James Day Wedding Workshop - Part 2 James Day Photography Workshop, Stanwell Park, NSW

I've dropped the ball on the blogging lately. I begin with grand plans that I will blog so many times a week and then my plans get lost and forgotten. I admit defeat way too early and think 'well I haven't blogged in a week, what's a few more days!' which is a terrible attitude and mindset to have.

I resolve to fix this once and for all and will be 'penciling in' blogging time. Luke and I also want to have more time together with our cameras - whether its a day trip to somewhere exciting or just taking Erik Bear out for a walk so there will be no excuses for having nothing to blog about!

While I've been MIA on the blogging front we have been hard at work in our backyard trying to do as much as we can before the weather turns too cold and wet. We have been planting fruit trees and have started work on our chicken shed. I hope to have some before and after photos to show someday soon!
 
Back to todays content - Part 2 of the amazing workshop I went to in February hosted by the talented James Day - you can read Part 1 here :)

Day one continued with our second lovely couple who were brave enough to jump into a close-by lake...it looked a tiny bit scary but made for some truly beautiful photos. The day slowly turned into night and we met Ryan Schembri of Schembri Studios. He showed us some lighting techniques and we shot late into the night playing with ice lights.

Megan xx

James Day Wedding Workshop - Part 1 James Day Photography Workshop, Stanwell Park, NSW

One of my business goals is to attend one amazing photography workshop each year.  Having the opportunity to learn about your passion from the best and to network with other photographers is so, so great. As well as being a ton of fun it is an invaluable experience and essential for my growth in this crazy industry of photography!  This year for my first professional workshop I flew to Sydney and attended a wedding workshop run by James Day. I can't thank James enough for organising the workshop and being willing to share his knowledge and for being an open book about all aspects of his successful business. 

We stayed in a little coastal town South of Sydney called Stanwell Park in an amazing holiday house. The area was the perfect spot for portraits, it had so many amazing little spots for a variety of shots from the beautiful beaches, a gorgeous creek and plenty of greenery!

We were lucky enough to have four couples to photograph and I will be spreading these over several separate posts as I have so many favourites.

The images below are from the morning of day one. After a few guest speakers (including former Miss Universe and now TV personality Rachael Finch whose wedding James photographed last year - see it here) we met our first couple. Mel and Ollie were so fun-loving and more than happy to have 10 or so cameras in their faces!

Enjoy the pics and stay tuned for the next instalment!

Megan xx

Tracey & Jarret | Married Carrick Hill & Glenelg Wedding

Two weeks ago Luke and I photographed Tracey and Jarrets wedding at the beautiful Carrick Hill. It was such a gorgeous day and despite a short, light sprinkle of rain during the ceremony the sun made its way out from behind the clouds and provided some lovely light. Tracey is a horse trainer and competes in dressage so the stables at Carrick Hill provided the perfect backdrop for some gorgeous portraits.

Here are some of my favourites from the day. Tracey and Jarret, thank you for a putting on such a beautiful wedding and hope you are having an amazing time on your honeymoon!! xxx

The Athwal Family Family

This little family is very close to my heart. Hardeep is one of my closest friends and I have previously photographed her family and her little daughter Harsanjh as a newborn. We met one very hot Saturday morning back in February at the beautiful Adelaide Himeji Gardens. This was my first time there and it definitely won't be my last. As well as being a gorgeous backdrop for portraits, it was so serene and private.

Hardeep, Harsimran and baby Harsanjh, I had a blast hanging out with you guys taking these pics, hope you enjoy them. Can't wait to see you guys soon!

Megan xx

    These guys make such a good looking family!

    This is one of my faves - what a cutie!

Sunday Notes...

Dear 2013, you've been interesting so far, what else do you have in store for me?

Dear Eriksen, we never knew we could love an animal so much.

Dear pantry, why do you not stock yourself?

Dear house, you really are such a happier place when you're clean.

Dear weddings, you are the happiest events in the world. Thanks for letting us celebrate with wonderful couples AND photograph them.

Dear birds in our backyard, hearing you when I wake up in the morning brightens my day.

Dear beach, we haven't had a chance to enjoy you all summer, so please let the summer heat hold out long enough for us to see you!

Dear vegie garden, I can't believe you are still going strong despite the hot weather and our forgetfulness.

Wedding Day Prep Lessons Learned

Luke and I started less than a year ago on our wedding photography journey. Since we photographed our first wedding back in June 2012 we are still super new to the game! After that first wedding, we automatically talked about how we did, what we can improve on, and what needs to be changed. This casual form of process improvement has led to a lot of procedures getting put into place, future goals being recorded, new equipment purchased and lots of practising techniques (FYI, 10pm in the loungeroom wearing trackies with no make-up, all the lights dimmed using flash doesn't make gorgeous pics!). There are a ton of responsibilities, tasks and behind-the-scenes  things that photographers do and so it goes without saying that there is much for us to learn!

2013 Resolutions A New Year

I'm sitting here writing this on 4 Feb...so already my 'blog more' idea for my blogging has flown out the window! I'm going to just pretend today is the first day of the year - better late than never, right?? So here it goes...

What is it about the new year?  It’s like a big box of possibilities all wrapped up in a bright and shiny bow.  Made of sequins.  It’s the permission we give ourselves to start fresh.  To forget about our failures and go after those big dreams.  It’s this one day out of the whole year that say anything is possible.

This list is about being accountable and realising the little goals in my life that, in turn, all add up to a list of bigger goals. Although I won't be sharing those bigger goals with everyone (well, not at this stage...) these smaller goals going public still reach far out of my comfort zone.  This little list below is about realising you can’t get anywhere if you don’t take the first step. I tried to not let fear keep something off the list.  Fear of failure.  Fear of what people would think.

So, here goes my little list...

Business goals

- Blog 2-3 times per week (AND in a timely manner - No more 'Ill blog about this eventually and then end up posting it on FEB 2!!'). This will be the hardest for me...what to write, regular processing of photos, time to plan out and write the blog...but hey, it's good to have challenging goals...right?

- Attend a workshop (I'm planning on attending one big workshop per year). Already in the works! I will be spending two February days in Sydney, attending the  James Day wedding workshop!

- Finish updating our website. This has been in the works for quite a while, lets see if I can make it happen!

- Update website galleries with recent sessions.

- Decide on and purchase print packaging. Another goal that has been in the works for a while. If you have any favourite Australian packaging companies, let me know!

- Design a sample album. We need this. Our clients deserve to hold, see and feel how amazing albums are. We believe in albums and having your photos displayed in a tangible way is priceless. Luke and I have chosen our favourite company and we can't wait to begin using them!

- Be more intentional with scheduling 'business' time. Since Luke and I work non-photography  full time jobs, our business and down-time compete for attention. I want to implement a weekly business schedule of what I want to get done that week and block out time in my calendar to do it! Like they say 'A failure to plan is a plan to fail'!

- Finish new client packages and information - this has also been in the 'works' for quite a while...no excuses now!!

Personal goals

- Get Erik to behave and be obedient before the year is out! Erik is an inside dog, and I there is nothing more annoying than a pup that is naughty! We fully intend to get Erik to behave so that visitors enjoy visiting and don't have a dog jumping up on them.  We have taken Erik to his first puppy preschool class where he was so super shy and timid! He was the smallest and youngest but we are hoping he can get his confidence up and learn some cute tricks!

- Take more photos of Luke and I (oh, and Erik too!). Although we have tons of photos of our nieces and nephews, we seem to always be behind the camera! Hopefully we can resolve to take more couple and family photos of us!

- Shoot more photos for me! Following on from the above, I want to remember to take photos for the sheer love of it and for the memories. Lots of beautiful non-business related photos. Now that we have plenty of space and bare walls, I want to fill them with our own work.

- Eat more meals at home. We are getting into the swing of things but our habit from living in a rental that was so close to so many take-away places is still lingering. Hopefully this year we will eat minimum 5 meals at home a week (but we are hoping for more than that!)

So, although this isn't a huge list, it's things that I want to make sure get ticked off the list and these are goals that I know are achievable. Bring it on!

Here are some photos of my favourite fluff ball...

Jenna & Andy | Married Hans Heysen Garden & Bridgewater Mill Wedding | Adelaide Hills, SA

The Adelaide Hills region is the perfect place to escape from the hot heat of a South Australian wedding. The weather is a few degrees cooler, the trees provide amazing shade and the heat is usually accompanied by a summer breeze.

Andy and Jenna married in the historic Hans Heysen gardens in Hahndorf. With no visitors allowed in the gardens during wedding ceremonies and located off the main road, the gardens were perfectly private and serene!  The sun was shining and the temperature was lovely, following a very hot week!  Their ceremony was followed with a reception at the stunning Bridgewater Mill, where we finished up their portrait photography and then joined the reception for a fun night of fabulous food and dancing!

Meet Eriksen Puppy Love

Ever since I left home (for those playing at home, that's 10 years!!!) I have wanted my own puppy. I knew it wasn't going to be possible for quite a while, so I made do. At uni I had my goldfish Chevonne to keep me company...and after her departure, my black goldfish (blackfish??) Trevor. After graduating I was fortunate enough to board with my Sister and her Husband and their cat Mal, and then I lived by myself with no pets allowed.

Throughout all of those years I had decided to name my dog 'Olive' when 'she' eventually came into my life! Eveyone I knew would talk to me about how great it would be to get 'Olive' and how 'Olive' and I could go to dog parks and to the beach...

Fast forward to 2012 and Luke and I purchased our first home, which happens to be in a perfect spot to have a pet! We have a huge backyard and there are walking/bike paths really close where we see dogs all the time! Having an empty backyard made me clucky (or woofy?) for a fur-baby. So I let Luke marinate on the subject while I began my research.

Jenna + Andy | Adelaide Engagement Photographer

Jenna and Andy have been together since high school. As a couple, they have been everywhere travelling and working the globe together. They got engaged while overseas in Ireland and now that they have settled back in Adelaide and bought a house they will be getting married!

When Jenna asked if Luke and I would be their wedding photographers we were honoured and delighted! Jenna and I have known each other since Uni where we were often in the same classes and both lived in campus housing. We had never actually spoke to each other and it wasn't until we met through a mutual friend that we became friends. We then studied our Chartered Accountants Program together which cemented our friendship (anyone who has studied that hard, plus working will understand!).

Jenna + Andy and Luke + I spent a beautiful Sunday together and visited their Adelaide hills ceremony site and reception venue. We had lunch in Hahndorf, where the boys insisted on getting the 'metre and a litre' (us girls had to help them!) and then we took some engagement snaps!

Jenna and Andy, you are a fabulous couple and thank you again for the fun day we spent together. We cannot wait for your wedding tomorrow!

Enjoy. xx

Andy, you are such a natural!