Sarah and Kaya had their beautiful wedding at the National Gallery of Australia, surrounded by 200 or so adoring family and friends. This is how I saw the day unfold... 

I'm obsessed with pink walls, and every time I travel I gravitate towards them as predictably as a dog gravitates towards the nearest tree. So I've been eye-ing this dilapidated vacant apartment block with pink walls near my place in Braddon and dreaming of portraits I could shoot with it. 

I couldn't think of anyone who would suit this shoot more than the talented Gem Chua (represented by Devojka Models). She fit the urban lolita vibe to a tee, and rocked a flower in her mouth like no one else could (except maybe Lana Del Rey), and we shot this almost completely impromptu in 45mins.    

The last few editorials I shot called for a more dramatic edit than my previous work, and one in particular ('Tonal', published in the September issue of Feroce Magazine) was all about greens and blues. This is where the inspiration for the colour palette of my new preset 'Film Luxe' came from- cool toned, striking greens and reds, clean whites, and with a touch of a cinematic feel. This preset is great for portraits in fashion / editorials, still life (think cool toned instagram feeds), and travel.  

Film luxe is a complex, multifaceted preset- for high key images, it has a very clean 'Scandinavian' lifestyle type look, and for darker images it has a more filmic edgy feel. 

There are three versions. 

Film Luxe 1  - cleanest version, with the least amount of highlight and shadow fading. 

Film Luxe 2 - increased highlight fade, more desaturated, has a 'dreamy' quality and a more obvious slate blue tinge to the shadows.

Film Luxe 3 - increased highlight and shadow fade, more contrast and crushed blacks, and more saturated greens than the others. This has more of an edgier, slightly polaroid film type feel. 

Available for download at my Etsy store. 

Let me preface this post by saying that I am by no means a whiz at Instagram- getting followers, engagement, etc etc.

This post is about my workflow for getting RAW images from my DSLR to Instagram in a way that is streamlined, works with the way I edit, and also allows me to be OCD about my how my grid looks.  

I see my photography Instagram account @StraightNoChaserPix as a rolling portfolio. It's easier to show someone your work by opening Instagram than to load up your website. For this reason I like my grid to make sense and for the images to reflect my aesthetic. 

Avleen and Dev are expecting their first child and I was honoured to be asked to document this precious time in their lives. Avleen wanted to explore the Botanical Gardens in Canberra, so we made our way there last weekend and walked around the gorgeous lush rainforest and spent the hour before sunset at the rock garden area of the Botanical Gardens. 

My second shoot at the Rainforest in this month! Gorgeous spot. 

It was a freezing winter's morning when we ventured out for Ashleigh and Josh's engagement shoot in the Canberra Botanical Gardens a few weeks ago. These two cuties kept each other warm with plenty of snuggling and we all had a blast despite the famous Canberra morning chill.

I love shooting in the rainforest area of the Botanical gardens. Even when it's busy, the ferns somehow muffles the noises of the outside world and you feel like you're in a whole other place very far from Canberra.