Jordan and Cassandra's Wedding

Cass and Jordans Wedding was one of great emotion. From sharing the close family emotions and time spent in the morning to late into the evening it was an absolute pleasure to be asked to be part of this wedding. Having only an hour of light to work with for your couple pictures you guys made my life so easy and fun Thankyou, Thankyou. You looked amazing!

 The sentiments expressed in the speeches were of two incredible people who are madly in love with each other. Jordan is someone who immediately makes you feel cared for and it doesn't stop there. From all accounts in the speeches given, he's a giving, kind hearted groom. The same is said of Cass; she's a very attentive and thoughtful Bride who's also filled with cheer and fun. Every expression I captured on the day was one of joy. Jokes, laughter and amazing food enveloped the atmosphere as a celebration of their love was shared by everyone. Plus Some of the best speeches I've ever heard at a wedding as well! 

I wish you all the best with your future together,

Dave

Stranger Things

More Images to come...

Head On Street Snaps

Thanks so much to Olympus and Head On PhotoFestival 2017 for hosting a great meet today. The Olympus team I was amazed were one of the most responsive and caring crew behind any camera company I have experienced yet. From the reception to the conversation about their gear and specs they really showed knowledge and openly communicated with the user. From having hands on tests of the OEM II and counterpart cameras they really feel robust and seem to have a great lens choice for a compact mirrorless system. I can't wait to have a proper play with the system. - Below are just a few casual 50mm street snaps from today.

Cute and Cuddly - A way to Make a difference!

Over the next few days every day at 5PM AEST I'll be updating this blog with cute and cuddly Kenyan Animals, perfect for Phone wallpapers.  

Find them below... Each time you visit here though, consider there is two links below, one to sign up to sponsor an Agape in Action Child and one to Donate. Consider sharing to help those at @themove2017 reach their goal.

What does sponsoring a child with Agape entail? 

• For just $40 per month, here are the services your sponsorship will provide. 
• Food - Dental check-up - Warm blanket - Personal hygiene kit - Mosquito net - Access to clean water - School fees - School books - School uniform - Shoes and socks - School bag - Medical check-up - Pencils, pens etc… 

If you can't afford to sponsor a child consider donating here, even a few dollars goes a long way to improving lives!

Portraits for you.

At the moment I'm offering headshots at a discounted rate. So far I've had the pleasure of photographing students from the Australian Institute of Music, the Australian Musical Performance and Art Centre, Sydney University Conservatorium of Music and UNSW. 

It's been a lot of fun and rewarding working with musical creatives. Although it hasn't just been limited to that.  I've also had some fantastic feedback which has been great to hear. Here are just some of the images form the past few days.

A link is at the bottom to my limited time sale if you're interested.

Hope you enjoy the images and leave a comment below which is your favourite!

Bondi Blog

Bondi is a strange place.

The epitome of Australia yet the antithesis in one place. 

Sunny, sandy and surf(y). BUT Crowded and Commercial.

Somehow it still has it's own charm and thats why hundreds flock everyday. It's a symbol of our nations lifestyle. Heres a taste shot on the ol' Hasselblad:

Sharon and Dan

Sharon and Dan's day if three words were given to it would be: fun, friendly and fantastic.

The sweltering heat was almost forgotten, well it was for me underneath the A/C where I tried but failed to remain. As I moved about the room we captured what is truly family and friends of all time. My assistant Laura certainly had her work cut out for her, working with me for the first time but excelling on the go! We met the couple at the church at midday and then proceeded from there to a local garden. I think they were really liking having us there as we then extended our time for the reception which hadn't been asked for or included before during the organising.

So we finished in the RSL at their reception where the family got their group shots done while liquor and stories flowed.

Thanks for letting us be a part of your special day and the great feedback.

Ill let the photos speak now.

Night Scoping!

Are you a night owl? 

One of the most repeated question I'm asked about photography is 'How do I capture stars?' I've finally written up a simple yet thorough tutorial on photographing stars.

I just have to say by no means is this exhaustive as far as options for capturing stars. This is however what I do and it has delivered amazing results for me such as:

It covers everything from choosing a lens to taking the photo. At the end is a google link to download the PDF version of this tutorial. If you want lessons, I do teach photography via Skype or if you are in Sydney Face to Face. Contact me at davidboon@travelinpixels.com And any further questions please ask below.

Get the PDF by clicking here.

Thanks for reading and for future tutorial topics comment below.

An interesting inflated idea...

4.3.17

If you wondered about yesterday’s post, missed the live stream, or it was just too dodgy streaming from an abandoned railway station in a tunnel.

This is what we got up to:

In the morning I woke up to messages telling me about theflooded railway station so despite the rain I headed down to the tunnel to see what we could get. After navigating foggy roads I arrived amazed to find two other photographers I knew, Matt and Karan from a photography trip to NZ. 

Karen had already attempted to walk through the water and get a shot, after two steps he was neck deep in water and had to quickly raise his camera to prevent the inevitable. This was the best I could manage. 

Realising that it was going to be a fruitless endeavour without a water-craft my crazy side kicked in.

 Calling my mate Blake was the first step. Followed by an hour of running around to shops because of course at the end of summer every blow up craft goes out of stock! This is what ensued: 

Blowing up a raft that really was designed for a pool and using a kayak paddle we navigated down the unknown waters towards the tunnel. Just phone in hand trying to live stream the event.

We managed to get into the tunnel through the waterfall with no mishaps.

Thats when the already jumpy livestream cut out. Turns out there is no reception in a bricked up tunnel… who'd have thought! 

The tunnel which started wide and tall enough that the paddle couldn’t reach the either side sharply changed. 

About 50 meters in and we could even manoeuvre the paddle and the roof was getting closer and closer to our heads as the tunnel dipped. Eventually causing us to turn around and make our way back. It was then I decided to switch off the torch and Wow what a sight. Im sorry I couldn't capture this on camera no settings would've allowed this to work well. Glow worms lined the ceiling in a soft luminous glow which was just visible. The sight was amazing and as we floated in almost darkness except for the light at the end of the tunnel it made it worth it.

Paddling back to the car, it was time to risk some serious gear. Managing to convince a lovely couple to come on down for a shoot we managed to coordinate some amazing shots from inside and out of the tunnel with them. Thanks so much guys for being amazing sports! Probably the best engagement photos someone could have if they're willing to do something adventurous!

Thanks for watching along on the live stream those who tried and hope you enjoyed the little crazy Saturday Story.

P.s. We did finish with 'boat beers' (our inflatable had an esky) 20$ how good is that!

Silly Sunday Sketches

What do you do on a Sunday afternoon? 

Netflix.

Abstract: The Art of Design. - Christoph Niemann

In the first minute I was wrapped in it but also distracted.

Disclaimer: Not a regular Blog Post. I've not written this as any form of a guide, Merely to be thought provoking and reflective on a life challenging subject. 

The image below inspired and spelt some kind of truth to me. It had to appear in the first minute though making me obsess over creating. This led me to leave the documentary till later and create this which the blog needed to introduce. For the last two years I’ve been engaged heavily in Social Media. From Facebook to Instagram, Google + you name it. In this day and age for an artist it is a fantastic medium to Share their work -  and REALLY To Get Noticed!!

Christoph Niemann's Image Adaptation Redrawn By Me

In doing so I entered another world that became immersive. After the first year had passed I’ve lost all interest.  From being told I needed to sink hours into engaging my audience; however it is well documented that it can be a huge distraction and depressant. I experienced this. Many of my friends have shared their similar experiences with me. 

That’s when I realised the power social media can have and how we need to change our perspective on it to change our lives. 

We lose so much time to this…. Thing.

Somehow I've managed to find a great balance. I rarely to never use "social" anymore outside of work where I need to post. I may be more uninformed about certain things. Mostly things that don’t matter. Conversations have now become better. I don’t know what my friends were up to In the last hour so I call to ask them about their day.

I have time to read articles, books and journals.

Most Importantly for myself. When I travel now I am not stuck behind a phone or even a camera. I would love more people to make the same resolution.

Images on Facebook or Instagram are great and inspirational sure.  When I’m somewhere worth travelling I don’t want to be encumbered with the stress of uploading. I don’t want to show off by illustrating my view on my life in the moment, but share a more accurate portrayal afterwards with a story - when I don’t have things to discover; when there are conversations to be had.

In the Louvre I saw hundreds of people lining up to take a photo of the ever famous Mona Lisa painting. Cameras held high - pushing and shoving; like Cattle. Behind them hung a masterpiece. 

"The Wedding Feast at Cana."

Taking the whole wall and much more breathtaking. I can guarantee that hundreds missed the opportunity to give consideration to it. To me that has been a picture of the difference between engaging with life and engaging with the infinite audience. 

Social media is a great inspirer. Keep being inspired by people. I’d love to see you do something with that inspiration. I'd like to be some inspiration and not an account you flit between but return to for quality travel encouragement and ideas. If I manage to do that for you. Promise me one thing - Think of the image below and Live in the moment when you're away. Facebook will be there for later. 

Safe Travels. 

A South Australian Gem

Visiting South Australia? Or lucky enough to live here?

Only approx. 2 Hours drive from the CBD lies the small town of Clare; Famous once for supplying Adelaide with fresh fruit and Veg, it's now renowned for its wine.

In 2016 I was fortunate enough to visit Clare with Choice Hotels Australia-Pacific in their Comfort Inn Hotel as part of a top 10 Australian Travelgrammers. This gave me  great taste into the wonders Clare offered.

Can you do Clare as a Day Trip?

Absolutely, this last Saturday I was lucky enough to return to Clare just for the day; however I thoroughly recommend staying one night and make it a weekend. There are plenty of B & B's to stay at like the cute Vine Art, or for comfort and convenience the Comfort Inn is located on the main Street.

Things to Do:

From riding the main private bike trail "The Riesling Trail" on a hire bike, visiting some local Heritage and of course Wine Tasting! My top Activities are below.

Seven Hills Winery: Riesling Trail

My Top Activities:

1. Eat at Seed for Dinner (Read further down for a review)
2. Riding the Riesling Trail (An excellent bike ride; go as for or short as you want on the fairly flat trail stopping in at various wineries. Then call a taxi to pick you up at the end to return [Dave the taxi driver does an amazing job 0428055590]).
3. Visit Wineries: Read down for my favourites.
4. Visit the SevenHill Winery Historical Sites. (One of the first wineries brought to the area by religious jesuits, the winery boasts a fantastic cellar and gardens to stroll around or buy some snacks at the winery and have a picnic lunch (easily accessible from the Riesling trail).
5. Tapas for lunch at Mr Micks.
6. Bungaree Station, the oldest historical still Family owned sheep shearing property, its both gorgeous and interesting. 

Bungaree Station

My Top Winery Picks:

1. Kilikanoon (Top wines, Prodigal Grenache, Morts Cut Riesling, Kelly 1932 Grenache, Second Fiddle Rosé, Oracle Shiraz)
2. Jeanneret (Top wines, Doozie Riesling, MoonDance Malbec, Stand and deliver Shiraz, Hummer Merlot)
3. Tim Adams (Top Wines: Reserve Riesling, Semillion, Pinot Gris, The Fergus, Reserve Tempranillo, Cabernet Malbec)
4. Pikes
5. SevenHills Winery
6. Knappstien Winery

(The wineries selected are based on 1. Quality of Wines and 2. Cellar Door experience. All these top wines are my personal favourites at tasting from the wineries).

Jeanneret Winery

Saving the best till Last! Seed Kitchen and Winehouse.

An attained pipe dream for Guy Parkinson and Candice Leighton who from the Hunter Valley have settled on the property and the want to have a kitchen of their own. Guy commands the kitchen and Candice runs the floor which from both times I've visited haven't disappointed in their roles. They remove any doubt from my mind after reading mixed reviews that Seed is a must do when in Clare.

Entering the beautiful old stone premise, the decor is chosen perfectly; With warm wood tones, Balanced Mood lighting with a great amount of Natural Light and lots of living plants it's a pleasant space. The classic white table cloths are forgiven as they provide a great contrast with the dark toned china. 

Expect to be greeted with a friendly smile, and immediate attention;  Offers for drinks or cheese platters are given as you have the option to wait at the bar before going to your table. I recommend getting a cheese as I missed out doing the first time; the ingredients are amazingly fresh and everything from the cheese to the honey are sourced well.

Getting down to the meal, a very reasonably priced menu faces you. Above ordering from the menu (unless something jumps out at you) I recommend choosing the chefs choice at a brilliant $59 4 plate Meal or $99 with matched wines (prices 4.2.17). 

We started with a warmed bread and homemade butter; Followed by cold smoked tomato dish with fresh mozzarella which was a healthy relief to have a unique style dish that let the ingredients speak for themselves.

Peach, procuitto, cream, mint and olive oil. Not the first list of ingredients that flows through my mind on a second course; But from the effervescence from the peach on tongue to the touch of savoury this dish surprised and delighted.

The following two dishes of Black Linguine with Blue Crab; and Steak with condiments and Salad didn't let down the excitement except the mustard was so filled with flavour, I had to shy away. So when it came to dessert we had no more room, we had to order a dish to try anyway. So we shared it between us; one of the best decisions!

The drinks did not disappoint either, finally a South Australian restaurant that doesn't shy away from wine recommendations and follows through with results! From a fantastic Gin the 78 from the Adelaide hills with handpicked garnish to a perfect Rosé with dessert. 

Seed Kitchen is a Gastronomical Delight with their simple honest food and in my top 10 favourite Australia Restaurants which includes Attica. A must do for your visit to South Australia.

See the SEED Photo album HERE.