375 Great reasons to have a family portrait this Easter

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Shelly & Glen's Wedding, Gisborne. NZ

I want to start off by saying that Shelly is my hairdresser. And, as we all know, a good hairdresser (and Shelly is an exceptionally good hairdresser) is very hard to find.
SO, I was feeling an awful lot of pressure to photograph her wedding just right...you know, sharp scissors, near head.
A lot of pressure.

Through snipping and blowdrying over the last year or so Shelly's kept me updated about her wedding dress and her fabulous find with the bridesmaids' dresses, the cars that had been lovingly restored by the boys, the citrus-themed bouquet and table decorations (to match the citrus orchard that Glen worked at and his family owned), the carefully crafted bar and restored vintage stereogram (which had been brought back to life with a new electronic interior), the gardens that were being carefully groomed, and the incredible construction work that had been down turning an old sideless shed into a gorgeous tropical bure-style reception and party area.

In fact it wasn't until a short time before the wedding that I actually met Glen, and boy, he's a keeper.
And he LOVEs Shelly to pieces. I mean, really, truly dotes on her.

What made their day extra special was that it was also Glen's parent's wedding anniversary.
30 years to the day, on exactly the same spot. True story. Sigh.

Here are some images from their day. Enjoy.

Could Shelly look any happier??!!

Love the juxtaposition of the star on the jeep and our star-crossed lovers! And how handsome is Glen!

Couldn't resist this silhouette shot as Shelly and Glen snuck a quick kiss.

I LOVE Shelly's lucky horse shoe tattoo - looks like it worked a charm~! ;)

Shelly and Glen and their amazing bridal party had a ball at the Museum of Technology making for some fun wedding  photographs. Here the girls got all domestic with a special 'tea' party.

Glen and the boys were right in their element

This is definitely one of my favourite photos of the day.

Glen and Shelly + patient guests + a cherry picker hydralada = this fabulous memory

A big thank you to everybody at the wedding for helping with our special group photograph and to Glen and Shelly for inviting us to capture their amazing wedding, and to Ali for being the best second shooter and parasol carrier ever. x Cat

'High Kicks' A new limited-edition fine art print by Cat Brown

Big shoes to fill, these.

A big future too. 

You'll go far, lad, you'll go far

'High Kicks' by Cat Brown
Limited-edition fine art print

(Signed and numbered prints on delicious thick cold-press fine art paper - edition limited to 10)

Free delivery worldwide.

Select your size

A3 $150.00 NZD A2 $175.00 NZD A1 $225.00 NZD A0 $299.00 NZD

Postcards from Venice

Eating gelato, strolling across the pont di Rialto, a fresh breeze rolling along the canal.
Venice, magic.

And, beautiful backwaters.
Venice-style.

Shoot manual: tip #2: Aperture ... don't be afraid!

Aperture... it's one of those words that gives everyone learning to shoot manual the heeeeeby jeeeeebies. Why?! Let's just call them f-stops.
They really don't make a lot of sense. I'm just being honest.

But, because we doing this the super simple Cat way, I'm not even going to go into that right now.

Just for now, all you need to know about aperture is that it's all about controlling the way light comes into your lens through a hole.
A hole?

Yep, a light hole.

Depending how big that hole is can change how your photos look.

That sounds easy!

Well, it is.
And at the moment, all you need to know about f-stops is that they are the things that make the hole big or small.

Ok, ready for the video that will explain the hole a bit more ....



Watch out for the next aperture video which will be all about how to control f-stops and why they are going to become one of your best friends!

Happy shooting
x Cat

Shooting manual tip #1: THINK LIKE A CAMERA

If you haven't done it before, sometimes the very thought of shooting manual can give even the most experienced photographer the willies! And i say experienced, because the fact is that with all the bells and whistles on them, dslrs (the big cameras with lenses you can change around), micro 4/3's (the smaller mirrorless cameras that are VERY popular at the mo), and even point and shoot cameras give a person the experience of taking great shots without even really knowing what they're doing.

And over a long time, if they're good at composition, they might begin to feel pretty experienced because when the camera is doing the thinking their shots tend to come out looking pretty dang great! Cameras are pretty smart and if you have them on auto or P (The comedy setting commonly mistaken for professional but which really means program!) they will do all the hard work for you, measuring what's happening around in terms of light metering and movement and will work out a setting that will take a shot it think will look right and in the law of averages it does! And if you're happy with this, you can stop reading now no harm, no foul!.. (or perhaps if you think one of your friends might be interested in extending their photography knowledge please share this with them!)

... But, if you're like me and one day you feel you've let the camera do the thinking long enough and you're ready to take over the creative reins and develop the skills to use your camera exactly the way YOU want to then stick with me and i'll show you how. Why? Because shooting auto you have one option of how your composition will look, but shooting manual ... how many options do you have? UNLIMITED Getting excited?? Good! Well, let's go!

Shooting manual tip #1: THINK LIKE A CAMERA

"Once you take control, your creative options are limitless"

I know it's kinda obvious but if you're shooting manual you're going to be making all the decisions for each shot and making adjustments to shutterspeed, aperture, iso etc in place of your camera doing it for you. Now don't freak out. I know you thinking 'I don't even know what all those things even do exactly so how can i change them to make the images I want!!??' and, don't fear, we'll come to that. But for now I just want you to get into your mind that this is the direction we're heading. Do you want to do that? Hell yeah! Well great, we will, you are going to become your camera's brain and with that you're going to get the chance to take the kinds of pictures you've always wanted to!"


Tomorrow: Shooting manual tip #2: Aperture Share if you care about helping people unlock their camera creativity!)

Questions, comments?? Please add them below and I'll answer everything i can.

Happy shooting! Cat

The Christmas rescue package...

When Charlie boy called he said, "what's the best Chrissy pressie for people who have everything??"
It was the least I could do to help him out with special gift voucher package that he could use to spoil his nearest and dearest this holiday season.
And now, I'd like to offer the same deal to you.

For one week only you can purchase a cat brown photography Gift Voucher to spoil your friends and loved ones. This gift voucher includes a fun and organic location photo session with me, plus a large and beautiful 16x11 inch loose art print, 2 8x12 inch loose art prints and 2 5x7 inch loose art prints for only $295 (usually $431).

It could be just the perfect idea for the holiday family get together, something great for the kids, your best friend, an amazing staff gift, the newly engaged couple in your life, or for yourself!

Order by emailing catbrownphoto@xtra.co.nz and your address and the name of the person/people receiving the voucher, and it will be sent out quick smart - and you can make an easy online payment....Charles found that convenient. I'm sure you will too.

Order by Dec 22 to get yours in time for the big day!

x Cat