We've Found a New Home for our Blog....

This blog will no longer be in use from 1st December 2010. To view our current blog, please visit:

www.richardwindeyerblog.com.au

See you there!

Beth & Simon's Melbourne Wedding

The weather gods certainly were looking out for Beth and Simon on Monday. In the morning, the 7am news showed reports of flooding for the Dandenong area and so I immediately set out to find out if the weather was going to hinder the day's wedding plans. By the time I arrived to shoot the boys at 11am, the rain had ceased, and by the time the ceremony started at 3pm, the sun was glowing all over the chapel.

The entire day ran like clockwork thanks largely to Beth's precision planning. The event was beautiful and the bride was stunning. A pleasure to photograph. Thanks for letting me share your special day. I hope you are enjoying your travels and like the few 'sneak-peak' images above.

Christmas (preparations) in October

I recently walked past a sign outside of a gift shop that read, "Only 11 weeks until Christmas." I had started to notice Christmas decorations popping up in malls but I guess I figured it was the early season marketing that the large chains seem to love. It was only later in the day that I got to thinking about Christmas and gifts when I realised that 11 weeks is not a lot of time! Not when you are as adept at procrastination as I am. Christmas is a busy time for most people and we all know how easy it is to find yourself doing the last minute shop on Christmas Eve.

As Rich and I move into Christmas mode we would like to offer an incentive to anyone who is thinking of giving the gift of photos this Christmas. If you book a family or couple portrait session before November 1st we will give you a 11x14 mounted print, free of charge. We think photos make a great gift. It's just our way of saying Happy Christmas to our clients.

Can you say cheese, carrots, peas?

We love kids. There is nothing more entertaining than photographing kids; they are fun, they aren't self conscious and they usually love being photographed. They may be the perfect clients! Rich and I have been lucky enough to photograph all the kids at our daughter's preschool over the past few weeks. Thanks to all the children and the staff for allowing us to catch a glimpse of their preschool life - we had a ball.

Mini-me for free

We love Engagement shoots! What better way to capture a love story than to start with the engagement? Couples are often so excited to be engaged and planning their wedding that it really is a super special time to photograph them. Plus, the really nice thing for the photographer is the flexibility in locations to frame the couple in. The options are endless (think beach, rolling hills, forest or urban). Creativity can flow and you can really let your personalities show (how catchy!).

We now have a wonderful way to show off your engagement or portrait photos. Richard Windeyer Photography now offer mini-sites. Yes, it is your own personal website to use to showcase your images and all the details you need to get out there about your wedding or event.

You can tell your love story, how you met or where you got engaged. More importantly, you can provide relevant information about your wedding, reception or party. Provide links to accommodations for people coming in from out of town, as well as give sightseeing suggestions. Want to link it to your bridal registry so everyone knows where to buy your gifts? No problem. There is even an RSVP page as well.

We are so excited about our mini-sites (that can be used for portraits as well so don't feel you need to miss out if you are not planning a wedding), so very excited, that we are giving away five sites FREE to the first five people to book with us. If you book a portrait sitting, engagement shoot or wedding with us we will throw in the mini-site for free. They are super easy to manage and we are always on hand if you need help with design or content. You can switch designs and templates with the click of a button and we will upload your images for you. Easy.

Check out just one of the designs you can have with your very own mini-site http://minisite.richardwindeyer.com.au

PS: You even get to choose your own music for the site.

Broadway to Bangalow

One of the many, many wonderful things about living in the Northern Rivers area is the abundance of positive and interesting people. Northern NSW really is a creative hub which, for a photographer and journalist, is exactly up our alley. This week we were fortunate enough to interview and photograph author, Kevin Palmer. Kevin is launching his first book at the Byron Writer's Festival in August and for those who are looking for an inspirational read, Boy's Home to Broadway, may be just what you thirst for.

I set the interview up with Kevin's literary agent in Western Australia and after swapping half-a-dozen emails, we were invited to meet Kevin and his partner, Bruce, at their Bangalow home. In a strange turn of events, we were more than a little surprised to find out that Kevin and Bruce live next door to us! (That is to say, they live next door to the block of land we bought eight months ago). What a great way to meet the neighbours!

Kevin is an inspirational yet humble man. Without a trace of sentimentality, he writes of his journey from a childhood spent in a boys’ home, to travelling the globe with the biggest names in stage and screen. It was an interesting interview - sorry if we out stayed our welcome guys! Be sure to check out Kevin's book, it really is an enjoyable read.

For further information you can also check out the interview in next month's edition of Bangalow's Heartbeat. www.heartbeat.net.au

It never rains but it pours

Life has been somewhat hectic in the past six months. We bought a car two-months ago and have, so far, managed to clock up nearly 15,000klms on it! Phew!

We've travelled to New Zealand, Victoria, Central NSW and Queensland for work, shooting portrait sessions, weddings and birthday parties. In between we have sold a house; minded family and friend's houses; renovated a unit; moved house; bought land and we are now, preparing to move a very old Queenslander (I am referring to a house of course!) to our block of land in Bangalow, Northern NSW. Wow!

Of course it would only be fun if we planned to do all the work ourselves. So - in between the delicious weddings, portraits and celebrations, you are, no doubt, going to find the occasional house story. You may even be lucky enough to meet the truly glamorous side of Richard Windeyer Photography, paint-splattered clothes and all.

Ghost writer

I think it is time I came clean... for the past month, on the odd occasion, I have been "ghost writing" for Richard. No surprise to those who know Richard and myself well - I like to write, I like to talk, I have opinions. Richard on the other hand spends a lot of time - (no really, a LOT of time) - behind his camera or in front of his computer editing photos and laying out albums. He tells me he doesn't have time for the blog, or Facebook or.... cooking (hang on a minute!). It's not that he doesn't want to talk to you all it's just, well, he doesn't know what to say. I, on the other hand, am not usually at a loss for words so - it was a natural thing. I took over.

That isn't to say you won't hear from Richard from time to time but, most of the time, I'll just tell you what he is doing. It is waaayyy easier that way.

Michelle

We couldn't help ourselves....

I had to add this one. Thanks again guys, I had a great time photographing your wedding.

Fairytale at the Falls

Last weekend I flew to Melbourne to shoot a wedding at the picturesque Lyrebird Falls. Situated in the beautiful Dandenongs, close to Melbourne, Lyrebird Falls is a magnificent spot surrounded by forest, lush ferns and meandering streams.

What made this wedding even more special was the fact that the bride and groom, Erin and Michael, are a lovely, down-to-earth couple, who were really excited to be getting married and so obviously in love. How can photos go wrong with a winning combination like that? Erin looked lovely and was even willing to brave a Dandenongs winter to help me shoot some great images.

Thanks for sharing your day with me Erin and Michael. I wish you all the best for your future. Here's a small sample of some images from the day. Enjoy your honeymoon!

www.lyrebirdfalls.com.au

Keeping it in the family

Kids! We love kids! Photographing them, talking to them, listening to them - I mean, kids are really entertaining - as our own daughter keeps reminding us everyday. Trouble is, the time you have with them when they are small just flys by. That's why I'm so lucky to have Richard (one of the reasons anyway!) Let's face it, more often than not, I forget to charge up my camera battery. I've also been known to take my camera case but not my camera and I find it an impossible task to get anything in focus out of my camera phone. So... I leave the photographs to Richard.

For all those of you who don't live with a professional photographer... he does portrait sittings...

Here are some of my favourite images from our daughter's first years. Enjoy!

Michelle

Working for the Studio

It took a few years for my wife, Michelle, to convince me to sell our place in Brisbane and move down to the NSW north coast. Looking back, I'm not sure why it took her so long (perhaps because I am not such a good listener at home - always working on photos - always distracted). It seems though, we now have the best of both worlds.

We live somewhere incredibly beautiful that is really hard to beat. We are lucky enough to be surrounded everyday by some of the best beaches, best small towns, best coffee shops (Michelle threw that one in) and simply, stunning scenery. Yet, we are only a short drive away from Brisbane and, thankfully, this means that I can still work with those that inspired me to get into full-time, professional photography in the first place!

Last weekend I was lucky enough to shoot a Wedding and an Engagement party for Studio 60 in Brisbane. Jason Starr has been somewhat of a mentor to me over the years and his work is simply inspiring, check it out at www.studio60.com.au.

The wedding was a fairytale affair: beautiful bride, beautiful location and tons of family and friends to really bring it all to life. Thanks to Jason for inviting me along.

One more thing...

I am heading up to Brisbane tomorrow for the Marcus Bell 2010 Australian Seminar Series. Here are the details for anyone wanting to attend one of these fantastic seminars. I can't wait.

Thursday, 24th June 2010
Visy Theatre
Brisbane Powerhouse Museum,
119 Lamington St New Farm

New Look Website

Michelle and I have been very busy revamping our website. We figure having moved to a "new" town, we should also work on a new look. We hope you all like it. Watch out for new photos hitting the site. Now that we are no longer traveling around so much, we finally have the chance to update some of our more recent work.

Enjoy!

Lismore Bridal Fair

The Lismore Bridal Show came to town last Sunday and we were thrilled to be a part of it. After being too late to join in on the Ballina Bridal Fair, it was a wonderful opportunity to start getting our work 'out there' in the beautiful Northern River's area.

We were also both blown away by the 'competition'. There are some fantastic photographers in this area and we are pleased to find that, not only are they super-talented but they are a group of fantastic people. We felt very welcomed by the photography and wedding-services community so, Thanks guys!

Both Michelle and I are really excited to be (finally) working back in this area. For those of you that don't know my history, I grew up in Lismore, moving up to Brisbane for University and have, twenty-years later, returned to this wonderful, inspiring area. It was just great to meet the newly-engaged couples who attended the Fair. Hopefully, some of them felt a connection to my work and we will get the chance to photograph them in the future.

For those that were at the Bridal Fair, we are offering a complimentary Engagement Shoot if you book your wedding with Richard Windeyer Photography. Our Engagement Shoot includes a 1 - 2 hour on-location session in a spot of your choice (we are more than happy to recommend some amazing locations we have discovered in the area), with post-production editing on 15 - 20 images. What a perfect way to celebrate your engagement!

Don't forget, we will be taking delivery of a series of new albums and new products for our studio. Feel free to come over and share a coffee while checking out the beautiful display albums we have just put together.

It really is an exciting time for us at Richard Windeyer Photography, we can't wait to meet you.

Read Family Portrait Session

It was a busy afternoon at the Brisbane Powerhouse last Saturday. I had the great pleasure of photographing some family portraits for Brendan, Briony and Hudson, and had to share the location with about a dozen other photographers (including some familiar faces). It's obviously a great time to be married in Brisbane.

Here a just a few of the images from the shoot. I'm so happy you guys love the photos and I'm looking forward to shooting #2 when he or she arrives later this year.

The Good Life - Sawyers Bay NZ

In February we spent 3 weeks in Sawyers Bay, just outside of Dunedin NZ, staying with my wife's sister and her family. A big thank you to Tanya, Ted, Palin and Taia for being so accomodating and opening your home to us. I think it was the most relaxing break any of us has had for a very long time.

During our time in Sawyers Bay, we spoke regularly of taking some family portraits for our hosts. Sadly, as our break was so relaxing, this was always put off until another time until finally, on our last evening there, we spent a total of about 3 minutes taking the above images just before dinner was taken out of the oven.

Thanks again guys... I hope you like the pics.