ARTsnic Photography

We've moved

2010-06-14T10:27:00.003+10:00

We’ve moved our blog. The Artsnic blog has now been integrated with our main website – to make it easier to find, and easier for us to maintain. That’s the theory anyway – we’ve changed to a wordpress blog format (for those of you who care to know) and it’s a bit of a learning curve.

All posts from this blog have been transferred over and this will be removed soon.

Come and visit us at our new home!

2010 - a photo a day for 365 days.

2010-01-31T23:17:00.001+11:00

Brian and I each undertook a personal project this year - a photo a day for 365 days. Now being photographers, you might think that this is an easy task. Not so, the photos are not client photos, they're something from our personal lives. And very often, it gets taken at the end of a very long day, about 1130pm, when I say, "oh yeah, I haven't taken my photo of the day yet...".

You can only imagine, this results in some truly boring and desperate photos - like the day I had the migraine and took a photo of the headache tablets... Oh well. I figure somedays life is just more boring than others. And this project is about life, not photography. But I thought I'd share anyway :)

January 2010

Happy Australia Day!

2010-01-26T13:54:00.001+11:00

Happy Australia Day!

We've been so busy - many many changes coming for Artsnic and all will be revealed in the next couple of weeks. But we took some time out today to celebrate Australia Day - the photos here are from Camden's Australia Day celebrations.

Have a safe and happy Australia Day - ENJOY!

Extra Extra Read All About It!

2010-01-15T20:18:00.002+11:00

WOOHOO! The very first edition of

The Artsnic News is ONLINE NOW!

You'll probably want to sign up to receive future editions by email, to make sure you don't miss out on any of the special offers we have - newsletters will be sent to our subscribers at least a week before we publish them online. Our loyal readers will get the first chance at any special offers, so there's a definite PLUS in subscribing!

But, for January, this being the first edition we have, everyone gets to read it online at the same time.

Sign up for the newsletter online at artsnic.com.au or you can read it online by clicking the link on the left of that page!

YAY! We're Excited! I have a big happy silly grin on my face right now!

Let's get the PARTY started!

2010-01-05T17:44:00.003+11:00

We always like to have a little fun during a portrait session - we're the new kids on a very old block and not afraid to try new ideas!

Ever since we attended the fab High Tea Party last October (2,000 ladies, 2 days of FUN), I've been working on plans to introduce a "pamper package" - a chance for ladies to get pampered and prettied up, then head over the the camera for a gorgeous new portrait. I had such a good time at the High Tea Party in fact, we're already booked in for October next year - with bigger and better plans!

But I just can't wait until October..... so .....

Announcing our fun new portrait option:

The PORTRAIT PARTY

Great for women & girls of all ages ... to celebrate friendships and happy times! Birthdays, P.J. Parties, Hens night, Grad / Pre-formal parties, Bridal Showers, Diva (boudoir) parties, any excuse to get your girls together for laughs.
Enjoy great music, drinks and nibblies while we pamper you with styling from our professional hair and make up artists before your session with our professional photographers.

Individual and group images will be created, as well as candid photography throughout the party. Hair and makeup are optional, and you can bring in your own food and drinks, or choose to have us arrange catering for your event. Parties can be held in your home, or any other location of your choice.

Pick a theme:

black and bling (jeans, black shirts, great jewelry)
little black dress
pretty in pink - great for the littlies
p.j. party
white and ice (white shirts, bling)
formals rewind - chance to wear that awesome dress again!
red hot - red shirts
?

or design your own theme - we love creative ideas!

Everybody leaves the party with a fantastic goodies bag, and the hostess and every guest will receive a beautiful 5x7 print to remember their experience.

Call today to get more information and book your party today! 02 8003 5235

Download brochures here:

Glamour Girlz - for the little ones - age 5-teen
Girls Night In - for older teens to gorgeous grannys

HAPPY New Year!

2010-01-01T15:39:00.003+11:00

Our first blog for 2010 - a compilation of some of our favorite smiles and hugs and kisses and all manner of HAPPY things from 2009!

We thank all of our clients, friends and family for supporting us in 2009. ARTsnic was officially "born" as our Business name in March of 2009, so officially we're not even a year old yet! (although I've been photographing people and places and things for .... forever it seems :)

We're really looking forward to 2010 - there are so many changes coming for us - it's very exciting! You'll hear more about it soon - the first change will be our monthly newsletter - starting mid January - I'll post a link soon so you can sign up!

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU! I hope it's safe, and prosperous, and loving, and exciting - and HAPPY :)

Holiday wedding

2009-12-29T11:26:00.000+11:00

Our last wedding for 2009 was a beautifully simple wedding, with just a bit of a Christmas theme - elegant but not over the top. Just beautiful :)

The wedding was very much a family affair - with international guests from South Africa and Holland - Marit is from Holland and just arrived in Australia very recently. So many of her family members were there, and with so many accents! Marit wanted the wedding to have a hand-crafted feel - her mum contributed by making the bridesmaids dresses, and they went to the flower markets to pick out their own flowers the day before the wedding. On the day, the flowers were put into simple, classic bouquets by Marit's family - velvety red roses for the bride, and creamy white for her bridesmaids.

This is the tiara Marit wore, and given her background, I thought it would be nice to include a little pair of wooden shoes :)

Another family touch - the ring her father gave her mother in 1973 when they were engaged. The cute button was on Marit's dress - which was imported from London!

Marit and Damien chose to marry at the incredible Cardinal Cerretti Chapel in Manly - this is the chapel that Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban were married in, and I was delighted to be given the opportunity to photograph a wedding there! You can see why from the photos - what a gorgeous chapel!

With both mum and dad in the bridal party, and sitting on opposite sides of the church, the cute little page boy had trouble staying still!

He caused a wee bit of trouble during the bridal party photos too - but I think at 3 he can be forgiven :)

We did location photos at Shelly Beach in Manly - which was a wee bit tricky on a sunny summer day - there was a bit of a crowd - swimmers, sunbathers, and another wedding taking place on the beach. We worked around them though, and had some fun.

Note the wedding thongs!

We found just a bit of space free of people - at the edge of a rockpool. Marit gets extra points for navigating around the edge of the pool in a wedding dress.

After location photos - the bridal party walked along the beach - all the way to the reception at the Novotel Manly Pacific by the beach. Easier than climbing those stairs again to the carpark. Unfortunately I had to retrieve my car!

The reception had a definite Christmas theme, with more white and red roses, and tiny ornaments at each place setting.

A final personal touch was provided by the cake - made by Marit's family! Even down to the roses, which Marit's dad applied with love to the cake before the guests entered the reception.

Kelly and Nath

2009-12-22T14:07:00.003+11:00

You may recognize Kelly from previous photos - or from the front page of our website! I did her model portfolio several months ago. She contacted me recently because she wanted new photos with Nath. And since I've gotten a promise from Kelly that she'll give us a call for wedding photography when they're ready to get hitched - you'll be seeing more from these two in the future! These two are so into each other - the session was fun :)

WARNING: If you don't feel relaxed during your portrait session, I may have to order a round of tickling to loosen things up. Just so you know :)

Family portraits

2009-12-21T17:28:00.000+11:00

I just dropped off some portraits to another happy customer - thanks guys! It's such a good feeling to know that you're making people happy with photography - really makes me appreciate what I do. Most of the enlargements from the session were a gift to great-grandmum (or grandmum, or mum depending on your perspective!), but Cathy had to order a few to keep for herself. Who could blame her - the little girls are so cute!

Give us a call on 02 8003 5235 for yours. We're running our Christmas special for another month - great deals on family portraits! On location anywhere in the Sydney area - we come to you!

Way overdue!

2009-12-03T10:11:00.000+11:00

about 9 months overdue with this one (and congratulations on the little one Amanda and Cameron :) Can't believe I've waited so long to blog - some of my favorite photos are from this wedding!

Amanda and Cameron had an absolutely gorgeous but exhausting day for their wedding. Marathon day, and rally style driving between locations - I think Cameron just liked the car and wanted to spend a lot of time in it.

After the ceremony at St Catherine's Church in Gymea, we went to Shelley Beach in Cronulla for our first location. Gorgeous blue skies and perfect temperatures - couldn't ask for anything more!

From Cronulla we travelled to the city for photos in Hyde Park

Amanda and Cameron's reception was held at Harbours Edge in Darling Harbour. The room was beautifully decorated, and they had one of the prettiest cakes I've seen - decorated with flowers matching Amanda's bouquet.

I learned during the speeches where Cameron got his sense of humour - from his mother - and that he could take it as well as he gave it ...

Our last stop for the night was at their Circular Quay Hotel - a few night shots before we said good night about 1 am.

So thank you again guys for letting me be part of your day - and congratulations on the new addition to your family!

Kristina and Con's Wedding

2009-11-14T14:33:00.003+11:00

I recently had the privilege of photographing the wedding of Kristina and Con. There was a lot of photography and video coverage at this one - 2 photographers and 2 videographers. Sue started at Kristina's house at 7:45 am ... which is really early for someone like me! So I started at the Con's house with the boys getting ready at 10:45 - at least I had time to wake up properly. And I needed it - the boys were in high gear! In fact, they had Harleys to deliver them to the ceremony. :)

I knew they'd be just too cool when I saw the shoes - Con and one of his page boys modeled these for me.

Con had some moments of quiet contemplation before hopping on the Harley.

The ceremony took place at the Macedonian Orthodox Church "Sv. Kiril & Metodi" in Rosebery. It's a very ornate church, and a wonderful place to celebrate their rich and beautiful traditions.

After the ceremony we went to a local park for family photos, then off to Martin Place and the Westin for bridal party photos. It was my second time shooting location at the Westin - gorgeous place!

The reception was held at the Grand Roxy, Brighton Le Sands. I highly recommend it - the food was absolutely delicious, and the service was impeccable.

Con and Kristina added a bit of drama to their bridal waltz with a smoke machine - great idea - if you don't mind all the kids at the reception running around in the smoke while you dance! They didn't seem to mind though, and if anything it just added to the romance.

Camden Street Fair (aka "Blow me Down)

2009-09-20T22:04:00.004+10:00

Well - what a beautiful morning it was!

I was so excited about getting to the street fair and getting set up - we were up at 6 to pack the car and get down there - tons of stuff to set up.

So, as I said we got there early - really excited by the location - one of the busiest spots on Argyle Street - guaranteed to have a crowd! And I must say, I was really pleased with the way the display turned out. The tent was like a giant soft box - just perfect for mini portrait sessions!
Unfortunately - I forgot to take the sign telling people they could come in for a free portrait! Oh well - still lots of people around. Several inquiries for family portrait sittings and wedding photography, so all in all we were going really well. Aside from the humungous obnoxious loudspeaker located directly in front of our tent which required me to yell at almost every potential customer. They were yelling back though, so I think they understood :)

The day was incredibly hot, I was dressed so wrong - I had my comfy red shoes on but they're really a winter thing and way too warm. I welcomed the cool change that came after 1. Ok, so the sun went away, but it wasn't quite so hot and we thought that was pretty good too. I went and got us a couple of iced coffees (Voltage) for a little pick up to get us through the last couple of hours.

Around 2 I said to Brian "we'll start packing up the little stuff about 2:30, and we should be ready to take the tent down spot on 3pm". Good plan. Didn't eventuate.

You see, about 5 minutes after that we felt a few gentle drops of rain. No worries - we're in a tent. We just pulled the big banner inside, and the big framed 20x30 in print that you can see on the easel there. It all fit nicely inside the tent - no worries - it was only light rain after all.

As we were calmly finishing our Voltages from Gloria Jeans (yummy yummy, and they were particularly strong. Good - we needed the caffeine), we heard a rumble of thunder. Wow - that was close ...

Then the tornado hit. Or cyclone. Or whatever the @#$ it was. But I feel I have more in common with Dorothy from Wizard of Oz than a pair of red shoes.

I'm not sure if any of you have ever seen a 3x3 metre tent lifted off the ground - I'm sorry to say that now I have. And it must have been quite a sight for the spectators watching as it almost carried me away. We were on opposite sides of the tent trying to keep it on the ground - yelling over the huge wind that came up from nowhere.

Things deteriorated very quickly after that. As I was holding down one side of the tent, trying to keep it from crashing into the screaming girl in the tent beside us, Brian was trying to hold down the other side with one hand, keep the banner from crashing with a foot - grabbing the centre post for support (and to keep from becoming airborne). Really, there wasn't much we could do about it when the big 20x30 inch framed print of Will and Keina came crashing down ... and poor little Marlena dancing in her wedding dress was flattened. Talk about Trash the Dress ...

Finally, when it seemed like we were about to lift off for real, a man emerged from the crowd and anchored himself to the centre of the tent. (Thank you whoever you are - we owe you big time). With his help we started ripping down the sides of the tent, to prevent some of the sail-like action that was going on. It mightn't have been so bad if it weren't for the torrential rain ....

Totally out of control - I just held onto the tent with the stranger, while Brian ran back and forth taking stuff away from the street to the relative shelter of the footpath. Camera gear, easels, damaged displays, background cloths, brochures, credit card slips, mobile phones ... all sitting in a giant amorphous wet mass in front of Blooms.

Finally a policewoman came along, and with her help we finally got it all under control. So glad she didn't hurt herself when she went sliding along the street on one of my plastic display signs. Nobody hurt seriously - prints damaged, tent destroyed, glow gone. As we were loading the car with sodden cloths and cameras and easels, the sun came out. Wonderful ....

After folding Marlena several times (too damaged to keep) and shoving her into a bin, I clicked my heels 3 times, and was transported home.

Will be frantically ordering more prints and frames tomorrow to replace my damaged display - Wedding Expo at Sweeneys next Sunday. INDOORS.

MMMM Yummy!

2009-09-14T08:54:00.011+10:00

We just returned from a fantastic week in Tasmania - got back at almost midnight Saturday night. Exhausted but tons of photos!

But, this blog isn't about Tassie ... :)

We find it difficult to resist good food and wine. Accompany that by a little music, and we're completely powerless, so as exhausted as we were, yesterday we headed off to the Food, Wine and Music Festival at Belgenny Reserve (part of Camden Festival - we'll have a booth at the Lions Street Fair next Sunday!)

After having a chat with Rebecca and the team from Youth Solutions - who tested my ability to judge a standard drink (yay, I passed!) - we wandered around and checked out all the great stuff on offer.

We met so many lovely people there, we ate, we drank, we danced in our seats on the grass listening to the music ... too tired to actually get up and boogie - but that didn't stop the kids - they were right up in front of the stage shaking their little backsides along with the band - Heaven Can Wait.
Mmmmmm, delicious!
Fresh Lemonade and Crunchy Belgian Chips with Dutch Mayonnaise, served with a smile :) No idea what made them so European, but they sure tasted good in Camden!

The chips and lemonade weren't quite enough though, so we made sure we got to every booth we could! Tasted some really yummy wines, from Belgenny Farm & Wollombi Wines (Wollombi also make a yummy Semillon Chili Sauce - highly recommended!), and ate some more .... sausage sandwich and chorizo and chicken skewer ... Proper diet is all about balance you know - we needed a variety of food to go with the variety of wines. (Plus, after a week in Tassie, we had no groceries in the house for lunch!)

It was a really hot day, but we had a wonderful time. And we finished the day with dinner prepared with some ingredients bought at the festival!

Chicken marinated with Lime and Chili Dressing from Ebony Hall Gourmet Food (their dressings are an absolute bargain - go get them at Cobbity Markets!!!), a little more dressing on the salad, and complemented by a nice cold rose from Razorback Ridge Wines.

Yummy, yummy day :)

(Oh, and that's one of the kids in the background wearing his t-shirt from Youth Solutions - thanks girls :)

Portrait Quickie

2009-09-06T06:34:00.004+10:00

I attended the BRAS Women in Business Symposium on Thursday at the Campbelltown Catholic Club. Had a great time - the BRAS Network ladies organized a fantastic lineup of inspiring and educational speakers.

I had a quick portrait session (like 2 minutes...) with Sandra Walden Pearson from Best Me Consulting. Sandra wanted some headshots for editorial and promotional use. She's got a great natural smile, and really lights up a room when she's presenting. If you ever get the chance to listen to her speak I'd advise you to go! My favorite shot from our session is this black and white - one of the best things about Sandra is how genuinely friendly and open she is - you can see that from the way that smile reaches her eyes :)

I'll be posting more about the Women in Business Symposium soon.

Sydney Women's Network - Hills Expo - Prize Winner!

2009-08-30T15:37:00.006+10:00

I had an absolutely fantastic (but exhausting!) time at the Sydney Women's Network Expo on August 19th. There were many really interesting business exhibits there, and Cindy and Natalie from Sydney Women's Network did a great job pulling everything together. If you didn't attend - make sure you get to the Expo in Penrith on Sept 9th. If The Hills Expo was anything to go by, Penrith will be fantastic!

We gave away a prize at the expo to the lucky Dawn Tan, from World On Web. She was so enthusiastic when she won - I loved it! I'm really happy the portrait package went to someone who showed such positive energy and enthusiasm !

I met up with Dawn and her husband Devan Thursday morning for their portrait session. Our location was the beautiful Cumberland State Forest, in West Pennant Hills. We had lots of fun, and Dawn and Devan made great subjects!

Engagement Session - Kat and Rob

2009-08-29T16:38:00.007+10:00

Introducing Kat and Rob, and their gorgeous daughter Arabella. Kat and Rob are getting married in a few weeks, and I'll have the privilege of being their Wedding Photographer. I'm really looking forward to it - Arabella will be part of the ceremony.

Kat and Rob are having their wedding and reception at the Oxford Falls Function Centre - this engagement session was done there too.

Can't wait to see Arabella all dressed up for the wedding - those eyes are gorgeous. And hopefully we'll be able to keep her away from the Tiny Bears for just a few photos. Cuteness will be in abundance I think :)

I just love surprises!

2009-08-19T12:01:00.005+10:00

I woke up this morning to find out that someone had purchased one of my photos online! It wasn't a big sale, but it brought a smile to my face anyway. Isn't it fantastic when a total stranger likes your product enough to buy it? Especially when it's something as fun as this!

(now you all know just how long I've been around taking photos...)

Well, anyway, that put me in such a good mood that I've decided to offer even more to the winner of ARTsnic's prize draw! Now I'm giving one lucky Expo Attendee a $340 value prize! Ya gotta be in it to win it, so visit the ARTsnic stand today , from 4-8 pm, at the Sydney Women's Network Hills Business Expo, Castle Grand Community Centre, Castle Hill.

Sydney Women's Network - Hills Expo

2009-08-13T09:46:00.004+10:00

I've been very busy lately getting set up for upcoming trade shows. The next one coming up is in less than a week (I'm not ready yet - need my big banner!!!). But I'd love lots of people to stop by my booth!

So....

If you happen to be in the Castle Hill area, please take the time to stop by and see me at the Sydney Womens Network Expo at Castle Grand Community Centre on 19th August , 4-8pm! If you're not in the area, make an effort to come by!

It's a NEW boutique style Expo!

8 REASONS TO ATTEND
-> FREE to attend - everyone is welcome!
-> FREE car parking
-> FREE business advice in the "Business Booth" one-on-one professional advice from marketing, finance to property.
-> FREE business workshops
-> FREE market research - check out what your competitors are doing.
-> FREE trial and sampling of products and services (plus a FREE showbag)
-> FREE and live entertainment
-> FREE cocktail function for all attendees and exhibitors after the event.

One lucky attendee is going to win a FREE Family Portrait Session + an enlargement. Valued at $250, it's the best reason to make sure you're FREE to attend! Just visit ARTsnic at Stand 32, and drop your business card in the box to win! Winner will be notified by email/phone, and will be posted on the ARTsnic website.

You'd be silly not to attend!

Oh ... and did I mention it is FREE????? Who doesn't like FREE?

Sydney Women's Network Hills Expo
Castle Grand Community Centre
Pioneer Room
Castle St, Castle Hill

19th August, 2009
4-8 pm

New Wedding Video!

2009-08-09T12:11:00.002+10:00

We've created a new sample wedding video - 6 different couples, from bride and groom getting ready to fun at the reception. Check it out!

First BMX race day

2009-08-02T12:18:00.007+10:00

Yesterday I visited the Macarthur BMX track to photograph Race 6 of Series 2 of the Interclub series with Liverpool CC BMX Club.

This was my first real BMX race meet and I was a little surprised at how much activity there was. The track is very tight and the racing is fast!

UPDATE: The pics are up in our gallery! http://www.artsnic.com.au/gallery/MacBMX%20090801/index.html

Slow but good

2009-08-01T11:01:00.011+10:00

Ok, so we're a bit slow posting - I'm sure we'll pick up in the coming months!

It's Saturday and we don't have a wedding! Brian's going off and to do some fun stuff (shooting at BMX competitors at Macarthur BMX Track, home to the Macarthur Pirates.), but I'm stuck home with the sniffles! So, I thought I might as well spend a little time updating the blog and posting some wedding photos.

Featured here are some photos from Will and Keina's wedding on June 27, 2009.

Will and Keina were married at the Sebel Resort and Spa in Windsor. It's a fantastic venue, with everything you need in one spot!

The grounds of the resort are lovely - ponds and weeping willows, roses lining the driveway to the chapel - plenty of photo opps and no need to battle traffic!
The chapel at the resort is small but lovely, and was packed with family and friends on the day!

The Sebel wedding co-ordinator Rebecca did a lovely job fitting out the chapel, including a red carpet, beautiful white draping and rose petals lining the aisle.

As I said the grounds are lovely - we only had to walk a few feet from the chapel to a beautiful pond surrounded by gardens and weeping willows - great photo opps even though we had a cloudy day.

Will and Keina looked wonderful together - when two people are so much in love it makes a photographer's job easy :)

After the location photos it was off to the reception - again - just a few steps away! The food was yummy, all the guests seemed very well fed and happy. There was a quick run to empty the dessert table, but the reception staff fixed that up quickly and everyone's sweet tooth was satisfied nicely :)

Did we say weddings are fun?

2009-07-25T08:03:00.006+10:00

Let me point out that ARTsnic was NOT, I repeat NOT the photographer on this wedding. But I stumbled across the link to this video, and just couldn't resist sharing it with you. If you want to have a wedding like this - please call us - we'd so love to be part of it!!! There's nothing better than being part of something like this - made me laugh and cry just watching it!

Hello all you beautiful people!

2009-07-18T14:01:00.001+10:00

We're new to blogspot, so please bear with us while we sniff around a bit and figure out how all this works!

ARTsnic offers services in photography, custom framing and art sales and leasing. We're very excited about what the future holds for us - recession begone - things are looking up!

We LOVE LOVE LOVE what we do - photography in particular. So, starting out, ARTsnic will be blogging about some weddings, maybe the occasional portrait shoot, and other fun stuff. And really, weddings and portraits are FUN for us.

YES - Weddings are FUN! Of course we cover all the formal family photos - nanna's going to want them after all!! But for much of your wedding day we take a photojournalistic approach.

There is nothing that makes your wedding photos more memorable than the unguarded moments - emotions, reaction to funny speeches (or boring ones :), kids... oh kids are fantastic and we tend to stalk them at weddings a bit. Generally, any moment of merriment, tears, tenderness, silliness, hugs, kisses, wild dancing and cheering - we want to catch it for you so you can keep it forever!

....follow along with the blog and you'll see what we mean :)