Savvy Studios

Our blog has moved!!!

2010-09-10T22:09:00.000+10:00

Hi Everyone

This is just a note to let you all know that our blog and our website have now been merged and you can go and see it all at

http://www.savvystudios.com.au/

Thank you for your support and we hope to see you over at the new blogsite. :)

New Phone Number

2010-07-30T14:27:00.000+10:00

After 4 days and literally hours spent on the phones trying to get our old number disconnected and re-diverted, we still haven't had any luck with setting this up.

If you have been trying to call and wondering why it is ringing out, it's because we have moved! The old number of 3892 1173 no longer works. Please call us on our studio number - 07 3891 1400.

We apologise for the inconvenience and hope that Telstra work out the issues at their end very soon.

Tessa and Jamie - 22nd May, Glen Innes

2010-07-15T20:36:00.000+10:00

Tessa and Jamie have one of the most amazing childhood sweetheart stories I have ever heard going back to when they were just three years old. Jamie's mum told the story so well and I particularly love the part of the story when she asked a nearly three year old Jamie who he wanted to invite to his birthday party, the first person he said was, "Tessa!". This is definitely a love that has grown over the years and become something special and now it's producing something even more special... a new member of the family is due in September!

I was originally booked in to shoot the wedding in October but plans were very quickly changed to May when Tessa found out she was expecting the pitter patter of little feet later in the year. It is a little chilly (freezing) in Glen Innes in May but wow it's a spectacular time of year. The light is just magical and creamy and with a fantastic couple like Tessa and Jamie who were happy to get out there and get the photos I was in photographer heaven. I had the wonderful Ange Boorman from Grafton working alongside me and she pulled off some super images also.

Tessa and Jamie, congratulations on your marriage and I can't wait to catch up with you next (and I hope you find out soon enough if you're having a little boy or a little girl.)

Liv and Ryan - May 15th

2010-07-08T18:56:00.001+10:00

After a little break from working together it was nice to team up with Alex again for the wedding of Liv and Ryan. It was a simply stunning day for a wedding and we were really looking forward to getting into it.

We rocked up to The Byron at Byron Resort to shoot the boys who were all watching "Jerry Maguire" while getting ready. There was a moment when the whole room went quiet to let the classic line, "you had me at hello" sink in then we got stuck into the business of shooting a wedding. All the boys were relaxed and also looking forward to the day ahead.

The girls house was a hive of activity and Liv was practically glowing as we arrived to start shooting. There was a moment when we were photographing Liv and her sister Laura and neither of them could look at each other without crying. It was just so gorgeous to see a bond such as this between family members, they almost had me crying along with them.

Liv and Ryan had a simple but beautiful ceremony on the waterfront before we headed off for location photos. The light was fading fast but we grabbed some great shots before heading to the reception for the night ahead.

Thank you Liv and Ryan for having us as a part of your day. We loved being able to present you with your slideshow on the night and thank you for the absolutely super wedding cake that you sent us home with! Congratulations on your marriage and we look forward to cathing up with you soon.

Tracey and Brad - January revisted

2010-07-08T10:57:00.002+10:00

I first posted this wedding back in January as a youtube link but I've decided that it needed to be revisted in a photo format as the video really didn't do the quality of the images justice.

This wedding was part of a fabulous week of wedding celebrations with Tracey and Brad's family and friends. When we were booked for the wedding we decided to pack up the family and make a holiday of it for ourselves also. All guests (and us) arrived at the caravan park excited for the festivites that were to come. There was a couple of days of preparation that had everyone buzzing.

The wedding was on a secluded beach and it was a perfect setting. The 4wd to get there was a lot of fun too. Tracey and Brad planned a great week for everyone and it all panned out perfectly.

It's a little after the event but congratulations again to Tracey and Brad. You definitely need to stop in and see us when you're in Brisbane next to see your photo on the wall at the studio. We love it. :)

Erin and Cameron - Engagement Shoot

2010-07-07T21:03:00.000+10:00

When I headed out to location to meet Erin and Cameron, I was greeted by two gorgeous smiling faces who told me that they weren't big on having their photos taken.

Erin and Cameron rocked the shoot! Great people who have a real spirit and harmony between them (plus, they're hot!).

Bring on the wedding day...

Our Huge Weekend - Wedding Two - Stacey and Chris, 8th May

2010-06-30T12:03:00.000+10:00

While Alex was in Brisbane shooting the three day wedding, I was flown to Canberra for the wedding of Stacey and Chris. From the moment I saw Stacey's smiling face at the airport I knew I was going to have a great weekend.

I arrived on the Thursday before her wedding and the first thing we did was head to a shopping center to buy me a decent jacket. Canberra was cold! I was expecting that, but being a Queenslander I don't own a lot of gear that's suited to very chilly temperatures. I found a jacket and Stacey then took me on a bit of a drive around to show me the sites and run a few last minute errands. Stacey talks... a lot. I got to hear all about the plans, the family, her gorgeous dogs Orson and Oi, her shoes, Chris's cufflinks that still hadn't arrived, her flowers... I loved it. Her excitement was contagious and I was just wanting to get into the job of shooting! It was all sounding like Stacey and Chris's day was coming together so perfectly.

That night, Stacey and Chris took me out for Kevin's Chinese - I was a little dubious heading into a place named, "Kevin's" to eat Chinese food but I shouldn't have been worried. I recommend the duck. The dinner was a good chance for me to sit down and chat to Chris and meet him properly and over dinner I got to see such a cute connection between Stacey and Chris and it was really heart warming. It's definitely a dinner I won't forget in a hurry.

The next day was full of errands for Stacey and I accompanied her on the trip (and the cufflinks arrived! Yay!). It was the first chance for me to get a look at the reception venue, Poacher's Pantry. On the drive out there I was getting excited at the gorgeous countryside we were driving through. I knew that I had to find a way to shoot out there because it was so beautiful and the autumn colours were magnificent. That night I dined with Stacey's mother, sister and partner, a couple of their very good friends and of course, Stacey. Another night of meeting wonderful people and having a great time out.

The wedding day started early as I arrived at Stacey's hotel just after breakfast to capture the first of the traditional ceremonies. The mother of the bride brushes the brides hair and prepares her for the day ahead. A short time later the hairdresser and make-up artists arrived and so did Robyn Geering who is a fab Canberra photographer who was helping me out for the day.

There were just so much that happened on this wedding day and amazingly, it all went off without a hitch! There was a Chinese tea ceremony, Stacey and Chris's dogs as ring-bearers, amazing scenery and delicious lighting conditions, an athletic Chinese lion dance, great food and lovely people.

Really, what more can a wedding photographer ask for?

Thank you so much Stacey, Chris and family for making me feel so welcome during my time in Canberra. I had a great time and I loved every minute of my stay and congratulations on your marriage.

Another big thank you to Robyn for heading out with me and doing a stellar job (particularly on all the detail photos) - you rocked it!

Our Huge Weekend - Wedding One - Abdul Rasheed and Arzina, 6th,7th,8th of May

2010-06-29T13:10:00.002+10:00

We are so excited to be blogging the next two weddings as it was a huge weekend for both Alex and myself. I was off to Canberra to shoot a wedding that was including a lot of traditional Chinese ceremonies (will blog this wedding next) and Alex was shooting an Indian wedding over three days.

Abdul Rasheed, Arzina and Arzina's mother first met with Alex last year and they hit it off immediately. Alex was telling me about the meeting and I could see his excitement bubbling over back then. In the lead up to the wedding they had another appointment to discuss the different events happening at the wedding and Alex came home from the studio looking like a kid at a candy store... then he also told me that they were giving him curry for dinner. The way to a man's heart...

Alex enlisted the help of Fiona and Bec over the three days to make sure nothing was missed. With around 200 guests there was certainly lots of action to be captured! The colour and vibrancy of the wedding was truly beautiful and after it was all over, Alex told me about the fabulous people he met and said that it was one of the most warm and welcoming weddings he had ever attended (and he also loved the curry.)

Congratulations to Abdul Rasheed and Arzina on your marriage. We look forward to catching up with you soon.

Sarah and Josh - 17th April

2010-06-27T15:20:00.000+10:00

Sarah and Josh's wedding was one that we had been looking forward to for a while as we love a good Gold Coast wedding, however I was knocked out of commission the day before the wedding and Terence Kearns took my place for the day.

The girls all looked amazing and Sarah was radiant. The boys looked great and had a few laughs caught by the cameras... and the weather; it poured with rain. The trade off for the rain was that there was enough of a break in the weather to head out and get some shots with an amazing and colourful sky as a backdrop.

Congratulations to you Sarah and Josh on your day.

ps - and thank you to Terence for driving Alex home when he was just too sick to drive. You're a champion.

Sarah and Chad - April Fool's Day Wedding

2010-06-27T14:48:00.000+10:00

April started off with a bang with the wedding of Sarah and Chad on April 1st. Alex again teamed up with Matt for this wedding and together they worked some magic.

Sarah and Chad live at New Farm and kept their wedding local with the ceremony in New Farm Park and the reception at The Powerhouse. This is definitely a wedding that had smiles all 'round and a whole lot of fun. Sarah and Chad also included a photobooth at the wedding reception for a few extra hijinx (all caught by Alex).

Congratulations Sarah and Chad!

Julie and Duane - 20th March

2010-06-27T14:11:00.007+10:00

As much as a big wedding is fun, sometimes the smaller weddings have a wonderful intimacy about them that is just so special to be a part of. Alex and I were lucky enough to photograph Julie and Duane's day - an intimate wedding that was filled with mostly family who had travelled a long way to share their day with them.

It was a very relaxed group and heading out for the location photos was a lot of laughs. Nothing like a bridal party who are happy to ham it up for the cameras.

Thank you for having us as a part of your day and congratualtions on your marriage Julie and Duane.

Kylie and Matt - 13th February

2010-06-26T13:36:00.001+10:00

In my catch up I got a little bit ahead of myself with the blogging!

Alex and our friend Matt headed out for the wedding of Kylie and Matt up Shorncliffe way. It's not often when you see a bride in red but it sure packs a punch! Kylie looked fantastic in a deep red dress with her maids in white and what a gorgeous day for a wedding.

Congratulations on your marriage Kylie and Matt.

Hayley and Chris - 6th March

2010-06-25T13:44:00.000+10:00

So while I was busy shooting a wedding down in Byron Bay, Alex and Serena photographed the wedding of Hayley and Chris out Manly way. The rain poured down for most of the day but the rewards were some awesome skies as a backdrop for some great photos.

We also had to include the photo of where the wedding dress was suspended before the bride stepped into it. A few people have asked, "What's with the ladder?", the answer is that one of the bridesmaids came up with a clever way to hang the dress without it touching the ground. All she needed was a ladder and some rope and it was perfect!

Congratulations to Hayley and Chris. We look forward to catching up with you soon.

Julie and Scott - 6th March

2010-06-02T20:58:00.002+10:00

Alex and I split up on the 6th of March to shoot a wedding each. I was lucky to team up with the very talented Caroline from Mihaja Photography for the day and along with Julie and Scott we all had a ball at beautiful Byron Bay.

There was so much attention to detail and the whole day came together beautifully. The best bit was seeing how in love Julie and Scott are. I'd be about to say to them to have a little kiss and a cuddle and they were already there. Truly a case of only having eyes for each other.

Thank you to Julie and Scott for having Caroline and I as a part of your day and I can't wait to catch up with you soon. Congratulations!

Bec and James - February 2010

2010-05-31T17:28:00.000+10:00

First, I have to make an apology to our blog readers but most importantly our very patient brides. Life has been hectic for us here at Savvy Studios and our blogging has fallen way behind. I hope to get back on top of it all and have a little catch up over the next couple of weeks.

The first cab off the rank in the catch up is the wedding of Bec and James. I can't begin to describe how much fun we all had with them... I believe it ended up with Bec nearly crash tackling me in a bear hug towards the end of the day (and Alex even has a photo of it). Just a truly fun and affectionate couple and teamed with perfect weather and the amazing locations everywhere we turned in the Hunter Valley, we were guaranteed some great shots!

The results speak for themselves. Alex and I both chose our favourite images from this wedding - one each - and entered them at the Qld Professional Photography Awards. Both images were awarded a silver which we are still pretty chuffed about.

Thank you Bec and James for having Alex and I down to the beautiful Hunter Valley to shoot your wedding. It was an absolute pleasure and I hope your family and friends overseas love the images as much as you do and as much as we do.

Come Celebrate With Us! Special Offer from Savvy Studios.

2010-04-22T15:40:00.003+10:00

To celebrate our recent wins at the Qld AIPP awards* and the opening of our new studio space at Greenslopes, we invite you to take advantage of our special offer.

For an initial investment of just $45 you will receive a $350 credit towards products and services of your choice from Savvy Studios or Betty Boudoir.

With Mother’s Day around the corner there is no better time or reason to treat yourself or treat the one you love with a Savvy session. This offer is limited to the first 20 clients only with one lucky person being selected at random to be upgraded to a $1000 credit.

Sessions can be either in our studio or on location within the Brisbane Metro area and can be used for family portraits, child portraits, maternity, newborn, pets, couples or boudoir.

Contact the team at Savvy Studios for more information. This offer ends May 8th, 2010 so call TODAY.

3892 1173 or 0413 747 401

* Qld AIPP Awards results:

Alex; 1 gold, 2 silver distinctions and 4 silvers in the wedding and the portrait categories.

Alicia; 1 gold, 1 silver distinction and 4 silvers in the Illustrative, wedding and portrait categories. WINNER of Qld Illustrative Photographer of the Year.

Serena; 1 gold, 1 silver distinction and 4 silvers in the illustrative and portrait categories. WINNER of Qld Emerging Photographer of the Year. **Serena is the latest addition to the Savvy Studios team and with her natural rapport with animals look out for her amazing imagery when we launch our newest project later in 2010.**

Savvy Studios Stellar Successes!

2010-04-15T11:41:00.001+10:00

At this year's Australian Institute of Professional Photography (AIPP) Queensland Division Awards, Savvy Studios experienced some of their greatest successes to date and scored not only, Emerging Photographer of the Year but also one of the more hard fought categories, Qld Illustrative Photographer of the Year.

Alex entered the Queensland event for his first time submitting eight images. He picked up an amazing seven awards including a Gold Award, two Silver Distinctions and four Silvers.

Our regular second shooter and star talent, Serena Hodson, also made a remarkable debut at the awards, entering six images and being awarded for all six prints! Serena picked up a Gold Award, one Silver Distinction and four Silvers. Serena went on to win, Qld Emerging Photographer of the Year, among some of the strongest entries the category has yielded to date. Serena has her own studio but look out for a new exciting project coming to Savvy Studios very soon that will feature Serena doing what she does best.

Like Alex, I also entered eight images and was awarded with seven. I ended up with a Gold Award, one Silver Distinction and five silvers and received the accolade of, 2010 Qld Illustrative Photographer of the Year. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the sponsor of the Illustrative Category, Photo Mounts and Albums.

The Epson AIPP Qld Awards received 545 entries from professional photographers across the state. The judging panel consisted of some of the top photographers within Australia and New Zealand. Over the weekend only three Gold Distinctions and ten Golds were awarded out of the 545 prints so we are thrilled that three of the golds were awarded to the photographers at Savvy Studios.

News Just in from Las Vegas - Alicia WINS at WPPI!

2010-03-11T15:52:00.006+10:00

A few weeks ago I sent of the entries for the WPPI awards in Las Vegas. The WPPI stands for 'Wedding and Portrait Photographers International' and the awards co-incide with the biggest trade show and convention for photographers anywhere in the world. So it's pretty much a huge event to be a part of.

I've never entered international awards but with alot of prompting from a photographer friend, I prepared an entry. Then I figured while I was at it, I'd throw in an entry from a concept shoot I photographed back in April last year. There was a perfect category for the photoshoot; Album non-wedding informal. This means the photos can be of anything that isn't a wedding and isn't an 'event' like a bah-mitzvah or christening etc. It's a very broad category.

The original entry has scored okay but it was the last minute entry that has left me absolutely STUNNED. I wasn't expecting much from it and my mind has been officially blown. On Monday I found out I had scored 94 out of 100 which was the highest score in the category, however this doesn't mean that I had it won. The three highest scoring albums have their scores wiped and are rejudged to decide first, second and third with the winners announced at a huge awards dinner.

One hour ago I received a call from the dinner and nearly fell off my chair! My album was FIRST PLACE! I had won the entire category! As you can imagine, I am still grinning from ear to ear like a Cheshire Cat. :D

Due to lots of questions about the album and the layout I have decided to post it here for viewing just as the judges have viewed it. Most of the images below are how you would view a double page spread in an album. The competition entry also states that you can show 'detailed' areas to draw the judges attention so there are some 'detail' images presented also.

Enjoy the album! (and yes, I'm still smiling :) )

Front cover

inside front cover

detail

detail

detail (this little girl was just brilliant)

detail - The entire concept actually started with this boy. This is my oldest son, Ashley. He often gives me the same expression as he shows in this photo. I photographed him last year giving me this look and I wanted to find a way to showcase it. One thing led to another until I came up with the idea for this shoot. This image also earned a silver award at the 2009 Australian Professional Photography Awards last June.

Last page

A massive thank you has to go out to the kids from Junction Park State School who were so enthusiastic and positively threw themselves into these images. I couldn't have acheived this without their energy.

Boudoir Photography in Brisbane? Yes, we can!

2010-02-28T15:40:00.003+10:00

In the past I have photographed a few very brief boudoir sessions with brides on their wedding day. The photos are for, "the groom's eyes only" so it's not really the sort of thing I can blog or show to other clients. This left me in a little quandry; I can shoot boudoir but I don't have the work to show other people so it's a little difficult for people to decide to book me to shoot their boudoir images.

So I made a decision - I was going to find a group of ladies who were all willing to let me shoot them in various styles and allow me to use their images to promote my boudoir work.

When looking for ladies for the shoot, I wanted women who were all different but still 'real'. Not all women are size eight, 6ft tall and blonde so it's not realistic for me to shoot models that look like this. I had six fantastic 'real' models lined up... then disaster struck. Three models called in late to say they couldn't make the shoot. After a last minute facebook campaign I found two stand-ins from my friends (Thanks Justine and Kirsty) and the last stand in had no idea she was going to model until she walked in the door. She was chaperoning another girl and I said to her, "Do you want to get your gear off?" and she answered, "YES!".

One large hotel suite, one hairdresser - the fabulous Lucinda, one make-up artist - my awesome friend Paula from Humankind, one photographer - me, and six lovely ladies.

Boudoir essentially means, "a woman's private room", so 'boudoir photos' can cover any sort of 'intimate' image of a woman. It's a broad genre that if handled poorly can come off looking trashy. I wanted to avoid that at all costs. First and foremost, I wanted the images ALL to be sexy without being tacky or tasteless

We all had a great night with lots of laughs. I got to play around with 'boudoir' in a variety of styles from dark and moody, to classic, to pin-up, to fun and cute (and even a nude photo thrown in).

A huge thanks goes to Katey, Kass, Johanna, Amanda, Justine and Kirsty. You were all amazing and lots of fun to work with.

**Viewer discretion advised**

Pheobe - Six Weeks Old

2010-02-25T17:25:00.005+10:00

A few years ago I had a boss that I just couldn't work with. We started out on the wrong foot and it all went downhill from there. Suddenly, and it really was a bolt out of the blue, we found some common ground and the next thing you know, I am calling this boss one of my best friends.

Don't get me wrong, we still had issues working together but on a personal level things were great! Luckily I chose to leave that job but I still have my awesome friend.

Knowing Sandra the way that I do, I just couldn't imagine her being a mum. Not that I ever thought she'd be a bad mum; far from it! I just couldn't imagine a time in her life that she'd say, "Yep. I'm going to have a kid."

However fate often holds other plans for us and last year Sandra was surprised with an unexpected pregnancy and along came little Pheobe. Pheobe was born on Christmas eve and she is truly one of the most divine babies I've ever photographed.

And Sandra is an awesome mum!

To my gorgeous friend. You've kept me sane many times in the past and I know I don't get to see you as often as I would like but I just want to let you know that I appreciate your straight talking, no-nonsense demeanour... even if I didn't like you being my boss.

You cooked a beautiful baby and these photos are a gift from me for all the times you have been a wonderful friend. Congratulations on the birth of such a perfect baby girl and I hope you like these photos.

Jo and Richard - 16th of January

2010-02-24T21:00:00.003+10:00

After Alex shot Jo and Richard's engagement session he came home and immediately said, "These guys are awesome! They're going to be alot of fun on their wedding day."

Even with a huge upheaval to personal circumstances just prior to the wedding, both Jo and Richard were radiant and only had eyes for each other. I think their smiles just light up their images in every shot. Jo's dress was amazing and Richard looked rather dapper and together they were perfect.

Congratulations to you both Jo and Richard and we can't wait to catch up with you soon. We hope you enjoy this little peek at your images.

Jacinda and Cliff - 6th of February

2010-02-21T12:06:00.003+10:00

Jacinda and Cliff decided to rent a gorgeous private residence in the Gold Coast hinterland as the location of their wedding ceremony and reception. The home was stunning and the location was truly magnificent however, there is one things that the Gold Coast hinterland has plenty of; and that is rain.

Alex tells me this is the wettest and foggiest wedding he has ever shot at. There were a few quick dashes outside for photos when the rain eased but for most of the day it was pouring.

And there's nothing wrong with that! Rain adds something magical to the mood of the photos. Beautiful people, beautiful location, great atmosphere provided by low lying cloud then fireworks to top it off. It doesn't get any better!

Congratulations on your marriage Jacinda and Cliff. We hope you enjoy this peek at your wedding images.

My Newest Little Nephew...Welcome to Caleb

2010-02-16T15:30:00.003+10:00

A few weeks ago I dragged my brother and my sister-in-law out for a maternity session. It's only natural that this is followed up with a newborn session.

I was going to be at the birth to take photos, but Caleb had other ideas and arrived a little too fast for me to even be called. Great news for his mum but not so great news for me. I'll have to camp out on their lawn the next time they have a little one.

So here is little two and a bit day old Caleb. Gorgeous and a little cross-eyed.

:)

And because I'm a typical big sister and every photoshoot needs an out-take...

"What is this little crying thing?!"

Levi's Newborn Session

2010-02-11T12:49:00.002+10:00

Michelle had been to see me for her maternity photos and I have to admit I was a little excited to meet baby Levi.

He was simply beautiful and at nearly 6 weeks old he was very strong and also very curious about everything that was happening.

Welcome to the world little Levi!

Katie and Michael - Hunter Valley - 10th January 2010

2010-02-09T20:14:00.002+10:00

Our working holiday took us even further south to the beautiful Hunter Valley region of NSW. Michael was getting ready with the boys at his family home and it was great to see the comraderie between him and his brother. Michael's parents were also fantastic and we even managed to convince them to bring out their wedding album for a little look. It was brilliant and made the perfect backdrop to the shot of the wedding rings together (and mum and dad were a bit of alright too).

After a few laughs with the boys and meeting the horses, it was time to meet up tiwh the girls. It was a very hot day in the Hunter Valley so at the point we arrived the girls were taking refuge under the airconditioning. Katie looked stunning and the girls finished it all off by surprising Katie with the gift of an inscribed silver bangle. As we headed outside we all took notice of a massive storm front that was rapidly climbing the ranges. It provoked a few looks of, "uh oh - it's going to rain"; but for us it became a great opportunity for unique bridal shots.

St Patrick's church in Cessnock is easily one of the most quaint churches we have been into; and lucky for us we have another wedding there in a couple of weeks! The grounds are beautiful and the church itself has a very intimate ambience. It really was the perfect backdrop for Katie and Michael's ceremony.

After the ceremony we shot some photos in the church gardens and it really was like Katie and Michael were 16 year old teenagers who had just started dating. Several times we were about to ask them to kiss and we didn't have to; they were already well ahead of us! Needless to say, we have lots and lots of photos of them kissing and looking at each other with puppy dog eyes.

The reception was held at the Hunter Resort where the food was great and we got to party on a bit and take some photos of the very enthusiastic first dance (and more). The first dance was a lively number for sure. Katie and Michael lit up the dancefloor!

Congratulations on your marriage Katie and Michael and we hope you like your sneak peek!

Jodie and Scott - 19th December 2009

2010-01-29T14:08:00.002+10:00

Our final wedding of 2009 is also going to be the biggest blog post of 2009!

If a few of you think the groom looks a little familiar, it's probably with good reason. Scott was a regular on channel 10, but he now has his own videography and production company that you can check out at www.scottbeveridge.com.au

We first met Scott when he was the videographer at the wedding of Bec and Chris back in October and he booked us a few days later.

This wedding was a wedding full of the good stuff. Lots of emotion, a relaxed bride and groom, great family and uh-maz-ing attention to detail. I had a very difficult time trying to select the photos to blog as there were so many directions I could go. Do I show the emotion? The radiant bride? The huge storm that thundered in? All the details... ah! I'll show them all!

There were a few tense moments getting Jodie into her dress. Jodie's mother is the head of fashion at QUT and the dress was designed and made just for Jodie. It was a stunning and heavily beaded and textured vintage style dress. Jodie's mum had a fall in the weeks leading up to the wedding and had broken her arm so the dress production fell slightly behind. Beads were still being madly sewn onto the dress on the morning of the wedding and Jodie also ended up being sewn into the dress when it came time to put it on. Unknown to Jodie, the little detailed heart with her and Scott's names embroidered onto it was sewn into the dress as Jodie's something blue. It was a lovely finishing touch.

While Jodie was getting ready inside her mother's house (conveniently located next to the church grounds where the wedding was planned), Scott was outside doing a little "go-away-rain dance". The wedding was to be held on the lawn of the church and the seating had all been set up and decorated with some gorgeous cards that were made by Jodie's school students. They had the familiar school yard taunt written on them:

Jodie and Scott
Sitting in a tree
K-I-S-S-I-N-G
First comes love
Next comes marriage
Then comes the baby in the baby carriage

The cards were great but unfortunately Scott's dance wasn't successful and as the heavens opened, plans were hastily changed to have the ceremony inside the church instead.

The ceremony itself was touching and it was great to hear people speaking with such heart. It turns out that Jodie encouraged a student to contact Scott through a channel 10 program and this is how they ended up meeting. It's certainly a unique, 'how we met' story. The student who wrote to Scott was a very eloquent speaker during the ceremony. It was a lovely touch.

Lots of rain meant that we couldn't get all the photos that we like to get but it also means that we had to think of other ways to photograph them on their day. We had a little bit of time to get them outside without umbrellas and we worked as quick as we could to get the shots.

Then when we thought it was all over, Jodie said, "I'd like to get some photos out the back of the house. There's a pile of dirt down there." Alex and I looked at each other and thought of all the mud but hey, if a bride is keen to get out in the dirt on a rainy day, then we are happy to shoot it!

The biggest problem ended up being Jodie sinking into the dirt so we brought out a couple of chairs to pose them on. Jodie's vintage styling meant that it was the perfect time for a very old school serious photo. The rest of the series in front of the dirt pile was the result of the wedding guests cheering Scott on to make some moves, and Scott getting creative.

We likey!

Thank you to Jodie and Scott for ending our 2009 with such an awesome wedding. We had a whole lot of fun and we hope you love your photos...

Are You Being Served? - October 1st, 2nd and 3rd are now available!!

2010-01-28T16:17:00.002+10:00

Sometimes unexpected things happen and this time it is the pitter patter of little feet.

No, Alex and I aren't expecting (four children is enough), but one of our lovely couples who has booked their wedding with us for October has just announced they are having a baby in September. This means that they have decided to push their wedding forward to May leaving the first weekend in October available for me to shoot!

Tessa and Jamie's wedding was going to be in Glen Innes which meant that I was unable to shoot for the 1st, 2nd and 3rd of October as I had to include my travel time there and back... wow, we have knocked back so many weddings for these three dates! However, this could be good fortune for someone else.

Friday the 1st, Saturday the 2nd and Sunday the 3rd of October are now available! Don't miss out on these dates as they are sure to fill fast.

Oh, and a huge congratulations to Tessa and Jamie on the impending bundle of joy! Can't wait to see the cute little baby bump when I shoot your wedding in May.

Maternity Photography - My Brother and My Gorgeous Sister in Law.

2010-01-25T21:19:00.005+10:00

I come from large family and I'm the middle of five children. I have an older brother and sister and two younger brothers. My 'baby' brother has always been my favourite even though he's eight years younger than me.

Well my brother is all grown up and a proud member of Australia's Armed Forces. And he has a gorgeous fiance named Sarah who is due to give birth at any moment.

So about three weeks ago, I dragged them out to one of my favourite locations on the Gold Coast to shoot a maternity session (to a place that also happens to be one of my favourite places in the whole entire world). I had lots of ideas that I wanted to try out but the weather was against us and we lost a fair chunk of time sheltering from the rain under a tree.

We did manage to get some of the photos I wanted though... and the advantage of the clients being family means that I could edit them any way that I wanted to! I love it when I'm given free artistic range, although I still tried to keep it simple.

So here are the images from our very short session on a stormy, rainy and windy day. Thanks also to Serena for coming along and helping me on the shoot! I couldn't have done it without you.

Keep an eye out in the coming days for a new 'birth' slideshow. Sarah is letting me in the room to photograph the entry of her little man. It's bound to get a little emotional. Can't wait.

Susannah and Leon - 28th November 2009

2010-01-22T10:11:00.002+10:00

It was a hot and humid morning as we set off for the wedding of Susannah and Leon. The sort of day that you just want to laze around in air conditioning drinking ice cold drinks. However we had a wedding to shoot and what a great wedding it was.

It was clear that Susannah had put alot of thought into the little touches and all the blue offset everything perfectly. Everything felt so bright and happy even though there were times when we felt like wilting in the heat. Susannah wisely stayed in front of the air-conditioning while preparing for her big day.

The wedding was at the City Tabernacle Baptist Church on Whickham Terrace. This is a church that I have loved and admired for years but have never been inside of and what a stunning church it is. We met the boys here and took a few shots of Leon on the steps at the back of the church that lead down to the basement levels. The light that flows into the church is amazing and I felt like it was making everyone radiate positivity. Leon was all smiles while waiting for Susannah to arrive... and she did arrive, early! She was sent to do a couple of laps around the block while the rest of the guests took their seats.

Being a typical Queensland day, you know that if it's hot and humid in the morning, you can expect a thunderstorm as the day moves along and the thunderstorm hit just as we were due to start shooting the location images. However we also know that in Qld, these types of storms are short lived and sure enough, the storm moved on but left the day slightly cooler with perfect overcast skies.

Susannah and Leon, congratualtions on your marriage and we hope you enjoy your sneak peak.

Deb and Cos - 14th November 2009

2010-01-21T11:39:00.004+10:00

Things are still hectic here so I hope to do a big catch up over the next day or so.

Today we are blogging the wedding of Deb and Cos. Deb used to work with Alex back in his days at Virgin Blue but now Deb and husband, Cosimo, own the absolutely gorgeous, Couture Cupcakes at Bardon. Deb provided the most awesome cupcakes for our own wedding back in April after a last minute stuff up with the people we originally booked. If you want the most delectable cupcakes around with great service, go see Deb and Cos!

The wedding day was a big affair with many members of Cosimo's family flying in from Italy. We started the day with the bride and very soon the house was packed to the brim with bridesmaids and Deb's family and a visit from Cos's family before the wedding. There were many hugs and kisses to a truly radiant bride and before long it was off to St Stephen's Cathedral for the ceremony.

The boys looked very cool in their suits but spent a few nervous minutes waiting for the bride who was fashionably late.

After the ceremony we headed to Teneriffe for the location photos. This location is very popular for wedding photos but it has a little more significance for Deb and Cos because it also happens to be the street they live on.

We all headed off to the reception at Victoria Park Golf Club which was marvellous as usual. We put together a same night slideshow for Deb and Cos that brought out tears, smiles and pure joy.

Thank you to Deb and Cosimo for allowing us to be a part of such a great day and we can't wait to see you again soon.

P.S. When Deb came to pick up her proof photos yesterday she delivered a scrumptious gift. Thanks for the delicious cupcakes Deb!
xo

This next one did have a little chocolate stick on top but my ten year old son claimed it...

Katrina and Dan - October 31st, 2009

2009-12-27T13:10:00.003+10:00

Things have been a little bit hectic here with wedding season well and truly taking over. October was a brilliant and fun month with eight weddings on our calendar. We finished the month with Katrina and Dan's wedding on Watego's Beach at Byron Bay.

Watego's Beach is special for this family as it's named after one of Dan's ancestors. What a great way to create a new branch of the Watego family than to have the ceremony on Watego's Beach!

Congratulations to Katrina and Dan on your special day.

And the winner is...

2009-12-24T17:55:00.002+10:00

In September we lauched our, "Pay it Forward" competition where entrants were asked to tell us what they would do if they received $5000 of wedding photography absolutely free.

We received a number of fantastic entries and the competition was tough, but the lucky couple who have won $5000 of wedding photography from Savvy Studios are Dani and Paul from Holland Park. Dani is currently studying at university and has said that she will pay it forward by offering respite care to a family with a disabled daughter.

For anyone who has ever been in need of a respite carer or who has been a full-time carer of someone who needs the support; respite is always very needed and appreciated by the families who receive assistance. Dani's offer was heartfelt and I know she will really make a difference when she pays it forward.

Congratulations to Dani and Paul. We hope you have a great Christmas and look forward to catching up with you in the new year.

Bel, Curt and baby Hudson - a Family Portrait

2009-11-12T19:44:00.002+10:00

Belinda and Curt were featured in one of our very first blog posts when we showed them visiting our studio when collecting their wedding album. Time has flown and now Curt and Belinda have a beautiful little son named, Hudson.

Hudson was keen to meet his mum and dad and arrived five weeks early back on June 21st. Obviously under such circumstances, a newborn shoot was out of the question as he spent his first few weeks in hospital growing stronger each day. Now at 4 1/2 months old he a still a little tacker, but healthy and absolutely perfect.

So here is Hudson's first official photoshoot with his very proud mum and dad.

Belinda and Curt, he was just so beautiful. I can't wait to see how he grows. I hope you like this little preview.

Merrin and Mario - 25th October 2009

2009-11-09T11:59:00.002+10:00

For this wedding, Alex had one of our favourite second shooters, Serena, head out with him while I had a day at home with my boys.

Merrin and Mario both looked great and Alex and Serena were impressed by the willingness of another wedding party who were all happy to be in front of the camera.

After the touching marriage ceremony at the Seventh Day Adventist Church at Mt. Gravatt, it was off to the favourite locations around Mirra at Fortitude Valley for a few more photos then in to Mirra, where Merrin and Mario partied the night away.

Congratulations to Merrin and Mario on your marriage and we hope you enjoy a few of these images from your day.

Tracy and Jeff - 24th October 2009

2009-11-03T09:19:00.002+10:00

Wow! What a day we had with Tracy and Jeff. We arrived to shoot the boys and within two minutes we were introduced to their humour and the laughs just kept on rolling all day. There wasn't a hint of shyness with this group and even one of the groomsmen's mothers got into the spirit by helping Jeff to dress (er, umm... and undress.) The hot pink undies on the groom must have done the trick.

We headed over to the girls to be met by Tracy who was excited and a little nervous about the day ahead, but very soon she got into the swing of things and along with her maids, they were all hamming it up for the camera.

The ceremony was at Sirromet Winery then we whisked the bridal party away for some photos by the bayside. When we arrived back for the last of the photos at Sirromet, the storm clouds had rolled in and there was lightning off in the distance. We couldn't believe our luck with the magnificent light and weather. Perfect for photos.

The reception room looked amazing and was topped off by a very popular chocolate fountain from "Chocolate Cascades". After capturing all the amazing room details and taste testing a few of the marshmallows and strawberries dipped in chocolate it was time for us to head off leaving everyone to party the night away.

Congratulations to Tracy and Jeff, we hope you are enjoying your Thai honeymoon and hope you like your sneak peek.

A New Beginning - Birth Photography

2009-11-01T20:27:00.004+10:00

A few days ago Carmen contacted me asking if I would photograph the impending birth of her son. Birth photography is one of my favourite things - it is a time in a woman's life when she is most vulnerable yet also most powerful. I obviously jumped at the chance and chatted to Carmen about her due dates (another week away) and all the little details.

Just two nights later as I jumped into bed I received the phonecall to say her waters had broken and I was off to Ipswich Hospital for the big event.

I arrived at emergency at the same time as Carmen, her mother Bev and her sister Gretchen. We all made the trek to the bith suites together to wait and see what happened.

Carmen ended up sleeping for a bit with her sister close by her side. She soon hopped up to go to the bathroom and ended up staying in there until the birth of her perfect little son a couple of hours later. The high pressure shower head and gas were the only pain relied used. A huge thumbs up has to go to Gretchen also who was everything a support person should be and more - she barely left her sister's side the whole time.

Please enjoy this birth slideshow. It runs for 8 min 34 sec so you might want to grab a coffee.

Thank you to Carmen for allowing me to document this most amazing part of your life and congratulations on the birth of your not so little man.

*no graphic birth pictures are included*

Alison and Boyd - 17th October 2009

2009-10-28T13:53:00.003+10:00

Alison and Boyd had their pre-wedding photos taken by Alex in the weeks leading up to the wedding. We knew we were going to have a bright and colourful day if the results of the e-shoot were anything to go by.

Boyd was preparing for the day at his mum's house where everyone was so relaxed, you wouldn't have thought they were about to head off to a wedding! We were welcomed in and shown around and even got to pat the dogs before getting into the job of taking photos.

Very soon it was off to the girls where we photographed Alison who looked divine in her designer dress finished with French lace. I'm not one to cry at weddings but the pure emotion displayed by Alison's mum was quite powerful and even I couldn't help but shed a tear at how proud she looked of her daughter.

The ceremony saw us back at one of the prettiest ceremony venues, Latrobe Chapel in Paddington. Although Alison had to be sent around the block a couple of times as the priest was a few minutes late, however he did make it and the ceremony went off without a hitch.

The reception was held at Mirra in the Valley. It's a great venue and has the advantage of being a short walking distance from a variety of photo locations. We had a great time shooting with the whole bridal party in and around Mirra and taking in the Valley sights. The staff at Mirra always impress us with their dedication to service and this time was no exception.

Congratulations to Alison and Boyd! We know from your facebook updates that you are enjoying your French honeymoon and we hope you also enjoy your sneak peek.

Michelle, Shawn, Jake and baby bump

2009-10-21T15:44:00.002+10:00

Michelle had found us through another happy Savvy Studios maternity client and when she called she told me that she loved her friend's photos and wanted something like that for herself. This is always a great compliment to hear.

At 36 weeks pregnant, Michelle looked radiant and with a busy little Jake climbing over her it's no wonder she's keeping active. We started the photoshoot in a studio setting but after the maternity shots I suggested we take Jake to the park so he could explore (as three year olds like to do).

Jake had a ball! He was throwing stones and checking out the ducks and the tiny fish when suddenly he tumbled in. Hats off to Jake though as he picked himself up and promptly went and high-fived mum. All caught on camera! There are photos of this in the slideshow.

It was lovely to meet up with you Michelle, Shawn and Jake and I hope you have an easy few weeks before your next little one makes an appearance.

Sara and Jacob - 10th October 2009

2009-10-19T17:38:00.002+10:00

Sometimes we are presented with a photographic challenge and we love to meet these challenges head on. Sara and Jake had requested from us as few posed photos as possible, keep a focus on their friends and family and scheduled us 30 minutes of photo time after the wedding to get all we needed to capture.

Usually our day involves Alex as 'primary shooter' who will set up scenes and give a couple direction ensuring he captures the shots that are the must-have images, and I am usually in the 'second shooter' position and have the luxury of walking around the scene Alex has set up and capturing from a different angle or I even just get to sit back and wait for the moment a couple will relax and take the shots with the great natural smiles or the intimate looks at each other between Alex's shots.

However for Sara and Jake, both Alex and I were shooting mainly photo-journalistic style (with a few mildly directed scenes thrown in)... and we loved it! It was great to have a day where we were doing something sightly different with the challenge of a time limit added. Great fun :)

Sara looked absolutely stunning, Jake couldn't wipe the smile from his face and all the little details that went into this day were perfect; from the three different yet complimentary maids' dresses, the variety of flowers used through all the bouquets and also the table settings, the venue and the entertainment. It all came together perfectly and then there were speeches that were all heartfelt, sincere, warm and outright hilarious.

Congratulations to Sara and Jake for inviting us to be a part of your day and we hope you enjoy this small selection of your images.

Jacob's First Official Photoshoot

2009-10-18T18:24:00.003+10:00

A few of our regular followers might remember a maternity shoot from a couple of months ago featuring a very radiant mum and dad, Vanessa and Warren.

Vanessa and Warren welcomed little Jacob to the world and I was invited to their home to take his newborn photos.

At five weeks old, he's a little more alert than the typical newborn so 'posing' was kept to a minimum. Jacob is a beautiful and calm baby so shooting was made very easy as long as he wasn't moved around too much.

Congratulations to Vanessa and Warren on the arrival of your beautiful son. I can't wait to be invited into your lives again in the future to take photos of Jacob as he grows.

My Newest Little Niece... newborn photos

2009-10-18T11:41:00.002+10:00

This is a special shoot for me. I'm one of five children and before this year, between my brothers and sister, there were seven grandchildren and only one of them was a girl. I'm the biggest producer of boys in the family having four of my own. However this year saw the girls making a comeback. I had two neices born in March and April named Amaya and Tiffany then my sister found out she was pregnant with her long awaited baby girl.

Mariska has two older brothers, my oldest nephew Alex who is nearly 18 and my chatterbox nephew, Craig, who has just turned seven. My sister has always wanted a little girl so this was a case of third time lucky for her.

This session took place in my mother's very dark house using natural light only. It was a bit of a challenge.

So here is my newest and very gorgeous niece, Mariska with her brothers and her mother...

My youngest brother and his fiance are the next in the queue with a baby due in January. Boy or girl, time will tell...

Rebecca and Chris - Sunday 4th October, 2009

2009-10-15T15:53:00.008+10:00

Sunday morning brought an early start, heading out the door at 8.20am to be at the groom's family home by nine. After two weddings in the two days prior, we were just a little bit tired and felt as though we started the day running on empty. However as soon as we arrived to take photos of Chris and his groomsmen, Chris's dad, Neil made us feel immediately welcomed and pretty soon it was full steam ahead.

The boys were definitely a group of lads and happy to ham it up for the camera. It would be possible to make a slideshow purely of the Chris, Scott, Sam and Anthony, however there was also a stunning bride to take photos of.

We headed into the Stamford Plaza and were met by a very excited Bec. Bec had reason to be excited; she had received a free upgrade from a junior suite at the Stamford to THE Stamford Suite. The Stamford Suite has housed celebrities and royalty including the Queen, Madonna, John Travolta, Rod Stewart and many more - infact, there is a plaque in the room as you walk in telling you who else has stayed there. We received the grand tour and have to admit, if you have $4000 to spare, a night at the Stamford Suite wouldn't be a shabby place to stay. With the formal tour out of the way, we got down to the nitty gritty of shooting the final preparations then some last minute photos of Bec. There is one photo of Bec that we just adore, with Bec's history of dance it was hard not to incorporate her strength and grace into one amazing image.

After a ceremony at St Mary's Anglican Church, we headed under the Storey Bridge to start shooting the location images. It was here that we realised just how crazy for each other Bec and Chris are as they frequently went into their own little world while we were shooting. It was just so nice to be witness to those moments of tenderness. This continued for the remainder of the shoot in the Botanical Gardens before making our way to the reception venue; Oxley's on the River.

When we made it to Oxley's there was a full moon rising over the city so we quickly bundled Bec and Chris off to take adavantage of the photo opportunity before their formal entry to the reception as husband and wife.

Congratulations to Bec and Chris on your day and thank you for allowing us to be a part of it and letting us see a glimpse of the obvious tenderness you have for each other. We hope you enjoy your sneak peek.

Jade and Glyn, Saturday October 3rd 2009

2009-10-14T15:28:00.001+10:00

The second wedding of the weekend was held at Quay West in Brisbane City, with both bride, Jade, and groom, Glyn, choosing to get ready there, as well as having their ceremony and reception within the complex.

We quickly discovered that both Jade and Glyn are highly animated people with a wicked sense of humour. Jade's mum and dad joined in and also kept the jokes rolling thick and fast. It certainly set us off from the outset and we had a great time capturing a variety of expressions and emotions from both Jade and Glyn that bubbled over during the day.

After a touching ceremony, we walked around the local area taking photos along Alice Street then into the botanical gardens before heading back to Quay West for the reception.

Congratulations on your marriage, Jade and Glyn. We hope you enjoy your sneek peak and can't wait to see you again very soon.

Christine and Jason - Friday 2nd October 2009

2009-10-14T09:03:00.001+10:00

October began with a bang for us with three weddings over the first weekend. The first being the marriage of Christine and Jason on the Friday.

We arrived at Christine's family home on Friday morning to find her family in high spirits and quite relaxed. With a dust storm forecast we warned Christine that her dress might be red by the end of the day and it was like water off a duck's back. This set the tone for the day which was casual and easy going.

The ceremony was held at the chapel of Sommerville House. The chapel has a simple elegance and the perfect choice for Christine and Jason; particulary seeing as how Christine was a former student at the school. A former teacher of Christine's was playing in the string quartet (who performed beautifully). After a lovely ceremony and a few family photos, we all headed to the Gallery of Modern Art for the location shots.

GOMA is great fun for photos and we just couldn't visit there without taking advantage of the Las Vegas style sign they currently have erected to promote their latest exhibition. Christine, Jason and their bridal party enjoyed drinks and nibbles on the lawn of GOMA in between photos. It was a great atmosphere and the predicted dust storm held off.

Soon enough, it was off to Victoria Park Golf Course for the reception and the last few photos. Jason and Christine had made some excellent selections with their pre-recption entertainment (a jazzy live band) and their pre-dinner nibbles were delicious and plentiful. A huge thumbs up to Vic Park Golf Club staff who went out of their way to look after us photographers also. The room looked fantastic and Christine and Jason had created a great atmosphere to enjoy with their friends and family.

Congratulations to Christine and Jason on your marriage and we look forward to catching up with you both soon.

Natalie and Peter - September 19th, 2009

2009-09-22T20:52:00.003+10:00

The wedding of Natalie and Peter was truly a story about good things coming to those who wait. Nat and Pete met at university eleven years ago where Pete was studying medicine and Nat was studying education. After travelling the world together and seeing some amazing sights, they decided to begin their marriage in the same place they began their relationship - Immanuel College at the Universtity of Qld.

The chapel was standing room only, filled to the brim by family, friends and Natalie's year nine students who were thrilled to see their favourite teacher getting married. The walls glowed with vivid colour from the stained glass windows and there were very touching musical performances by talented friends.

As Nat and Pete walked out of the chapel as husband and wife, there was a brilliant, "Simpsons" reference made by having, "Garden of Eden" played on the chapel's organ. It was only fitting seeing as how Natalie and Pete live in the suburb of Springfield.

We all moved into the depths of UQ to take the location photos and ended up finding a few nooks and crannies we hadn't discovered in previous shoots. Natalie, Pete and their attendants, Nat's sister Kelly and Pete's brother Dave, were full of laughs and were great in front of the camera. Very soon it was off to the reception at The Summit Restaurant at Mt Cootha.

This is a wedding we had been looking forward to as it included a slideshow of photos taken on the day to be played at the wedding. We love slideshows as it allows family and friends to see a larger selection of images that they might not otherwise have the chance to see. The feedback from the slideshow was great with lots of very happy guests (and bride and groom) grabbing me and Alex and hugging and kissing us with appreciation.

We both had a great time shooting this wedding and it was nice to feel the love that so many people had for Natalie and Peter.

Nat and Pete, we hope you enjoy this selection of your images. Congratulations and all the best for the future.

Unique Wedding Competition - How Will You "Pay it Forward"?

2009-09-06T19:39:00.002+10:00

To see our new blog that is dedicated solely to this competition; head to savvystudioscompetition.blogspot.com

Remember... It can be sometimes be the small things that make a wedding unique or it can be something totally outrageous. Share all of it and don’t be shy! You just never know...

Hi, and welcome to the “Unique Wedding” competition.

Both Alex and Alicia believe in, “paying it forward”. This means when you receive a kindness, you pass along that kindness to the next person. Alex and Alicia have been showered and humbled by the amazing generosity of many of their friends and family over the last few years that they wanted to take the opportunity to, “pay it forward”, to the next person; and that person could be YOU.

Alicia and Alex have put together the ultimate wedding photography package to give away to one lucky couple, absolutely FREE. The wedding package includes coverage of the bride and groom preparation, ceremony, location photos and full reception coverage by both of them. It also includes a photo slideshow presentation at the wedding reception as well as a 40 side/ 20 page wedding album and the high resolution images on a disc. This is valued at well over $5000.

To be in the running for this fantastic prize, you need to send an email to competition@savvystudios.com.au addressing the following points:
- Your names
- Contact details
- Proposed wedding date
- How you met your partner
- Describe the proposal
- What makes your planned wedding, “unique”?
- How will you, “pay it forward” – if you receive your wedding photography absolutely free, how will you repay that, ‘kindness’ elsewhere?

To be eligible, your proposed wedding date needs to fall between February 1st, 2010 and December 1st 2010.

Entries close 1st December 2009. Ten finalists will be selected and interviewed with a winner being announced on 24th December 2009.

Please share this link around to anyone who you think might be eligible and interested! We can't wait to read your emails and stories and find out about your wedding day and how you will pay it forward.

Good luck!

~ Alicia and Alex

Terms and conditions
* Prize is not redeemable for cash and is not transferable
* Prize is forfeited if the date of the wedding is changed after the winner had been announced.
* Entry is open to any couple intending on having their wedding within Australia.
* If the wedding is held outside of the South East Qld area, the winning couple will be responsible for the travel and accommodation costs for two photographers for at least two nights (night before and night of the wedding).
* For this competition, South East Qld is considered as being anywhere within two hours drive of Brisbane city.
* Any information you submit for this competition may be used on the “Savvy Studios” website, blog or facebook page. * Email, street addresses and other contact details will not be made public or available to a third party at any time and will only be used by, “Savvy Studios” to contact you in regards to this competition.

Kristy and Luke, August 29th 2009

2009-09-06T11:56:00.002+10:00

So as the girls went off to South Stradbroke Island, the boys, Alex and Matt, went to photograph their groom, Luke, at Bellbird Park and their bride, Kristy, at the Stamford Plaza Hotel in Brisbane city. The boys were in high spirits and the girls looked fantastic however there was a hiccup... the limo was an hour late picking up Kristy!

Everyone soon made their way to Sirromet Winery for an elegant lakeside wedding, albeit a little bit later than planned. The ceremony included a, 'champagne ceremony' for the couple as a part of the proceedings. With limited sunlight the wedding party headed off into the winery grounds for their location photos.

Thanks again to Matt for heading out for the weekend with Alex and congratulations to Kristy and Luke.

Shannon and Shade, August 29th 2009

2009-09-05T16:14:00.005+10:00

August 29th was a busy day for us here at Savvy Studios with two weddings on the books. We were fortunate enough to have the very talented pair of Katie and Matt from Shadowplay come out for the weekend to help us out. It ended up being "Boys vs Girls" with Alex and Matt heading out to Sirromet Winery for a wedding and me and Katie heading to An Island Hideaway on South Stradbroke Island.

The day started out looking a little miserable but by the time we all set out, it had cleared up completely to give us perfect weather... which was great for the island wedding as we all had to travel in water taxis to the venue.

I've never shot at An Island Hideaway before but it is a lovely venue for intimate and casual weddings with a great relaxed feel. The bridal party were well looked after by the lovely venue owner Benny (who was also the boat driver for the girls on the way to the island).

Shannon was dressed by her mother and sister and looked amazing as she was walked down the aisle by her father. Shade has the most radiant smile and he certainly lit up when he saw his bride walking towards him.

Katie and I had a great day shooting together with a few laughs along with the bridal party as you can see in this photo captured by Katie of me showing them a few images in the back of the camera.

A huge thank you goes out to Katie for coming along for the day and capturing some truly amazing photos and and even bigger congratulations to Shannon and Shade on your marriage. All the best for your future together and I hope you enjoy this little sneak peek slideshow.

For more of Shannon and Shade's wedding, click HERE to see Katie's blog post.

Louise and Nick - August 23rd 2009

2009-08-27T18:37:00.002+10:00

This weekend was a busy one with Alex and Jodie heading out to a second wedding on Sunday.

There was a little bit of drama when the bride was informed that the limousine had been involved in an accident on the way to picking her up, but plans were quickly changed and Louise arrived to walk up the aisle to Nick, just as planned.

Congratulations on your marriage, Louise and Nick!

Tamarind & Greg - 22nd August 2009

2009-08-25T16:11:00.002+10:00

Tam and Greg were married in the chapel at Crowne Plaza hotel on the Gold Coast, followed by location photos and reception at Q1.

Thanks to Jodie from Jodie Greck Photography for stepping in as a second shooter for the day.

*** More text to come ***

Congratulations to Tam and Greg!

School Daze - Caricatures

2009-08-17T17:31:00.002+10:00

These images were a part of a concept shoot I photographed back in April. I wanted to make a caricature of the classroom stereotypes that we've all been exposed to at one point or another.

The children on this shoot were not models. They are students at the school that my two sons attend (my sons are 'class clown', 'nerd' and 'messy kid' ). ALL of the children were amazing and a whole lot of laughs.

Remember to check out the expressions on the faces of this kids in the background. Some of them are truly brilliant.

Enjoy!

Class Clown (Part One)

Class Clown (Part Two)

Bookworm

Note Passers

Over Achiever

Cool Kid

Nerd

Bully

Messy/Smelly Kid

Popular Girls

Teacher's Pet

Jock(ette)

and this last image is already on the blog a few posts earlier. It was a Silver award winner at this year's APPAs.

Dunce

Shannon and Shade; Pre-wedding photos

2009-08-14T13:56:00.002+10:00

Shannon and Shade's wedding is quickly approaching so we headed out to the Mt Cootha Botanical Gardens for the pre-wedding shoot.

Pre-wedding (or e-shoots) are great for both the photographer and the couple to get to know each other and encourage a bit of bonding between them before the big event. After all, the photographer is the person who will be by your side for the entire day and if you can't relax around them, it's going to show in the images.

Shannon and Shade are a lot of laughs and completely at ease in front of the camera. Shade's sense of humour sparkled within about three photos when he remarked he should have been a model. I think he might be right!

I can't wait for this wedding as I'm sure it's going to be alot of fun with this gorgeous and vibrant couple. Bring on August 29th!

Vanessa and Warren - Maternity Photography

2009-08-13T10:02:00.003+10:00

Vanessa is one of our all time favourite brides who has returned for her maternity shoot. She is always smiling and so radiant that she lights up a room.

Even heavily pregnant she is still walking her dogs regularly and keeping active so I knew I wanted to photograph her away from the studio... a bit of a change from my usual maternity images.

We came back to the studio and managed to convince Warren to get into the spirit of the shoot and show some skin along with Vanessa. These two are still as gorgeous together as they day they were married.

When it came to the tail end of the shoot, Vanessa was keen to try a tulle shot but told me she wasn't a, "girly-girl", so didn't want to be draped in it. We worked out an alternative as seen here in the slideshow.

Only a few more weeks until we meet the newest little Armstrong. I can't wait!

Father's Day Photography Offer from Savvy Studios

2009-08-12T13:29:00.002+10:00

Father’s Day is only a few weeks away and now is the perfect time to take the opportunity to show your dad how much you love him by giving the gift that keeps on giving, a beautiful family portrait. I'm sure many of you have thought about it in the past, but have put it off to ‘another time’, so here's a wonderful incentive for you to have a portrait session now.

As our gift to you, Savvy Studios, the multi award winning photographers, have prepared a special offer. If you book a portrait sitting with Savvy Studios in the next 72 hours, you will receive a complimentary photo session,(normally valued at $95), plus a $150 credit towards any of our high quality portrait products, including canvas prints and mini albums.

This offer is limited to the first 10 people who call. Photo sessions must take place prior to the 2nd of September 2009.

CALL NOW on 07 3892 1173 to reserve your session time.

Offer closes 3.00pm Saturday 15th August 2009. Terms and conditions apply. This offer is not redeemable for cash.

Welcome Riley! Maternity and Newborn Photos

2009-07-26T20:17:00.002+10:00

Last week I posted the video, "Birth", that captured the last hour of Dee's labour and the first moments of Riley's life outside the womb and the bond between mum, dad and baby.

This week we have images from Dee's maternity shoot, as well as images from Riley's newborn shoot.

What a beautiful and alert little man he is. I was tempted to steal him and take him home with me.

Congratulations again to Dee and Troy on the birth of Riley.

Birth - A Labour of Love

2009-07-17T20:04:00.004+10:00

For Dee and Troy and their beautiful (as yet, un-named) Baby boy born July 16th, 2009.

I have only photographed one birth prior to this one and was keen to give it another go but it's sometimes hard to find willing participants who are prepared to have one of life's most intimate moments documented.

When Dee said she wouldn't mind me being there, I was so excited. I had everything ready to go and when the day came around, I waited and waited and thought that maybe something had happened and I wasn't going to get a call... then at 7.40pm, the call came through.

Dee had been plodding along in labour most of the day then suddenly at 7pm everything kicked into high speed. I made it to the hospital at 8pm and managed to get my gear out and take a just a few test shots before all the action began.

A healthy baby boy was born at 8.58pm.

Thank you again to Dee and Troy for allowing me to be a part of such a life forming moment. I will always treasure the trust you put in me to record the event.

Congratulations on your baby boy.

Birth from Alicia Kennison on Vimeo.

Lighting - Mini Workshop Held In Sydney

2009-07-13T11:31:00.008+10:00

On the weekend of the 26th - 29th of June, PMA was held in Sydney. PMA is a huge photographic and imaging show that also incorporates the judging of the national photo awards. Photographers from all corners of the country and even overseas, come together at PMA to check out the latest gear, watch the judging of images from some of the finest photographers in the world, meet up with old friend and maybe join in a workshop or two.

Alex and I organised a mini lighting workshop for 16 other photographers. The workshop was an intorduction to off-camera flash techniques, video light and other alternative lighting sources when natural light just isn't an option. With a keen group of photographers and our amazing model, Mel, we explored the lighting in hotel corridors, light from street lamps, back-lit billboards and more.

The results from the workshop speak for themselves... (there is even a photo in here of the group taking photos ;) )

Thank you to the following photographers for allowing me to use their images on our blog:

Melanie Kellermann Photography, Woollongong, NSW
Sally Williams Photography, Newcastle, NSW
Lyn Walkerden Photography, Sydney, NSW
NaomiV Photography, Brisbane, Qld
Sweet Chilli Philly Photography, Adelaide, SA
Jackie Cooper Photography, Sydney, NSW
Danielle Stahl Photography, Darwin, NT

**More workshops are being planned. Watch this space!**

2009 Professional Photography Awards - We Have a Winner (or 5)!

2009-07-07T18:16:00.007+10:00

After Alex's success in competition last year while I was on limited work due to pregnancy with twins, I decided that this year I would try my luck in state and national competition. Alex decided to hold off this year and will be back into it in 2010.

I had entered the state awards only once before back in 2004, where I was awarded a silver in the portrait category. I was extremely nervous putting in an entry but it paid off when I was awarded FOUR silver awards at the Qld Professional Photography awards in April.

I decided to stick with three of the winning images for the national awards held in Sydney in June. For my forth image, I put together a concept shoot at the local state school where I had an awesome group of kids come together for an afternoon of fun. (more of these images to be blogged in the future.)

The competition in Sydney was fierce with judges finding the smallest reasons to score the images lower than award standard. Needless to say, I am more than happy with my results for the Australian Professional Photography Awards... Three Silvers and one print scoring a half merit.

I can't wait for next year to do it all again!

Qld Awards - Silver in Portrait Category.

My biggest surprise - Silver in both the state AND national awards in the Illustrative Category.

Silver at both the State and National Awards in the Wedding Category

Tough competition in the Portrait Category. Silver in the Qld awards and half merit point at the national awards (just missed out on the silver).

National Awards - Silver in the Self-Commissioned category.

Newborn Portraits - A Wide Eyed Little Soul

2009-07-07T16:22:00.003+10:00

I recently had the honour of taking photo of beautiful newborn, Austin Roy.

Austin's parents, Mel and Andrew, are very special to me. I've known Mel since she was a little girl and also photographed her wedding to Andrew back in 2007. So when I found out Mel was pregnant, I couldn't wait to have her back in the studio for a newborn sitting and to meet her little man; and what a beautiful little boy he is!

Austin was wide eyed and alert for much of the shoot and was happy to just relax and take it all in. We decided to keep the shoot as short and simple as possible as he wasn't too keen on drifting off to sleep to let us move him around.

I particularly love the very last photo in the slideshow. It was taken when the official part of the shoot was over and he was picked up and cuddled by dad. He was just starting to drift off to sleep and looked so serene that I simply had to capture the scene. Austin is simply perfect. Congratulations Mel and Andrew.

SIDS and Kids Community Awareness Announcement - Still Photos provided by Savvy Studios

2009-07-06T18:54:00.003+10:00

By now many people will have seen a community announcement on Channel 7, discussing SIDS and Kids, Qld.

SIDS and Kids Qld is a charity both Alex and I feel strongly about having four young children of our own. We were only more than willing to help when SIDS and Kids approached us for the black and white still images that have been used on the commercial.

Starlight Foundation 5 Chefs Gala Dinner, Sofitel Brisbane.

2009-07-06T18:09:00.003+10:00

In June, Savvy Studios had the opportunity to support one of their favourite charities, The Starlight Foundation.

The 5 Chefs Gala Ball had humble beginnings many years ago as a fundraising dinner and has grown into a premier event on the Brisbane social calendar. This year's dinner was held at The Sofitel and the dishes presented were simply delectable. Alex had the honour of spending time with some of the Starlight families as they visited the chefs in their kitchens in the lead up to the day.

The Brisbane and Gold Coast chefs who so generously gave their time for the cause were:

David Pugh of Restaurant II
Patrice Falantin of Sofitel
Paul McGiven of Restaurant Manx
Javier Codina of Gianni Portside
Tony Percuoco of Restaurant Fellini

Children's Portrait Shoot - Powerhouse, New Farm, Brisbane

2009-07-06T17:13:00.001+10:00

In May, Alex headed out to a children's portrait shoot. Sometimes it can be difficult shooting just one child at a time but this sitting included four cousins all at once.

Alex had a great afternoon of shooting and captured these candid images of some very active children.

Alex and Alicia Tie the Knot! So Who Do the Photographers Use When They Walk Down the Aisle?

2009-07-06T16:09:00.003+10:00

The big news here at Savvy Studios was our very own wedding on April 26th. Naturally the first question that people asked when they found out we were getting married was, "So who's taking your photos?"

The answer was easy. Our good friends Ben and Justine Rugers at XSiGHT Photography in Brisbane were the first people we called when we decided on a date. The second person was our chosen celebrant, the always wonderful Anne Campbell. We were delighted that they were both available for the date.

Alex and I are in the fortunate position as photographers to see all the ins and outs of so many wedding days and as such, our decision making was all relatively smooth sailing. I was originally going to go with a more 'affordable' wedding dress but stumbled across a Bella Donna dress by Wendy Makin and fell in love. A group of my friends all pitched in and paid for half for me as a very generous gift. Alex decided to look to his heritage when deciding on his attire and went with a kilt from Highland House.

Some time ago when Savvy Studios exhibited at an expo, we found ourselves sitting opposite a stand for handmade dress jewellery and I loved all the individual pieces that were on display. I knew exactly what wanted to go with my dress and contacted Leonie from She Shimmers who was able to make up just what I was after and it was perfect in every way. I found my shoes online at Designer Shoes; American suppliers but the same as Aussie sizing. Prompt delivery and a beautiful product. Then I went with a birdcage veil and fascinator from Fascinators.net. It was all coming up perfect but was topped of with stunning tulips from Bouquets with Bling.

What was special for me was that my hair was styled by my father, Ross Adams, who is a lady's hairdresser and was an international award winning hairdresser, 'back in the day'. Not many girls can say they had their dad style their hair for their wedding. My make-up was from my gorgeous maid of honour, Paula from Humankind Face + Body.

Our wedding was held out on the point at Cleveland and we couldn't have asked for a better day to celebrate with such amazing people around us. After our cocktail lunch reception, (and some delicious cupcakes from Deb at Couture Cupcakes, who came to the rescue with only days left until the wedding), we headed off to the Crowne Plaza on the Gold Coast to start our location photos. After some shots in the hotel and racing the light, we headed to the Spit for our final location shots and our Trash the Dress session.

We had an incredible day and it wouldn't have been the same without such wonderful and talented people and amazing friends to help us out every step of the way. A huge thank you must go out to Ben and Justine from XSiGHT who had to put up with two photographers who weren't too keen on getting in front of the cameras. Even so, the Brisbane XSiGHT team captured some great images.

Photos courtesy of XSiGHT Brisbane

So much has happened! Time to catch up - Brisbane Maternity Photography

2009-07-06T15:59:00.004+10:00

Things have been hectic here at Savvy Studios over the last couple of months, but we'd love to show you some bits and pieces of just what we've been up to.

A little while ago we shot an in studio maternity session for the lovely Kristin and Geoff and it was followed up just a couple of weeks later with a newborn session for their gorgeous little son, Oroton.

One of Kristin's maternity images was entered into the Qld Professional Photography awards in April, where it was awarded a Silver in the Portrait Category. This was followed up in the Australian Professional Photography Awards in Sydney earning a half merit point.

The Wedding of Julie and Wade, 3rd May 2009

2009-05-07T15:46:00.002+10:00

Sunday morning started out a bit overcast and as we packed our gear we made sure we had the umbrella ready to go. We hit the road keeping an eye on the gray threatening skies and a few times we even saw rain on the horizon. Amazingly though, the rain held off for Julie and Wade giving them perfect photography conditions.

It was obvious on our arrival that Julie and Wade had put alot of effort into ensuring their day was perfect and the little details paid off. The pre-wedding shoots with both the boys and the girls were alot of fun and Julie was a willing bride and happy to have some tasteful 'boudoir' shots of her in her lingerie.

The location for the ceremony was so simple yet elegantly decorated and included so many great ideas. The live music on the beach gave such a wonderful energy to the celebration and it was nice to sit back and see so many of the guests enjoying the atmosphere, music and drinks on the beach. Everyone seemed to be smiling and laughing the whole time. What a great vibe for a wedding!

After a few shots with Taylor (Julie and Wade's beautiful little son), the bridal party climbed into the immaculately restored Kombi Vans to head off for the location photos. Julie and Wade had the absolute best conditions for this part of the shoot with dramatic skies, a little bit of wind whipping around and luckily the onshore breezes weren't too cold. It all added up to a colourful sunset increasing in intensity as the sun went down.

The gorgeous couple were just fantastic to work with and full of laughs as were the entire bridal party. We particularly enjoyed the "chants" of the boys to the girls and vice versa. I think the chanting also managed to get most of the onlookers laughing along with the bridal party.

What a great day out with a very loving and fun couple and their equally lovely bridal party. Congratulations to Julie and Wade!

The Wedding of Rebecca & Jay - 28th February 2009

2009-03-14T09:18:00.001+10:00

*text to come*

The Wedding of Jackie and Shane - 28th February 2009

2009-03-08T13:11:00.002+10:00

*text to come*

The wedding of Katherine and Michael, February 7th 2009.

2009-02-10T13:59:00.003+10:00

Every wedding has something about it that makes it unique. For Katherine and Michael it was their personal touches that set it apart.

When Alex first met with Katherine and her mother, Lyn, he was excited about how down to earth and lovely they were (and they even had a cuddle of our twins, Ewan and Angus). He knew then that it was going to be a great wedding to shoot and he wasn't wrong.

The boys were great and had a bit of fun tying windsor knots and made for a very handsome and amusing group (but let's not mention the night before... ;) ). After the boys photos we headed of to Coolibah Downs at Nerang on the Gold Coast to shoot the girls who were getting ready in the homestead there.

We were greeted with smiles from all the girls then went to shoot the brides dress and were amazed with how beautiful it was. It turns out that Katherine had drawn up the design herself and had it tailor made just for her and it was perfect. She was a vision in a flowing mermaid style gown with some beautiful lace and crystal detail (which flowergirl, Milly, found interesting). The maids dresses were an apple green colour and complemented Katherine's dress to a t.

The ceremony was held in the little private chapel on the grounds of Coolibah Downs and all photos were taken within the resort. It was an intimate group of family and friends who shared the day and partied on with them into the night. A highlight at the reception was the unique cake that was also designed by Katherine.

We would like to thank Katherine and Micheal for inviting us to be a part of their day. It was a great way to kick off our weddings in 2009. I got a little excited when editing so there are a few more photos in the slideshow than usual.

Congratulations on your marriage and all the best wishes for the future.

*please be patient while the slideshow loads*

Family Portrait Session - Hobart, Tasmania

2009-02-07T08:57:00.003+10:00

In the last week of January I was fortunate enough to travel to Hobart for a family portrait session. I'd never been to Tassie before so Belinda (our client) volunteered to play host to me on my first day there and took me to see a few sites.

I wasn't officially shooting this day but I took my camera with me as I do love being a tourist. We went up Mt Wellington where this hot blooded Queenslander was ill-prepared for the cold of the alpine region. As cold as I was I enjoyed my time up there with the winds blowing hard and whipping our hair around everywhere. Little Edison was such a bubbly and happy baby that I couldn't resist grabbing the camera and taking some photos of him and mum enjoying the sites.

On the way back down, Belinda drove back to the city via the Cascade Brewery where Edison was allowed out to stretch his legs and get aquainted with the grasses on offer. Again, I couldn't resist such a face and took a few more photos.

That night was the first night I had spent totally alone in over two years; a rare luxury when you have a loving partner and four kids. I made use of this night to treat myself to a steak dinner at Salamanca before heading back to the hotel to watch the tennis and sleep in a very comfortable kingsize bed all by myself. Heaven.

The next morning I was up bright and early for the official portrait shoot. We headed to the convict steps that run up an alley just off Salamanca. The lighting was perfect, the family were fantastic and the dogs were well behaved. After a bit of shooting we headed off to Kingston Beach to allow the dogs to have a run and take a few more photos. The weather was a bit iffy but we managed to time the beach shoot just right and missed the rain.

I'd like to thank Belinda for her hospitality on my stay in Hobart. I loved visiting and thoroughly enjoyed shooting over the two days I was there. Enjoy your photo slideshow. :)

Our Latest Family Portrait Session

2009-01-28T19:32:00.002+10:00

It's not often that I get the chance to shove Alex out of the way and shoot all alone but when Katie came in with her family to have their portraits photographed, I decided that I needed to kick him out and do my thing (and have a bit of fun). I just love pregnancy photos and the pregnancy glow that radiates from most women at this time of their lives. It is so much fun to shoot.

Little Ollie wasn't so keen on having his photo taken so we all worked around his needs and ended up with some quite endearing photos of him 'refusing' to take part. He is just such a gorgeous child I don't think it would matter how he was photographed as he would still make a great subject. Luckily by the end of the shoot, he was happy to show me where mummy's baby was.

Katie only has a couple of weeks to go now... stay tuned for baby photos a short trip down the track!

Out of the Studio

2009-01-11T08:39:00.002+10:00

We are finally having a holiday! After much hard work we decided to bite the bullet and we are heading off to Fiji for a little break. We have a very lovely housesitter looking after our dogs, the babies are staying with my mother and the older boys are off on a holiday at the beach. Fun times for all!

I will be sure to post some travel photos to the blog next week.

For those needing to contact us, we are unavailable until January 18th. Please drop us an email and we will be sure to respond to you as soon as we return.

New Years Offer to the newest Brides-to-be

2009-01-01T19:03:00.003+10:00

Alex and I hope you all had a merry Christmas and we wish you a happy new year. May great things happen for you in 2009.

As a part of our New Years celebrations, during January and February 2009, we are offering a gift to all couples who come into the studio and pay a deposit toward their wedding photography. For this limited time, you will receive $500 worth of reprints of your choice added to your photography package, ABSOLUTELY FREE!

This is a great opportunity and won't be repeated during 2009 so be sure to take advantage and call or email for an appointment today.

We look forward to meeting you and to all our brides and grooms who are following the blog, we can't wait to catch up with you over the next year.

Cheers

Alicia (and Alex)

The Wedding of Renee and Tarek, 6th December 2008

2008-12-10T16:58:00.003+10:00

The 6th of December has been eagerley anticipated by us as it wasn't just the last wedding for 2008, but also one of the more unique events. Renee and Tarek themed the wedding around having an old fashioned good time and this is exactly what they had!

We arrived at Conrad Jupiters to shoot Tarek and his groomsman up in their suite on the 20th floor. We entered the room to see some amazing views to the world outside and inside; a table covered in imported and expensive bottles of cognac, champagne and scotch. It was a lighthearted yet busy morning with the boys with the outgoing Tarek starting to feel the nerves as time moved along. We stayed with the boys a short time then headed to Renee's room for a while to leave the boys to relax without cameras around.

Renee and her bridesmaid, Mel, were in high spirits and full of laughs. Renee was having the finishing touches applied to her make-up and hair with Mel on-hand looking after her every need (just the way a great maid should.) Mel ducked into the bedroom to get the dress ready for Renee and returned with one of the most gorgeous 'bling' dresses we have seen in some time. The dress was from Darb Bridal Couture and it was like a dress you would imagine from a fairytale and so delicately adorned with crystals throughout. It was simply stunning and perfect for the day that Renee had planned.

Alex returned to the boys to get all their last minute photos and I drove on ahead to The Villa awaiting the arrival of the girls who were coming in by helicopter (and lucky Alex shared the ride with them.)

The groom arrived at the venue by limo and had a few moments to relax with friends and family before the arrival of his bride. Everyone kept watch in the distance for the approaching helicopter and when it came into view there was a little bit of excitement in the air. Renee and Mel emerged from the helicopter looking like stars and they were whisked away by golf buggy to make final preparations before walking down the aisle.

The ceremony was short and sweet but contained many laughs and light hearted moments one of which was supplied by an overeager groom who grabbed his beautiful bride and laid a kiss on her before the formalities were dealt with. When it came time for the real thing, practice obviously made for perfection and a cheer went up among family and friends.

Whilst guests mingled on the lawn, Tarek and Renee were whisked away for a quick series of photos before joining their guests in an amazingly 80's nightclub themed room to party the night away. Later in the evening, we presented a photo slide show of the day of which the photos below are only a small selection.

Tarek and Renee, we'd like to thank you both for allowing us to be a part of your day and we both had an absolute blast! It was a fantastic way to finish off a year of weddings. Congratulations to you both and we wish you all the best for the future.

The Wedding of Louise and Craig, 29th November.

2008-12-02T13:43:00.002+10:00

Louise and Craig originally hail from England so their friends and family travelled from far and wide to be a part of their day... and what a day it was with some wild weather thrown in for good measure as a fitting introduction to Queensland's unpredictable summer.

Both the bride and groom took the opportunity to use the facilities that, The Villa, at Nerang has to offer and made use of the well outfitted dressing rooms to get ready for the day ahead. Louise had chosen a very elegant dress for the occasion and it was admired by many. Craig and the boys were in good spirits and we headed to the lounge to shoot some images around the pool table and then headed outside into the steamy afternoon heat for a few more shots in and around the golf course.

The weather itself posed a few issues. The day started out clear, hot and muggy but with just 15 minutes to go before the ceremony (that was planned outdoors) a storm rapidly blew in over the hinterland. The wonderful staff at The Villa worked fast to move all the furnishings inside for an indoor ceremony. The ceremony went ahead a short time later indoors and it may not have been what the bride and groom had planned for but it was still a lovely and intimate affair and the staff were brilliant in setting it up so fast.

By the time the ceremony was over, the weather had cleared enough to venture out and shoot some location photos outdoors dodging random raindrops. Even with the weather trying to wash out their plans, Louise and Craig made it through the day unscathed and with smiles on their faces.

Congratulations, Louise and Craig, on your marriage and may the future bring you much joy and happiness.

Big News here at Savvy Studios

2008-12-02T09:25:00.002+10:00

Yesterday afternoon while I was cuddling one of our sons, Alex got down on bended knee and proposed to me. It took a while for the 'yes' to come out (due to shock) but I got there in the end and I am now very happy to announce that we are engaged to be married.

So naturally the first question that people asked us wasn't, "when's the wedding?", it was, "so who is taking the photos?". At the moment we have no idea as we have a few extremely talented friends whose images we love and we need to work out what the heck we are doing!

However for the girls that seem to read this blog religously, I'll keep you updated. Photographers are one of the few people that see wedding days through from the very beginning to the very end so we keep a few ideas up our sleeves from each wedding we go to. I guess this means you will actually get to see who our recommended suppliers are in reality!

At this point I can safely say that I already have my lovely maid of honour who is also the most incredible make-up artist in the freaking universe. Paula from Humankind who I was fortunate enough to befriend back in 2002 through the industry (I was blown away with the work that she did and ended up talking to her about it and then that turned into, 'let's catch up later' and now she is my best friend in the world.) Love you Paula and I was over the moon when you said yes to being by my side.

As to the question of, "when's the wedding?", we should have an answer for that very soon. I'll keep you posted.

The Wedding of Renee and Nick - 22nd of November, 2008

2008-11-27T20:43:00.002+10:00

I was back out shooting with Alex again for Renee and Nick's wedding day and I was excited to get to experiment with my new lens at a wedding. First stop was with the boys who were getting ready at Renee and Nick's cute little townhouse in Auchenflower. We arrived to find three very relaxed boys lounging around watching Billy Connelly and that quickly set the tone for the hour ahead. The lame (and somewhat naughty) jokes were flying thick and fast and the boys soon opened up about various nicknames and traditions. Apparently an 'upside down' photo is a must and we were more than willing to shoot it.

We bid the boys farewell and made our way to the girls who were getting ready in Renee's parent's lovely apartment with views up the river toward the city. It was a light hearted and jovial mood that the girls all shared when applying finishing touches and getting into the nitty gritty of having photos taken. Renee surprised her father with a pair of cufflinks and I think the moment caused most of us there to tear up a little. When we all collected ourselves, the girls proved that they are all fantastic models and played up to the camera and Kirsty the junior bridesmaid almost managed to steal the show. Renee however, looked radiant and kept everything simply elegant and it came together perfectly.

The wild weather that has been hitting Brisbane made a small dent on Renee and Nick's day with strong winds causing a few last minute changes in plans. The ceremony was going to be held outdoors at the Riverside Hotel however there were wild winds whipping through quite frequently so it was decided to move the ceremony indoors. This made little difference to the day as Nick and Renee were focused only on each other. There was a great personal touch added when Renee's close friend Morgan serenaded the couple after the registry signing.

We headed to nearby photo locations in Newstead and then to the Powerhouse in New Farm where the obviously in love couple, along with the bridal party, worked the cameras. It is great when we get couples who love to ham it up and this time we had an entire bridal party!

Soon enough it was back to the reception and Renee and Nick had chosen the yummiest looking deserts for their 'cake' and the room was kept simple yet elegant in style. The 'secret squirrels' were added to the main table and looked very dapper in their wedding attire. After a few more photos we were soon ready to leave, but not before the bride and groom presented us with a little 'cake' each. We have to admit, not only did it look great, but it tasted great!

Congratulations Renee and Nick! We had a great time sharing your day with you and we can't wait to catch up soon.

Ellie and Colin, 14th November 2008

2008-11-20T17:42:00.002+10:00

Occasionally, it is nice to be able to shoot weddings that are a little bit different and this wedding was different in it's simplicity and warmth. It was a double celebration as it was Colin's 5oth birthday and Ellie, after waiting patiently for ten years, finally got her man. This was a small and very intimate gathering of around 20 family and close friends held in Colin and Ellie's absolutley stunning Balinese inspired backyard paradise.

The day was made all the more special by the surprise arrival of one of Colin's dearest friends, Marco, who had originally said that he wouldn't be able to attend. He flew in from Perth on the morning of the wedding and when he entered the front door with his partner, Colin and Marco greeted each other with a big bear hug and Colin shed a couple of tears... although the tears may have been due to Marco's loud shirt.

The relaxed and friendly ceremony was held under the Balinese hut with their guests gathered close around. A huge smile came across Ellie's face as the ring was slipped onto her finger and a very happy and gushing bride couldn't stop showing it off to her girlfriends after the ceremony.

All of Colin and Ellie's photos were taken in and around their beautiful home located in The Gap in Brisbane. Very sadly, the storms hit Brisbane just two days later and while the home survived, the garden no longer exists. Colin and Ellie were caught out under the Balinese hut together and had to take shelter under the daybed as the storm took hold and whipped the garden away around them. Luckily, Colin and Ellie are safe apart from bruising from heavy hail but it was very sad to hear of the devastation at such a beautiful location.

Our thoughts are with you both Colin and Ellie and we hope your home and garden will be magnificent again very soon. Alex thanks you for allowing him to share your warmth and friendliness on the day of your wedding and we wish you congratulations on your wedding day and birthday celebrations.

The Wedding of Ingrid and Dale, 2nd November, 2008

2008-11-06T14:13:00.003+10:00

The wedding of Ingrid and Dale was an intimate Sunday morning ceremony at Latrobe Chapel, shared by a great group of family and friends. Ingrid and Dale were beaming the entire time and light up the photos with their easy smiles.

We had a great time shooting around their reception venue, Restaurant II and in the lobby of The Stamford Hotel then into the Botanical Gardens.

Ingrid worked particularly hard on the floral arrangements including her own bouquet and the table settings. They were simple and elegant and perfect for the occasion and lots of lovely comments were made about them by the guests. Dale has a keen interest in photography and was enthusiastic about sharing his ideas that we happily included along the way.

Congratulations Ingrid and Dale.

We are using a new system for displaying photos on the blog. Please press play then sit back and enjoy the slideshow.

The Wedding of Kate and John, October 25th.

2008-10-28T16:20:00.015+10:00

Kate and John live near Dalby just out past Toowoomba but decided on a Brisbane wedding catering to their international guests.

The boys were spending the morning near Park Road at Milton, so we all went for a stroll to the cafe precinct for a few photos. Everyone was in high spirits and looking forward to the day ahead. Very soon it was off to the girls at the Astor Hotel.

Kate was a beautiful bride who finished off her look with a tartan gartar heralding her Scottish heritage. Her parents had flown in for the wedding and it was a lovely family group to mix with.

BBC chapel was the obvious choice for a wedding with John being an ex BBC student. Upon arriving at the chapel guests were greeted by pipers from the school. It was a great way to start off a ceremony acknowledging the Scottish blood in the family.

The location photos were taken at the Mt Cootha botanical gardens where we headed to the Japanese Gardens to shoot. The setting was just right and we had some nice light for shooting however nobody was keeping a close eye on the time and we managed to get locked inside! After a bit of scouting, an exit was found and it was off to The Summit Restaurant for the reception.

The Summit looked great as usual and after a few more photos and some mixing with (and shooting) the guests, it was time to depart.

Congratulations Kate and John, enjoy your honeymoon relaxing in the sun.

Wedding of Naomi and Mark, 4th October, Brisbane.

2008-10-21T17:15:00.006+10:00

The 4th of October was the perfect day for a wedding. The weather was glorious and it was neither hot nor cold. What more could a bride and groom ask for?

This is my first wedding working alongside Alex since last December and we were soon back to our usual banter and competitiveness. It was as though I had never been away. We both went and shot the boys first and they were wonderfully cool, calm and collected enjoying shooting pool on a wonky table. They were a great group of guys who were happy to joke around and have some fun. Shooting them was a breeze and very soon we were headed over to the girls.

The girls were a little behind schedule but they did a great job of pulling it all together (in the midst of getting their photos taken). We love it when we get emotional brides and Naomi didn't disappoint us. When she was dressed and ready and standing in front of her mum and dad, she shed a few tears and still looked simply beautiful. There was an obvious closeness with her family and her attendants and it was so nice to see everyone work together harmoniously to get it all happening.

Naomi and Mark opted for a mass along with their wedding service and it was such a powerful experience hearing nearly a nearly full church lift their voices in song to celebrate their union. It's not often we see a mass with the service so we felt very honoured to be a part of it all.

Soon after the service we were off to Mt Cootha Botanical Gardens for photos. Naomi and Mark were now completely at ease and everyone enjoyed a drink while we strolled around. The girls were quite entertaining and eerily accurate with their Tyra Banks impressions.

The photos were finished off atop Mt Cootha at sunset before heading into The Summit restaurant for their reception. It was a wonderfully happy day with few hiccups and a very loving couple.

Naomi and Mark had their pre-wedding shoot with us just a couple of weeks earlier and this made them both so at ease in front of the camera on their wedding day. We thoroughly recommend that couples take advantage of engagement/pre wedding shoots as the results really do speak for themselves.

Congratulations Naomi and Mark.

Portrait Session at Cleveland - October 2008

2008-10-15T10:20:00.007+10:00

The day of this portrait shoot rolled around and the morning was gray and miserable after a night of heavy rain. We were thinking of postponing the shoot but the rain held off and by midday the clouds started to clear. By the time we arrived at Cleveland for the shoot and met up with Carmen, Josh and their two gorgeous boys, we knew we were heading for a spectacular sunset.

We wanted the kids to feel at ease in front of the camera so we let them loose on the play equipment while we walked around and took a few shots. Tyson was loving it and very soon he was stopping every now and then to throw us some big smiles. We took our cue from the boys and decided to capture them all while the boys were enjoying themselves.

As the sun started to set, we went to the boat ramp on the western side of the point and started taking some photos there. The sky was like an artist's canvas and was lit up with rich golden tones and the wind was blowing us all around giving a dramatic atmosphere to the images.

The last couple of photos were captured when the sun finally dipped below the horizon leaving the sky with an array of warm pink and purple tones.

It was a very enjoyable afternoon of shooting at one of our favourite locations and we are sure the boys must have slept well that night after all the activity during the shoot. They were fantastic even when it started to get a bit chilly from the onshore winds.

Savvy Studios: McLean Family Portraits

2008-10-11T13:55:00.005+10:00

A couple of Sundays ago, Alex and I had the pleasure of photographing portraits for the McLean family made up of Anthony, Rhiannon, Boston and Jordana. I was thrilled to go out on this shoot as this was a return client. The last time I saw them I photographed Boston when he was just two months old. Wow the time has gone so fast! He is now a cheeky and active five year old about to start prep in the new year.

We all headed to New Farm park so the kids could play and have a good time. I felt like a bit of a stalker (trailing the kids with my camera while Alex went off and photographed Rhiannon and Anthony), but the kids thought it was great and every so often they would turn around and give me a smile and throw me a random pose. Rhiannon and Anthony soon joined in and we got some great shots of the whole family. Jordana was also happy to play fairy just for me. She was a great little model and played up to the camera perfectly.

The day ended on a happy note with the kids being treated to ice cream by their mum and dad. It was great to see that the kids enjoyed themselves and had such a great time playing in front of the camera.

Savvy Studios - Portrait shoot, 27th September.

2008-09-29T11:58:00.006+10:00

I have been having a break from shooting for the last few months due to the demands of my 5 1/2 month old twin boys. Each time Alex has a shoot and I sort through his images I start to get an itchy trigger finger and keep coming up with comments like, "oh, you could have done..." or "If I was there, I would have...". Saturday was a weekend without weddings so I was thrilled to have a portrait shoot booked in so that I could get back behind the camera (and leave Alex home with the bubbas).

Danielle, Dave and their three children, Deacon, Seth and Emmaiya made the trip to the studio first up to get a few family shots and photograph the gorgeous baby Em in the buff. She was a wonderful model with the cutest little fat rolls and brightest blue eyes.

Next, we headed off to a local park so the boys could be boys. I particularly had a laugh when Seth decided that his pants were stopping him from chasing the birds so they just had to come off.

Thanks to Danielle, Dave and family for the fun out and about shooting. I enjoyed getting behind the camera again and can't wait to catch up with you soon.

Savvy Studios: E-Shoot for Naomi and Mark, 23rd September 2008.

2008-09-26T16:41:00.007+10:00

On Tuesday Alex went and photographed the engagement shoot for Naomi and Mark. The photos were taken at the 'old faithful' of locations; The Powerhouse at New Farm.

Like most people, Naomi and Mark were a little uncomfortable in front of the camera to begin with, but soon warmed up and had a lot of fun with it, both remarking that they had a great time at the end of the shoot.

We like to encourage all couples to take advantage of e-shoots as it gives each couple a chance to work their stuff in front of the camera prior to the big day, allowing you to be more relaxed with the process when the day actually comes around.

We look forward to shooting Naomi and Mark's wedding in a week's time on the 4th of October.

Savvy Studios: Jodhi and Tim, Friday the 19th of September

2008-09-24T14:02:00.007+10:00

We love travelling for wedding photography and while this wedding at Kingscliff was only a short distance more than the usual Gold Coast, the scenery changes dramatically and becomes quite rugged in areas allowing for images that you wouldn't usually achieve on the Gold Coast.

Early on Friday it was pouring with rain and there was even small bursts of thunder and lightning around our home in Moorooka. We knew that Jodhi and Tim had arranged a beach wedding but hoped that they had a contingency plan in place for bad weather. Alex and second shooter, Ali, arrived in Kingscliff to photograph Jodhi still in the pouring rain but it miraculously and suddenly cleared just before the bride was due to leave for the ceremony. Which was very lucky as they didn't have a back up plan in place. Someone was sure looking out for them that day!

The clearing skies made for some dramatic images. Even better, Jodhi and Tim trusted Alex when he pulled the car over on the side of the road and asked them to stand in the field for photos. Considering they had a beach wedding and only wore minimal shoes, and the ground was soft from the rain, this was a big ask. They obliged however and the results speak for themselves.

Jodhi and Tim were a very cool couple and were excited when Alex gave them a sneak peak of some of the images in the back of the camera. We were thrilled to receive this sms from them the day after their wedding:

Alex! Thank you! Thank you. You are such a fantastic photographer, we had such a great afternoon with you and Ali. Your passion and professionalism was amazing. We were so fortunate to have you, thanks so much :) Jodhi.

Congratulations Jodhi and Tim.

Savvy Studios: Liz and Ben, Sunday the 14th September 2008

2008-09-18T11:29:00.007+10:00

When you choose to have a wedding on a Sunday morning, you might imagine waking to a nice breakfast before getting into the day and taking it easy. Well, not for these groomsmen! Ben had an early start with a bump thown in with his brother, who was also a groomsmen, arriving from Sydney with only fifteen minutes to spare. The boys took it in their stride and managed to get all their photos taken before Alex made his departure to head over and photograph the lovely Liz.

Liz is a hairdresser and manages Azorah For Hair , located in St Lucia. Being a Sunday, the salon was closed and meant it could be used for the girls to get ready. Azorah is a funky little salon and made a perfect backdrop to the images. The girls in the coffee shop next door were also keeping a watch on events in the salon and made all the appropriate, "oohs" and "ahhs", when Liz was dressed. Liz was a fantastic model and was more than happy to ham it up for the camera.

The ceremony and reception were held at Hillstone also located in St Lucia, just a short drive away from the salon. Liz arrived looking radiant and walked into the small and intimate ceremony to join up with Ben who was beaming just as much. After a short time, they were husband and wife and whisked away to the UQ campus for location photos.

We'd like to say congratulations to Liz and Ben on their marriage and the success of their wedding day and all the best for the future together.

Savvy Studios: Another Happy Couple

2008-09-08T12:37:00.004+10:00

We often show engagement and wedding photos here on our blog but until now, you haven't seen the delighted reactions of our couples when they see their wedding albums for the first time. We were fortunate that Belinda and Curt were happy enough to let us photograph them having their first flick through.

Clients are welcomed into our viewing area and offered a tea or coffee (or even a choccie) to help them relax. Belinda and Curt were excited and skipped the drinks and got straight into the business of viewing the album.

We had to put this in here. Belinda's obvious delight...

This photo has only been on our website a short time but has received so many positive comments. Now you can see the happy couple behind the image (pardon the pun).

We like to make all couples feel welcome and relaxed when they come to see us as they are literally walking into our home. We also get a kick out of watching couples eye off the chocolates trying to figure out if they should take one or not.

If you're not already a client, we'd like to meet you too and of course, offer you coffee, tea and maybe a chocolate.

Savvy Studios: Industry Recommendations

2008-09-05T13:00:00.002+10:00

We have now added a few of our industry recommendations down the right side of this blog (psst over there --> ).

After seeing literally hundreds of wedding days from start to finish, we get to see the good, the bad and the ugly of nearly everything to do with weddings. Often we are asked by couples who we recommend for one thing or another. The list only has the details of people we have seen perform to their absolute best more than once.

We look forward to adding more suppliers to the list in future but for now, these are our chosen few and we are very happy to giving them glowing references.

Savvy Studios - Wedding of Bron and Jarod, August 23rd 2008.

2008-08-26T22:07:00.013+10:00

After a fortunate meeting at Brisbane International Airport, Jarod and Bron came in to see us to discuss their upcoming wedding. We discussed their plans over a cup of coffee and they decided to book one of our album packages and an e-shoot.

The day of the wedding approached and what an amazing day it was. Perfect blue skies, gentle breezes and calm water lapping the shore. The boys were photographed first and they were a whole lot of laughs. Jarod along with his brother and a few close friends were enjoying Jarod's last moments as a single man in the penthouse apartment at the Bluewater Point Resort. The boys had a quiet night before so they were refreshed and ready to go for the long day ahead.

Over to the girls who were staying in the same resort and Bron was looking fantastic even though she was still dressed casual. Bron had her mother, sister, daughter and brother with her helping her get ready and spending time with her in the lead up to the ceremony. This was a great supportive group and we had a few laughs while shooting them adding the finishing touches.

The ceremony was a simple civil service held on the beach in front of Montegos on the Bay at Kawana Island with all friends and family gathered in close giving a rather intimate feel to the event. It went of without a hitch and Jarod and Bron were then husband and wife.

With a shorter time than usual allotted to location photos, we headed to a luxury boat owned by a friend of their family and took some photos of the lovely couple. The location was cosy and enticing and called out for something a little more daring than usual. Jarod and Bron were smokin' hot and knew just how to work the camera.

Jarod and Bron met while both working as Virgin Blue flight attendants. We just love the cake!

Congratulations to Bron and Jarod.

Savvy Studios - Our Day Off

2008-08-23T16:45:00.008+10:00

Last week, Alex and I decided to take a day off and head into the Ekka. I have been to the Ekka with my family every year since I was a little girl and always look forward to this time of year with great excitement. I love the colours and the atmosphere as well as the masses of junk food on offer. Alex and I arrived there early to avoid the crowds which meant we had a chance to take photos without being bumped around.

Here are a few of the shots that we took, 'just for fun'.

Savvy Studios - The Wedding of Miranda & Matt, 16th August 2008.

2008-08-20T16:23:00.010+10:00

After having the pre-wedding shoot earlier in the week, Miranda and Matt were both completely at ease in front of the camera on the day of their wedding.

The celebrant was a family friend who has known Miranda since she was a young girl and it made for a delightful and light hearted ceremony. The reception was elegant and stylish with the entertainment provided by the ever popular, 'Tuffy'. The entire event was held at the Royal Pines Resort on the Gold Coast.

Alex and second shooter Matt, took over 1500 photos on the day as there were countless opportunities to be had with many great locations within close proximity. It was also fantastic to have such a happy loving couple willing to step in front of the camera and trust Alex and Matt to capture the magic of their day. These are just a small selection of their images...

Congratulations to Miranda and Matt.

Savvy Studios Pre-Wedding Shoot - Miranda and Matt

2008-08-19T15:31:00.005+10:00

Pre-wedding shoots are a great way to ensure you are relaxed and comfortable in front of the camera when the big day comes around. Miranda and Matt decided to use the opportunity to work with Alex one week out from the wedding. There was lots of laughter and smiles even though there was a little 'camera shyness' at the start.

Wedding photos to come...

Savvy Studios - Jo and Geoff

2008-08-07T15:29:00.012+10:00

On Saturday the 2nd of August Alex photographed the wedding of Geoff and Jo Eastgate. It was a relaxed and casual affair with the ceremony held at Mooloolaba Park right on the beach and the reception at Mooloolaba Surf Club. The weather was perfect and the day ran surprisingly smooth (as weddings days rarely go off without a hitch). Alex got in the light hearted spirit of the occassion with a little tree climbing to capture the group photo and the effort was appreciated resulting in a cheer from family and friends.

Geoff and Jo were the picture of a perfectly relaxed and happy couple. Congratulations to them both!

Savvy Studios - Kim and Paul

2008-07-30T11:48:00.008+10:00

On Saturday Alex photographed the wedding of Kim and Paul and what a great day it was. Just one day earlier it was pouring with rain and it looked as though it was going to be a wet weekend. During the final confirmation phone call with the couple on Friday night, Alex reminded them to have umbrellas ready 'just in case'.

Luckily they weren't needed as Saturday ended up being a glorious day. The ground was a little too wet for the wedding to be held outdoors as planned but that didn't stop the location photos. It was a wonderful day with both Greek and Maori cultures coming together to celebrate Kim and Paul's wedding.

Congatulations to Kim and Paul. A very relaxed couple with a loving and supportive family that made taking photos so enjoyable.

Ceremony and reception were held at Shangri La Gardens, Wynnum. Location photos at Manly.

Savvy Studios - Competition Winners; Drumroll Please...

2008-07-27T19:22:00.004+10:00

Alex and I would like to thank all the wonderful people we had the chance to meet at the Gold Coast Bridal expo today. Even though our stand ended up in a rather tight area, we still had a great response and much interest. If you are considering booking us for your wedding photography, we strongly suggest coming and visiting us for an appointment as soon as possible as we have already filled some dates for 2009 just from our day out talking to people today.

Now the news that many are waiting for, the winners of the major prize on offer from Savvy Studios. We had over 240 entries today and a few of the entrants were also lucky enough to win some big prizes in the Lucky Dip draw. However the major prize is a wedding photography package valued at $2895 and includes full coverage of the day from the bride and groom getting ready through to the first half hour of the reception, a 10 page/20 side black leather bound wedding album and much more.

The $2895 wedding package winner is : Melissa Lambert who has a wedding date in July 2009.

A huge congratulations to Melissa, we look forward to meeting with you soon to discuss all the exciting plans for your day.

There are also ten runner up prizes valued at $250 each. The winners of the runner up prizes are:

Jasmine Foster - December 09
Casie Winkler - October 09
Rebecca Payne - September 09
Jackie Amalfi - February 09
Jodie Baker - July 09
Nick Francis - October 09
Wendy Rogers - January 09
Sharee Herbert - May 09
Melinda Goodwin - November 09
Haley Guy - July 09

Again we would like to thank everyone for their support. We will be in touch with all winners over the next couple of days via email or post. However feel free to contact us sooner if you wish.

Savvy Studios - We are finally on Facebook!

2008-07-25T22:55:00.002+10:00

A few of our brides have asked if we have a facebook page and after months of requests, we finally decided to do something about it and have signed up to Facebook.

For those who wish to connect, this is the link:

Facebook Link Click Here

We hope to see you there soon! :)

Savvy Studios - Trash The Dress

2008-07-23T17:13:00.016+10:00

Forums have been going mad over the last couple of days with a whole lot of trash the dress talk. A couple of already booked brides have even called and asked if we do trash the dress. The answer is YES.

All the talk was sparked by a human interest article telling the world all about Trash the Dress. Click here to read the article. All in all, what TTD really comes down to is stepping outside the square, doing something you wouldn't normally do and having a whole lot of fun doing it.

The images below were taken at a recent TTD shoot. A very brave bride on a very cold morning.

Savvy Studios - Photos For Charity and the Other Things We Do

2008-07-17T10:07:00.003+10:00

Recently we were asked if we would donate our twin babies and our photographic services to a greater cause... SIDS and Kids Qld. SIDS is a very serious issue and with two young babies we are always aware of the risks of incorrect sleeping methods. There are many things parents can do to reduce the risk of death for their little ones and with research discovering new things all the time, hopefully SIDS will one day be a thing of the past.

SIDS and Kids Qld needed a set of twins to photograph to show how to sleep them correctly in the same cot. We were happy to oblige and donate photographic services also.

Little Ewan and Angus are now the new twin-sleeping poster kids. The posters will be printed and put into hospitals throughout Queensland.

Link to SIDS and Kids Queensland website

Last weekend we were invited to photograph the Cocker Spaniel Club of Qld's championship show. I have been showing dogs all my life and was asked to come along and take the photos as a favour. The night prior to the show, the club held a fundraising dinner with items going to auction. Savvy Studios donated a studio photo shoot for two dogs... and it ended up being one of the more hotly contested items on the agenda and sold at auction for the full value. That was a pleasant surprise and I am sure the successful bidder will love her photos.

By the end of the night and after a few drinks, Alex got into the spirit of things and bid on Cocker Spaniel salt and pepper shakers and a Cocker Spaniel jigsaw puzzle. We won both of them. Sad to say though, I didn't realise the shakers were wrapped in a blanket and when we arrived home I dropped one and broke its foot. Hopefully it will repair easily. These shakers are the ugliest things ever but a nice reminder of a good night out and a couple of drinks too many.

On the day of the show, all the dogs looked fabulous and it ended up being a great day. Not too hot, not too cold and many happy exhibitors. Photos should be uploaded to the viewer later today.

Savvy Studios - The Recent APPA's

2008-07-14T15:41:00.001+10:00

Well PMA and the APPA's have come and gone again. This year it was all held in Bris Vegas so we were fortunate enough to be able to go along and check out some new toys and watch a little of the judging of the photography awards.

Alex entered the awards for the first time and did quite well with the following two (out of four) prints.

This photo was captured in the hallway of the hotel where the lovely Zoe was getting ready. Where possible, we try to use available light sources rather than flash and Zoe was posed under one of the downlights in the hall. We loved the vintage feel and the femininity of the resulting image and thought it might fare well at the awards. It did... scoring 80 out of a possible 100 to attain a silver award.

This next image was entered in the wedding documentary category. The father of the bride is blind after having survived a stroke two years earlier. Alex captured this during the vows; dad crying, unable to see his beautiful daughter on her wedding day, with mum looking on. This touching image scored 85 out of 100 to attain a silver award with distinction.

The other two entries shown below were unlucky and just missed out on silver awards, scoring in the high 70's.

Coming up next: Some of our charity work and supporting a local club

Savvy Studios - Alex's Favourite Images

2008-07-02T22:04:00.002+10:00

The first of Alex's favourite images was taken in Melbourne off Little Lonsdale Street. Alex was just wandering the streets with his camera (as he ocassionally does) and happened to stumble across this scene full of vibrant colours and textures down a little alley way. With no photoshop work, this image stands out time and again for it's strong composition in such a simple setting.

This next image was photographed at a wedding in Adelaide, on Blythe Street, just off Hindley Street. At first the bridal party were reluctant to follow Alex as the alley way he was heading down was a bit grungy. They did follow however, and ended up with a stunning series of photos with interesting and funky backdrops. Alex has a great ability to see potential where others see nothing. This image is a firm favourite with many clients and also with us both; simple composition, stylish and elegant. Timeless.

The third of Alex's favourite images is more personal in nature. It is a photo of our greatest production ever... our twin boys, Ewan and Angus. The photos were taken on Mother's day this year and we just can't stop looking at them. Babies change so much in a short space of time and already they are completely different. We treasure this image of them both so tiny and fragile and know it will always be a favourite no matter how many more images come along. This is a sentiment we also hope to echo for all our clients .

Coming up next: Alex's competition images from the recent APPA awards.