If I am to be honest, before the workshop I didn’t really know too much about Jasmine Star.
At the time, I knew that she was a ‘rockstar’ photographer from America, had a cute dog named Polo … and that’s about it. So when Matt surprised me by booking me into the workshop I wasn’t nearly as excited as my friend Lacey.
Lacey LOVES Jasmine Star, you could even say that she is a blog stalker :) So when Cathy Crawley put out a model call for the workshop I suggested to Lacey that she put her name forward. A few days later I got a phone call from Lacey who was over the moon!
Jasmine and Cathy had picked Lacey, and her husband Evan, to be one of the ‘real couples’ for the workshop!
It was so much fun having Evan and Lacey join us in Sydney on Monday and they did such a great job being models! Having been in front of my camera a total of 2 times (once for their engagement shoot, and again for their wedding) I think Evan did particularly well :) It takes a special guy to agree to fly his wife down to Sydney and be subjected to being the ’subject’ for 20+ photographers.
Lacey is such a sweetie and I’m so lucky to be able to call her one of my best friends. She is one of those people who is just as beautiful on the inside as she is on the outside! The week I went to hospital, Lacey cooked me dinner and brought over sliced mango … yes, all cut up into little pieces ready for me to eat.
When one of the other photographers attending the workshop asked me if I ‘felt weird’ about one of my brides being picked to be photographed by the one-and-only Jasmine Star, I was a bit taken back. It hadn’t even crossed my mind that it would be at all weird.
I honestly was (and still am) 100% totally stoked for Lacey! Gosh! Who wouldn’t want to see one of their favourite people all dressed up getting photographed by one of the best photographers in the world! If anything, I’d say that I’m a little worried that she won’t want to hang around me any more … you know, now that she is a famous model and all!
Here are some of my photos of the wonderful (and now famous) Evan and Lacey from the workshop! Plus, there’s a sneak peek of their actual wedding photos at the end.
Katie.
P.S. Lacey – I think you are covered for good photos of yourself for a while…. :)
Evan and Lacey working it for the cameras -
Now, that’s not daunting is it?
Evan working it for Jasmine -
Jasmine showing Lacey how it’s done -
How stunning is Lacey?!
Details -
They are such a gorgeous couple aren’t they?
This is my favourite photo from the workshop -
Here are a few photos from Evan and Lacey’s real wedding!
Yes – it has been about 6 months, but we have been holding off on posting them until our new branding is sorted. Unfortunately that’s taking a little longer than planned… so here’s a sneak peek for you!
Random fact – Evan and Lacey were married in the same church that Matt and I got married in… :)
I loved her flowers! -
One of my favourite photos that Matt took on the day (though there are so many good ones …
I also love this shot –
You’ll have to come back to see more once we’ve got our new branding finished… hopefully not long now! :)
Well, as Matt has mentioned in previous posts – the end of the last year wasn’t super great for me. A few days before Christmas I collapsed from exhaustion and ended up in hospital :( I am currently still on forced sick leave for another two weeks but luckily I was still able to attend the Jasmine Star Workshop in Sydney on Monday and Tuesday this week!
This was the first workshop I’ve ever attended – so I really didn’t know what to expect… but I sure wasn’t disappointed! Photographer friend, Cathy Crawley, did an amazing job organising the whole workshop and making sure every detail was just perfect.
The workshop was held at the beautiful Cruise Bar Sydney. What an amazing location! It had amazing views over Sydney Harbour and of the Sydney Opera House. I highly doubt there could have been a better location to hold the workshop in the whole of Australia!
Matt and I were lucky enough to attend both days of the workshop. The first day I attended the workshop as an attendee. I sat in the back row (with the naughty kids) taking lots of notes. On the second day I helped out more behind the scenes by dressing models, doing hair, fixing flower arrangements and making sure the beautiful couture gowns by Catherine Colubriale didn’t get dirty.
All the models including Lacey & Evan, Kristie, Allana & Karim, and Kara were extremely gorgeous and they did so well handling the pressure of having 30 cameras pointed in their face.
I know that each and every person that attended the workshop would have taken away something different. For me the workshop couldn’t have come at a more perfect time in my life. Listening to Jasmine speak I came to realise that I have been working SOOOO SO HARD but putting all my effort and emphasis into the WRONG areas of our business. Attending the workshop has refreshed me, inspired me and I have come away from the workshop with a clearer goal and idea of which direction we should head with our business. I couldn’t have asked for a better start to 2010!
Meeting other photographers at the workshop was a real plus, and I know I’ve come away with some new friends.
As for Jasmine and JD … They are the sweetest, most down to earth people you could ever meet. Over the two days Matt and I came to appreciate them for who they are as people, not because of what they do. I really feel blessed to have met them both.
Here are some photos from the workshop. I will be posting some more later!
Today I embarked on what I hope is a long and fruitful journey. A journey that combines two of my great loves, Music and Technology, with something I tend to avoid at all costs, Exercise.
It’s an idea I’ve been toying with for about a month or so and today I finally pulled the pin and purchased an iPod Nano along with a Nike+ kit.
For the uninitiated, an iPod is a little device the size of a deck of cards and you can fit your entire CD collection inside it. How all those CDs fit into there is beyond me, let’s just call it magic.
Oh … you’re familiar with the iPod. Oops, silly me.
The Nike+ kit consists of a receiver which connects to your iPod Nano, and a sensor which goes in your shoe. Or if you’re like me and don’t have Nike+ running shoes, the sensor goes inside a little pouch that attaches to your shoelaces. The sensor tracks your run, then sends the data to your iPod Nano (or iPod Touch or iPhone 3GS).
Once your run is finished you just connect your iPod to your computer and the data is uploaded to nikeplus.com – pretty cool! This way you can record the data for every run and track your progress over time.
Music+Technology+Exercise – here we go!
So, with the iPod loaded with fresh motivational Green Day tunes I set off to run a circuit in our neighbourhood that I would have sworn was only 500m but in the end turned out to be 50km! Or that’s what it felt like. According to the readout on the iPod display it was closer to 2km but we all know how buggy this new technology can be.
Now, before the congratulatory backslapping begins and you ask me to tackle the running leg of the triathlon you’re doing next weekend, I have a confession to make. I may or may not have only run 30%-ish of the way. And I may or may not have been able feel my limbs by the end. And my vision was blurry. Fortunately there was a St Bernard at the halfway point.
Anyway, I’d be lying to myself and to you if I even suggested that the walking to running ratio was any better than 3 to 1. But, it’s a start.
As I sprinted the final 100 metres (ok, 50 metres) to my doorstep with the breakdown of Green Day’s “Homecoming” pounding in my ears, visions of Rocky reaching the top step of the Philadelphia Museum of Art admittedly filled my head. And yes, before you ask, I did raise my arms above my head in a victory celebration. And yes, I did spin spin around in a circle, but only once. Ok, maybe twice, but then I felt dizzy and had to stop.
I’m not sure whether the feeling of euphoria I’m experiencing is the heady mix of solitude, music and technology, or of it is the lack of blood reaching my brain as my heart seeks to fuel long under-utilised limbs. Either way, I think I’m hooked.
Katie and I started 2009 as PC’s and ended it as Macs.
I started 2009 as a videographer and ended it as a photographer.
It is this change that sets our path as we move into 2010. Shadowplay as we know it will most likely undergo more than just a facelift in the new year. And despite our lack of blogging, there’s been plenty of activity going on. There’s so much that we can’t wait to share and unveil in 2010, but only once everything is perfect.
Don’t freak out too much (especially our brides) … we’ll still be taking photographs in 2010 :)
Anyway, as I did last year, I’d like to list of a few of our highlights plus some favourite blogs and other things from 2009.
Highlights of 2009
January – driving to Newcastle to visit Kelly Munce and Renee Bell – and James Day on the way home
February – Flying to New Zealand to film a music video for Lydia Cole, visiting Neil Finn’s Roundhead Studios and skydiving and bungy jumping at Lake Taupo.
March – Matt is voted into the EventDV ‘Top 25 Hottest and Most Influential Videographers in the World’
April – Matt spends a month in America (not so much of a highlight for Katie)
May – Matt comes home from America, much to Katie’s rejoicing
June/July – lots of work including awesome weddings with awesome couples
August – Matt’s parents celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary
September – We moved house!
October – lots of work
November – Flew to Sydney for a wonderful engagement shoot – and an early celebration for our 4th wedding anniversary
December – Married for 4 years! And a lovely Christmas with family.
Katie’s Favourite Music of 2009
Glee Soundtrack – Volume One
Glee Soundtrack – Volume Two
Matt’s Favourite Music of 2009
Bon Iver – For Emma, Forever Ago
John Mayer – Battle Studies
Green Day – 21st Century Breakdown
Holly Williams – Here With Me
Lydia Cole – Love Will Find a Way
We’ve just returned from our trip to Sydney where we photographed Courtney and Jason for their engagement shoot. Can’t wait to share the photos!
Our 4th wedding anniversary is in a couple of days (December 3) so while in Sydney we lived it up at the Sebel Pier One, and Katie was wined and dined at Wildfires. We also spent a day and half at Courtney’s parent’s horse farm a little south of Sydney and had such a wonderful time with all the family.
Last night we were suffering a bit of excitement deprivation so we spontaneously recorded this video. I mean, what else is there to do on a boring Monday night in Toowoomba? ;)
A bit of background … Katie absolutely loves Glee but Matt, not so much. But, there’s one song he just can’t get enough of :)
Happy 1st of December everyone! And remember, don’t stop believing … and life is better when you don’t take yourself too seriously :)
The reason we haven’t been blogging as much as we usually do is because we are working on new branding for Shadowplay! (Exciting I know!). We’ve found that our style has evolved over the last year and with Matt doing more photography we’re super excited about the new direction and style we’ve found. We are holding back big-time on posting too much so you can be shocked and amazed when it all goes live!
Unfortunately it’s going to be weeks (or even months) until we are ready to launch our new look – so for now you are going to have to do with a sneak peek here and there :)
Here is a sneak peek from Scott and Brandie’s wedding. It was at beautiful Maleny – and it was an amazing day! …We are SERIOUSLY EXCITED about showing you more from this wedding + all our latest work…. but you are just going to have to be patient for now ;)
Scott and Brandie – thanks for choosing us to capture your day! You guys rock! You are going to LOVE the photos!
After excitedly opening the box, then shooting some stills with the Canon 7D, I dragged my gorgeous wife across to the little park near our house to shoot some quick test footage. I can safely say that Katie isn’t always as excited as me when I get a new camera.
This is mostly [...]
Over the weekend, on Saturday 8th of August, 2009 – my parents celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary.
This ‘love story’ clip was played at their anniversary party and is made up of recent interviews with my parents plus some old and new photographs.
It was a great honour to witness Mum and Dad renewing their vows. As a relative newlywed, I found listening to those promises all the more powerful in the light of the 50 years they have spent together. I know that my parents have lived through each and every promise they made to each other on their wedding day. Ok, maybe not the richer part in a material sense, but definitely all the others :)
These days the traditional wedding vows can seem old fashioned and out of date. But, I’m not sure that there’s a better description of successful marriage to be found. We can write our own vows or dress up the traditional ones, but surely the underlying promises remain the same …
for better for worse
for richer for poorer
in sickness and in health
to love, honour, and cherish
’til death do us part.
Something that also struck me as I put together this video, is the importance of documenting our life’s memories. I would say the true value of wedding photography is not realised only when one receives the photos a month or so after the wedding. The true value, in my parent’s case, comes 50 years later, not only as a document of their wedding day but also as a heritage to their children, celebrating two lives spent together as one, for better … for worse.
