I was lucky to be invited to join this shoot at a local wedding in Angkor Wat, Cambodia’s famous temples as seen in “Tomb raider”. Having flown in to Siam Reap we hired a car and driver and spent the day climbing the amazing temple steps with the huge tree roots engulfing the temple like a large brown snake.
For years watching Doc Martin or more recently having to sit obediently through episodes of Poldark, I had a bit of an idea what Cornwall may offer. Jax worked here after leaving London in the mid 70’s and she talks with such pleasure about her “surfy years” of being barefoot and bohemian on the Cornish coast.
Overseas weddings can always be a challenge, what with the amount of equipment you need to carry on board the aircraft and to and from the venue, add that to cultural inter exchanges, these can add to the communication difficulties one faces on an overseas shoot, so try a kiwi, shooting a Chinese wedding in Florence!
America's gaudiest, glitziest city……
I have a confession…….. and it’s one that often surprises my seasoned well-travelled friends…… Las Vegas is one of my favourite places in the world. I just love every casino (even though I never gamble and seldom drink), I love every...
London is Jax home and together with NZ and Cornwall are the top spots that she likes to “lay her hat”, born and bred in London and in later years being a tour guide, London is her “back yard” and even though this is not my first time to London it never ceases to amaze me how my wife can duck and dive down back streets, pulling me by the arm through a maze of cobbled lanes and come out in front of iconic statues or places of interest that you have only read about.
Who doesn’t like Disney, I know that not all people understand my irrational need to visit this iconic playground or the allure of visiting Disneyland. It is ridiculously expensive, commercial, crowded, and in summer a place teeming with rude tourists, screeching children, and parents who find it perfectly acceptable to let their children rule the day. This is not to mention Walt Disney himself, who is said to have been a mean husband and possible racist.
From the magnificent skyline of this stunning city to the art works that grace its streets, Melbourne is a wonderful backdrop for our fashion shoots. I see fashion and wedding styles in the same light so when I got the chance to photograph this beautiful wedding couple in and around the city centre and docklands area I embraced it. This allowed me to blend the romance of our bride and groom with the style of my favourite city in Australia and I look forward to returning there very soon.
If I believed in reincarnation I am Parisian to my photographic F-stop heart. Once again Jax did us proud and booked us a 1933 houseboat on the river Seine beneath the Eifel tower where we sat on deck sipping our Spritzers (our latest fave tipple from Venice) watching the tour boats sail by laden with hundreds of tourists taking photos of us!
A train ride away from Rome heading for Naples and Salerno where we caught the one hour long ferry along the Amalfi coast. I was in for a surprise. Sailing along the coast of one of Italy's most famed destinations, the 31-mile stretch of beautiful blue views has graced countless photography sites stunning cliffs, pristine beaches, rolling roads, white-washed homes, it was the type of view you see only on the Bond movies and I was hooked!
This beach destination wedding in Rarotonga was super chic and covered in tropical greenery! our couple, Nana from Japan and her kiwi hubby loves to travel and had always dreamed of an intimate wedding, so they chose to have their big day at The Rarotongan resort, a stylish full-service resort and wedding venue on the sandy shores of the lagoon that perfectly fit their needs.
Rome won over our hearts with its enchanting neighbourhoods, its rich history and the amazing food. Our accommodation an apartment in a building once owned by a countess, had huge wooden doors that once was the entrance for the horses and carriages that entered the countess’s building.
San Francisco — the easiest city for us to love and the hardest for us to leave. Its vintage charm captured our hearts and even though Jax worked here in the 80’s she fell in love with it all over again. This “City by the Bay” has so much more to offer than just the Golden Gate and Alcatraz! After just one visit, as a foody, fashionista, and culture enthusiast makes this city one of the greatest cities in the U.S. that we have visited (so far). Yes I definitely left my heart there, and will be returning next year.
To shoot in a church can sometimes be a challenge, depending on the freedom that the priest gives me at the ceremony. At this wedding, at a Catholic church in Sydney we managed to capture the spirit of the day in the building but then taking Sharon and Rob plus the bridal party to the closest harbour inlet where we found lots of inspiration for some great shots. It’s important that we always spend a day or so prior to a wedding checking out the area, talking to the locals, finding those little “gems” that are out of the way.
Love Thailand, love the people, the bustling markets, the vibrant fruit and vegetables on the street stalls, I love both the cities with their skyscraper buildings and huge shopping malls and the beaches with the colourful beach umbrellas and overweight nut brown Europeans. There is always something new and exciting around each corner which is why it is regular stomping ground for both Jax and myself visiting 2-3 times a year. The high amount of sunshine hours throughout Thailand seems to make the colours here brighter. I am constantly drawn to colour and light, like a magpie (and my wife) to shiny objects.
A model shoot in Venice was my dream for many years. I love this city, however I was wanting a photo story that goes beyond St. Mark’s square and its immediate surroundings, the part of Venice favoured by the hundred and hundreds of tourist who too often seem to ignore how fragile this city is, and how it needs to be respected and protected.