Colin Reay Photography
Commercial Photographer | Portrait Photography Sydney | Wedding Photographer
Sean & Cathy Wedding – Lilyvale NSW
Posted on November 9, 2014
Sean & Cathy held their wedding in a beautiful hidden part of Sydney’s Royal National Park known as Lilyvale… Even though I had travelled past there many times in the past I hadn’t actually been inside the gates. The ceremony was held on a deck just above a running stream and the reception was 50 metres away in a bright, airy building in the middle of gardens and perfectly maintained lawns, perfect for kids to play in while friends and family let their hair down and enjoy the afternoon. When combining a fun group of people with a beautiful location you can’t help but end up with a lovely set of Wedding Photos.
Congratulations Sean & Cathy!
Engagement Photo Shoot
Posted on September 9, 2014
Unless you’ve been a professional model you’re probably like most people who at times can feel a little awkward in front of a camera. On your wedding day you’re going to want the best set of Photographs you’ve ever had to keep as a record of your Wedding Day, therefore an engagement session is a great opportunity to spend some time getting comfortable with your photographer, learning what angles work best for you both whilst enjoying some quality time together creating a beautiful set of images that can be used on invitations, guest books and wall art for around the house.
Some couples like to go to the place they are getting married for their engagement shoot, that way on the day we have an excellent idea of the spots we want to photograph as well as the time it’s going to take to get to each location, ensuring the big day runs as smoothly as possible.
The collection of images below is from a recent engagement session I did at Lavender Bay in Sydney.
Posing Tips for Grooms
Posted on September 2, 2014
Don’t overthink it! The best shot’s happen when your casual and relaxed. Use your surroundings and props, leaning against a doorway, a car, interacting and messing around with your groomsmen or sitting on the edge of a chair.
Similar to posing a bride, what ever is closest to the camera will look biggest, so if you’ve got a bit of a belly it’s best if you slouch forward slightly so your face is closer to the camera than your waist. Keep the chin up and out so you don’t end up with “double chin” this will have you looking sharp.
Guys can keep their shoulders a bit more square to the camera than Girls, this will make you look broader and more masculine.
Our photography style is quite candid, you’ll still have some formal shots but mostly we will ask you and your partner to stand in a particular spot that works well with the conditions then let you chat, laugh and interact with each other so we can step back and capture the moment as it unfolds naturally.
If there are any particular poses you need to be in a good Photographer will guide you on the day.
Posing Tips for Brides
Posted on July 23, 2014
Don’t pay to much attention to what you see in fashion and bridal magazines, those photography sessions can last for hours in order to produce one perfectly polished image.
The one thing that people love to see in photo’s is personality and genuine emotion.
As far as posing here are a few tips:
- Try to stand at 45 degrees to the camera and turn your head and shoulders towards the lens.
- Put your weight on your back foot so your foot closest to the camera is only just touching the ground, which will give you a nice feminine bend in your front leg.
- Slightly bend towards the camera from your hips and keep your chin up. This will prevent the double chin commonly seen in “selfies”…
- Your Boquet is a nice prop to be used in photo’s but it shouldn’t overshadow the beautiful dress you are wearing, so hold it in a relaxed fashion and not like a school kid would hold up a merit certificate infront of assembly.
- You don’t always have to make eye contact with the camera, to be honest once you get the formal portraits out of the way you can just interact with each other, cuddle, kiss, talk and laugh and the magic will happen all on it’s own. A good photographer will direct you on the day if there is something they feel will make a good shot, so no need to overthink things to much.
Melissa and Barney – Southern Highlands Wedding
Posted on November 24, 2013
The Southern Highlands are a beautiful place to visit especially when you’re a photographer. When I heard there was going to be a hedge maze at Melissa & Barney’s wedding I was extra excited about what we could create.
Wedding Photographers need to keep an eye on the clock to ensure we don’t blow out the day’s schedule. This was one of those days where the Bridal Party was engaging, inspiration was everywhere and time flew….
Tai & Moon’s Wedding Day
Posted on November 9, 2013
Wow! Cook Islanders know how to throw a party. Over 400 guests, a sea of floral tea shirts, floral headbands, fruit platters an Island band and the belting out of some well known Maori songs I enjoyed but couldn’t quite understand…. and that was just the service.
Tai & Moon held their wedding at Nurragingi Reserve in Blacktown which was somewhere I hadn’t photographed before and definitely a place I’d like to get back to and explore some more photo opportunities.
It was nice to see such a big focus on family, culture and food throughout the day. Tai and Moon were so easy going and incredibly relaxed on what was a long, hot day… Congratulations to you both!
Grown-Up!
Posted on September 25, 2013
Boy to Man
Many years ago an established Photographer friend asked me to be second shooter at a large wedding in the Hunters Hill area. My first job of the day was to cover the grooms prep at his family’s home.
Pascale was getting ready upstairs when I noticed a larger than life childhood portrait at the entrance to his room. I began to set up the shot with the anticipation that he would eventually walk through the doorway and I could capture this transition from boy to man, but instead the grooms Dad entered the room and gave his boy a big hug, a beautiful moment between father and son.
At the time I didn’t have any children but I always liked this shot for it’s journalistic qualities and that special father son moment, however only recently it had an emotional connection when it occurred to me that one day my little boy similar age to the boy in the picture will be all grown up.
Even though it’s still a while off, it reinforces the fact we must embrace every moment and every step of our Children’s journey through life, because in this busy fast paced world we live in time can really slip by.
Pink Reflection
Posted on September 7, 2013
This is a photo from Jennifer’s bride prep in her late Mums rose garden. The sun was directly above us which is always a challenge for photographers. So instead of using a regular reflector to manipulate the lighting this big blooming rose was the perfect way to bounce some soft pink light back onto Jen’s face..
Helena’s Day Spa – The Skin Experts
