The Wedding Photos

Today I am going the the bride and groom's to show them the photos of the wedding, the bride is unaware of the tragedy that occurred with the loss of my photos - I will tell her after she sees what I have got.  I think she will be happy. The groom knows, I work with him everyday and it is very hard for me to keep secrets. 
Bride was starting to get worried when I wanted to deliver the photos rather than email or Dropbox. My reason for hand delivery is more selfish than the 'tragedy'....I want to 'see' if she likes them. It is all good to be told but it is nicer to see the reactions. A few more images from the day....I am not telling the B&G which photos are mine or which ones are RaRa's. I am not going to say here either, RaRa and I will be the only ones.

I am thinking about creating a website/facebook group and maybe get paid for my work....the jury is still out ***mainly coz I can't think of a name or I start doubting my ability, I also worry too much about what other people think***

A funny thing happened the other night - HWMBO was standing behind me when I was on Facebook - I didn't know he was there, I was looking at a photo one of my school friends had taken with her mobile phone. He said, 'the horizon is crooked'....I am obviously rubbing off on him as I often have a sloping horizon in my photos that I have to correct before posting. 

I also had to restrain myself for commenting on the Brisbane Lions FB page, the post was the behind the scenes of the official photo shoot, when I first saw this photo I cringed and wished I was the official photographer -  I would have made the backdrop higher or created another pose for Mathew Leuenberger... I am getting a bit picky now.

More photos of the wedding after I have show the B&G. I hope they are happy.

Still raining or is it raining again

Once again the weekend was wet, it looks like the whole week is going to be wet again, as severe weather warnings have been issued. Possible flash flooding and high seas. I am a bit over it, even our duck is looking a bit put out with being wet all the time. Lilly (our golden retriever) is getting bored - she doesn't like to be wet so she wont go outside, a bored puppy can only mean one thing....mess. She has destroyed 2 of her squeaky toys this week... pulling out all the stuffing  because she likes to play with the squeaker. ***note to self, buy toys with out squeakers***

Pre stuffing removal , before the rain

The advantage of a wet weekend was I spent a lot of time working on the wedding photos, I allowed myself a few days of sulking (if you saw my previous post you will understand http://rozzy35.blogspot.com.au/2013/02/the-rain-and-pain.html) I am happy with the photos and if the Bride is not, well she is too hard to please.

I will share a few today, I haven't finished yet - although I am now under pressure to have them all done by Thursday. I was going to Dropbox the photos to the bride, then I decided I wanted to see her face as she looked at them for the first time. I need to know she is happy so I will hand deliver a disk after work Thursday.

This is the first photo I edited - I wanted it for my 52 week challenge - The idea is to post a photo taken each week on Flickr, with all this rain I am struggling to get photos.

There is so many photos to chose from, I am going to let the bride pick her favorites, this is a selection of what I have processed so far. I had a scan through Ra Ra's photos, we have got all the main moments. Thank goodness, this wedding work is a lot of hard work, the bride and groom were great happy to do what ever was asked, the family were a lot harder to control. couldn't get them to look the same way for a photo, hard to get them to smile. Even the bridesmaid refused to smile most of the time. 

Live and learn, if I ever do another wedding a few things will happen - I will charge *** even a nominal fee***, this way my time will be important to the family, I will not waste my time on those who don't want to smile or even get their photo taken, if the family don't want photos with the Bride and Groom I will not wait for the squabbles to settle I will walk away.

AND most importantly, I will check my files before formatting the card in my camera - this I will do ever time now. Just because it is a new card doesn't mean it is not faulty.

the men in the rain

For the groom....Carlton garter belt

Mother and daughter 

All ready to go

The Rain and the Pain

I have not been very proactive with the blog in the last few weeks, I will make all sorts of excuses but the main reason is I have been either too busy or too tired and flat.

Work this year is busier than any other year, they have changed the playing conditions, forcing me to work more nights and weekends including over night some Sundays....it is not just me, I will share the work with my colleague and we will have a crew of staff to work with us.....it still sucks that I will miss out on weekends with my family. 

It is only Tuesday and I seriously want this week to be over, it is the first week of University so I am getting inundated with questions from the first years....where do I get my student card, how do I pay my fees, I don't know where I should be, where is the  bus stop, where is the toilet....I can't find my friend and my favorite "where do I eat my lunch". I try and be understanding, I know every time someone asks me a question it is the first time they have asked.....but it is my hundredth for the day. This is the pain of Orientations, most of these students are so overwhelmed, high school doesn't prepare them for uni no matter what they think. 2 of my daughters have finished high school, one did 18 mths of Uni before it became too much (she told me today she only stayed that long so she didn't let me down - she has worked for 18 mths and today started Uni again phew) While the girls were at school, they had to report to class, ask permission to go to the toilet, sit in the right area to have lunch and follow the school rules - which is OK and I believe in rules and structure.....but it in no way prepares the teenagers for University life (or the real world). At Uni no one cares if you are late/don't turn up/need to go to the toilet/have your lunch at 3pm or even if you do the work. While there is people to help if you want to succeed, they are not going to care if you don't. This is very confusing to new students - especially the young ones who have been told what to do and when to do it all their lives.

  

I am over the rain....normally I don't complain about the rain (I save the complaining for the lack of rain) however I am getting web feet and fungus is growing in my plants. 

And it ruined my photo plans last weekend, my colleague got married, with the help of Ra Ra I did the wedding photos - for free, we didn't get the planned out door photos - no beautiful sunset...I did get some beautiful shots at the venue, http://glengariff.com.au/jsp/Default.jsf which I would recommend to anyone wanting a small wedding.

The worst thing happened to me as a photographer....I lost the photos of the ceremony and the family shots.....there was an error on my disk when I transferred the files...when I skipped this error the transfer stopped. I assumed that it had finished so followed my normal procedure and formatted my card.....BIG mistake HUGE...I didn't check the photos before formatting the  card. I wiped the photos, no recovery...I tried all sorts of programs...I took it to a photo lab...but nothing NADA ZIP all gone. Lucky Ra Ra got some of the shots I wanted, so the bride and groom will be happy and have most of the shots they wanted (I am also hoping the awesome ones I have will make up for the loss). I am very glad I was not getting paid, this was my first wedding and I learnt a lot. I have not edited any photos yet....too busy sulking because of my stupidity. Tonight I will work on at least on to add to the 52 week group.

Here is a few photos I have taken recently 

Daughter #2 and the Raging Torrent both have Unicorn oneies so we frolicked in the pine forest one day

Then it got burnt.....

I had an early morning photography session with a few friends and these are a few of my favorites from the day

I miss you Dad

It is one year today since my father died of lung cancer, not a day goes by that I don't think about him. I still reach for the phone to ask him something or to tell him a bad joke I know he will appreciate and share.

My Dad and I had a very rocky relationship when I was growing up, I always seemed to be the one who rubbed him the wrong way...***and him me*** At the time I thought it was the middle child syndrome, especially as my younger sibling is the much wanted boy. (There is 5 years between me and the golden child). While this is part of the  reason, the main reason we did not get on is because we were too much alike. Both very stubborn and determined. 

I am forever grateful I became friends with my father, after not speaking to him for about 10 years, my darling husband forced me too, using the kids as blackmail. After a slow start we worked it out, the girls had a good relationship with their Grandpa (Grumpy) when they were together there would often be shouts of "ohhhh GRANDPAAAAA" when he did something silly. It may be wrong of me to say this, but he was a much better Grandfather than he was father.

He was forever the joker, to the point of being annoying at times, not knowing when to stop. He loved a good joke and was often so straight faced it was hard to tell if he was serious. I learnt to read the signs - funny because Mum never could - man they used to argue, they would go on for days. Both thinking they were the wronged party. Mum would ring me and bitch, then Dad would ring and bitch....it would often end with me telling them both to grow up and be the parents - I had my own kids I didn't need them to behave worse. This would work for a few months. 

On of Dad's favorite things was to answer the question 'How are you Bob' with not bad for a Tuesday - no matter what day of the week it was. We all knew he was joking but it caused a few problems in hospital, there were concerns for his mental health. Looking back now his silly comments and playful yet annoying antics were the way he copped with his lack of mobility, he kept himself amused this way.

He did not a cancer for long, the doctors first found a small spot on his lung during a routine test for emphysema (Dad smoked from the age of 12) a few weeks a radiation and he was given the all clear, this was in July 2011. In November he had a fall - very common with Dad and he hurt his hip, a trip to the hospital and he was told it was muscle damage it will get better soon, take it easy. After a few weeks of pain he went to another hospital where they did more tests. The cancer had moved from his lungs to his spine - the pain was radiating to his hip. Another 2 weeks in hospital and more radiation and he was home for Christmas. Mum asked me to bring my camera as she wanted a photo of all the family together....this is the hardest thing in the world to do...how do you get 6 teenagers and 3 men to pose for a photo and look nice. It was even worse as I had to be in the shot too. No good photos of the family - although enough to keep Mum happy. I did however get a great photo of Dad, for once he was not waving his hands trying to ruin the photo (I was a bit sneaky, I set my camera on the tripod and used the remote shutter release. I was on the other side of the room when this photo was taken).

Unfortunately Dad was back in hospital on New Years Eve, his respiratory system was shutting down. Amazingly he pulled though, the doctors were surprised at his will to live, the cancer has now spread all over his body and it was just a matter of time. For a few weeks he was doing really well, the morphine was relaxing his lungs making breathing easier...the morphine also made him very silly. The nurses had to take the bed controls of him as he would play with the bed, once taking it so high it jammed against the wall. He would try and get new staff and visitors to give him the control...this became as much of a joke as the playing did. 

It is very hard to watch someone you love die, days and weeks sitting in the hospital, just waiting. On the day he died he waiting until we had all gone then just stopped breathing. It was peaceful at the end the nurse told us. I hope so.

I miss you dad, I still talk to you, I make up your answers and listen to you laugh in my head. I like to think of you with your brothers, counting cars and watching out for your family.


If you smoke. STOP  I know it is hard, I have done it. But for the love of your family don't let any one have to watch you die of lung cancer. 

I did it again

I won January's challenge in our Flickr group, it was supposed to be an easy one to start the year - sunrise/sunset....but wouldn't you know it there was crappy sunsets - I never got up early for a sunrise (I tried it once and didn't like it much). Before the challenge had be posted I had decided I would start taking photos of the Glasshouse Mountains, I want to get shots that are not common and not taken from the same spot every time. I had a great shot of Mount Tibrogargan at sunset....but I posted to the group the week before the challenge was set.

Mount Tibrogargan

I tried a few spots at a few different times and was a bit nonplussed with my results. After being sick for a few weeks and then the rain came, I was feeling the pressure to get a photo in so I looked at the ones I was not that happy with. HWMBO stood over my shoulder and pointed at one and said that's the one to use. So I tweaked the colours - mainly lightning the foreground. I liked the photo enough to use as my cover pic on Facebook so did a lot of my friends it turns out, when I announced that it had won...no one but me seemed surprised.

The prize 'A sight boost to my self esteem'.... that's the official prize, for me it is a large boost. This is the winning photo and another few I have taken this year. I will not give up on my mission to get some good and different shots of my mountains.

Winning photo Mount Coonowrin and Mount Beerwah

Mount Coonawrin 

Mount Nugungun 

Mother Nature's Fury

Mother Nature let us know that she is not happy again on the Australia Day long weekend....she has been giving us fair warning all year. It started to rain...and rain....and rain. The first night we heard the rain on the roof as we were falling asleep it was bliss, a respite from the horrid heat we have been having. About 2 am I woke up in a cold sweat, I thought SE QLD was flooding again. Silly right, 2011 it had rained for months before the cyclone triggered the floods - it couldn't happen again. Well it did, towns have been evacuated, sand bags were filled, houses and business were flooded for the 2nd or 3rd times in 2 years. It was heartbreaking. 

Ex Tropical Cyclone Oswald was nasty as he traveled down the east coast of Australia, tornadoes ripped through towns destroying everything in their path. My friends in Burrum Heads had this misfortune of being in the firing line, a house a few doors down from them was lifted and landed on their garage. I know she wont mind that I share her photos. The lovely little town where I spent a wonderful weekend with friends whale watching and photographing was destroyed by a tornado, old beach houses damaged beyond repair, caravans blown apart....lucky no-one was killed.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/rqqzy/sets/72157632647034942/

I remember as a child being in Cyclone Anthea when living in Townsville, I was about 8, we waited out the cyclone in the bathtub with a mattress over us. At the time it was scary and exciting at the same time. As a child you don't understand the terror the adults are feeling. I know better now and I appreciate how my parents sheltered us from the damage and the grief. 

10 years ago a tornado ripped through Glass House Mountains, I understand the terror RQQZY went through, although there was no damage to us 10 years ago, we lost trees and the house 2 doors down had a huge gum tree through their roof. The noise of the wind and the tree screaming as they break and fly around is something you can't imagine unless you have heard it. 

Sunday night the wind was a bad as I have heard it in 10 years, after hearing the reports from Burrum Heads and the other 5 tornado's leaving a trail of destruction  I did not sleep well. I expected to get up to a similar sight of carnage in my little town. Luckily we where spared, a lot of trees came down and there was leaf litter all over town.  

Then the power went out, we have had blackouts before, they happen all the time, we can cope for a few hours with out power....it is 8 am, still 12 hours before dark. The girls were great, they got out board games and cards and played all day. We planned a BBQ dinner and set up some candles. When the power was still out the next morning I called Energex for an update, 'yes we are aware of a power outage in your area it will be restored as soon as possible'. My phone is running out of charge, the 3G internet is no longer working, I am relying on text messages to keep me up with the events of the floods and storms. We went to town to get some more ice and were surprised that the shops had power, we asked when it had been restored to the town, we were told it had never gone out....it was only our little pocket of streets. 

52 hours without electricity, enough to drive you crazy. The girls were missing their computers, HWMBO was missing the mindless TV he watches to unwind. I was missing out on my new work station. For months I have been begging for a place to work and call my own, I was sick of setting up on the kitchen table only to have to pack up every time we wanted a meal, so I got my office space....I edited one photo before the power went off.

I am so pleased to have electricity again. I take it for granted most of the time but I love that I can.

I don't have many photos to edit as I haven't taken many with the weather being crap and my health being worse.

This is Daughter #3 after helping HWMBO move anything that could be problem in the wind. She is very happy to get wet so it was had to get her to pose and look longingly out the window. I need to get at least one photo over the weekend for my 52 week challenge.

Week 4

My Big Day Out

For those who do not know what the The Big Day Out is, it is an annual music festival  held late January around Australia and New Zealand, there is usually 1 headline act with a few well know bands and a lot of alternative bands. 
http://goldcoast.bigdayout.com/ 

This years headline act is the Red Hot Chili Peppers.....I am a huge fan and have been for years, I listen to the music, read the books, follow the blogs and often Google for random information. 

I have never had the opportunity to see them live in concert, when I missed the tour in 2007. I decided 'next time nothing was going to stop me'. So this old lady went to BDO with Daughter #1. HWMBO would have hated it.

It has been a hundred years (ok 25) since I have been to big festival and this was a festival on steroids, 40 000 people, most of them aged between 17 - 25  wearing as little a possible, shorts so short they could have been underwear, bikini tops and singlets for the girls. The boys preferred either no shirt or ripped singlets.

There was a cacophony of sounds to assault the ears when we entered the grounds, rap music, techno, alternative music and some mainstream. There was beautiful food smells making the choice for lunch difficult. Everything for deep fried carnival food to gourmet tapas and burgers. Bars were plenty full and water was free, we munched our way around the stages and market stalls enjoying the atmosphere, watching the people and enjoying the random water cannons cooling us down.

4 hours before The Red Hot Chili Peppers were due to start we went to suss out the stage....a crowd was already starting to form so we found a spot and decided to stay, our water bottles were full, the ground was the perfect place to sit. I suffered though a few bands I have never heard of....2 that I would prefer never to hear again. 

The crowd is building and space is getting limited. I gave up stopping people from pushing in and went with the flow. 2 hours before kick off there was a surge of people all wanting to be at the front. I was pushed, shoved, trod and and generally just smooshed. Daughter #1 and I held on to each other and supported ourselves on the guys closest to us. *** thanks to the surfer dude and his mates who kept us on our feet and let me keep a death grip on his arm*** once I realized there was no way I could fall because there was bodies pressed on all sides of me, I planted my feet and went with the flow.


The Killers played before RHCP, surprising me by how much I knew and how much I liked them. The had an amazing light show, glitter cannons and fireworks at the end, I was a little distracted during The Killers set watching the stage being set for the MAIN EVENT, I love watching the riggers climb the ladders to reset the lights, then 12 crew shimmied up for the follow spots. I was getting so excited I felt like a 12 year old waiting to see Justin Beiber.

I expected another crush of people before RHCP started and was surprised when it didn't happen...although I don't think anyone could have moved if they tried we were that jam packed.


The crowd went wild when the band came on stage and to my amazement there was room to breath, it was like a massive sigh and everyone relaxed and tension left the mosh pit. I had room to jump and wave my hands in the air. I sang on the top of my voice, screamed at the top of my lungs and behaved like the 12 year old in me. This is what I waited 4 hours for (and most of my life), it was soooooo worth it.


I had a point and shoot camera with a battery going flat....I am super pleased with the photos I got.

count the heads in front of me.....sooooo close

The experience was incredible, I can honestly say I will never go to The Big Day Out again.....I will never go into another mosh pit again.....but given the chance to see the Red Hot Chili Peppers again live. I am there with bells on.


Being in the right place at the right time, I managed to get a copy of the play list. Hand written by Anthony Kiedis.

After a 2 hour trip home, I was so ready for a shower, my sense of smell had come back and I stank. When washing my feet it took me a while to understand that the stubborn dirt was not dirt at all, it was bruising....