Tom Hall Photography – Brisbane Wedding Photographer

AIPP – QPPA 2013 Winning Images

I just got back from the awards today. I would like to thank the judges for recognising my work and for awarding me with 4 Silvers and 1 Silver Distinction! I would also like to thank my clients Adam, Belinda, Chris Shanks, Annalise Shanks,Lana Sandmann and Andreas Sandman for trusting me with their very special wedding days and also to my models Jasmin Young and Caity Holland for doing such a great job at their shoots!

Silver Distinction award 2013 AIPP Queensland Awards – Wedding Category

 Silver award 2013 AIPP Queensland Awards – Wedding Category

Silver award 2013 AIPP Queensland Awards – Illustrative Category

Silver award 2013 AIPP Queensland Awards – Portrait Category

Silver award 2013 AIPP Queensland Awards – Portrait Category

I’ve been wanting so much to book more country chique weddings with a DIY touch, and when Chris and Kim contacted me telling me about their country wedding, I was delighted! Then when they chose to book me I was over the moon! Not only was the wedding beautiful, but so were they. I feel so privileged that they chose me to photograph their special day!

Chris also took the time to send me a copy of a story he wrote about how he and Kim met inviting me to feel free to show it to whoever, so I’ve included a copy of it here for you to read if you’re keen to read about a guy’s undeniable love for his new wife.

I just wanted to quickly thank Zarn and one of the UK’s most popular new wedding blogs, “Alice in Weddingland” for their recognition and very flattering article about my work.

You can check it out here

Sarah and I have now been together for 13 years.

When I first met her I couldn’t speak to her. Until I finally did, opening my mouth with the intention to talk would always be just that – an intention. My brain would literally shut off the minute she was in front of me – leaving me speechless – catching me off guard!

As the years have passed though we’ve developed an ease with each other – able to be ourselves and converse openly, continually creating the kind of bond that only those who’ve been together a long time can understand.

Those years have brought with them a sense of familiarity, and sometimes it’s easy to assume that by now I would have learnt all there is to know about what attracts me to her, but that isn’t the case!

Even though I’ve seen her face so many times, had endless conversations and been in her company for over 4700 days, she still catches me off guard.

When we’re out and I notice her across a room, or when we’re in the car and I look over to my left to see her looking back at me, I still find myself thinking, “Wow, what a babe!” When we’re deep in conversation and I think I’ve got all the angles covered, she’ll say one line and I learn more in a few seconds than I have in weeks. She’s quick, smart – mindful, benevolent and caring, loving and understanding and if I had but 10% of her attributes I’d be a better man!

I know I’ll never fully grasp the entirety of her beauty, and you know what? That’s OK by me! If for the rest of my life I regularly find myself feeling dumbstruck and speechless as a result of the effect she has on me, then I’ll live forever blessed!

My wife is beautiful! I love her dearly!

Drift Brookwater Golf Club Wedding

Yep, I work as a fulltime Brisbane wedding photographer, but in my spare time I also love to explore everything else I believe is beautiful. It’s a great way for me to unwind, express myself and have total control over the shoot. With weddings I take a somewhat reactive approach, acting more like an observer trying not to interfere too much with the proceedings of the day, but when it comes to a beauty or nature shoot, I get to enjoy total control over what the subject does.

Even though photography is my career, I’m proud to say that it’s also something I love so much that I do in my spare time.

I was sitting at my desk editing some wedding photography from the last few weeks and I suddenly got the urge to get up and go for a drive down south to capture some photographs in NSW. I could’ve happily gone on a seascape tour taking photos of the coastline, but I thought it would be nice to also include some beauty in the mix.

I got on Facebook and I asked one of my very attractive friends, Jasmin if she’d like me to pick her up on my way down to Fingal and be a part of the images. She said yes, and within a few minutes I was out the door and shortly after I was at her place. After another hour or so of driving we finally reached the beach’s car-park. Then on foot we navigated some rather confusing pathways through the scrub until we found our way up to the top of the headland. In my defence I must say it’s been an awfully long time since I used to camp at Fingal, so it would seem my memory of the place has faded somewhat :)

Once we found the light house we walked down to the cliff’s edge and laid our gear out on the rocks. Jas opened up her carry bag to show me two gowns she had brought – one black, one white. I thought they were lovely and considering it was rather windy I knew they’d play well in the breeze!

I had two cameras, a trigger and a flash and the sun was only an hour from setting so we didn’t have a lot time. Just like the last shoot I did with Jasmin, she locked into the moment as soon as I started shooting, and she shone. She’s very much at ease in front of the camera and for me I couldn’t help being inspired. Within a couple of frames my mind was firing off and we were capturing one stunning image after another. Thinking back the only internal dialogue I can remember was how incredibly grateful I felt being in such a beautiful place photographing such an attractive person, and being privileged enough to do it while using some really special photographic equipment. To think that over 20 years ago I used to do the same thing using a film SLR that was purchased from K-Mart.

Times have certainly changed and thankfully, so have the results. I hope you’ll enjoy a few of the images I chose from the afternoon.

When I finally met Adam and Belinda we shared one of the longest meetings I’ve ever had. We talked for hours and hours about everything – including their wedding of course. I knew within a few minutes that I was going to have a ball photographing them! They were warm, open and engaging (pun intended).

The most wonderful thing they said to me was “We just want you to do what you do!” and for a wedding photographer, that’s music to the ears! There’s nothing more gratifying than having clients who are completely willing to do whatever it takes to create memorable wedding photography. Don’t get me wrong, I’m fully aware that not everyone wants to get waste deep in the ocean, but there are still so many ways to go that extra mile to create photography that leaves a lasting impression without having to put the dress in excessive danger.

We had a two day shoot (Saturday and Sunday just gone). The first day was the wedding and the second day was a drown the gown session. Some people call it a trash the dress shoot, but no matter what we did, Belinda’s dress seemed to fare too well to class it as a trashing. Wish I could say the same for Adam’s clothes though. He successfully managed to split the sleeve of his jacket and grind some serious stains into his pant legs as well. After all, I had him flying through the air at every opportunity I could, but it was totally worth it!

Over the course of the next couple of weeks I’ll be sure to share a few more (including some more from the actual wedding day), but until then please enjoy the few frames I’ve completed since the weekend.

Thanks to everyone for choosing me to be their wedding photographer! I’d also like to thank my wonderful clients who refer me to their friends! Honestly, people are so supportive and there’s not a day that goes by that I’m not truly thankful for that. Your kind words, testimonials, warm gestures, hugs, kisses, cards and gifts never stop making me feel so appreciated and in turn eternally grateful!

You guys know I get a little romantic about all this, but please understand that it never ceases to amaze me how a simple camera has opened my life up to so much joy and helped me discover so many amazing people and unforgettable experiences. I can’t possibly be complacent about all the blessings I’ve experienced as a result of being a brisbane wedding photographer.

I love what I do with every cell in my body! You all make me feel like I’ve got purpose and that makes me jump out of bed every day! Thanks again to everyone who reaches out to me and tells me that what I’ve done has brought them some form of happiness. That means the world to me!

While some hate the idea of getting out in the rain, I love it! I have stood in torrential monsoons clicking away with no concerns at all, cause quite frankly, rain is gorgeous in photos no matter how heavily it buckets down. Sure, I understand that not all people are keen on getting out there with me, but if the sky were to open up and unleash a drenching downpour on a wedding day, I would want my clients to understand that the rain wouldn’t effect the beauty of their images.

I’ve also included a link below to a couple of wedding photos from a day that was soaked by more rain than Redcliffe had experienced in 9 years.

http://tomhallphotography.com.au/rain-rain-rain/

I work up to 80 hours a week running Tom Hall Photography, but no matter how much time I spend photographing and post producing weddings, I always ensure I spare some of my time to photograph things that don’t have anything to do with the business.

Too many photographers grow to resent their jobs because they lose the love for the craft.  I’ve found that as long as I also take photos in my spare time for my own personal reasons, I’m able to always bring love to everything I do when I’m at work.

The other night I worked all the way through editing a wedding. I had lost track of time (like I often do) and the first thing that made me realise it was morning was the distant sound of little birds ( I have no idea what species they are – but I’m sure you know the ones I’m talking about). I looked out the window and could see a faint orange glow. I shot out of my chair and grabbed my tripod and camera!

I got down to the water, and as I was setting my tripod up. a morning walker passing by yelled, “Amazing sky!!”

The race was on. I knew I only had a couple of minutes before the colour faded, so I put the camera on the mount and started capturing frames. I only caught a few frames cause the colour was gone within about 5 minutes, so here are a couple that I like.