- I HAVE SOMETHING TO TELL YOU. -

free curve friday: lust howl

2012-02-10T17:45:00.000+11:00

click here to download your free "lust howl" photoshop curve.

works well on pictures shot in an overcast day, with a blue cast.

instructions on how to install your photoshop curves can be found here.

enjoy! and as always, link me to your edited photos with my curves, i love seeing where my colours go in the world.

indie rose

2012-02-06T22:03:00.000+11:00

late last year i shot age of intimacy's lovely collection for twenty-eleven, indie rose. the day begun in tears with a misunderstand between me and a uni teacher. i emailed them the day before asking to do my presentation of my progress in class first so i can leave early to get to a job i had booked for later that morning. long story short, she must have missed my email and told me to choose between "my studies and my career". obviously i chose what i love, my career, and headed off with a cloudy head.

i got to the location just before noon, where hair and makeup was being finished up. we were shooting in an upstairs vintage bar in the city, with nude paintings hung in golden ornate frames on every inch of the brindle walls. after a couple of hours of shooting the first few pieces of the location, we changed coraline's hair and headed off to the next location; the middle of nowhere.

holding a broken old suitcase, coraline walked down the side of the road as i filmed her. the afternoon sun warmed our goosebump skin as we shot the next few pieces of the indie rose collection in the prickly grass. poor coraline had to endure cars driving back and forth beeping at us as we were working. when i scouted the location a few weeks earlier, it was completely deserted. today, it was the busiest it must have ever been.

as the sun dimmed, we all got in the car and roadtripped back to the city. i filmed the blurry lights and black trees and when i watch the video i want to melt back into the day and do it all over again. we got back to dear old sydney and parked next to hyde park, our last location for the day. we all sipped on hot chocolate on a bench at the park trying to warm up, it was pitch black and cold by now, our skin and my pictures lit up by tungsten artificial sun.

we shot the last few photos and i rode back home in tired-bliss thinking about the long day. before i went to bed i got an email from my teacher stating that she finally found and read the email i sent and apologised for everything. ha.

but anyway, that's my little story of this big day. i hope you enjoy the collection photos. you should check out age of intimacy's website here, they are so so amazing! oh, and please click the little blue facebook link in the corner if you like this post to share the photos with the world!

pyramid rock festival

2012-01-25T15:14:00.000+11:00

in the new year, i was sent by the au review to shoot pyramid rock festival in phillip island, melbourne. the day after we got to melbourne & our ten hour drive, we woke up early and set off for another two hours to phillip island. the day was hot and the roads were long, but we listened to music loudly in the car, put together snacks and drinks for the festival and drank way too much coffee until we finally got there.

we drove through the grounds, passing hundreds of tents and roaming teenagers already drunk at one in the afternoon and got around to the back where we were lucky enough to have vip camping by the sea. i picked up my photo pass and dan and i went off in the heat to watch some music.

at night, the air was polar and we would crawl back to the car and sit in complete happy-tiredness. the bands would sit in groups outside and play soft music, talk into the early mornings and it felt like i was in the movie almost famous. i felt at home. constant music in the background somewhere and anywhere, sun in the middle of nowhere and taking photos.

french horn rebellion, they were like monkeys running up on stage - completely awesome!

spiderbait

masculine spiderbait crowd haha

the vasco error

the herd

view from our camping ground

dan and i. i loooved the grass at the island, which seems like a silly thing to say, but it was some nice grass.

guy on a wheelchair being held up to the sky in the middle of the mosh pit

sparkadia

photographer taking photos of the crowd

gotye

gotee, goti-yeah, gote-yer

cloud control

the living end headlined the first day, they were probably my favourite act of the whole two days. they are absolutely amazing live.

second day of the festival:

calling all cars

grace woodroofe, who thought everyone who was at the festival lived on the island.

illy, they had the most energetic and crazy crowd

peeking over the fence from the vip bar

the getaway plan

graveyard train. i totally recommend listening to these guys!

drapht

taking a break in the middle of the heatwave day

boy and bear

the panics

bluejuice

last but not least, scissor sisters who played through midnight and welcomed us into the new year.

you can see all the edited photos i took on the day on the au review website:

day one.

day two.

free curve friday: documentary

2012-01-20T17:54:00.000+11:00

click here to download your free "documentary" photoshop curve!

perfect for cloudy day-documentary photos.

instructions on how to install your photoshop curves can be found here.

i am finally un-busy for a day and am starting up free curve friday again for this year :) here is the first one of many, a little way of me saying thank you. i hope you all enjoy using it, it's in celebration of 1000 blog followers - THANK YOU to all of you dreamers for your constant and wonderful and inspiring support <3

roadtrip to melbourne

2012-01-05T15:52:00.000+11:00

we set off for melbourne late one morning

icebergs

too many kms to go

fuel

open land for forever and ever

just after we passed the border between nsw and victoria

night driving into the city

our hotel room after the festival

upside-down world

exploring the graffitied laneways, taken with my iphone

ice cream & coffee at night by the beach in a random suburb

someone's cd collection by the window

gig venue hunting

the very awesome brunswick st

visiting the docklands on our last day

over the end of the old year and the beginning of the new year, dan and i went on an adventure to melbourne. we set off for the ten hour drive late one morning. we travelled all through the day, passing broken down cars, dusty towns and forever and ever fields of desert grass, mountains and trees. the sun had started to set by the time we reached the border between two states and finally by the time we reached the city, tired, delirious and excited it was dark and late. we went out for coffee in a close by graffitied laneway, came back to our temporary home in the middle of the city and passed out.

our week in melbourne was amazing after that. i spent two days with my camera glued to my hands and fingers shooting the pyramid rock festival at phillip island, the blistering heat was overwhelming during the day and when the sun set, the island was made of ice - but nothing would stop me from seeing the world through my viewfinder, shooting strangers dancing around in panda suites and musicians running around on stage. the two days were mine to capture, and capture everything is all i did. but i'll write more about this story soon..

when we got back from the loudness and constant music all around, we chose to stay in a suburb just outside the always-moving always-rushed city of melbourne. every day we looked at a map and picked a random suburb that had an interesting name or a lovely view and spent the rest of the afternoon exploring the little alleyways and long streets, the quaint shops and food-baby restaurants.

the second half of twenty-eleven was a crazy rush for me and my camera. i spent almost every day shooting, every night editing, every morning sending off cds to clients. while some days in melbourne i rested from my camera and was happy it wasn't hanging around my neck, the days that i did shoot everything i saw were the best.

one thing i'm going to attempt in 2012 is to do a 365 with my flickr. sometimes i will take specific photos for that day, but its mostly to motivate me to post a new picture every day for you all. and also, i haven't forgotten about free curve friday, its about to start all over again next week!

x

suzi rose collection: she's a dreamer

2011-12-14T12:18:00.000+11:00

models: lillian, kellie & kayla

for suzi rose designs

not too long ago i spent a day at my office shooting suzi rose's newest (and very cute) collection, she's a dreamer. there were countless outfits, purple and gold strewn about our picnic blanket on the sand. we spent a lot of the time taking photos walking through the little rock pools and getting the dresses wet, strangers watching by the shoreline. at the end of the day the girls were even game enough to get into the water, its supposed to be summer here in australia but it hasn't been half as hot as it usually is!

i drove back home from wollongong with red sunburnt shoulders & the rest of my skin on fire, but was so excited about the photos i started editing straight away. i'm currently putting together a short film from everything i filmed on the day while i was shooting. hopefully i can finish it before christmas so i can show you all the dreamy day in moving pictures.

sydney shootout!

2011-11-21T12:40:00.001+11:00

and some behind the scenes photos from the day:

when i saw rosie hardy put together her shootout day, i thought it was an amazing idea and was inspired to do the same thing - sydney version! 10 of us met up at sydney college of the arts one saturday morning and shot through the day. i had a great time, and it was lovely to meet so many new faces that are as much in love with taking pictures as i am, it doesn't make me feel guilty talking all photo mumbo-jumbo! since this shootout was successful, i am definitely going to plan another one! maybe the next one we can shoot at the beach and learn how to work with harsh lighting conditions.. it's all plans in my head for the time being!

the model is the beautiful ayesha jaye, who totally kept her cool posing in front of ten different camera lenses!

suzi rose very kindly let us borrow her clothes for the day & ally cussell was on makeup.

here are a few links to everyone else's photos from the day, i will hopefully be adding everyone to the list as they post their photos!

luke m
secretstare photography
lauren stella photography
maraia photography
chantelle k
rebecca brooke

enjoy!

little motel for a bird

2011-11-20T13:14:00.001+11:00

a quick manip i made from a photo from yesterday's wedding with evoke images.

passer-by train

2011-11-18T16:28:00.001+11:00

model: courtney

makeup artist: cathy hedley

for javertime magazine.

wedding: leo & julie

2011-11-17T15:27:00.001+11:00

i spent this day, photographing my cousin's wedding to the love of his life julie, with my chest in a knot and a lump in my throat fighting back my tears. they had the cutest county-esq wedding that i had the pleasure of capturing with my newest photographer friend dee, for mona lisa's moustache - a little something we are starting in the hopes of it becoming a big-something.

here are the photos from the day that started as the sun was rising, until people started taking off their shoes to dance longer into the night. a little something of two people meeting at a bbq by chance one day that has turned into a big-something.

last day of magic

2011-11-13T16:55:00.000+11:00

model: andrea buckman

i have been waiting for aaages to release these photos and i'm so excited they're finally on my blog! you can see the cover and the editorial and order a copy as well here!

here's a little behind the scenes video from our day:

music composed and recorded by dan podbierezki.

peppermint ice cream

2011-11-04T11:13:00.000+11:00

model: rosie

makeup: lidija

clothing: lucy lane vintage

shot at bondi beach in the early days of summer.

love dust - vintage bridal

2011-10-29T11:15:00.001+11:00

the morning of this shoot was spent rolling through pastures of green, i saw pathways leading into the middle of a forest of trees and cows bathing in the sunlight. we arrived at an enormous abandoned building and while the girls were getting their makeup ready, matt and i took the time to explore the staircases that led to nowhere and all the door which led to half-levels and dusty rooms. we then spent the entire day running around these broken down rooms, taking photos and took advantage of the amazing sunset out in the open fields.

its the most fun when you can get a team together who are crazily talented and amazing at what they do, and here they are:

photographers: myself & matt of evoke images - check out matt's photos from the day here

models: bridgette abood & eliza monaghan

makeup & hair: abbey love .com.au

headpieces: amy oram

flowers: kasey mumford flowers

the midnight horizon family

2011-10-25T22:32:00.002+11:00

nestled on the entertainment centre rooftop parking lives a family called midnight horizon. families are the best.

this is the story of us running around one windy friday afternoon in the city. through vacant parking lots and through busy-bee chinatown.

we borrowed little cafe's and stood in the middle of the street taking pictures with the sunlight flashing brightly in the night.

i rode shotgun in dan's red car all the way back home.

the family.

conor got elbowed in the face.

matt attempting to shoot the band upside down.

photobomb!

man love

matt smothered dan to death

recording mh tv

"hey" "juls" "hey" "juls" etc.

the middle of chinatown

have a listen to their new tune they just released tonight with the amazing vocalist and newest addition to their band, chrissy:

www.midnighthorizonmusic.com

sydney shootout day

2011-10-21T11:50:00.004+11:00

so i've been in the same position now as the lovely miss rosie hardy, where people are coming to me for help through emails and formspring. and i want to be able to do more than just answer with a few words!

which brings me to the heart of thing blog post, which is, i want to have sydney's very own shootout day! and i need to know if YOU guys are interested in something like this.

the date i'm thinking for this to happen is: november, saturday the 5th, 2011
close by to the city of sydney.

i'm hoping to get at least a group of ten people together, i will find a model or two for us to work with, get a talented makeup artist and a stylist, to show you guys how my shoots work in real life! we'll then spend most of the day running around our location taking photos. i will take photos and you guys can pick my brain, you can photos and i can be there answering all the questions you may have.

maybe for something a little interesting, each person is required to bring a single prop that we can use on the day!

for now this idea is a little up in the air, but let me know if you're interested and free on november the 5th and maybe this can all come together and we can all have a fun day of shooting!

either comment on this blog post or send me an email to juliatrotti@gmail.com

free curve friday: hummingbirds

2011-10-16T11:46:00.002+11:00

here is a curve that makes your pictures creamy and warm, that works in harsh sun and in shadows.

click here to download your free "hummingbirds" curve!

here are instructions on how to install your brand new curves!

leave links on these free curve friday blogs of the photos you've edited using my colours, i would love to see what you have all created!

you are a fever

2011-10-05T21:04:00.000+11:00

model: benny

stylist: tamika

i took photos of tamika's lover one morning. the three of us exploring the abandoned buildings behind my uni.

lazy sun

2011-09-29T20:16:00.002+10:00

model: sophie crenigan

makeup artist: bec garozzo

waredrobe: tigerlily swimwear

a new little series shot at cronulla!

dandelion love

2011-09-27T18:22:00.002+10:00

models: sarah s & liam

designers: lynn to, mim goode & kamelia allaf

this is a little swimsuit collection i shot for my friend lynn in kamelia's backyard with a trampoline and bubbles one afternoon. i woke up to a message that morning from the model i had booked saying she couldn't make it.. the four of us were frantically searching around for someone to shoot when mim asked the beautiful sarah. she had never modelled before but was completely natural and lovely while i was taking pictures. i collapsed in my seat on the train ride home soo relieved that the day worked out after all, the series even ended up being published in the latest issue of javertime magazine!

i hope you love dandelion love, and all the drama that came with it on the day! a few people have been asking so i thought i'd mention that all the photos expect for the last two in this series were edited with my free curve friday curves. some were mixtures of two curves and some were completely new curves that i am due to upload for you all soon!

me on film

2011-09-18T13:52:00.000+10:00

in july i turned twenty during my lovely week back home in wollongong. dan took all these fluttering pictures except for the last one.

one teaspoon of sugar

2011-09-10T13:37:00.000+10:00

this is a teaser of an editorial bridal shoot i did with the talented mathew sacco of evoke images & abbey love on hair & makeup. amy oram of teeki designs kindly let us borrow her wonderful headpieces for this shoot, which i think added such a lovely touch to it all. models are bridgette & eliza, who were absolutely amazing on the day! the pretty flowers the girls are holding are by kasey mumford flowers & hampers. i hope you like these little glimpses of what's to come - which is a massive blog post!!

have a look at matt's sneak peek too!

the linnet bird

2011-09-09T10:36:00.002+10:00

model: shannon

makeup: marie

designer: alicia doust designs

so on wednesday night i was booked for a last minute shoot the following morning for alicia's amazing designs. dan and i woke up at six am and drove down to coogee beach where all was cloudy and rainy, but beautifully blue for the shoot. hair & makeup was ready by the time we got there, so from there we spent a couple of hours walking through the rocks & the rock pool shooting against the waves crashing up against the shore of jagged edges. i couldn't be more happy with the results from this shoot which literally happened overnight (as well as all the editing)!

sight seeing

2011-09-05T13:53:00.000+10:00

dan and i, passer bys.

mikey & his girlfriend amanda.

boat owner and his seagull friends.

seagulls really like homeless people in sydney.

fishing cat that dan and i want to take hommmmeee!

why hello there everyone, i think its time for me to get back into blogging! i've spent the past couple of weeks so so busy with shooting and uni, i've barely had any time for anything else! this week i've had a shoot every single day, starting with today's post.

this is how the little story goes..

friday morning dan and i wake up early morning and drive with mikey down to sydney airport to pick up his girlfriend & her friend. they're from queensland and never been to sydney before, so we decided to take them around to all the touristy spots we could think of (which weren't that many haha). we started off the day at the darling harbour where i took photos of strangers and they took holiday photos of each other. then we headed to taronga zoo (i haven't been there since i was about ten!) where all the animals looked lonely and sad in their cages, it made me cringe.

but anyway, i hope you enjoy these photos! if you'd like to see what's coming soon, i've posted one photo of every shoot that i've done last week on flickr.

classic collection & a mad hatter's tea party

2011-08-18T17:04:00.000+10:00

millinery designer: jessica beattie millinery

models: rosie, sarina & jemma

art direction: jessica beattie & jackie alcock

hair: shea macquillan @ meage a trois hair design

makeup: maree spagnol

coming soon is a short behind the scenes film by clive @ kahuna film

a few weeks ago now i shot jessica beattie's couture twenty-eleven spring carnival range and here are some of my favourite photos from the day! i hope you enjoy them.

ghosts in your head

2011-08-06T13:31:00.000+10:00

model: jess blain

mua: jesika

this morning i woke up and for the first time in probably a year there is absolutely nothing that needs to be urgently delivered to/retouched for a client. after the past two weeks of crazily editing pictures day and night in time for dreaded deadlines and in time to get to the printers and in time to launch websites, this morning i have nothing to do and it feels amazing!! so after my newly bought bamboo tablet yesterday (its so pretty and matches my macbook pro hehe) i thought i'd go back and edit some photos for myself personally, so expect to see a few more posts of shoots you've seen before with new pictures, as well as some brand new shoots!

i also hope you enjoy my free curve friday posts that will finally be able to start again, i missed doing them as well!

free curve friday: ghosts in your head

2011-08-06T13:25:00.001+10:00

click here to download your free "ghosts in your head" photoshop curve.

works best on flash-lit photos.

my silent film

2011-08-05T18:58:00.000+10:00

this is a little pre-shoot i did with age of intimacy for their new collection titled "indie rose". i will be shooting their whole campaign in a couple of weeks and i couldn't be more excited! their style & clothes are absolutely amazing.

model: coraline @ chadwicks

makeup artist: marija m

wearing: age of intimacy's kimono

moxee, javertime & dan's car

2011-07-28T16:39:00.000+10:00

this year, out of many things, it was my aim to get my work in print in magazines. so far i've been in two lovely zines, both of which i am so proud of! the first is moxee magazine, which i even got the front cover image for! they also have a little feature for me on their website: http://moxee.ws/summer-2011-julia-trotti/

for the second, i did an interview with nichelle from javertime magazine, had my work featured and andrea's editorial printed!

photos were taken on dan's car :) hehe

behind the scenes short film

2011-07-25T16:02:00.000+10:00

this is a little short film i made of the behind the scenes of amy nelson-blain shooting for teeki designs. there is another short film coming soon!

gitana (gypsy girl)

2011-07-16T12:03:00.000+10:00

other photographer, shoot planner: mathew sacco @ www.evokeimages.com.au

(check out his side of the shoot on his blog: http://evokeimages.com.au/blog/?p=1315)

model: erica east

hair & makeup: abbey love @ www.abbeylove.com.au

assistant: tina tran

location: sheree gaulke @ www.shedesigns.com.au

fashion: frolic wollongong @ www.frolicgirls.com.au

behind the scenes film/photography: lucy jean

i couldn't have asked to be part of a more wonderful shoot, everyone was just working their talented magic from the (very) early morning to late afternoon! the location sheree so kindly let us use for the shoot (her home!) was breathtaking - she had white wooden floorboards and black walls, mirrors and chandeliers hanging in every room, old rusty doors that lead to no where stacked by the kitchen, and pretty little in betweens on the random surfaces around the living room.

and mathew sacco, who once again i am ecstatic i get to work beside and who put this entire day together was absolutely amazing. he has a few pictures up on his blog already (which i loooooove) and i can't wait to see the rest!! so keep an eye out :)

lots more blogging to come soon!

tim rogers @ annandale's 11th birthday

2011-07-09T11:34:00.000+10:00

tim rogers, a drunken pirate stumbled up on stage, took his place on his stool and played an amazing show that still gives me chills thinking about it weeks after. leena is the lovely girl with the floral dress and acoustic guitar and the people before her are strangers waiting around in the packed out annandale hotel, the first day of their 11th birthday week.

romantic robotics

2011-07-07T12:53:00.003+10:00

model: rosie

designer: lynn to

makeup artist: lidija j

yesterday it was my birthday and i turned twenty. after a short week of (much needed, i feel) holidaying, today i will finally get back to work. there are so many pictures that need retouching & so many blog posts to make! i can't wait to show you all the photos i've been taking.. some which may take longer to release than others.

this is a shoot i did for a very talented designer that i used to go to school with, her name is lynn. we spent a sunday afternoon on the rooftop parking lot of a shopping centre in the freezing cold taking pictures. rosie was a total trooper, considering the clothes she was wearing in the windy coldness!

also, THANK YOU for five hundred blog followers!! you're all amazing. i got to my goal of 500 before my birthday :)

age of intimacy test shoot

2011-06-30T09:19:00.000+10:00

yesterday i met up with the girls of age of intimacy for a model casting for their next campaign i will be shooting. they have an amazing studio (which they just moved into three weeks ago but look like they've been living there for years!). inspiration and drawings are hung up on the walls, flowers and animal masks dangling everywhere - one of them a lion mask, just like the ragdoll kitty prowling around on the ground. they have rickety bookshelves filled with empty jars and issues upon issues of oyster magazine.

the girl in the photos is the first model we met with, her name is coraline. we shot some standard tests against a white wall with window light, then took some photos in the extra rooms around the studio-factory. i asked her to lay on the rug, looking at the sky.

grass and sand

2011-06-20T21:54:00.000+10:00

model: teigan

wearing: suzi rose

makeup: lidija j

just a few outtakes from my winter campaign shoot for the amazing suzi rose, i finally have an afternoon to myself so i thought i'd go back and edit some older photos :)

harbinger @ the metro

2011-06-20T19:23:00.001+10:00

this is the second time i've had the pleasure of shooting the band harbinger, this time they were playing at the metro and what an amazing set they played! i was running around the entire time, shooting up close to them then around the back of the stage and then all the way on the second level looking down at the crowd. shooting live music has got to be close to one of my favourite things to do any night of the week or weekend, there is so much movement and loudness.

check out some of their music: www.harbingertheband.com.au

hopefully a portrait session with these guys will come up next!

jess & scott's engagement party

2011-06-19T17:37:00.001+10:00

just thought i'd share the photos i took one sunny sunday in beautiful manly of jess & scott's engagement party. everyone was drinking beer in a bright, sun-lit room, the speeches were touching and we got some funny snaps towards the end of the night :)

i've also been getting a lot of questions about what lenses i use to shoot with. for this shoot i used the 85mm f1.2 for the more atmospheric photos, and the 24-70mm f2.8 for the portraits with the 580ex mkii flash to pop in some light sometimes, especially towards the end of the day.

moxee magazine cover, summer 2011

2011-06-14T19:46:00.000+10:00

just thought i'd quickly share my excitement with all of you. the new edition of moxee magazine was released yesterday and i am on the cover!! with the beautiful tamika & makeup by olivia clee. inside there is also a lovely feature with some more of my pictures :)

you can check out the whole magazine here! and soon it is going to be available in print, so i will post photos of that once i have it in my hands!

flying a kite

2011-06-09T20:50:00.001+10:00

model: the beautiful andrea

we will be taking photos together soon, i can't wait to show you the amazing concepts we've been planning! finally i will have more time on my hands, free curve friday will start again as of tomorrow, there will be more tutorial posts (let me know what you want to learn from me!) and more picture posts.

quietness

2011-06-01T21:07:00.001+10:00

i know i've been quite quiet on my blog lately! its my last week of uni and i have been working hard trying to get all my work finished on time and stressing so much that this morning i woke up and couldn't move my neck, shoulders & arms. since then i've kind of been trying to take it easy, but its so hard to relax when there is so much to do! essays, final pieces of works, getting images ready to print, the list never ends.

friday will be my last day of that horrible little place though for this semester (just one semester to go after that and im finished forever!) and from there on out i have so many ideas for blog posts that i will make during my holidays!

there will be lots of photo stories i have been working on with some beautiful new faces, shoots for some amazing australian designers, free curve friday, and a few special tutorials here and there too. maybe even a tutorial on how to use curves to make up for my lack of curves uploaded here for the past couple of weeks!

until then, just a BIG hug and thank you to all the constant and new support i have been getting recently for my pictures - i am so appreciative of each and every single one of you for all the love. i will post some pictures soon to show you my love back!

so how have you all been?

busy? in love? running? taking pictures? screaming at the top of your lungs?

x

time waster

2011-05-27T21:52:00.000+10:00

model: tamika

mua: bec garozzo

washing day

beach access

2011-05-22T00:45:00.000+10:00

we only moved at the beginning of this year, but already the drive has become long, dark and weary. i want to catch trains again, listen to soft songs on my headphones, write my thoughts of fish tanks and dog collars down in my owl notebook and yellow envelopes and watch trees blur into lamp posts into powerlines and i will as of next week finally again.

i took these pictures long ago, and they remind me of something ending. rather fitting.

caitlin on the streets

2011-05-21T22:56:00.000+10:00

model: caitlin

makeup artist: lidija

black and whites are my favourite, im thinking of making a black and white series soon of something interesting.

kate & pete wedding

2011-05-18T21:43:00.000+10:00

last sunday i had the pleasure of shooting kate and pete's beautiful wedding day with the very talented matthew sacco of evoke images. it was my first time shooting with him, and i must say i think our style goes hand in hand from the wedding dress in the tree to the blurry night lights. the entire day was sun-soaked and fun, i loved shooting every moment of it - the sky couldn't be any more colours at once while we were taking pictures on the purple beach! kate and pete were also a beautiful couple, they couldn't wipe the smiles off their faces and were lots of fun to follow around with a camera all day! hehe.

have a look at matt's images here, i think they are amazing!

against me at the metro

2011-05-08T17:44:00.001+10:00

last night i had the pleasure to shoot against me playing a gig at the metro in sydney, australia for the au review. they were absolutely amazing.. and to my surprise i was the only photographer! i have no idea why, but i felt pretty special haha. after my three songs i quickly ran and left my camera bag in the cloakroom and joined dan and matt at the front of the mosh pit right in front of tom gabel for the rest of the gig. seriously one of the best shows i've been to in a lonnnnngg time!! i was so happy i was able to document the whole night.

this is the first support band that played, grand fatal:

off with their heads were next:

and against me with a killer set (possibly literally with the amount of people flying around the venue towards the end of the gig):

all my muscles are aching but i can't wait to see and shoot them again.

fin.

down by the river

2011-05-07T10:49:00.000+10:00

model: alexandrea sophie

night owl ii

2011-04-30T21:35:00.002+10:00

part ii
part i

this is the beautiful jess blain again with her crazy colourful tights & night owl eyes. we shot this on the rooftop parking somewhere in the city.

model: jessica b

makeup artist: jesika t

road tripping again to nowhere and back

2011-04-27T21:26:00.000+10:00

my sister holding my old pentax camera

strangers just outside the cave entrance

space

today, a random wednesday, the day after the long weekend when everyone is supposed to go back to work, we drove to the wombeyan caves where there is no reception and nothing but grass and roads as far as you can see. we left early morning, i was (and still am) sick and dreary, my head nothing but a daze of clouds.

the road after the highway to the caves was a little rickety one - nothing but rocks and the edge of the mountain. we couldn't see around bends and every car driving past made it feel like we going to be pushed down into the trees and nothingness below.

this week has been one of those weeks when i wake up and just want to take pictures of everything. i miss it so much, taking photos for the fun of it - just to document life so i never forget. today has been a breath of fresh air (even though i am finding it hard to breathe with this cold i seem to have woken up with), i think i needed to get far away from the world, life, city, everything.. im feeling so inspired right now. exhausted and inspired.

dark water

2011-04-25T14:11:00.000+10:00

my sister in colour.

back in summer when the water was warm and the sun disappeared long after we were tired.

desert rose campaign

2011-04-18T22:49:00.001+10:00

designer: suzi rose @ www.suzirose.com

models: teigan, kellie & lillian

makeup artist: lidija j

a couple of weeks ago i got to shoot for the very talented australian designer suzi rose. we shot her amazing new collection under burning sun & at the very tiring but oh so beautiful cronulla sand dunes.

shooting in raw or jpeg

2011-04-18T11:14:00.001+10:00

Firstly, when it comes to working in RAW or JPEG there is no wrong or right way to shoot, it is all up to you and the way you work. A few people have asked me why I shoot in RAW lately though, or what the difference is or if its just the same, so I thought I'd write up a short & sweet blog post telling you what I know.

Below is my test image. It is an overexposed photo of a cloudy sky shot in RAW. I then made a second copy, converting it to JPEG so I can edit both files exactly the same and see what happens.

I selected both the RAW and JPEG file and pulled down the exposure the exact same amount and that is all:

ORIGINAL

RAW

JPEG

After seeing the results, you can see there is a massive difference between RAW and JPEG, but whether or not you like to be able to fix images to this extent is up to you. Here is a very quick and simple overview of the two file types:

RAW images are larger files, but they contain a lot more information. This means, if you accidentally over or under expose a photo, there is more of a chance that you can correct it and save the photo. For example, if I had shot the above photo in JPEG, when I pull down the exposure to try and fix the image, all the information in the middle of the picture would be lost (all the white left in the middle of the photo).

The downside to shooting RAW is almost the same as the upside - the file size. You can shoot less photos while on a shoot unless you invest in a few more memory cards. It also takes up lots of storage space on your computer and external harddrives, and even more if you backup all your files.

JPEG files are a lot smaller, however contain a lot less information. As you can see in the image example above, I tried pulling down the expose to fix the image, but the JPEG file could not find the information it needed to do this.

While you can take countless photos in JPEG on a shoot, the downside is if you take a few amazing photos and they happen to be over or under exposed, there is a lot less a chance that you will be able to save them.

So there is my little two cents on shooting RAW and JPEG. I always shoot in raw because I just like the comfort in knowing that I can have the most possible control over my images, and that if I do happen to take an amazing photo and it is slightly overexposed, I can bring down the settings and it won't have any JPEG compression damage.

I hope I haven't confused anyone too much! If anyone has any questions, I'd be more than happy to answer them.

enchanted

2011-04-16T13:40:00.000+10:00

last week i shot jessica beattie's latest bridal collection, she makes the most wonderful headpieces. you can see all the photos on her website: http://www.jessicabeattie.com.au/enchanted-collection.html

we had an amazing (and massive) team working their magic on everything:

art direction: jackie alcock

makeup artist: kristyan low

hair: shea mcquillian @ menage a trois hair

garments from wild orchid lingerie, boudoir intimates & adam dixon

models: sarina & jemma

headpieces: jessica beattie

here are some bio shots i took of miss jessica beattie herself

and the final photos:

i've worked in studios before when shooting for work and other things, but last week was the first time i've gotten to use a studio for my personal client work. i was so excited to be doing this! its so much fun experimenting with lighting in a studio. for these photos in particular though, we just wanted them to look very clean and well lit, so i couldn't play around too much. i'll definitely be using the studio again soon.

this morning

2011-04-15T17:04:00.001+10:00

model: caitlin

makeup aritst: lidija

*sneak peek from this morning*

forest tea party

2011-04-11T13:48:00.001+10:00

models: (in order) michelle, rosie & chantel

makeup artist: jeanna

clothing designer: mackenzie mode

headpiece designer: jessica beattie

this is a lookbook & editorial shoot i did quite a while ago for the amazing mackenzie mode. their dresses and so quirky and fun, they remind me of a mad hatter's tea party deep in the forest. there are many more photos to come from this shoot! i had to retouch a lot of photos already for the client, and now i am up to picking and editing my own. the next two will have more of chantel and rosie. the three models were completely love and easy to work with!

ps. i do realise i have posted some of these photos before, but that was a sneak peek & i wanted to post them up again with the rest of the series :)

night owl i

2011-04-08T16:39:00.001+10:00

model: jess blain

mua: jesika t

part i
part ii

tuscan sun

2011-04-08T00:57:00.000+10:00

tonight i am tired and procrastinating things that actually need to be done, so i am editing silly things to pretty pictures. this is the wonderful andrea! from my first shoot of this year.. seems so long ago now and its only april.

i have so many things to tell you all, everything big is happening at the moment and i don't even know where to start. they are all also big secrets so im going to have to shhh, and hopefully you will all be patient with me. anyway, i will leave you for now with promises that i have lots of pretty shoots with pretty people in the process of being edited and almost posted!

x

free curve friday: rose thorns one & two

2011-04-01T21:38:00.001+11:00

every friday i will post up new free photoshop curves. "rose thorns" is a set of two curves - use them alone and they subtly enhance your colour, one warm, one cold. use them together like in my example, and your images will be washed over with contrast and unvibrant-vibrancy (click the images for a larger example).

click here to download your free "rose thorns one" photoshop curve.

click here to download your free "rose thorns two" photoshop curve.

i will let it be a surprise for you to find out what they look like on their own.

enjoy these until next friday!

Prepping for a shoot

2011-03-30T10:23:00.001+11:00

I thought I'd write a quick blog post on what I do to get prepared before a photoshoot. Be it a fashion shoot, music shoot, family, wedding, anything!

The day before I:

* Double check I have the address/es of where I am shooting and I know how to get there - I print this information and put it straight into my camera bag the night before
* Double check I have contact numbers for everyone who is involved (I request this in the planning stages of the shoot and put them straight into my phone)
* Charge all my camera and flash batteries, clean all camera lenses, count to make sure I have all my memory cards
* If it is a particularly long shoot, I also make sure my macbook pro is completely charged
* Put at the door any props/extra things that I was planning to take to the shoot

The morning of the shoot I:

* Check my email for any last minute updates
* Check the weather to see if everything is a-okay!
* Format all my CF cards, put them straight back in my camera bag
* Pack all my equipment and double check that everything is there; including spare batteries, at least two lenses, battery charger and card reader for my laptop
* Pack everything in my car, triple checking in my head that I haven't forgotten anything (camera, two lenses, camera extras, laptop, card reader, props, etc, etc) while I'm putting it all in the boot
* To reassure myself I like to think that as long as I have at least one memory card, my camera with a full battery and one lens, I can shoot anything!

What I wear:

I personally am a dress-girl, you will almost always see me sporting a floral dress any time and weather of the year. When you go to a shoot, you want to wear something you are comfortable in, something you can move in and preferably something with pockets to put memory cards and lens caps. As for shoes, I always wear flats or flat boots - just because they are comfortable and thinking about being in pain is the last thing I want to do when I'm taking photos. Even when I'm shooting a wedding I wear pretty flats, they still look good plus they are way more comfortable than heels.

Hopefully you found this all just a little bit helpful! This is what I pretty much go by every time I have a shoot, it may not work so much for you because we all have our own way to get ready, but hopefully (if anything) it will give you some ideas!