2009 » Annie Warren's Photo Journal

Yearly Archives: 2009

BRIANNA & SCOTT’S WEDDING

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Wow…it’s been a long time since I posted! I keep meaning to make time to post all of my beautiful weddings, but I’ve been so busy…. it always seems to be last on the long list of things to do. I’m about to jump back to a very memorable day earlier this year.

Brianna and Scott were married in Rosiland Park on Saturday the 14th of March with a reception later that evening at Quills Restaurant. They had rain to contend with that morning, right up until an hour before the ceremony, with the sky threatening more rain. Even though they had a back up venue organised, they made a gutsy decision to go ahead with their planned service in the great outdoors…. a decision that really paid off. It never did rain again, and their ceremony was so beautiful in the surroundings of Bendigo’s most magnificent park.

We started the day taking photographs of Scott and his groomsmen getting ready. I absolutely love these images of Scott…. he looks so incredibly suave.

We then moved on to Scott and Brianna’s house where the girls were getting ready. Here’s a gorgeous shot of Brianna’s engagement ring, laying on the beaded detail of her wedding gown, Delicious!

Brianna with her three lovely bridesmaids.

Brianna looks absolutely stunning, surrounded by pure white.

The classy, simple boquet, created by The Eternal Vase of Bendigo.

CLICK HERE TO SEE MORE OF BRIANNA & SCOTT’S WEDDING

Posted in Wedding

CAZ & BRAD’S WEDDING

Sunday, August 30, 2009

This is another fabulous wedding that I photographed late last year, and very much wanted to display in my journal.

Caz and Brad were married in November 2008 here in Bendigo, with a touching ceremony held in their own back yard. They are the sweetest couple, and despite some pretty extreme November weather, they had an absolutely fantastic day with their wedding party, family and friends. They had worked very hard to get their back yard looking fantastic for their big day at home, and it really paid off. It looked so beautiful, and I love the idea that every time they step out their own back door they will have a reminder of the promises and heartfelt words they exchanged that day. Maybe they can even do an occasional re-enactment on the weekend! I suspect they would just jump straight forward to the kissing part though! Ha ha ha.

Brad is a also real car enthusiast, and worked very hard on his baby, an early model Celica, to have her ready in time for the wedding. The car was indeed ready in time, and looked amazing… along with 3 other friends cars which made up the ‘fleet’ for the day. So it was always going to be a priority to get some great images of the cars. I scouted around and found an ideal location here in Bendigo, and made sure to schedule some time there. I wouldn’t normally classify myself as a ‘car person’ but I thought the cars look so COOL, and really appreciate the amount of work, pride and love that goes into making cars look like this. Here is my favorite shot. Of course there are more like this one later in the post.

Going back to the start of the day, with Caz and her bridesmaid’s preparations. I loved all of Caz’s accessories, and was lucky enough to have a glass topped table to photograph them on. Even her shoes sparkled, and you just can’t beat the magnificent rose bouquets.

Time to get Caz into her beautiful wedding gown. Lacing up the dress always makes a lovely photograph.

Caz with her gorgeous bridesmaids.

The same shot from a different perspective, taken by my assistant, Sue.

Caz looked absolutely amazing! Once again I used video light mixed with ambient light and lamps to create some dreamy, glamorous bridal portraits.

Wow. What a beautiful bride. Those dreamy eyes are divine.

CLICK HERE TO SEE MORE OF CAZ & BRAD’S WEDDING

Posted in Wedding

MARISSA & JOSH’S WEDDING

Wednesday, August 5, 2009

Marissa & Josh were married in late March 2008, long before I started this Photo Journal. I photographed many beautiful weddings before starting this journal, and I would love to go back and write about them all. Unfortunately I simply don’t have the time to do so, as I’m already way behind posting about my recent weddings. The reason I have singled out this wedding from more than a year ago is that it was recently featured in our local wedding Magazine, I Do I Do Creations, as highlighted in my previous post. I thought it would be lovely to show their wedding here in more detail.

Marissa & Josh were married at the magnificent Sacred Heart Cathedral in Bendigo, with a reception held that evening at Quills. Everything about this wedding was lavish and classy, but the thing I remember most about their day is ‘fun’. When this couple explode into spontaneous laughter, everyone in their vicinity has no choice but to join in. At the same time they are deeply in love. Spending a small amount of time in their company leaves you with no ounce of doubt about that.

Just to break with tradition, I’m going to begin with 2 photographs of Marissa that were featured in I Do I Do Creations Magazine. These were both taken after the ceremony, so I’m jumping forward in the timeline of their day here. This first image was shot in View Street in Bendigo, in front of my favourite pink cafe. It’s rather considerate of them to have a mirror hanging there for me…. don’t you think?

This photograph was taken in the stairwell of a gorgeous apartment that Marissa & Josh were staying in on their wedding night. A little more about that later in the post. Anyway, who cares about the stairwell? Just look at this glorious bride! She’s like an angel.

Rewind to the start of the day, with Marissa and her bridesmaids getting ready. The wedding gown by Elizabeth de Varga was stunning, in soft oyster pink. Even before I saw Marissa wearing the gown, I knew I was in for something truly special.

Marissa with her sister and two dear friends. I just love the bridesmaids different coloured dresses.

CLICK HERE TO SEE MORE OF MARISSA & JOSH’S WEDDING

Posted in Wedding

I DO I DO CREATIONS MAGAZINE ~ issue 6 released

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

I have to admit, this news is not exactly hot of the press! The magazine was released quite a few weeks ago. I wish I had made this post sooner, but better late than never I guess.

Right… back to the announcement. Issue 6 of I Do I Do Creations Magazine is out, and it’s absolutely stunning! If you live in Central Victoria and are planning a wedding, or just love beautiful magazines, you simply must get yourself a copy. It is full to the brim with beautiful images from the very best of Central Victoria’s photographers, stories about real weddings, divine gowns, flowers, accessories, suits, bonboniere, invitations, reception venues, hints and advice. If you’re getting married in the next 12 months, this mag will be your best friend. There is no doubt that the magazine has improved with every issue, but the team have really outdone themselves this year. Looking through the pages, I can hardly believe that this magazine is produced locally. It’s definitely something for the people of Bendigo to be very proud of… a credit to our city! I personally want to congratulate everyone involved in producing the magazine. You should all be so proud of what you have achieved!

I am extremely honoured that a wedding I photographed in 2008 is a featured wedding in the magazine. The lovely bride and groom, Marissa & Josh, are one of my favourite couples. They’re both gorgeous, in the truest sense of the word! Their wedding was beautiful, emotional and so much fun, I was thrilled for them when they were selected to feature in I Do I Do Creations. They have advised me that they both intend on quitting their day jobs to launch their modeling careers any day now, and that they won’t forget the ‘little people’ when they’re fabulously rich and successful! Ha ha ha…. did I already mention that I ADORE Marissa and Josh?

Here are a couple of photographs of the magazine, and my featured wedding. The beautiful photograph on the cover was taken by Mel Plambeck of Rubii Design.

I have decided to follow this post up with a full post about Marissa & Josh’s wedding, which was back in March 2008. Even though their wedding took place nearly a year before I started this Photo Journal, I was always keen to display their images. Now they are featured in I Do I Do Creations Magazine, I feel I have the perfect excuse to turn the clock back a little, and re-live their wedding day!

Posted in Miscellaneous| Wedding

ABBEY & GLENN’S WEDDING

Thursday, July 30, 2009

This is another amazing wedding from late last year and one I will always remember with a huge smile on my face! Oh just wait until you see the wedding cars later in the post!

Abbey and Glenn were married in a tiny town called Prairie, about an hour north of Bendigo, at the historical property of Prairie Park. Their ceremony took place in the garden of the original old home, which is currently under extensive rennovation. The reception was held in a massive white marquee, set up on the property.

I’ll begin with some images of Abbey and her attendants getting ready in one of the beautifully rennovated bedrooms at Prairie Park.

Some final adjustments to Abbey’s dress. The girls electric blue satin dresses looked fabulous, especially with the window light skimming accross them.

Abbey with her beautiful bridesmaids.

Abbey’s darling little neices were just thrilled to be her flowergirls. Oh my, they are SO adorable.

I sensed such a special bond between Abbey and these two sweet little girls. This image just makes me gasp. I decided to give it a very aged, old world look with texture and frame overlays and a low contrast, faded black and white colour treatment. I think it really adds to the mood of the photograph.

Two little blue fairies, jumping for joy. I can’t think of a better reason to jump….

CLICK HERE TO SEE MORE OF ABBEY & GLENN’S WEDDING

Posted in Wedding

PAM & MATT’S WEDDING

Monday, July 13, 2009

*Here is the second in my series of catch up wedding posts from late last year. Another wedding that was so beautiful I just have to show it here.

Pam and Matt are a gorgeous couple who were married in Bendigo on October 4th 2008 in a beautiful ceremony at the Forrest Street Uniting Church, with a reception held that evening at Hunter House. Pam and her bridesmaids got ready in one of the suites at Hunter House.

The girls admiring the gorgeous wedding gown, just before getting Pam dressed.

I love the serene look on Pam’s face, as her sister helps her with her jewellry. She is so elegant, and very beautiful!

A few giggles while putting on the garter.

Pam and her bridesmaids are simply glowing. What a beautiful group of ladies. I love the musk pink dresses and their peaches and cream skin tones contrasting with the blue walls in this room. It really is a beautiful setting.

Pam is a vision of elegance standing in the doorway to the balcony.

CLICK HERE TO SEE MORE OF PAM & MATT’S WEDDING

Posted in Wedding

CHANTELLE & MARC’S WEDDING

Sunday, July 12, 2009

Chantelle and Marc were married in Echuca on the 11th of October, 2008. Yes… that’s a long time ago, but it was such a beautiful wedding I really wanted to make a post about it. I have been neglecting my Photo Journal terribly, and not made any new entries for a very long time. But now I’m determined to catch up. There are a few weddings from last year that I intend on posting about in the next few days. THEN I can start to catch up on my more recent weddings. Phew…. I have a lot of work to do! Anyway, back to Chantelle and Marc’s beautiful wedding in Echuca.

I’ll begin with some images of Chantelle getting ready with her 3 lovely bridesmaids.

The bridesmaid’s dresses were the palest pink chiffon. Soft, flowing and feminine… and rather Grecian looking. Just gorgeous.

Oh my, what a beautiful bride! With her divine long dark hair and those mesmerising blue eyes, Chantelle looked amazing.

CLICK HERE TO SEE MORE OF CHANTELLE & MARC’S WEDDING

Posted in Wedding

MY KARATE KID

Monday, April 20, 2009

These days I’m so busy with weddings and portrait sessions I hardly ever make time to take photos for myself, or more specifically of my kids. The only exception is Christmas and the boy’s birthdays, so with my eldest boy Eddie’s 7th birthday approaching I persuaded him into the studio one afternoon back in February. (Yes, I’ve been meaning to post this for about 2 months now. Did I mention how busy I am?)

There’s a little more to the story than that though, and it all started with me buying Kung Fu Panda and Karate Kid on DVD for the boys. Perry liked the movies, but for Eddie it was like a bolt from the blue! He BEGGED me for Karate lessons. My husband and I actually loved the idea, so we quickly joined him up at a local Karate school . Right from the very first class Eddie was just rapt, and took me quite by surprise with his level of enthusiasm and dedication. Watching his little face during class just kills me! He is SO serious… his features set with intense concentration. Once I bought his Gi for him and he put it on, he was very keen to have his photograph taken. Of course this was a first, so I leapt at such a golden opportunity.

It’s such a thrill watching Ed’s second teeth coming through. He knocked out a front tooth when he was not quite 4, so we’ve been looking at that gap for a long time now. I always said it made him look like a hillbilly, though a very cute one. I think he’ll look amazing with a full set of beautiful new front teeth.

My two little boys, Perry and Eddie. They are so beautiful… I can hardly breathe looking at these images. Perry lost interest after this brief cameo appearance, and left Ed and I alone.

I was amazed when I looked at these on the back of the camera. I had no idea that Eddie could kick so high! These images were taken after his second karate lesson, so he’s only a raw beginner. I know I’m biased (that’s my job…. hee hee) but his balance and flexibility are astounding. I wondered if I had him at the right kind of lessons… and if I should change his name to Eddie Elliot!

Eddie was having a ball doing these screaming jumps for me. He did it over and over for half an hour until he was sweating and puffing. After EVERY one he ran over to look on the back of the camera. We’d zoom right in on his face, and collapse on the floor, howling with laughter at what we called his ‘effort face’. Snarling, grimacing, flared nostrils, tongue out to the side. Eddie decided he wanted one with a nice face, and took another run up. The last image (below) is the result of that attempt. The worst cheeseball grin I’ve ever seen! We both laughed until we were in pain. Every time I look at this image I’ll be reminded of that magic moment with my little boy… laughing so hard we nearly peed our pants! Brilliant!!!

I took this image very wide, and thought I’d post it that way for anyone who’s interested in seeing my lighting set-up. That’s an octabox at front left, and a grid at back right.

Posted in Personal| Studio

ED’S KARATE PARTY

Monday, April 20, 2009

My eldest son Eddie had his 7th birthday recently, and with his new obsession with Karate there was never any doubt over the theme for his birthday party. My husband Mick and I put our thinking caps on, and made a plan to create a dojo in our living area. I took care of the paper lanterns, headbands, kid friendly chopsticks and birthday cake. Poor Mick had a roll of brown paper, some black poster paint and a printed out sheet of Kanje characters thrust at him, and was asked to create some oriental masterpieces. Ha! He did a brilliant job, though heaven only knows what he wrote on those banners! My sister is fluent in Japanese, so I must ask her to translate. Mick’s secretly hoping the translations are at least a little bit rude!

Our best attempt at a dojo.

The birthday cake. I wasn’t feeling up to attempting a dragon, so I settled on a Gi with a liquorish black belt. My Mum and sister said I should have put a head on it. Sheeeesh!

Ed was really pleased with his cake. He had 5 friends from school to help celebrate his birthday.

A rare family photograph, taken by my sister, Sue. Now I’m wondering what I wrote on those headbands. I’ll ask my other sister….

The kids ate all their party food with the chopsticks that I had tied together with rubber bands. They thought it was great fun eating Cheezels and party pies with chopsticks.

One of the party games I dreamed up. I called this game ‘Harmony and Focus’…. inspired by Kung Fu Panda. I made them all sit cross legged with their eyes closed, and pretend to meditate. If they laughed… they were out! Then of course all the adults did everything they could to make the kids laugh. It was super funny watching them contort their little faces, trying not to laugh. Other games included throwing fried dim sims into china noodle bowls, catching tiny rice crackers in a bowl with chopsticks, and musical statues to “Kung Fu Fighting” and “Turning Japanese”. The party was brilliant. I wonder what we’ll do next year? I can’t wait!!

HOME

Posted in Personal

JUST PASSING THROUGH

Saturday, April 11, 2009

This made me really laugh, and was one of those times when I really didn’t appreciate the humour of what just happened until afterward.

I was photographing Brianna and Scott’s wedding recently, in a favourite alley in Bendigo. I decided to try something ‘cool’ and asked Scott to lean on the door and watch admiringly as his gorgeous new wife, Briannna, did a sexy strut past him. I slowed my shutter speed to a 40th of a second to catch some motion blur on Brianna, and asked them to ‘go for it’…..

Enter stage right, (totally unscripted) ….. friendly black and white pussycat, who for some reason best known to himself needed to get to the other end of the alley right at that very moment. I was concentrating so hard on keeping my camera steady without a tripod at a 40th of a second…. I didn’t even see him until the 3rd frame, when I urged Scott and Brianna to “keep going….”
Ha ha ha ha…. you can see Scott’s attention drift from very real admiration for his wife, to “what the?…. what’s with this cheeky cat?…” I just love the way puss actually strutted BETWEEN the bride and groom, looking forward the entire time, as though this sort of thing is totally commonplace to him…. Ho Hum! Well, maybe it is! It’s a great alley, and I can only imagine lots of Bendigo photographers take wedding parties in there. Looks like ‘puss’ is very non-plussed by weddings and photographers.

I will make a full post about Scott & Brianna’s wedding in the coming weeks. I just had to share this fun snippet from the day now!

Posted in Wedding

BABY CAVALLI

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

This is dear little Cavalli. He’s just 3 weeks old, and nothing short of divine. I took these photographs of him at his home, all in natural light. He was such a good boy for his session, and spent most of the time dreaming sweet baby dreams. I feel so lucky to have the opportunity to photograph a little angel like this one. My own boys are getting really big now (4 and 7 years old) and sometimes I really miss the baby days. That’s why I’m always so thrilled when I get to spend time with a precious little baby like Cavalli.

Asleep in Mummy’s arms. Cavalli’s mother Alex initially didn’t want to be in any of the photographs, but I asked her to reconsider. I think there is no place more natural or beautiful to photograph a newborn than in Mother’s arms. I bet when this little baby is a boy, then a man, these will be his favourites. I just know it…..

CLICK HERE TO SEE MORE OF BABY CAVALLI

Posted in Miscellaneous