one four three

...out with the old and in with the new...

2008-10-08T09:06:00.001-07:00

with the move to the new studio comes a brand new super cranking super large blog!!...update your favourites and click on here www.pixelmagix.com.au/blog
and be totally amazed at how i have managed to move everyone and their junk, the office and studio, mikes hoards of stuff and create a new blog to boot!!...
...well, i did have some help...thanks babe...:)

...i will miss the snails...

2008-10-05T22:33:00.000-07:00

...and the long-awaited and anticipated iris arrival and the native blossoms and fragrant lavender and sprawling violas and the carefully threaded ivy trellis and the warm estuary sunsets and especially the joy of watching daisy pick vegies from her very first planted-with-dad vegie garden...

but i was out-voted in the election to move back to suburbia and a purpose built office/studio and 4 minutes from the beach, 3 minutes to schools and 1 minute from a bus to the CBD...

so we are on the move and hence the office will unfortunately have to close for 2 weeks from today 6th october to monday 20th october...with telephone contact to clients we are expected to see during this period...emails may not be answered until we are up and running with an entire new system (and new blog!) so please call us on the mobile at any time 0427 773 503..and sympathise with me as i move 6 kids and their collected junk and the entire contents of the shed containing mike's "just in case" stash!

see you on the other side...

brett and jos...sneak peek...

2008-09-19T19:52:00.000-07:00

...st-st-st-stunning bride...

super cool groom with incredibly handsome mates...

three drop dead gorgeous ladies to complete the picture...

some kissin and lovin and cool shots by mike high up on a wall...
and a bohemian rhapsody finale...

more to come...plus the full story...stay tuned...

...mick's pix are a hit...

2008-09-17T15:59:00.001-07:00

a big hello to all the smiley happy people who stopped by late in the afternoon at the parade hotel wedding expo...we once again applied late and once again received prime position at the entrance!...besides our glorious selves, our stunning albums and coordinated displays...the majority of our visitors were in love with the magix booth...only half assembled to fit in to our space it was an instant hit...lovin' it...

this little fellow was a page boy at rob and shaynees wedding...still super cute...

benita and her assistant from the parade...the food was divine ladies...thanks ever so much!

the lovely young bride-to-be won a hamper and we thought it deserved a congratulatory photo...

this is ryan and goy and baby lucas...soon to be married and soon to experience pixel magix super stardom...

hi girls!...followed us all the way from the margaret river expo and again rocked the booth...

hard bod and handsome mattie and uber sweet and totally gorgeous kaylene...thanks for a wonderful dinner you two divine people...fantastic end to a busy sunday...

this is evan and his baby girl...also soon to experience pixel magix marvellousness...

hi vicki and vicki's mum!...email or call me...dates are filling fast!

and then the world stopped spinning and gasped as super stars in the beauty industry, cat and jaci from living beauty day spa, luxe hairdressing and dare boutique arrived and caused an instant sensation with sweet smiles and glamour goodness...you go girlfriends!...

but wait...the girls are back in town...

then we chatted to a warm and friendly grandma who was a minding a little walker while mum watched the fashion parade...

three expos in one year is definately our limit...so we say farewell to seeing you on a lazy afternoon amidst crowds, limousines, flowers and cakes and please call and say hello on a more personal level...we now have confirmed dates all the way to the end of 2010, so if you were thinking about us and thinking it is too early to book - it is so not!

...and we have more incredibly exciting innovations (how on earth do we top the magix booth you ask?...) for next year and beyond...send us some lovin'

kylie@pixelmagix.com.au

here's to a sellout 08/09 season...see you on the other side...:)

...donnelly river dreaming...

2008-09-17T15:59:00.000-07:00

we travelled a long and windy road to donnelly river, nestled in between the tall karri forest on the road from bridgetown to nannup, for fathers day...clive and joanne have chosen this idyllic location for their wedding in a few weeks...this post is for you two lovely people...

the first thing the hits you in the face when you arrive is the large contigent of emus and kangaroos - old, young and scatty teenagers - that are incredibly friendly and in abundance...

"walk this way...talk this way"...(80's melodramatic guitar fades out)

there was in fact so much wildlife up close and personal that lucy was bored...go figure...

donnelly river in its former life, was a timber community, with a mill and school, and the old homes and buildings are a photographers dream...please God, keep the spring light and blossoms and leaves and goodness for just 2 more weeks...

i could almost hear the cogs turning in mikes head when he spotted this...
the old mill is officially out of bounds...but we always carry bolt cutters as a matter of course...

there are so many 70's locations just screaming for some polaroid loving...

persuading the kids to take time out from freely wandering to pose was difficult..but that is why mr peters creameries made drumsticks...lucy took a little more convincing than normal...
ka-chow...

daisy, of course, knows the drill...walk, turn, pick a flower, smile...

a skater, 15, unruly hair, killer eyelashes, hidden smiles...we finally convinced caleb a few shots would look awesome on his myspace...
this would have to be my fav shot of the day (...oh, and its mine...) for many many reasons (are you freakin kidding me?...look at the door and the wall and the angle and and...) but definately because i have finally been able to capture one handsome young man...
you are literally surrounded by the magnificent karri's - its so quiet and surreal at times...

we continued our meandering and found even more 70's icons - my view...

mike's view...

as is often the case...i turned my back and he was gone...hey babe - fathers day!!!!...

so the kids and i - minus the father - found the old playground of the school...now this bought back scary memories of my childhood where i was literally knee high to a grasshopper (as repeated many times by many laughing uncles) when playground equipment was seriously intended to break limbs, cause nightmares and was in no way government approved...

daisy fell in love with the huge swing...

and the rockin boat thing that nearly tipped her over...

but i drew the line at letting her on the slide of death...i'm sorry there are no images of the kids on this horror - i was hiding behind a tractor tyre with my eyes closed...
ok all you gen x kids - remember this see-saw - no handles, no safe height, no soft sand??? just one long plank of fear...
i dragged the kids away - forgot my blood pressure meds so there was no possible way they could remain - and we went to inspect the old school house...father of the year was already there and snapped this pretty tree...

the balcony and beyond was so pretty...

all too quick light was fading and we had a long drive home, so we broke the news that we were heading home...unimpressed is an understatement...

so we bribed them with a few more bog laps around the town to wave goodbye to emus and kangaroos and my heart skipped a beat when we discovered this little corner and all was well the universe (well mine anyway...)

if you have kids and like sunday drives, we can not recommend this settlement enough...show them how life was when you were young and free and life was as safe as timber cottages with camellia covered verandahs...

joanne and clive...we are counting the days...

...happy days at home...

2008-09-10T15:59:00.000-07:00

quality time at home during the wedding season equals long nights and early mornings in front of a glaring 21" lcd screen...so a sunny day morning with daisy, with no editing and no phone calls and no emails and no meetings was pure bliss for this somewhat "part time" mum...first we made a ride with all her babies on the brolly...

then we strolled our largely unkept - but pretty - garden and picked bright flowers...

and then when these eyes looked at me and asked "please mumma, can i draw with chalk on the pavement"...refusal was totally impossible...

...so while the sun was shining this somewhat "part time" housekeeper decided to hang out washing (now, what do you use to keep them on the line?) and sweep the patio (oh my goodness...whoever knew that our verandah was coloured red!...) daisy and puss were very busy creating extraordinary works of art...

with one or two moments of anguish when puss rolled over to a sunnier spot and "ruined" my picture...

i truly believe puss looks remarkably improved with green swirls though...

by this stage, as you might be able to tell, this "part time" housekeeper failed dismally (again) in her domestic chores as she reaches instead for her faithful loving brand new 5d and we strike a pose...

then one stick of each colour quickly turned into one hundred sticks of each colour (mumma is behind the camera - she will never see me tip the boxes out) ...

and this turned to amazement at how the chalk dust covers hands...

and feet...and we were occupied for at least a divine hour of ignoring chore time...

then...one small step accidently made the most exciting sound "like leaves mumma-just cracklier" and the "part time" mum had to intervene...

which bought a prompt end to the happy sunny morning with chalk as only a sulky, reprimanded, 3 year old can bring closure...

puss was delighted...

...punch the fun button...

2008-09-03T15:32:00.000-07:00

we made a last minute decision to join lots of other lovely exhibitors at the margs wedding expo last weekend ... and as mike finished programming our new baby at 1am saturday morning ... the magix booth came along for the ride ...

this is our display ... note for next year: applying late equals prime position

see the red tardis box with headlights on? thats the magix booth ...

this is a pic of the beautiful amanda - who, along with her handsome fellow brad - have just celebrated the birth of baby keeva grace ... wishing you smiles and sleep guys!

note the dome takeaway coffee ... we were supposed to meet brad and amanda from chev limos and clare and john from clare day for brekkie - but alas alak - made it only in time for takeaway caffeine fix ...

found white box frames at spotlight ... peeerrfect ...

ok ... here we go ...this is called the "fun button" ... in the big scheme of things this gave mike the biggest headache ... at one stage i saw emails pricing this small red piece of equipment at $200! mighty happy he made one ...

heres a few prints before we left home ... mind the under eye bags ... this was eeeaarrly ...

...everyone was so intrigued ... not sure what it actually was ... until mike jumped up and started explaining (and basically never stopped) and punched lots of fun buttons ...

heres emma from twp publishing and her assistant - organisers of the expo - super job emma!...

this lovely lady is jacqui ... she is a writer with bridal options ... she liked the magix booth ... and us ... mike spent lots of time chatting to jacqui ... go figure ...

the super sweet and soon to be married clare day ... the magix booth is so going to go off at their wedding ...

these gorgeous ladies had it completely sussed ... work it girls, work it ...

one beautiful bride, 6 sassy girlfriends, 1 cute toddler = lots of magix booth pics ...

finally ... we persuaded john ... the quiet, complacent (compliant?) other half to clare day ... who happens to possess the most wicked black sense of humour i have ever encountered ... and he kept bringing me chocs from clare's display ... he was supposed to be handing them out to arrivals! ... i was so hungry as mike was in charge of receiving lunch and from a platter of heavenly samples - took one half sandwich of roast beef and pickle (bbllleegghh!) and an apple! ... are you freakin kiddin me babe? so, thanks for all the choc john ... would not have survived the day without them ... oh, and sorry clare ..

the late afternoon turned quiet and we had lots of visits from brad and amandas little fellow - who loved punching the fun button ... brad decided to come in with the new baby and see what all the fuss was about ...

we met lots of super nice people in the wedding industry - beata and peter from chenin noir dezines, paul from the soul survivors , karen from milieu, vick and cassie from wez enterprises , eyeballed the lovely marketing info from peter at absolute and alive , peter from memories of tomorrow, the super accomodating staff at all seasons margs and the lovely ros (awesome to finally meet you ros!) from stephen blakeney ... well, mike met them anyway - i was fairly busy talking to potential clients ... here's de from emotion image getting in on the act ...

gorgeous amanda from chev limos also decided to find out what all the fuss was about - you are a natural in front of the camera amanda ...

this sweet lady just cracked me up ... we didnt notice her until the end of the 3 photos and we were all laughing so hard we never got to find out what she thought the magix booth was ...
just so you know i am not kidding you ... this is how mike spent the majority of the day ... talking ... to other photographers ... seriously ...

lots of packing up later - its always harder packing up - trust me ... we headed back home to enjoy a coffee and mikes parents company as an unwind mechanism before we arrived at our chaotic home ... mikes mum picked up my camera and snapped this as she thought it depicted our day perfectly ... opposite ends of the sofa, lounge lizards, exhausted laughter...

it was great to meet all the lovely couples (and mums and mums-in-laws and sisters and bridesmaids and bff's) ... we have been crazy busy fitting in appointments for wedding bookings ... so if you were one of the couples who came, saw and loved us ... please email or phone ... as available dates are filling fast!

...oooooh, very nice...

2008-08-29T14:43:00.000-07:00

i was more than a littel determined to design and produce an engagemant book/guest book for our couples before the start of a very busy 2008/2009 wedding season...and with just a one week to go before blast off...i succeeded!

here are a few pages from our just for fun shoot with the ever smiling and loving Danny and Krystal...

this page has a place where you are able to write a bit of history about yourselves...'cause everyone loves the goss on how you met!

the books will also have a few pages for guests to sign in or leave best wishes...we have some samples on their way from the US to show everyone very soon!

we would love to hear what you think about the idea...especailly the couples booked in for pre-wedding portraits...

we are at margaret river this weekend for the wedding expo...come for a drive and say hello...we are right at the front door with a huge red flashing darleck type box next to us...yes, thats right, the official unveiling of the magix booth happens sunday 31st august...you wont want to miss it! will post pics as soon as we arrive back home...

happy sunday

:)

...can i have your autograph...

2008-08-22T13:27:00.001-07:00

...the most amazing news...beautiful claire davies has been chosen as the 2008 Regional Child for Telethon...we are so happy for you gorgeous!! we just know the publicity, limelight, diva status and public adoration will be handled with the same acceptance, gratitude, humour and bravery that you already exhibit in bucket-loads!...

check out the Telethon site here ... and be sure to donate in october ... mike and i have seen absolute proof of how the donations are spent with the most advanced life-saving equipment in the special care nurseries in king edward ... they would not have this equipment without telethon ... it's as simple as that ...

...oh, and claire ... can mike please have a signed autograph?...

danny and krystal ~ just for fun

2008-08-20T14:11:00.000-07:00

danny and krystal met with us on a bright sunny winters day for some fun portraits before their wedding in november...we found this this tall tree area and along with avoiding cow pats and hiding from farmers on tractors...we captured some awesome images...

then the afternoon sun shone some magical light through the trees and time for some "b" squats...

i have had my eye on this wall for some time..and although a little brighter than i expected..allowed for krystal and danny to work it very nicely thank you very much...

my fav and winning shot...i reckon...

lo and behold just around the corner...a corrugated door...

enough of this bright sun - dadgammit - and into an alley where these two lovebirds got close and personal...and where mike scared us all with his death-defying wall climbing to try for "the shot of the day"...

love this...

and this...

we called it a day and raced off for a sunday arvo latte to celebrate my win...:)

thanks danny and krystal...you two are so sweet and such naturals...we hope we assured you that we are a fun, happy and fiercely competitive kinda couple who will make you feel mighty at ease on your wedding day...

...under construction...

2008-08-17T06:31:00.000-07:00

...whats red and black and fun inside?...

i called in to observe 'construction central" the other day, expecting big things...what i found was two fellows - JB and mike - (or tim and al...)with lots of frowns and perplexed looks and plenty of these tool type thingies all over the place...(proudly brought to you by binford tools)...

there was also boxes made from wood with writing stating (what appeared to me anyway) the bleeting obvious...

a variety of new and sparkly gadgets...

and i wasnt going to ask what the holes were for...

brace yourself for the frowns...tried to coax a smile from either...not happening jan...something to do with a "slot" that was "not aligned on the angle"...or something equally as facsinating...

then just as i was about to give up all hope on happiness...mike jumped into this square gap thing in this wood box thing and gave me a wink...sssuuuwweeett...

watch this space...the only thing missing will be pamela anderson in hot pants and a tool belt and wilson on the neighbours fence...

...happy birthday sweetheart...

2008-08-08T04:31:00.001-07:00

beautiful claire - the oldest in our brady bunch - turns 17 tomorrow...an important milestone birthday as she has waved goodbye to school friends and hello to her first full time job...

17 years ago, she was a tiny squashed up "ranga" baby in her dads mighty young -but mighty loving - arms...

claire would be horrified and never speak to her wicked step-mother again if i posted just one more "original hair colour" images of her happy youth...so we fast forward to but a few years ago when reason was a word understood...

..."our daughters are our precious of treasures...

...the dearest possessions of our homes...

...and the objects of our most watchful love..."

..."daughter-woman-child-angel of the heart...you are the strength of the future...

...and the beauty of past memories...

...you are love and light and hope...

...you are life's sweetest gift...

...an unbelievable and precious miracle..."

..."it takes courage to grow up and turn out to be who you really are..."

we are so proud of you - the oldest of our brady bunch...

your smile lights up the room and warms our hearts...wishing you an amazing milestone birthday dear sweet claire...

...with all our love...your wicked step-mother and crazy dad..x

...so here's the thing...

2008-08-02T18:18:00.000-07:00

over the last few weeks we have finalised proof albums with our gorgeous and amazing couples from an awesome 07/08 wedding season, and we have met the most incredible couples from a very-close-to-sellout-08/09 wedding season...many were referred by said first couples (thanks guys - vouchers to you from us are immenient!). some also met us at the sanctuary expo, said hello, had a chat, and fell in love with us...woo-hoo...

anyhoo...during many a late night scrolling other photogs marketing expertise...i came across this perfectly written piece of advice for couples and so aptly in tune with where we are at present...re-printed with kind permission from the oh-so-famous-james day himself...minus the swear word!...lol...

Hey Folks,

Here are some tips that I hope help people who are yet to make a decision about who to use as their wedding photographer.

Things to look for (in my extremely biased opinion)

1. The images.It might come as a bit of a surprise, but I think people often overlook the actual quality and creativity and level of talent that goes into wedding photography. It’s my concern that some might get caught up in price and actually miss out on a great value product because someone down the road is $200 cheaper & throwing in a few free prints.. and simply forget about who’s images inspire them.

2. How well you get on with the photographer.If you simply don’t gel with the photographer, then don’t except the best from this photographer. How can you be comfortable with being yourself on your most special day when you feel the photographer is a right p***k?

3. The service.Can you get your questions answered easily with no fuss? Does the photographer show a real interest in you and your plans?

4. The finished product.Are the samples you are seeing inspiring you? You’ve gotta love the presentation.

5. The photographer’s passionThis is a bit of a funny one which is hard to explain.. but I really feel that when someone hires me that they hire me for my passion to create stunning imagery. I can honestly say that some of the happiest times of my life has been during a wedding when I create images which I know will be the source of excitement for my new clients whom I love!

Ok, that’s the simple list.. Basically I’m just wanting to encourage people to look beyond price, and pretend you’re 5 years into the future looking back at your wedding photos. What type of photos do you want to look back on? Will you care about a few hundred bucks in 5 years time? I’ll let you answer that one.

and because no post should be without a photo...heres a couple of the very few photos of me and mike together...from what feels like a lifetime ago...must call in a few favours and have us those cool "headshots" taken!!!...for all those lovely couples who have booked us "sight unseen!"...trust me...we look incredibly professional in real life...

destinations weddings ... here we come ...

2008-08-02T03:55:00.000-07:00

being noticed and admired from afar is so flattering...it all started with shaun and candice's feature on polka dot bride...an informative australian wedding blog updated DAILY...thanks ms polka...the dots snowballed from there...

image by amy carroll photography as featured on polka dot bride

we were then asked to be featured on an incredible overseas vendor library (along with james day - woo-hoo!) at elizabeth anne designs - another blog that i stalk regularly for inspiration and the latest in weddings designs and ideas...thanks rebekah and ami!

elizabeth anne designs home page

and then a phone call from the lovely kathryn at pink frosting with a proposition to assist with images for pink frosting's gorgeous new website!...if you havent been to pink frosting to search for wedding items, ideas and just everything that is beautiful, stylish and that you just can not find in the south west of western australia...please click here...and tell kathryn that pixel magix sent you!...

pink frosting logo

once i started browing on pink frosting i just couldnt tear myself away from the massive range of unique products and gifts available to order from this highly respected online store based in canberra...love these daisy parasols...

https://www.pinkfrosting.com.au/products.php?cat=77

and being the stationery freak i am...these are personalised post it notes...

https://www.pinkfrosting.com.au/proddetail.php?prod=28012NA&cat=113

gotta get me one of these tees ... just to spark a reaction from one of my other 7 members of the family i feed each night...

https://www.pinkfrosting.com.au/proddetail.php?prod=WS7123

then...i was amazed and stunned when i came across wedding graffiti...would you like something extremely different and unique at your wedding...personalised graffiti on the dance floor...and...

https://www.pinkfrosting.com.au/products.php?cat=362

...on the wedding car!...how cool is this...!

https://www.pinkfrosting.com.au/proddetail.php?prod=WWG333&cat=128

so...with thanks to the internet karma good luck stars...we wait for the impending and exciting phone calls from couples in hawaii, canada and tuscany!...to book the famous pixel magix for a destination wedding!

john and clare...yes, THE clare day...

2008-07-26T20:25:00.001-07:00

well...talk about nervous, excited, anxious...all those emotions combined with a bright sunnny afternoon and one grungy alley...clare and john were putty in our hands...

perfectly in sync, and beautifully complimenting each other with colour coordination - and just a dash of clare day purple...

i'm sure john fell in love with those dimples...ever present and sweet...come in sucker...

we then travelled up the mountain to avalon...where the happy nuptials will take place in september...tranquil family farm, surrounded by peaceful bush serenity and boasting a spiritual limestone quarry...where we headed for these few...

love this one...john is THE absolute calming balance to clare's effervesence...

take 1 x 'b' squat, 1 x 'j*" sassiness, 1 x 'jc' colour, mix well and sprinkle with 'cd' dimples and giggles = great success!

a few yummy buttery portraits...

now young john is a bit of mystery man...firstly with an uber cool t shirt...

then a bit of a super sweet smile...

and what mike calls a ted bundy stare...but he watches way too many episodes of criminal minds...

found this pretty laneway on the walk back to the home...

what happens next is not fit for posting on this family friendly g rated blog...but i will inform viewers there was plenty of screaming...

so much so that liz was concerned 'avalon' had timewarped to 'picnic at hanging rock'

avalon was all a buzz with spring cleaning and tidying and painting and weeding...heres our intro to clare's lovely mum...

and there soon will be paddocks of these...images are already brewing in my mind guys...

avalon also contained a delightful menagerie of farm life...here is katie...mike fell promptly in love and took 17 thousand photos of this young lady...

foghorn leghorn wasnt at all impressed that we ventured into his yard...

but the girls were more than happy to strike a pose...i seriously can not stop laughing when i see this image...

and heres some silly woman who forgot to dye out the greys before a big important photo shoot...cuddling sweet little baby jarrah...

i have the best feeling that this gorgeous location will be spick and span and sensational come september...even though right this very minute it is just perfect...

these are aunty's legs...another image that just cracks me up...

there is an '100 acre wood', a 'wool shed' containing an old blue car (dont ask me - i dont do car talk ...), a one-woman tractor, a fairy clearing and even a waterfall...hhhmmmmnnn...do we have about 6 hours between ceremony and reception guys?????

there is an instant sense of comfort upon entering the home... mike says it feels 'like grandma's"...which started a whole new topic of conversation during coffee...i love all the collected antiques and renovated furniture...and especially the story about this clock...

and this rare find of enamel ware...which perfectly balanced with the earthy green of the walls...hey - is this a wedding blog or country living????

now to the grand finale of the shot of the day...a day combined with anticipation, the desire to provide awesomeness, a couple heavenly in love and so balanced in their relationship and a soulful location...allows bloody mike to pull this shot out of his proverbial...doesnt the famous clare day look so..well, famous???????

more on the way to your letterbox soon you two...along with a rsvp to some gig in september...hope you love them!!!

oh my gosh...

2008-07-26T16:22:00.001-07:00

the most stunningly beautiful wedding of shaun and candice has been featured on THE wedding blog...polka dot bride...we are so flattered and so honoured...

...and here is a new family pic of shaun and candice and bouncing baby boy finnlay...

there are literally hundreds of wedding blogs that are incredibly inspirational...polka dot bride is particularly one my favs...but if you are looking for ideas from around the world ...click on over to these few...

peonies and polaroids

happy blogstalking sunday...

brittany and cody and baby makes three...

2008-07-25T02:07:00.000-07:00

this beautiful loving family was such fun at bree and simon's wedding, that we were thrilled to bits to be invited to capture young britt and cody during the last few weeks of pregnancy...the nursery is all pooh bear and light and bright and just perfect...

then i remembered britt's room from the wedding day, and how i fell in love with the rasberry pink...so we ventured there for these few...

the teddy is special and he featured quite a bit...
i have seen this done a few times - but it is still sweet...love the contrast between cody's tradesman hands and britt's fine delicate fingers...

this insanely beautiful young lady has the most amazing blue eyes...

then we borrowed a hoodie from mum (thanks Jodie!...hope you love these as much as we do!)...for the next few incredible images...

but this is definately my fav...postprocessed as a joint effort between mike (grasshopper) and me (master)...are you freakin kiddin me???...how amazing is this image???...we should work together more often...hope you two adore it also...

many many thanks you two gorgeous people...keep well and rested and we will see you when precious baby arrives...

bravery and a whole lotta love...

2008-07-24T00:24:00.000-07:00

we had the absolute privilege of meeting the gorgeous davies family a few weeks back - stephen, vicki, handsome mostyn and beautiful claire...for a family portrait shoot at their tranquil property before they flew out for a roller coaster ride of a holiday on the gold coast with endless and mountains of thanks to the make-a-wish foundation...

claire was born with a complex cyanotic heart disease, and underwent incredible major 12 hour surgery in january this year. after over two weeks in a coma, she miraculously beat one in a million odds, opened her eyes and said 'i love you mum'...

claire's specialists have said that she possesses an amazing will to live and fight and overcome incredible adversity and she is a real life hero...

forget gordan...daisy is da bomb...

2008-07-12T19:25:00.001-07:00

cooking 101 with toddler...take one bowl of macaroni cheese (first choice for dinner)...

then a bowl of mixed vegies (second choice for dinner)...

then a tub of "princess" yogurt (third choice and the bribe)...

finally a slice of buttered bread (the staple we now settle on)... and leave toddler for a blink of an eye...just a blink...while starving toddler layers macaroni, vegies and yogurt on bread...

then folds it carefully over and squashes with pretty little fork...(bribe #2)

and low and behold...exclaims loud enough to wake the senior citizen around the corner from their 5pm nanna nap..."i dont like this...make me somting else!!!"

in the spirit of pioneer woman...just 'keeping it real' ...

chloe the gorgeous

2008-07-10T18:30:00.000-07:00

we had the pleasure of chloe's company prior to her high school ball...and even though the light was fading fast, we managed to capture these stunning images...car headlights make for awesome off camera lighting!

chloe's gown was from elysia boutique in bunbury and her make up was beautifully applied by the very clever brylie steiner

the next three are definately favourites...

thanks chloe the gorgeous...you rock girlfriend...

jason and catherine photobooth

2008-07-10T18:16:00.001-07:00

Click to Play

turn up the music!...lllloooovvveee this song and love this photobooth...what a cranking awesome crowd at jason and catherine's engagement...for those not in the know...the pixel magix photobooth arrives at all weddings for the amazing low cost of absolutely nothing and produces an extra action packed smiley happy people dvd just for you

jason and catherine 21st june 2008

2008-07-07T03:04:00.000-07:00

jason and cat celebrated their happy, happy engagement with an amazing crowd of friends and family...felt like we have known you all our lives guys!...we all enjoyed the mojo's experience ~ gorgeous location, superb food and great staff...and lots and lots of laughs...

the sassy cakes were made by maria at dolcetti da maria...just beautiful...

the lovely catherine...ooozes confidence, friendliness, kindness and just bucket loads of gorgeousness...doesnt she just look so divine...

and then there is stud muffin, hunk of spunk jason...the sweetest guy we have ever had the pleasure of meeting...the perfect balance for the love of his life...

cat's grandparents hamming it up for the camera...no english - not a problem...our style knows no bounds!

a group of friends and relatives joked they were all members of the millionaries club - well, at least we thought they were joking - hhmmmm - anyways...they requested a group photo - no problem...just a couple of takes involved thanks to a few happy people and the copious glasses of champagne they had consumed...take 1

take 2

and take 3...by now the sombre pose has dissolved into rightous laughter...

there were also lovely little girls to capture...this is tahlia...

and little lily...

and sweet charlotte...

a few speeches and thank you's...

and then cat suprised jason with her gift...

to which she was promptly rewarded with a long passionate cheered on kiss...

this is jaci...chief bridesmaid and appointed back up photographer for the evening...you go girl.. after the fomalities and before bedtime...we snuck cat and jason over the road for a few sexy time shots in an alleyway...great success...

jason and cat - you two are the real deal...we feel like your long lost friends...thank you for inviting us to share in such a crazy fun night...you guys rocked the alley images and we cant wait - seriously can not wait - for your wedding...it is going to be incredible...

the wedding word...

2008-07-06T18:00:00.000-07:00

for all the couples out there who are budgeting like crazy for their wedding...here is a bit of laughter for you both...you are so not alone!

have the tissues handy...

2008-07-06T02:18:00.000-07:00

stillmotion is a US wedding videographer i stumbled across via james day's blog...this is an incredible promo for their company...by the end i was sobbing hysterically and i dont even know the couples!!

enjoy...

before and after...or boring to awesome

2008-06-21T18:07:00.000-07:00

congratulations to cat and jason on their incredible, love at first sight engagement...we had a blast night last night at mojo's where the rockin' gorgeous couple celebrated with their family and friends...images to follow very soon!

after jason provided cat with the most amazing sparkling mega rock to die for...cat thought a gift to knock jasons socks off was in order and organised mike to capture his pride and joy and turn into a work of art...here for your viewing pleasure is the before and after...and jason was clearly pleased - judging by the pash he enjoyed with his fiance!!!!...

love your work babe...shame we own a lame (but very very useful) carry all the kids kia carnival...

dare...daring, delightful, dazzling...

2008-06-19T19:10:00.000-07:00

the delectable dare boutique in bunbury re-opened its revamped doors last week with a glam champagne function...kudos to catherine, jason, jaci and nick...gorgeous work guys!

we captured a few images for dare for their portfolio and thought we would share them with you...and entice you in the door to view the stunning range they now have in store...

perfect sofa for the fellow to wait whilst he decides which frock you look damn fine in...

your gorgeous hostess for the shopping experience...the lovely kayleen...

well done guys...stunning boutique...check out the awesome foursome's other respective businesses...living beauty day spa and luxe hairdressing...the epitome of style and class...

great grad venture...

2008-06-14T03:33:00.000-07:00

call out to all graduating gorgeous people in 2008...celebrate the 'time of your life' with pixel magix and sweet portraits...perfect for facebook, myspace and your grandparents...

we have awesome ideas for locations and the most unreal professional make-up and hair stylist ready to glam you up for an unbelievable portrait experience...

winter light is perfect...give us call..do it..do it now...

tag - you're it...

2008-06-13T19:02:00.000-07:00

our good friend, clare day, has tagged us in a blogging game...woo-hoo...the rules are as follows:
link to the person that tagged you and post the rules on your blog - check
share 5 songs you are embarrassed to admit to others you like and tell why - done see below
tag 5 random people at the end of your post and include links to their blogs - okely dokely tim
let each person know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog - alrighty then...

5 songs:

pour some sugar on me - def lepard...not only am i embarrassed to let you know that this is mikes fav song from his fav band (we have hysteria on lp, tape and cd) ~ but also by the fact that mike knows the words, sings it loud and thinks it's sexy! lawsie mercy...
daydream believer - anne murray...my mum loves elvis, really bad country music, elvis, anne murray and elvis; i clung to anne murray and when the nurses in the special care nursery told new mums to sing to their premmie babes, for some strange reason, this is the only song i could remember the words to...
oomba bahroomba - playschool crew...we try our damndest to play abbe may, edie brickell, the shins, the audreys, john butler or triple j when travelling, but our car stereo is owned by our 3 year old and all 8 of us know all the words to 62 play school tunes...
hey boy hey girl - chemical brothers...a super great vacuuming song ~ but not great when your teenagers have friends visiting and you attempt a remote sense of coolness by dancing and singing to chemical brothers and it just turns out all so wrong...
barracuda - heart, footloose - kenny loggins, jessies girl - rick springfield, ant music - adam and the ants, wham - wake me up before you go-go...to pick just one combined embarrasing song was a super difficult choice...we are both embarrassed to admit we exclaimed with glee "aaahhh-yes!" to these 5 songs that brought back mega sweet memories of rollerskating in small town halls with 8.30 curfews, high school discos with holding sweaty hands and stolen kisses and church group!

so now to tag 5 others bloggers...and we thought dang it - lets tag some famous, oh we so totally admire and blog stalk religiously super stars and see what happens!

Christian Fletcher - in mikes ideal world, days would be spent taking landscape images and talking to uber awesome photogs like christian...the most beautiful gallery...if you are in dunsborough check it out...
Jamie Schultz - unbelievable photog from minneapolis...stunning portraits, we just love her high school senior website...and her design templates are incredible...
Fred Egan - looooove this guy...love his work, his music taste (listen to his itunes mix always) his writing, his vibrance, his love for life and family and his uber cool overall style!
Bobbi + Mike - fun, fun, fun husband and wife couple from the US...amaaaaaazing photogs and bobbi so writes exactly how i talk!!! gorgeous images, gorgeous people...
Jerry Ghionis - the big kahuna...our idol and inspiration...we met jerry at a seminar in perth and - as corny as it sounds - he changed our lives...his work is to die for and his advice is worth your first born...mike so wants a "jerry" photo of himself on the blog - check out jerry's blog and then see the image below for similarities....great success...

simon and bree 26th april 2008

2008-05-24T22:18:00.000-07:00

love at first sight for two gorgeous people...after working together for many years - even changing jobs to keep close - simon knew it was serious when he asked bree to help him shop for shoes...bree, who knew all along, sighed 'about bloody time'...

in late afternoon light, simon and bree exchanged personal, unique and beautiful vows on the steps of the old school house at alverstoke...

we arrived at bree's parents home to be greeted by organisation! tons of people, loads of curlers, mountains of make up brushes, fresh sandwiches, and labelled shoe boxes!...

divine bridesmaids dresses...

and a gown straight out of beauty and the beast...but more on that later...

meet jade, mariclare and brittany - three of the most amazing sisters any woman could ask for...these girls did not stop smiling once all day...more on that later too...

four spunky stud muffins who were ready way before anyone else...

gotta love pink shoes for a bride...suited bree to perfection...stylish, individual, unexpected and cheerful...

the very first bride we have met who has chosen dark jewellery...again, a perfect choice..

bouquets were so pretty i could not stop at posting just one image...

a gift from mum and dad...a pretty little bag that contained...

a pretty little pandora charm...

here is the stunning bree...loooooove this one...as you will see, bree has the most amazing, soulful eyes...combined with a dazzling smile...

a little help from mum...

just divine...(pssst...one of mine...)

as i mentioned, the home was a buzz with busy-in-ness...i can only imagine what mum and dad have experienced as the four girls were growing up...this home is so full of love and happiness you can not help feel it in your heart...bree's dad - after an ale or two - told us many a hilarious tale of boyfriends he has warned off (ala 'meet the fockers')...

a few portraits before we leave...

just another image of smiling sisters...

dad spent many an hour finishing the awesome outside entertaining area...just for this day...

off to alverstoke, and where handsome simon catches a glimpse of his bride arriving...

loooove this one too...

pretty much everyone was pretty much gobsmacked at how unbelievably beautiful bree looked...

bree and her dad have an amazing bond...but i love this image of the connection between bree and simon...even though dad still has the grip (again...that whole 'meet the fockers' scenario just wont leave my mind...)

heres simons mum...just overwhelmed at how lovely her only son looks...

now, two very strange (but true) events happened during bree and simons highly emotional ceremony...one - this little fellow happened to neigh in all the right places...and two - some clumsy, awkward and ungraceful photographer managed to ring the very loud school bell (when it got stuck on my shirt as i was trying to sneak past)...but luckily - this was also at the right moment so i bowed and accepted the applause like a star...there is no evidence of this as mike was rolling about on the grass cacking himself...

a few portraits of very proud parents...

the vows truly were just perfect and a reflection of the love simon and bree share...here is jade a little overcome...just before i had to dig deep for a tissue myself...

finally...now i can stop sobbing...

group hugs were the favourite of the day...stay tuned for more...

but simon...being a boy and all that...couldnt resist stirring his sisters one last time before succumbing to being an old married man...

heres those sisters again...what, oh my goodness, they are still laughing...what ever you girls are on...please give me some!

...hey...i figured it out...brittany is just glowing from the inside as she is with child, jade is studying to be a doctor so she is over the moon not to be cramming for exams, and mariclare is ecstatic as she has the most beautiful name...how did i do girls?...

they certainly passed some happy thoughts on to the groomsmen...

and then i spotted this baby...aaawwwwww...

on the way to alverstoke, mike and i spotted this grungy chimney stuck on its own in a paddock...and little light bulbs flashed on both our heads...so off in the classic fj from australias own (thanks for staying!...glad to know bribery and corruption is thriving in the wedding industry) with incredible willingness to experiment from simon and bree...mike (the man!) captures the following which are nothing short of spectacular...

we return to alverstoke to catch the last of the light around the homestead...

the next two were just hilarious...you never quite know what reaction you will receive asking non-couples to kiss after the count of three

are you freakin kiddin me...i'm surpised the girls dad doesnt own a shotgun, rocking chair and whittling stick...

a little knowledge goes a long way...nobody bothered to tell me (the set-er-upper of shots) that groomsman #3 has just had a knee operation...didnt think it important at any time fellas?

love these glam shots...love the way the gown suits bree to perfection and love the pink shoes...and love the sassy-iness of this gorgeous young lady...

mike spotted this hidden vine covered greenhouse (so reminds me of the secret garden) where we both rocked these images...helped of course, by heavenly bree and her loving simon...

the images evoke a certain 'period drama circa 1800's - like what i make mike sit through (and suffer?) on sunday nights on the abc...

time for one more group hug before losing all visible light...

the barn at alverstoke was beautiful beyond words...it took our breath away how stunning the girls had decorated to create an atmosphere and ambience never before seen...

brees mum was so happy it all looked perfect...

once bree and simon had devoured a sumptious meal, provided by the amazing crew and ronnie and nick from amorish, loaded up our trusty light and headed back out into the grounds for these mind-blowing...and winning...images...vote for you fav...last wager of the wedding season...who shall claim the kick-ass photographer crown????

simon...you humphrey bogart you...

we love staying for speeches...if by fat chance, we dont yet know enough about our families to be invited for christmas lunch - we certainly find out all by the conclusion of speech time...what we heard at alverstoke as the fog started to set in and overcoats were drawn closer was moving, affectionate, witty, and revealing...topped off with an outstanding acoustic perfomance by brees uncle...

time for a romantic dance...

then time for simons dad to get down...

and theres always time for a little hucklebuck to nut bush city limits...

this quiet, unassuming highly intoxicated boyfriend of jades was the source of much amusement as he tried his hardest to participate in a game that should be played in an un-inebriated state...

simon and bree, mums and dads, and all who made us ever so welcome at this enjoyable, entertaining and super cool wedding celebration...thank you in abundance...especially for happily taking part in our inaugral photo booth!

simon and bree, we hope you relaxed during your 'mini-moon' and we wish you all of the good things in life, and many many blessings for your future togetherness...

last comp update...you lovely people decide...i am too exhausted to fight for the crown...heres to a few saturday nights at home watching the bill before wedding season swings into action again...probably be bored by july!...lol...

craig and janelle 19th april 2008

2008-05-14T14:25:00.000-07:00

hunky handsome craig swept gorgeous stunning janelle clear off her feet when they decided to be married...lucky for us, they decided to bring pixel magix along for the roller coaster ride on their super charged wedding day...

we arrived in busso to be met and blasted for 2 loud hours by none other than mr poser-love-himself robbie williams...who rocked the girls all arvo (and by the end me too!)...and who forced dad jeff upstairs with the footy and mike to seriously wonder if this guy was actually for real...until the dancing chicky babes came on stage...hhhmmm

a sweet little snap shot of the sisters, janelle and chelsea...

a most elegant gown...

sassy shoes...

dazzling shiny items...

found this little scrapbook of janelles...so sweet...

down to the very last saved few drops of a fav fragrance...

extremely pretty bouquets...

with an even prettier bride...make-up and hair by the lovely talented linda at streaks ahead in Busselton...love your work linda...

jeff and shirleys home contained so many beautiful possies for images...this is one of my absolute favs...janelle...you are purely stunning young lady...

a little audrey hepburn...dont you think?

love this moody image of mikes...all shadows and angles..

off to st josephs church...caught beautiful shirley arriving...this was one happy mum...thanks shirley for allowing us to rearrange your lovely home!

hunky craig and his fellow spunksters...craig was busy pacing pacing to calm his nerves...

a little laughter to ease the nerves...this way craig - look this way...i tell better jokes than the guy behind you!

veil over image for janelle...

by this time janelle was literally jumping in her skin to race down that aisle and marry her man!...after i sourced some adhd meds from the crowd, i caught this little kiss between a very proud dad and his gorgeous girl...

mike and i were clearly instructed by the charming, but assertive, priest where and when to take photos...which of course we clearly disobeyed and said lots of prayers afterwards...

love this image of craigs mum norma...

a few portraits at a little (we hope) unused blue house...

janelles girls were so lovely and so willing to undertake our zany ideas...thanks chelsea, janene and tori - you are forgiven for your lame music appreciation...

another fav...guess what - one of mine...wonders will never cease...

after a glass/stubby or two...nothing like alcohol to warm you up on a chilly afternoon...a suhwweet group image...

california dreaming anyone...

we asked the fellows to hold the bouquets while the girls borrowed their jackets (it was seriously freezing) and mike caught this image...nice work guys...

off into sexy cars again to the original st josephs church...nice...

see what i mean...spunky hey?...you are one lucky lady janelle...

racing against time and diminishing light...this alleyway has been in the corner of my eye for some time...janelle and craig...you two rock!...these images are freakin amazing...and yes, they are mikes...

down to the jetty we go - along with seventeen other photogs and bridal parties...lol...talk about take a number...managed a quick hug from clever clare day and her fiance/assistant/all round mr nice guy john and chatted with new friend russell ord (who along with his cool assistant looked more like rock stars than wedding photogs) from ocean images...offered the tub chair to all, and then rocked these perfect images on the jetty...

here is one of mine, mine, mine, mine...sound like the annoying seagulls from finding nemo...but fair call on a damn fine image...if i say so myself...

travelling on, we arrive at the port geographe marina tavern and restaurant for a sumptious reception...but not before we sneak into the marina (thank you mr fisherman for letting us in!) for a few cool, onelight, moody shots...a tad scary with low lighting, skinny jetty, deep dark cold water and expensive equipment - but mike handled it all in his stride...whereas this little black duck (water/dark/height phobia sooky la-la) was shitting herself...

then clear out of the blue, a mysterious, charming and unassuming stranger offers his extremely expensive huge launch for a night shoot...how lucky can you get? he also offered everyone drinks and posed for photo...but as he was on the run from a. the tax man, b. his ex wife or c. all of the above we are unable to publish his identity...thanks for your generosity kind stranger...we hope you continue to enjoy your secretive lifestyle...and oh my goodness - check out this shot!!!!

inside the tides tavern - awesome yummy food and very friendly efficient staff - we find this marvellous wedding cake, that nanna made! astounding work nanna! nanna informs me this is the best corner and i must try to light up the little pearls as they glow...how did i do nanna?

hush now, says nanna, it was nothing - really...

then we came across this little sucker...and a joint idea between mike and the fellows was discussed and attempted but it took a girl, yes, this girl...to execute (and win) the image of the day...scroll down

i was informed it had better be goood, real goood...

dance time, party time...craig and janelle and their remarkable friends and family sure know how to party...groovy groovy dance music (apologies to my teenagers for such lame words)...and loads of dancing...mike had to keep giving me 'the look' to get off the dance floor...a few romantic images to begin...aawwww

love this one of janelle...she was seriously this happy - all day - just delightful...

and love this one of craig...seriously this cool, all day...

we then spotted this uber sassy guest...who was working it to the max...with none other than...

janelles mum shirley!...kudos to you young man...laughed long and hard and had to sit due to stomach cramps...

had to include this image of janelle bopping with the girls...love it...

it was now very late in the night, my shoes were off, the battery on the light was dead...but my magnificent mike was a little peeved about the cigar shot and the fact that i may actually win a 'shot of the day'...so in the spirit of competition...off we trek into the night, send craig and janelle onto a jetty and under a lamp post for these rockin freakin (dadgummit) shots of the day...

well...thats that then...unless you fine peoples think differently...send us some love and tell which one...theres a lot riding on this one...

craig and janelle...you two strikingly good-looking and incredibly nice people...mixed fun, class and style to perfection to produce one fantabulous wedding day...huge thanks for allowing us to join you on the ride...we loved every minute...and super huge thanks for being so willing to undertake every zany idea - they sure paid off...we hope you relaxed in vanuatu, and you enjoyed my largest blog post ever!...shhh...dont tell mike - he limits me to 25 images...wishing you all of lifes blessings and happy moments...x

blog score: kylie won kylie won kylie won kylie won...what?...did someone say kylie won??

get ready...here 'tis...our awesome photo booth

2008-05-06T06:18:00.000-07:00

thanks to bree and simon...here is the slideshow of the very first photo booth extravaganza!!!...keep your eyes peeled for the groomsman who was intent on having his photo with every girl at the party...and bree - girl, you rock...talk about glamour bride!!

let us know how much you love it!!! coming to every wedding that we attend!

pssssttt...be patient...big sucker file...does this weird buffering thing first...

news flash

2008-05-05T15:55:00.000-07:00

thanks to those lovely ladies and handome grooms and helpful mums and dedicated best friends who visited us at the sanctuary wedding expo on sunday...we hope you found the expo informative and our booth the most fantabulous!

special thanks to the amazing couples who met us, loved us, wanted us and changed dates to have us...woo-hoo!

coming soon to the blog is the slideshow of our incredible photo booth (my new boyfriend...ssshhh...dont tell mike) that is offered in both our packages for the super-dooper cost of absolutely no charge!

also to all those couples out there who are looking for a photographer for the busy month of november 2008, we now have a previously booked date become available - saturday the 29th november 2008...give us a call...you wont be disappointed!

the rustic charm of cooks park b&b

2008-04-24T09:05:00.000-07:00

check out this stunning location for weddings...

just down the road from our humble home is this gorgeous b&b...cooks park, run by Peter and Maria. besides the scenic location that showcases awesome sunsets across the glass estuary filled with 1000's of balck swans, the stylish and comfortable accomodation, and the incredible hospitality of peter and maria...the grounds boast the historic cooks cottage...a 1862 homestead built by the original settlers...

maria invited us over to see the cottage (heads up also to mike and jen at australia's own fj holdens who called us soon after visiting themselves) and also to promote the grounds for wedding ceremonies for couples who are looking for somewhere a little different..

here are a few images of the homestead...we think its just perfect for many photo opportunities - and especially for a trash the dress session...stay tuned for more details...

check out the crumbling fireplace....ooohhh - i'm getting so excited...then theres the windows and the half restored walls and - oh, just everything!

heres Daisy - doing her best 'bride' pose...he he he - see the wall behind her? it has all old original wall paper, half-peeling etc - just soooooo perfect...

another images of the cottage...so tranquil in the late afternoon...

and heres a few of the b&b...it is surrounded by farmland that horses graze upon and the views are to die for...

15 minutes from bunbury, and 5 minutes from belvedere beach...

choose from a king size waterfront room or a queen size room with rural views...just beautiful...

both rooms share a large well-equipped kitchen and a comfortable sitting area, with water views...

so if you are looking for somewhere different for your ceremony, or if you would like to organise somewhere fantastic for your guests to stay, go ahead and phone maria on 97960505 or visit her web at www.cookspark.com .

and if you would like to contact us about a FREE trash the dress session, possibly with make-up thrown in, go ahead - make the call! its about creation not destruction...that is what is promoted through websites both here and in the states - check them out here and here and here...

count your blessings...

2008-04-18T17:50:00.000-07:00

our baby daisy, who was born 3 months premature, has undergone nearly 3 years of specialist check-ups and assessments - through kemh and pmh - to ensure all is well and developing...an excellent and reassuring program...attending her last one on thursday where she was discharged from the program and received gold stars and 100% marks and lots of sad goodbyes from loving staff...woo-hoo!

a few images of daisy in her first few scary, overwhelming, and hugely emotional months...

and a few of our little, supercharged, happy little tot...who loves having her hair cut by her great aunty...

and especially loves somersaults...

but loves running more...

and also posing for the camera...go figure...

whose first loves are - in order - nemo, dora, pooh bear and strawberries...soon to be overtaken by her new dora rubber boots which have somehow become superglued to her feet...

but who also loves dancing to thirsty merc and end of fashion...

and certainly loves make-up and dressing-up and being a real little three year old girl - completely oblivious to the frightening months of uncertainty and worry that her family experienced in 2005...

count your blessings...

how excited...

2008-04-17T19:25:00.000-07:00

mike - being a normal, typical, joe-blo, average aussie fellow who is obsessed with stats and figures and numbers and techno mumbo jumbo - has just raced in to inform me we have had over 3000 hits to the blog in just under 5 months! woo-hoo...great news! thanks, in most part, to the lovely brides who frequent lifting the veil after helen and leon's blog post. uber sweet kind words were passed back and forth on this informative wa wedding forum about mike and i - check out the thread here - and we thank you clare, lainy and helen and all the lovely ladies most humbly..

here is an image of mike before reading the stats...farting around with his camera instead of helping me with the 57 loads of laundry, 12 breakfast messes and 35 pairs of shoes to remove from the front door due to school holidays and 6 kids and lots of photo editing...

and here he is again after reading the stats...he he he

love your work babe...x

greg and leanne 22nd march 2008

2008-04-15T16:51:00.001-07:00

the sweetest, kindest couple ever - greg and leanne - were married at the council gardens in front of very suprised family and friends...as they actually romantically and privately exchanged vows at sunset on the beach the night before...but more on that later...

normally the first image on a post is a pretty bouquet, or a gorgeous gown...but this wedding was a little unique so here is an image of greg and his mates first up...looking fairly casual and relaxed when mike arrived - as most men only style up for the occassion 13.7 seconds before they are about to leave, this is a usual occurence when mike visits the boys home...

beautiful leanne and her uber sweet girlfriends were staying at grittleton lodge, which was truly spectacular and lush and soooo perfect for romantic images...this image was one of the first of the morning...

so many spots to hang the stunning gown...

leanne and the girls carried elegant fans - handmade by leannes mum...

while leanne was being pampered by naomi and renae from naes hair and beauty studio (love your work girls!) i stole the two best bridesmaids - these ladies know how to treat and spoil and look after a bride! - for a few portraits...

then it was 'lace up time' and a few laughs..

ta-dahh! one incredibly gorgeous bride...

leannes dad, snowy, is quite an emotional fellow (just between us, ok?) and dealing with the wedding of his only daughter was - at times - a bit too much. hey snowy...real men cry all the time...trust us, we know...here is snowy seeing his girl all frocked up...

looooovvve these bridesmaids - they were even great photog assistants!

see what i mean about grittleton lodge? ...

then it was off the ceremony (with a select few knowing what was about to occur)...about 2 minutes into the introductions, the lovely sarsha wetherall announced to the guests that the ceremony actually took place last night at sunset...here is leannes parents upon hearing the news...

and here are gregs parents...like most of the crowd - a little suprised...

this sweet delightful boy is dean, greg and leannes dear little boy...

with s super quick ceremony over, we travelled off in the luxury fjs from australias own to a few choice locations mike and i had sourced around the cbd of bunbury...this lovely archway belongs to the new premised of relationships australia - the cause of much amusement for all who arrived...

michael and the boys with the fjs are always willing to accomodate mikes weird requests (just drive up over that hill, reverse on a 45 degree angle, with headlights on, and wheels turned at exactly 56.3 degree angle...please) thanks fellas...

a little pink texture for a different mood...

thought the guys were laughing at my corny jokes..but no...

they were cracking up at the antics of my husband and the boys from holden...i just dont want to know...

as soon as we spotted this door we both had the exact image in mind...

i must say leanne perfected the mood and feel of what we had planned...

then these two (after quite a few wild turkeys) completely blew it clear out of the water...

form the back of the kia (thanks babe, i love how you always carry this on your head from location to location - nothing beats public acknowledgement of true devotion) comes the tub chair for a few portraits...

we normally capture the groom looking serious (mums love these) but depsite our best efforts, greg found it extremely difficult to look pensive...

no idea why he found it so difficult...

here is michael, from australias most wanted...oh, i mean australias own fj holdens...looking gorgeous...

a few more portraits before we lost light...

one of my favourites...

love this one too...

off to the rowing club, where all the tables had easter eggs!...yum...

a few sweet images for this beautiful young family...

but i couldnt tear myself away from this beautiful little child...

a relaxed image...

during the speeches...

this image of mikes, after snowys emotional speech, would have to be my fav of the day...moments like these are why we like to stay well into the night...

yummy, yummy cake...

i wonder if greg is thinking 1. what are you doing 2. do they actually take photos of this or 3. hubba hubba

heres gregs sister, the mc for the evening, and the fine sassy ladies she organised to run a smooth and flowing bar all evening...

every bar manager has to have one coyote ugly dance on the bar (or the esky anyway)...

tearing greg and leanne away from the guests on the balcony, we managed to sneak in a few moody night shots on the banks of the leschenault inlet...

greg and leanne, and all your fab, crazy, amazing friends and family....thank you ever so much for allowing us to share in an incredible day...we were so honoured to be included in the thank yous during your speech...i'm glad you three enjoyed a well earned, relaxing break on daydream island...mike and i sincerely wish you many blessings for your future...looking forward to the next time we meet for the burnout photo shoot!

snowy...many many thanks for the very kind words...and the wine!!

kick ass total - mike 73, kylie 4...but hey, my portrait images of the lovely ladies were damn fine...but that fellow of mine definately rocked the red door...

you know you are old when ...

2008-04-12T19:50:00.000-07:00

years ago...much longer than i care to dwell on...my two good mates ken and shinz were wild and rockin as we prepared to complete our schooling in year 12. since then...ken has witnessed life, death and in between as a nurse and ambo and shinz has travelled to hidden, dark and dangerous corners of the earth - while i lovingly raised a family in suburbia...

my realisation that i am finally reaching middle age (creaky ankles, fadoobaders on the upper arms and embarrasing laughter from my teenagers as i sing loudly to 99 luft balloons) is forever in front of my face...but i must admit to totally cacking myself when i heard that these two wild best mates from my youth are now back in their home towns, hoeing vegetable gardens with gusto, as they prepare to challenge each other in the "best vegetable" category of the local agricultural show...

love your work fellas! give us a call and we'll organise a reminice sess - complete with too loud acca-dacca and bourbon on ice!

sue's girls february 2008

2008-04-05T19:41:00.000-07:00

sues girls, katie jane and cindy lee, turned 18 in january and part of their gift from mum was a portrait shoot with us! we had such a blast in the afternoon sun, down on the estuary, and captured these beautiful girls at a time of innocence and maturity all rolled into one...

we love love love these trees on cathedral avenue...

we walked a little way to the moody paperbark trees..

some texture for those who like...

i think this is my fav...

quick change into a frock in the back of the car for some more images down in the water...

thanks sue, cindy and katie for being so willing to try our ideas...we hope you love the results as much as we do!

leon and helen 15th march 2008

2008-04-04T16:54:00.000-07:00

once upon a time, princess helen, who makes sick people well, and prince leon, who creates beautiful gardens were married under the fairytale trees at castle caves house...according to the clever young niece who surprsied everyone with her impromtu fairy tale speech at the reception...

helens family gathered at a hill top mansion in yallingup for the weekend that we were in love with...so many corners and features and amazing spots...we were happy to stay there all day...

here is helen, all calm and lovely...

the front door was just perfect for some grungy images...

perfect, pure white orchids that i have forgotten the name of!...please helen post a comment to put me out of my muddled brain misery...

the stunning gown...

here is leon and his brother, best man and best friend garrick - who has the coolest job in the universe at creatures of leisure...

helen and leon chose to have their location images taken before the ceremony, so they could spend more time with their guests...allowing us to capture sweet, sweet images like this...

the view from the top floor bedroom overlooking yallingup...and a beautiful bride also...

helen chose not to wear her train to the ceremony...this image is for lyn...

helen and her sister megan, alike, yet different, but both stunning...

my fav fav fav from the home ...

we sped off chasing helen and leon in their chauffered jag (hey guys - we drive a family, 8 seater kia!) stopping off at the yallingup hall...all the while checking over our shoulders for guests!

these guys had the coolest otis sunnies - we kept trying to swap them for our last-minute-servo-purchase-cheap-ass-sunnies but they were on to us...go figure...

arrived at pique point for a few beachy images...

my fav from the beach...

a little touch up before leaving...

a few calming words of encouragement from dad...

even though leon had already seen helen all frocked up and lovely...there was still excited anticipation as his bride walked towards him...

princess helen arriving with king wouter (sorry wal, couldnt resist... he he)

prince leon was spellbound ... (ok, ok ill stop soon i promise)

a moment of quiet reflection for king wouter (ok, so i lied...)

during the sweet ceremony...

sealed with a magic kiss...

garrick reading his speech in a quiet spot...except for that pesky photographer!

all single fellows...this mysteriously beautiful young sassy diva is unattached...

a classy cake and more of those amazing orchids...

sneaky image...about to enter the reception...

the clever author of "princess helen and prince leon"

we so love staying for the speeches...nothing beats the laughter, tears and heartfelt straight-up emotion ...

the night sky held a blue moon, star filled sky and awesome clouds...so of course we interrupted the couples meal to steal off into the night...

mikes artsy fartsy image...experimenting again with light and motion...love it love it love it...

helen and leon rocked the dance floor with their surprise rumba...

darren from dj darren cranked up the sounds and had everyone dancing and singing...

and while helen was grooving the"abba" thing with the girlies, leon had to rely on his mates for a dance...

heres wal telling me not to take any unflattering poses to circulate to our work collegues...and lots of unflattering poses of wal to circulate to our work collegues...

"...and they lived happily ever after..."

our many thanks to wal, lyn, greta, norm and especially helen and leon for treating us as invited guests to your emotional wedding day...wishing you both much happiness as you begin your married life...you two are the real deal...

competition highlight: i am seriously hijacking mikes camera for an inkling of a chance to kick his ass...seriously...

brendon and shireen 8th march 2008

2008-03-31T16:10:00.000-07:00

we return to gorgeous alverstoke for the wedding of brendon and shireen, a beautiful young couple who were surrounded by fun and loving family and friends on a very warm summer night...

a few images from home...

and then a mad dash to alverstoke where we were greeted by a handsome groom, and all the loveliness that is this heritage listed location...

brendon receiving a little flak from his mates for looking so stylish and smooth...

brendons mum and dad wondering how did their little boy grow up so fast...or that's what i think anyway...

and shireen's mum wondering when did he little girl grow into such a beautiful young lady...shireen is the only daughter with four brothers...

the priest who officiated actually christened brendon as a baby...so he too was wondering where the years have disappeared to...

love it when the couple is finally able hold hands in a formal ceremony...

we took off in the hot cars for a trip 5 kms down the road for a bit of fun on a windy road...we were only interupted by 1 grumpy farmer, 1 car load of hooligans and 1 outlaw motorcycle member...all in a days work...

then back to alverstoke where, because everyone was having so much fun, it took us a lifetime to capture this image...

a few portraits...

the bridal party were then obligated to return to the barn for their sumptious dinner...then we coaxed brendon and shireen to return to the grounds of alverstoke for some moody twilight images...

mike has been experimenting with extra light lately...creating stunning images with a unique glow...

love love love this one...by now the bridesmaids had joined in the fun...

despite loud protests from mike and i ("please dont go back inside we want to take more photos") the bridal party returned again to the barn for speeches...just couldnt resist posting this image of muzza, shireens dad, chuckling because he forgot his spectacles...

the best man was terribly nervous...but once joined by two jolly groomsmen had everyone cracking up with their speeches...

a pretty cake...

who would have thought that old fashioned lighting in an old wooden barn would provide such beautiful lighting...combined with a little spooky post-processing by yours truly...

beautiful image by mike - helped along with a little backlighting ...

love this image...

here is shireen with her lovely friend jodie and her her fiance ryan, who are considering booking us for their photographers for their wedding in january 2009..."pick us pick us - we work really hard and we are lots of fun and we are awesome picture takers!"...

another great portrait of muzza, relaxed and happy towards the end of a fantastic day...

mike chewing the fat (or sitting on his butt while i'm running around) with a fellow photographer...

a great shot of the crowd grooving to the tunes...just as i was about to join them, mike said it was time to go...bummer...

thank you, brendon and shireen, and your ever loving extended family and friends, for allowing us to share a warm sunny day at alverstoke with you...hope you enjoyed your honeymoon and wishing you many blessings for the future...

comp update: mike seriously rocked with the twilight images - BUT i held the light!!! (when the best man wasnt holding it to put his mind off being violently ill...)

martin and nichole 1st march 2008

2008-03-11T06:08:00.000-07:00

martin and nichole were married with a joyous ceremony on the old jetty at busselton, with a sumptious reception at the incredible beach front goose restaurant...nichole is the most flawless, creative, artistic, gracious bride we have ever met (read her very funny and very yummy personal blog here)...an ideal match for her handsome, articulate, intense partner martin...

they were joined by nicholes huge family (3 sisters and 2 brothers!), martins small family and their charming children, indi and bella...here is bella's flowergirl dress that nichole handmade...

three matching frocks for three very different sisters...

a very stylish and individual gown for nichole...

luurrvve the bouquets...

while the holiday home was in full swing (organised chaos?) the brothers decided the best place was in the pool...

chatting with bella...

one holiday home, one bathroom, one mirror, one very expensive concealor, five girls...hhmmm

this is nan and pop...(no wonder she chose the hallway mirror!)...very special to nichole and who travelled from afar and despite recent illness to watch their beautiful granddaughter marry her handsome fellow...

we again completely re-arranged the lounge room for a few portraits...my apologies to the boyfriend who was contently watching the car racing...

the sisters were just itching to start working it for the camera...stay tuned...

a four generation snap before we raced off to the jetty...

martin and indi...wondering why are all these people looking at me...

arriving with dad...

love this image...yes, one of mine...the ceremony was officiated by the uber stylish and the most gorgeous and accomodating cavelle monck...just beautiful cavelle...

and also this one...one of mikes...

joint effort here, mike captured beautiful girls, ocean and birds...1970's post processing by moi...

my fav family shot...but there are more nichole!...just wait for the sunset images!

indi and bella... warming to the strange loud lady with the camera...

flowergirl of the year!

mike's gorgeous image of nichole...

martin was reluctant to stray too far away from his guests - and the yummy food - for their location shots, so mike and i scouted for close places a few weeks before and stumbled across this totally amazing abandoned villa...well, we hoped was it was abandoned - we tried all contacts possible to locate an owner to no avail...we were just a little fearful that it had been bought by an outlaw motorcycle gang who were at any minute about to arrive and begin their annual booze and fight club conference...we again reverted to the "beg forgiveness, not ask permission" rule...the following images were soooo worth any trepidation we may have had...we hope you love these arty shots guys...

the entire time we were there i kept expecting a little old lady ghostly face to appear from the turret window...

now here's the thing about serious martin...he is by far the best borat impersonator we have ever come across...seriously the real deal...the only item missing is the lime green mankini - and i even have my suspicions about that!...we would think he was finally exasperated with our weird requests and then a hear a tone perfect "great success"...

as the afternoon proceeded, martins humour started to shine through the wedding haze, especially when mike and martin found this sign at our next location...apologies to all the mums reading...

i had been waiting many weddings for the perfect couple and the perfect location for this image...

artgeo also had a pretty deck with pretty tree...

where nichole whispered sweet nothings and made martin grin...

mike's stunning silouhette image...

more of nichole's creativity with these exquisite cupcakes...

several invited guests were of mcuh smaller stature - and we had a great time recording some antics on the deck during twilight...this little boys eyes were as blue as the sea behind us...

and these little twin girls - who most of the time ran rings around their parents - secretly tried to open the love heart chocolates with borrowed knives...but it's ok - i managed to inform the mum of the impending danger - just after i had taken the shot...

funny fellows goofing around with a little cross-processing thrown in for colour...

pretty girls in pretty dresses dancing a pretty dance...

and dear sweet little indi playing chasy...

a generation photo of the men...

our humble apologies to nichole - as she was only 3/4 of the way through her superb fish dinner...but we just could not pass up on this gorgeous sunset...

another of mikes images...yes, in case you are wondering he did pretty much whup my butt this day...love this family shot...i'm thinking large, very large, enlargement for this one nichole...

and because the day is all about nichole (sorry martin - but we did warn you...) here is a pensive nichole in a little tungsten light - taken by bloody mike...

and just for the models of the afternoon - here is a closing shot of the sisters and friends - still looking damn fine...

martin and nichole, it was very important to us that we captured your individuality, your love for your children and your devotion to each other - we hope we have achieved this for you both...you guys fit together like a piece of indi's well worn lego...

thank you for treating us as invited guests, we enjoyed every mouthful, and meeting and chatting with your amazing friends and family. so happy that your honeymoon was spent eating and drinking and enjoying each others fabulous company...see you both again at the biggest park in australia!

if you havent guessed already (i did actually take some images this day) mike was incredible in his composition and ideas for martin and nichole...inspired, i'm sure, by the continual praise from borat...

megan graduation ball

2008-03-10T05:58:00.000-07:00

my good friend cindy asked us to capture her beautiful daughter megan...all frocked up and looking glam for her high school ball...megan was a little reluctant at first - but i am super glad she agreed...

we bought my fav tub chair along for the ride...

just a little embarrassed that i asked her to strike a sassy pose!...

cindy loves these images with the sunlight peeking through...i've heard she sneaks off to look at them for a calming effect after telling megan for the seventeenth time to clean her room

we like to have the opportunity to meet the date also...and there is no extra charge for mikes 100 point safety check and approval scrutiny...meet "gibbo" - megans handsome date and very good friend...

i heard megan danced until 4am and then intended to head off to surf club at daybreak!..the girl has stamina!...thanks cindy, gibbo and the very stunning megan...

rob and shaynee 23rd february 2008

2008-03-08T13:58:00.000-08:00

best friends, party partners, sports fans, believers in the future and devoted romantics...
the outrageous rob and effervescent shaynee were marrried at picturesque alverstoke in brunswick, with a picture-perfect reception at sanctuary golf resort. the entire day was chocka-block filled with hilarious laughter, immense affection and genuine really nice people...

shaynees gown was pure elegance...

normally, i post an image of the bride's shoes - but as a self-confessed shoe fanatic i am committed to showing you this divine pair of perfection - bought to you by shaynee's mum - del...

"whay? me a beautiful bride? never..."

we are becoming renowned for moving the entire contents of a room around to capture a particular shot - and this image was all worth it...

introducing the coolest parents on the planet - and guys - dave's fridge is apparently always open!

ever since our first meeting, mike and i had an intense longing for this staircase...

this one's for del...

awaiting us at alverstoke, rob and his mates - feeling the love...

alverstoke is sssoooo pretty, relaxed and shady...

shaynee was determined not to cry...

most of their amazing ceremony included much laughter...

this tiny little page-boy spoke for all the guests when he just walked up the steps and silently expressed his emotions with a manly hug...

and then smooched the prettiest girl...

the flower girl and page boy in the old school house...

at the old homestead...

no trouble striking a sassy pose for these sisters...

meet the men of gq...these guys will never admit it...but they so love the camera...

on the old barn deck...

we would normally never post an unflattering image of our couples - but shaynee and rob ever so willingly posed for a kath and kel kiss - and it was so real - that it just had to be exposed to the world...

another one for del...

never ever before, when we have asked the grooms to "throw a bridesmaid into the water" have we been met with such enthusiasm, determination and fear that they were actually going to do it...

with sports-minded, outdoorsy kinda people - when you ask for a jump - you get an official, judged, "who's the highest" competition...

meet brad coleman, from down south luxury limousines - happy to help out in any way...thanks brad..

the boys - worshipping their mate - and about to ruin my antique tub chair...

brad the limousine driver must be a parent of a teenager or have the patience of a saint or just be plain deaf - as the music from the limo could be heard in geraldton...this is the crew upon exiting the limo and grooving to the drum solo courtesy of the chilli peppers...

most of our couples know about the competition fought hard and true by mike and i...well it just became slightly more intense...below are two images - one by moi and one by mike...which is the better we ask - please be truthful - huge wager!

jannine wass is again outstanding in her decoration...

this is the most talked about image of the evening - all future bookings for "plumbies" modelling contracts may be made through pixel magix...

robs mum about to dispute the statement by the bestman that rob was the "ugliest baby..."

rob's dad having a quiet chuckle during one of the hilarious speeches...

after a few ales the fella's were begging for the camera - and madonna said "strike a pose"...

mike is loudly proclaiming "where are my arty shots" - oh, here you go ansy pants - happy now?

the boys played a rough and tumble (oh my goodness they are going to destroy my music equipment) game for the garter...here is image 1 - READY

image 2 - SET - note the poor guy is being strangled by his tie...

image 3 GO...by this stage not only was the music man worried about his equipment, mike was fearful of his life...see that little yellow glow all the way down the back of the room - that's me...mike asked me to hold the backlight close the fella's as they were running - no siree...i'm not that stupid...you are on your own buddy...

rob and shaynee - we have never met two young people more in love with life and each other...you are both a credit to your parents and your awesome group of friends...we feel privelged and honoured to share in this first step of your incredible journey together...we wish you all of life's blessings...

competition will be decided by viewers to this blog - as sooky ass mike reckons i'm cheating...