Teaching Others How to Do it...

Yesterday I once again enjoyed my day teaching photography at another workshop. This was the Creative Wedding Photography workshop in which I teach the basics of light, posing the intricate logistics and demands placed upon the wedding photographer. As you can imagine, this isn't easy to do, and in fact cannot really be taught in one day. However, it is designed to teach those who attend the principles that would get them through a wedding day or to perhaps assist those who are presently shooting a few weddings and having difficulties with them.

Wedding photography is without doubt among the most challenging tasks ever placed before a photographer. I am honoured each time I am asked to photograph a wedding. While my work is admired by many (and I am indeed grateful for their kindness) I am still complimented by the trust placed in my abilities to adequately provide for the couple on their Day of Days.

There were some lovely comments from those in attendance yesterday. It is always rewarding to see people learning and enjoying the glow that comes with producing lovely images. Thanks to Camera Action for sponsoring the event. Thanks also to Jennie Kellet and Chirath Pathirana for being such wonderful models.

Paul and Francesca's wedding

After speaking at the Understanding Your Camera workshop yesterday morning, my son Nathan and I had to head off to photograph Paul and Francesca's wedding. It was great to work with my son, and he worked very hard. His assistance in simply carrying gear, holding flashguns, getting lenses and second shooting was invaluable. He has quite an eye himself and I think he could become quite an accomplished photographer in his own right. We have already started a thread at the forum on my photography tutorials website to see who outshot who yesterday!

After their ceremony, Paul and Francesca had chosen The Silk Road, an exclusive bar in Collins Street for their unique shoot location. Never having been there before, I immediately went around scouting for light and locations. I realised quickly that this is a stunning location....and I had an hour to work with it. I decided on my locations and shots both inside and out and away we went.

Thanks Paul and Francesca for the honour of being selected to photograph your wedding. You and your families treated Nathan and I with such kindness and friendliness that we were made to feel as if we were guests ourselves. Here are a few images from your wedding....

A Simple Affair

Jordan and Oleysia's wedding was a relatively simple affair. There were only around 20 guests, a groomsman, a bridesmaid and of course - the couple. I had been recommended to them by a friend and so I received the call. Jordan told me I was only needed for about three hours to cover the ceremony, a few quick family group photographs and then a few photographs of them as a couple. They sounded like a lovely couple and I wanted to help. I am glad I did. I had a ball!
We wound up at the St Kilda Botanical Gardens for a few quick traditional images, and then on to the St Kilda pier for a few more photographic opportunities. Jordan told me that they were a conservative couple, although once we got into the photography Oleysia really got into the fun of it all. Jordan did too, which surprised me as he is a soft spoken and conservative young man. Because it is always a priority of mine to ensure the couple are having fun, Jordan was able to relax and simply enjoy the photo session.

When we finished at the pier, it was on to Riva, a restaurant at the St Kilda Marina where the reception was being held. Oleysia wanted to use the area where there was a fountain and some tall palms as a setting for some photographs. By this time she was really enjoying the photo session, spurred on no doubt by having seen some images I had already taken that impressed both of them. So, using off camera flash and the palms, as a backdrop, I dropped to the ground and took some unexpected images of Oleysia dancing to her own music. It was too much fun! Thanks to both of you for a fun morning's work!

Philip and Dianne's wedding

Last Saturday I had the distinct pleasure of photographing Philip and Dianne's wedding. Once again I was accompanied by friend and fellow photographer, Richard Annable. For some inexplicable reason, Richard loves to come to my weddings and assist for me. And the wonderful thing is, he is at doing so and acts as a fabulous second shooter.

Philip and Dianne both got ready at the same place, a beautiful property in Kangaroo Ground. We had plenty of time before the actual wedding to photograph the couple together. From a photography standpoint, I think this is a great idea. While many couples would prefer the traditional approach in which the groom does not get to see his bride before she stands at the end of a long aisle, the pre-ceremony photography session has serious advantages to the couple in terms of their photography. The photographer is fresher and more energetic and the couple still looks fabulous. The makeup is still fresh, the couple have not been through the sometimes arduous process of a ceremony and there are no other people around to distract them. It is a process I would recommend to all couples for whom photographs are more important than tradition.

Well done Phillip and Dianne.

Congratulations to you both and thank you for the honour of granting me your wedding photography.

Grant and Eliza's wedding

Anyone who has been following this blog or who knows me personally understands that unlike many photographers I actually enjoy photographing weddings. Some weddings are an absolute pleasure to photograph. While I feel that way about most weddings I admit, there are some you really enjoy. Such was the case with Grant and Eliza's wedding over the weekend. Grant works for Camera Action in Melbourne and so he knows me as the editor of Better Pictures, the 'Camera House workshops guy' and of course as a photographer I suppose. Because Grant works in the photography industry, he understands the value of good photography at a wedding and the time it takes to create great images. So together, he and Eliza planned their day so that we could have the time necessary to produce successful wedding images from their day. Eliza looked absolutely beautiful. More than that, she is wonderfully photogenic. If there is one thing I have learned over the years its that beautiful and photogenic do not always mean the same thing. But Eliza was the perfect combination of both on her wedding day. She looked so lovely and her ability to pose with confidence, elegance and poise made my job so much easier. Grant was also enjoying himself too and had no problem either smiling, hamming it up or posing for his photographs. I made sure he got plenty of make out opportunities for the photos...the grooms seem to like that...

I make sure to have as much fun as possible at every wedding. The last thing a couple want on their wedding day is a wet blanket. A wet blanket might take great photographs but he will also be remembered for spoiling a good portion of their day. I like to make sure that to the best of my ability we are all having fun.I was accompanied on this shoot by friend and fellow photographer, Richard Annable (my regular comedy sidekick) and my nephew's girlfriend, Karen, whose newly rediscovered love for photography, helpful disposition and thoroughly cheeky personality made her company an absolute pleasure. She learned how to be a Voice Activated Light Stand (VALS) by holding my Nikon SB800 and Richard did his usual great job of assisting and second shooting. Together we 'Three Amigos' laughed and photographed our way through the day. And when we finished the wedding, we drove to my place, ordered a pizza and watched...the Three Amigos.

All in all, what a way to spend a day....

Congratulations Grant and Eliza. Thanks for honouring me with the pleasure of photographing your wedding day!

Jeff and Danielle

Dear Shelton,

It may be a bit long as it was difficult to tell you how fabulous you are in just a few short sentences but Jeff and I would like to sincerely thank you for photographing our special day. From the time we first met with you to discuss photographic options your jovial fun loving personality and great sense of humour sealed the deal. On the day, your comedic talent was greatly appreciated by all involved and it really helped to put us at ease. All our guests commented on how great you were and how you managed to organise everyone in a professional way whilst still making it fun.

As for the photo’s - wow! The photos we have seen so far are amazing and we cannot thank you enough for contributing towards making our wedding day so special. It was the most fun and memorable day of our lives.

We are singing your praises and will definitely recommend you to anyone wanting a fantastic photographer with the personality and flair to match. Thanks again and we wish you all the best for the future!

Jeff & Danielle Don

PS. Although I am sure we are going to have way too many photos’s of Lisa’s butt!

Tina and Scott

Thank you for making our wedding day the most unforgettable, fabulous and enthralling day we will cherish forever. There is no doubt in our mind you are a magician when it comes to photography... we Love ALL our photos. The photos speak for themselves and we look amazing - even if I do say so myself...he! he!

THANK YOU!!

Scott & Tina Friedrich

Jayde and Leigh

Jayde and Leigh honoured me with an invitation to photograph their Mt Gambier wedding, and flew me over to do it. This is what they had to say...
Hi Shelton!
Now that the wedding is over and life is back to normal, i thought i would send a short note to thank you for doing such a great job at our wedding! I have had a look at the photos on your website and think they are great! You even made us look good!

Thanks again.
Jayde and Leigh

Jacob and Melissa

Words can't express our appreciation for the beautiful moments you captured of the most special day of our life. The images will help the memories stay close in mind forever.
Jacob and Melissa.

P.S We loved your little number on the guitar and great vocals. You had the whole crowd cheering!

Hey Melissa and Jake! I had a wonderful time photographing your day. You were both wonderful subjects and I had a great time. The light at The Briars was fabulous, so, quite frankly, it was all too easy! Handsome Groom, Beautiful bride..How could I go wrong?
Thanks for the limo ride too!

Oh, and yes...can't forget..Thanks for letting me strap on a guitar and play! I had too much fun!...as you can see!...Shelton.

Troy and Laura

Hi Shelton,
Thank you so much for the lovely photo's. They are so beautiful! Everyone loves them.
Thanks again for all you help on our special day. It was greatly appreciated.

Kind Regards,

Laura Stevenson

Jeen and Hock

Thanks so much, Shelton, for being a part of our special day. Would've been good to have you stay for the whole wedding! The photos look fantastic! Looking forward to seeing all the photos that you have taken. Thank you also for lightening up the day...your natural talent as a comedian brought out lots of laughter from all of us. And I think I did a pretty good job of ignoring all the chaos that was happening around me - thanks to you for reminding me of the deal we had..made a big difference to me on the day!

Thanks once again. You're a star - Hock and Jeen.

Patrick and Alexandra

Hi Shelton,
I wanted to drop you a line and say Patrick and I are really happy with the photos - especially the ones taken after the church. Most of them look amazing even if I do say so myself! If I were to do it again, I would make the time to stay longer or visit more locations! Thanks you for capturing our special day so diligently. I would not hesitate to recommend you to anyone getting married. All the best for the future.
Regards,
Alexandra Baya

Glen and Louise

Hi Shelton,

Well, what can I say but WOW!!! The photos are so beautiful. You have really captured the day; the emotion; the laughter; the fun. It's wonderful to look at them and have a story to tell about the picture (eg, "that was when I was getting ready and we were laughing at..."). It is important to us to have these "real" memories as well as the traditional photos (which are just breathtaking I must say).
We want to say a big thank you for being a part of our day. You made us feel so relaxed in front of the camera with all your chatter and jokes. We never expected that having our picture taken would be one of the most fun parts of our day!! By the way, our guests loved you! They are still raving about how awesome you were!! And giggling about you taking their picture from up the ladder!
Anyway, thanks again.
Louise & Glenn

Matt and Lora

"Both Lora and I wanted our wedding day to be a fun and laid back affair. One of our greatest concerns was how we would cope with an afternoon posing for an uptight photographer. Well with Shelton behind the lense we needn't have worried. Shelton was absolutely fantastic on the day and we had a great time doing the photos with him. And that is only half the story, Shelton delivered a range of photo's that blew us away and surpassed all our expectations.

After working with Shelton we have no doubt he is a world class photographer and a great bloke as well (even though he does have a funny accent)!

Matty and Lors"

Dear Shelton!

Your photographs redefine capturing 'the Kodak moment'! Your photography was absolutely the icing on the cake of a fabulous day! (I didn't think it was possible to look so fab in a photograph!) Thank you so much for being part of our day, and for making everyone so comfortable with being photographed - me included! The result was better than we could ever have imagined, lifetime keepsakes. Thanks again and we look forward to seeing you at the next big event... fancy flying to Paris in 5 years with us where we're going to renew our vows?

Love from Katherine and Nick.

Thanks Katherine, Nick! It was a pleasure.

All I can say to Paris is.. Oui! Oui!

Shelton ;-)

Love from Canada, eh?

Hi Shelton!
We have just finished looking at the pictures, all I can say is WOW!!! Thank you so much.You did such an amazing job. You really captured the day just as we remember it and that will last a life time so thank you so much!!!

I know our families and friends will be so excited to see these pictures. My Dad has already been showing the ones you sent before to everyone he knows. All our married friends in Edmonton wish they could renew their vows and fly down to Australia so you could take their pics!!!
These pictures mean so much to us, thank you will never be enough.
Take care Shelton and THANK YOU!
Much love,
Tyler and Leanne

Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

David and Jasmine

Shelton, thank you so much for your wonderful work with our wedding photography. We are thoroughly impressed. All our friends and visitors that see them are also very impressed. Your natural approach captures the emotion and reality of the day amazingly well. We're really glad we entrusted our day to you to preserve those memories so well. We were reminded by your most pleasant and relaxing manner throughout the day - to enjoy the day, take it all in - rather than feeling like circus animals having to lift up one leg here and run to this appointment there ... Superb photography! Wonderful photographer! Shelton, BIG thank you!!!

David & Jasmine

Jon and Ilana's Wedding

Shelton!

We got the CD of our wedding pics yesterday, and we just wanted to say thank you very much!...They were wonderful. We love them! Thanks for making us look so presentable, even the crying ones...
Thanks and regards
Jon and Ilana

Aiden and Relena

Shelton, Shelton, Shelton!!! What can I say?!?

You're THE BEST PHOTOGRAPHER ever!

I just want to come and hug you...I am sooooooo very happy with these photo's. You've exceeded my expectations. I've shown all the girls at work and they think I had an awesome photographer, they were so impressed with the pics. They reckon it looks like magazine shots. And....quite a few people (who attended the wedding) have commented what a fantastic person you were - at the ceremony & reception and how you got involved in everything....including dancing!
One of the girls had her wedding 2 weeks later and she didn't think her photographer was was half as good as you on the day and the shots you took! Pretty chuffed with that!
I can't wait to see the others.
See ya round!
Bun. ( Relena)

Redcliffe, Queensland.

Greg and Julie

Hi Shelton,
I loved the photos and was so pleased when I saw them. Thanks for doing such a great job. My favourite ones are the candid ones that I didn't even know you were taking!
Julie

Expletives Deleted..

Hey Shelton

WOW!!

They are $#@! excellent.

...A big thanks

Claire

Daniel and Melissa's Wedding

Hi Shelton,
Just wanted to say thanks for all the work you did on our wedding day. Thanks for the photos.
I burst into tears when I saw them. Weddings are really emotional times aren't they?!

We think you're fantastic!!
Lots of Love,
Melissa and Daniel

When Another Photographer Gets Married...

Greg Beyer is without doubt one of Australia's most gifted wedding photographers. I am honoured to have been his teacher, but he has established his own space, his own visual, his own dynamic. I am honoured also to be among his closest friends, and was more than pleased to have been asked to photograph his wedding. He and Lauretta are soul mates, two people who were placed on this planet for the sole reason of being with each other. Two more lovely and genuine people you could not find.

Lauretta says of her photographs, "We love our photo's memories. I think I could go on more about how great you where on the day keeping everything fun...singing and stuff. We didn't feel at all stressed and that was reflected in the photos".

Me? Singing? Neverrrrr......
Thanks Lauretta. I hope you liked the pictures too...;-)

You guys rock. Luv ya both.
Shel.

A Wedding in Sign...

Walter and Jennie are a deaf couple whose wedding I had the incredible pleasure of photographing. Because I am relatively fluent in Auslan (Australian Sign Language), there was no real issue for me in communicating. Walter is from Zimbabwe and Jennie is Melbourne girl. They met in London and married here. Its a long story.

Photographing their wedding was some of the best fun I have ever had, and they were a joy to photograph. In fact, see the image at the bottom of the page, and you will get some idea how much fun we had.

When a Photographer in SA Gets Married

"Our focus for our wedding was to make it fun, laidback and enjoyable for everyone.

Shelton fit this mould perfectly and was able to put everyone at ease while he worked; it was refreshing to find someone with such a great sense of humour and such a passion for what he does. We were so happy with the day and even more so with the results once we received our photos. They reflected perfectly how the day progressed and they captured our feelings beautifully.

We would highly recommend Shelton to anyone. His professionalism is commendable."

Kellie and Patrick O’Donnell
Mount Gambier, South Australia

Colette and Haydn's wedding

To the Best Photographer in the World!
Shelton, words can't express ho delighted we were that you were able to work such magic with your camera and capture our special day.Thank you so much for taking the extra time and and sharing our Wedding Day and reception with us. You made everything so easy and relaxing and we appreciate everything you did for us!
Collette and Haydn.

This wedding photograph requires no comment....;-)

Shelton.

Susan and Mark - with Exclamation marks!!!

Dear Shelton!
Thank you so much for taking such wonderful photos of our wedding!! It is much appreciated!! (and so is your patience during the family photos!!)
Lots of Love Susan and Mark
PS: We'll be in touch when we decide whihc one we want enlarged!!