Revisiting the Past

I was in conversation yesterday, and it made me realize that I haven't done what I love doing for a long time... that is, blog. And I'm not talking about blogging wedding photos, and the like. But just blogging, for the sake of blogging. Talking about life, what makes me laugh, cry, contemplate... You know, all the the things that make me...well, me.

So I thought today, since the internet is just CRAWLING (I can't get any slideshows or photos to load to my FTP, I thought it would be nice to steal a little away from the wedding scene and visit two things that I love almost as much as taking pretty pictures :)

(1) Music, and (2) Writing

The first is an old vocal recording I did of myself in 2004 when I JUST started taking vocal classes. I recorded it for the sole purpose of wanting to be able to look back and see how I had progressed vocally. I still sing to this day, so my voice has grown 5 years and sounds quite different from what you hear below, but its quite funny to hear! Mainly because I sound different now, and secondly because I didn't have any proper recording equipment back then (still don't actually haha!!) - the crackles and distortions in the higher notes are just awful! But hey, its good for laughs :)

For those on RSS feed and reading this, you can hear it here: [LINK]

And the 2nd... writing... while time is too scare to delve into this little field of creativity right now, I was looking through old things yesterday and found some snippets of poetry, lyrics, and the like which I used to frequently pen down. Here is one of them that I wrote :)

Your heart is filled with pain,
Your mind cluttered with confusion.
Pieces of your life fall around you
Like raindrops in a storm.
The path you chose so long ago
Led you straight to hurt's door.
Now your weary feet struggle
To find the road back home,
Searching for the places
That love and beauty hide.
Temptations lie in wait all around,
Pulling at your every step,
Waiting for you to slide back
From the chosen, sought for, path.
Emptiness surrounds you,
Confusing your perceptions.

It is difficult to carry on.
I will do my best to fill your heart with joy,
To clear the cobwebs of confusion,
Help you find your purpose.
I'm good at catching pieces
And I can chase away a storm.
Let me walk your path beside you,
I've walked this road before.
You can lean on me when the weariness comes.
My shoulders are very strong.

I can't fight your battles,
Or chase away demons of the soul,
But I can lend you my strength
Until you find your own.
I will help you find the courage
To face each day anew.
I can't shorten the journey you must make,
The road is just as long as before.
But I can fill the emptiness
And help you reach your center,
The place where love and beauty hide.
Take my hand, be my friend,
Let me walk with you awhile.

Anyhow, I really need to run. I have a million things to look after today, people to chase, and a plane to catch so I hope to be back with some more personal musings and pretty pictures :) Hope you found this little tinker down memory lane as funny as I did!

Have a glorious day ahead! :)

xx

Hunter Valley Wedding: Josh and Grace

I love the Hunter Valley region. For years. Ever since that very first day trip that my husband and I took all those years back as university students, I was just head over heels smitten with the place. The lush rolling green hills, with imprinted lines of vines meandering through the landscape. The wafting scent of violet grapes. The tingling warmth of the sun that settled so comfortably on the skin. The place has always had a very soft place in my heart - so much so that my husband and I returned every year we could so we could catch the wine season. And on top of that, we came back another time to celebrate our first day together as husband and wife :)

So it comes as no surprise when Josh and Grace came knocking on my inbox door, and told me they were getting married in one of my favourite places ever, I was extremely excited! Even as the ominous grey clouds swirled over the ceremony that day, threatening to unleash its storming contents below, nothing could dampen the spirits of the intimate wedding that celebrated Josh and Grace's love :)

Here are my favourites of the day! Get ready, this is a monster post, to make up for the lack of updates while I've been on the mend from tonsilitis :)

I absolutely LOVED the gown, that Grace chose for her wedding day. It was so feminine, soft, and vintage in feel. The detailing on it was subtle, but gorgeous!




I know its weird, but I found that Grace's silhouette in the background was interesting in this photo.








Fascinators are the best! :D






Grace's attention to the details at this wedding was just sublime! It went along with this vintage theme she had for her big day, and I swear, it was one of the most well themed weddings I've seen for someone who did it all by herself! :D




Just before the ceremony, at Peppers Convent Estate.


haha! I've been WAITING for ages for a groom that would be wearing a funky tie and socks!! :D I was delightfully surprised when I saw this! :D


I don't normally post down the isle shots, but this little girl was so incredibly adorable!! Her smile could almost radiate the silly grey weather we had all day!


And even though it was gloomy all the way through, weather wise, you could just tell that the bride and groom didn't let that stop them from having the best time at their wedding :)




Look carefully and you'll see their cute little 'confetti balls' as I'd like to call them hehe :)




What is a Hunter Valley wedding without enjoying some yummy bubbly right?




here are more of those gorgeous details that Grace made/prepared. Including an awesome wedding favour from T2!! (which I got to take home, yay! :D)






The speeches were full of laughter....




Tears....




kisses....




And hugs... :) Its why I love small intimate weddings with only the people that matter. The photos also become that much more personal, and intimate.




Sneaking off to get some pictures before the light disappeared that day! There were no vines out yet, so we played in the gardens instead :)


















Then back to dance the day away :)






Much love! :)

Destination Shoots: USA

Yay! This is such big news for us :)

I'm so excited to announce this! It's been in the pipeline, then in the planning stage, then in the actual doing stage for the last 6 months.... and now, we can finally make it officially known that:

*EDIT* : After seeing some gorgeous postcards of North Carolina, I am IN LOVE. Truly, madly, deeply. So we are considering stopping by this place as well :) Let us know if you are there and would like us to snap you in your AMAZING area :)

What more can I say? Email us if you are keen and interested, and we'll send you the inside scoop with all the juicy details!! :D

Just a note that our schedule in the USA is very packed as it is. So just to make sure each person(s) we are spending time with, gets a quality session with us as we love making our friends and clients feel special :), we only have a very limited number of spots available in each city.

I'll be publishing this promo piece once a week or fortnight until I feel like I want to take it down, so you'll see plenty of this in the near future! :)

OH! if you are a photographer based in one of these cities, PRETTY PLEASE write me an email! I'd love to meet you and hear all about the local low down on the best places to eat and hang, and hear live music (hehe, yes good music - I hear the states has lots of it! so I'm on a hunt!) in your amazing city!! :D

And if you think this is cool, just wait til you see where we might be going as our next pit stop! :D Its a secret until then :)

Have a wonderful day everyone! :)

xoxo

Stuart and My-Linh: Engagement

I've often found that as I do my work and immerse myself in the job that I knead my hands through, my mind often stumbles upon thoughts about love and relationships. I have to admit, its a fond topic of mine. In my personal blog, I used to write consistently, persistently, on matters of the heart - what fascinated me, what hurt me, what enlightened me, and what humoured me about love. I stopped after awhile, because I kinda grew up and time felt pinched.

But these days, I get to write about it and think about it as part of what I do - something I consider to be an incredible blessing. Each and every couple I meet, throws a new coin into the thought-pool of contemplations I have about this great and beautiful enigma, allowing me to remember or learn or appreciate another layer about it.

Like this quote for instance. I love it because it's so true. "You ever heard the expression 'The best things in live are free.' Well that expression is true.' Every once in a while, people step up. They rise above themselves. Sometimes they surprise you, and sometimes they fall short. Life is funny sometimes. It can push pretty hard but if you look close enough, you can find hope in the words of children, in the bars of song, and in the eyes of someone you love. And if you're lucky, if you're the luckiest person on this entire planet, the person you love decides to love you back."

Sometimes when I am shooting, I see that delight in my couple's eyes. It's like this intangible glisten that just radiates. They know they've lucked out with one another. It really is a beautiful thing and I find it a complete joy to be able to capture in a frame. So when bubbles floated and gracefully danced higher and higher, illuminated by the honey golden rays that were permeating the air that day. Each carried a reflection..an almost frozen moment in time. I saw giggles, joy, and love in each circular shiny frame - they mirrored that delight.

Meet Stuart and My-Linh :)

Awesome couples bring the coolest little play things to our shoots :)












We chanced out and got the most gorgeous light to bask under that day.














I love the next two shots, because it reminded me so much of a show called Dawson's Creek that I loved watching as I grew up.








I have to admit, I haven't visited this charming pink little house in awhile, mainly because it is so overused by photographers these days, but when Stuart asked for it, I decided it would be fun to challenge myself to get something a little different with it :)




I love creative shots. The below isn't one. But I realized after talking to a photographer friend that beauty supercedes creativity almost all the time. And sometimes, beauty can be found in the simple. A smile, a raw burst of laughter. I truly believe when people are at their happiest, they are the most beautiful :) And it shows in photos :) Even the simple ones like below.











Thank you Stuart and My-Linh for your enthusiasm! I had an amazingly fantastic time having you both in front of my frame that day. Round 2 coming up!! And I can't wait to see you both again soon for it :D

Hope you all have a fabulous week ahead everyone!!