Melinda Hird Photography

Every now and again it feels good to do something for others. In this case it was lending my services to a very good cause hosted by the well known Sydney Legal Firm Kemp & Strang. So many good companies sponsored the event such as WannanWine, Mac, Varese Shoes, Roses Only, Grappa Restorante & Bar just to name a few, by raising money, giving of gifts and prizes .

Here’s just a couple of pics from the fashion show.  I absolutely loved all the dresses designed by Leona Edmiston. Pierre Haddad did the all the models hair and makeup creating already beautiful young women into even more gorgeous beings! Being a mum of an 11 month old baby and who sits around in jeans or tracky pants, seeing this fashion show made me realise it’s time to update the wardrobe… I wish!!

A few years back, I attended classes at SPW (Sydney Photographic Workshop) which inspired me to take my photography passion to the next level. I’ve since returned there to do yet another workshop focused on studio lighting. As well as catching up with the people who run the day and to meet other people in the industry it such a great day to be involved and take interesting photographs I don’t normally get the chance to capture. It’s also different from shooting in natural light conditions. Just by adjusting the position of the light or changing the backdrop you can alter the mood of the shot completely which is why I also love studio shoots as it gives you a different way to think creatively. This workshop had two models. A tough looking guy and a gorgeous girl. Both looked fantastic, were heavily tattooed and really knew how to work well with the camera to make things even more interesting.

Now I’m the type of person who is quite scared of guns and swords etc and I could feel my heart beating so fast when I saw the guns, yet at the same time I knew it was going to be a great day to explore something different and see things from another point of view. I choose to photograph the girl first to ease into things and then when it was time to photograph the guy, I asked him to look angry at the camera and just mouth “Aaargh”. He said he could only do it if he actually yelled. So I said that’s ok, just yell. Well, he did and nearly scared the living day lights out of me. I wasn’t quite expecting him to be so loud! Neither did anyone else, it was great! I got the shot I was after and was happy with that.

The images below are very different and can be quite full on for some people (possibly some brides to be looking at this site!). It’s certainly different from the beauty of a wedding but it’s still very powerful in it’s own right and the main focus is on the lighting of the subjects in which it creates an even more powerful photograph, mood and effect.

Can’t wait for the next course. But I’m thinking of doing a workshop on landscapes just for something different again!