“I Love Him”

I love people’s stories and I find that exploring them through my photography gives me so much pleasure. It doesn’t matter whether it is their engagement photoshoot, their wedding, pregnancy session, the birth of their new child or celebrating their family’s growth and development, I always try to make it a personal experience. The wonderful people I have met over the last 12 years have inspired me and captivated me. I try to convey their personalities and lives through my imagery. I love becoming part of the day with my clients and will do whatever it takes to tell their story.

Venetia knew she wanted to start her day with a relaxing bath and when we saw where the bath was situated I had to come and photograph her. Of course, the beautiful images where she is lying back surrounded by scatterings of rose petals are just for her and Christian, but Venetia was happy for me to share this one showing the incredible setting she was in.

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Natasha is a dance teacher in Launceston and when she and Ben told me they had 8 attendants in their wedding party, I couldn’t imagine any better way to show their connection to the couple than by encircling them and creating a dance feel. By using a high vantage point, a slow shutter speed and strong corner ‘anchors’ to draw the viewer into the image I photographed the ‘Circle of Trust’ which won me a Gold Medal in the Trierenberg Super Circuit in Austria.

Jess and Jason were unsure where to have bridal party photos, initially. We chatted about the fact that they were having their wedding ceremony in a beautiful park and we could take some photos there. Also, the reception venue was light and airy for lots of others but we still wanted a location that was ‘special’ to them. After gentle questioning, I discovered that their favourite place was a local café. I approached the manager a couple of weeks beforehand and booked the two tables close to the window. When we arrived it was so exciting to see that the café staff had gone to lots of trouble in setting the table for them, writing messages on chalkboards and welcoming them despite the fact we were only stopping for photos and a drink to celebrate on our way to the reception.

Emily and Matthew were so much fun to photograph requesting something a little funky and unique. I used cross processing and vintage filters for some of the images. Emily was happy for me to do a few of my trademark images of ‘headless brides’ which allowed me to concentrate instead on details such as the family heirloom car, her shoes, the back of her dress and her tattooed wrist with the words – “I Love Him”.

Anna and Damon specifically asked me to record their day as a very young couple in love! I was happy to give them some ideas and they ran with them … organizing the signs, the crocs and the stunning setting of Tasmania’s East Coast. I also took some classic images of the two of them with Freycinet Hazards as the backdrop so they would look back on their day as fun, but with very special meaning.

At a recent wedding I photographed Kristy and Brendan who had eloped from Cairns. From our correspondence, I discovered that they especially wanted to be photographed with a Tasmanian sunset and the Great Western Tiers as the backdrop. I drove around to find the perfect spot to achieve this and ended up approaching a local farmhouse about 2 km off the road for permission to use their property. It is truly amazing how obliging people are when you ask nicely. When we came back at the appointed time for the photoshoot, the farmer told us he knew the best vantage point and met us to open gates and guide us to the paddock. Amazingly there was no wind for that time of year, a large moon rising and a sunset. Just perfect!

I have had a few clients over the years who love their pets as part of the family and they have been included in the ceremony. Usually they are the beautifully trained and loving companions and are no trouble to photograph at all.

I would suggest to anyone looking for a wedding photographer to ask lots of questions before booking one. Some photographers have very strong styles and others are more flexible and make the style depending on the client’s needs. Every photographer is different and every client is looking for different strengths. Make sure you have a good rapport with the person you are going to spend one of the most important days of photography with and that they understand you. Then you can relax and have fun!

All photography by Belinda Fettke Photography

Ms Gingham says: Your photographer is the one person who is responsible for capturing the essence of your day … so make sure you’re on the same page! Thanks so much to Belinda for sharing such beautiful examples of her unique couples.

Belinda says: “I love photographing people and have developed my business ‘BPhotography’ over the last 11 years involving my passion. To me it is not just about a captured moment in time. I think of my work as a woven thread that intricately ties people, emotions, time and place together into a colourful, textured fabric that people want to look at and touch and be a part of … hence my bi-line ‘The Art of Storytelling’.