Nattnee Photography Blog

sarah & adrian: engagement

noreply@blogger.com (nattnee) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 19:20:00 PST

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

noreply@blogger.com (nattnee) — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 03:15:00 PST

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

noreply@blogger.com (nattnee) — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 12:08:00 PDT

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

noreply@blogger.com (nattnee) — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 03:34:00 PDT

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

noreply@blogger.com (nattnee) — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 14:00:00 PDT

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

noreply@blogger.com (nattnee) — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 08:30:00 PDT

*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

noreply@blogger.com (nattnee) — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 07:10:00 PDT

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

noreply@blogger.com (nattnee) — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 07:02:00 PDT

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

noreply@blogger.com (nattnee) — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 04:50:00 PDT

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

noreply@blogger.com (nattnee) — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 04:19:00 PDT

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

noreply@blogger.com (nattnee) — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 04:33:00 PDT

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

noreply@blogger.com (nattnee) — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 04:39:00 PDT

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

noreply@blogger.com (nattnee) — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 08:03:00 PDT

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

noreply@blogger.com (nattnee) — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 07:57:00 PDT

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)

noreply@blogger.com (nattnee) — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 03:05:00 PDT

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)

noreply@blogger.com (nattnee) — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 05:40:00 PDT

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)

noreply@blogger.com (nattnee) — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 05:42:00 PDT

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.

lara croft shoots wedding

noreply@blogger.com (nattnee) — Wed, 20 May 2009 18:54:00 PDT

Shooting with two camera bodies can be a little bit of a pain in the butt. Slinging one over each shoulder sometimes results in a collision and as I stand and squat and move around, one would occasionally slide off.

Frankly, I wish I didn't have to hold anything. If the cameras would just float in the air around me at the ready that would be just peachy but unless I'm related to Magneto from the X-Men, that ain't gonna happen now is it (I checked ok, lifted the palm of my hand and concetrated real hard...nothing moved).

The other thing I thought of was a holster...yeah like for guns but it would be for cameras.

Exhibit A: Lara Croft
See, hands free, they just strap on to your body. However, this would require shorts (really short shorts) and shapely thighs.

Exhibit B: John McClane
Great idea, just gotta lose the dirty clothes and lower the holster a bit, wouldn't wanna be tucking a camera under your armpit now do you?

So anyway, I've always wished they made holster for cameras and lo and behold, they do! My friend just pointed me to the Black Rapid website. Check out this double strap:

It's exactly what I've always wished they'd make but now that it's available I don't know if I'd be game enough to wear that to a wedding. I remember one of the videographers had a big black vest on for strapping the video camera to himself and I thought he looked like he was with the bomb squad.

Honestly, it looks ok on a dude but on a chick? If you find any photos of this on a female photographer, do let me know! BTW Gizmodo appropriately called this double strap a "John Woo's take on wedding photography" haha.

I hope the guy in the photo never finds this post 'cos I'm about to say that it reminded me of this:

Very innovative but for now, I'll just stick to my slidey shoulders until I see it in action =)

first time fritters

noreply@blogger.com (nattnee) — Wed, 13 May 2009 23:25:00 PDT

Has anyone been watching Master Chef? I've missed a couple of episodes but I love this show. It's so inspiring and it makes me wanna try new things.

My mum is a great cook and of all things she passed on to me, her culinary talent didn't quite make it through the umbilical cord. I did have many opportunities to learn from her but I was a lazy daughter. I'm Thai and I can't even make Tom Yum soup. I've tried a few times and it never tasted right, my last attempt involved a jar of pre made paste 'cos I've given up on trying to make it from scratch. Oh how my mother would be so proud.

I can't cook anything that is too complicated or has long list of ingredients. I love looking at all the pretty pictures in cook books and just wish I could snap my fingers and have it appear right in front of me. Sure I've tried recipes but sadly, I don't follow instructions well. I'm definitely not a calculated type of cook, I am more intuitive...but with um...bad intuitions.

Anyway, being inspired by Master Chef, I was determined to try something new. I came across this rather simple looking recipe in a magazine - Haloumi & Zucchini Fritters. I love love love haloumi, it's my favourite cheese. I've never made fritters but I have haloumi and zucchinis in the fridge so why not, let's have a crack.

Now, the smartest thing I did was to halve everthing 'cos I knew there was a high chance of failure (eventhough this looks VERY easy). Recipe said to grate zucchinis and haloumi:

After that, I read that I'll also be needing eggs, plain flour and spring onions. Umm perhaps I should've read ALL the ingredients before I started 'cos I didn't actually have flour. Argh fine, I'll get off my ass and go buy some flour.

Then you just mix it all up (with a bit of pepper) to make a batter and then fry it.

Notice how it looks kinda burnt? Well, here's the thing...you know how the stove has a dial where you turn the gas on. One end is low heat and one end is high heat right? So I figured, if I put it in the middle...then it's medium heat which is what the recipe required. Wrong! Go on and laugh, I already got laughed at today and a question to boot "well, if you leave an empty pan on low heat for an hour, is it still low heat?". I'm such a doofus.

The fritters:

The verdict: They were so freaking salty but that ain't my fault 'cos I didn't add extra salt. A bit burnt on the outside (due to my medium heat geniusness) and a little soggy on the inside 'cos I couldn't leave them on the pan any longer. BTW, half and egg and one egg is the same diff right? Hmm the batch was meant to make 12 but I only got 7...maybe I made them too fat.

Looks like I won't be auditioning for Master Chef next year =p

P.S. I feel ick. That's a very sizable chunk of haloumi in there.

milli

noreply@blogger.com (nattnee) — Mon, 11 May 2009 17:37:00 PDT

The best thing about really small kids is their lack of inhibitions. They'll give you plenty of expressions and candidness. My favourite shots are not always the ones of smiles but those different looks that really show their characters and moods.

Some photos of eighteen months old Milli from a recent portrait session:

grey's anatomy

noreply@blogger.com (nattnee) — Fri, 08 May 2009 22:17:00 PDT

Gery's Anatomy is my FAVEST show on the planet and it's the only one I could watch over and over again. Every episode would make me smile, laugh, gasp or well up with tears but for the very first time, after watching the show's latest episode (Season 5, Episode 22), I totally balled my eyes out!!!

If you haven't seen it and don't want to ruin it for yourself then I'd suggest you stop reading this post right now =)

If you've been following the show, you'd know that Izzie (dying of cancer) has been planning the perfect wedding for Mer and Der. She was about to get ready to attend the wedding when Meredith came in and said the dress wasn't hers. Alex then popped in the door dressed up as the groom and it was that moment when it dawned on Izzie (and me) that the perfect wedding will now be hers and Alex, that was the moment that I broke - no joke. I was balling, sobbing and wiping my eyes with tissues. Eric was sitting next to me laughing his head off 'cos he's never seen me do that before. He was thoroughly amused!!

Loved the part where she wobbled and it was her best friend, George, that helped her walk down the rest of the aisle.

Love the groom's vows and wow how impressive is Alex. He has pretty much been a jerk for the most part of the show but boy how much has he changed and grown into a loving man.

Aahhh great episode, awesome show, totally satisfying....I heart Grey's Anatomy =)

green tea goodness

noreply@blogger.com (nattnee) — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 05:07:00 PDT

I'm more of a tea drinker than I am a coffee drinker. I especially love green tea and that's green tea anything including chocolates, cakes, ice creams, noodles and really anything else you can think of. If they made green tea toothpaste I'd probably buy it.

My sister recently got me this cute little glass tea set and a stack of green tea to continue my obsession =)

Can't wait for Japan trip next year. I plan on eating green tea Haagen-Dazs til the cows come home!

nat & leo: engagement

noreply@blogger.com (nattnee) — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 20:11:00 PDT

Take one: I stood waiting for Nat & Leo and prayed for the sky to hold up. Drip, drip, drip...it began to sprinkle. People started to roll up their picnic rugs and soon the crowds that were scattered across the park diminished. I remember saying in my head "stay people!", for some silly reason I felt like the people were the power against the rain and if we stuck together it would pass. Of course the people left and the sky ripped apart. The engagement session was postponed.

Take two: *Phew* a nice sunny day and I was happy to be able to take Nat & Leo to the locations we wanted to go for their engagement shoot.

Nat & Leo have been together for quite some time and you can just see how settled they are together. I really sense the "oneness" in them. If there's a single word that I would use to describe Nat & Leo, it would be "gentle". They're one of the loveliest people I've met and from the chats we've had, I can't wait to meet the rest of their families as well on the wedding day.

Nat took a couple of these home after the shot =)

We went from nature and trees to big splash of colours!

Soaking up the late afternoon sun.

Thanks Nat & Leo for having the patience to go places and try things with me =)

izzie

noreply@blogger.com (nattnee) — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 23:04:00 PDT

"My place is a mess", I whined down the phone and usually Ken would say ok but today he did many of those "Oh c'mon!!" so I finally caved in and let him come over to check out our apartment. It wasn't as big a deal as I made it out to be and I even got free lunch haha. He also brought along his daughter Izzie who is a real cutie and such a smart little thing too. So cute Auntie Natt even let her play with the camera...for a few seconds =p

Here's a couple of quick snaps.

Desat version:

Izzie said "when I grow up I wanna be a photographer just like Auntie Natt". Ok fine, I made it up =p

three-o

noreply@blogger.com (nattnee) — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 23:13:00 PDT

I tried with every fiber of my body to resist but I couldn't argue with nature. I turned 30. No no, wait, scratch that, I'm 29 forever =p

I had a long day yesterday shooting a 12 hours wedding. Once I got home, I showered and put my feet up, bumming on the couch. I was so tired I didn't even think about my birthday but when midnight rolled around, the light went out in the living room. Eric came out with a slice of green tea cake singing happy b'day.

I made a few wishes as I blew out the candle (do ppl normally just make the one? I must be greedy) . Can't tell you what they are 'cos then they won't come true and while most of them is in my power to make happen, one isn't and probably only has a 0.1% chance that it would happen but isn't that the point of making wishes?

My b'day card started with "From a little girl of 3 in a photo you are now a girl at 30 taking photos!" and had two photos inside. This was the one at age 3:

The other photo was taken on a mobile phone from a really long way away. I saw a bridal party in the photo and thought it was a pic from our wedding but when I looked closer I saw ME lying on the ground taking the photo!!! How hilarious that Eric was there at Martin Place yesterday. He was in the city looking for my pressie and happend to see me there as he was going home haha. The photo was shockingly small so I didn't bother uploading it from the phone.

Here's 30 y.o me (less a few hours) with the bride & groom before I left last night's wedding reception. Gosh don't I look a tad tired and don't laugh at my hair ok. I recently got a very stupid looking fringe and totally regret doing that before going to a wedding!

P.S. I didn't make my 7kg weight loss goal either...only got half way. Maybe I'll make it for my next 30th (29 forever remember? =p )