wedding day

The True Love Story: Brenda & Drew's Wedding - 14.4.19

From photographing them as a family, to now photographing their special day, Brenda, Drew & Christina are such a beautiful family and truly embody the essence of family. Capturing Brenda & Drew’s Wedding Day was such a raw display of love, devotion and their dedication to their future together.

They share such a special bond between them, so in love, like there’s is no one else in the room, in their own love bubble. It was just beautiful to witness and capture. But we can’t forget little Christina. They involved her in every part of the wedding, bridal photos, ceremony and she even had her own speech she wrote at the reception.

I hope to be able to follow Brenda, Drew & Christina’s journey for many more years, capturing their love, their passions and how much they care for each other documenting this through imagery.

Congratulations to you both and I wish you all the best on your future together! I can’t wait to see your wedding book to preserve all these beautiful memories for a lifetime <3

Em x

When the Universe watches over soul mates on their Wedding Day: Leslie + Ben Reid

 Being in a job where you regularly get to meet couples in love can be really interesting.

There are 'opposite couples' who are so different that they leave you scratching your head wondering how they work yet, proving that opposites attract, they do. You have 'reserved couples' who are very much in love but don’t share this overly in public, you have 'extrovert couples' who shout their love from the rooftops…. And then you have couples who as soon as you meet them you just know they were made for each other.

One such couple is Leslie and Ben. I was lucky enough to photograph their beach wedding on Racecourse Beach, in Ulladulla, NSW and from the very first moment, it was obvious they were soul mates and meant to be together…. And it seemed the Universe felt exactly the same way, putting on a special show making this one of the most memorable of wedding days.

From beginning to end Leslie had a magical smile, the type of smile that lightens a room. You could be standing behind her ten feet away and you would still know she was grinning like the Cheshire Cat.

That smile was perfectly matched by Ben’s intensity. The total focus of a man who knew that he had found everything he ever wanted in the world and he would do whatever was needed to protect, nourish and nurture that relationship.

Their wedding was a relatively simple affair, and all the more beautiful for it. Close friends and family gathered among the rocks at the Ulladulla beach for a meaningful ceremony followed by the reception at the beachside Mollymook Surf club.

Despite concerns about the weather and high winds, the afternoon sun shone from a deep blue sky with just a hint of clouds on the horizon, promising an epic sunset. The wind died down to a gentle, cooling whisper which complimented the sound of the surf breaking against the rocks behind them.

That idyllic scene alone was enough to convince anyone that the Universe was smiling on their union, but for these two passionate conservationists who make their living caring for the environment, it seemed the Universe wanted to underline it’s thoughts on the day. Not to mention, Leslie & Ben channelled their passion for the environment into their day making it a waste free wedding.

As we got the post ceremony family photographs underway, on the rocky shoreline a cry went up from Leslie. We all turned to face the sea to find that two large pods of dolphins had chosen that moment to play in the surf so close to shore that you almost felt you could reach out and touch them.

We stopped for a while to watch the show as they played in the waves directly in front of us and surfed for seemingly no other reason than to gate crash the wedding and join the party.

It was a magical moment and one that perfectly mirrored the sheer joy on Ben and Leslie’s faces.

Then as the Dolphins moved on and we started to reorganise ourselves for our family photos the Universe had one last parting gift. With a whoosh and burst of spray, a whale wondered past surfacing out to sea almost directly in front of the wedding party and signalling it’s presence with a spray of steam from its blowhole as it took a breath and prepared to move on.

Anyone who has shot with me will know I’m seldom lost for words when on the job, but I don’t think I have ever seen an entire bridal party, let alone myself, speechless just a few moments after a ceremony.

We paused to take in a truly magical moment in a truly magical wedding. People think that as photographers we love our jobs for the art we produce. That is a part of it, but for me my love of this job stems from meeting people like Leslie and Ben and experiencing moments like these. Their wedding will join those other snippets in time from my career that will live in my memory for evermore just as I hope these images will live forever in Ben and Leslie’s lives and perhaps one day in the lives of their children and grandchildren.

I hope that long after we are all gone, these images might help preserve a family legend of the day when the Universe itself seemed to smile down on two people and say: “Yep…. You two were made for each other.”

Andy

Brisbane Wedding Photography
www.lifeportraits.photography/weddings
info@lifeportraits.photography

Caitlyn + Luke Bobongie Wedding 15.10.16

Photographing the Bobongie wedding was so much FUN! The couple were easy going, relaxed, fun in front of the camera and the day ran smoothly with no stress. Unlike the traditional wedding schedule, we did bridal photos before the ceremony with a 'REVEAL' of the bride and groom. This was my first reveal and 'OH MY' was it emotional! 

Personally after photographing the wedding in this order - getting ready, bridal photos, ceremony, family pictures, relaxed socialising images and drinks, reception - I will definitely be suggesting this schedule to other couples. The day ran so smoothly and it gave the couple a chance to celebrate with their guests rather than running away for photos immediately after the ceremony. 

The bridal party were so much fun, the couples daughter really added a dimension of emotion to the images that was just beautiful and the location, colours, lights and atmosphere of the wedding was glorious. 

Congratulations to the amazing couple, Caitlyn + Luke! Capturing this wedding was so precious, see for yourself below! 

Ceremony location: Riverside Receptions

Bridal Photographs: Powerhouse & New Farm Park

Photography is forever.... (a thought for the bride and groom)

Life Portraits Brisbane Wedding Photographers

I thought I'd share a story.... a true story, the story about how I first realised the importance and the magical value of photography and a moment in time that, though I didn't know it at the time, would shape the rest of my life.

One boring wet winter day when I was eight I had been left to my own devices. We lived in a big house so it was easy for me as the youngest to just hide away and find my own quiet places. I can’t remember if I was looking for hidden Christmas presents or lost chocolates or just something interesting to pass away the wet day… any could be true. 

At the back of a cupboard I found an old, large green leather-bound book with thick woven paper with gold metal corners. It was unlike any book that I had seen before and it instantly took on a quality of mystique. The cupboard was full of junk and I couldn’t understand why something that was obviously special had ended up here. 

I rescued it and hid in my bedroom to see what was inside. As soon as I did everything became clear. It was my parents wedding album full of fading and slightly yellowed black and white photographs held onto the dark mat pages by old fashioned corner mounts and under each photograph the names and relationship of everyone in the photographs written in white pen in a beautiful italic script.

I was the youngest sibling by a long way in my family, coming late in my parents marriage and by the time I was eight they were already drifting apart. Both came from difficult backgrounds and as a result while I had an understanding that there were grandparents, uncles aunts and cousins I had never met any of them. At eight years old I felt the lack of family. My eldest brother was leaving home and my remaining brother and sister were older and cooler and not interested in the dweeb little brother. It was that age when, at school, friends would talk about grans and grandads, family get togethers at Christmas and birthdays and so on, none of which was my world. 

Suddenly in that old dusty book for the first time in my life I saw two things. I saw a young couple very much in love with each other, full emotions which had been misplaced over the years but were there once and had resulted in my three siblings and myself. Equally important to me however was that through the pages of that book and the photographs it held I met my extended family for the first time. Uncles, aunts, cousins names which had been nothing more than vague shadowy memories like half forgotten dreams suddenly had faces.

I don’t have the writing skills to describe just how magical that moment was or how much it meant. In that one moment I realised just how important photographs were not just to those in them but to their children and beyond. It was at that moment that I began to think about photography and what it would be like to create such images for myself and for others and it was a thought process that resulted in photography being my career for the past 30 years.

Today I don’t remember every photograph I have taken but I still from time-to-time go back through my catalogue of images and experience a wealth of emotions good and bad but more often laughing as I remember what a wonderful life my cameras have given me.

My images to me are windows into memories of the many news stories I covered as a photojournalist, the celebrities I’ve met shooting for magazines and marketing campaigns and most importantly of all knowing that in so many homes, brides, grooms, children and families are looking up at their walls or glancing through photo albums of images we have created for them and discovering that same magical moment of heightened memory of a particular time, place person and emotion important to them. 

So to brides and grooms I'd say (not as a photographer but as a person) when you are planning your wedding I understand it is a massive undertaking and there are so many elements which seem so important and all take up limited budgets. It’s difficult to balance what is important with what isn’t. I know I’ve been through it myself. 

But while it is important to get everything right, just remember that after the day is over, the flowers fade, the meal is eaten and is barely remembered and the music fades but two things remain and grow in importance and emotional value. The love, companionship and support of your life partner and your memories of the day. 

Your wedding photographs in years to come will often be the trigger for those memories and will be a door into that time for those who weren’t there on that day, your children, your grandchildren and the generations to come all of whom will see those wonderful moments and emotions frozen in time for ever.

I’m not saying you have to come to us at Life Portraits for your photography there are numerous good photographers out there. What I would say is don’t make your choice of photographer a cold decision based on “money and how many pictures do I get”. Take your time to find someone who’s work touches you, who you connect with when you meet them, who demonstrates that they have the skill, experience and equipment to make sure that no matter what happens on the day you will get a set of beautiful images. If all of that is us then we would be honoured to be a part of your day.

Critically though, when you make your decision about your photography and your photographer, don’t just think about whether or not such things are important to you alone. Think about the years to come when your wedding will be a memory, think about the little eight-year-old who may just find your wedding album and open it like a window into the past where younger faces and faces who are no longer there stare back full of life and laughter. Think about that eight-year-old stopping and staring at two particular faces of the people he loves and looks up to the most staring at each other with the greatest love in the world. Then think about years later and picture that eight year old sharing those same images with a child of their own. Good photography is timeless.

Andy