Melissa & Jarrad's Black Brewing Co Wedding

Melissa and Jarrad both have a great sense of humour. As a little wedding gift to Jarrad, Melissa got her face printed on his wedding jocks! Not to be outdone, Jarrad wrote a note to Melissa on the inside lid of her shoe box and enclosed a stunning polaroid of himself ;)

Needless to say after starting out the day this way their wedding day was full of laughter! The speeches bought the house down and there was shapes being cut all over the dance-floor!

~ THE MAKINGS OF THE DAY ~

The Dress: Brides by Design

The Flowers: Blush + Bloom

The Cake: Cake Artistry by Rebecca

The Transport: Gannaways Charters & Tours

& Down South Luxury Limousines
~

WA Family Photographer of the Year Finalist!

Last month I entered the WA AIPP Professional Photography Awards for the first time ever, at the behest of a good friend. I have always been a proud member of the AIPP (Australian Institute of Professional Photography), because in an industry that doesn't require a licence to practice, I believe it's important to be part of a professional body like this that holds its members accountable and gives consumers the confidence in booking a photographer who they know will be experienced, technically excellent and professional in their business practices as long as they book a pro who is AIPP accredited (to find out more about what it means to be an AIPP Accredited Photographer click here: http://aipp.com.au/about/what-is-an-accredited-professional-photographer).

So the annual AIPP Awards are in essence the pinnacle of Australian Professional Photography. Every year photographers enter images for judging by their peers, creating a great space to develop and grow as creatives. I had never entered before because the awards require a lot of time, which with a busy studio to run and two under 5's in my house is not something I have going spare. But this year I decided to get involved, and I entered the Family Category.

Let me tell you it was such a great experience and I'm so glad I took part. I travelled up to Perth to watch the judging (which is open to the public so if you are interested in photography I would highly recommend going and seeing the hugely inspiring work being created by photographers in this state) and I am very happy to say that I was awarded three Silver Awards and was a Finalist (which puts me in the top three!) for WA Family Photographer of the Year!

You can check out all the winners and their amazing work here:

http://stateawards.aipp.com.au/WA/2016-WA-awards

I'm feeling very inspired after seeing such talented work, and I look forward to thinking outside the box to create some more unique and inspiring work myself in the year to come.

Here are my Award Winning Images for 2016 with the story of each one, which all have a special place in my heart so I'm very glad to see them do well. 

If you'd like to feature in your own award winning image, book your portrait with us and let's see what we can create together. Just give us a call on 08 9791 4226 or e mail studio@thephotographyboutique.com.au to book your session now!

Jo x

About this image:

This image features the gorgeous Carli and Shae, who's wedding we photographed last year. When they came to meet with me about their Big Day they asked if we could forego the engagement session we usually include in our wedding pakcages, and do an underwater trash the dress shoot instead, as they have lived their whole lives in and on the water and it would have special meaning for them. So we planned and prepared and I spent an afternoon in scuba gear (with my lovely assistant Bianca) at the end of Busselton jetty and this is what we got, which I was super happy with. Evidently lots of other people liked it too as it went viral and was published around the world! I'm absolutely stoked my fellow professionals also recognise it as an award winning image, and I hope it will be the start of a new journey to always challenge myself and be up for doing something different!

About this image:

This has to have been one of my very favourite shoots of all time. All those who know me know I'm a crazy dog lady, and Jasper and Gallifrey are just the most fantastic dogs!

We had lots of fun in the studio creating some amazing art, and this shot was actually an out take that I just fell in love with. I mean who ever gets a photo of one dog poking her tongue out at another? ;-)

Carli & Shae's Ocean Inspired Wedding @ Aqua Resort Busselton

We knew Carli and Shae's wedding was going to be a cool day. This pair from Dongara have travelled all over the world and have an ongoing love affair with the ocean, so it was perfectly fitting for them to have a destination wedding on the beach. They picked an awesome spot for it too, with Aqua Resort Busselton providing a gorgeous backdrop to a beautiful day. 

Getting ready, Shae was a picture of laid back relaxation, while Carly prepared with a bit more nervous excitement. For the ceremony Shae respected his Maori heritage by wearing a tribal cloak, and the emotion was almost overwhelming as they said their vows and became husband and wife. 

Before the reception we whisked the bridal party off to the Tuart Forest and Busselton jetty to have some fun with their photoshoot, before heading back to the beautifully styled marquee in the gardens at Aqua to celebrate into the night. 

Daring to be a bit different, these two lovebirds swapped their engagement portrait for a Trash the Dress session after the wedding, which they chose to do underwater!

You can check out that experience HERE, but in the meantime enjoy the photography we captured at their beautiful wedding. Thanks for sharing your day with us Carli and Shae we loved being there to celebrate with you all!

(To find out more about our wedding photography and films, just click HERE!)

Abbey Beach Resort Wedding ~ Bethany & Ricky

It's not very often that we are asked to photograph a Star Wars inspired light saber battle on a wedding day, but when Bethany & Ricky asked us to do just that who were we to say no?! 

After all our weddings are all about our couples and we love that Bethany & Ricky had some fun making their day unique and special to them. 

Aside from the light sabers there were some other great little touches like Bethany's Converse bridal shoes, and a very bright orange and yellow theme to brighten up a rainy day. 

Amber & Aaron's Wyndham Resort Wedding

Stacey & Mark's Caves House Dunsborough Wedding

Wendy & Aidan's Solitaire Homestead Lovefest

Bonnie & Kim's Country Affair at Alverstoke Barn

Bonnie & Kim chose the gorgeous Alverstoke Barn in the Ferguson Valley to celebrate their Big Day. Travelling from Kalgoorlie to celebrate, they created a beautiful rustic, fun celebration amongst family and friends. Booking our Party Package and Fusion Film, we were there to capture the whole day from start to finish, and we think you'll agree that this lovely pair will always remember the fun of the day and how they feel about each other when they watch this awesome film and look back at their photos :-)

Laura & Aaron's Bayview Resort Wedding

Sam & Dave's 50's inspired Bunker Bay Beach Wedding

We were so excited to be part of Sam and Dave's modern vintage wedding. From the planning stages we knew it was going to be a beautifully styled day, and we definitely weren't disappointed!

Samantha had a beaming happy smile on her face from the first thing in the morning it didn't fade all day.  After their ceremony we went for a lovely drive in their beautiful vintage car down to Shelly Cove for fun filled bridal party photos.

The attention to detail and final touches on everything made this wedding just picture perfect. The lovely couple celebrated their wedding night with family and friend at Bunker Bay Cafe.

You can read all about this awesome day and how Sam put it all together here:

http://www.coasttocountryweddings.com.au/index.php/real-weddings/real-life-weddings-southwest-margaret-river/3062-sam-david-gorgeous-bunker-beach-wedding

Margaret River Wedding ~ Samantha & Richard

We had been looking forward to Samantha and Richards wedding for MONTHS!! It was a big lead up...

Sam entered our Fabulous Fusion Love Story competition back at the start of 2013 and won with her gorgeous tale of how the two of them met and fell in love. From there we produced their Fusion Love Story, and they had so much fun they booked us for their wedding too!

Fast Forward a year to 2nd March 2014, and we finally got to share their special day at Leeuwin Estate, Margaret River with their family and friends, and gorgeous bridal party.

The bridal Party portraits were held at Prevelly Beach rivermouth and the Vineyard. We produced our very first wedding fusion film for their special day so we had the whole gang at this wedding - Clare, Jo and John! It may have looked a little  like they had paparazzi after them but everyone had a great time, and we promise to show off their awesome film very soon!

The Makings of the Day.....

Ceremony & Reception

Leeuwin Estate

, Margaret River

Celebrant

Josephine Arnold

Videographer

Clare Day Photographic Design

DJ

DJ Darren

Ceremony Music

Les Trois Amies

Bridal Wear

Brides Selection

Florist

Sorella Flower Merchant

Cake

Sugarmummy

Bridal Party Transport

Twilight Limousines

Guest Coach

Gannaways Charters

March at the Studio

We’re not really sure where to start with March, in a word it was Epic!Seven weddings including our first ever fusion wedding videos scattered throughout the beautiful Southwest, two engagement sessions, a newborn portrait (plus sisters ;-)) and a couples portrait including a trip to the airfield and Sir Henry the dog. All that as well as several new client meetings, wedding planning sessions, portrait planning sessions, ordering sessions, lots of new bookings and of course a new team member, our fabulous studio assistant Bianca (welcome to the mad house Bianca) - and not a moment too soon!

Southwest Photography Studio_0006

Phew! we’re exhausted just thinking about it!

We usually like to give all of our amazing clients a mention in our monthly roundup but there was just so much happening in March that we think we’d need a publisher and a book deal to write it all down. So instead, here are a few highlights for you to enjoy, and we promise we will blog all the amazing occasions for you soon!

Oh, and on a personal level there is not much to report as we have all been either at work or asleep ;-)

We hope you had a great month too!

Watershed Wines Wedding ~ Laura & David

Family orientated weddings always make us smile.  When the joining of two hands also includes the joining of small hands too…we smile even more.Laura and David shared their special day with their three sons Kyle, Cody and Zayne. The boys enthusiasm for the wedding made us giggle on more than one occasion.

David's expression as Laura walked down the aisle was priceless. This day had obviously been a long time coming, and was so very special to everyone who witnessed it. And when the couple vows to love each other through sore feet in heels, demanding workouts, boring cricket games and the long footy season, you know it MUST be true love! ;-)

After the ceremony we spent some time playing in the gardens and through the vines at the gorgeous Watershed Winery. The reception was beautifully decorated and incorporated a very cool Polaroid guest book attached to a mirror clothes line! What a great idea :-)

And the rules for the night?

Eat well,

Drink well,

Mingle,

Hit the dance floor,

And take some cake!

Images by Clare Day and Bianca Tibaldi

Melinda & Drew's Quirky Big Day Busselton