on location portraits Archives

Anzac Day

By Brook Desmond Friday, April 24, 2015 0 Blog, Portraits anzac, Anzac day, black and white, black and white photography, family Permalink 0

Anzac day – from a Photographers viewpoint

Anzac day is one of those special occasions, you know the ones. The ones that bring a smile and a tear to your eye at the same time, where silence for a small moment feels like eternity and can help bring back countless memories and emotions in the blink of an eye.

The Dawn service scramble

For the past few years we have been getting up early in the morning to attend the dawn service at Blackboy hill. This site was once a training camp for the early Anzacs, and holds a special place in history. Our kids have ben eager although very tired to get up and go to the dawn service, and we see many of our family and friends there. There is also a fantastic group of volunteers that put on hot drinks, scones and Anzac cookies for the people braving the cold mornings.

Well this morning wasn’t that cold, but due to baby having a rough night, we had a bit of a sleep in. In fact Baby, Kembry and Mesha didn’t get up at all, While Cumoram and I scrambled for the door to get there before it finished. This year seemed to be even more packed than previous years, but it was great to see such wonderful support.

Marching with pride

After attending the Dawn Service, the family and I caught the train into the city to watch the Marching Parade. This was an event that we would attend regularly when we were younger, especially when my Grandpop was alive and would March with the other returned soldiers. We would march with him often, which was a great delight to us. Dad really got into it too and so Anzac day has always been a special day for us as a family.

One year I went to March and took my younger cousin Paddy out with me to be alongside our Grandpop. Well the West Australian newspaper thought that would be a great shot and so they snapped a picture of us to be published in the paper.

A portrait of my Grandparents

Another great memory is of a very early portrait I did of my Grandpop and my Grandma sitting together at Langley reserve after the march and while we waited for the main service to begin. I loved that moment and still have the photo I took of them those many years ago. I had given them a framed picture of it as a gift and it was the one thing I asked to have back from them when they passed away. It holds a very special meaning to me.

This year we found a spot to watch the parade down by the Bell tower. We met with friends Tim and Jess Batten and took in with us Jessy Fallon. Jessy and Cumoram road their scooters around most of the time, but Kembry and Jairom had great joy sitting and watching the soldiers and marching bands in full motion. I snapped a few pictures of the day and processed them as Black & White images. I love black and white photography especially on days like Anzac day. Its a great way to show expression without the colour distraction.

As I saw these men and women march, I saw many things in their faces. Many carried scarring of what they had been through or what they had seen. They also had a look of dignity and pride. As I looked at their expressions I wondered what they thought now. I hope they have a place in their heart of peace and joy, knowing that what they did those many years ago has been of great benefit to us and our kids. Because it has. We live in a land of peace and plenty, where we have liberty to choose. Our freedom is our greatest blessing. Sometimes we moan and groan of our circumstances, but we are so blessed and have so much. And we OWE so much to those who have fought for our freedom and prosperity. To all those ANZACS and all those affected by the sacrifices of their family in the past, I would like to say THANK YOU….. LEST WE FORGET.

I hope these black and white photographs tell a story and find meaning in your heart

Just a quick preview of some pics from Anzac day 2012. A full blog of images soon. LEST WE FORGET!!!

Perth & regional family portrait locations

By Brook Desmond Thursday, March 12, 2015 0 Blog, Portraits family, family portraits, location, location portraits, on location portraits Permalink 0

A Guide for the best Portrait locations

Mothers day love is devotion

What is a Good family portrait location

One of the most common questions our professional family photography studio gets asked is “What are some good family portrait locations?”

As a family portrait photographer, offering family portrait sessions not only in Perth but in country regions of Western Australia, I spend many hours trying to find out what people would like their printed portraits to look like on their walls.

Natural Light

Apart from a discussion family portrait locations, our family portrait clients usually ask about clothing to wear during family photos, and how we can achieve the best natural light to give the best results for their family photographs.

Of course, lighting and timing for your family portrait session are ultimately important. In Western Australia, we have beautiful quality natural light. Choosing the right family portrait locations to become one of the key choices for successful family portraits.

Family portrait locations that are comfortable

The right family portrait locations will engage any couple, family or children being photographed during the portrait session. Good family portrait locations will help them feel natural and comfortable in the environment.

Here is a quick visual guide to finding the right family portrait locations for your next photographic session.

Another guide would be to make a Pinboard on Pinterest https://www.pinterest.com/ and look for family portrait location ideas and share it with your professional photographer.

Brook Desmond the lead Family photographer at Perth based Dezire Studios, has been shooting professional outdoor location family portraits for over 15 years. The following visual portrait gallery has been mastered during that time as is a wonderful resource for families looking for professional outdoor family photographs.

On location portraits

By Brook Desmond Monday, March 2, 2015 0 Blog, Portraits beautiful. premier, family, landscape, location, location portraits Permalink 0

On location portraits – finding the right one

There are a couple of key factors to consider when having your next family portrait. There are all the usual, what should I wear? what style should we go for? are we dressing formally or are we going for a casual look?

As a premier leading portrait studio in Western Australia, we will guide you through those important decisions. All our clients who book a portrait session with us receive their complimentary and comprehensive guide on what to wear to your portrait session, how much makeup to apply, whether to wear glasses or not, and what props work. We have guidelines and suggestions for colour co-ordinating clothing, how to get the tones right, whether or not to wear all the same images, and how to dress so you can achieve the look you are after, all the while remaining comfortable and looking natural.

The other key factors to consider are timing and location. Our studios specializes in natural family on location portraits, images that appear candid and unposed and show you naturally having fun. Our motto is Life, Love, Laughter and it takes a little preparation to get it right.

Our studios specialty is on location portraits. The reason for this is simple. You and the family will feel more comfortable, especially young children who may normally feel cooped up in a studio. The session becomes an experience, a happy and joyful family moment, an event that you will always remember together.

The most important thing to remember is even with on location portraits the focus is still about the people and not the landscape. In saying this, yes the landscape is important, the background is essential, but it is merely a way of complimenting the people that are in it. A nice background will not over power the people in the portrait, but will add taste and flavour.

The essential key in on location portraits is most definitely lighting the scene right. In a studio, the strobes or flash become the key to lighting the subject and the background. On location portraits are controlled by the ambient light from the sun. The sun is a powerful beast and has the ability to dominate the portrait if not used correctly. You would have seen these images before or even taken them on your own camera. Things like harsh shows under the eyes, nose and chin or to one side of the face. Similarly splotchy light making unattractive patched on the face will do the same thing. With the right lighting not only will you get the most flattering portrait, but you will also have a splendid background to compliment and add flavour to the portrait and enhance your already glowing self. Get the light wrong and you merely add age to you.

Light is a Photographers trick and mastering outdoor light that you cannot dial down or amp up is a specialized art. It takes years of training and hands on experience to master this and be ready for whatever comes your way. But what on location portraits sessions allow, is for individuality and uniqueness. Shooting the same on location portraits at different times or on different days will give different looks. You will have your own unique portrait that is totally personal to you.

Much better than having the same pose, same backdrop, same lighting and same clothes as the last client that came through. And with a wealth of amazing locations here in Perth Western Australia and throughout the nation and world you will have a much more rewarding and natural experience. In the next part of this post I will go into the types of locations and show you some samples of how to get you personal portrait experience.

Below are a quick sample of some different types of locations and as we share more on how to select the right location for your on location portraits, we will add more sample to help you select the right type of location for your next family portrait.

An example of a on location portraits in the bush

An example of on location portraits in the Urban architectural location

A Twilight session

An example of on location portraits in a Rural location . This was the clients actual farm

An example of on location portraits in the Park location

An example of on location portraits in a Beach location

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