Just in time!

I've known the next family my entire life, the husband and I grew up in the country and I love telling his kids how much we used to argue and fight all the time haha. Then their is the wife, the mum, the glue, the woman who holds this family altogether. I met her when I was about 13 (I think) ... I remember sleepovers, trips to the city to get my nails painted black when I asked for any colour BUT black and many laughs.

I love that I knew these guys before children and I love knowing them after children. So it's one of the few times, when I'm working a photoshoot when things happen that we can just laugh about it and it does not have to get all awkward, like the moment my stash of tampons fell out of my camera bag (realities of being a female), or the dad stressing about his kids falling of a cliff when they aren't on the edge and mum has their shirt lol or his shoes (his shoes are seriously not a joking matter lol) or no one EVER looking at the same time!

Despite the little mishaps, what I do know is that these things do not matter. A moment in time was captured, more memories were created, more laughs were had. This couple were childhood sweethearts, and are still sweethearts. Together they have come so far, grown so much, continued to uphold and support each other, created homes, children and all the memories that are associated with family and no doubt have made their own extended families proud with their achievements.

It was a pleasure to be a part of this moment. Even though the weather that day was messing with my head and the clouds parted causing harsh light, we still managed to luckily squeeze this photoshoot in down the road ... just 1day before I was hospitalised and 2days before I gave birth. Now that my friends, is good timing! 

No time to waste ... only time to spare!

When your family turn up to a photoshoot and every single one of them are practically models kinda puts the pressure on, and when I say models I mean like paid, gigs, photo-shoots!

So I was a tad nervous initially before starting out, but we were on limited time to pull off a natural pic before this family would be separated by two countries, completely on other sides of the world ... so no second chances here if we got it wrong, at least not for a loooong time!

2 hours, 2 locations, no time to waste and ending up with time to spare we were able to capture lasting memories. Mum even got to hug her teenager without complaints - moments that can never be replaced, yet frozen for a moment in time purely because of a camera (and that awesome photographer behind it haha)

 

 

Made ... With Love!

"I used to think a wedding was a simple affair. Boy and girl meet, they fall in love, he buys a ring, she buys a dress, they say I do. I was wrong. That's getting married. A wedding is an entirely different proposition." - (Steve Martin as George Banks in Father of the Bride).

I love the movie Father of the Bride and always get a good laugh out of it, but it's so true! A wedding really is "an entirely different proposition." The personal touches, the thought and detail that goes into a wedding, really captures in part the personality of the bride and Groom. This is why weddings are so great!

I had been looking forward to this wedding. When the bride messages you and tells you they (the couple) love to laugh, climb trees, pull silly faces and have based there wedding around the theme 'UP,' as well as; will be holding a picnic reception and their departure will be via a rowboat and the bouquet is origami (made by the bride might I add), you know you are in for something special. 

I mean just look closely at the pictures, yes ... thats a unicycle!

I mentioned this on my facebook page previously (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Latu-Photography/243487582336441) ... this was the wedding that got rained out, so no rowboat, no picnic in the park. Yet it didn't stop those special touches being added when literally last minute, the reception was moved to a church hall!

                           

Here Comes The Bride ...

"Finally," I can hear Bec's sister saying after tormenting her with teaser's up until now!

Years ago when Photography was just a dream that I only talked about, I would always say that I would never get into weddings. I didn't want to be the one responsible for ruining any photo's. But I keep finding myself drawn to weddings because they are so much fun to be a part of. 

When Bec & Beau got engaged, I was fingers crossed hoping they'd ask me to be their photographer. I knew I had a model on my hands, and I thought that was just going to be Bec ... Turns out it was Beau who got right into the swing of posing!

"Statistics show that strong marriages produce strong families." Bec is from a smaller family of only 4 compared to Beau's family of 13, and everyone had their responsibilities on the day. I saw awesome examples of a strong family and strong marriages on both sides, plus not to mention the large network of supportive family and friends that both bride and groom had already in place.

It was so nice as an outsider, to see these two families smoothly unite AND also be inclusive of friends, regarding them as family as well. To see in today's society a family unit come together, treat each other as #1, radiate love and bond so well - was refreshing. 

We wish you both nothing but the best in the future!

 

 

 

The Wedding Party

I was going through images I was about to blog and their were so many to choose from that I figured we may as well separate them, and even then, narrowing it down into two groups was hard!

This is the first wedding I got to photograph since I put my camera down awhile ago when I fell pregnant, and I was stoked to be heading back along the windy roads of the Blue Mountains - taking me out to central west NSW and my hometown of Orange!

Fresh air, Big Streets, Country Folk and a photogenic bridal party 

... Makes my job easy!