Sep 30th
Fashion and fine food. A marriage made in heaven. Just like Claire and Tom.
Claire is a woman with style. The daughter of Maryon from Maryon’s Shoes fame, she has been raised with fashion in her blood. So who else would be her dress designer than Vera Wang? And the shoes….timeless classics from RODO. Stunning. But then I think Claire would probably look stunning in tracksuit pants. Tom never stood a chance.
Now…the food…..after the ceremony, Claire and Tom celebrated with an intimate reception at Restaurant Two. If you have ever eaten at Restaurant Two, you know how good this place is. The food was impeccable (as always) thanks to the magic of David Pugh, and the veuve flowed throughout the night.
The Stamford Plaza provided the perfect backdrop for Claire & her bridesmaids to get ready before the ceremony at St John’s Cathedral Both are featured in some of the images below.
Claire and Tom, thank you for inviting Studio Impressions to be part of your day. I hope every day of your marriage is a beautiful as your wedding day was.
Wedding guests are welcome to click on the link to view Claire & Tom’s sneak peek slideshow.
Wedding guests are welcome to view all images on the online gallery.
(Slideshow and gallery are password protected. Please contact Claire & Tom for access.)
Sep 29th
Junebug Weddings is an incredible site to visit. It was launched earlier this year and has quickly become one of the world’s top wedding sites. I feel honored to be included in this months Photographers spotlight. You can read the full interview here.
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Sep 22nd
When Tanya and Alek asked me to photograph their wedding in Bali how could I refuse? Tanya and Alek, originally from San Fransisco, live in New York, and chose Bali for their wedding destination.
Bali has always been popular with Australians, and now it is becoming one of the “THE” places to visit for travellers from the USA and further afield. Tanya and Alek’s guests travelled from around the world for this beautiful wedding, and frankly, why wouldn’t you?
Tanya and Alek’s wedding ceremony and reception was held in the immaculate grounds of the new Alila Villas Soori. The resort is so new that this is only the second wedding to be held here. Alila has something very special to offer couples seeking a wedding with style and difference, and Soori could well become the hottest place to have your wedding in Bali. The rooms in which the bridal couple got ready, were luxurious and relaxing. The service was impeccable (I’ll explain why I think so later), and the opportunities for great images, endless. Tanya and Alek chose an all white theme for their island wedding, and they pulled it off with style. All the guests dressed tastefully in white which just added to the atmosphere. Their beach ceremony celebrated jewish tradition and their reception at Alila Coota Restaurant was sophisticated, intimate but still casual affair. The food was even better than it looks in the photos. The decor and little touches they added brought the whole thing together. Check out their fantastic idea for place holders. This was simplicity done to its best.
We’ve seen it on the movies, but you just don’t think it actually happens. Well it does. Just before the ceremony, the Best Man gets the ring out and drops it…..losing it between the floor boards of the deck, with no opening to retrieve it. Now this is why I think the service at this resort was so great. Before I knew it, a staff member was there, boards were up and ring found. Disaster averted. I really have to hand it to Tanya. During the entire lost ring scenario, she was so calm, and even had a laugh about it. I think the relieved look on the Best Man’s face says it all though!
I had such a great time with Tanya and Alek and their friends and family, that I just couldn’t help but have my own memory of this wedding with a snap of us all together. Thank you Tanya and Alek, for an amazing time and I promise to catch up with you the next time I’m in New York.
Wedding guests are welcome to click on the link to view Tanya & Alek’s sneak peek slideshow.
Wedding guests are welcome to view all images on the online gallery.
(Slideshow and gallery are password protected. Please contact Tanya & Alek for access).
Sep 18th
One night, a little over three years ago, a man named TK travelled to Jakarta on business. With nothing much to do that evening, TK called his childhood friend Satish. That phone call would change his life. Satish invited TK to a local bar for drinks with his friends. It was at that bar that TK would experience love at first sight. Across the room stood Sheila.
Sheila had returned to Jakarta after having spent much of her life in Sydney and San Francisco. That night she was looking forward to relaxing with Satish and a group of friends. She was not expecting to find love.
As the night wore on and the glasses began to empty with alarming frequency, TK became more and more intrigued with Sheila. Unfortunately he also became more inebriated. The next day, as hangovers subsided, a tentative phone call turned out to be the start of many, and as TK returned home, a long distance love affair began. Finding any excuse to fly to Jakarta for ‘business’ TK and Sheila would ignite their love across the borders between Malaysia and Indonesia. The rest, as they say, is history.
“Our passion and love for each other helped us through this long distance relationship which has finally culminated in us taking this big leap. After having spent a very intense day in Bali with Marcus literally traveling from the mountains to the beach we have realized that Marcus shares this same love and passion for his photography.”
Before photographing their Balinese wedding, Sheila and TK asked me to spend the day with them, capturing their love as it is every day.
“Nuris” – a little piece of Heaven in Ubud.
This unassuming little Cafe on the main street leading into Ubud has risen to worldwide fame in recent years. Without a doubt the BBQ spare ribs are arguably the best you will ever taste. Not only that, the New York Times claims that this humble little cafe also makes the “Best Martini in the world” the article, along with many other press clippings adorns the rustic walls.
This incredible worldwide reputation continues to see the who’s who dining here, even Julia Roberts was here only a few weeks ago. For me, it’s always my number one thing to do when I visit Bali, thanks to my good friend Indra for introducing me to his favorite little haunt.
“Marcus, these are the most amazing photos of ourselves we’ve ever seen. It truly expresses that special essence of the love Sheila and I have for each other. We love your work and it was a real honor having you behind the camera on that special day, it was unforgettable, thank you.”
Sheila & TK
Sep 13th
A few weeks ago it was my twin boys’ 5th birthday and the boys planned a ”Super Hero” party to celebrate. Evan loves Batman and, conveniently, Rohan loves Robin. He desperately wanted a Robin suit for his birthday. Well, it is impossible to find a Robin suit to fit a 5 year old anywhere in Brisbane. You can easily get one to fit a 25 year old, but not one for kids (go figure?). After much searching we found one online, expecting delivery just in time for his birthday and the big party. Of course, as with all best laid plans, the suit didn’t arrive until the day after the party. You won’t believe the crazy things we were doing in an effort to get a Robin suit in time for his birthday. Penny even stopped on the side of the road to ask a group of guys dressed as Superheros if they knew where she could get a Robin costume. I’m still trying to figure out why there were a group of adult men walking around Brisbane at midday on a Saturday dressed as Superheros! Who knows?
When the suit did arrive, it was on as fast as Rohan could get it out of the box. I couldn’t help to take a few pics of my dynamic duo.
Technique: These were shot on the Nikon D3s with the 24-70mm lens. I set up a portable studio light from Profoto, the “B600″, together with the ”Beauty Dish” with white reflector. I also used the diffuser attachment over the dish to soften the light a little.
Sometimes it is worth doing that little extra with equipment, even for a family shoot. One day they will be adults and I hope they look back and remember how cool it was to be 5 and be Batman and Robin for a day. At the very least, these will make great bribes on their 21st!
Sep 9th
Just a couple of little teaser photographs from Tanya and Alek’s wedding at the amazing Alila Villas Soori resort in Bali last week. Alek and Tanya from New York chose Alila for the pristine beauty, solitude and impeccable service and they were certainly not disappointed.
These beautiful rocky cliffs are situated right beside the private beach front and were captured just after the ceremony.
TECHNIQUE: I have to thank my local assistant (and local Profoto rep) for the second image, that held the Profoto portable light strobe in waist level water battered by waves to light Tanya on the cliff. Sadly I had to remove him from the image, other than that the image is completely as shot in camera.
I look forward to showing the rest of the amazing story in the weeks to come.
Thank you Tanya and Alek for an amazing experience. Hope you are home safely ready for the 2nd part of your wedding celebration in San Fransisco.
Bringing photography to life
Describes what we do. This blog is about exactly that - here we will share a little of our life and a lot of what we love - people, art and photography. Whether you are planning a wedding, a family portrait or building your own professional photography business, I hope you find something to inspire you here. Thank you for visiting.
- Marcus Bell | Brisbane, Australia
