I have had people leave the studio in a huff because I would not sell them a disc of images for next to nothing, but I have also had people leave in tears, holding a new family heirloom created for then by us. But what clarified things in mind was a shoot we did in September. A family who I barely knew came to me to book a shoot. They had been going to book one for years………but now there was an unspeakable urgency…….a family member was gravely ill. The shoot was done, & amid the tears & the heightened emotions the true raw beauty of this family & their love for one another burned through with a blinding intensity.

I have never walked in their shoes, & honestly don’t know what it feels like to have your life turned upside down like that but it hurt me to see them in pain. But to know what the images meant to them & to see it on their faces…….it was like wake up call for me. I remembered the value of what we do. I remembered the power an image can have when it reveals more than just a two dimensional representation of a person & who they love.

I remembered that it was worth all the other stuff, the time wasters & the knockers. I am glad I still offer family portraiture.

After the ceremony we drove into town & shot at The Pass amongst the beach goers. It was a bit surreal as usually we are shooting in a manner to avoid people & give a sense of time standing still.  But it worked in an opposing way when we shot to embrace the people around, as it felt perhaps as though Sarah & Joel were even more lost in each other, almost oblivious to everything around them. ET was even lucky enough to get a photo

The McKee & the McEwan families celebrated at Byron Bay Golf Course, no doubt reflecting on what was a brilliant day.

Dean Swift, man of solutions & answers.

 Looking forward to laying out some of these images in your album next time we see you all Sarah, Joel & Maddie. Until then take care & thanks for having us, best wishes Ben, Jodie & Elsie xoxo

Byron Bay Wedding Photographer

We have a well kept home, but I have to say I am not comfortable when visiting a home that’s overly neat to the point of feeling like display home/. I feel as though I can’t touch or move anything & worry if I spill something I’ll never be invited back………..perhaps this is why I LOVED Stella & John’s family home. It feels like a family live there, & is almost a living breathing museum of generations of family history. You know that more emphasis is placed on food & eating & talking & just spending time with one another than worrying about small things that ultimately matter little.

This is not to say at all that it is untidy, rather that life here is lived & felt through conversation & shared experience, often over a meal or a scotch & that the sprawling communal areas & rambling, quiet little corners would welcome you back time & time again. The first thing I noticed was the amount of clocks. I lost count after 10 & I think they all had a slightly different time displayed.

At 12.30 it was 39°……ouch ! This is use what I felt like doing too !

The ceremony was swift & measured with many nuanced glances & an obviously powerful connection between them. Dan even asked Father, in his gentle way,  if could kiss his bride.

Greg, up to his usual standard!

It was so lovely to be immersed in the Italian community of our little part of the world & their warmth, love & laughter. Merry Christmas & best of luck in the new year. Emma & Dan have a blast in the States & I look forward to having you over in the studio when you are home next year.

Love & hugs Ben, Jodie & Elsie xoxo

Courtney & Scott fell in love in high school …….. & that’s the way it has been ever since. What a beautiful record of time they have & a what a reflection on life their relationship is. It truly was an honour for us to travel & be a part of it.

To know that here was the one person you will grow old with & that you will always come home to & today was the day when everybody you loved had gathered to celebrate that with you……..when you see Courtney’s face in the images below,  think of that what must feel like.

Courtney’s brothers Jessie & Tom were back from Europe & played an electrifying collection of music to accompany the ceremony on a beautiful spring afternoon at The Pavilion Function Centre in Kootingal.

I know you have been looking forward to this so enjoy, Courtney & Scott xo.

Thanks so very much Courtney & Scott for your hard work & for allowing us into your lives like this. Thanks also to Mal & Shar, Stewart & Doreen & the beautiful bridal party for being themselves & for the laughter & the love.

Merry Christmas Mr & Mrs Weatherall, love from Ben, Jodie & Elsie

As people who go to a lot of weddings I have to say that there was a lot of work behind the scenes…..many small things that at first glance may go unnoticed. Down to the beautiful, handwritten sentiments on the bunting hanging around their heads during the ceremony, to the mason jars acting as drinking vessels, each with it’s own personalised stamp to the flowers (!!!!!) & of course …….the shoes ! Ladies !

When you edit a wedding & the majority of the images, particularly those of the bride & groom, are of laughter with eyes & mouths wide open you know you will remember it as a great day. This was one of those days.

?WARNING ? This blog contains graphic images of corsage attaching & the pitfalls of not quite getting the angle of the pin correct…………..read on

What a beautiful day to reflect on & a great community for us to be a part of. As I left the rain was setting in gently but it was not going to bother a single person.The marquee was humming with the warmth of a shared experience.

 To both the Hawkins & the Humphries families – thanks for having us & to Mel & Glenn see you both in a couple of weeks. Travel safely & take care of each other xo

There was some questionable taste in shoes…….on Aden’s side

And speaking of shoes-it would be tempting to think that most girls begin their fascination with shoes as teenagers or thereabouts………….don’t believe it for a second…….!

Something else you can do with parasols………….

Thanks for the laughter & the sheer, sweet love that you both share. For each other & for little Ashton &, I suspect for your lives together & all that it encompasses. I am very glad our paths crossed & hope they will continue to do so in the future. See you both soon xoxo.

Well a few weeks ago Tracey, Garnett, Garnett Jnr & beautiful baby Noah became the Donnelly family at the Ballina Lighthouse in front of much of their family & community. On this day the sky looked as though the clouds were painted onto it & had been gently brushed across the whole expanse. The trees & the grass seemed to whisper a gentle blessing & it was just warm enough to feel on the back of your throat.

I think any wedding is an achievement, while loving someone is an honour & having someone love you is a blessing but the overwhelming impact from this day was one of a celebration of something wonderful & deeply beautiful. There was no doubt that a great accomplishment was made.

They must have lost count of the number of hospital visits & hours of lost sleep they have endured with little Garnet’s illness, wondering where it would all lead. There were tears, certainly, but only tears of pride & of joy. There was more laughter though & more smiling, the type where you find yourself smiling until the corners of your face start to go slightly numb.

While I am at it there was also lots of Lynx, lots of tattoos, lots of frangipani’s, lots of Panama Hats & lots of thongs & diamantes……….there were 11 attendants ! On each side ! I am not sure if she was having a lend of me but I was told by an Aunty that this was a relatively small wedding party……..!!

After all the speeches, heartfelt & beautiful I left still smiling & thinking, believing, knowing that life is there for the taking & that only if you stopped loving & learning would it wear you down……..& there is no substitute for family. xoxo

Like a gentle giant with hands of iron & a heart of gold, a tall building in whose shade you can always seek some relief & who you can always look up to ………. this is Shayne with his new wife Erin on the property they will soon call home, after marrying on a jetty built with those same hands for all the world, their world,  to see.

All day the air was thick & heavy & clung to your skin like plastic & this gave way to a spectacular early afternoon thunder storm. The thunder felt like it was right above my head & it chased us all the way from Modanville back to Lismore……..but it did not matter one bit. The way human beings come together to celebrate love & life always makes me smile & go home happy. Erin & Shayne’s wedding was brilliant…………..

Because Jodie goes ahead of me to be at the ceremony early I often have to describe the groom to her in varying amounts of detail so she can find him straight away…….not as easy as you might think sometimes. But when it came to Shayne all I said was ” he’ll be the tallest bloke there, he’s got massive hands & he’s always laughing……….

Something blue ……..Erin’s grandfather wore this to his own daughters wedding, & you could tell he was a major presence, even by his absence. It really is the details, the small things especially when they are in people,  that tell our stories.

Erin, softly spoken with a gentle beauty, had a calm grace about her all day.

The valet boys waiting for the cars & the girls, to arrive

What to do when it rains in Lismore…………..

Thank you Erin & Shayne for a day to remember & for having us into your lives.

By the time they were officially married, the Marina at Southport looked like this……………..

And by the time our boat had sailed, this was pursuing us across the Broadwater, & quickly overtook us, churning the waterways up like a bathtub………I don’t have a photo of me jumping into my water taxi later on, but if you have seen Titanic………..lose the icebergs & the band & you are almost there ……..!

And in between all of that , a lot happened …….. a beautiful, statuesque Canadian/Australian (Australian/Canadian ?????) married her handsome man from the small country town not far from here. It took place onboard Imagine Cruises flagship 5 Star cruiser, just across the way from the Sheraton Mirage .

The MnM’s were very personal…..

Jess

Her mothers clutch purse from her sweet sixteen ball

Brother in law Simon gets a wave with the ring finger ……….you’re next mate !

Commemorative clappers were made ……. I am sure there was much clapping done over the night. I left with laughter ringing in my ears as the water taxi thrashed through the darkness & smiled when I thought of the afternoon & how things work out just as they are meant to.

Thanks for having us Jess & Grant, love your way !! See you for a cold beer real soon.

Jake’s parents live in a pocket of paradise in our beautiful part of the world & what better place to wed the one you have loved for more than a decade, with a spring garden all around you & only the sounds of birdlife to compete with the celebrants’ words. The family home for Jake, the only son, had been built by his father over a period of ten years. In this time they lived in the shed to the back of the house. For the wedding day the shed had undergone the sort of transformation plastic surgeons charge a fortune for………scroll to the end for a link to a before/after.

The Gowans’ are certainly quite a family to be marrying into & it was obvious Wendy had been happily accepted into their warm embrace for many years. The sheer delight on both their faces is reason enough to believe in the sacrament of marriage & all that it stands for. Enjoy a brief outline of the day ……. I hope it will feel like you are there.

Not just another photobooth ……… this one Jake built from scratch, & even wrote the software !!!! As you do !

The first “betrothed beer”…….. I’ll have some of that !!

This is the shed, miraculously transformed by the magician & ringmaster Sherilee Matthews of Creative Events If you go here you can see a before & after & you will get an idea of just how impressive the transformation was.

My ol’ mate Mick McHugh played & as the sun slowly faded on a breathless, balmy day his voice wafted through the air, like a cooling summers breeze. Nothing could have suited things more.

And to bring the house down Wendy dusted off her voice & performed a rendition of “Come Away with Me” , as a surprise for her man & everyone in attendance.

Thanks for having us there, Wendy & Jake, & for inviting us into your families. It was an unforgettable day.

I know your lives & love will be long & meaningful.

xo