I love what I do. I truly do. I spend time with people, discovering what makes them unique, I watch, I listen, I interact, I ask a billion questions, I tell stories, I listen to other peoples stories, and I document what it is that I experience.

I live in Sydney these days, and people often ask me how I like living here. I find that it’s all a bit busy and so many people I meet seem to struggle with taking the time out to reflect on the love that is currently present in their life. I have pretty much taken it on as my mission with my images to present to the people I photograph, the love that exists, right there in front of them. Whether it be the look in the eye of the person that loves them the most, or the joyful play of the kids that are surrounding them. There are so many reminders in front of us at all times of the love that exists. I want to capture that.

I also like to play. I like to move around. I like to take risks. I like to create. I live to create. It’s the only time I truly feel alive. I get so much out of this “job”.

This is what caught my eye on saturday for Ruth & Nick’s wedding in Warwick. These guys were a perfect fit. Ruth is a landscape photographer and is incredibly committed to loving and serving her husband Nick. Nick is a Church pastor and is completely committed to loving and caring for his wife Ruth.

Ruth loves Nick. Nick loves Ruth. It’s Black & White.

*I’m nearly fully booked for the year. I can take on a maximum of 5 more weddings for 2012. I’m on the hunt for the last 5 weddings that will perfectly wrap things up for me.

At Josh & Camilla’s wedding just south of Melbourne in Red Hill, I shot a mix of film (contax 645 and portra 400) and digital. Yet, what camera I used is so unimportant. It was one of those days where I was just so glad I had a camera and was able to document what I saw. This is what I saw.

To order images, click here.

Last week I was in Canberra for a workshop called Film is not dead run by Jonathan Canlas who is pretty much “the man” when it comes to shooting film. I shot a few rolls of 35mm film before I went to the workshop as I thought I should get back into it a little before going to the workshop. Then the battery wore out. I replaced the battery and put it in upside down. I didn’t realise this and decided my camera was broken. This is how prepared I was for the workshop. So, I decided to borrow a medium format camera from my buddy Ben Adams. Turned up to the workshop and had no idea how to even load film into the camera. You can imagine just how unprepared I really was. I get digital, but film, that’s another language.

The workshop was unreal, there’s heaps of pics from that. There’s some from my trip to melbourne, from a shoot with a client, and from australia day with some friends. Thanks to all who have been in front of the camera as I experiment!

These are unedited (ok, I think there’s two that I had to brighten slightly) and I’m loving the look of film. I’ll be doing a lot more. Now I just have to buy my own medium format film camera! Unless someone wants to give me one?

It was so nice to photograph a couple of beautiful people who are already married and capture how much they love each other now. This great Australian couple has some big gigs coming up so we needed to take some shots they can use in the media (for their television work) + highlight some of the clothing pieces from Siobhan Delaharpe that Bec had picked (because that’s what she does – she’s a stylist).

Here’s what Rebecca & Jason had to say after the shoot – “James thank you so much for photographing us. We were thoroughly happy and found you to be so comfortable to work with…You made the shoot enjoyable and the locations were incredible!! What backdrops!! Thanks again, the pictures were fantastic” – Jason & Rebecca Stevens.

You can view all the pictures here

I’ve always felt like I’ve had fortune on my side. Things generally seem to go my way. I’ve always wondered why it is that I’ve had so much favour over my life? I seem to be always in the right place at the right time. I was very fortunate to be the photographer for Josh & Camilla’s Wedding yesterday in Red Hill Victoria at a reception venue called Still Water at Crittenden.

Oh, and at the wedding they had fortune cookies and I ate one. It said, “You find beauty in ordinary things. Do not lose this ability”. I’ll do my best.

James.

At the time of typing this, I am going to be 26 for another 1 hour and 39 minutes. Tomorrow I turn 27 on the 27^th. I feel like this year is going to be a year for me to start really taking control over my life. Stop worrying about what others might say, where others might peg me in the industry and just do what I love, and do it to the absolute freaking best of my ability.

I flipped out a little when someone asked me yesterday how long I’d been a professional photographer for. I realised that 11 years ago almost exactly I accepted my first paid job. I haven’t looked back since that first family portrait! I think I’m going to be doing this for a while yet, so I’m really starting to think about what exactly my business looks like going into the future. How can I best serve my clients? Will I stick to mainly being a wedding and portrait photographer? Will I grow the business further, or will I simplify?

There have been things I’ve wanted to do recently, but I’ve worried too much about what people might think. Over the past month I’ve been working on something that has started to change my life. It’s business related, It’s also photography related and I will share what it’s all about when the time is right. It’s something that no one that knows me would expect from me, but I think it also has the potential to help those around me too. We’ll see!

I come up with all these great ideas though, and I sometimes forget to write them down, so right now, with 1 hour and 32 minutes to go.

Here are some things I’m going to achieve this year:

1. Weigh under 90kg. (currently 110kg)

2. Be the healthiest I can be.

3. Own a Contax 645 with a f2.0 80mm Zeiss Lens (and a bright screen)

4. Buy my first home.

5. I’d like to do a shoot with Jesinta Campbell. It sounds silly I know, but ever since I met her I thought it would be unreal to photograph her someday. Perhaps with the new camera?

6. Be the best friend I can possibly be.

7. For no one whom I love to ever doubt that I love them.

8. To spend a total of ZERO seconds comparing myself to other artists in my field. It’s lame.

9. To not look at other wedding photographers work and spend more time enjoying other artists work outside of my field to look for inspiration.

10. Be a loving and supportive husband to my darling wife Catherine.

11. Retire from any unnecessary online communication. (spend less time e-mailing and wasting time on Facebook and more time doing what I love)

12. Put others needs first.

13. Grow closer to my Lord and Saviour.

14. Tell the story of a subsection of the community that needs to be seen/heard.

15. Photograph something every week that helps make my photographic voice clearer.

If you have contact with me, remind me of these things. I want to achieve every single one of these, and I’d love your support.

James.

Tomorrow morning at about 5:30am I’m going to be jumping in the car & venturing to a tiny little place just north of canberra for a workshop that’s going to teach me more about film. When I tell people this, they instantly think of video, or movies… when I say Film, I still mean still photography, but with negatives, rather than digital sensors.

In the world of digital these days, there are a lot of people who get a camera for Christmas, then profess to be a pro within a matter of weeks or months. They go out seeking paid jobs and often close their new found businesses just as quickly as they opened. I have a feeling before we had digital cameras, It wasn’t quite so easy. The love of the photography is there, but the fruit definitely isn’t ready for picking.

Running a long term, financially viable business as a photographer is hard work. It’s very hard work. Your clients need to be out there singing your praises, you need to be serving your customers well and you need to look after your baby (your love of photography) so that you can continue doing it year after year. I’m in this for the long haul.

As you guys know, I’ve been looking after my health like crazy recently and as part of that it’s meant lots of life giving nutrients need to be going into my body to keep it alive and functioning.

I’ve been buying lots of fresh fruit & vegetables recently and have found that unless they’re immersed in water, they don’t last as long. They need to be immersed to stay fresh. They also need to be connected to stay alive. As they’re no longer connected to the plant/root they were once connected to, the very best they can do is die slowly.

So, this week, I’m getting connected and immersing myself in my love of photography, so that my business and love of photography thrives, rather than slowly dies.

Forgive me If I can’t answer my phone or get back to email this week, but I assure you I will grow like never before and be able to offer more life, & more passion to those of you whom I am blessed to create imagery for.

If you have an enquiry, my bookings manager Bianca will be more than happy to answer any questions you have this week.  Just email enquiries@jamesday.com.au

Here’s to a good week,

James.

P.S. & as It’s probably more interesting If I post an image with this blog post, here’s an image I shot on wednesday of Jason Stevens & Rebecca Stevens. More to follow!

A couple of months ago, after photographing a wedding in Armidale, I realised that I felt like death after coming home. I had absolutely no energy for a couple of days and my body ached like never before. I give my all when I photograph, and I go till I’m spent. In the few days after, I generally reach for the blocks of chocolate to console me. My exercise between editing stints was walking to the corner store to buy lunch and more chocolate.

Something had to change. My mum told me she was worried about me and this time I actually listened.

So, the day after the wedding I made a commitment to myself, and to the two amazing women in my life, my mum and my wife and I said, “Ok, it’s time to take control of my life and turn this around”. I told them it would start on monday as we were heading home that day past my favourite restaurant (Tatlers Winery in Lovedale) and I wanted to go there so badly. I think they hoped like never before that I would actually do this, but weren’t too sure I actually would.

So on the monday, the adventure begun. I realised that I had absolutely no idea what to do. I started to cut down on the chocolate and lollies. Apart from that, I had no clue. I started eating all these tasteless frozen veggies and ate the same meal 3 times a day. I struggled!!!

I then met Chef Cynthia who is also known as The Real Food Chef. As you may have read in a previous blog post, she helped me like crazy. She came to my house, taught me pretty much everything I needed to know. What came next though I wasn’t expecting.

I found that I was eating an incredibly balanced diet, that was fulfilling all my bodies nutritional requirements and the energy that has come from that has absolutely blown me away. I’ve been heading to the beach almost daily to swim in the ocean, been going for long walks, lifting weights and just generally overflowing with energy.

I’ve also been learning more about alkaline/acidic foods and the effect they have on your body and weight loss. I’ve been using that to my advantage and have now lost around 13kg!

Now, I want to make it really clear. I’m not on a diet. I’ve educated myself to know how to look after my body. Now I know the effect that the food I was eating was having on my body, I just couldn’t go back there. Also, when you meet your nutritional needs, it seems you don’t get the same crazy cravings anymore. I tried some chocolate yesterday and I spat it out. It tasted way too sweet and I threw it in the bin. I wouldn’t quite know how to fall away from this “diet” as I’m now educated and the extra energy I have makes me want to do more. It’s as simple as that. I crave the “healthy” food and look forward to exercise. Weird!

Anyhow, if you’re struggling with your health, energy or weight, I really suggest getting out there and doing your research. Go back to the simplistic ways of life and work out what your body actually wants. I’ve worked out so far that when God made the Earth he made it with green leafy things in abundance (+ they were chemical free) sweet fruity things in slightly less abundance and if you wanted meat, you’d need to work crazy hard for it. I’m pretty sure sugary sauces weren’t on the menu, processed foods weren’t available and we had time to chew and enjoy our food. We would take our time and use the meal time as an excuse to spend quality time with people we love.

The nutrients our body needed were found in those things in abundance, so God had us all looked after. We were eating to look after our body, rather than just eating for the sake of it.

Here are some of the coolest things about looking after myself:

1. I have more energy & better focus when I’m photographing & spending time with people.

2. Jeans that were tight to wear last week are nearly too loose right now! Sweet!

3. Organic food tastes better.

4. I feel energised after a meal.

5. I’ve found some really cool places to photograph when I’ve been out exploring.

My side kick Jason shot this image the other day of me photographing. The belly is still there, but it’s definitely shrinking and I can’t wait for the day when it’s completely flat!

Right now it’s 1:00am. I’m the guy who doesn’t stay up that late, so that I can get up early and get some exercise in. This morning I ran up some sand hills. This evening, I found myself perched on the edge of a cliff, with Michael & Marina for their engagement shoot. I joked with Michael that I’ll probably be up until 2am looking at the pictures because I knew there were some really special images in there. I joked. Or so I thought.

I’m still up, enjoying these images. Here are just a few.

If I’ve photographed your wedding, or if I’m about to photograph your wedding, here’s a cheers to you.

It’s you guys who have made my dream of becoming a photographer a reality. So far, I’ve photographed somewhere in the vicinity of 300-350 weddings and I’ve grown as a photographer at each and every one of them.

I want to thank you.

I’ve been thinking for a while of what could be something I could do to show you how much I appreciate your trust in me and your support of my passion and I think I’ve got a bit of an idea brewing.

In 90% of the meetings I have with my clients, either the bride or the groom says to me, “I’ve just finished a photography course”, or “I love photography and I want to learn more”. It seems that my clients are interested in photography.

On July 15^th 2012 I want to spend the day with 20 of you who can make it to Sydney, who can take the day off work or who can get themselves out of bed after a big Saturday night out.

I want to teach you how to use your Digital SLR’s, how to take great photos of your friends, how to edit your photos simply and keep those photos safe when you’re finished with them. I’ll take some pictures of you guys, I’ll teach you how to photograph the other people there and we’ll generally go out and have some fun at some of my favourite secret locations in Sydney.

It’s not my plan to confuse this day with a professional photography course where you’ll learn how to turn photography into a profession, but a time to learn how to take a nice photo, easily. I’ll help you make sense of the f-stops, the shutter speeds, and the different settings on your cameras.

And I am going to charge you the following amount : $0.

So, the details put simply:

Who’s this for? People who have hired me to photograph their wedding, either in the past, or who’s wedding is coming up.

When is it? It’s looking like it will be the 15^th of July. Keep it free.

How long will it go for?: Likely 10am – 5pm. (we may then do something afterwards)

How much does it cost? $0. How about make a donation to your favourite charity instead?

Location: Somewhere in Sydney. Exact location to be announced shortly.

What happens if I really want to come but it’s full already? If there’s enough people to put on a second one, I probably will.

What if you didn’t hire me to photograph your wedding yet you want to come anyway? I’ll ask that you donate $300 + to a registered charity of your choice and show me the receipt to prove it. This option will be only if we need to make up the numbers.

What if I haven’t booked you for my wedding yet, but I want to come? Anyone who has booked me for their wedding before the 15^th of July is welcome to come.

If you’re keen to come along, shoot me an email at james@jamesday.com.au and I’ll keep you updated as the details get sorted out.

Again, thank you.

James.