Breaking our Own Mold - Mark and Jessica's Beautiful Wedding

Backlit with flash and using a Nikkor 70-200 VR at f2.8, this image was also
made possible because of the creative input of this beautiful couple. Props,
combined with their desire to a very important part of the creative process
made images such as these possible on a wedding day that could have
otherwise been very difficult.

Photographing a wedding is always a daunting and wonderful task - no matter who you are or how many weddings you have captured over the years. It is an honour to be given the one and only opportunity to capture a couple’s wedding day, and therefore daunting in its impact of personal responsibility. Tash and I will approach each wedding individually, but admittedly our combined visual style is apparent in each.

Then along came Jessica and Mark. What a wonderful couple! We were looking very much forward to photographing their wedding – for personal and creative reasons. Mark and Jessica are friends of the family and it was an honour for us to capture their dream day and all of the love surrounding them – so much of which was our own.

It is only a natural part of our service to ask a couple what kind of images they prefer. This doesn’t mean that we don’t know what we are doing, but every photographer can adapt for their customers. From a photographer's perspective it also allows for growth. It doesn’t mean a complete departure from their skill set or visual style, but only a more predominant approach within their style that suits their customers. When Mark and Jessica indicated their preferences of images using examples of wedding images they liked, well…we kinda took a double take. Why? Well, how do I put this?…We didn’t like the images they presented. When that happens, what do you do then?

Combining the creative vision of our couple with our own
style, this image was alse made possible with a LensBaby
Edge80, which I personally love to use as often as I can
at a wedding. 

Well....we were honest. You have to be, don’t you? We told them that while we didn’t feel that our style matched what they showed us, we would nonetheless do our best to shoot this way – but to add our unique talent set and visual style to them.  Having seen our wedding images, they agreed to place their trust in our abilities and we agreed to step outside ourselves. It was a challenge for the two of us to remember what we had to do, to deliberately alter our methods and styles and produce images that were out of our genre. But it was a great exercise, and we appreciate the growth it brought to us also. For me? I was able to get out the LensBaby Edge80 I have been dying to work with so much! Thanks Mark! Thanks Jessica! 

Their wedding day was a mixture of weather patterns too. There was heat. Then there were clouds. Then there was downpour. Then there was warmth again. Photographers who are unable to work with these unpredictable conditions will suffer the consequences of this inability – as will their clients. Tash and I took each stage in our stride and instead of working against the weather, worked with each as a creative opportunity. Thank you Mark and Jessica for being our teachers, our friends and a beautiful couple whose creative input and dedication to the acquisition of props made for a creative collaboration!

To see a gallery from this wedding, click here.

A brave bride and groom made this image possible. Thanks Mark and Jessica
braving the weather and bringing an umbrella!
Image: Natasha Muller

Tracy and Simon's Beautiful Wedding

Tracy and Simon backlit with flash on the bridge at Lyrebird Falls.

Hello Blog!
Hello Readers!
We recently had the pleaure of photographing Simon and Tracy’s wonderful wedding. The honour it would be  to capture their wedding first became known to us when our friend, Greg Earl asked us if we were available on that upcoming November day. Naturally our answer was “yes”!  Meeting Simon and Tracy at their initial interview just sealed the deal.

Tracy poses for the light on the stairs in her home...

Yeah…frankly..they’re awesome.

Their wedding took place at LyreBird Falls, in the heart of the Dandenongs. Surrounded by lush, verdant rainforests, this beautiful venue offers photographers some creative opportunities. Combine that with a young couple who love photographs – plus the time given to create them  - and you have the makings of a great wedding – photographically speaking. Hey…either way  it was a great wedding! Its just that we photographers view everything from our image-making perspectives….

We had the pleasure of staying on for the reception and enjoying a lovely meal, some great company, a few hearty laughs and the chance to enact ‘The Grease Megamix” with Tracy on the dance floor. What a hoot!

For a gallery of images from Tracy and Simon's wedding, go to our Living in Pictures blog here.

Thank you so much, Simon and Tracy. It was a distinct pleasure to photograph your wedding!

The Beautiful Wedding of Nav Sandhu and Georgia Main

The wedding of Nav Sandhu and Georgia Main.

The piano at Bram Leigh is a favourite with
photographers. This is my take on it....

A few years ago I was traveling home from an interstate shoot and sitting next to me was a very friendly young woman. Her name was Georgia and she was very friendly, intelligent and conversational. As 'we spoke of many things, fools and kings'...we naturally we talked about our work. I may have happened to mention that I was a photographer....

Well, on Saturday, Tash and I, aka Living in Pictures,  photographed her wedding.  Yes, on Saturday, the lovely Grace Kelly-esque Georgia Ellen Main married the very debonair and incredibly handsome Navjeet Sandhu, known affectionately to us as 'Nav'.

Hmmm... I wonder if his friends call him "NavMan" or "The Nav-Igator"?....

Ok. I'll quit while I'm ahead.

Our assistant for the day was Frankston-based photographer, Richard Ingram. Richard is an old (as in 'long time', not aged) Creative Photo Workshops friend/customer who had asked if he could come along on a wedding with us one day. Well, this was the day, and we were glad to have him along. Richard was an invaluable assistant and we were truly glad he was there for us. Choosing an assistant for a wedding day is not something you take lightly as they can very easily ruin your reputation. Their behaviour, work ethic and general demeanour can make or break the day. The last thing you want to worry about is your assistant. But Richard...you were awesome, mate! Thank you!

Hey, even my mother-in-law came to help out at the reception....and she was awesome too....Thanks Monika!

Georgia at home, pre-ceremony.

We started our wedding as usual with pre-ceremony sessions with both parties. Richard and I started with Nav and the boys, while Tash went on ahead to start the pre-ceremony preparation shoot with Georgia. Then, Richard and I met up with her at Georgia's home, continued the shoot and followed the bride and her entourage of bridesmaids to the ceremony. 

The wedding was held from ceremony to reception at Bram Leigh Receptions, a beautiful wedding venue that has seen some wonderful refurbishments and improvements in the last few years. I hadn't photographed a wedding there in some time, and it was a noticeable improvement under the new management. The ceremony was lovely, filled with laughter and emotion. The shoot itself was a little brief for our liking, and I would always advise couples to allow more time than they usually do for photography. After all, we don't come cheap, so you may as well work us hard!

But what time we did have we used to create some of the images you see here. 

The 'NavMan'...

The responsibility of wedding photography is not something you take lightly. A wedding day holds such promise, hope and joy within it that a photographer needs truly know his or her craft. They need to be always ready, always a step or two ahead, always thinking, creating, preparing and enjoying. 

And yet, at the same time I am not sure that any photographer is always 100% happy with the results from any wedding. There is always that shot you missed, that pose that is slightly wrong or the opportunities that time would simply not allow to come to fruition. 

That said, wedding photographers need to work as hard as possible, past exhaustion if necessary, to honour the role that they have been asked to fulfill and the craft they purport to know and offer. Wedding photographers are problem solvers, diplomats, acrobats, comedians, therapists, flower arrangers, tailors and yes...even image makers. Their role on a wedding day is to be what they have to be to get the work done and to provide the bride and groom with the best experience possible on the day, followed with the best images they can create and supply. It is an honourable profession, but one which, in my opinion, too many quixotic neophytes are seeing as a chance for an easy buck, much to the detriment of the profession and the eternal chagrin of their clients.

Thank you Nav and Georgia for the honour to be a part of such a beautiful day, and for the privilege of being your photographers. We look forward to our Trash the Dress shoot when you return from your honeymoon!

One of my favourites from the day...

Georgia and her entourage at the reception...

Being a Duck...

Susan and Billy at Butleigh Wootten.

I knew it was a little crazy, but I really wanted to do it. When Susan and Billy asked me to photograph their wedding, which would be held on the 7th of May, 2011, I knew it could be difficult, but I couldn't say no. I knew it would be difficult because I was getting married the day after, and then heading off to the US with my wife the day after that for a working honeymoon. Nonetheless, I wanted to be Susan and Billy's photographer. Their wedding, I knew, would be a beautiful event, and it would be held at one of my favourite Melbourne wedding venues, Butleigh Wootten. I just couldn't say no.

The original idea was that Tash would shoot the wedding with me. But, as you know, the best laid plans of mice and men....Tash woke up the day before our own wedding with a screaming headache. Her back and neck were very badly out of place and needed some quick fixing. Thanks to our friend John Matthews, a soft tissue therapist who saved our day, Tash was just fine for the wedding. But on Susan and Billy's wedding day, she was out of action.

So, I headed off to their wedding with a good friend of mine as an assistant. He knew nothing about photography, but was willing to do and be whatever I needed him to do and be. And I was extremely grateful. He was actually quite awesome, I have to say.

Now, I have photographed weddings on my own many times, but not being as young as I used to be I like to have someone along these days to keep my brain fresh, and even help with the physically demanding aspects of the day. But having Tash along would have had the added benefit of another photographer. She is quite an amazing wedding photographer in her own right. She would say she has been well trained, but you can't train vision. She has a unique and wonderfully creative vision. But...suddenly the entire creative onus was on myself alone.

So, with Tash's back and nexk pain on my mind, my own wedding still requiring some finishing touches for  the next day and then three weeks of workshops to run in the US to be run directly thereafter, it would be understandable if my mind was whirring just a little. To top it off, I had forgotten all my Nikon batteries for my D700 and the one in my camera was getting lower....and lower....Can you blame me? I had a lot on my mind...(Excuses, excuses...I know...)

When these things happen to a photographer - especially a wedding photographer - nothing can be manifest to the bride and groom. They do not need to know. They also have much on their mind, and they don't need your issues on top of the natural concerns every couple has on their wedding day. They have every right to simply enjoy their day, and they don't need to know what your problems are.

As I have often taught at wedding workshops - you simply have to be a duck. For all concerned, you are sailing along smoothly on top of the water while all along you are privately paddling like crazy underneath. To be anything less than a duck would be unprofessional. Whatever is going on in your life, it is irrelevant to this event, this moment, this bride and groom. Leave it at home, and be a duck.

Thanks Susan and Billy for the honour it was to be a part of your wonderful wedding day.

Endings, Beginnings...

As many of you may know, I have decided to leave Creative Photo Workshops. Life is a series of beginnings and endings, and this is no different. I remember some excellent advice that my friend, John Swainston once imparted to me some years ago when I was leaving one publishing company and beginning one of my own. I was naturally concerned, but his advice rang true and granted me a courageous passage. He said "Shelton, just make sure you are walking toward something and not away from it." Taking that to heart, here I am again, on the cusp of a new part of my journey within my career. Along with my wife, I am going to be returning to the work of photography, and I am looking very much forward to it. 

Leaving Creative Photo Workshops does not mean an end to the business. Glynn has and will continue to run workshops in his own inimitable style, and the principles of teaching photography that made CPW so popular will no doubt remain. I wish him every success. The teacher in me will also continue in some way, shape or form, and what that will be remains to be seen. But I will always try to help other photographers in whatever way I can. For me, that is extremely rewarding. Apart from its personal rewards, I also find that teaching the various aspects of photography that I have over the years has improved my own abilities and vision and I encourage every photographer to share their knowledge for both  personal and creative rewards. Don't be afraid of it. Find out for yourself the gift of sharing your knowledge - to whatever degree you have attained it - with others. 

So, this last week has seen me do my last workshop with Glynn. It was a two-day wedding workshop, and I enjoyed it very much. Once again we battled weather and time to teach whatever is possible in those two days. It is impossible to teach each and every aspect or difficulty of wedding photography, but some of the techniques shared and imparted over the two days are the kinds of things that can truly make a difference between 'happy snaps at a wedding' and some truly creative and memorable images. Not wanting to take much time out from the customers to take pictures, I didn't take too many myself over the two days, but I have included some images from the workshop. 

Glynn, old buddy, I wish you every success with CPW and thank you from my heart for being my friend and partner these last three and a bit years. Mate, its been fun. Thanks for your friendship, your innovation and your many acts of kindness. 

Day 7 - And on the Seventh Day, they...worked their butts off...

In Allentown, Pennsylvania there is a fabulous photo retailer - Dan's Camera City . Dan's is one of the most forward thinking and customer oriented photo retail outlets I have ever known. It even has its own 'University' where classes are regularly programmed to teach their customers the principles, techniques and processes connected with so many aspects of their photography. For this reason, Creative Photo Workshops became a part of the scenery. Yes, Glynn and I found ourselves, of all places, in Allentown, Pennsylvania. We were there to run three separate workshops. They became four before we left. More on that later. The first of them was our Creative Wedding Photography workshop. 

The wedding workshop is perhaps the most difficult for us in some ways. In fact, it can even become a little awkward at times. It is difficult because there is always a keenness to shoot the setups Glynn and I establish - which is fine - except that there has to be time for explanation too and this workshop requires a little more patience than some other workshops. It is also difficult because there is an expectation on our part that our customers have already attained a certain level of prowess and knowledge in their photography before they take on the responsibilities of wedding photography. Glynn and I have never run a wedding workshop in which at least some of those who have attended have returned for our Understanding Your Camera workshop so that they can learn about shutter speeds and apertures. For us, this is a real eye opener. And, once again, it proved to be the case in Allentown among some of those who attended. For some, a basic understanding of metering was not present, and so much of the time was simply spent establishing shots in which lessons on proper incident or spot metering techniques were necessary. Unfortunately, that is time taken from the more specific aspects of wedding photography, such as posing and managing the shoot. This is not a criticism of our customers. Rather, it is an education for us, alerting us to some of the misconceptions about modern photography. The whole "take 4000 pictures on Auto and hope for the best' mentality is somewhat pervasive within that aspirational new collective of neophyte wedding photographers. It is an entirely inappropriate and unprofessional approach to the couple's Day of Days, but that is the fault of the industry, not entirely the photographers themselves Every time we run our wedding photography workshop it is adapted for those specifically in attendance, which is fine, but wedding photography has unique difficulties and challenges associated with it that we prefer to spend more time addressing. I never get to actually shoot much at a wedding workshop, which in this case was ashame as Mike, the owner of Dan's Camera City, had arranged for a wonderful location with some beautiful lighting opportunities and I would have loved to gone a little ballistic, I have to tell you....

If becoming a wedding photographer is something you aspire to, become proficient with your camera manually. No racing driver has only an automatic licence for his car, and it could be said that wedding photography is the Speed Racing equivalent of professional photography. 

Shelton Muller

Ebony and Ryan's beautiful day

If my memory serves me correctly, I first met John 14 years ago. It was my sister, Natasha's wedding day, 1996. I had written a song for her that I wanted to perform with the band at her wedding. Not having had the chance to meet with the band beforehand, I handed them the charts and without a single rehearsal, they played it perfectly. You can't imagine how grateful I was. But wait! There's more! After that, they asked me to come and sing with them at other weddings and gigs and I was very happy to. Give me a microphone? Somebody stop me! In the fourteen years that have passed since we have all become such good friends and I love getting together with these guys, whether it be for a gig, a jam or just a few drinks and some pasta on the odd Friday night. But this past weekend allowed me an opportunity to do something for one of them for a change.

On Saturday, my very good friend, John (our brilliant bass player) was compelled to hand his beautiful daughter into the care of fine young man - Ryan Abrahams. Ryan and Ebony are deeply in love with each other and their friendship is an enviable one. But as happy as they were to marry,  I know from the moments I spent with John on Saturday and the coffee I shared with him Sunday morning that this was not an easy thing for him. He and his daughter share a special bond. That is self evident when you see them together. But it was also evident from the few tears I saw well in his eyes during the course of the day. There is the ambivalence of the loss of the special and unique companionship of a daughter along with the knowing that she will be loved and well cared for by a fine young man who has also woven his way into the family's heart. 

I have known Ebony since she was a small girl and ss deeply fond as I am of her, I have to be honest and say that my motives for creating the best wedding photographs I could were more about my good friend John. As I have often said - and will say again many times yet - it is an honour always to be asked to capture a wedding. But this one was different. I wanted to do it for him. While I endeavour always to be at my best, I wanted so much to produce some wonderful images of the beautiful Ebony and her husband so that I could honour my long time friendship with her father. Naturally, your heart is always with the couple and you want to do your best for them on their 'day of days', but I have to admit, upon personal examination, that my motives had that added dimension.

The day itself was wonderful. The weather was perfect and the light for our late afternoon formals was simply beautiful. Being a lover of rim lighting, it was not hard to 'find the light and put 'em in it...a phrase with which my process has become synonymous. Ebony and Ryan were so easy to photograph and so cooperative with regard to each image. As the sun sinks toward the horizon in a Melbourne April, you have a relatively small window to work with when its golden glow warms the landscape. But they worked with us, and were very keen to co-produce some beautiful and romantic images for themeselves.
Our shoot was at the Panton Hill Winery where textures and architecture combine with the vineyard surroundings to produce opportunities for photographers that make life so easy. However, there was a moment there when a patch of light so beautifully lit a small portion of the forest to the right of the property that it wouldn't have mattered where we were as long as the light was there. Oh...and indeed it was.
It is here that photographers, I believe, sort the men from the boys. Successful wedding photography is rarely about the location. After all, most weddings begin in an average home where the bride readies herself for her groom. While this was not the case on Saturday, I have many times found myself in an average suburban home with a bride, bridesmaids and a short period of time. Here is where you need to understand what is required and maximise your opportunities. Often, the location chosen for formals is not the best either. But grant the experienced and creative photographer a shaft of light anywhere and there is an instant opportunity for a dynamic image.

The sun having set, we ventured into the winery buildings where I could not help but pose Ebony under the lights that fell upon the almost medieval style furniture. She has such a beautiful and innocent face that placing it under the fall of an overhead light was an automatic process for me. She is so lovely that the light becomes her servant, as it is mine. For me, finding the light and posing the couple with it as the absolute priority is a 'first instinct' process. It never fails to produce an image that pleases me. Never. It is something I can't help but emphasize at all my workshops. With some indoor images under our belts, it was time to head for the reception.

And there I was...seated with the band. Of course! And don't I love it! After all, my work wasn't finished. There was music to provide for the reception, and I was in the band. I love plugging in the guitar, stepping up the mike and letting loose wherever and whenever I can. Natasha Humble, who had been specially invited by John to be my able and creative assistant for the day was also invited to sing. He's a clever lad that John...getting twice the value for his dollar! The reception was an evening mixed with wonderful laughter, a few tears and a whole lot of fun. And...I have to admit, my voice had held up well and I was able to reach the soft notes for "Have I Told You Lately" and the power notes in "Easy" - a song I insist on doing with the band. Its my anthem, after all.

"Just gotta be me..."

However, I wasn't that Easy on Sunday morning - like the song says. I crashed at John's place after the band had gathered there post-reception for a few drinks and bit of a giggle. Actually, it was a lot of giggles,  a couple of 12-year old Scotches, a Bailey's, a shot of something the name of which I can't remember and a glass of water. John also fired up the spa but well, we were all just a little too tired. In the end, I think I got about three hours sleep. Oh well, that's not too bad. Its a good thing I am still young, right?

John, thank you for allowing me the honour to capture your beautiful girl in her innocent beauty. Thank you for a memorable day and for your friendship, always. 

Bound for South Australia

I have just returned from my third wedding in the South Australian town of Mt Gambier. Emma and Cameron's wedding was a referral from Jayde and Leigh, which resulted from the wedding of Patrick and Kellie. And how did Patrick know of me? Well, Patrick is a Mt Gambier photographer who enjoyed reading Better Pictures, the magazine I served as editor of for 13 years. Its funny how things work out some times.

I cannot tell you how welcome I was made to feel. Both families welcomed me to the wedding in a very personal and hospitable way, and I was also invited to stay at Emma and Cameron's reception. They could very well have said that I was there to do a job and was being well paid to do so, but they preferred to include some good ole South Oz country hospitality. So, any time you guys want me to come back and photograph something else, I'm there, ok?

Thank you so much for the honour to be there for your wedding, Emma and Cam! And thanks for making it so much fun. I hope we get to catch up again soon!

Daniel and Meaghan

Ok. I am completely nuts. Its confirmed.

Just to fill you in on the reasons for this particular epiphany, allow me to explain.

Nathan and I arrived home from Nepal and India on a Friday night. We had been up for about 36 hours. In that time we had spent time in Kathmandu, a day in Delhi, a few hours in Singapore and the flight home. Our plane pulled in at about 8pm Melbourne time. We went home, slept and got up on the Saturday morning - to shoot a wedding. Now, that is madness. Just to add to this craziness, I had another wedding booked for the Sunday. But I knew it would be ok, and it was.

But photographing Daniel and Meaghan's wedding was an absolute pleasure. Apart from a brief shoot in the CBD (where Daniel spent a fair bit of time at a tailor having his pants repaired after tearing on the door handle of the bridal car) their reception and formals were held at Rupertswood Mansion in Sunbury, a place in which I have long wanted to photograph a wedding. Daniel and Meaghan gave me that chance and I loved it. What is funny is that perhaps the place that grabbed my creative juices the most was the cellar - four walls and a light bulb. The ornate furnishings, the architecture, the grandeur of Rupertswood itself could not match the cellar. I don't know why, but perhaps I enjoyed the challenge - and the result - the few minutes we spent creating photographs in that room. In the workshops that I run and the video tutorials that I have online, I am well known for the saying "Find the Light and Put 'em in it". Perhaps that is why a single lightbulb in a plain cellar can mean so much to me.

After the photography was done, we were kindly asked to stay for the reception. Now, this is something I don't normally do. By the time I am finished photographing, I have three basic needs - a couch, a remote control and a  glass of red wine. However, the offer was too good to be turned down. Not only that but they had hired a band I used to sing with, and sometimes still do. So I got my chance at the microphone too! I never turn down a chance to sing with the band....

Thank you Daniel and Meaghan for a wonderful day spent with you and your families. I appreciate the trust, always.

The coldest and wettest wedding EVER!

Apparently, this past Saturday was the coldest and wettest Grand Final day on record - or something like that. It was damn cold, no matter which way you look at it! In Melbourne, the day of the Grand Final is like a day of worship. It is the day when the two premier Australian Football League teams fight it out for the Trophy - the Grand Final Premiership. As someone who cares little for Aussie Rules Football, it meant little to me. I was too busy photographing Adriano and Melissa's wedding anyway! And what a day it was. Despite the weather, together with the couple and my wonderful assistant, I managed to create images that I am proud of.

I was very happy to be joined by Nathan, my wonderful son and best friend. He is embarking on his journey as a photographer and his work as an assistant and second shooter on the day truly went above and beyond. Thank you, Son. I was also joined by my sister, Christina, whose work as a make-up artist is better than any other I have ever worked with. She is fastidious, creative and so passionate. She was on hand all day for the bridal party and acted also as photography assistant, dress 'foofer' bouquet holder, bride warmer, hair fixer and overall help. But her make-up (the real reason she was there!) was perfect and her all day wedding service is unique to her. The groomsmen weren't going to take advantage of her services though. Perhaps they figured that they were pretty enough as they were...

Melissa was very keen to have memorable photographs. Despite the weather, she braved the cold winds and diagonal drizzle to achieve photographs that even she knew were a once-in-a-lifetime possibility. Naturally I had to be very careful that she didn't overdo it, and my leather jacket came in handy over her shoulders many times. Me? I was in the zone. I didn't feel a thing.

Before the ceremony, Melissa asked for a shoot at the Warragul Railway station, which I was more than happy to do. She and Adriano had also secured Old Gippstown as the location for their post ceremony photographs. Thankfully they did as it offered us the chance to get in from the rain and still create images together. The weather was terrible, but there were chances to move outdoors from time to time. For those moments I used my share of off camera flash and my newly acquired Pocket Wizards came in handy when I needed Nathan to hide behind the bride. He's slim, so he fit easily behind Melissa's beautiful handcrafted wedding gown. He was such a hard worker on the day, and I would recommend him as an assistant and second shooter to anyone who wants one. He is also fast becoming a prime wedding shooter in his own right. He created images on the day that are nothing short of beautiful. Yeah, I am proud. Can you tell?

Thank you Adriano and Melissa. It was such an honour to work with you both on your day of days. I did try and make the sunshine happen for you, but alas it was only an off camera flash. At least it worked! But I was honoured to be asked to photograph your wedding, and I was honoured by your desire to brave the weather and work along with me in the cold. I wish you both every happiness.