Tell us how you got started and the first-ever wedding you photographed:
I was given a film SLR camera for my 18th birthday, with the hopes of using it to photograph the jewellery I was going to be making as I had just been accepted into the Enmore Design School to study Jewellery and Small Object Design… Eight months later I was miserable, I realised while my love for design was flourishing the physical making of the jewellery was such a demanding and long process I couldn’t stop myself from dreaming of my next design before I’d finished the one at hand. I knew that it was not my place to shine and that I needed to find an art form that was more instant, where no two days were the same, where I could be outside in the fresh air and I could interact and talk to people.
I then took some time away from studying and worked as much as I could (Boost, Subway and a large balloon decorating company). I then had life-changing surgery on my knees and legs at 19, I spent 3 months in a wheelchair and then another 3 months learning to walk again. The time (literally) ‘off my feet’ gave me the chance to reconsider my options and I decided to enrol in Photography (after a very strong suggestion from my former Jewellery headteacher).
I loved every single minute of it. It was all based on film so every class would be split into half shooting outdoors and then half developing in a dark room, which always felt like a cave full of magic as I watched my images sloosh back and forward in trays of developing solution, never really knowing what I had captured until it dried and I could take it back out into the light of day.
When my studies were done I started working for a large family portrait company, photographing up to 40 families of all ages and sizes every week, it was hectic at times, but I loved it. I thrive under pressure and love to make a fool of myself to get kids (and shy adults) to feel at ease and smile.
My first wedding was in 2007 at the very beautiful Milton Park in the NSW Southern Highlands.
The couple knew I had never photographed a wedding on my own but convinced me after their engagement photo shoot that I was the right person for the job…
It rained and there was heavy fog for most of the day. I was truly in the deep end but I was blessed with about 30 minutes of sunshine after the ceremony and I was able to get the couple outside.
The day was magical, the couple loved their images I learned a lot and haven’t looked back, it fueled my wedding obsession further. While my editing style has significantly changed since then I still look at those images with pride, it was a solid start to a career I adore…
What do your past brides say about you?: I’m often described as the “Wedding-Jack-Of-All-Trades” and “Additional Bridesmaid”, There is nothing on a wedding day that I won’t help with. Obviously capturing beautiful photographs is my priority! But if there’s no one else I will be the first to step up or have it sorted before you realise it needs doing… Broken wedding gown zipper or button, split crotch in the gooms pants? I can sew, iron and tape away any mishaps… Don’t like your bridal bouquet?… I worked at a florist for 3 years during high school, easily fixed! The catering staff have gone and the cake hasn’t been served: I’ve cut and served cake to hundreds. Wedding dress train getting in the way on the dance floor? I have a compartment in my camera bag devoted to fixing this problem and I’m not afraid to use it! Lol.
As for my portrait clients: I’m equally as involved, if your Nanna needs help to set up her walker or someone to adjust her pearls, I’m on it!
As a mum-of-two, I have an arsenal of cartoon references, bubbles and jokes to keep the kids relaxed and entertained.
Here’s a peek at just some of the clients I have photographed over the last (almost) two decades…
(in no particular order and showing the evolution of my editing style)
