When Lizzie asked me to photograph her wedding, I said no --- but I asked her to tell me about it anyway, and implied I could be tempted. That is the kind of 100% professional behaviour you can expect from me. We tee'd up a phone conversation and I was instantaneously convinced. But that didn't hold us back from having a 3 hour conversation that persevered through both our phone batteries dying. Thankfully there wasn't enough silence for either of us to realise that maybe it would be hard to be a 'documentary' photographer if we were deep in conversation the entire wedding day.
Nathan "whippy" Griggs
Last weekend my sister turned 32. We celebrated by packing her immediate bloodline into two cars and basing ourselves at Mataranka for a few days. Upon arrival, I loved the look of the sun flare behind this sign, so I took a photo, paying no attention whatsoever to what was on it.
The Vic: The pub that took a punt.
When I heard that James Mangohig was producing a storytelling event in Darwin, I put my hand up to take the photos. This guy is a legend, and deserves an OAM for his contributions to the Darwin music scene. We met late 90's, probably at a gig where I didn't want to be another obsessive groupie. But eventually, after countless hours talking shit over the counter at a music store where I was working for his legend of a best mate Erin Chee Quee, I conceded. Not on all the groupie credentials, I might add.
Vic + Rury: An Alice Springs wedding
I was gifted with a wedding in Alice Springs. All that red dirt, rugged green, and wide open space has a mesmerising beauty. There is a special kind of magic in the air; a magic often infused with dust, flies and heat. In short, it’s complex, but what we have is definitely true love.
24 hrs in Alice Springs
I came by plane to Alice. Three legendary friends of mine were waiting for me in the terminal when I arrived: Jess, Sam and Shara. They had also boarded in Darwin, about 20 minutes after me, yet… mysteriously arrived before me. I was disappointed that the sign they made was barely legible. And not only that. They were no where near the arrivals gate.
daniel + caitie
I'm about 6 months late blogging this beauty....
I met Caitie, Mia and Leah for a coffee one morning. I could immediately tell it was going to be a riot of a wedding. Mostly because Caitie and Leah were tag teaming being their beautiful selves, whilst chasing gorgeous Mia around. A month or so later, I bumped into them at the wedding of Merrin and Cameron, where Caitie and her father Graham tore up the dance floor in a way I have never seen, not even on youtube.
sal + josh in waiting
Our great friends Sal and Josh are expecting a small version. I am thrilled. Sal tried so many tricks to get out of having a baby; including a knee operation, a bone infection, and an emergency evacuation to a hospital down south to avoid a leg amputation, and more antibiotics than one human body should have to swallow.
Kira + 1
I photographed the wedding of Sam and Kira in 2016.
If I love one thing more than weddings, it’s a baby. So….. When Kira turned up for afternoon tea one day, 8 weeks pregnant, and mentioned she wanted a maternity shoot, I convinced her to “trust me” with doing a series of in home maternity photos each month, documenting the everyday moments.
Tassie
I went for my first ever spin around Tasmania on the weekend. I was hoping for clouds, fog, and bitterly cold temps that would chill my bones and help get me through the rest of Darwin’s feral wet season. Instead my actual eyeballs got sunburnt, I got a tan through my clothes from the penetratingly hot sun, along with a deep exfoliation treatment courtesy of Mother Nature blasting sand at us at 50km/hr. This came with a side of personal development in walking backwards to save my eyeballs.
the adventure of Aleece
A very long time ago, when this lady was pregnant with her third son, we lined up a maternity shoot.
We hit up the paperbark swamp where Aleece almost got sucked in by the super powerful suction mud. I saved her, but not heroically I might add. It was more like a clusterfuck of falling and pulling where we avoided becoming croc bait, and there was a tragic double blow out on the way. RIP thongs
Jemma, Dylan and Flynn
A couple of hours in the life of Jemma, Dylan and little Flynn.
Dylan is a carpenter by trade, if my really terrible memory serves me correctly. Yet in between 60 hour work weeks, he somehow manages to transform this house into a photography paradise. Even when I dropped their photos off one evening, like late on a Sunday type of evening, he was making a walk in robe for their bedroom!! I know a few people that would be scratching their heads reading this, wondering if he is a real carpenter. My husband is one, and he insists that he can't finish renovating our house because people won't take him seriously as a builder. He has solidly proved that point. It's been 2.5 years for our bathroom.
Seminyak with a Sony A9 + voigtlander 40mm 1.2
My mother insisted on taking the children for a weekend so Karl and I could spend a weekend doing things that don't happen with kids; sleeping in, drinking in bars and generally not having to keep and ear and eye out 24/7 for life threatening antics that either beckon, and are created by the children. So we went to Bali. A place where it's tempting to look around at all the things, but if you take your eyes off the footpath, you will probably trip over and die.
family of legends
One of the guys in this family is Tom, and he was my husbands best mate when they were little and living in country Victoria. I found my husbands school books and laughed to see ‘Favourite activity: building cubbies with Tom.” They took this next level by becoming builders for the same company in Darwin. In fact, it gets weirder. They even had daughters three days apart, who both have blonde, curly hair. And both have been known to mistake their father for the other father which they can be forgiven for given that both guys are blonde, tanned, wear matching work issued hard-yakka clothing and drive the same branded work utes.
laura + adam: darwin botanical gardens wedding
Laura and Adam contacted me last year for this wedding. I felt pretty cool getting booked in almost 12 months in advance - I mean, that means they would have had other choices and they weren't standing on the corner of desperate street.
tom + bron: an NT wedding
One afternoon, I was musing to my mate that I really wanted a surf club wedding and a church ceremony. These two things rarely collide in Darwin, and I was already at my self imposed cap for the year so I resigned myself to target these goals in 2018. A few days later I received an email from Tom and lo and behold, this is exactly what was in order. So, despite my cap, I was in. If the universe listens, you can't turn around and reject it.
kylie, nick + james: in home documentary
Last month I had the pleasure of being invited to document a few hours in the life of this gorgeous family. Little James took me on a tour of the house pointing out his favourite things and activities. I predict he will become a future air guitar world champion, sprinter, gardener, or hat collector.
wigg adventure: maternity session
know Lizzie because I have taken photos of her and Mycool before, and they go to the weddings that I photograph as a guest or bridal party member. When she hit me up for some maternity photos, I seized the chance to take them on an adventure. They consented by letting me know they had a 4WD.
Music NT Legends launch
I was invited to attend the Music NT Legends launch. Music NT is a brilliant organisation, and the backbone of the NT music industry. They have launched a philanthropic program to raise funds for their activity, and in doing so, are offering people the opportunity to become a legend for the annual fee of only $500! That is the cheapest right to legendary status I have ever heard of.... So get amongst it.
Mr + Mrs Proctor
I met Merrin and Cameron last year. I could tell right off the bat they were legends. They pulled together a food van, street party wedding on the road of Cameron's family home. It does happen to have one of, if not the best, view in Darwin.
Megan, Ruben + Zeph
Megan and Ruben live on this yacht. When I found out, I was prettttttty excited to do some "in home documentary" of this life. They were temporarily living in a house during the later part of Megan's pregnancy, and the first few months of Zeph's life. But as soon as they started going 'camping' on the yacht on their weekends, I put my hand up to join them on the tender out.