The Perfect Shoot

Unless we have something very special on - I believe the weekends are for sleep-ins. Aidan doesn't always agree but Alfie & Jersey always side with me on this one.

Saturday morning my alarm went off at 7am, for a very good reason. I was lucky enough to have lined up what i can only describe as the perfect photo shoot!

I had the privelidge of shooting Mandie & Roger's wedding a few weeks back, and now Mandie had agreed to don her beautiful wedding gown one more time for a portrait session on the beach. As well as Mandie, she of course brought along the new hubby AND their new 14 week old puppy, Cougar. Those who know me well know now why i'm still beaming :)

When Mandie told me she was not only willing but actually WANTED to lie in the surf and get her wedding dress soaked (it was not particularly warm at 8am Saturday morning!) i was reminded of exactly why i love this girl. Amanda thank you so much for being you and letting me get some of the best shots i believe i've ever captured - i could not be prouder of the work i've produced today and it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy to know exactly how much you and your family are going to love them too. You are a true testiment to the phrase 'live, laugh, love ' . .that is all there is xxx

What a weekend!

Weekends of late have flown by waaaaaaay too fast for my liking. Leaving the donut world behind just before christmas i assumed after 10 years of one day weekends that i'd have more time by getting my beloved Saturdays back. This is not the case . . somehow Saturday & Sunday kind of mush into each other and before i know it i'm stuck in peak hour traffic on Monday morning.

This weekend was insanely busy, full of children's birthdays, christenings, aeroplanes & insurance claims but somehow it felt longer . . getting up at 6.45am on Sunday morning for a shoot may just have been the difference!

A good friend of mine had bought her friend a voucher for a photo shoot. Eileen & Matt had the most brilliant idea for the location. Matt's grandparents have a masssive property backing onto the lovely Lake Joondalup and Eileen loved just how comfortable Matt felt there. Comfortable he was . . Matt may just be the most outdoorsie guy i've ever come across clearing the shrubbery for us & assuring me that it was far to cold and damp for the snakes to be following us!












































Eileen and Matt had a sense of peace surrounding them. They are without a doubt the kind of people that could and would do almost anything they set their minds to.

I am looking forward to meeting their kitten for another little shoot in a few weeks time :)

Eileen & Matt's shoot will be on the website in a few weeks.

CBear

The beginnings of something wonderful . .

Amanda Francis wed Roger Middleton on March 20, Two Thousand and Ten.


To say i was honoured when Mandie asked me if i would 'consider' photographing her wedding day does not even describe the half of it! I never imagined my first wedding shoot would show it's pretty face so soon in my little business plan. Nor did i ever imagine to be privileged enough for that first wedding to be a friend i not only worked with for several years, but someone i travelled with, grew up with and learnt just how many glasses (or bottles) of cheap wine it took to get us intoxicated to the point that NOTHING was not funny!

Mandie & Rog were married at Mandie's Parent's Estate in Lower Chittering & held a beautiful reception at Bridgeleigh Function Centre in Wanneroo.



They say the best way to learn is to jump in head first! Here's a few of the millions of valuable things i learnt (very quickly) at my very first wedding shoot:

-You need a LOT of time - more than you could ever imagine - although i took an unmentionable number of photographs over the 10+ hours i had my camera attached to my arm, i still did not get anywhere near enough time or space to work with Mandie & Rog alone. I have a new found understanding & appreciation for Photographers who encourage couples to have their shots the morning before the ceremony or on a completely different day!

-NEVER wear an above the knee dress if you are the photographer. Now i did on some level have an idea that my gold strappy number may not have been the most appropriate choice as i put it on, but i wanted to look nice. This is no longer an issue - i am arranging shorts, pants, ANYTHING but a skirt or dress!

-And finally . . when there is a bride, a groom, 2 flower girls, 2 bridesmaids, 1 maid of honour, a mother of the bride, a father of the bride, 2 groomsmen, a ring bearer, a best man plus an unlimited number of family & friends, a nice polite Claire Bear didn't exactly work too well for the sake of using time efficiently. I'm thinking a whistle for the next may do the trick ;)

And my absolute favourite . . for today anyway :)



















Mandie & Roger's Wedding Shoot will be up on the website soon :)
Warmest congratulations you two x
CBear