Archive for October, 2009

Our Wedding Anniversary

Saturday, October 31st, 2009

Tomorrow is our one year wedding anniversary! We’re celebrating with a relaxing weekend at a b&b.

These are a few photos from our wedding day in Melbourne. We had a great day which we celebrated with our close friends who travelled far and wide to make this occasion with us. The wedding had a jazz age theme, including our ceremony and wedding venue which was an old art deco theatre. The highlight for us was the wedding procession which involved Dave and I entering behind a band of brass instrument wielding family and friends belting out a rendition of a cat empire favourite, a surprise for our guests. We have many fond memories from the day and were happy we were able to share it with our family and friends.

wedding photography

Before the Ceremony | Wedding Photographer Japan

Thursday, October 29th, 2009

Recently, I travelled to Japan and photographed Yoshie and Andy’s wedding. It was an amazing experience. Andy is Australian and met his beautiful bride Yoshie while working at a National Institute in Okazaki, Japan.   The whole day was carefully planned and really thoughtful. Yoshie and Andy had gone to great lengths to make sure everyone felt included and cared for so that the mixing of two cultures and language difference was seamless.

I am so excited to post the first of what will be a few blog posts from this beautiful Japanese wedding.  This blog post includes images of Yoshie and Andy before the ceremony. Yoshie was a picture of calm, and looked amazing in her kimono. She took my breath away.  Andy also took everything in his stride, as he calmly practiced the lengthy speech he was to deliver in Japanese during the ceremony.

I am a photographer based in Melbourne, Australia but I love to travel, and encourage you to consider me as your photographer where ever in the world you may be…

私は最近日本を訪問し、アンディーさんと淑恵さんの結婚式を撮影してきました。それは私にとって素晴らしい経験でした。新郎のアンディーさんはオーストラリア人で、愛知県岡崎市(日本)にある国立研究所に勤務していた時に美しい新婦、淑恵さんに出会いました。その当日、式は綿密に計画され、また入念に準備されていました。列席者全員が異なる文化、言葉の壁を超えて共に時を過ごすことができるように新郎新婦は長い時間をかけて準備をしてきたのです。

私はこの美しい日本の結婚式についてこのブログでお話しすることができとても嬉しいです。その様子をこれから数回に分けて紹介したいと思います。まず今回は挙式前の淑恵さんとアンディーさんの様子を撮影した映像をご覧いただきます。撮影中ずっと淑恵さんはとても落ち着いた面持ちでした。私は彼女の美しい着物姿を初めて目にした時思わず息をのみました。アンディーさんも落ち着いていて、神前式で述べる長い誓詞口上の練習をしていました。

私はオーストラリア、メルボルンを拠点に活動するフォトグラファーですが旅行をすることが大好きです。世界中どこにでもあなたを撮影しに行くことができますよ、多分。

wedding photography japan

Portrait Photography | Images from Japan

Monday, October 26th, 2009

Most often in Japan cities are filled with national chains.  The same coffee shops, restaurants, isakayas (Japanese pub for eating and drinking), department stores and the like can be found in every city.  When I lived in Japan I used to go to one Isakaya which I thought was so individual and cute.  I discovered on this trip, when in Hiroshima 700km away that my quaint isakaya was also part of a national chain.  So that is why it is really cool, when you come across cafes, restaurants and bars which are owner operated and have their own unique individuality.  Quite often you are serviced by the owner who is quite open to a chat over the counter. I think these guys are always pretty cool, becasue they have steped outside the square and chosen to do something quite different in a place where you are often expected to follow the crowd.

These are some photographs I took of a cafe in Kyoto, Japan of the owner Takaaki Matsumoto and his cafe Ichigo Ichie.  It is tucked away in the inner suburban sprawl of Kyoto and is a welcoming front of colour in a sprawling mass of 3 storey apartment buildings.

Portrait photography Japan

B & I’s Wedding Album and Video

Thursday, October 22nd, 2009

Melbourne Wedding Photography

From recent posts you might have seen some of Bill and Irene’s wedding photography. Bill and Irene’s wedding was a beautiful celebration full of music, laughter, family and Greek tradition. Irene and Bill are a super fun couple who are not necessarily the most conventional but their respect for one another and their culture is absolutely inspiring.

Yesterday I spent three hours with Bill and Irene finalising their wedding Album.  I love putting an Album together as this is where you really see the story unfold.

Below are a few pages…

Wedding album Bride

Greek Orthodox wedding ceremony

Wedding photography Abbotsford convent

On the day, we had a great team to work with, including Marcus and his assistant Joel from Couch media and my amazing assistant Ryo.  They were married  at the North Balwyn Greek Orthodox Church and had the reception at Leonda by the Yarra.

Marcus put this amazing highlight video together from the day.  I think it captures the feeling of the day beautifully.

Irene + Bill – Wedding Highlights from Marcus Seeger @ Couch Media on Vimeo.

Wedding in Japan | Wedding Photographer Japan

Tuesday, October 20th, 2009

So I am really looking forward to blogging the images from Andy and Yoshie’s wedding in Okazaki, Japan but I’ve just been busy with so many other bits and pieces I haven’t had the chance. So I thought I would post a little teaser, to begin with.

These images were taken when Andy first saw Yoshie in her Kimono when he snuck in for a look while she was being dressed. He was pretty awestruck… for obvious reasons! Andy and Yoshie arrived at the shrine together, and took part in a procession in their honour to enter the temple. It was very very cool.

More photos to follow soon….

wedding photographer Japan

E-session at the Melbourne Botanic Gardens

Tuesday, October 20th, 2009

Since I am working on numerous things at the moment, I thought I’d blog a photo from Simon and Michelle’s e-session from the weekend. Simon and Michelle are absolutely lovely so it was an absolute pleasure to spend an afternoon walking around the botanic gardens with them on Sunday. I am really looking forward to photographing their wedding at Studley Park Boathouse next month.

Melbourne Wedding Photography

melbourne botanic gardens

In Transit | Images from Japan

Thursday, October 15th, 2009

Did I mention that I love Japan? Sometimes I can’t put my finger on why, I think there are many reasons.  Sometimes it’s because I think it is so different.  So different then anywhere I’ve ever been. Even though I lived in Japan for a year and a half and this was my third trip there (as a visitor) it still never ceases to amaze me.  I often wonder, how can it be so busy, yet everyone is so calm.  How can there be so much development yet so many beautiful natural places and how can it be so modern yet so traditional.

Japanese trains

Back on Australian Soil | Images from Japan

Wednesday, October 14th, 2009

I’m back in Melbourne after an absolutely amazing time in Japan. It was a bit whirlwind but we got to visit some amazing places and have some great unique experiences  including staying in a Buddhist monastery with 6am morning prayer, dodgem car  bicycle riding on the city pavements, relaxing in outdoor natural hot spring baths with views overlooking the Japanese alps, cute port side villages which feel like time forgot them, a beautifully spiritual Shinto wedding and of course amazingly quirky city life.

Japan definitely brought back some fond memories for me and gave me the opportunity to once again reconnect with some great old friends.

I am really looking forward to posting some more photos especially of the wedding we attended and I photographed of a dear friend in Okazaki, Japan.

These first photographs are taken at Koya San at a Buddhist temple which we stayed in.  I first visited Koya San for my 21st Birthday (quite a few years ago now) and I thought it’d be excellent to take Dave back there as I had such fond memories of the experience.  Koya San is on top of a beautiful mountain plateau not far from Osaka.  It is a beautiful train trip as the train snakes it’s way around the mountain giving you a great view of rural Japan, it ends with the craziest steepest, driver-less cable tram for the final leg.  Koya San has over 100 temples and is surrounded in a beautiful wooded forest.

All the images in this post are taken at the temple we stayed in, except the last one which was taken at a local restaurant. 

Japan Koya San