A couple of years ago, I entered the Australian Professional Photography Awards for the first time. I remember receiving a text message from a friend Scott Carle who was at the judging. He said I’d won my first award at National Level. I jumped around the room, I remember literally running around the house, jumping around and just so overjoyed.

About 8 years ago I shot my first wedding, for another studio, and the day after, I lost my job working for that studio. I had a different vision when it came to photography, and the boss didn’t like it. The day after I started offering weddings for my own business. I wanted to show him that I could do this.

So, winning that first award was a big deal for me. It was proof that I could do this.

On sunday, there was the 2012 NSW Professional Photography Awards. I entered these images into the awards which received silver awards and a silver distinction. I’ve learnt that you can’t take it too seriously. It’s very subjective. However, the judges seemed to like them and decided to award them. They basically score the image out of 100. No one gets 100. If it scores over 80, you get a silver (maybe 10 or 20% of entries get a silver?) then silver distinction is 85 + (very few of these are handed out) then Gold is 90 + which is very rare, and 95 + which is even rarer again. I’m pretty stoked to win the awards I did, but the gold award is what I’m chasing at the national awards in may.

These are the photos that I had printed, mounted and sat in front of 5 judges and the first is the one that received a silver distinction, and the others received a silver award. 3 other images I entered

A huge thank you must go to Daniel Capobianco from Mentem who is the retouching and printing king!!!
JD

Photos by my friend Luisa Brimble. P.S. The last photo makes it look like I’m a total alcoholic! Only one of the bottles of cider were mine.

I wish I could tell you where this idea came from, but one day I just woke up and thought, “I want to buy a super 8 camera”. So I did. Then the next day I took it to a wedding and made this.

The camera is from somewhere around 1965 and it makes films that look like this. The iPhone will mimic something similar, but I find it much more exciting to go back to the original and work with that, rather than a knock off of the original.

I didn’t spend longer than a total of 3 minutes the whole day filming this, as photos were still the priority, that’s what they paid me to do. This is everything I shot that day.

If you’re a client of mine and you’d like to find out about how we might be able to achieve something similar for you at your wedding, ask away and let’s chat.

Also, a massive thank you to my awesome clients, and this time in particular, RUTH & NICK! You guys let me play, and explore my craft. You let me take risks. You let me have the best job in the world. Thank you!

Yesterday, I flew to Tamworth to photograph this wedding for Katie & Chris. I look at these images and am reminded how much I love composing a beautiful image. I love looking for interesting light and shadow to produce images that are visually impacting. I have no interest whatsoever in “wedding photography”, but rather an interest in creating amazing images for people who are in love. This is what I did yesterday.

As you probably know, I live in Sydney, yet I seem to travel an awful lot. A few weeks back I was in Melbourne photographing a wedding for these beautiful people!

Today i’m heading away on a jet plane once again.

Oh, and 2012 is fully booked for wedding commissions, however feel free to still contact my bookings manager Bianca about possible openings.

Life is good, life is busy.  But i’m just so glad it’s moments like these that keep me busy.

When my dad passed away when I was 14 and my sister was to be married a couple of months after, It was now up to me to walk my sister down the aisle. I remember the emotion I had when I walked her up the aisle, knowing that I was just a boy, trying to fill my father’s shoes.

I can’t even imagine however, what it would feel like to be a father and walk your own daughter down the aisle and to present your beautiful daughter to the man who makes a vow to love her until they are parted by death.

When these 2 images popped up on my screen when I was sorting through the images from saturday, I stopped, smiled bigger than I knew possible, and knew this was a moment captured that speaks volumes.

James.

Just 2 days ago I photographed these images for Vanessa & Dave in Sydney. They had a wedding that was full of romance, elegance and fun. The wedding was held at York Street Anglican church, which is the oldest parish in Australia and the reception at Etch restaurant at the Intercontinental Hotel in Sydney.

I’m having a bit of a love affair with Black & White’s at the moment. Rest assured, all my couples receive their finished collection of images in both colour and black and white. I’m just a little biased in my choices for the blog

*If you’re planning a wedding this year, it’s worth noting that 2012 is nearly fully booked for me, and we have space for 3 more weddings before all allocations are filled.