Sydney Wedding - 21/11/09

Hi ya'll, 


So I tagged along with Dexter and his brother from Elusive Photography to see what it was like to be a wedding photographer. It started at 8:30am, i walked out the door and realised that i had left my camera on my table and was carrying a full bag of lenses, flash, food and no camera. good start. 

Anyways, the day started at the bride's apartment where it was already packed with relatives and 'sisters' who was getting the bride ready. Next came the games that the boys had to play to gain entry up to the apartment consisting of the groom having to dress up as a pink fairy and screaming 'i love you' from the ground. Needless to say, it drew a crowd. A few pictures captured tea ceremonies at both bride and groom's places and me experimenting on how to do close up of peonies on the staircase. 

The ceremony was at a lovely church out at waverly where it had lovely large murals and interesting statues lining the ceiling. They had 2 sets of adorable page boys and flower girls with a lot of fussing parents in between. The couple opted for a full mass which was nice, but some of the kids were worn out by the heat. 

We then went to Botanic Gardens to get some shots of the couple, funnily enough Harbour Life was on at the same day so we attracted some attention from passer-byers. Still trying to learn how to NOT get other ppl in the background of my shots. I guess i just need to move more. My feet were at this point in pain - supersoft shoes are not that super soft. 

On to the reception at Sheraton on the Park with a nice quartet playing and a pretty fluid order of activities. Highlight for me was when they played games during the night and watching the little kids on the dance floor wreaking havoc. 

So for my first wedding experience as a non guest taking photos it was quite interesting, I learnt a lot about lighting, composition, settings and generally what skills you need to be a wedding photographer. it was quite a lot to take in one day, but i am glad i survived. thanks again to the boys at Elusive Photographyfor letting me tag along!

Hope you enjoy the photos!
 

that's all folks! let me know what you guys think!

First Wedding as a tag along photographer

Sydney Wedding: Botanic Gardens Photo Session (7), originally uploaded by mindy_w.

More photos to come...but this is one of my faves.

But boy was it a hot stinking day!

mw

Getting to know you...

50mm-Lens, originally uploaded by mindy_w.

Hi all,

It is currently 1:22AM, and i am post processing and blogging. I have been slack with post processing and did an awful job with marissa's basketball game photos which i will be posting up tomorrow.

Anyways, my lovely bf bought me some goodies from HK awhile ago - a sample shown in these photos. He got me a 50mm f/1.4 lens and a nifty flash and some other stuff.

These are the first few shots I took with my new gear. Today I played around with the SB900 flash - man so many terms and different settings. Who knew a flash could have so many things going on...

I am a bit sad that we didn't make it to Sculptures by the Sea today. we drove around and around looking for a park but alas, to no avail. Instead we bought 12 bottles of wine.

Anyways, will be posting marissa's basketball finals and also my trip with minty to NOOSA, a few funny photos to see.

Hope your weekend was well.

mw

Check it out

Sydney - Iron Cove Bridge (1), originally uploaded by mindy_w.

More shots from my Bay Run walk later!

Going out for chicken @ Granville! Exciting!

mw

Sun shining = happier people

Sydney - The Rocks (2), originally uploaded by mindy_w.

i have often wondered if there is a direct correlation between weather and mood. of course when i googled this, there has been a study on it - thank god it had a summary blurb. the summary is, depending on how sensitive you are to weather. i could have told you that!

Another interesting thing is that i found out that there is a medical disorder about this 'Seasonal Affective Disorder' aka SAD (how coincidental) it is a type of depression that affects a person during the same season, it affects women more than men. interesting!!

anyways, this is a photo i took out at the rocks. not sure if i like it. what do you guys think?

Here are other sunny photos:

sun setting across anzac bridge - i was not driving!

sun shining out at the skate park at olympic park. pretty cool skate park actually.

i do like this sun flare shot out at woolwich! you can just spot someone at the top of the stairs.

in other news, one of my photos got short listed for a work competition today! how excitement! i dont' think i will win though. and no, it was not this photo.

mw

My foray into textures

2009-06-28_0351---antique-multiply, originally uploaded by mindy_w.

Hi All,

It's currently 2am. i am not asleep because i am blogging. i might be obsessed. but i might be still adjusting to the daylight saving. anyways, id like to share with you my thoughts on textures.

I had no idea what textures were 3 days ago, but i found out from reading different websites and even looking at the flickr group about textures (flickr website). The concept is quite easy, you take your photo and then you place on top of your photo a 'texture' and then you blend the texture into the photo. In the above photo, i used an 'antique' looking texture and then used the blending mode of 'multiply' in Photoshop Elements.

Here are some other examples i have done using different textures

Here i have used a letter type texture, a light texture and a heart texture. Which one looks best? 

Here is one that i did on a nice looking daisy - i used a metallic/rustic type texture and overlayed using 'colour burn' in photoshop elements. 

Here is one that i have blogged previously, but i overlayed it with a golden rustic texture to bring out the urban feel and i think it looks more afternoon-y 

 

Last one, this was at the wall cafe in surry hills. I used two textures, one was a thick lined paper and the other was a coffee stained paper and i overlayed it with multiply i believe in photoshop. 


Anyways, I am getting to the point now where I am blog stalking a lot of photoblogs - i think the number is getting up to 70. There are a lot of talented people out there, mainly in the US. I think its because they have more probability of talent due to sheer numbers.

Just a thought - anyways, enjoy the weekend all!

mw

Wheels keep on turning...

Sydney - Wharf Area (3), originally uploaded by mindy_w.

So loosely am i connecting the above picture with the subject of the post. I was so psyched to get cable broadband installed at my place today - giggling like a school girl psyched. when did i get so addicted to the internet? it offers so many different things
- ability to download tv shows that air in america to get it 'first' in australia - i am loving vampire diaries btw.
- ability to read interesting world news - i love the website http://www.foreignpolicy.com/ AND how i found it was through google's fun website http://fastflip.googlelabs.com/. This totally satisifies the people of x and y generations, that like to 'flip' or 'channel change' within 3 seconds if it does not hold their fancy.
- ability to learn different things, everyone is so willing to share information. i have learnt so much and am always surprised at people's ability to be so open about things on the internet. i guess it still feels like you are anonymous
- ability to keep in touch - as sad as it sounds but i am thankful for twitter and facebook - without these mediums i would not know what my friends are doing. sad, but true.

i believe i am using dashes too much.

anyways, this was taken at the Rocks near the Sydney Dance Company. I will be experimenting with photoshop next couple of days and delving in the world of photoshop 'actions' - excitement plus!

happy long weekend readers!

mw

Kids

Sydney - The Rocks (4), originally uploaded by mindy_w.

I've never been a maternal person, often i find kids annoying with the crying and incessant attention seeking. lately, i have been finding them much cuter and endearing.

Like this kid, this cute little girl was running around with her pink sandels and white nappy (well, semi white) and a yellow balloon. she was as happy as could be without a care in the world. she was just having fun with her other relatives and enjoying the sunshine on a beautiful sydney weekend.

we often talk about losing innocence, and i guess its refreshing to see innocence in its purest form.

heres other kids i snapped

bye!
mw

Stairway to .... possibilities

Sydney - Wharf Area (4), originally uploaded by mindy_w.

The thing about stairs is that they start somewhere and they generally lead you to a destination. They are used as a mechanism to deliver you to an end point. So much we concentrate about the destination, but not on the journey.

The picture is framed in a way that does not cap where the stairway ends, it could continue in a different direction, it could stop.

i need to constantly remind myself that in life, it is the journey that matters and to enjoy the view throughout. It's not about constantly climbing the proverbial 'ladder' - sorry mixed metaphors - don't you hate that? It's about learning, experiencing and being fulfilled by the things that happen to you during.

Photo Details
This was taken around the Rocks, where Sydney Dance Company is and Wharf 8. It was a really nice crisp day with not many people around. This is an HDR using Photo Matix and Photoshop Elements 7.0

mw

Lovers Lane

Sydney - The Rocks (1), originally uploaded by mindy_w.

Not sure if it was lovers lane, but i like to think so. Sometimes when you see something, it doesn't actually seem like much. More and more, i find that photos only mean something when you associate it with a feeling, a moment or what you thought was happening at that time.

For me, these set of stairs were so normal, sure it had a bit of artwork on the side of a strange little man. But what made this memorable for me that day was a young couple slowly making their way up the stairs. holding their hands tightly enclosed in one anothers, whispering and giggling like they were in their own little word. They stopped, gazed at each and then they stole a kiss and didn't care that they were in public. it was nice.

and no, i am not a voyeur. much.

mw

Time, your furry friend

Sydney - Hyde Park (1), originally uploaded by mindy_w.

There is a fantastic documentary series called 'about women' and 'about men' and it a really interesting look at the two genders and how the different genders deal with age and its v. strange to see how we react differently to the same situation.

Throughout the 'about women' documentary, it looked at the different phases of growing up as a woman and the running theme was confidence. When you were young, you were over-flowing with confidence because you were oblivious to everything else; all you knew was fun and the next adventure. In the growing up years, you were so scard and worried about every one else's opinion, your insecurity comes out and you struggle to find your way. In your college or university days, you start not caring what other people think, but i think its not something that women can get rid of. We can't help but over-analyse and react to the situation at hand by banding with our other girlfriends and dissecting in detail what you should do next.

About Men, the documentary i saw concentrated on men in their later stages of their life. It followed men with their wives in retirement homes or men who had lost their spouse. It's so interesting that men find it harder to make friends or maintain friendships when they're older so they find it harder when they lose their spouse compared to women. It goes towards my thought that men are emotionally stunted in comparison to women. it makes me sad for them that they don't have a support network...

Anyways, this man pictured is always at Hyde Park watching the people play on the Giant Chessboard. I think he is somewhat of a genius when it comes to chess - well it gave me that impression.

The thing i like about photography apart from its a bit stalkery, it capures a moment and you wonder about the subject of the photo, what his life was about, what he's doing, what makes him come to the same place every day....i like to wonder.

back to listening to the australian idols massacre the top 10 songs. did you hear how they massacred the GLEE theme song?

seeya!

mw

What comes around...

Sydney - Paddington (6), originally uploaded by mindy_w.

First thing is first, i went to the gym yesterday and i brought one sock with me. fantastic. i decided to not wear any socks, as wearing one sock would have felt a bit weird.

Second thing is, i've been watching the channel GO (channel 9's HD version), it's pretty good. It has re-runs of good shows like Seinfeld and mediocre shows like The Nanny and then bizarre shows like 2 hours of the Jetsons.

What is funny is that they have a Sunday mid morning episodes of Charlie's Angels and Starsky and Hutch. I, not being of that generation only know of these as movies with famous Hollywood actors of this time; so it is interesting watching where it all started off.

Anyways, this photo was taken at William St in Paddington. I am not sure if the graffati man is suppose to be Bosley...or is it the owner of the convenience store?

Hope everyone has a toasty time in ol Sydney town this weekend!

mw

Sailing Away!

Anzac Bridge at Dusk, originally uploaded by mindy_w.

Hello,

I will be sailing away in October. Well, sail or fly - the main thing is i'm out for a quick break! Well I just applied for leave, but hopefully it'll be approved. I'm going up to Noosa - well that's tentative too, but luckily Minh has done all the research including interesting things to do! including Australia Zoo! ohh, bindy irwin!

Anyways, this shot was taken at dusk in winter on the blackwattle bay side of the Anzac Bridge. I did the post processing by updating the tint to have more of a pinkish hue and i also updated the saturation to bring out more of the colours.

Happy Thursday! May your late night shopping be fruitful!

mw

Sometimes, you need to drink...

Shots on a Friday Night, originally uploaded by mindy_w.

Hello,

If you have not noted by now, i am a whiner. i am incapable of action. i am all talk and no action etc etc. i understand this about myself, it stems from my chronic laziness. Something i aim every year to address.

I need a drink. work causes this reaction in me. i was re-watching 'The Matrix - Reloaded' and there was a whole spiel about 'causality' and how things only happen when there is a cause, a why...i.e. cause and effect.

Cause: Too Much Work, Not Enough Time
Effect: Unhappy and Stressed workers = Drinking or Quitting.

What do you think?

Anyways, this shot was taken down @ GPO at a friends birthday. This is THE moment where it goes down the hatchett and you let loose on a Friday night.....i can just imagine it now.

mw

SURPRISE! Streamer Style

Fight with streamers, originally uploaded by mindy_w.

Check out that alliteration!

So, it was my sisters SURPRISE birthday party last week! i won't reveal her age, but its a milestone! Anyways, her friends had arranged a surprise birthday party at Rozelle at a pub called Three Weeds {fantastic venue btw, highly recommend the atmosphere, food and choice of drinks - although parking is difficult in the area}.

I think she was surprised in the end and the organisers had done a fantastic job with co-ordinating the surprise as well as the awesome trivia afterwards. i love trivia. especially when my team wins.

Anyways, enjoy some of my favourite photos of the night!

 

Homeward Bound

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mindy_w/3830103164/, originally uploaded by mindy_w.

You know, I enjoy living close to the city. Just yesterday, we had my sister's surprise birthday party (which I might add, we killed trivia and the family team won!! YES!!. [Happy Birthday Marissa] I drove my friends home as they live close to the city and then I drove myself home. So convenient, round trip was 20 minutes.

I really like driving through the city, it gives me a chance to look aroudn and see what's happening - whats the latest trends, where everyone's going etc. Although, it makes me feel like an old foggie when I'm driving home and everyone is out partying. But i feel comfortable that at this stage of my life, that i enjoy going home. I don't need to go out clubbing or drinking til the wee hours of the morning. I guess, that's not really how i roll.

Anyways, this shot was taken at dusk. Not a great idea to be driving and trying to operate a DSLR...hence the shakiness. I like the colours of this shot, its a bit of the gradient in the way the sky displays. This is another example of a HDR.

Anzac Bridge is great though, always interesting what billboards are up on those giant pillars. Beautiful view from Anzac Bridge, i must remember to walk that sometime.

Anyways, hope everyone has a beautiful weekend.

mw

My First HDR

Sydney - Rushcutters Bay (5), originally uploaded by mindy_w.

Hello,

This is my first HDR - High Definition Range.

I used PhotoMatrix to create this image, what you need to do is actually take the same shot 3 times but at different exposures. One should be very dark, second should be neutral and the last one should be very light. This is to get the greatest variety of colours. Some people do more than 3 shots, so you can choose how many you do.

What i also find useful is to use to the bracketing functionality that comes with most SLR's that takes multiple shots at different exposures based on your settings.

The post processing work is quite a labourious task, Photo Matrix is a v. intuitive program to use but here is my take on it:

1. Select 'Generate HDR' and select the bracketed photos that you wish to combine to make your HDR
2. When aligning your source images, you need to select carefully. Sometimes aligning based on horizontal and vertical shifts is not the best if its a moving target or you have not taken it with a tripod.
3. Have a play around with the 'Detail Enhancer' settings, the slider bar is useful to see the effect it creates. Settings will depend on what type of photo it is
4. Don't forget to go to the Tone Mapping tab and update the settings
5. Once you select 'Process' it combines the Tone Mapping settings and the Details Enhancer settings

Anyways, this was a beautiful dusk day at Rushcutters Bay. Thanks to my friends Lowell & Nelisa for being the models at the end of the bridge.

l8s
mw

Hello SOP!

Sydney Olympic Park (5), originally uploaded by mindy_w.

Good thing about working out in whoop whoop ( no offence Sydney Olympic Park ) is that you can walk around and take photos during lunch time and no body will think you are weird.

Another good thing is that there are usually things going on like the Gardening Show and the on-going PINK concerts that keep things interesting.

The poles in front of ANZ Stadium are quite cool, that have writing on them so they tell you stories and they also have interesting patterns and don't be scared - they have voice recordings telling you stuff. stuff i didn't listen to. But anyways, they also have a listing of athletes by alphabetical order which is nice. so many talented people in the world!

Anyways, tomorrow i think i will post about HDR's and how i have been using them and how it still doesn't look as good as the ones i have seen in flickr.

Time to box.

mw

Perry Lane Cafe

Sydney - Perry Lane Cafe (2), originally uploaded by mindy_w.

Good Night,

Its strange to start a blog with 'good night' but it makes sense that we should be able to start with 'good night' similar to 'good morning' and 'good afternoon' - why do we associate night with end? what about vampires - what about them you say? meh.

Anyways, i like this photo because it displays the cool background of other photos. This was taken at Perry Lane Cafe in Paddington - taking a mid afternoon break on the Saturday for sustenance after a morning of bridal dress shopping for the sister pictured in the photo.

As i recall the waiter say that he reminded me of a friend he has in London. What do you say to something like that ...ok? Does that mean i'm getting a discount.? perhaps not.

That's all i have to say. Hope all is swell.

mw

Sunshine and Happiness

Sydney - Woolich (7), originally uploaded by mindy_w.

Hello ,

Sometimes in life, you need to look at the brighter side of things. You need to remember that there is still fun in the mundane parts of life. You need to think to yourself, self - theres an empty field - let's do star jumps.

Man, Simon can jump high can't he? Lucky i was not the subject of this photo as i cannot jump v. high at all. Nor am i that awesome at leg spreads.

This photo was taken at Woolwich - i have spelt it wrong in flickr. apologies woolwichians (if thats a word). Woolwich is a really nice area in Sydney - but has awful public transport.

Hope everyone is having a lovely hump day.

Regards,
Mindy