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The ceremony and reception were held at a gorgeous beach frontage house at North Avoca which holds many memories for most of the family and friends at the wedding. The weather was kind and the breeze just perfect on what could have been a very hot day.

After the ceremony, Lucy and Marcus did things a little different to most and put aside an hour or so to mingle and party with all their guests. Everyone was having a great time and this is where it became challenging for me – getting them and their bridal party away for some photos alone was tough. They were having a great time and didn’t really want to leave. The champagne was flowing and the canapés were coming out one after another. Eventually we were able to sneak away for some time pressured photos and  looking back at the images, I think it was well worth the short time away.

Once back at the reception, also being held at the beach house in a beautifully decorated marquee, the party kicked on with fantastic food, plenty of alcohol and some eye opening speeches! I don’t think Marcus’s approach at his and Lucy’s first meeting would work for many guys trying to court a beautiful girl!

Congratulations to the two of you, hope you are having an amazing honeymoon, see you soon.

One thing I do have to mention about this wedding was the fact that Lucy had employed the services of a wedding day co ordinator – Olivia from Events by Olivia, what a difference she made to the perfect running of a perfect day. Often when a wedding reception is held in a marquee, at a home or somewhere away from a reception centre, things tend to run awry. Schedules can run by the wayside and before couples know it, there’s been no time for dancing and it’s time to go. Olivia was fantastic and she probably did so much more than I noticed but she made sure that everything just ran and looked perfect. I often saw her doing little things behind the scenes, little things that make all the difference to the running of a great event. On top of that, she was a  delight to work alongside and I would happily recommend her to anyone considering an organiser for their event.

I look through the images and think about how many of my photos are hanging in peoples homes and could still be there in 50 years time, maybe even longer and passed from one generation to another. Now that’s pretty special. The other part that makes it so rewarding is that I give so much of myself in every shoot, aiming for the style of image that I love and would love to have of me with my beautiful wife Linda and our boys – and usually I come away with a selection of images that I would love for myself. This shoot with Andrew and Natalie is definitely one of those shoots.

The best part though, would have to be showing the images for the first time. With limited attention spans of kids, and tight schedules for parents we often finish a portrait session with the parents wondering if I have enough shots, did you get enough good ones, the kids just weren’t in a good mood today, I hope there is something to choose from. Even my reassurances aren’t enough in some cases. It’s not until Jemima is showing the images for the first time and passing tissues to mums and occasionally dad’s that they realise just how special these images will be.

These photos will be treasured for more than a parents lifetime….. literally.

Pretty special huh.

I love how everyone is caught up in the moment here and all absorbed with each other - exactly what a family is all about really

So.... who's the boss around here!

I think this is my favourite photo from the shoot. To me, it just shouts; fun, family, kids, good times, proud parents and adventure

The last frame of the shoot and it's a cracker!

Leesa and Ian both live and work on the Central Coast, have grown up here and this is where all their family and friends are but they were after something different, something special for their wedding. And that’s exactly what they did.

They and most of their family and bridal party all booked into the Sydney Harbour Marriott Hotel for the weekend. Leesa and the girls had the four bedroom, three bathroom penthouse for their preparations before the wedding and both Leesa, Ian and their closest friends were able to enjoy the same amazing suite for the next couple of nights.

The ceremony was held at St Mary’s Cathedral which was spectacular. Most people, when they visit the Cathedral only ever experience the Cathedral in a state of semi-darkness but for the wedding all the interior lights were on and it was a breath taking sight. Leesa and Ian were both dwarfed on the alter amongst the sheer size and depth of St Mary’s.

After coming down the steps as husband and wife it was into the city for a FUN photo shoot with Leesa’s infectious laughter lighting up the locations we visited.

It was a spectacular day with a great bridal party, a warm family with memories that I won’t forget for a long time. This was no “ordinary” day.

Congratulations guys, can’t wait to see your album.

It was nervous excitement while the guys were preparing for the ceremony - especially when it came time to knot the bow ties!

Meanwhile, Leesa and the girls were loving the opulence of the penthouse and laughing it up

St Mary's Cathedral in Sydney's CBD, an amazing location for a ceremony

To me, there is no better way to have someone book either of our studios to photograph such an important event in someones life. If a couple come to me through a referral, they are coming with an understanding of what we offer, an idea of the costs involved to produce amazing photographs and beautiful albums and they know they will have an awesome day with us. Sure we do advertise, we have a website, this blog and we occasionally go to bridal expos.

It’s the bridal expos that have me concerned about the way some photographers are going about ‘convincing’ couples to book them for their wedding day photography.

For any of you that have attended a bridal expo you may have noticed the high number of photographers presenting their wares. You may also have noticed some of them offering the chance to ‘win’ something – it could be an engagement shoot, a bonus enlargement or even a $1000 saving off your photography package.

Be warned – there can be more to these so called competitions than may be obvious.

I recently had one couple that had decided to cancel their booking with Impact because they had been to an expo and found out they had won a $1000 off their photography after entering a competition at a photographers stand. My reply was,”wow, that’s amazing. It sounds like too good a win to knock back.” I did ask a few more questions about the photographer that had the competition and thought I’d have a look at their work as I had never heard of them before.

The first warning signal went off for me  when I visited their website and saw on the front page that the studio was recruiting new photographers. They were looking for anyone with some experience, their own gear and available to start shooting asap. The work on the site looked good but who’s was it? Did my couple that were swapping photographers even know who their new photographer was going to be – was it a shooter straight from college and a few wedding under their belt, or worse still, someone that bought a whiz bang digital camera, some lenses, shot a couple of friends weddings and now call themselves a professional photographer? Surely it couldn’t be that bad?

Jessica's wedding was on the wettest Saturday of the year but it didn't stop us from capturing fantastic images. Could a first year shooter cope with a day like that and still come up with the goods?

After I saw the web site advertisement for new photographers I decided to take a guess at the type of promotion this studio was running at the expo and I called the couple that were swapping over and asked them if they could phone the new studio and ask how many couples won  the $1000 off their wedding photography. I also suggested they ask if the photographer they spoke to at the expo will be their photographer, if not, when will they meet him or her?

Sure enough, the couple came back and decided to keep their booking with Impact Images. It turns out the other studio wouldn’t give an answer to the number of brides that ‘won’ the $1000 saving – needless to say it was everyone at that expo. As for the photographer, they hadn’t met him or her yet but will get the chance to before their wedding. Not good enough!

As I stated earlier in this post, there are many and varied offers made by photographers to get your booking – remember how many photographers you saw at the last expo you attended – it is a very competitive market with no qualifications required. Buy a camera and you can legally advertise as a photographer. Pretty scary really.

So how was the studio at the expo able to offer $1000 off their packages? A few of scenarios come to mind; one is the studio factors these ‘competition give aways’ into their pricing and can happily give $1000 off their inflated prices. Two, the studio gives the discount and charges exorbitant prices for any and every upgrade or extra like additional  album pages, different album covers, panoramas, digital spreads (most of which are INCLUDED in all of our collections). Thirdly, and the most concerning if it’s the case, the studio in question books plenty of weddings to be photographed by by shooters with limited experience on low day rates and can therefore easily operate at a profit. This would be the worst scenario for any couple to be caught up in a scheme like this one as it won’t be realised until it’s too late – after the wedding.

To gauge the authenticity of a promotion you just have to ask yourself if it’s too good to be true. Followed by some questions to the supplier. An example of a perfectly honest giveaway is a free enlargement if you book on the day or before a certain date – it’s called a ‘call to action’ and is quite common. Another is a free engagement shoot where the photographer is hoping to build a relationship with you during the shoot and hopefully amaze you with beautiful photography to help you to decide to choose him or her – nothing to lose here. If you are happy with the experience you have the right photographer and if not, find another.

When booking a photographer it is vital that you meet and talk to them, get a feel for the person that will be shooting YOUR wedding and take a good look at the photography, not just the prices. Also, you must ask about any extras after the wedding day. Almost every couple that books Impact Images will add extra pages to their wedding album once they see the images – we are very careful to explain this to every couple. This should be discussed with whoever you choose for your photography before the wedding.

I love this photo of Lisa - you wouldn't believe where it was taken if I told you

Lastly, your wedding day should be an awesome experience filled with fun, laughter, emotion and amazing memories – do not let that be spoilt with bad photography or a bad photographer. Be guided by word of mouth, an affiliation with the AIPP and a studio that has been around for at lest a few years. If you are still unsure, come and see us at Impact Images.

First ten people to leave a comment on the blog receive a $1000 saving off your wedding photography!  KIDDING

The entire shoot ended up being a collaboration between models Sarah Boulazeris and Rebecca Frith, makeup artist Danielle Hampton, dress designer Kel-Leigh, Jonathan and I. Basically, everyone gave up their time and wares for each others benefit and we all walk away with some stunning images to be used for promotions, advertising and experience.

If anyone thinks the life on a fashion shoot is glamorous – read on! The girls all arrived early for hair and make up before heading over to the sand dunes where we car pooled along a dodgy and sandy 4wd track in our two wheel drives. I think it was two minutes later I was bogged. After some pushing and deft reversing I was back out and safely at our drop off point. From here it was all hands on deck to carry all of Jonathan’s gear and my one bag through the mozzi infested “jungle” up a 30m vertical sand dune to our destination. A return to the car for more gear and we were ready to assemble the change rooms and equipment.

This was my first time at Stockton and after cresting that initial dune, the sight was breath taking and surreal – it felt like we had been dropped off in the middle of a desert. I couldn’t wait to get shooting. And the sun was finally coming out after a dodgy looking morning that threatened to spoil the shoot.

Needless to say, we had a terrific time with heaps of laughs, some fantastic images and new friends. I can’t recommend the girls highly enough and the makeup was just perfect, I can’t wait to do it all over again at another location that is already in the planning. A special thanks to Kel from Kel-Leigh Couture for the loan of her stunning dresses, you really are a talent!

For any photographers reading this post, professional or amateur – I can’t convey the importance of shooting for yourself enough. Days like these that can be put together with a little organising and planning will see you improve your craft, let you practice and try new techniques, posing and lighting. And to not be rushed or thinking about deadlines or clients wishes just makes the day so refreshing and revitalising. You have to shoot for yourself at least occasionally – it’s invigorating.

Feel free to email or call me if you’d like the contact details of the models, Sarah or Rebecca and you can click on the links to check out the work of Danielle and Kel-Leigh. If you require a photographer, South of Sydney, make sure you give Jonathan a call and if you live further north, call me at Impact Images.

Below are a few of my favourites images from the shoot.

The "glamorous" change rooms and some of the camera equipment we lugged up the hill. And that's Jonathan taking things seriously.

The gorgeous Rebecca "workin it"

I love this shot of Rebecca - very surreal

Sarah is a natural beauty and just looked exquisite in this Kel-Leigh designed dress

Blue skies, sand dunes, a white dress and Sarah - it was hard to go wrong

After photographing the wedding dresses we grabbed a few "fashion" style shots

Jonathan is available to model for your shoot and can be contacted at....

It was seriously like being in the middle of a desert out here.

It’s great to see the bridal party dressed for the warm weather we’ve been experiencing this summer – I’ll bet the guys were glad not to be in three piece suits and tie!

Shortly after the wedding we received this message from Michelle:

“Hi Corey, Benj and I wanted to say a big thank-you. It was great working with you and we can’t wait to see the photos! Before the wedding Benj and I were both a bit nervous about having our phots taken, but you made it easy and fun. Thanks”

Below are a few images from their day.

The shoot was as smooth as ever with Jasmine having a couple of ideas of the sorts of photos she was after – so we ran with those and tried for a couple of other images as well.

Usually couples will wait until their baby is born and we have a few new born photos before viewing these along with the pregnancy photos – not Jasmine though, she’s keen to see these shots asap. So, even though they are scheduled to view their pregnancy photos tomorrow I thought I’d put up a couple of samples on the blog today.

Hope you like them guys – see you tomorrow.

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