What Pete Sees Vs What Em Sees :: (Alt Title) Why We Shoot Together

We recently stumbled across a blog post by another local photographer.

It was clear from the specific content that the photographer had obtained content from our website.

No problem.

We had a few options.

Let the photographer know that we had come across the post(s)?

Well, we have a responsive business model and not a reactive one so decided that it was not necessary to make a scene - not even a passive scene.

To be fair, the general inspiration for the specific theme that they had pulled from had not been our original idea in the first place. Pretty important point.

We had originally come across it on the blog of a photographer friend on Facebook. We reached out to the photographer, Lauren, and let her know that we loved the concept and would she mind if we used it as inspiration to do some features in our local area?

Lauren was lovely and supportive and gave us permission.

The situation got us thinking.

We cannot be bothered policing other content and, as we have mentioned above, inspiration is typically drawn from others one way or another anyway. It is how a lot of the creative industry works.

We both love a good challenge and so we channelled our thoughts into a challenge.

Well, why not make our content harder to replicate in the first place?

Why not make it as unique to us as possible?

We shoot together.

It is one thing for us to tell you about our unique eye and how we each capture your day.

It is another to show you.

Here are 50 examples from a recent wedding: 25 images were taken by Pete and 25 by Em.

We both prefer different lenses.

We both shoot from different heights.

Sometimes we set up a shot we do not even see ourselves until we go back through the images to cull and spot the angle the other one took.

So here are some side-by-side examples.

In addition, we make a case for 2 photographers who are in each other’s heads. We often see cases made for one photographer (“I will capture everything you need; no need for another photographer who could get in the way”).

Clients do not know what images they did not receive if they never saw them in the first place: this reality is effective when making the case for a solo photographer.

However, you cannot physically be in two places at once. You cannot offer two unique sets of eyes. It is just not possible.

We hope that you enjoy!

Pete (one of us typically focuses on one half of the couple and the other focuses on the other; it works for us and minimises missing those powerful fleeting moments)

Em

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Pete (some people question the shot of a shot concept… we love telling the story of your day and, in our opinion, seeing the Father of the Bride capture his beautiful family for a moment is a lovely one to look back on over the years; he has a nice, tight composition going on, too!)

Em

Pete

Em

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Pete

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Pete (I - Em - missed this moment as I was capturing the reception setup before the guests filed in; so glad Pete caught it <3)

Em

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Wedding: E+A <3 (Boulevard Gardens)

Elijah & Alana.

<3

We met up with lovely Elijah & Alana in-person for a casual chat before accepting the booking. As always and wherever possible, we recommend meeting up first. Not only do we get to meet you but, most importantly, you get to meet us and decide for yourselves if we are a good fit for both of you. Elijah & Alana’s wedding planning took place during the worldwide pandemic that has been COVID-19. It was extremely stressful for them and, like a lot of couples, it resulted in changing venues and dates - several times.

In the lead-up to the wedding, we received the kindest email from Alana’s mother (will list suppliers below):

“Hi… We have put you on a guest table for the reception as it is only a smallish wedding and you and the musician and all suppliers have been so kind and accommodating to us during this time. It means that your meal will be provided and there is a bar tab that you can make use of for drinks of your choice on offer as well. Thank you kindly. It has not been easy on you guys as well as the brides and grooms. We are so grateful for every kindness we have been afforded by all of our suppliers. Regards <name of Alana’s mother>”

After the wedding, we received the following from Elijah & Alana:

“Dear Emily and Peter,

Eli and I just wanted to say a massive thank-you for photographing our wedding on the 20th. We are so excited to see how the photos turned out.

We are so appreciative of your understanding and flexibility with regards to the changes in response to COVID, and can honestly say that your warmth and kindness really helped to make the day feel special. You were both wonderful to work with, and we are so grateful to you for your help in bringing everything together.

Kindest regards,

Elijah and Alana”

We delivered their images and they had this to say:

“Thank you! We have just finished looking through them. They are really lovely thank you. We are very happy with them 😊

The envelope and card were lovely too. Very special.

Thanks for all of your hard work for us!

Kind regards,

Alana and Elijah”

It was such an honour and privilege to capture this beautiful couple’s day and we want to wish them a lifetime of wonderful memories.

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Car: Our Wedding Cars

Celebrant: Married by Jake

Flowers: Emunah Events

Musician: Steve J Carlyle

Venue: Boulevard Gardens

Candid moment with both sets of parents and the couple; just managed to squeeze them all into the one candid frame! :)

One last one: cheeky mother of the groom :D

Engagement :: A&J <3

While we enjoy collaborative shoots with other businesses from time to time, the truth is that all of our shoots are a collaboration of sorts. We want to give you beautiful images in a comfortable environment and that is best achieved when we work together. Lovely Jane & Aidan wanted jacarandas to feature in their engagement shoot and they wanted it to take place in a location sentimental to them; we waited till closer to the date to lock it in so that we could make the most of jacaranda season and UQ was looking absolutely stunning this particular day. In hindsight, I don't think we could have picked a better day for J&A's shoot. Looking forward to their wedding next year! 💜 P.S. No visit to UQ is complete without an Emydura macquarii signata (Brisbane short-necked turtle) sighting.

Bridal Shoot :: Sweet Somethings at Entangled Events, Australia

Please find our bridal shoot that took place at Entangled Events below.

Tyneale, from Tyneale Hahn Makeup Artist, wrote up a beautiful story explaining our purpose for the shoot and detailing individual contributions.

Enjoy! <3

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‘Bride in Bloom’ celebrates a moment in time and is bridal inspiration for those who love to be surrounded by greenery and fresh blooms. This moment is your last to yourself before stepping out on your Wedding Day to begin your forever with your chosen one - the one who sets your soul on fire.

The journey of ‘Bride in Bloom’ began planning long before COVID hit and was unfortunately post-poned due to the onset of the pandemic. As a team, we used this down-time to further plan and adjust the shoot we had originally visioned. It evolved into what you see captured in the images – elegance and anticipation framed by emotion. The greenery and blooms are like little smiles.

We cannot express in words just how excited the creative team was to get together and finally have our moment. Here is some information on each team member involved:

Emily, of Poppy and Sage Photography, was our Shoot Director/Planner/Photographer and has a wonderful ability to involve the full creative team through her process – nurturing the coming together of all the talents and, of course, capturing the magic.

Entangled Events was our beautiful venue with living green styling by Entangled Living. This venue was magical; perhaps what it would be like if Alice in Wonderland were a real place.

George Wu Couture’s gown and our Model, Mercy, were the perfect pair. Fitted but flowing gowns with so many intricate details. Mercy was right at home in her own wonderland in a fabulous gown by the name of the “Farnesiani Dress” surrounded by blooms. [Appliqued French laces with hand created French tulle trim and Swarovski crystals.]

As the Hair & Makeup Artist, Tyneale loved being able to work so closely with Nadja, of Le Sans Souci, to create a wearable bloom hair piece; they affectionately call it ‘Bloom Work’ (similar to art work but more specific). Tyneale & Nadja discussed the hairstyle Tyneale had in mind for Mercy and Tyneale let Nadja’s imagination go wild! On the shoot day, Nadja bought the pieces (3 panels to fit within the hairstyle) and Tyneale created the placement on the spot and pinned it in. It was perfect. The Blooming Umbrella and Hat were further Bloom Work by Nadja.

Blossie created our Stationery. The quote she chose to feature was just perfect. Her inspiration was classic minimalism but with subtle details and would look wonderful framed on the wall as a little reminder that, even in the tough times, love still wins.

Ekaterina, of Ekat’s Couture Cakes, created a 4-tier pastel pink Cake draped with hand-crafted wafer blooms. What is whimsical without a sweet something?

Whilst we all went about our creative business, Ivan Videography was there to capture each detail and moment on film. How dreamy do the gowns look?!

We are an eclectic bunch wearing our hearts on our sleeves and simply live for these moments we get to create together.

(Written by Tyneale Hahn on behalf of the team.)

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Featured in:

Information :: Unplugged Ceremonies

Today’s topic is unplugged ceremonies (meaning that only the photographer is allowed to photograph; no devices are to be used during the ceremony - sometimes the whole wedding event). Usually there is some kind of announcement by the celebrant or a sign (such as, “eyes up phones down hearts open”) to notify guests of the couple’s wishes. Like a lot of things in life, there is no right or wrong. There are pros and cons. There are advantages and disadvantages to having an unplugged ceremony. Once again, we love to unpack these topics, and you will find below some pros and cons we can suggest when it comes to having an unplugged ceremony. Ultimately, like everything about your wedding, the final decision is yours and, as far as we are concerned, we respect your decisions.

Pros:

  • Everyone is focused on you two and “in the moment”

  • There will be no sabotaging of the aisle shots due to someone jumping out to capture the moment the photographer is also capturing

  • You will not be interrupted mid-ceremony with a ringtone if all devices are turned off

  • You get to see guest reactions as they are not obstructed by devices

  • Your album is not a collection of people holding up phones

  • Your privacy is respected as you have control over images/release of images

  • Distractions in general are limited

  • People are more likely to mingle and engage with each other

Cons:

  • You do not get instant images to relive the day asap

  • People not present could feel left out if they cannot play along from home

  • You miss out on the way your family and friends see you

<3