The Top 14 Gemma Clarke Photography Highlights for 2014

Summarising my 2014 work in one paragraph is impossible so I am just going to ask if you would kindly check out my 14 highlights for 2014 below. There are loads of pretty pictures and some fun stories!!!  Please note these are not in any particular order of importance.

1. The Cook Islands – Paradise Found!

For 15 years I have wanted to go to the Cook Islands. Ever since Catriona Rowntree showcased the amazing waters of the South Pacific on the TV program Getaway I was hooked. When Natalie and Alex contacted me two years ago asking if I would travel to the Cook Islands, it was a resounding YES!!! I took my awesome assistant (my dad) with me and we spent days scouting the island for the best spots (such a tough job ;)).  Two days before the wedding we took some shots just before sunset and it was absolutely stunning! The Cook Islands did not disappoint.  You can see their full wedding post here and their full portrait session post here.

And the rain didn’t stop on wedding day until 10 minutes before Natalie walked down the aisle and then the sun came out for the ceremony – we were very lucky!!

2. Wedding rings from Outer Space.

I might be a little biased in putting this wedding as a highlight of 2014 as Garth and Valentina are very good friends of ours but when you see their wedding I think you will still agree it deserves its own highlight. And plus, they had wedding rings made from a meteorite – how cool is that?!!?! You can see their full wedding post here.

3. Sunset photos on a Family Farm – Wellington, NSW

I suggested to Anna that she might like to have photos taken on their family farm a few days before the wedding. She jumped at the idea and we were so lucky to have absolutely perfect conditions that afternoon. As we moved from the shed to the paddocks to the machinery and the fields I learnt more of the experiences Anna had as a child. It was so wonderful to see her re-live these memories with her city cowboy. We joked that he looks more like a farm boy than she does as a farm girl! You can see all the photos here.

4. A morning with one of the Pope’s Portrait Painters, Italy – Elvio Marchionni

Not only do I photograph couples and their weddings but I also do lifestyle portraiture. I like to find locals in the community who are passionate about what they do. When I visited the Italian town of Spello, the wonderful Max Brunelli helped set up a meeting with Elvio Marchionni who has been a portrait painter for the Pope. I was astounded that even at 70 years of age he is still so inspired and passionate about being an artist. Please read more about this amazing man here.

5.  My first Wedding in Tasmania

Three years ago my marriage celebrant sister moved to Hobart, Tasmania. We are two peas in a pod so the distance is hard for me, I miss her a lot. She helped me on a lot of weddings before she left and I believe our connection was cemented with our love of weddings. I would love to be able to visit her more so I am offering no extra costs for wedding photography in Tasmania. This was my first Tasmanian wedding with hopefully many more to come! Tamzen and Sam chose an absolutely stunning location in the Freycinet National Park and Bluestone Bay. It was a simple and intimate wedding with my awesome sister as their celebrant. You can see more of their wedding here.

6. AMAZING floral artwork in Spello, Italy (and I made some of it!!)

I was lucky enough to be a part of this amazing celebration. We worked tirelessly in the week leading up to the unveiling of the amazing flower artworks. It also involves lots of work before this week as well! I documented the process for one of the larger groups and now my images will be used for the Infiorate Calendar!

This is how Wikipedia describes the Infiorate in Spello: “Spello’s Infiorate is a manifestation which takes place every year in the small Umbrian town of Spello (Italy) on the occasion of the Corpus Domini feast, on the ninth Sunday after Easter. On that night, almost a thousand people work incessantly to create carpets and pictures made of flowers along the narrow town’s streets. The floral creations cover streets throughout the historical centre in preparation for the passage of the Blessed Sacrament carried in procession by the bishop on Sunday morning. The result is a unique one-mile-long path of beautiful floral creations with an explosion of colours and scents.”

7.  Lots of Cultural Wedding Traditions – Polish, Persian, Serbian, Lebanese, Chinese and Italian

I love to see when my clients incorporate their cultural heritage into their wedding celebrations. Malgy and Daniel secretly learnt some traditional polka dancing to impress their guests. Sanja and Zoran had flowers pinned onto each guest to represent their Serbian tradition and also one of the kids stole the Bride’s shoe to negotiate with the Best Man for its return. Leyla kept her Persian traditions alive during the ceremony with her maids rubbing sugar cones over their heads and the ceremonial table of gifts. Sarah has Lebanese heritage so there was a drummer to help them get everyone up dancing! Joanne wore a train 8 metres long which in Italian tradition represents how many years the couple have been committed to each other. And Anne wanted to keep up the tradition of the Chinese Tea Ceremony.

8. An elopement in the Caribbean.

One of my closest friends decided to get married whilst they were travelling around the world. And I decided that after she let it slip that they would elope that I would be visiting her in the Caribbean to capture these memories for them – how could I not?!  There is so much to say about this wedding so I will let you look at the full blog post here. We also had fun the next day at Smiths Cove (full post here).

Morning swim before getting ready to get married!

Beads to represent the loved ones that were not there with them.

Talking to the parents on Skype to let them know they are now married!

And the morning after fun!!!

9. The most magic light I have encountered.

It was late December last year that Luisa and Nick chose to have their portrait session in Centennial Park and we were blessed with absolutely amazing light!

10. My photo in an Exhibition!!

As part of the 2014 Head On Photo Festival my photo was featured in the Add On Photo Exhibition. I have been told my image of my grandparent’s hands on their 70th wedding anniversary was given special mention. Unfortunately, I was overseas at the time of the exhibition however my parents were there to experience it for me. Thanks to my dad, Robert Davidson, for taking these photos for me.

11. Snow Confetti

For those who know me well, you know that I love snow! I was so excited when I saw the effect of this amazing confetti during this winter wedding in Bowral 🙂 You can see the full wedding here.

12. A 1920s themed wedding with horses, cows and outdoor dining!

This probably has to be my most favourite wedding for styling – I love Autumn and winter weddings and everything about this wedding just screamed: “Gemma would do this if she had another wedding”!  Congrats Lisa, I love your style! You can see more photos from this wedding here.

13 – Friday the 13th Wedding in Amsterdam

In June I was lucky enough to be a part of a wedding in the Netherlands just outside of Amsterdam. I took on the role of second photographer to help my friend Richard Verdegaal capture his very good friends’ wedding – Michelle and Andre! Michelle and Andre are fond of black and therefore a Friday the 13th wedding worked well for them and their black cats. Their little daughter Genna had a matching dress, organised by Michelle’s mother. They tied the knot at the local city hall (how beautiful is the room?!) and then partied on at a friend’s place with a BBQ, drinks, lots of music and a red velvet cake. We headed to local forest for the photos – it was s gorgeous location! You can see more of the photos here.

14. Every wedding is a highlight to me

I get so excited for each of my couples like it is my own wedding day!! There were so many amazing locations from Mudgee to Newcastle to the South Coast of NSW and the Southern Highlands. And the details in the decorations, clothing and accessories was incredible! Please find below just a snippet of some of the awesomeness that was 2014!!