Smirnoff Pure Start Gallery

To celebrate the launch of two limited edition Smirnoff No. 21 pack designs by acclaimed Australian artists Beastman and Nanami Cowdroy, Smirnoff Australia launches an interactive gallery in Sydney’s Surry Hills housing a one-of-a-kind art installation that allows visitors to help create a piece of artwork that will contribute to the design for a third, and final, Limited Edition pack. I was sent on assignment by Mecho to attend the media night and photograph the event.

Besides filling up on free flowing cocktails, media were invited to produce their very own of pieces of art using the paper chromatography process – a method for testing the purity of compounds and identifying substances. Reminiscence of high school chemistry class.

I was lucky to grab Nanami aside for a brief chat about her amazing work, my favourite pieces being ones of her cranes. On her design for Smirnoff, Nanami says, “I found the Smirnoff concept of “purity” to be ideal, as I’m accustomed to starting with a blank canvas, which I find is always exciting and enticing. I was inspired by the unique twisting design of the Smirnoff Limited Edition pack – which sparked the idea of a playful octopus, its tentacles coiling around and embracing the bottle within.”

The Smirnoff Start Pure Gallery on 375 Crown St, Surry Hills is open to the public until Thursday, 8th March 10am – 5pm daily.

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Sharon & Jason’s Wedding: The Day My Sister Tied the Knot

Every wedding is a special occasion but Sharon and Jason’s wedding marked a day I would never forget. From early on in the day as I photographed tears welling in my mum’s eyes I knew it was going to be a wedding like none other.

Alas an image outweighs a thousand words and I hope you all enjoy this small selection from the day.

Ceremony: Eden Gardens

Reception: Curzon Hall

Congratulations again to my sister and Jason, my new brother-in-law, welcome to the family.

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Miniature Corporate Golf Day

I recently bought a tilt-shifted lens which I’d been wanting for close to a year now. The other day, I shot a corporate golf day at Terrey Hills Golf Course and took my new toy along for a play. The miniature effect of this lens worked really well for landscape shots and I particularly liked the below shot of this guy amidst the trees in the forest. Already picturing using this lens for lots of bridal party shots in upcoming weddings…

Of course, I also got many standard captures from the day:

Rally For Marriage Equality, Sydney

On Saturday 3rd December, around 6000 supporters of equal marriage rights from across the country gathered in Sydney outside the Labor Party conference as they debate their policy on marriage.

City of Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore addressed the crowds at Hyde Park before the march with her blessings “The City is behind you”. Australian Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said the Greens intended to introduce a bill to both houses of federal parliament on February 1 to legalise gay marriage. “I stand before you as a straight woman … I believe my rights are your rights,” she told the crowd.

Once the rally reached Darling Harbour the numbers grew as conference delegates, well-wishers and onlookers joined in. Several senior Labor figures, including Transport Minister Anthony Albanese and Senator Doug Cameron, both supporters of gay marriage, joined the crowd. Click here for a full gallery of images from the march.

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Luci & Sian’s Wedding: Making History as Australia’s First Gay Wedding Held on Navy Base

After a whole week of continual rain, the skies cleared up just hours before Sian and Luci’s outdoor ceremony last Saturday. It was as though the powers that be is aware of exactly how important the day may be…

The pair made history as the first gay couple to hold a wedding on Australia Navy base. Blessed by their Reverend, Sian, a sailor and Luci, an economist at the Reserve Bank declared their lifelong commitment in the presence of friends and family at Sydney’s HMAS Penguin Navy base – vowing to chose each other, over all others, every day for the rest of their lives. For a full gallery of Luci and Sian’s wedding, check out my Facebook Page.

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Tilted Vision: Sammy G’s Showcase and Music Video Launch

I’ve been considering purchasing a tilt-shift lens and wanted to test one out before making the final decision. Renting seems like the most sensible option so last Friday I picked up the Canon 24mm TS-E F3.5L from The Front with the purpose of using it for some of the bridal party shots at my sister’s wedding on the Sunday.

The tilt-shift is usually used for architecture type photography to prevent distortion but can also be used to focus on one spot in the image whilst blurring out the rest to achieve a dreamy distorted miniature effect. This speciality lens takes a little bit of behind the camera work to fiddle with to get right. Together with fully manual focusing and a slower aperture, the best results would be in a well-litted situation with the objects stationary.

A night club situation would not have been a clear choice to test out the tilt-shift but I figured I’d bring it along with me to Sammy G’s Showcase and launch of her music video “Do You Like It” anyway and was stoked with the results:

Tilt shift lenses are among the most interesting camera optics I’ve ever used and I certainly aim to invest in one in the near future. For a full gallery of the night’s images, check out my Facebook page.

Caboca Documentary Premiere

Last night I attended the premiere of Caboca at Palace Cinemas - a film written and produced by Mark Collins and Maiara da Rocha Skarheim as a part of the Brazil Film Festival. The autobiographical documentary starring Maiara: part Brazilian, part Norwegian, living in Sydney – took us on a journey to the rich vibrant soils of her birthplace Brazil and explores the notion of what life would have been like, had she never left.

Unlike the conferences and commercial shoots I’d been photographing the past month, I had artistic liberty processing the images from the screening and following Q&A session so I thought I would play around in Photoshop in attempts to create a nostalgic film-like effect. Full gallery of the photographs are on my Facebook Page.

Caboca is touring nationwise, check out the dates here.

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