Ma Ma Creek Show - Friday 25th July

A few weeks ago I was invited to be the guest judge for the photographic section at the annual Ma Ma Creek Show. Being invited to judge an event like this, now in it's 73rd year, is always a real honour. I love seeing the entries in regional photographic shows and it's always exciting to see the quality and scope of photography being practised out there. Friday night was no exception, with some truly wonderful images being entered and some very worthy winners, runners-up and highly commended. The overall winner of the enlargement section was a simply magnificent shot that I would be very happy to hang on my wall - WELL DONE! The standards within the junior sections was particularly exciting too and bodes well for the future of the industry. All in all, it was a really fun evening!!

AIPP Full Accreditation

YAY!!!!!!!! I am now a fully accredited AIPP Photographer!!
Gaining my Australian Institute of Professional Photography (AIPP) accreditation has been really important for me and Masterpieces. The highly regarded reputation of AIPP members and the ethical values of the Institution are things I personally take very seriously. Upholding the high standards of the AIPP is really important to us an organisation, both in terms of the quality of our work and our ethics, especially regarding the transparency of contracts and pricing.

Kelli Holt - 24th July 2008

Kelli needed a great headshot for the dustjacket of the book about The Face of Daisy Designs 2008 that we've been working on together. She came to the studio after work and we tried a few different looks and concepts - basically it turned out to be a bit of a laugh and some of the photos are definitely NOT going in a book :-)
Zoe and Katie also decided to hijack the shoot at various points in the evening and get some more images for their portfolios!!



Kelli's Daisy Designs VIP Evening 22nd July 2008

Kelli's Daisy Designs in Gatton held one of their regular VIP nights on Tuesday 22nd July. Kelli used the opportunity to launch a stunning new range of shoes and handbags that she has designed, as well as show off the new "Zoza" dresses which have just arrived in-store. These dresses can be worn up to 100 different ways and were modelled fabulously by some of the girls who had taken part in The Face of Daisy Designs, plus a couple of little "ring-ins" - Kelli's 6 year-old daughter Katie and my 4 year-old daughter Zoe. The whole evening was a bit of a family affair because Nadine did the make-up for all the girls too!






Ainsley & Matt's Pre-Wedding Shoot - 20th July 2008

Sunday saw Nadine & I heading out to Dalby for Ainsley & Matt's pre-wedding shoot. We always offer our Bridal couples the opportunity to do an engagement or pre-wedding shoot. It's a great opportunity to get to know each other in a fun and relaxed environment as well as to discover which angles and poses you prefer and suit you the most.
Ainsley's cousin is Lauren, whose wedding to Brad we photographed in August last year. We created a fabulous well-wishers book for Lauren & Brad's reception using their pre-wedding shoot imagery and Ainsley and Matt will be using the photos' from their shoot to create a similar keepsake.
We had a great time on location out in Dalby, firstly in town at the park, then a little way out of town where Ainsley & Matt's new house is being built - Matt is a builder and we got some really cool imagery on the construction site! We finished up at Ainsley's parents' farm where the wedding reception will be held in October for some beautiful rural imagery. Ainsley and Matt really got into the shoot and have beautifully natural touching photos. We are already looking forward to the wedding day and capturing more great photos for them. We just love that "big sky country" out west!!






Gatton Show - Friday 18th July 2008

Gatton Show is a great event and really gets the town pumping. We were covering the event for the local council and got a great variety of shots throughout the day.

There are really popular and competitive events right through the two days and Friday night is the the big night of the show for entertainment. This year was no exception, with Freestyle motorbikes, Monster truck and a stunning fireworks show to cap it all.









Althaus Family Portraits - 16th July 2008

Three generations of the Althaus Family came down to the studio for a shoot for some wonderfully relaxed portraits. Everyone had a great time, especially 6 year old Lily, though Ruby, the youngest member of the family at 3 months, was a little bit tired.


Kelli's Daisy Designs - THE FACE OF 2008

We've been involved with The Face of Kelli's Daisy Designs since it's first year and always have a simply brilliant time. Kelli Holt, owner of Kelli's Daisy Designs in Gatton is a truly amazing person who gives so much to the community, as well as being a multi-award winning jewellery designer and businesswoman!!

The Face of Daisy Designs was conceived to give local young women the tools to prepare them for life, as well as have some fun during the mid-winter school holidays. Kelli's motto is "Beauty capture your attention, but personality captures your heart" and this is very much the theme of the event.

The girls have the opportunity to take part in a range of workshops, including a deportment and photographic modelling course, skincare, make-up and hair-styling before putting it all together for a gala grand-finale where they get to parade on a catwalk in front of several hundred guests.

This year was another massive success - the girls all looked stunning and it was a truly magnificent event. The overall winner of the competition was Grace Chrichton, and she gets to be the Face of Daisy designs for the next year and you will see her in a range of Kelli's advertising over the next year. I don't expect that this will be all you will see of Grace though - she has a real star quality and is headed for the big time!!





Bains Family - 25th May 2008

Three generations of the Bains family came down to the studio on a Sunday morning for some updated family portraits. The kids were fantastic and had a great time posing for some really fun shots whilst we gots lots of great relaxed groups of Grandparents, Parents and Children. Everyone really enjoyed the shoot and it shows!!



Roni & Brad's Wedding - 8th June 2008

Roni & Brad booked us for photos and video just a few weeks before their big day during our stint at Grand Central in Toowoomba in May. With a June date, the weather in Toowoomba was always going to be involved in some way, and heavy rain in the week leading up to their day meant a last minute switch from The Japanese Gardens to Warwick St Chapel. Shona Andersen conducted a beautiful ceremony, including a Scottish Hand-Tying ceremony and then it was on to the Japanes Gardens and downtown Toowoomba for some great location photos. The weather ended up being really beautiful and Roni & Brad were so natural we really didn't have to do anything - we just let them be themselves and catured some truly magic and fun moments. Nadine & I had a really great time and thanks for letting us be part of your special day - thanks guys!!