Nattnee Photography Blog

out of office

2010-01-21T02:19:00.002+11:00

Hey all. I'm off to Japan for a few weeks so if you email and I don't respond immediately it's probably because I'm visiting a temple or eating ramen somewhere =) It's not all fun and games though, I'm doing some photos for my dear friends who are getting married there!

See you in a few weeks!

jasmine star workshop

2010-01-14T00:13:00.002+11:00

I still remember how blown away I was when I discovered Jasmine Star. This was at the very beginning of my career when I had just switched over from an office job to wedding photography and was blog stalking many wedding photographers. Her work inspired me greatly and whenever I felt unsure about my decision to switch career or felt like I wanted to give up, I would go and look at the stunning images on her blog and I was reassured that this is definitely what I wanted to do, what I wanted to become good at. I was blown away then and I was blown away now, after meeting her and attending her workshop.

Jasmine is so real. What I mean is, she shares a lot about herself and her life on the blog and I feel like I know her but then she is just somebody I read about, so what is she really like, you know? Well, I can tell you that she is very real and honest. She's down to earth and funny and just so...real. (And for some reason, something about her reminds me of Reese Witherspoon a little??)

This was my first workshop ever and I really enjoyed it. I was so captivated that I kept nodding like an idiot sitting there in front row! The workshop left me with a lot of food for thoughts in regards to the branding and marketing aspect of the business. As for the shooting, I was very impressed with how J* directed the models. I didn't shoot all that much and preferred to watch her at work. She really knew what she was doing and boy does she look fab doing it too!!

JD, her wing man and the love of her life, was also there helping out on the day. JD is seriously one of the nicest guy I've ever met and it was such a pleasure to meet and chat with him. Oh and I was stoked when he said they ate at Ichiban!! Ha! Out of all places in Sydney, they went to my fav little noodle shop =p

Before I share some pics from the day, I would like to give a big shout out to the people that made this wonderful workshop happen. So big big thanks to:
Jasmine Star + JD - For bringing your fabulousness down under.
Cathy Crawley - For hosting this workshop.
Lacy & Evan Shelton and Kristie Jane - Our beautiful models.
Daisy Chain Florist - For the pretty bouquets.
Catherine Colubriale - For the gorgeous wedding gowns.
Elle Vierboom - For the awesome hair and makeup.
and the lovely lady behind the bar =)

The fabulous Jasmine Star showing us how it's done!

And lastly...the dorky little me with Jasmine and JD.

I hope someday I will meet the two of you again. For now...I'm happy as a clam. Thank you =)

van & jen: engagement

2010-01-06T20:32:00.002+11:00

For some reason every time I think "shoot at the beach" I always imagine it to be empty. Well, not so on a Sunday arvo! It's ok, we managed to shoot around the crowd, I even had to kick this chick off the bench (that reads politely asking her btw) for the first few shots of Van and Jen here =p

Van flicking Jen's hair is quite cute =)

A lil goofing around =p

It was fun hanging out with Van and Jen and I have a feeling it'll be even more fun with their bridal party on the big day!

thuy & hiep: engagement

2010-01-04T13:17:00.002+11:00

My first couple of 2010. These two just headed down to Adelaide to get ready for their big day this Saturday!

This e-session is more urban which is a nice change to my usual grass and beach type stuff. Don't worry though, there are definitely more beachy photos coming in future posts!

Let's start with one of my fav from this e-session which is this sweet little moment =)

A wee bit of nature thrown in. Actually there's a whole heap of these pretty purple weeds locked inside that fence you see behind. Yes, I tried looking for a way in but unfortunately it was secured pretty well!

I'm pretty sure Thuy was still wearing her black dress when we got in our cars. She took me by surprise when stepping out of it again in a totally different dress hehe. Suits the new location =)

Lastly...another fav from the set =)

hello 2010

2010-01-02T18:30:00.004+11:00

Last year went by so fast! This year is going to be the same. Blink and it'll be July I reckon! So did you make any New Year resolutions? Apart from my recurring one of shedding some kilos and getting fit and healthy, I have a lose one of "do more". It may sound very broad but I think it's a good one for me. Working on your own business takes a certain amount of discipline and really I could pick up the pace and achieve more than last year, so hopefully I will reach the end of 2010 feeling like I did more =)

This month is going to be very exciting with a wedding in Adelaide and Japan and a workshop with Jasmine Star!!! When I started this biz, the thought of photographing anywhere else other than Sydney NEVER crossed my mind and J* is an idol I would only ever read about on the internet. So I say this month ain't a bad way to kick start the year at all!

I'm also traveling around Japan for 3 weeks and I just can't wait! Bring on the cold and the snow, I am not going to miss the heat at all =)

merry christmas

2009-12-24T19:14:00.003+11:00

Hello everyone. I just wanted to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Also a big thank you to all my photographer friends who have supported me this year...you know who you are! =)

See you in 2010!

chris & anna: engagement

2009-12-04T00:52:00.002+11:00

Rolling out of bed when it's still dark is never an easy task. You see, I'm a night owl rather than an early bird and this e-session was scheduled for 6am! As I drove around the location, my bleary eyes widened when I saw mist rose out of the grass and a bunny hopped from the road into the bushes. No joke, a bunny! So that's what a sleepy head like me have been missing out on.

The sun was barely out when I met up with Chris and Anna (but boy did it rise high in the sky very quickly). They greeted me with big warm smiles and it was no surprise that even though it was so early, they brought with them a lot of energy. I had such a great time with these two that the 6am was all worth it =) Oh and I'm liking the softer colours of this set too.

This happy couple are not just in love, they're great friends and clearly share a lot of fun and laughs together.

I like this sweet one =)

I was a little shock when they agreed to stick their feet in the swamp for me...shocked, concerned but secretly happy hehe =p Thank you!

A funny one. They were going for a bit of attitude...but it wasn't long before their brilliant smiles came through again =)

Thanks for getting me out and about early guys. See you soon at your wedding! =)

seng & yi: wedding

2009-11-27T01:01:00.003+11:00

After a wonderful wedding in Vanuatu, Seng & Yi came home for a small celebration at Centennial Park with their families. We had a great time doing location photos around the park (thank you weather for not pouring) and a world record fast tea ceremony! Their day ended with a Chinese banquet at Kam Fook restaurant in Chatswood.

Some pics from the day...(might be a bit long, I always have trouble picking photos!)

These images with the weeping willows are some of my fav from this shoot. We were lucky to get a breeze as that helps give the branches a little bit of movement.

These next two are my favs...and can't decide whether I like the B&W or colour more.

Somewhere here Seng was telling Yi to "relax man". I can't help but crack up every time I hear him use "man" with her hehe.

Esmond captured this one. I love it...especially Yi's trademark laugh =)

Esmond's shot from the other side of the bridge.

Bubbles and tea.

I've been to Kam Fook before but never noticed these chandeliers before...guess I was always looking at the food =p

Click here to check out the slideshow.

Big congratulations to Seng and Yi. I know you guys will be smiling and laughing together forever...man =)

sarah & adrian: engagement

2009-11-04T14:20:00.002+11:00

When we were teeing up a time for the engagement session, Sarah asked jokingly "We'd like good weather, could you arrange that?". I smiled to myself thinking "Wish I could. That'd be quite nifty". Wouldn't you know it, as soon as I started driving out that day, the sky turned grey and it started to rain.

Adrian flew all the way from the UK to propose to Sarah just days before the shoot. It was only a short visit and this session couldn't be rescheduled. Determined not to disappoint anybody, I drove out to Balmoral Beach anyway, hoping for the best. Luck was on their side and soon the sun came out to play.

We had a lovely afternoon strolling up and down the beach. When I think of Sarah and Adrian, I remember little moments like her folding up his sleeves and him looking at her adoringly. Words like "sweet", "relax" and "cosy" comes to mind which makes a beach location just so fitting.

Here are some photos.

Tree roots...S & A must've been thinking "What's Natt doing??"

I really like how the B&W turned out in this set. The light makes the conversion less contrasty and a lot more clean =)

I love how these two next shots unfolded so natrually =)

Sarah & Adrian - Have a fantastic wedding in the UK next year. I wish I could be there to capture your big day!

baby jas

2009-11-01T22:15:00.003+11:00

Tried my hands at a baby shoot today and wow...it was H-A-R-D. Nothing happened like I imagined and baby Jas wouldn't sleep =)

There must be a gazillion techniques I don't know about...hmm need more babies to practice on =)

fat joke and a happy tune

2009-10-20T06:08:00.002+11:00

Good morning. I'm up early today for a preschool shoot with Kylie in the Rocks (there's a preschool in the Rocks?). Just got dressed and having a cup of coffee now before I run out the door. I stepped on the scales before hitting the shower today and while I stood under the warm water, I was thinking about a short conversation I had with a little 3 year old from the last preschool. I was taking some portrait shots of this little blondie and it went like this...

blondie: (pointing at a toy i had hanging out of my jeans pocket) what's that for?
natt: that's for little babies but you don't need that 'cos you're a big girl
blondie: you have a baby
natt: (stopped taking pics and squatted next to the kid) what baby?
blondie: the baby in your tummy
natt: why did you say that?
blondie: 'cos your tummy is growing
natt: ..........

I was blank for a few seconds. Thanks kid. I was devastated for the whole day after that! Got called a fattie by a kid! Anyway, you have my permission to laugh. Sure I'll be at the end of a fat joke for your enjoyment.

Anyway, been a while since I shot anything other than people. I snapped this quickly last week before an e-session. I used to do this kind of simple stuff all the time. This is a "good morning" kinda photo methinks =)

Before, I run off, let me leave you with this which has been stuck in my head all morning. I love Glee - it's freaking hilarious =)

Have a great day everybody!!

matt & charissa: wedding

2009-10-16T21:34:00.004+11:00

From the very first meeting to the engagement shoot, it was very easy to see how much Matt and Charissa adored each other. As a matter of fact, you'd be hard pressed to find another couple more in love and more full of love than these two. Looking through the photographs from their big day, I saw all of that and how much they were filled up to the brim with pure joy. It really was a very happy day, just the way a wedding should be =)

Congratulations to Matt and Charissa who were married at St Stephen's Anglican Church in Willoughby and later celebrated with all their family and friends at WatervieW in Bicentennial Park.

Possibly too many photos but I had a hard time picking them:

Isn't she just gorgeous?

Love Esmond's angle on this one (left).

Another nice one by Es =)

Big or small, her smile is always gorgeous =)

Aww...they're so sweet!

One of my favs - the fairy lights in the back help make this shot romantic =)

Click here to see the slideshow - the lovely song is from their bridal dance and is very fitting =)

dust storm

2009-09-23T07:00:00.002+10:00

I woke up, looked outside the window and saw what looked like the end of the world. Ok I exaggerated a little but check out the crazy red sky from the dust storm that's hit Sydney this morning:

For those that don't live in Sydney, this was not a result of some funky antique photoshop actions. It's pretty much straight out of the cam. Gosh it smells so dusty even indoors!

seng & yi: engagement

2009-09-16T01:30:00.003+10:00

*SMILES* I was brimming with smiles while editing this engagement session. I love seeing smiles and laughter in my photographs and I got plenty of that from Seng and Yi. As I was browsing through the photos, I felt like I was watching the two of them having fun together right in front of me. It made me happy and I couldn't help but smile from ear to ear.

We did this shoot in the Hunter Valley and oh boy could I shoot there for days on end! If only it was closer to home, I'd be there all the time. There were a couple of spots that I was eyeing but didn't get to shoot at 'cos we ran out of light so hopefully I'll get to do those one day.

Seng proposed to Yi at the Hunter Valley on a hot air balloon and even considered having their wedding there (unfortunately Hunter Valley lost out to Vanuatu) and so we thought it would be a great idea to do their e-session here.

We started out doing simple stuff just to get comfie in front of the camera.

Don't you just love this door? There were a few guests standing around doing group shots somewhere nearby, they saw us shooting at the door and must have thought it was a great idea 'cos they eventually took over the spot hehe.

This next two is probably not so typical of my post processing but I thought it really suited this little bookstore. Check out that big old typewriter =)

Hello gorgeous dress!

I just love that Yi laughs a lot =)

But we did manage one serious shot.

I must've gone into the store to check out the frou frou umbrella/parasol a gazillion times but could never find a reason to get one until our Hunter Valley shoot. I didn't know which colour to get or whether it would really go with anything and so I was extremely pleased to see that Yi's beautiful dress happened to match the cream frou frou perfectly!

Personally, I've never gone to the Hunter Valley at the right time and previous visits have shown me nothing but leafless vines or shriveled up grapes. As we drove to meet Seng & Yi, I observed the vines and was disappointed that there were only young little leaves and not the lush kind I had in mind. Luckily, Seng managed to find some wild growing vines and my goodness they were just so green, so abundant and oh so beautiful =)

It was staring to get dark which added a nice mood. They're pretty adorable together aren't they.

More laughs which I totally love =)

This has to be my favourite photograph from the session. I just love how happy they both look and how animated the photo is.

It was getting really dark by this stage but no way were we leaving without getting some shots of the cute couple with their awesome Mini Cooper (which happens to be my dream car hehe...no, not biased or anything).

Seng & Yi, thank you for spending the afternoon in Hunter Valley with me. I had such an amazing and fun time with you both. These photos really made me smile and I hope they do the same for you. Have a wonderful wedding in Vanuatu and I'll see you at your Sydney wedding in October!

Another fav before I go =)

crazy dreams

2009-09-09T00:10:00.001+10:00

Have you ever had one of those dreams before an exam where you find yourself in a large classroom, the clock is ticking really loudly and everybody's got their heads down scribbling away like mad while you're staring at the exam papers and you just don't remember anything you've studied? Well I had the photography equivalent of that all week before the wedding last weekend. I didn't just have one either...I had FOUR photography related disaster dreams. I thought I was going insane!

Dream #1 - This took place early in the week. I dreamt that I turned up to a wedding and forgot to charge my batteries and couldn't take any photos.

Dream #2 - My favouritest photographer, Jose Villa, came to Sydney to do a workshop and I didn't have any money to attend it. I was feeling extremely sad and he looked at me with a "you poor thing" expression.

Dream #3 - This took place a two days before the wedding. I dreamt that I went to a night time wedding, the bridal party was already in church and on the stage singing away. I went to that wedding with one camera body, one lens, one battery and a single 4GB card! I had forgotten everything at home and couldn't go back to get it.

At this stage, I was freaking out 'cos this has never happened to me before. Needless to say, I made sure I had everything packed and ready earlier than usual. Then...

Dream #4 - This took place on the morning of the wedding. I dreamt that I woke up at 3:24pm and had missed the entire ceremony.

I bolted right out of bed and was up well before the alarm was due to go off. Talk about going crazy!! Anyway, the wedding went fine and I didn't forget to bring anything =p

Here's a sneak peek:

And for anyone who thinks "wow your camera takes nice photos" (yes I have copped that before), this is what it looks like unprocessed (btw I shoot RAW so I'm not speaking for the JPG folks):

I went to the Hunter Valley the day after the wedding for an engagement shoot and a bit of hanging out with friends. I was looking through the photos today and I couldn't stop smiling. I'm definitely a people photographer. Landscapes and still life and other stuff is great and all but seeing people smile and laugh in my photographs is really what makes me happy. Too bad I can't hang those photos on my walls at home...that would just be bizarre and totally stalker like =p

Some pics of my "assistants".

Eric just loves to take out my reflector...even when I don't need to use it =)

Okies, I'm off to do more post processing!

lisa and her mother: portrait

2009-09-08T00:02:00.002+10:00

You may remember Lisa from a portrait session I did late last year.

This girl is about to pack her bags and fly off to London for a little change of scenery but before she does that she thought her mother would like some photos of them together before she leaves. Here are some snaps from this recent mother & daughter shoot.

Hope you have a fabulous time in London!

matt & charissa: engagement

2009-08-19T21:50:00.004+10:00

In love. Sweet. Romantic. I could try and find many other words but they would probably not be enough to convey how Matt and Charissa are together. Alright, that's actually just an excuse for my poor writing skills and lack of fancy words. I talk like a 5 yr old sometimes and if you want to know how I actually described them on the day of the e-session, my very words were "you guys have unlimited canoodliness". Nice huh? Lucky they didn't hire me to write speeches =)

Seriously though, these two are one of the sweetest couples I've ever had the pleasure of photographing. They are so full of love and I just know their wedding day is going to be very special.

It was a really beautiful morning for an e-session and quite a change for me as I normally schedule all mine in the afternoon. Charissa was sick the day before and was coming out of hospital that very morning. It was nothing too serious but I suggested we reschedule so she could rest. She was such a trooper and still wanted to go ahead with the shoot and on top of that managed to look very fabulous =)

I really like the kayaks in this shot and feel they add a little something to the otherwise trees and water that could've been anywhere. I was smiling behind the camera as I saw it enter the right of the frame and waited til they were in the right spot.

Doesn't Charissa have such a gorgeous smile? =)

Playing with texture.

Reading is one of the ways they spend quality time together.

Matt really adores Charissa and I have all the proofs right here =)

This one is my favourite photo from this e-session.

I swear she's got such a gorgeous smile! Love the red dress too.

I was eyeing this outrigger that was sitting on the beach. The owner asked if I was interested in outriggers. I thought oh yes I sure am...but for the photos, not to row in one =p

An antique-ish look.

Matt & Charissa, you guys made my job so easy. Two weeks to go! Can't wait for more canoodliness from you two =)

jo's 40th

2009-08-16T21:19:00.002+10:00

A couple of months ago, Kylie asked me to take some snaps at her partner Jo's birthday party. Jo celebrated her 40th with close friends at a little cafe in Rushcutters Bay. It was a casual event filled with pretty lights, drinkies, smiles and laughter. Here are some pics:

Kylie making sure Jo's got her eyes closed. It was a surprise.

I just love this thing! Not sure what it's called but it's like a tuk tuk or a scooter of some sort. A real funky way to store your beverage at a party =)

Kylie & Jo

mandarin sky

2009-08-07T21:33:00.003+10:00

The weather changed drastically early this evening here in Sydney. If you were around, you may have seen how crazy the sky looked. I took a piccie of it near my place:

You don't see clouds like that everyday!

I love the word "Vanilla Sky" but this is hardly vanilla. It looks more like blood orange hence the lame post title...if you were wondering =p

nat & leo: wedding

2009-08-06T21:39:00.003+10:00

Hello. I'm back from my holiday. It feels a little weird skipping an entire month. I was going to blog this wedding before I left but I ran out of packing time =)

Nat & Leo had a small wedding at Hickson Road Reserve, surrounded by close family and friends. After meeting these two a couple of times and doing their engagement shoot, I imagined their family to be warm loving people. I was not wrong at all. Leo's mum hugged us like we were family as soon as we walked through the door and that was such an awesome way to start the day! It was such a pleasant wedding that my assistant said she didn't feel like she was working at all =) Here are some images from their wedding:

Men always take a LOT less time to get ready don't they? Nat's dad is just killing time =)

The ladies reached for the scarfs when it started raining at the ceremony. Luckily it didn't rain for too long!

Nat wanted lots of pics with the beautiful classic car =)

Sririn captured this one.

Nat looks really cute in this shot IMHO.

I was excited to spot this bike with a basket full of yellow flowers. What a nice little burst of colour. Actually during my hols, I discovered my camera has a thing for bicycles!

The light was totally gone by this stage so we borrowed a lit shop window.

Thirsty? Hungry?

Ok since Nat & Leo are both from Venezuela, I really wanted to find a fun piece of latin music for the slideshow and I spent ages looking but due to my hopelessness I couldn't find one. Anyway, click here to check out their slideshow.

Thank you Nat & Leo for having us at your wedding!

out of office

2009-06-30T01:03:00.002+10:00

Hi all,

I'm currently on holidays until the 1st of August. Please email info@nattnee.com for all enquiries. I will be checking emails from time to time.

Ciao!

Natt =)

travel bag

2009-06-19T00:57:00.004+10:00

What bag do you take when you go travel? I meant for your DSLR + lenses, not for your clothes!

I have 2 Crumplers and I am not overly happy with any of them. One is a side bag and is great for accessibility but it's so fat due to its shape and the heavy padding (which really protects your gear), making it a really cumbersome bag to carry around. The other is a backpack which is a lot easier to carry but not accessible since you have to take the pack off your back and unzip the thing wide open. The Crumplers padding is really good though.

I'm eyeing this at the moment - Lowepro Terraclime 100. It looks very travelly doesn't it =)
Looks light and accessible but the bag itself is pretty much just a canvas and offers no protection for the gear apart from that padded envelope thing which doesn't look like it'll wrap around much either - maybe a smaller DSLR.

It's tempting. I mean ultimate accessibility would be to keep the camera on your neck all the time so this has to be better than that. Anyone else got one of these or have any other recommendations?

ed & dee: wedding (part 3)

2009-06-06T20:05:00.002+10:00

Ed and Dee's reception was held in the Garden Suite at Oatlands House. The night was filled with lots of dancing, including traditional Laotian dance. I'm not sure what it's called but it looks kinda like what we call "rumwong" in Thai. It looks like so much fun and if we weren't on duty, we'd probably join in =p

The bestman has the expression of "what am I doing?" but he did very well with the dancing =)

This cake is so very Ed and Dee. It immediately reminded me of one of the photos from their engagement session where Dee was pretending to whip Ed =)

I love love love seeing emotions at a wedding and best of all a teary bride =)

Dee looks super sweet in this one.

More dancing fun!

We really had a great time at Ed and Dee's wedding and you know what, photos are so much better with a pretty song so check out the slideshow here. Thank you Dee for pointing me out to this song, I love love it =)

ed & dee: wedding (part 2)

2009-06-03T22:40:00.003+10:00

Ed and Dee's wedding photos continues and what's a Sydney wedding without a location shoot in Martin Place?

Forgive me if there are too many similar photos. I have a real problem when it comes to making selections! I don't post that often though so guess it's ok =p

This walking shot is one of my fav from the entire location shoot.

Pretty in pink.

I love the Paspaley door. Doesn't it look like a really huge block of chocolate? =)

The boys.

Edwas looking real sweet in these next two.

And then Ed was...Ed hehe =)

The beautiful and grand staircase of the Westin Hotel.

These two are just so cute together.

This next shot is my favouritest (if there is such a word) from location...maybe the entire wedding even. I just love the romantic feel of the photo and the backdrop. I think I'm beginning to fall in love with B&W. I know I have had the tendency to convert my favs into B&W for this particular wedding.

I was very excited about this place with all the little windows.

"It's getting hot in here so take off all..." ookk, so not what they were thinking =)

I was stoked when I saw this piano. I don't know how I missed it the firs time I went scouting at the location. While I like to go scouting before my shoots, I do like little surprises like this, stuff you didn't see or planned for.

Sririn's capture.

They were playing a jingle here, I just can't for the life of me remember which one it was. Oh memory, where are you?

A little rest time before heading off to reception.

And those reception photos will be in the next post =)

ed & dee: wedding (part 1)

2009-06-02T22:42:00.004+10:00

Ed and Dee were married at Strathfield Chinese Seventh Day Adventist Church (try saying that real fast three times in a row), chilled out around Martin Place looking pretty in front of my camera and then celebrated the start of their new life together with a reception at Oatlands House.

I started gathering their photos together for the blog and soon realised I would end up with way too many for a single post so for now I'm just going to share some pics from the prep and ceremony.

Dee's pretty little dress was made by her sister! What a lucky girl she is to have such a talented sister. If my sis asked me to sew her a wedding dress, she'd better be prepared to wear a potato sack decorated with buttons...but of course she'd know better =p

Cute huh? I have a thing for bows ..and Dee too of course - I meant she's also cute that is!

I have been training Sririn in photography before this wedding so she could be my second shooter. These next two images, which I converted to B&W, are hers and I must say I'm a proud teacher/sister/employer =)

This shot is rather simple but I really really like it. I think it's the candid nature of it in combination with her happy expression.

This wedding is the first that I've shot at that has rose petal confetti or any form of confetti for that matter. I was VERY excited, as excited as the bride herself. I'm so happy with these I couldn't just pick one to show. Melikey =)

Part 2, location and reception, coming soon to a screen near you.