Rebecca and Chaka - Engaged

Rebecca and I met at Danielle and Daniel's elopement earlier in the year (she did the hair and make-up). She and Chaka are getting married in January next year and invited me to the Botanic Gardens to take some photos for their wedding website. :)

:) :) :)

5am wake-up call

I headed to NSW yesterday for a wedding -- my first out-of-state and another thing to cross off my bucket-list (which is so long it only exists in my mind :)) Waking up at 5 is not as bad as I always imagine it to be, but when we drove through this...

... I was a little worried I would face the creative challenge of shooting a rainy-day wedding (which also happens to be on the list, but that doesn't mean I'm not nervous for it) and keeping my rented lens dry. And my camera.

Luckily the clouds parted to give me a sunburn, but stayed close enough to provide epic skies for our photos! :)

Hope you enjoy this little preview and stay tuned for the rest! :)

jacarandas and an engagement

All around Brisbane there are jacarandas blooming. And every time I see a purple tree, I want to take a photo. There is something about the carpet of purple snow under each tree that just makes me want to lie down and take a photo from the ground's perspective.

But I'm not just going to pull over on the ICB (there are some REALLY nice ones around Suncorp), and lie down in front of Brisbane traffic. Luckily for me, there was a jacaranda at an engagement shoot I did this week. The full post is coming soon, but I thought I would leave you with a little preview. :)

OK so it's not exactly a carpet and I wasn't exactly lying down -- I am still satisfied :)

Good night! x

rain, rain

Will it ever stop raining?

I am enjoying taking photos of clouds and cliche water droplets on flowers though :)

Happy Birthday To Me!!! :)

I am now 22 years old. :)

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Since I don't really have much else to say, here are 22 random things you might not know about me.

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1. Because I couldn't think of anything to say about myself, so I Googled "random questions" and answered some of them. :)

2. I share a birthday with Desmond Tutu, Thom Yorke, Shawn Ashmore, Rachel McAdams, Simon Cowell, Michael W. Smith, John Mellencamp and Vladimir Putin.

3. I am eclectic. So I don't have a favourite "thing" like a food, colour, style, song, etc. I have too many of each category. Don't make me choose between them!

4. I do not like being called Anne, or Anna. I am Annie. It's not a nickname. It is my name.

5. My nicknames are: Annie Frangipani, Frangipani Annie, Frangipani, Frannie, Pannie, Nanny, Andy and Miss America. I've also answered to Charlie, Chook, Possum, Fred, Mugsy and Wench.

6. I have had two surgeries - both of them on one toe. I have also had stitches in my head. Queen Latifah and I have matching scars. :)

7. I want to go to Israel, Egypt, Ireland, Scotland, Italy, Greece, and every state in America I haven't been to yet (I think I've been to about eleven.)

8. I can put my feet behind my head.

9. Barbara from Bank World makes me laugh. "I'm in a meeting!" (I think only Australians will understand that one!)

10. My phobias - heights, falling from heights (so no roller coasters or sky diving for me!), deep water (and things that are in deep water), sharks, toads, frogs, grasshoppers, feet and people driving too close to my car.

11. I despise text-talk. LOL, OMG, l8er, etc. Especially when it is used in actual, face to face conversation. Don't say LOL if I say something funny. You have my permission to actually LAUGH OUT LOUD.

12. I am a horse, cow, duck and chicken person (as opposed to dog person or cat person).)

13. I don't like cheese, milk or butter/margarine. But I love ice cream.

14. I want John Howard back as our Prime Minister. I had a photo taken with him a couple of years ago. I should find it...

15. I love the 80's. 80's music, and children's movies and TV shows the most. My favourite movies are Labyrinth and Return to Oz.

16. I have the craziest, weirdest, vivid dreams, almost every night. This fact may have something to do with the 80's movies that I like... My sister had to pass a mental health examination for her work, and one of the questions was "What do you normally dream about?" I wouldn't have passed.

17. My favourite childhood books were by Enid Blyton. Especially the Magic Faraway Tree. Also a book by Joan Aiken called "The Last Slice of the Rainbow - and other stories." This book may also help you to understand why I dream the way I do. :)

18. If I had three wishes they would be for: world peace (honestly, this one covers everything!), wings so that I could fly, and the ability to breathe under water.

19. I am addicted to houses. I frequent real estate websites, apartmenttherapy.com, and sometimes just like to drive around looking at houses. If I had millions of dollars, I would buy houses, not shoes.

20.  I like to read dictionaries, phone books, street directories, maps, and atlases.

21. I wear glasses or contact lenses.

22. I am not on facebook. I know - it's shocking.

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(Thanks Jess for the photo!)

Kirsty and Paul - Engaged

Welcome to another long post! :) I couldn't decide (again) between the MANY pictures that I took, so be prepared to scroll! :) :) :)

I am shooting Kirsty and Paul's wedding in February next year and I can't wait! We met at Roma Street Parklands for their engagement shoot last weekend, and despite it POURING rain when I left for the train station, not being able to find an umbrella, AND having a cold, the sun came out, the sky cleared, and as we explored the beautiful gardens, we had an amazing time! So amazing that their two hour session became an almost three hour session! I didn't want to stop! :)

I hope you enjoy these shots!

These guys brought umbrellas, and we didn't end up needing them, but we used them anyway.

I love these next two...

When Kirsty emailed to tell me she was bringing lollipops, I was more than a little excited... :)

I love coming up with ring shots - and I LOVE this one :)

Too cute :)

I was very happy that the sun came out...

The playground was a fun location :)

Here's another ring shot. Kirsty requested this one after seeing Sarah and Caleb's. What do you think: should it become my "signature" shot? :)

Most people would know how much I love rain. The louder the thunder and the scarier the lightning the better :) Fog, snow, sleet, floods and hail make me happy :) However, since becoming a photographer, I've gained a deeper appreciation for the sun, and this is why:

How sweet and happy are they?! :)

I love the Parklands because there are so many gorgeous little corners to shoot in.

Thanks Kirsty and Paul for letting me photograph your beautiful selves. It was lovely to meet you and I'm so excited for February!

:)