Barek Art Timelapse

One of the really exciting things about the move away from full-time professional photography has been the way it’s prompted me to plan and create things without thinking about how I might be able to use them to encourage bookings. Now I’m doing work purely because I want to, which is liberating. It’s also encouraging me to explore areas of photography that I’ve long admired but not delved into. As always I’m taking opportunities wherever I can, and still adhering to the principle that if you don’t ask, you don’t get.

Which is how I ended up spending a Saturday afternoon in Room for Living, a home wares store in Woolloongabba, watching a Brisbane-based artist, Barek, create an original piece directly on their walls, as my camera clicked away. The result is this time-lapse video.

Live in the sunshine

We live in a world filled with possibilities and opportunities. All we need to do is make the most of what’s available to us.

Live in the sunshine,
Swim the sea,
Drink the wild air’s salubrity

― Ralph Waldo Emerson

~ Pav

Go to nature to be soothed and healed

It’s easy to get caught up in the rat race. That relentless feeling that we need to do more and achieve more. But sometimes what we really need is to step away from all the technology and remind ourselves of the beauty of the world around us. To stop. To really look. And to breathe.

I go to nature to be soothed and healed, and to have my senses put in order.

― John Burroughs

It’s photographs like this one that remind me how truly blessed we are to live where we do.

~ Pav

The colours of optimism and magic

Colour in art is a fascinating thing, especially when you start to delve into the world of colour psychology and look at the effect that particular colours can have on emotions and behaviour.

Yellow is linked to emotion. It’s a colour of happiness and optimism, and of emotional strength and self-esteem. It can lift our spirits and inspire our creativity.

Violet is linked to spirituality. It’s a colour of magic and of time and space. It can inspire contemplation, awareness and vision.

So our brightly coloured girl evokes the essence of spring for me. It’s a time of optimism. A time to dream and be inspired. A time to let our spirits soar and to believe in magic.

~ Pav

P.S. If you’re interested in colour psychology there’s lots of information out there. I’ve found Colour Affects and Color Matters particularly interesting and helpful. They’re the primary sources for this post.

A quiet beach and a little girl, lost.

It’s no secret that I love to capture what I think of as stolen moments. Those fleeting seconds when everyone assumes no photos are being taken. When they forget about the camera, the lights, and whatever else is going on around them and get lost in their own thoughts. Often these shots are intended as test shots, meant to be used to assess the light and the scene and then discarded when we take the “proper” photo. Occasionally they happen during transitions between poses. Regardless, they tend to capture something we weren’t expecting. Often it’s laugher and silliness, but sometimes it’s something a  bit darker.  Something that reminds us that behind the bright, smiling face of the beautiful woman in front of us there might sometimes be a sad little girl.

~ Pav

A girl and a book with some great expectations

We met Emma on a photo shoot we were doing for a make up artist a couple of months ago, and knew straight away that we wanted to work with her again.

If memory serves, I loved the way she looked on camera so much that I might even have threatened to take her home with us that day… Luckily she was lovely enough to view my kidnapping plans as flattery and agreed to spend an afternoon at the Powerhouse with us.

This is a girl who’s destined for big things, and we’re going to take every opportunity we can to work with her before those things steal her away from us.

~ Pav

Springing into Queensland Brides with a bit of creative licence

We’re really pleased to have three pictures featured in the current issue of Queensland Brides.

In their words “With their impeccable timing and keen eye for detail, our wedding photographers have a knack of capturing unforgettable moments. We love what happens when they get really creative, letting their imagination run free and turning moments into works of art – some quirky and fun, some sweet and romantic. These are definitely some of our all-time favourites…”

~ Pav

Bush Bride Inspiration

We’ve spoken before about how much we enjoy doing wedding inspiration shoots, and we’re really excited that our Bush Bride inspiration shoot is featured over on Polka Dot Bride today.

I’ve seen a lot of beautiful floral crowns this year, mostly featuring traditional European flowers, and I couldn’t help thinking that an Australian native floral crown would be just as lovely.  Lilyvale Flowers brought my dream to life, and from there it was just a short step to the idea of a quiet Australian country elopement.

Our bush wedding is a beautifully simple day with minimal fuss, and lots of smiles.  Almost everything in it is second-hand or DIY’d, with the exception of the beautiful floral creations. There’s dancing, and laughter, and even a dip in a lilypad-filled dam.

Flowers by Lilyvale Flowers | Bride’s dress from Adore Vintage | Bride’s shoes model’s own | Bride’s makeup by Naomi Rigby | Bride’s Hair by Caitlyn Chapman | Groom’s outfit photographer’s own

~ Pav

Cleopatra

Photography: Shy Fox Photography | Body Painting: Sandra Temple | Model: Jo Jo

It’s not every day that you find Cleopatra wandering regally through the Brisbane night.

As you know, a few weeks ago we went to Lost Movements to take photos of the Glory Box fashion parades. As an unexpected bonus, we also got to capture some of the gorgeous work of the night’s resident body painters, one of which was the very talented Sandra Temple.  She turned the lovely Jo Jo into a divine Cleopatra.

You can see the full gallery from the night here.

~ Pav