, preferably slightly grungy to contrast with the perfect bride

Light, plenty of soft, reflected light and solid open shade (especially for the ceremony please)

Frames and shapes to work with

Interesting props, especially chairs and ways to introduce different levels into group pictures

And a bowl of green M&Ms ;-)

And just so you know, I've been really good (and anyone who says otherwise is lying) so I think I really deserve this.

Lots of love,

Nicola

PS. I could be flexible on the M&M thing

8th Apr 2010, 8:13am

Emelia and Barry came to meet with me a couple of weeks ago and we were chatting about their wedding and how the day was going to go.  At this meeting just before the wedding I usually ask about who their suppliers are so I can send out pictures to them after the wedding.  When I asked Emelia where she had got her dress and she said 'Anna Schimmel' I have to confess I did one of those geeky 'oooooooo' things with the clapping hands!  Emelia turns to Barry and says "See?" And he shrugs and grins.  I love that.

But yeah, she's worth it :-)

Gorgeous details...

Emelia's beautiful hair and makeup was done by Michelle and Eric from The Makeup Studio (they are the undisputed rock stars of hair and makeup I tell ya)...

And, I just have to say that even though I got in trouble for moving the chaise lounge outside (my bad) I think the shots are cool enough that I should be forgiven...yeah?

And one last one...because I'm not feeling very decisive tonight and I loved them all!

As always you can check them out (and tag them) on Facebook.

2nd Apr 2010, 8:58pm

"What is REAL?" asked the Rabbit one day, when they were lying side by side near the nursery fender, before Nana came to tidy the room. "Does it mean having things that buzz inside you and a stick-out handle?"

"Real isn't how you are made," said the Skin Horse. "It's a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real."

"Does it hurt?" asked the Rabbit.

"Sometimes," said the Skin Horse, for he was always truthful. "When you are Real you don't mind being hurt."

"Does it happen all at once, like being wound up," he asked, "or bit by bit?"

"It doesn't happen all at once," said the Skin Horse. "You become. It takes a long time. That's why it doesn't happen often to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don't matter at all, because once you are Real you can't be ugly, except to people who don't understand."

I absolutely love this story (The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams) (and I'm always teasing Stu that he must be becoming Real since his hair seems to be getting loved off!) so when Siobhan's son Croi (pronounced 'Cree') got up to read it with Phil's sister I just thought it was the perfect choice as a wedding reading.

It was a beautifully emotional ceremony with Siobhan's girlfriends coming from all over the world to be there at her side...

Just one more fav for the blog (but there are more pics on Facebook)

31st Mar 2010, 4:25pm

I've been a busy little possum lately with album designing so I thought I'd blog a bit about the whole process and why it usually ends up being my favourite part of the wedding post-work.

I think the albums are so fun because that's where it all comes together.  I think the album is about telling the stories of the wedding, the story of two people who found each other and two sets of friends who are so happy for them.  And the story of two families coming together.  These stories are there in the pictures of course but somehow it's the way they're put together in the album that really makes it come alive.

I always start with the images.  I make sure I've got a couple of hours, I turn off the ringer on the phone, put on some cruisy music and open it all up in Photojunction.  I go through the images and pull out the ones that 'sing to my soul'; the ones that really say something about who these people are, their relationships, the things that are important to them.  I drop them on the empty pages and I'm thinking to myself about the day.  I'm thinking this spread is about the preparation, the details, things chosen so carefully...and this spread is about her and her mum and how proud they are of each other...and this spread is about mates, about friends who have your back no matter what.

I remember being taught in school that a paragraph should be summed up in the first sentence and then backed up by supporting information.  I guess I think of a two page album spread the same way...usually one big image that sums up what it's all about and smaller supporting images that fill in the details.

So then I go back through and play around with the layouts, the sizes of the images, the way they sit on the page, whether they are colour or black and white (or something else again).  Sometimes I can't decide and I create a couple of alternates.

And then I save!

So this is the point at which you see your design.  We sit together and go through the pages looking for the places where I got the story wrong!  Or where you prefer a slightly different image.  Sometimes we need to take out a couple of spreads, sometimes we need to add a couple.  It's super easy to make changes on the screen and get a good idea of how it's going to look in real life.

You take away a proof copy to think about and show around.  And we touch base later in the week.  Sometimes we tweak it slightly and we're good to send the order.  Other times we have a second (or even a third!) design session together before finalising the order.  I'm so not into rushing this part because everybody knows good things take time!

And then comes the hard part of course...waiting for Queensberry to make the album :-)

(These pics are from Charlotte and Iain's album)

29th Mar 2010, 8:58pm

I could smell them before I could see them and they smelt great (I hope that's not a very creepy thing to admit!).  They smelled posh.  They smelled like people getting ready for a wedding.

And for a change I wasn't there to photograph the bride.  Oh no, this photograph had been longer in the making than a 'mere' wedding photograph!  I was there to photograph my EXTREMELY camera shy friend Karen before she left to attend her brother's wedding.

I have known Karen for approximately seven years and in all that time I have never been allowed to photograph her.  I've photographed her children many times but never Karen and never the whole family.  So this was kind of a big deal :-)

Do you know what finally made her say yes to my persistant suggestions? (alright I admit, I was nagging!)  Karen was most concerned that if she mysteriously disappeared there would be no decent pictures of her to put in the Herald!  So here's her mugshot for the Herald...

May we never actually see it in there!

And with a very limited choice of backdrop and the clouds not playing ball by covering the sun and all in a rush before they left...how gorgeous is this family?

Kudos to our very talented friend Brigitte Celestin who created Karen's dress and wrap!

And Karen, how about we don't leave it another seven years?!

25th Mar 2010, 9:34pm

Once upon a time a baby girl was born.  Her parents named her Janice and dreamed big things for their baby girl.  They dreamed of the places she'd go and the things she'd do.  But maybe more than anything else they wished and hoped for her to meet someone wonderful, fall in love and get married. They bought a beautiful piece of fabric for their tiny baby and put it away in a safe place.  This was the fabric for her wedding dress in that far away future that they imagined.

And of course she grew up to be beautiful and talented and she did indeed meet her Prince Charming (on a Superbike though, not a horse).  Her parents unwrapped the fabric they had put away for her and they gave it to her.  Janice took it to her friend Rachael, a very talented designer and seamstress and together they created an incredible wedding gown.  Rachael carefully and secretly tucked the scraps and the leftover fabric away because she knew about another bit of the wish for Janice and Ricky.

And eventually that one came true too.  Janice and Ricky are about to become parents to a beautiful baby girl of their own.  And so Rach went to work again, this time she took out those leftover pieces of fabric and created a beautiful christening gown for baby...

And yep, that's the very same Rach who can be found most Saturdays behind the camera second shooting with me.  She's a bit multi talented huh?

Thanks so much Janice, Ricky and Rach for letting me share your beautiful story!

19th Mar 2010, 7:53pm

I kinda love taking photos, making images, whatever you want to call it...I know that that should really go without saying...but I'm just saying it anyway :-)

And so when you ask how long you should leave for photos, you have to know that I'd happily photograph all day and all night and then again the next day (actually that kind of sounds like the average weekend in February so it's quite lucky that I do feel this way!).  And I have felt this way since I first laid my sticky little mitts on a camera and started saving my pocket money for film and processing and so I feel incredibly privileged, blessed even, to have worked with a bunch of photographers this season who feel the same way. 

I love working with other photographers because we each bring something unique and together we create something more than the sum of it's parts.  No matter what their level of experience, and these guys range from seasoned pros to first timers, they have put their heart and soul into the weddings we've photographed together.  And I'm just having a moment really and feeling very grateful and lucky!

So in the interests of celebrating these fantastic photographers (and having a laugh too) I made a couple of behind the scenes montages :-)

If you're a total stalker you might spot Jayne Mau, Karyn Flett and Isaac de Reus as well as regulars Pip, Rach and Shay.  Missing from this collection (and I'm not sure how that happened!) is Other Rach :-)

And while I was hunting for those pics I couldn't help but notice how many shots they had taken of me...mostly laying down :-)

just to prove I'm not always lounging around though...

Anyway, I'm just feeling kind of retrospective as autumn arrives and we get down to our last few weddings before winter.  It has been a fantastic season and I'm pretty blown away by the gorgeous couples I've met and the talented photographers I've worked with.  Bring on 2010/2011 I say!

18th Mar 2010, 2:19pm

How much do we love new venues?  Lots and lots! 

I'm not sure where I have been for the past year but I had somehow not noticed The Verandah getting finished and open...but it is really cool!  Such a far far cry from the old tearooms that used to overlook Hamilton Lake! 

Simon and Jayne held their reception there last Saturday so we got to have a bit of a look around.  Graham (the Manager) tells me they can cater for 140 guests comfortably (at round tables too...love the round tables) which is something of a rarity in this area.  And the view as the sunset over the lake was lovely (and would be absolutely spectacular on an evening with a great sunset).

On Saturday we did most of our photos by the River but of course there are loads of potential photo and even ceremony spots at Hamilton Lake...I'm looking forward to doing a few more weddings there next season!

17th Mar 2010, 10:38pm

They first met when she arrived to start work in one of the offices of his family's company...that might have been kind of daunting for anyone else but I get the impression Jayne took it in her stride :-)

It was the first time I had been in St Mary's on Grey Street since the re-model last year and it is looking gorgeous...I love the windows of course and it's great to have so much space to work in!

I love this series Rach shot of the guys waiting in the church...I love the progression from joking to relieve tension to abandoning all pretense!

And then Jayne and her Dad arrive and it's all on...I love that moment when Dad lifts the veil and it's just the two of them

one more fav...

check out facebook for a few more pics I couldn't fit in here!

11th Mar 2010, 10:00pm

Well a first for me today...doing a new newborn portrait session for my friend Erin's new daughter (except I had a cold last week so she's not super shiny new anymore!).  Anyway, it was lovely to snuggle a wee baby again, I love their sweet new smell! And I was really pleased with the pics too :-)

and big sister Georgie...