my life story, in three parts

wife

I grew up in Gloucester. There’s not much there, but it’s a cute country town. It’s where I met Liv – we even went to the same pre-school. At sixteen, we decided to spend the rest of our lives together and have barely spent a day apart since.
Six years later I popped the question. We got married on my parents’ verandah. It rained nonstop, but we didn't mind - we were surrounded by the people most special to us. One of my favourite memories of that day was getting to the first dance, and realising we had

a) no plan at all
b) not asked anyone to jump in and save us partway through.

We improvised our way through four very awkward minutes, much to the entertainment of our friends.
A few years after that we were traveling through Vegas, and what more Vegas thing to do than get married? Seeing as we'd sorted that already, we went for a vow renewal officiated by Elvis himself. It was every bit as corny and tacky as you could hope for. Both days were brilliant. Liv understands me like no one else. Having her by my side is my greatest achievement.

life

As is the fashion for kids from Gloucester, we moved to Newcastle the second that school ended. It’s the perfect mix of big & small, busy yet quiet. I love coming down Scenic Drive and seeing the beaches appear. I love taking walks around the edge of the lake, or out along the breakwall. Parts of the city have become inseparable from our relationship – the spot where I proposed, smoothies from 3 Monks, whale watching from Strzelecki, $10 Merewether pizzas, Sundays at Shoal Bay, gelato from Popolo, zucchini flowers from Rustica...we live to eat. We’ve moved a few times, but have settled in Cardiff with our dog Daphne (we watch a lot of Frasier) and daughter Hazel. We love it here and aren’t planning on leaving any time soon.

work

I started weddings in 2010, after dropping out halfway through a Visual Communications degree. Photography was becoming my thing, and you don't need three years in school to pick it up. While I shot more weddings, I did a degree in business to hedge my bets. By the time I graduated, my wedding count was nearing 100 and things were humming along. My degree now sits patiently in a filing cabinet, awaiting a chance to be useful.

I never would have predicted being self-employed, but now I couldn't imagine it any other way. A couple once suggested that my tagline should be 'no bullshit' and I think that's pretty accurate - what you see is what you get. My aim with this business is for every aspect to be the best it can be. Doing this is a privilege I owe to all of my couples, which pushes me along. After doing this for a decade now it still feels fresh and exciting at each wedding. I feel like I've found what I'm truly meant to be doing.

Photography has taken me places I never anticipated. It’s a mix of working in the field and honing the craft behind the scenes – the editing, the prints, the process. I’m a bit of a gear nut and like to keep up to date with every new camera or lens that has been released. The time we spend traveling is about the only chance I have to shoot for myself, although since Hazel came along I've been trying to work on that. A gallery of my favourite landscapes can be seen here.