Sally & Tim

It has been a time of transition for me recently. Six months ago I became a father. It’s a beautiful and incredible experience; the whole dad thing. It’s also a big change. Anyone that tells you differently is straight up lying to you. The experience has encouraged me to question and reassess who I am, what my values are, all that kind of big stuff. It was difficult at first, but I’ve come to a point where I am embracing the change, and seizing the opportunity to become a better person. Why am I writing this you ask?

If you’ve spoken with me about photography before, then you know that I’m extremely passionate about what I do. People can sometimes seem puzzled that I am not only passionate about photography, but specifically, wedding photography. Recently I’ve been thinking about this, and have had a bit of a realisation… Maybe it isn’t the wedding itself that I am passionate about, but more than that, a wedding represents an opportunity for me to document life itself.

Wow, I’m going deep on this one aren’t I!?

I can go into specifics another time, but I have experienced great pain in my life, as have many of you reading this. One of the things to come from that for me is that I feel compelled to savour this precious human experience that we share; the joy, the pain, the love, the sadness. Life is a full spectrum of feelings and emotions, and if you look closely, they are all present on a wedding day. I am hard wired to capture this stuff. I feel like it is what I have been put on earth to do. I love to document life, to freeze these moments in time; to capture a real story with real characters with real life feelings and emotions. My camera is the perfect tool for me to do that. But enough about me…

In the Southern Hemisphere of our planet lies an island off an island off an island – Bruny Island. Bruny lies off the south-eastern coast of Tasmania, not actually that far from Antarctica. Almost the end of the earth. The only way to get to the island is by ferry, or by air. There is a feeling of disconnection from the ‘real world’ which makes it quite a special place, the perfect place for Sally and Tim to celebrate their wedding day. It was a casual affair, but carried the gravity of an epic day. It was whimiscal, peaceful, poetic and deeply moving. Tears flowed almost as much as the wine and let me tell you, it was a special occasion to photograph.

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Natasa & Nigel

Where do I begin?

The first thing that you need to know is that Nigel is an old high school buddy of mine. I love him like a brother so it’s a shame that I don’t see much of him these days. He’s a journalist and spends a lot of his time based in Ramallah where he writes stories on the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. Of all places, that is where these two met. Originally from Cyprus, Natasa worked in Palestine at the time they met, teaching Greek to some of the local children. They are both good people and spend their time doing good in the world. I really admire that about them.

Natasa grew up in the small Cypriot mountain village of Farmakas. It’s a special place. People are happy there. You get the sense that everything revolves around friends and family. The lives that the they live today would not be that much different to the generations before them. The people are deeply connected to their culture and traditions, which made Natasa and Nigel’s wedding that extra bit special.

The wedding took place in the ancient village of Fikardou, a short drive from Natasa’s village. Fikardou is a UNESCO world heritage listed site and said to be over 500 years old. Just a few people live their now who run the local tavern. I’m sure one day it will have a Starbucks and gift shop selling t-shirts and snow domes. For now, it’s the real deal. When you walk the abandoned streets, it really does feel like you’ve traveled back in time. The wedding was the first one there in recent times. For all we know, the last wedding in the village was literally hundreds of years ago. That’s pretty cool don’t you think?

I could go on, but that’s probably enough words. I’ll let the photos take it from here…

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