Ronsley and Rochelle's Wedding

It was Wed 13.02.2013 and the alarm sounded off at the crack of dawn. Usually this means one of two things: 1) An early start to measure up the men who are volunteering for my PhD project or 2) a sunrise photography session. This day it was neither. I was off to Brisbane to celebrate (and photograph) the wedding of Ronsley and Rochelle Vaz. 

Ronsley is a cousin of mine...although it's one of those "my-mother-is-first-cousins-with-your-grandfather-so-technically-we're-related-but-it's-a-stretch" type relationships. But in actual fact, Ronsley is like a brother and son in our family. So naturally, I was delighted when he invited me to his wedding...even though it was mid week (still confused about why haha...). 

I was booked on the first flight out of Newcastle - 6am. Well it was supposed to be 6am, but the ground staff detected some damage on the body of the aircraft. Two hours of later we finally took off. Jetstar fail...but at least we know they take aircraft safety seriously. 

I arrived in Brisbane and was greeted by Ronsley and his father (Uncle Ricardo). We drove back to the house where we were to relax for a few hours before the ceremony. Ronsley and Rochelle decided not to stick to the custom of separating the bride and groom before the ceremony. I thought this was a brilliant move. Ronsley and Rochelle got to spend the day with their family in the peace and quiet of their home before all the formalities and hectic nature of the wedding day began. This also presented me with the unique opportunity to capture photos of both Rochelle and Ronsley prior to the wedding ceremony.

The time arrived to leave and we headed into the marriage registry for the ceremony. Many of Ronsley and Rochelle's friends were able to attend, which made the occasion really special. Unfortunately Rochelle's family (who live in Goa, India) could not make the wedding here in Australia. In a beautiful gesture of welcome, Matt Kelly (Ronsley's brother in-law), offered to walk Rochelle down the aisle. A truly special moment in my eyes.

After the ceremony I had the opportunity to photograph Ronsley and Rochelle with their family. Ronsley and Rochelle were a great couple to photograph and we had great fun creating these memories. I barely had to coach these two in terms of postures and poses, these two just naturally did it. They talked, laughed, kissed, cuddled and smiled. They did all the hard work and I just clicked away. 

The reception was held at Ronsley's restuarant Goa-Doodle-Do, a Goan-Portuguese fusion restaurant and bar. Ronsley closed the restaurant for the night and his staff put on a feast fit for kings, including several jugs of Sangria to enhance the celebrations. Ronsley and Rochelle also made the cake themselves and they did a fantastic job.

I hope you have enjoyed this viewing these images as much as I have enjoyed creating them.

I wish Ronsley and Rochelle all the best for their future together. I'm so glad that I was able to share their special day with them.

Cheers
Roy

Afternoon Delight - Redhead Beach

Twenty Thirteen has already been a big year of photography (and we're only 2 months in). I recently set up my own photography business (Elroy Aguiar Photography) and have already completed a few jobs (WINNING), despite not having advertised at all. It seems that word of mouth is a great advertising tool. I also purchased a new camera (Canon 5D mkII), which quite frankly kicks butt! The new camera is a significant upgrade from my Canon 50D. However, the upgrade meant that I had to buy a few new lenses to suit the full frame sensor (what a shame).

Whilst I have used the 5D mk II for a few business jobs, I haven't had much of a chance to get out and test it during a landscape session. Finally I had a free afternoon on my calender and the weather decided to play nice. After viewing Kane's recent blog post featuring Redhead beach, I decided that I needed to return to this favourite spot of ours. Once again this location produced superb conditions and great light.

My objective for the session was to capture the water in motion and the golden light of the setting sun. I think that the following set of images has achieved this. In fact, I'm extremely happy with how they all turned out.

What do you think about these images? If you had to pick a favourite, which one would you choose?

Water In Motion - Redhead Beach, NSW

Out of the Shadows - Redhead Beach, NSW

Swirls - Redhead Beach, NSW

The Iconic Shark Tower - Redhead Beach, NSW

A mixed bag

Over the past few weeks I've done quite a bit of photography (which has been awesome), but I've had precious little time to edit them. I recently had the chance to sit down and have a decent crack at the images. Here's what I created.

The first set of images was captured at The Bogey Hole, Newcastle, NSW. It was an extra special photography session since I had my little cousin Christopher with me, who was visiting from England for Christmas. Christopher had his own high-end Sony point and shoot camera, so I dragged him out of bed for the sunrise and taught him a few tricks of the trade.

The Bogey Hole, Newcastle, NSW

Behind the scenes with Christopher and Kane - The Bogey Hole, Newcastle, NSW

Behind the scenes with Christopher - The Bogey Hole, Newcastle, NSW

Over the week that Christopher spent with us, he became quite the avid photographer. Here is a little project shoot that we set up in the lounge room to master the skill of depth of field. I liked the shot so much that I decided to edit it and include it in my photography album.

Depth of field with a delicious bottle of Port

The next image is from Mt Tomaree, a spectacular location in Port Stephens (about 1 hr 15 from Newcastle). I've long wanted to capture the surrounding beauty from the top of the mountain, but never seemed to get there. Finally, the chance arose while giving a tour of Port Stephens to a Canadian intern (Erika) from work. I had in mind a panoramic shot, since the landscape is quite vast. Though I am still very much getting used to panoramas, I think this one turned out ok. While I like the composition, I think this shot would be greatly improved with some nicer clouds and some colour in the sky.

4 shot panorama of taken from Mt Tomaree, Port Stephens, NSW

Some of you might recall seeing my previous new years post featuring the Sydney fireworks. The following image was captured earlier that evening. This shot was a single image, cropped into a panoramic ratio. I just love the city lights and the boats swaying in the harbour. I think this one might need to be framed up!

New Years Eve on Darling Harbour, Sydney, NSW

And the last image in my mixed bag is a portrait shot of me with 'my precious' - a Canon EOS 5D Mark II, which I recently acquired (Merry Christmas to me!). This photo was captured by my partner  in photography crime Kane.

New Years Fireworks - Sydney Harbour

First entry for 2013 - New Years Fireworks from Sydney Harbour. What a spectacular display! A great way start the new year.

Kane, Cassie and I caught the early train from Newcastle to Sydney, to visit some friends (Simone and Nick), in Waverton (North Shore, Sydney). We arrived around 9.30am and relaxed for little while. At around 11.30am, we decided to investigate our vantage point for the evening firework display. A short 5 minute walk from their place and we were greeted with an uninterrupted view of Sydney Harbour Bridge - simply spectacular. We had a quick look around and picked out the prime real estate, a large and tall rock ('pride rock', as we called it). This really was the best seat in the house. Because it was so tall there was no possibility of anyone sneaking in front of us and obscuring our view. We decided to mark our territory with a rug and a chair (that we picked up from the side of the road...haha) and then proceeded to the pub for some lunch and cold beverages. Six hours later we returned and amazingly our territory had not been invaded. Brilliant we thought. We got to enjoy the afternoon, consuming beverages at the pub and avoiding the scorching sun. Meanwhile, a hoard of people had slogged it out through the hottest part of the afternoon...melanoma anyone?

Kane and I took up our positions while Cass, Simone and Nick returned to the house for food and drinks. We set up our cameras and tripods and sussed out the best composition. Before we knew it, the 9pm fireworks display erupted and the sounds of exploding fireworks echoed around the cove. Kane and I fired our shots away, capturing some great images. But these were just the warm up for the main event at 12pm.

New Years Fireworks - Sydney Harbour

New Years Fireworks - Sydney Harbour

The wait from 9pm-12pm went by a little more slowly as the early start began to take its toll.
But it was all worth the wait. Once again the fireworks boomed across the harbour and it was soon alight with all manner of shapes and colour. Since the camera was on a tripod, the composition locked in and the camera settings dialed in, all I had to do was look to the sky and click my remote shutter cable. Too easy.

New Years Fireworks - Sydney Harbour

New Years Fireworks - Sydney Harbour

New Years Fireworks - Sydney Harbour

Well that's all for the first blog entry for 2013. I think I can safely say that this was a trip well worth its while. Hopefully there will be many more successful photography outings to come.

Cheers
Roy

The Bogey Hole, Newcastle

Twenty Twelve has raced by! Over the past few months I've struggled to get out and do as much photography as I would have liked to. Fortunately, my mate Kane came back for a weekend in December, and this meant two things 1) a sunrise photography session, and 2) breakfast and coffee.

We decided to photograph a new location, the Bogey Hole, a historic Newcastle landmark. It was built in 1822 (likely by convicts, but I'm not 100% sure) for Major James Thomas Morrisset (Military Commandant), as a personal bathing pool. When I say built, what I really mean is that the bathing pool is actually a gigantic hole cut into the rock platform, a remarkable and impressive feat. Today the baths are a most likely shadow of their former self, but they retain a certain rustic charm.

I have visited the Bogey Hole before, but I've not had a chance to photograph it. Kane and I scouted the location on arrival. The tide was high and large waves were crashing into the rocks and washing over the rock platform. For the sake of our gear...I mean our safety, we decided to keep some distance from the waters edge. We selected our spot and started to set up. As I began to compose my shot, I was particularly drawn to the contours and lines of the rocks. I locked in my composition and waited in anticipation of the sunrise. Unfortunately there was quite a bit of cloud on the horizon and it blocked the sun as it breached the horizon. We waited patiently, hoping the sun would burst through the clouds. Indeed the moment came and we were finally rewarded with some colour in the sky and clouds.

Rock platform at the Bogey Hole, Newcastle

After capturing the first shot, we decided to change spots. We had the idea of trying to capture some motion blur in the water around the rocks. The following image is actually a composite of two shots taken a few seconds apart. The first image had a big splash as a wave crashed into the rocks in the background, and the other had a cool streaky pattern in the water as it washed over the rocks in the foreground. After a bit of Lightroom and Photoshop trickery I managed to blend the two imaged. This is what I came up with.

The Bogey Hole, Newcastle

This is definitely a spot I will be heading to again. There are a number of other compositions that I would like to try, pending the tide and waves. So stay tuned for more from the Bogey Hole.

Cheers
Roy

PS. I've cracked 2000 views. Who would have though?

Paradise on the central coast - Somersby Falls

It's amazing how you can live in one place for over 20 years and not realise that a piece of paradise is located merely an hour away. 

Somersby falls is located on the Central Coast, NSW. You can find it on google maps (Somersby Falls Picnic Ground). Somersby falls is made up of a top and bottom falls, which are located quite close to the picnic area. Both are easily accessible. For the more adventurous individual, from the bottom falls you can follow the river bed a little further downstream (5-10 min). There you will find a magnificent secret waterfall which you can actually walk behind. This place is seriously breathtaking!

When i visited Somersby Falls earlier this year (check out my previous blog post) I managed to capture a variety of shots. I was pretty stoked with what I managed to capture, but I knew there was still plenty more to discover.

On the 1st October, 2012, Kane, James and myself decided to make the trip. This time around we pretty much exclusively focused on the secret lower falls.

In this photo you can see a side on view of the falls. Notice the cave behind the falls, that's where all the magic happens.

Side on view of the waterfall. Lower falls, Somersby Falls, NSW

Front on view of the waterfall. Lower falls, Somersby Falls, NSW

This shot was taken from behind the waterfalls. Just magical. It was a little tricky to capture because it was so dark inside the cave. I decided to use a flash to get some light onto the roof of the cave. I then dialed back the exposure Lightroom to make it look more natural.

Behind the waterfall. Lower falls, Somersby Falls, NSW

And just to put it in to perspective, here is shot of the boys in action. I feel this shot gives a good indication of the size of the falls.

Kane and James snapping away. Lower falls, Somersby Falls, NSW

So there you have it, Somersby Falls, in all its glory. Needless to say, I will be back to this spot. I think it will be particularly good to target this place after a good week of rain to see if the volume and flow of the falls changes much. 

Who wants to join me?

Cheers

Elroy

Newcastle Ocean Baths and Canoe Pool

There's nothing worse than waking up at 4am for a sunrise and driving to a location to see a thick band of grey cloud smack bang on the horizon...ok maybe that's a bit of an exaggeration, but you get my drift. It can be a little disheartening to arrive with such great expectation and then to be disappointed by what nature has thrown up for the day.

Over the past few years since I started taking photography seriously as a hobby, I have come to appreciate that it's times like these that demand the creativity of photographer to make the best of a situation. Instead of saying "oh well the sunrise is a bit disapointing...lets go home and catch up on sleep", I now find myself saying "oh well the the sunrise is a bit disappointing, what else can i capture to make the best of the situation".

The following image is not exactly a breath-taking image. There are flaws in the colouration, foreground detail and harsh blown out highlights (probably among many other flaws). But nonetheless, it has grown on me. I think sometimes I am too critical of my own work. Anyway here I am, throwing it out to the web. What are your impressions of this image?

Newcastle Canoe Pool, NSW

And of course, I must acknowledge/feature my partner in photography crime Kane, basking in the morning glow.

The morning glow at Newcastle Ocean Baths, NSW

So to conclude - when nature just won't play nice on the day, think about what you can capture, rather than what you can't.

Cheers
Roy

Sunrise Delight at Coffs Harbour Jetty

Recently, I visited a friend of mine, Kane, in Coffs Harbour. Kane and I have for a long time shared a passion for photography. Indeed, he has featured in many of my blog entries, including as the silhouette of "The Photographer" in my first blog entry. The purpose of the trip to Coffs was to photograph a wedding with Kane (more on that in a later blog entry perhaps), but it was also just great to spend time with Kane and his girlfriend, Cass.

On the morning of the wedding, Kane and I decided to photograph the sunrise. I have struggled of late to find the motivation to wake up for a sunrise. What usually happens is that I hit snooze about 3 times, before eventually turning the alarm off (we've all been there, haha). Having a partner in crime really did make it that much easier to wake up. 

We rose at 5.30am, rugged up (it was fairly cold), gulped down an 'Up & Go" and a cup to tea, and then jumped into the car. We reached the jetty around 6am. We had to work quickly, as the best shooting conditions are generally 30 minutes before and 30 minutes after the sun has breached horizon, after that it's just too bright and the brilliant colours in the sky fade away. We both set up quickly and starting snapping away. We tried some shots on top of the jetty, but I wasn't entirely fussed with my attempts. Finally, we tried below the jetty. This is where the "WOW" moment happened. Every now and then, you see a raw (unedited) photo on camera and think "this is the one". After some editing (or cheating, as my brother describes it) in Adobe Lightroom 3 and Photoshop CS5, I was delighted (cue Hamish and Andy "delight") this is what I came up with. This ones definitely going on the wall and in the yearly photobook.

Sunrise at Coffs Harbour Jetty

Thanks for looking.
Cheers
Roy

Sam and Reshana's Wedding

On the 26th May, 2012, I was delighted to be able to photograph the wedding reception of my friends, Sam and Reshana. 

When Reshana asked me, I was a little apprehensive at first for number of reasons. I had only recently acquired the equipment which would allow me to cover such an event. I didn't have any experience covering weddings as a main shooter (although I did take a number of photographs at Sanisha's wedding, in Dec 2012). And I would be photographing the wedding by myself, so it would be up to me to nail the critical shots. After a moment of thought, I excitedly agreed.

I arrived early at the venue to set up and plan my photographs. Reshana was already upstairs in a private room. I was invited in to take some photographs prior to the reception starting. Reshana looked absolutely stunning in a vibrant red and cream coloured sari. 

The beautiful bride

The beautiful bride

The beautiful bride

Sam was also cutting a mighty fine figure in a sleek charcoal grey pinstripe suit.

The groom

Unlike a traditional western wedding, Sam and Reshana were married at separate temple wedding during the week, while the reception party was reserved for the weekend. This meant I was able to photograph the two of them prior to the reception starting.

Sam and Reshana had a beautiful (and tasty) cake, with stunning red icing flowers. This is one of my personal favourites of the night. 

The stunning and tasty cake!

Cutting the cake

After the formalities, the bride and groom made their way onto the dance floor for the first dance, which was followed by some contemporary Bollywood style Indian dancing. A lot of fun for everyone involved.

The first dance

So after hours and hours of editing, I think I did an ok job for my first wedding as a first shooter.
I probably won't be doing weddings as a regular thing. There is a lot of pressure on the day and a lot of time spent editing the photos. But at least I can say I gave it a crack.

Newcastle Baths - Canoe Pool

On Easter Sunday, a few friends and I gathered for a photography shoot at, Newcastle Baths/Canoe Pool. Some of you may be saying, "canoe pool? What's, Roy, on about?" Well the, Canoe Pool, is in fact the name of the oval shaped pool next to, Newcastle Baths. In it's current state, the canoe pool just looks like a pool filled with sand and water, but underneath the sand lies a concrete map of the world. The photos in the link show part of the map and the small wooden canoes that the children would use to navigate around the continents and islands. What a fascinating bit of history buried just meters under the sand. Anyway, I digress, back to the photography.

Prior to Sunday morning I was frequently checking my weather apps for Sunday's sunrise. The forecast mid week was predicting a fine and sunny morning. But as the date drew closer, the forecast took a turn for the worst - sunny with some cloud, then cloudy with some sun and then, late on Saturday night, just cloudy. Since I had not been out for a while, I clung to the hope that something magical would happen and went to bed.

Sunday morning, 4.30am, the alarm jolted me from my sleep.  I quickly opened the blinds to check the sky. A thick grey blanket of cloud spanned the sky. I thought to myself, "well I'm up now, I may as well go"...FOOL.

As I pulled into to the Baths car park, things we're looking grim on the horizon. The sunrise was supposed to occur at 6.09am. Well that time came and went with not even a shimmer of sunlight breaking the cloud, much to the dismay of my group of friends. Sunrise fail!

Since we were all there and set-up, we decided to wander around and take a few photos anyway. I'd been thinking about capturing the Canoe pool for some time, but just never got around to it. This was my chance.

The rusted iron fence posts of the canoe pool was my subject of choice. Beyond just simply adding character to the photo, i think they give a great insight into the history of the place. I snapped away hoping to capture something decent.


After breakfast and a nap and I began editing the images. I chose the below image and tried two different styles of editing. As much as I have tried, I can't decide which one I like best.

Vintage (cream-tone) black and white

Canoe Pool, Newcastle Baths

Or the colour version

Canoe Pool, Newcastle Baths

Help me decide please by leaving a comment below.

So the Easter Sunday sunrise didn't really turn out, but at least the early wake up was not entirely wasted.

Cheers
Roy