Xceed Photography

Photography Workshops...

2011-09-15T13:05:00.001+10:00

Well I thought I'd better update this blog to announce the workshops that are now being sold via Living Social

I have a workshops web page at Xceed Photo Workshops

I look forward to seeing you all there.

Sunshine on a Cloudy Day....

2010-10-25T16:55:00.000+11:00

I had the pleasure of spending Saturday with Tanya and Murray... Just back from overseas and very excited about their wedding. First stop, Murray's place....

Next stop Tanya's unit... What a hive of activity! Tanya was surrounded by her gorgeous family and we had a ball. Her make-up was stunning!

The weather was insane on Saturday and we're so lucky we got the ceremony in before the heavens opened.... Still lots of amazing light around and a gorgeous couple in love....

This was the beginning of lots of fun for the afternoon....

As Murray said... This storm was the opportunity of a lifetime for a cracking photo.... So we all got a little wet but the end result is worth it!

The reception was a lot of fun and Murray's dad was a legend on the mic....

Thanks so much guys for letting me capture your day... It was such an awesome day with the weather and we made the most of every minute.

Anthony.

The Farmer meets His Wife...

2010-03-09T21:23:00.000+11:00

Moni and Scott are one of those fun loving country spirited couples. You almost expect there to always be a roast dinner on when you go to their farm. The funny thing is that they live no more than 20 mins from Wollongong on a dream property out the back of nowhere. When we photographed their e-Session we had the most awesome light and I was dreaming that we would be so lucky on their wedding day. Well God was certainly shining for these two as we had almost exactly the same conditions... luckily we had about 5% less humidity (which was almost good).

Here's a sneak peek at what went down that day...

Thanks for letting me capture your special day guys...

Michael and Anthony.

Hunter Valley Wedding - Sarah and Adam

2010-02-15T15:58:00.000+11:00

Long time no updates.... sorry about that. It's been a busy 6 months starting with a trip to Europe... then quite a few weddings and family portraits then Bali, more portraits and two more weddings followed 4 days later in Vietnam... then more weddings and family portraits getting rushed in for christmas. Wow it's 2010 already :-)

The weather has been really interesting here in the gong so I was glad that I got to spend last Saturday in the Hunter Valley creatively capturing Adam and Sarah's super special day. It had all the ingredients for an incredible wedding.

The Vintage Golf estate provided the starting point where Adam and Sarah were getting ready. I really felt I should have brought the sticks with me... but no time for that. Besides with the humidity at 4 billion percent it wouldn't have been too comfy anyway.

The ceremony was held at the very accommodating and gorgeous Peppers Creek Chapel

Sarah and Adam had a great crew of friends and family backing them up the whole day. I was referred this wedding by Kate (you've gotta see Kate's wedding album - well we'd all like to see it really - jokes)

One of the cool things about photographing weddings outside of Wollongong is just that. The Hunter especially has an enormous range of backdrops to drool over... as Adam is a keen photographer I was given plenty of room to keep shooting as much as possible... just a pity I didn't have an extra week to shoot these two - an hour is no where near enough :-)

A big mention has to go out to the guys at Silver Classics Limousines These certainly at the top of the class of wedding cars. Not only were the cars in amazing condition and had THE look - but the service from Steve and Linz was well above anyone else I've dealt with. It was certainly silver service all the way starting with helping Sarah and Adam with anything and all, including favourite photo locations or clothing repairs plus cold water (thanks guys) champers, crackers and cheese and fruit platter. Made life fun for all - and Steve's jokes were worse than mine - thank God.

Sarah and Adam chose the perfect finish for their day at Hungerford Hill Winery The food was unbelievable and the setting perfect (and we got there just in time) especially for when a nice torrential storm finally hit.

Thanks for letting me be part of an awesome event Adam and Sarah - can't wait to hear about your tales from the Islands !!

See you in two weeks for your album preview.

Michael and Anthony

Lots of Love and a 3 Day Wedding....

2009-09-04T01:30:00.001+10:00

Sounds way better than a Jimmy Barnes song :-)

Jen and Amit are getting married over the long weekend in October... and just as well as having a traditional Indian wedding for these guys will take 3 days... and lots of camera batteries, memory cards... energy, fun, amazing colours and important cultural moments. Can't wait for the big day guys. Lucky I'm taking a Euro holiday before the wedding so I'll be nice and fresh for the marathon event.

Here's a peek at what went on the other day...

Shoot me an email click here for a link to the full session.

Tweed Valley - Here We Come...

2009-08-06T22:23:00.000+10:00

This September on a Sunny Tweed spring day Dean and Krystal will getting married... and to add to the joy not only will they have the typical friends and family there... but they'll also have their 3 fun loving girls there to witness and play a special part in their big day. I can't wait to get on that plane and come on up... I'll be skipping the Virgin Blue chicken wraps though after tonight's new report.

Here's a sneak peek at your eSession come family shoot guys. The whole shoot can be viewed at Dean and Krystal

It's All Wright Outdoors...

2009-07-31T17:55:00.000+10:00

Here's the magnificent Wright family again... this time in Wollongong's Botanical Gardens.

Take a look at the full shoot at the Wright family.

Tara and Brad... Wollongong Beauty

2009-07-31T10:24:00.000+10:00

We've been planning this e-Session for ages. Originally we planned to do a shoot around their trendy inner Sydney area, but as Tara and Brad were down in the gong for wedding planning we took advantage of the timing.

Looking forward to the big day guys, see you soon. The whole shoot is available at Brad and Tara

Today is brought to you by the number 7 and the letter M

2009-07-26T22:17:00.003+10:00

Why.... because Milla likes the number 7. Well I hope she does... it was her seventh birthday after all.

Milla needs to learn to count better with her fingers though...

The good folk were all out at the very large Centennial Park to celebrate.

Peter and Kelly made these amazing rolls... They were looking and tasting better than the pro stuff.

The Adairs who are clearly too cool for skool !!

The girl of the moment with her crazy peeps... the cooks

so will he be a lefty or righty... the jury is still out. Bikki in right and drink in left. Which is more important ?

some of the fine scenery on hand at Centennial Park in it's winter glory

hmmm... if I were 30 years younger.. would I have looked like this ? Or is Shane really Kalani's older twin ?

Check out all the photos at Centennial

Jess and Walter... SOLD !!

2009-07-26T21:41:00.000+10:00

Had some great fun shooting Jessica and Walter yesterday... The weather has thankfully been perfect lately with little wind (well except today that is).

Jessica is in real estate sales with Ray White Engadine... so if you need your house sold look her up. I'm sure she'll do a great job for you as she has a very bubbly personality with lots of charm and professionalism.

You can view the full shoot at Jess and Wally but if you're lazy and want to check out the sneak peek, see below. :-)

I am Sam

2009-07-26T20:26:00.000+10:00

I am I am I am.... oh and mummy and daddy too.

you can scream at my whole shoot at SAM

Here's a few more of me.

feel free to leave a comment saying how cute I am.

Bridal Shoot

2009-07-20T17:24:00.000+10:00

I had the absolute pleasure of shooting with Jonathan Dear from Vibrant Photography doing a bridal shoot in an awesome rustic location.

These images are just a small selection of the awesome images I was able to capture on the day. The natural light, rustic ambiance and a subtle touch of extra light made it easy going for awesome images. The brides were best friends. Nikki was one of Jonathan's past wedding clients and Gabbi is due to be married in a Safari Park in her homeland South Africa later in the year.

Thanks for the great time guys !!

This is Jonathan trying to channel the ferry gods I think.

Amy and Tony - eSession

2009-06-28T19:44:00.000+10:00

I recently had the pleasure of photographing Amy and Tony's eSession in preparation for their upcoming wedding.

Here's a sneak peek at the action. The whole collection is at Tony and Amy

Can't wait for the big day guys... see you in a few months.

Shona and Geoff - finding their new house.

2009-06-09T09:41:00.000+10:00

With a cool start to Saturday it was great to see Shona and Geoff being so dedicated to their photographs. Taking off their jackets can't have been too fun but they continually did it and the photographs show the benefit. Well done guys.

If Shona and Geoff ever wanted to move to Thirroul I'm sure they've already found their new house :-) Here's a sneak peek at the shoot guys... the full shoot can found at Geoff and Shona

Shooting at sunrise has it's advantages with no worries about losing the light. We were also blessed with some dramatic clouds to add to the compositions.

They're All Wright('s)

2009-06-02T22:57:00.001+10:00

I recently had the pleasure of meeting the Wright family and especially welcoming there newest and teeniest member.

Here's a sneak peek at your photos guys. I can't wait for the weather to finally warm up so we can do the outdoor shoot.

See you soon,

Michael.

The full shoot is at wright's

Joe and Nelli... Russian, Hungarian, Jewish, Aussie... you name it

2009-05-15T14:55:00.000+10:00

Joe and Nelli combined 4,000 years of traditions from many ethnic backgrounds in to one... It was a spectacular day and night filled with many many surprises. Lots of fun. Backdrops courtesy of the spectacular Curzon Hall.

Here's a sneak peek at their wedding...

the mean fiddler... way better than the commercial premises around the corner. This guy was awesome.

it's always special for me to see the moments that happen between people on wedding days... brides and fathers are always great moments.

post ceremony we had 15 minutes to capture some beauty of these two. It wasn't too hard finding backdrops at Curzon Hall.

Joe and Nelli were in for a big night of dancing... so this is their warm up routine.

mirror mirror...

Joe and Nelli started dancing, officially, at 6:30pm on entrance to the reception... they didn't stop until they walked out of the reception at 10:30pm. I hope they ate something in between and then stretched and had a cool down session afterwards ;-)

yet another one of their surprises... now where did that banana come from ???

Bec and Kane - married

2009-05-15T14:30:00.000+10:00

Bec and Kane were married back on a very hot March day down at Bass Point. Great spot for a wedding (well except parking and heaps of dust in the car park).

Here's a sneak peek at their images...

you gotta love the major emotion here... Bec's bridesmaids were truly there to help Bec... well help make her cry anyway. It was a very touching wedding all day.

Bec sharing a moment with her dad.

no tears amongst these boys... way too with it. That's right hey Kane.

typical scene from this very California style wedding. Love the white carpet with the blue skies... bring it on.

proper footwear should be warn for the beach :-)

I love big veils... note to all brides... big veils rock !!

Dominic and Christian

2009-05-15T11:41:00.001+10:00

Here's Richelle's two fun loving boys...

Koby and Matt - e-Session

2009-05-15T11:11:00.000+10:00

Koby and Matt are getting married in September 2009 so we decided to do their e-Session whilst the weather was still warm.

Here's a sneak peek at their session. The full session can be viewed at Matt and Koby

Nicole and Robert... a Shire Wedding

2009-05-14T22:59:00.000+10:00

The weather wasn't looking promising all week... the forecast was even more depressing. The good news is it was Wrong !!! It was almost quite hot at the start of the day in fact... and the sunset over Bass and Flinders was just perfect.

So Nicole and Rob.... here's a sneak peek at the goings on.

Robert was definitely pulling off the sophisticated look. In a house with no windows light was delivered by battery.

Nicole has a thing for pink... can you tell ? This box was made by Robert himself... and it weighed an absolute tonne.

Seems everyone is including dogs in their weddings these days. Must be a Paris Hilton trend. This little girl was the cutest thing on four legs by far.

after a minor delay Nicole is finally heading down the aisle with her nervous dad.

seems the delay didn't bother Robert at all... love still ruled supreme.

Nicole had the coolest bridesmaids who helped out with every little whim Nicole had... and she had many :-)

did I mention that cool sunset ?

and last but not least... Nicole and those shoes.

Hope you had a great day guys and I can't wait to show you the whole shoot.

Mick and Liz

2009-05-11T16:02:00.000+10:00

Mick and Liz are one of those creative and very fun type of couples. They're totally suited to each other and it shows everytime they look at each other. A match made in .... well when two GPS coordinates collide.

Here's a sneak peek at your wedding guys. Thanks so much for letting me be a part of your day.

Liz's dads car. Who would have thought it could go this fast

the jump shot... this is now mandatory for all weddings :-)

pole dancing ???

the great skyline that is Wollongong... oh and look there's Mick and Liz too.

it's a girl !!!

2009-05-11T15:56:00.001+10:00

Eliana finally gave birth to a healthy little girl. Sierra came in a 10pm on 7th May weighing a healthy 3.18kgs and 48cm long. The Sierra Nevade is one of the most beautiful places on earth and I'm sure Sierra will not let the name down. Berni and I visited them all on Saturday and everyone is doing great. In fact Eli was looking fresher than poor hubby Grant.

this was taken at a recent wedding...

Congrats Eli and Grant and Eli, I can't wait for you to get back on deck !!

Upcoming Workshop

2009-05-05T11:48:00.001+10:00

Online Event Registration - Powered by www.eventbrite.com

Alicia and Geoff

2009-05-01T16:53:00.000+10:00

The wedding of the century came to my local a few weeks back. The fabulous Geoff and Alicia were married at St Michael's in Thirroul. I could have walked to the wedding... but then it'd be long walk to the location shots - so I drove.

Geoff was looking all the part in his suit

but compared to Alicia.. well how could he compete.

it wasn't fair really... I mean, Alicia has hair for a start. jokes :-)....

even the kids were cuter.

but he does look great beside Alicia... they're definitely meant to be.

stoked I could be part of your day guys !!! Hope it was a blast and the honeymoon rocked. This was meant to only be a sneak peek but I couldn't stop. What a great session totally inspired by the Illawarra.

See you soon.

My arch nemisis....

2009-04-30T20:31:00.001+10:00

for all you wedding photographers out there - watch your back. There is cute little person roaming the wedding scene who is getting angles that.. well only little people can get. Luckily she shoots Nikon so I needn't have worried so much.

Jemma

2009-04-30T20:29:00.002+10:00

Here's a new portrait of Jemma. Being my neice, Jemma is a regular guest in front of my camera. Today Jemma didn't want to get photos with mum and dad so much.... but on her own she really shone. No surprises there :-)

The McCreadie's

2009-04-30T20:26:00.000+10:00

I had the pleasure recently of photographing the McCreadie Family. I am now the portrait photographer for The Photo to Canvas Company. So if you're looking for some great canvas's to hang around the home and want a great portrait photographer to create your little treasures - you now know where to look :-)

Here's sneak at the McCreadie Family

check out The Photo to Canvas Company here

Taylor - An Addition

2009-04-27T23:36:00.000+10:00

Adele and Peter were obviously very happy with their first born (Zane) so they decided to go again. This time they scored another great kid and who knows this may go on for a while yet.

I had the pleasure of photographing their family a few years ago when Zane was about 5 months. This time we decided on both indoor and outdoor portraits.

Hope you enjoy the photos guys...

Here's a sneak peek with the full shoot at The Taylors

Bec and Nathan

2009-03-24T11:24:00.000+11:00

It was a balmy summers day... well actually it was a bloody hot 41 degree day on a windy central coast of NSW.

But even though it was hot everyone remained calm and it was truly a beautiful wedding. Strewth - Bec is now officially an Aussie living in the Aussie heartland of the Central Coast... Good Onya Cobber. Here's a sneak peek at your wedding photos - hope you like them. As you can see Bec was an absolute stunner. I wish you both all the best for the future.

Geoff and Alicia - eSession

2009-03-15T21:35:00.000+11:00

Geoff is an old school friend and when I was asked to do his wedding photos I felt really honoured... it's great seeing your mates grow old and when they've met someone like Alicia you can see why Geoff and Alicia are going to have a long happy life together... when you find out they just bought bargain of the year house down by the beach... well you're just spewing :-)

Here's a sneak peek at their e-Session.. the full selection is @ Geoff and Alicia

nothing like a seagull in the background checking out the action

an elderly local thinks these photos in the grass are awful... she prefers a nice park setting. I guess I won't be taking her photo anytime soon.

this is my kinda park like setting

thinking about all the kids they'll hopefully have around them ;-)

Alicia has requested that she doesn't have any photos on her wedding day that everyone else has... I love a good challenge and the chance to do something totally different. Time to scout some cool locations.

Ryan and Lauren's little man Noah

2009-03-13T14:47:00.000+11:00

I had the pleasure of photographing little Noah last night. He was one of the happiest little boys I've met...

Here's a sneak peek at Noah and all the photos are at Noah

Things started of all nice... everyone was calm and pleasant

then it got a little hotter..

mum started throwing Noah around...

dad got his shirt off.. and then...

well it was clear that Noah had to rule the show.. this is not the photo for nanny :-)

Noah and teddy off in their own personal space

don't know if anyone's noticed ... Noah has blue eyes. Really blue eyes.

and we finished just chillin.

Thanks guys, it was a lot of fun and no mess.

Just Married.... Brad and Nicole

2009-03-13T10:03:00.000+11:00

Married in Feb was the fun loving Brad and Nicole. Brad and Nicole have renovated themselves a very cool pad in east Corrimal which is now Brad's new local... being an Engadine boy I'm sure it's been an adjustment to the laid back lifestyle of Eastie... hope the boys aren't giving you too much grief Brad :-)

Here's a sneak peek are some of the cool images Eliana and I took on your big day.

this is Brad's typical look, he's always laughing and having a good time.

Hi mum :-)

the boys styling outside the new pad

this was the cutest speech I'd seen written... good work Brad !!

now you can see why Brad wrote that cute speech... Nicole was simply stunning.

I dragged the guys over the rocks for this one... I hope it was worth it guys :-)

I tried to get the bridal party to stay still but they were too excited for Brad and Nicole :-)

I think in this shot they were just wishing they would go away so they could kiss in peace. LOL

Welcome to the Gong guys... I hope you enjoy your new life here together.

Zetland Fun

2009-03-11T21:58:00.000+11:00

On Sunday we took Kalani to my brother's appt in Zetland to celebrate Kelly and Berni's birthdays. The weather was pretty cool and overcast but that didn't stop the kids from having a blast.

I don't know how Kalani didn't pick up some bug after this... but he did sleep for 14 hours straight after this big play day. Kalani had his fav cousin Shane to help him along.

Also having a blast was Kelly's daughter Milla and her best pal Georgie.

you can see all the shots at Zetland

Little Austi

2009-03-05T22:08:00.001+11:00

Today we meet our newest Aussie... appropriately Penny married the man of her dreams at an all Aussie icon - the beach.

Penny is originally from California, but now she's a local. Welcome to Australia Penny and congratulations to you and Rob on your marriage. I pray there are many many happy years together for you guys.

Here's a sneak peek at your special day. And for a more bigger sneak peek look here

All the best - Michael.

They're not just cakes...

2009-03-01T21:40:00.000+11:00

Today I had the pleasure of photographing the Tonitto Family. Laurence and Loretta are famous in the Illawarra and further abroad for their cakes and pastries. I've tried a few of their wedding cakes and they taste as good as they look.

Here's a sneak peek at their photo shoot... the whole shoot can be seen at Tonitto's

Thanks for letting me photograph your family guys and I wish you all the best for the future.

Michael.

Brett hooks himself a bride....

2009-03-01T17:59:00.000+11:00

Yesterday Brett Marr managed to catch the biggest prize of them all... Kate !!

Here's a shot of his rig he used...

Congratulations guys, it was a lot of fun documenting your day for you. Have a great honeymoon and in the meantime here's a sneak peek of yesterday's action.

A big thanks to Eliana from Stellar Photography for her assistance and inspiration throughout the day...

The Ball... The Beach... The Beach Ball Gown.

2009-02-27T19:47:00.002+11:00

If you have a Ball Gown and wear it to the beach for sunrise... does it become a beach ball gown ?

That's exactly what Nelli and Joe did recently. Nelli went out and bought a wonderful dress to wear to the beach for some amazing shots. Nelli and Joe are a great couple and a long time in the making. I've known both Nelli and Joe for almost 10 years and have watched them separately lead their lives... that is until recently. They somehow fell for each and as they say... the rest - well they'll live happily ever after. :-)

Take a look at the full shoot at Joe and Nelli

Of course I haven't mentioned that they got up at 3:30am so they could be down at the studio before sunrise !!

a quick change and Nelli and Joe were off to the ball beach ball...

and one more change and into the infamous Sea Foam Rainforest..

Joe and Nelli will be married at Curzon Hall in late March. Can't wait to get even more creative on your wedding day guys.

See you soon.

Who wants to be a Millioinaire

2009-02-27T14:44:00.000+11:00

Greg is one of Australia's up and coming Internet Entrepreneurs.

Greg needed some shots for a forthcoming book and lecture series. So we took some "head-shots" in the studio followed by some location shots of "living the dream" down at Austinmer Beach.

Which face do you trust more, the gentle smile or the thoughtful and interested look on the left ?

For the "living the dream" shots I shot both wide and large depth of field and also narrow and shallow depth of field. Personally I prefer the second shot.

I've included the lighting diagram shots for those up and coming photographers who're interested in how these were done.

Best of luck with the book release Greg and keep "Living the Dream" !!

All the best,

Michael.

Andrew and Tess

2009-02-19T22:55:00.000+11:00

This afternoon was Andrew and Tess's engagement shoot. We had to reschedule previously due to the crazy wet weather we've been having lately. And again today started out perfect with lots of sunshine... followed by a southerly and dark clouds... so out came the lights :-) Here's a sneak peek of this cute couple... the full shoot is at Andrew and Tess

Can't wait till the big day at Glennifer Brae and I pray the weather turns out perfect for you guys. Check back in May for their wedding shots.

The Joils...

2009-02-19T12:39:00.001+11:00

Last weekend I had the pleasure of photographing The Joils Family. I had previously photographed "AJ's" family almost 2 years ago when it was just mum, dad and Jazz and Jet.

This time we had Griffin in the picture as well... at 11.8kgs... he's a healthy boy who I know will be chasing around J and J very soon.

Thanks AJ for allowing me to document your growing family.

The whole shoot is available for viewing at AJ's Family Snaps

welcome

2009-02-19T08:07:00.000+11:00

Hi Everyone... this is my new blog. I'll be keeping you all up to date with images from recent events and other happenings... ie Kalani's major milestones :-) Hope you enjoy and don't forget to leave feedback so we can all grow together and get better.

Today Kalani was encouraged to start feeding himself. Some chopped up grapes, apricots and peach followed his vegemite and cheese sandwhich. He did well... hardly got any food all over his face which he always used to do.