Jessica and Alastair are very sweet.  We met them last year when we did their graduation photos and it was that very morning that Alastair had proposed in front of both families at the airport (sweet, i know). We say that we are honored a lot when people choose us to photograph their wedding (which we are). But we were seriously honored, when Jess and Las moved their wedding date ahead into the deep dark cold of Dunedin winter so that they could have us as their photographers before we leave to the states. A lot of pressure, I know. Though you couldn't really go wrong with a couple this in love and their fantastic group of family and friends.

We are getting close to leaving for the US. It is so sad to leave friends behind. Don't grow too much while we are gone. Maybe we need to break out the Bonsai Baby Kit or some Chinese binding techniques? We will miss you so much Biddi and fam...

I hadn't actually planned to get Alex's hair cut until he was about 3 or 4. I guess that signified, to me, him growing up and not being my little baby boy anymore. But Dennis pointed out to me that he was growing a mullet and I quickly made the appointment. He is such a cool, calm and collected kid that is up for anything. I thought for sure he would love getting his hair cut and that I would be the one crying. He wasn't bad, he didn't scream or wiggle or throw a tantrum. He was simply devastated that that he was losing his hair that took him so long to grow. There were huge tear drops rolling down his face and he repeated "I don't like it, I don't like it" the whole time. But he sat there, brave as a soldier and let Jackie at Sliver cut his hair. And when he was done, he very politely said "thank you, Jackie, hair cut". Such a big boy now.

Today, while crossing the street, I was stopped by one of my photos...driving past...on a trailer.  Cool!  Looking at images day after day on computer monitors - it's still awesome when you see one in print and as big as you are.  The University of Otago has given us so many fun projects this year and seeing this photo driving past today has motivated me to get a sampling of them up and very soon. 

This is to my Mom who had to be a Father and a Mother to me. Thank you and I love you. This photo was on the road to Milford Sound when my Mom came to visit us last year.

It's Dunedin at the Farmers market...

The results just came out for the 2008, Quarter 1 competition and Jaime and I both placed 8th - in the getting ready and details categories, respectively.  I also had a couple others further down the line in the late teens and here they are along with the judges comments.  To view the full competition results - from which there are a few real standouts and well worth checking - visit the WPJA website.

Jaime
8th Place - Getting Ready
JUDGES COMMENTS: The hairspray couldn't be any closer to her head. Wonderful how the light catches the plume of hairspray smoke. I can smell the fumes just looking at this!


Dennis
18th Place - Details (Found)


Dennis
8th Place - Reception
JUDGES COMMENTS: Classic, timeless. Beautiful colors...surreal. Could be a movie set it's so perfect. I'm left with questions and yet it tells a story all in itself.


Dennis
18th Place - Ceremony

Mmmm, chocolate. No, we didn't do this one in trade... but we probably would have! We got the pleasure to work with Miss Alex at Cadbury, updating the photography for Dunedin factory tour. We had a great time and learned heaps about making chocolate! Here are a couple of facts for you:

• A staggering 120 million chocolate bars are sold in New Zealand every year, 60 million of these are made by Cadbury.
  
• Cadbury uses 33,000 litres of milk every day for chocolate production at its Dunedin plant
  
• Cadbury Confectionery's Dunedin plant produces around 10,000 Crunchie bars per hour
  
• The biggest chocolate eaters in the world per capita are the Swiss, Scandinavians, Germans, British, and Belgians.
  
• Of the top 10 biggest chocolate eaters, only one country- Australia (7.5kg per year)- is not European. New Zealanders consume 4kg annually.
  
• If all the blocks of Cadbury Dairy Milk produced since 1930 were placed end to end, they would stretch from Cadburys Dunedin factory to the moon
  
• If stacked end to end the amount of Moro's consumed every year by New Zealanders would be 500 times the height of Mount Cook!
  

We love wine, we love Central Otago and we love Rockburn Wines. For our anniversary, we bought ourselves the 06 Rockburn Pinot Noir. We were talking about how much we would love to photograph a winery and the whole process of making it. So we rung them and offered to come out and spend a day with them in trade for some of their fantastic wine.

It was such an amazing experience! The weather was extremely crisp and clear. We arrived at the facility in Cromwell in the morning and everyone was already hard at work starting the 08 vintage. We then went out to meet some of the pickers at the vineyards. It was great to meet all the individuals and personalities that come together to bring us the great wine we always enjoy. If you are looking for a special treat - pick your self up a bottle of their Pinot, it is everything you could hope for out of a Pinot Noir!

We have a special fondness for people that elope... cause we did the same thing! It is such a big job photographing those weddings because you really have to make people feel like they were there. I hope all Minna and Daniel's friends and family can feel the enormity of being on top of the Remarkables in Queenstown and how special it was for both of them to be married up there.