Vintage Wedding in Teneriffe

This is the story of a couple that got married in the prestigious Brisbane riverside suburb of Teneriffe amongst the old and eclectic woolstores. They had a vintage art deco theme, which was intensified by the fact that got ready at the exquisite Emporium hotel. The Emporium has a classy art deco theme, predominately black with plush damask lounges and the most insane bar! While the girls were getting ready, I joined the groomsmen for a short while in the bar, and the best man proved he is a man of many talents, unveiling the piano and playing some classical tunes.

Shakira and her bridesmaids had their makeup done by Claire from A Princess Palace, and her 1920’s hairstyle and birdcage veil completed the look of the gorgeous lace gown. The bridesmaids wore red Kitten D’Amour trenchcoat style dresses. Shakira’s red lips, belt, roses and shoes tied the whole look together.

The waiting guests were serenaded by a string quartet and had access to a refreshing drink stand.

The bride and bridesmaids arrived in true style to the ceremony in a classic 1950’s Jaguar. The ceremony and reception were both held at a gorgeous Brisbane riverside restaurant Eve’s on the River. Renee Wilkins conducted a beautiful ceremony tailored for the couple, which included a rose ceremony for special people in their lives and a custom made (by Josh the groom) memory wine box, in which they included letters to read to each other.  The idea behind it is to open it on your 5 year wedding anniversary, share the wine and read the letters you wrote to each other when you got married. I wish I’d thought about that when I got married!

For our photography session I took the bridal party on a little walk through the Woolstores across the road, whose old brick walls and archways gave us plenty to work with in the fading light.

Eve’s on the River put on an amazing dining experience which included scallops, pork belly, quail and lamb racks, The black, white and red colour scheme including damask table runners and a damask cake created a classy and elegant experience for all of their guests….. that is until they hit the dancefloor – but hey it’s a wedding!! 🙂

Oh yeah! and thanks to Janah from GM DJ’s for getting the party started!

Check out www.leoniboltphotographyweddings.com for more weddings.

Photographing Newborns Without a Studio

When it comes to shooting Newborns, you can pretty much set up anywhere as the ‘studio’ only needs to be quite small.

I make a point of offering to shoot my clients babies in their own home, as being a mother myself I understand just how hard it can be getting out of the house in those first few weeks! Especially when everyone wants to visit and see the gorgeous new baby! Then there is also the matter of whether mum is able to drive after giving birth.

I usually set up at least a couple of different set-ups which can be easily adjusted to get a few different looks in without upsetting baby too much.

Before you start there are a couple of things that will help you keep bubs asleep and cosy, which is what you need when working with a newborn. The main reason for this, is if you’ve ever tried to photograph a newborn, you will notice their arms and legs go everywhere and they make all sorts of strange and wonderful expressions with their mouths. Although this can be cute, it’s very hard to get the adorable shots we’re after! Firstly make sure the room is really warm. I usually work in about 28-30 degrees celcius. This can get uncomfortable for the adults in the room, but baby will be nice and cosy. You can always use a under blanket heating pad, and I also find if you’re using an oil heater in the room, you can pop a blanket over it for a minute to put over the baby once you have them positioned to make sure they settle. Secondly the use of white noise will help them settle as well. You may need to feed baby several times throughout the shoot to keep them sleeping. Having a bottle and/or dummy on hand can be helpful as breastfeeding and then repositioning the baby means you need to essentially start all over again. I always allow about 4 hours for a newborn shoot as you never know how it’s going to work out. Even if you are the baby whisperer!

I have a couple of adorable canvas backdrops perfect for babies, that consist of a vintage wallpaper and floorboards all printed on one piece of canvas. I have a couple of different skirting boards that I then clip to where the designs join and ‘viola’, an instant backdrop! These are great as they are very portable and can be setup anywhere where you can find some wall space. I use masking tape to keep it all secure as the tape won’t peel off paint or varnish. You can also use a backdrop stand but I find they sit better when secured to the wall.

newborn

The second setup I have ready to go is a draped fabric over a beanbag. I’m always on the lookout for beautiful textured fabrics that will work well. I will layer them up for a quick changeover, and use other wraps and fabrics to position the baby exactly where I want them. Finding the right fabrics and beanbags can be quite hard. The beanbag needs to be really firm, so that they don’t sink into it too much. You also need to take into account that a naked baby will probably pee, poop or spew all over everything, so make sure they can be easily washed. I recently found an outdoor square beanbag which is perfect for this.

I always have a black backdrop handy in case we need to set up something for the whole family. It also comes in handy if you want to get some shots of mum or dad holding the baby and you only want to see their arms.

Here dad has black sleeves but his shirt was white, so we picked up the backdrop from the floor and clipped it to his shoulders.

Depending on the location you may not need a backdrop. Here we just used the curtain in the family home.

These family shots have been photographed using a softbox, but when photographing newborns, it’s always best to try and use natural light where possible. If you are in a room where it’s not possible to use natural light, or it’s just not the right time of day, you can reflect a studio light off a wall or a reflector for a similar effect.

These are just a few tips I have learnt along the way. I hope you find them helpful in photographing your newborns.

If you want to book a newborn session with me just fill in the contact form below.

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It’s a rainy day for a wedding!

They say it’s good luck if it rains on your wedding day, and if that’s anything to go by, this couple have lots of good luck coming their way and will be sitting in their rocking chairs when they’re old and grey, holding hands and staring into each others eyes.

Alicia and Danny met at work in the gourmet food industry and were soon inseparable. They’re love of beautiful things was shown in their wedding with an abundance of gorgeous flowers and of course luxurious take home gifts for their guests.

The bridal party and family all got ready at the Jephson Hotel in Toowong which was lovely and roomy for everyone to get ready and the girls had their hair and makeup done by the amazing team from Velbella.

Alicia and Danny were married by Eve at Bundaleer Rainforest Gardens on the gumnut deck after being moved from the sprawling jacaranda tree due to torrential rain. Their vintage theme was setup beautifully complete with paper lanterns and an old bicycle. The ceremony was held in the marquee which completed the look with lots of burning candles and fairy lights.

After the ceremony, we all donned our umbrellas and raincoats and I wrapped my camera and flashes in plastic bags and condoms (yes it actually works!), and we ventured out into the weather for some bridal party shots. Everyone was a trooper! Not only did we all get drenched, but water was creeping up our legs, making it colder every minute. Not to mention the camera lens fogging up due to the humidity and the plastic bags!

I soon sent the bridal party back to the marquee to dry off in front of the industrial heater (you know the ones you get from the building hire places that look like jet engines), and the bride and groom had a little private time for a few very special photos.

Even though it was pouring rain the atmosphere was fun and loving, and I even managed to steal the newlyweds for a secret dance in the rain during the reception 🙂

Just goes to show, nothing can ruin your big day if you don’t let it! Let it rain on your wedding day I say!

Nudgee Golf Course Wedding

It was a beautiful warm day back in November. Mel and Dan who had been together for 10 years, and have a beautiful little girl together were finally tying the knot.
Mel and Dan are a couple that enjoy the simple things in life, and their wedding really reflected this. From the very simple bouquets of baby’s breath and rosemary to the bombonieres of beautiful fresh locally sourced jars of honey, with the words ‘spread the love’.
The ceremony was a traditional catholic ceremony at Corpus Christie Catholic Church in Nundah, followed by the reception at Nudgee Golf Course. The bridal party were a barrel of fun, and we had an awesome day!
Thanks Dan & Mel for sharing your day with me! xx

Best photographs of 2014

Wow! That’s it! The year of 2014 has come to an end!

And what a wonderful and busy year it’s been! I myself had my second (and last) child in April. Two baby girls who for better or worse are smart and boisterous and keep my hands full, especially when I’m running a business and trying to edit hundreds of photos at any one time!

My sister also had a baby girl and of course many of my previous wedding clients have come back when they’ve started their families, which is what I love! Growing with people as you share the most important parts of their lives, and help them cherish those memories.

So on that note why don’t we start on the journey of life in 2014 through my eyes, and start with the maternity and newborn shoots….

And of course don’t forget the first birthday cake smash!!

Weddings, weddings and more weddings!!

I decided I needed to do some more boudoir shoots just for some fun! Hopefully there will be a lot more of this next year!

And of course there’s is always lots of family photos. I love when families want to do something a bit out of the ordinary and just plain fun!

2015 is already gearing up to be crazy busy. So much to look forward to!!

I hope you all have an amazing New Year and that 2015 will bring adventure, new beginnings and most importantly you spend some of it with the ones you love!

Leoni xx