Living Lens Journal

MELBOURNE WEDDING: JASON & HUYEN // Treasured Moments

Peter — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 04:05:26 +0000

Welcome to 2012 everyone!

You may remember just before Christmas we shared Jason and Huyen’s Love Story, so we thought what better way to kick of the year than with The Story of Jason & Huyen – Part 2!

It was Jason who contacted me early last year about being part of their wedding. Being a graphic designer by trade, we immediately hit it off and it was a great experience for me to be able to work so collaboratively with both him and Huyen in the lead up to their big day. Creativity is an important part of their lives and they wanted this to be represented in their wedding. From the big things like Jason designing their beautiful wedding invitations, to the little details like Huyen and her bridesmaide spending the morning of the wedding tying a ribbon onto each one of their guest gifts, Huyen and Jason took care to make this day beautiful and meaningful to both them and their guests. And they couldn’t have picked a better team of creatives to help make their vision come to life, so a special shout out must go to Nat from Nattnee Photography who came down from Sydney to do their photography and Joanie from One Wedding Wish who styling their wedding which included a beautiful garden themed drinks station (make sure you click on their links to see images from the day!)

And to Jason & Huyen, thank you for including me in this chapter of your story together.

~ Peter

Wedding Video: Living Lens // Wedding Photography: Nattnee Photography // Wedding Sylist: One Wedding Wish

Celebrant: Maree Livy // Wedding Ceremony: Como House // Wedding Reception: Bram Leigh

YEPPOON WEDDING: SARAH & JEREMY // Take Care Of My Baby

Peter — Sun, 25 Dec 2011 02:30:24 +0000

We wish all our couples and our readers a very Happy Christmas, and give you this gift to share – Sarah & Jeremy’s short film. This year has been amazing, our first full year in Yeppoon we have been able to witness so many love stories unfold in front of us and in so many different places around Australia, it is definately a time to reflect and realise how blessed we are.

Today is about spending time with family and the wonderful thing with marriage is that every couple now is now part of a bigger family, so to all our newly wed couples, we hope you are enjoying your first christmas together as husband and wife! And take a moment step back and look around seeing all the relatives sharing this one day full of joy, its easy to see what family is all about.

Sarah and Jeremy, we hope you have a chance sit together and watch your wedding short film and it brings you even more joy on this special day.

Merry Christmas Everyone!

~ Peter & Emily

MELBOURNE LOVE STORY: JASON & HUYEN // The Story Of Us

Peter — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 01:57:25 +0000

Today I am excited to present something a little different. During my initial chat with Jason and Huyen, they told me the story of how they met and I immediately knew this would make an awesome short film and luckily they did too! The original story was awesome, but of course we had to construct into a story that would be based on the real events and work as a short film (bit hard to fit 3 years of story into 5 minutes of film!) so the challange was on. Jason got really onto it, sending me pictures of his ideas and props for the shoot and after many emails back and forth, the script was final script locked down. So now it was just up to me to show up, give them direction and get the shots!

The pre-wedding film was a little unconventional in that we shot this after their wedding day. We had only allocated one day to shoot but typical Melbourne weather put a dent in those plans, so we had to just break it up across two days. Both of Jason and Huyen were such troopers considering they had just had their full on wedding day and then the long hours for our love story shoot, I am sure they must have been pretty exhausted by the time they started their honeymoon!

I have to give a huge shout out to my friend Fabian who co-owns The Little Veggie Patch Co in Prahran. Fabian and his business parnter Mat basically saved our butt when one of the locations was no go, so with a quick change to the script , we got to shoot in their amazing shop. If you are thinking of growing your own fruit and vegetables, check them out online where they offer all sorts of things to help you get going, or drop in their store to pick up a copy of their fabulous book! Thanks again Fab & Mat!

I won’t say too much more as we still have Jason and Huyen’s wedding film to share early in the next year, so hope you enjoy our little short film.

- Peter

PS. Make sure you select HD and watch full screen for the full cinematic experience!

MELBOURNE WEDDING: JENNIFER & CHI LYE // The Rhythm of Love

Peter — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 06:25:20 +0000

Jennifer and Chi Lye have an enthusiasm that is evident in every facet of their life and when they do something, they tackle it with passion and dedication. Jennifer has a passionate love for horses. Chi Lye is dedicated to his mountain bikes. Both have committed to the study and practise of medicine and of course, they are equally passionate and devoted to each other. It is, therefore natural that they took on their wedding planning with the same enthusiasm and gusto – as the abundance of pink bows will attest!

The title of this post is in reference to a beautiful poem that Jennifer and Chi Lye included in their wedding vows. It speaks of the delicate nuances couples need to be able to read in the dance of marriage. Jennifer and Chi Lye, congratulations on your marriage and may you always dance together in the rhythm of love.

~ Peter

Wedding Video: Living Lens // Wedding Venue: Emu Bottom Homestead // Celebrant: Leigh Martin

PALM COVE WEDDING: JOE & ANGELA // Love Is A Verb

Peter — Sat, 26 Nov 2011 03:53:46 +0000

We often talk about weddings being more than one day of celebration, about how they are the beginning of a new era, a new joining link on the family tree. Family life in the twenty-first century is a lot different to the way it was at the beginning of last century. A hundred years ago people lived in smaller communities where it was normal for three generations living under the same roof and even when children moved out, it was only to the house next door, or one just down the street. These day children move out to the estate across town or into the city, and life is taken up with work and travel and general busyness, so it is not unusual for families to be strangers to one another until they meet on the wedding day. Not so for Coluccio and Brittliff families!

Instead of a full on wedding day in their home town of Sydney, Joe and Angela chose to invite their family and friends for a week long holiday with them in Palm Cove, north of Cairns. It was a chance them to take some time, to relax in the sun and get to know each other. And at the end of the week they all came together to celebrate the wedding of Angela and Joe as one big family. So now the Coluccio and Brittliff families are not just joined in the links of their family tree, they are family in the real life sense of the word as well.

Congratulations Joe and Angela, it was wonderful to be included in your family celebrations!

~ Peter

Wedding Video: Living Lens // Wedding Photography: Jeremy from Between Us Photography
Ceremony Venue: Angsana Chapel // Reception Venue: Vivo Bar & Grill

EMU PARK WEDDING: TENILLE & SHANNON // Perfect Moments

Peter — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 03:50:28 +0000

When I think back to the first time I spoke to Tenille, I remember the distinctive description she made about Shannon was how romantic he was, how he has always done little suprises for her and that he was a real gentlemen. What really top it off was the story of his amazing proposal, which even made the local papers! He had booked a chartered flight for the two of them and had the plane to fly past a huge paddock where he had made a huge love heart, with the words “Tenille will you marry me?” in calico letters.

Tenille and Shannon’s wedding day was no different – full of romantic gestures and special touches that made it such an intimate and beautiful celebration of the special connection these two had. Shannon had put a lot of thought into making sure their wedding day was filled with perfect moments, every one letting Tenille know how much he loved her. And at their ceremony of the cliff at Rita Mata, Tenille’s vows showed Shannon and everyone present, just how much he was loved in return.

Tenille and Shannon, may your marriage be a long and happy one, and may your wedding highlight remind you of a day filled with perfect moments.

~ Peter

Wedding Video: Living Lens // Wedding Photography: Blink Photography // Wedding venue : Rita Mata, Emu Park
Flowers: Wilsons Roses // Bride Preparations Venue: Echelon Apartments// Groom Preparations Venue: Villa Mar Colina

YEPPOON WEDDING: ANGELA & LUKE // Rocking Good Time

Peter — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 04:38:00 +0000

Weddings are about more than the traditional elements of the white wedding dress, black suit, floral bouqets or of walking down the aisle, cutting the cake and dancing your first dance. Many, if not all of these elements play a part in every wedding we shoot, but its the individual touches which turn ‘a wedding’ into an intimate celebration that is a true reflection of the bride and groom. Angela and Luke’s was one such wedding.

Luke love of his Commodore is so strong, it was even incorpated into his marriage vows! Given this, it is no suprise that Luke and his groomsmen spending the morning of his wedding day with the pedal to the metal on the gokart track at Kenrose Park. Angela, on the other hand, used her vows to give Luke a heads up on what to expect in their married life together, which caused much amusement for the gathered guests! And to top the night off, they had an illuminated dancefloor which really set the party mood and Angela and her guests danced the night away!

~ Emily

Wedding Video: Living Lens // Wedding Photography: Ricky England Photography // Wedding venue : Mecure Capricorn Resort Yeppoon

Make up: Suny from Belles & Whistles // Hair: Wavelengths for Hair // Gokarts: Kenrose Park, Rockhampton

MARGARET RIVER: LIZZY & ERIC // Always at Arm’s Length

Peter — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 04:50:09 +0000

It’s amazing how the internet connects the world. When we moved to Central Queensland, we thought we were leaving all our interstate couples behind – instead we have been back to Melbourne to TEN times to shoot weddings in the past year, not to mention traveling to weddings in Palm Cove, Byron Bay and now Western Australia! Being able to reach across Australia to find awesome couples is so amazing to us and we are so grateful to be able to live in this beautiful paradise and still be able to travel and do the work we love.

The internet was a godsend to Lizzy and Eric when planning their wedding – they had spent many years studying in Perth, but Lizzy was trying to organise their special day from home in Indonesia. As fate (or Google!) would have it, Lizzy stumbled across our website and contacted us about covering her wedding in Western Australia. So in August I made the journey across the country to be part of Lizzy and Eric’s wedding in the beautiful Margaret River region south of Perth. Their day was a wonderful, relaxed family affair with a great mix of eastern and western wedding traditions and the Laurence Wines provided so many amazingly locations as the backdrop to the start of their marriage.

Congratulations Lizzy & Eric, thank you for choosing me to tell the story of your day.

~ Peter

Wedding Video: Living Lens // Wedding Venue: Laurance Wines of Margaret River
Wedding Photography: Kirsty Clark, ENVY Photography, assisted by Mike & Kylie, Pixel Magix

ROCKHAMPTON WEDDING: SARAH & STEVEN // With All My Heart

Peter — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 02:31:11 +0000

For some couples, their wedding day is the beginning of a new chapter in their story, the start of a journey in which their lives will be forever entwined. But for Sarah and Steve, they had already cemented their committment to each other when they bought their beautiful daugters Mia and Maddy into this world. They had already bought a house and started a family, so their wedding became more about a celebration of how far they had come and a chance to share their happiness and the stregth of their relationship with all those who were important to them. It was also a great reason to have an awesome party!

Sarah and Steve pulled out all the stops for their wedding at Rosslyn Bay Resort, with the bride arriving to their beach ceremony in a state of the art limousine and the groom arriving in a procession of trucks. We also had the pleasure of working along side amazing wedding photographer Marcus Bell of Studio Impressions, who worked his magic around Keppel Bay Marina.

~ Emily

Wedding Video: Living Lens // Wedding Photography: Studio Impressions // Wedding Venue: Rosslyn Bay Resort

BRISBANE PROMO VIDEO: LITTLE POSERS // Newborn Photography

Peter — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 04:04:39 +0000

Filming weddings has introduced us to some amazing people. Not only do we get to celebrate each wedding with a wonderful couple and their family and friends, we often get to spend the day with some great photographers too. Last year we had the pleasure of working with Lana Bell while filming Shelia & James’ wedding in Melbourne. And while Lana takes beautiful wedding photos, her true passion is in newborn photography and you just have to look at her website Little Posers to see she has the skills to match.

So you can image I was very excited when Lana asked me to film her first instructional video. I flew down to Brisbane for a few days last month and got to experience Lana’s passion and skill first hand as she went through the basics of newborn photography for the video. It was a great experience – and who knew newborn babies were so small!!

Check out the teaser ad created for the instructional video below. If you are interested in newborn photography, then I highly recommend you check out Newborn Photography: The Basics. | A Newborn Posing Guide for Photographers available through Lana’s website.

~ Pete