I have been so excited to share this set for days! But if you've been following my facebook page (which I still encourage you to visit! :D), you'll know that my macbook pro has been broken on this long road trip of ours... which has sadly meant that all editing and blogging halted. Even now, I can't work at the pace that I used to, but the good news is that we've been snapping a tonne of photos along our journey and can't wait to share them with you whenever we can - albeit with a laptop short :P

Anyhow, meet Maura and Bryan! Two amazingly lovely new yorkers who are soon to be married this May! On a chilly wintry late February afternoon, we wandered the cobblestone streets of New York and explored its charming older facades to document Maura and Bryan's love! :D 

These two are just incredible - they came prepared with a whole google map route of all their favourite hangout places and I kept ooh-ing and ahh-ing at each new turn. What met my eyes were vintage streets, old books, a quintessential American diner, and AMAZING light. We completely lucked out - it was snowing, raining, and grey in New York City the entire week before this shoot, and come Maura and Bryan's day - the sun decided to show off a little and it was just glorious :D

Thank you SO much Maura and Bryan for being so fabulous! You spoke my heart in all the elements and choices for your session making it just perfect and I had the best time with the two of you in front of my lens :D I hope these images make you smile as you grow old together and remember why you love each other so much :D

xox

Jenny 

 
We started off at the park they sit and read at together :) 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Maura and Bryan love their books so it felt so fitting to have some pretty books in this session! :D 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The light was GORGEOUS that day. No, really. 
 
 
And if you didn't believe me the first time, I took a closeup to show you again! :D 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
I don't know why, but I love this shot of Maura :D 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
At the diner they love to eat at :D 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
I LOVE LOVE polaroid cameras! This was was uber cool. The pictures come out amazing! 
 
 
Look! :D 
 
 
Thank you SO much to the wonderful Amanda from RUFFLED, who sent me this beautiful couple my way (they won the NYC engagement competition that was held on her blog)!! :D :D (brides, you HAVE to visit her blog - it is choc FULL of amazing ideas for your wedding!! :D)

 

Have a beautiful weekend everyone! I'm working hard to get back online and resume things as best as I can. If I am a little slow for awhile, please forgive me! More pictures are coming! 
 
:) 
 
 

 

Its quiet. I can only hear the heater in my room bang sporadically every now and again to fill the chilly winter air. My eyes are painfully heavy, as try to pen down these thoughts and rest my back against the white wall of the apartment we are staying in. Its a small, humble abode, and the stairs creak in aching sighs as you tread up and down....but I like it. It feels New York. I'm not even sure if I understand what that means yet, but something about it exudes that element that makes New York, New York. 
 
When we landed this morning, we saw little droplets of frost slowly blanket the ground. Apparently this was going to be the only day in the week where we'd see snow, so after offloading our luggage and grabbing the most delightfully fresh club sandwich I've ever had, we set our feet to work and began to explore the city. We didn't get far because the snow started to become fierce, but what we managed to catch before the light disappeared that day made me happy :) And if this would be the last we'd see of this magical white sheet across the city, I'd be happy.... I got to play in the snow, and let some of it land on my tongue, we met a stranger at Central Park who was taking photos for his book about the place, and we ended the day eating some amazing french food and catching up with an old friend. Life is good :) 
 
Here are my favourite shots from today! I'm off to bed now to cure this jetlag of mine. I've made it to 2am local time and hope to wake up at a normal hour tomorrow! :)

The most amazing club sandwich I've ever had... everything was so fresh!! :D If only I can remember the name of that restaurant! *will update when I find out!* 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Many different feet... 
 
 

Ju making snowballs to attempt to throw at me! hah! 
 
 

One view of many, of central park... I hope to explore more of it this week :) 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A little friend we found along the way! :) 
 
 
 
 

Around and about Columbus Circle, and Warners Time Center :) 
 
 
See you next post! 
 
x 
 

 

There is just something soulfully, and inherently romantic about wine countries and vineyards - maybe it is the dry sun-kissed air that floats in a balmy-like dance, or the smell of ripe grapes bursting full of the summer juice, or the golden aura of light that so often blankets the entire area, or perhaps it is because the sight of rolling green hills laced with luscious green and purple grapes that conjures up light happy memories of when my husband and I used to visit the area that make this type of place so special. Whatever it is, I love it. To bits. 
 
So you can imagine my delight when Ali and Kim came to me, telling me they got engaged in the hunter valley (Sydney's famous wine country and vineyard region) and loved the idea of having photos there! I always tell people that if I could shoot in the country, or in vineyards, or any other rustic romantic kind of place with things like cottages, old pretty gardens, I'd be in photography heaven! I could shoot in places like that every single day of my life and it would be perfect :) 
 
Anyhow, I sadly couldn't shoot their wedding day, but I felt just as honored to document their love for their e-session. Thank you Kim and Ali for such a lovely privilege and for making the afternoon so perfect - your larger-than-life final set just proved how amazing the session was! You two are going to have an amazing wedding! Much love for a blessed marriage ahead! Wish I could be there, but know I'll be thinking of you on the other side of the world :) 
 
Here are my favourites from their shoot (watch out, its a big post!) 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
I love when these two laugh - it makes me happy :) 
 
 
I love it when girls have enough make up on! Look how pweeety Alison's eyes are! :D I think there is a huge fear that brides think they look too dark, but it looks just as bad when its on too light! The rule of thumb is, if you feel its a little darker than what you are used to - its good :) So girls, listen to your makeup artists!! :) 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Awesome hot shoes - ALWAYS a plus on my shoots! :D 
 
 
 
 
 
 
A fave! 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The light was just AMAZING that day... loved being able to grab the below frames at the end of our session. The location was a total accidental find - but happy accidents are always the best! :D 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
You cant beat light that looks as perfect as this. Faves! :D 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
And here is their slideshow with a TONNE of extra photos! :D 
 
See you next post everyone! :D 
 
xox 
 
ps: if you are wondering why the lack of updates, we're gearing up heavily for our huge trip to the United States! New York being the first stop! 
 

 

I love the sun. I was giving a talk recently, to explain how I use light, and one of the things I mentioned was how much I live and breathe the sun. It's sheer diversity, ways to use it, shape it, its tonality in all forms, just astounds me. I call it God's light because He made it, and it breathes life and color to everything below. It is also the centerpiece of all my work (when it comes out to play, of course! hehe), and I adore how it makes pictures look so warm and beautiful.

I recently took a road trip, on my own, and while I've shown you the pretty rainbow I got on the way there, I decided to wake up 3 hours earlier than I had to, to make the drive back home so I could see the sun rise against the lush countryscapes, hills dotted with lines of trees, and clouds bellowing over the green tops :)

And as I sat and prayed at the start of my journey that I would be able to see something beautiful along the way, God in his wonderful ways, showed me the following. I really love our heavenly Father's amazing creation, it leaves me breathless every time :) 
 
I love the sun, and God's light :) and I can't wait to see how it looks like under my lens when the husband and I do some trekking across the beautiful continent of USA in just a couple of weeks! SOOOO excited!! :D 
 

Have a lovely mid week everyone! xox

 

Shot straight out of camera. The colours in the sky that morning, just astounded me with how gorgeous it looked. 
 
 

I loved the windmills I could see in the far distance, while the rays of gold blanketed around them ever so softly. 
 
 

Aren't these sun rays just incredible? This was probably my favourite shot! 
 
 

And because I love all things rustic, vintage, farm, and country, I couldn't help but pull over and shoot these! If I could shoot a wedding in this kind of setting every day for the rest of my life, I'd be in photographer's heaven! hehe :D 
 
 
 
 

Shot this with the last bit of sun before the storm clouds rolled in that day :) 
 
 
 
xox 
 

 

I'm not one to embrace change. In fact, I run from it like it is a deadly disease out to eat me alive. Because frankly, it sits as comfortably with me as a pair of jeans that are 2 sizes too small - I can't even breathe. But, as I grow older, as I move on from my own mistakes, and as I learn from others' wisdom around me, I realize that change is inevitably uncomfortable. Painful. Especially if it is good change, the kind of change that challenges and grows you as a person, the kind of change that makes you better. 

The last few days have all been about change. They have been about confronting certain things I have been afraid of wanting - business wise, and life wise. Big things... like big scary kind of goals that seem almost impossible. But I learned that it is okay to want them...and that I need to be bold in taking that step and actually start chasing after it. For real. 

As I was driving this weekend to where I was going, I had the pleasure of being on the road when the sun was in the process of rising. And as I saw the gold slowly spill over the horizon, what eventually grew into view was a perfectly arched rainbow that was so big that its ends spilled out over the edges of where my sight ended. And it was perfect. I'm not sure what the world's symbolic significance of rainbows are, but being a Christian, I grew up learning and knowing that God's meaning of rainbows in the bible are for hope, and promise. 
 
 

 

 
So while I sit here in my $79 a night motel, on the bottom mattress of this white bunk bed while the TV plays some cheesy late night talk show, I am excited about change... about the plans and dreams that have been scribbled down this weekend, which I hopefully will share with all of you as this year slowly unfolds. I am still a little nervous to hope, and not just because the things I am hoping for are so big, but because hope is often that double edged sword that can inevitably bring disappointment too, and disappointment scares me. And that just makes me feel stupid for wanting in the first place. But no great thing has ever happened, or blossomed sitting in a place that is too comfortable. Or worrying about what others think.

So here's to a 2010 that is full of change, realizing hopes, chasing after big dreams, and making them real. 

My hope is that when I am sitting on the other end of this year, and having to think back how it has all unfolded, I can share with all of you something wonderful, instead of sitting in regret of wasting another year just wanting but never doing :) 

Stay tuned for some fabulous changes happening this year! Tears and all! ;)