I had the pleasure of photographing a wonderful friend’s family on the weekend … their kids are just divine and it was so much fun. We laughed and tickled and played and raced around  and got some wonderful shots … here is  a little peek …

Thanks so much for a fun afternoon …

Kx

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“Promise me you’ll always remember: You’re braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.

Christopher Robin to Pooh“

On Friday I updated my Facebook page with the following status:

Tomorrow between 11 and 3 the wind will die down to a light breeze, the rain will stop and the sun will sporadically shine through the clouds.

When I opened my eyes Friday morning I heard howling wind and buckets of rain hitting my roof. Uh Oh.

After meeting David and Jo almost a year ago, I knew that they would not let anything spoil their wedding day.  These two are so much fun, they make you want to dance and sing and laugh out loud. Their happiness and fun nature is infectious. It was so clear on their wedding day that they were surrounded by people who adore them.

The weather did behave quite well, especially for the Adelaide Hills – the sun peeked through as requested, the wind died down and we were able to sneak outside quite a few times to capture the love between David and Jo….

When I arrived at Jo’s house I was greeted by two of the loveliest bridesmaids ever. The dresses were all stunning. Elegant.

The Church - The Church of the Epiphany in Crafers – was *almost* as beautiful as the bride…. old stone building, gorgeous woodwork inside…..  Jo’s proud father walking her down the isle….. and then husband and wife leaving the church!

I can not  tell you how much fun these two were to work with. We barely had to give any instructions – both so besotted by eachother, we simply captured them as they are… in love…

The relaxed cocktail reception was held at St Githa’s Garden in Bridgewater, a location we just looooooove!

Thank you David and Jo for including us in your wedding, we had a wonderful time with you, your relaxed and fun nature made it a really fun day – even with the weather!  Thank you for making our job so easy. Enjoy your time away!

Merryn xx

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‘Sing like no one’s listening, love like you’ve never been hurt, dance like nobody’s watching, and live like its heaven on earth’

- Mark Twain

These 3 children were just divine.  We met at the railway station in the small town of Strathalbyn on the Fleurieu Peninsula – I love shooting at train stations and railway lines…. so much fun, so many different things to explore…..

Meet Tarneisha, the oldest of the 3, totally stunning and so relaxed in front of a camera…. anyone would think her mum has had the camera on her from day one…. he he….

And then there is little Lachlan who was so excited about the trains and what was in the sheds and what the trains carried and where they were going and where they slept and…… I was exhasuted by the end of it but he was bucket loads of pure 3 year old FUN!

And of course, the newest member of the family – Kodi – cute as a button and quiet as a mouse, making me clucky clucky clucky!

Thank you all for a fun afternoon – you were brilliant, enjoy your sneak peek!

xx Merryn

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‘When you look at your life, the greatest happinesses are family happinesses.’

- Joyce Brothers

You may remember Ty and Jay from their sneak peek here.

Their wedding was so much fun that after proofing all their images I feel the need to share a few more with you…..

It was a day filled with the cutest cutest kids all doing their own thing and having a wow of a time!

The groomsmen were such a laugh… (and the groom!)… the hardest part of the day was getting them to stop cracking jokes for a few minutes!! Incredibly animated, energetic and not afraid of landing on concrete…

The ceremony was held on Maslin Beach – declared in 1975 as Australia’s first official nude beach…. they even hold their own ‘nude olympics’ there once a year consisting of competitions such as the 3 legged race (?!?!?!) and the best bum!  But no, that is not the section of beach where Ty and Jay had their ceremony! But you can imagine what fellow photographer friends were saying when we said we were shooting a wedding on Maslin Beach!   I assure you, all bridal party, family & guests were fully clothed!  Ty and his brother did insist on a photo in front of the sign though!

This shot totally cracked me up when I saw it! I had no recollection of taking the photo at all. I figured it must be Kates, but no, it was a nikon file, that meant it was mine… then I realised it was one of those shots that you take when you dont realise you are taking a photo…. camera in one hand chatting away about who knows what and your finger accidently clicks the shutter…. LOL!

This is my gorgeous friend Hannah and her husband Heath who were guests at the wedding. How could I not post a photo of you?!  Hannah and Heath live on a farm on Yorke Peninsula so it is not often that we get to see each other so the few minutes we had to chat together were very precious! You can see Hannah’s wedding from earlier in the year here… including me all spunked up in a dress and heels!

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‘The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams’

- Eleanor Roosevelt

*phew* … what a HOT day it was on Sunday! (and still is!) …

A HUGE, huge thank you to all the wonderful Adelaide Families who braved the heat with their little ones and joined us for our mini photography sessions at the Botanic Park last weekend. We had a great time – but we certainly slept well that night!

All your galleries will be emailed out to you very shortly

Kate & Merryn xx

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When you look at your life, the greatest happinesses are family happinesses.  ~Joyce Brothers

Kayla is the daughter of one of the loveliest ladies I have ever met. She is patient and kind and loving. She is everything in a mum that I hope to be. It was my absolute pleasure to photograph Kayla all ready for her school formal.

She just looked stunning. And her very clever mum even made her dress! Kayla, I hope you had a fabulous night – you looked totally gorgeous. I hope all your dreams come true for you.

xx Merryn

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Like dreams

small creeks

grow into mighty rivers

- unknown

There is just something about the “big family shoot” … observing the dynamics of a family as they negotiate the poses, groups, locations and the “we’ll just try this” … that their photographer inevitably puts them through. Add a set of 2 year old (gorgeous!) twins into the mix and one would be forgiven for wanting to run and hide.

But this family were awesome. It was hot – at only 9.30 am!. We wandered the botanic gardens in Adelaide for this fun family session, discovering the nooks and cranies of the old gardens. The twins were ABSOLUTELY divine! Super cute, and so well behaved (my 2 year old could learn some lessons from them!) And even the Adult Males behaved themselves!

Here’s a (not so) sneak peek …

Thanks so much for a great morning guys. Your family is great fun and those twins are just divine. Your full gallery will be up asap.

Kate x

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Call it a clan,

call it a network,

call it a tribe,

call it a family.

Whatever you call it,

whoever you are,

you need one.

~Jane Howard

Meet Miss Eloise.
Divine in every way. Peach fuzz on the ears. Gorgeous dark hair. Long fingers. All that newborn yummi-ness bundled up in something soooo cute …

and I just LOVE this one.

It is three generations. The picture in the window is of the maternal grandparents, that little Miss Eloise will never meet. But the love is still there, just as strong.

Thanks so much for a great arvo, Jane and Sam. Give that gorgeous girl a big squishy hug from me!

Kate x

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Babies are such a nice way to start people.
– Don Herrold

Wow. Wow. And more wow.

Lee-Ann and Carl have won themselves a real soft spot in our hearts … they are the kindest, sweetest, loveliest people you could ever meet. And Lee Ann’s son Callum is  total hoot! You might remember them from the e-session here … Well their wedding was just as fun … Held at Glen Ewin Estate Gate House, on a beautifully warm spring day ….

And what else should we have expected but for this beautiful couple to be completely surrounded by people who love them ? Merryn and I laughed as we called each other on the way to the ceremony …

Merryn: “How many guests are they expecting again?” …

Me: “umm … about 70 – 80 from memory .. ”

Merryn: (laughing) … “well I think half of them are with Carl helping him get ready!” …

Me: (laughing even more) … “well, then the other half is with Lee Ann helping her!” …

And it was like that. Lee Ann and Carl were surrounded by loved ones, helping them on their way … children were everywhere, making fun happen the way only kids know how … like putting salami hands on the bridesmaids dress … needing to go to the loo in the middle of the ceremony … break-dancing on the dance floor well before anyone has started dancing! … but it was FUN! ….

Here’s a selection of my favs from the day …

Catching up on some quick ‘Sponge Bob Square Pants’ before  heading off to the ceremony …

Callum walked his mum down the isle … and I caught him helping his mate with his tie …

The sun shone through the gums, and the flower girls made a circle of rose petals around Lee Ann and Carl …

So I must stop there, or it will no longer be a ’sneak’ peek! … but I promise to blog some images from Merryn’s camera shortly …

Enjoy your honeymoon guys

Kate x

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Trip over love, you can get up.  Fall in love and you fall forever.  ~Author Unknown

As you may know, we have been running a competition in conjunction with My Wedding Magazine for one lucky couple to win their wedding photography. The photography package, valued at well over $5000, will go to a couple who would otherwise not have a photographer due to financial restraints.

Amazingly, the average cost of an Australian wedding these days is over $40,000! and often photography doesn’t get a look in when it comes to allocating out the budget. But our lucky couple will be winning the following:

- Engagement photoshoot and planning session with 8×10” enlargement
- 4 hours photography with two photographers (Kate & Merryn)
- 200 fully processed 4×6” proofs in proof box
- 20 page wedding album
- 24 x 20” canvas print
- online gallery
- Full Digital negs

Valued at over $5000!

We have had an overwhelming response to the competition, and we wish we could put every entry up for consideration, but alas, there can only be one winner!

This is where YOU can help. Help make one couple’s dream come true and vote for your favorite couple. Read below their submissions and fill out the form below. Its as simple as that.

We wish all our finalists the very best – we can’t wait to be working with one lucky couple early next year

And stay tuned, as we will be announcing the finalists on the 1st of January!

EDITED TO ADD: We’ve had one couple remove themselves from the competition as they believed they didn’t meet the criteria after all. We thank them for their honesty, and wish them a wonderful life together …

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John and Michelle – 6 March

John propsed to Michelle as they walked along the beach after dinner one night. John and Michelle are planning their wedding on the beachside of that same location.

John and Michelle have been nominated by their friend Alison.

‘John and Michelle spent a year working for a charity in Vietnam and didn’t earn very much at all. They returned home and got engaged and have had to cut back on a lot of the usual Wedding things, including photography’

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Vanessa & Nigel – 27 Feb

Nigel asked Vanessa to marry him on her birthday just after bringing home their little boy only a few weeks old.  They are tying the knot in a lovely little Church in Ashbourne on the Fleurieu Peninsula.

‘I would love to win the gift as we can not afford to have a photographer and it would be great to have some photos taken with my mum and little brother that I can hang on the wall and when I feel homesick or blue I can look at them and smile. Also I will then have something to send to my dad. I know Mum would love to have something that she can show all her friends back home.’

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Abbi & Anthony – January

Anthony surprised Abbi on her 30^th Birthday with an Engagement ring and a sign on the cake asking her to marry him.  Abbi and Anthony are planning a casual sunset beach wedding with 35 of their closest family and friends.

‘We don’t want it to be formal or like anyone else’s wedding. We are both very casual laid back people and like to laugh more than anything else so the
wedding will have to have some of the quirky elements that really make up our personalities. ,I want to laugh and laugh and remember the day as being not quite perfect but a hell of a lot of fun!’

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