photography julia trotti
model tash @ debut
makeup lidija j
clothing her pony
film dan @ i make films
it's december and this year has flown by quickly. i'm not sure where to begin with recounting it all, it was a big one for sure. somewhere between lulling sleeps on noisy airplanes, walking through the rain in the sweltering heat and spending quiet moments reminiscing and enjoying the little nothings, i feel like i found myself somewhere along the way. i guess i'll start right at the beginning.
the year started slow. by january i felt overworked and tired & photography had lost it's magic. colours were dull and i had no interest in documenting or creating. i'm still not sure if it was just a random lull in creativity or if something had really gotten under my skin but i am so thankful for my first shoot of the year early february that pulled me right out the water, and i gasped and kicked around feeling so lucky to be breathing again. this is when i met the wonderful lisa fahey and megan emmett. we explored the hills on the beachside and shot in between mountains and crashing waves while the sun turned to honey. it was just what i needed. it reminded me that photography didn't need to be complicated or hard. it was whatever you let it be.
by march, something amazing was brewing and my positivity was having a lovely effect on the world around me. i booked a job to shoot a campaign in london. it was april when dan and i were on a plane photographing clouds and l.a. from above. after more than twenty hours of traveling, we landed in london and began our running around. we spent two amazing weeks there and we instantly fell in love with the place and are always longing to go back.
when we arrived back home, we had more motivation and energy than ever. i was shooting non-stop & dan created i make films and officially started filming alongside me. it's been so lovely to have him by my side this year, when we are together i feel like we can achieve anything. we also launched swoon weddings, which has been growing and slowly blossoming. all our shoots seem to seamlessly flow and we've become in tune with weaving in and around one another without taking our eyes away from the viewfinder.
on top of it all, we have also become very close friends with some of the most amazing people ever through all our shoots and little get together's in between. the friends i made this year are people i will never forget and feel so blessed to have met.
i think it's important after a whole year of hard work, long nights, early mornings, long drives, beautiful sunsets, lovely conversations and probably way too much coffee to just sit back and appreciate everything you've done. this has been my favourite year ever. i've achieved more than i ever thought would be possible and i still feel so much energy and fire burning within me. 2013 was beautiful, and i can't wait to see what adventures next year brings. i already have plans for big shoots and places i'd love to visit. it's all going to happen.
these are some of my favourite moments and photos from this year:
models
ivy @ vivien's + next canada
steph @ vivien's
antonio @ the agency
stylist & creative direction
jessie mcnaught
inspired by
dazed and confused
makeup
rose mossman
film
dan @ i make films
photography
julia trotti
stylist + art direction
jessie mcnaught
inspired by
stand by me
models
megan @ priscilla's
james @ vivien's
tim @ vivien's
hair + makeup
lidija jevremovic
film
dan @ i make films
photography
julia trotti
stylist + art director
jessie mcnaught
inspired by
10 things i hate about you
models
loz @ wolves
shana @ the agency
hair & makeup
lidija jevremovic
film
dan @ i make films
photography
julia trotti
stylist + creative direction
jessie mcnaught
inspired by
mighty ducks
models
chanel @ vivien's
helena @ the agency
james @ vivien's
sam @ wolves
makeup
isobel claire
film
dan @ i make films
photography
julia trotti
model
madeline rae mason
makeup
chereine waddell
stylist
jessie mcnaught
film
dan @ i make films
photographed for
peppermint magazine
earlier in the week emma sabjan, dan and i decided to head to the blue mountains for a day of exploring the forest and taking pictures. we had the best time just hanging out and shooting for fun, here are some of the pictures i took! dan's film is coming soon.
the photos with the waterfall were taken on the rocks all the way at the bottom here!
and some behind the scenes from the day:
dan filming.
feeling dead after walking the hundreds of stairs back up the mountain.
coffee in cafes overlooking the mountain.
printed tees: teepee designs
black bralette: borrowed from jessie mcnaught styling
white dress: miss selfridge
all other clothes from our own collection :)
also, lots of these photos were edited with a new raw preset i just released named after this series:
.
model: joshua maxwell
stylist: harmony hearsey
film: dan @ i make films
in the late afternoon a fire burnt furiously in the far distance. the air was hot and filled with smoke, but everything was covered in a beautiful red glaze by the time we arrived to the city. joshua had come down from melbourne with felicity downie to spend a few days in sydney, and we all spent the afternoon with harmony & dan shooting in the alleyways and side-streets of the empty suburbs. we talked and wandered in between every photo we took, and when it was too dark to take photos, we all went out for thai and ended up talking for hours more. joshua is an amazing photographer
, and it was so lovely to finally be able to meet felicity in person after first meeting her online years ago on deviantart!
these are the photos from one of the best days shooting i've had in a long while, and of course i'm so happy dan came along to put together this amazing short film too:
During this portrait photoshoot, I collaborated with an amazing team of creatives. I am taking low light portraits with the Canon 5Dmkii and the Canon 85mm f1.2L II lens.
while i was in london i had the pleasure to meet and shoot beside the lovely ailera stone. i have been smitten by her photography and magical blog posts for the longest time and i was so happy that she put together this little shoot for us when i told her i was going to be in her side of the world for a little while! you can see her photos from our day here! and you should follow her blog because she is incredibly talented. these are the pictures i took on this sun-soaked but freezing cold day!
model: auste kuzmickaite
makeup: gaile juknyte
dan and i got home from london, greeted with a warm winter in australia. we jumped straight back into life. i shot a wedding a few days after getting back home, and it has all been as busy as ever since. winter was a time of staying up late and waking up early. here are a collection of pictures of the things i got up to.
my friends and i stayed in a little country house in the middle of nowhere.
making fires to stay warm.
trying to pat the cows.
the fire keeper.
our little fire turned big and warm.
staying up to see the thousands of stars blanketing the sky.
waking up before dawn.
a kangaroo in our backyard.
exploring with nat.
the night in the river.
last breakfast on the sunny porch before going home.
dan and i went driving when the night was covered in thick fog.
walking back over the huge hills at the end of our shoot.
jessie mcnaught hosted an amazing fashion event where our
photos were on display everywhere.
madeline opening the fashion show.
the talented bridgette may live drawing an image of mine during the night.
afterwards, we all went to hang out in this lovely outdoor bar for the rest of the night.
my job takes me to beautiful places.
we went to watch some live music.
chereine working her makeup magic on madeline.
my glitter-covered lens after shooting (i'm still finding glitter on the camera weeks later!)
location scouting with dan.
the clouds in the dirt.
i received a lovely surprise in the mail from kiara rose; she made some prints of a shoot we had together!
spending some days sick in bed.
more location scouting with dan on cold afternoons.
one of the things i am most excited about that happened in the winter-time, is that dan and i released a brand new website - Swoon Weddings - where we film & photograph people in love. you can see a whole new set of pictures & short films on our website here:
and it would mean the world to me if you could go through and like our slowly growing
too!
model: elle @ work models
designer: lulu in chains
hair & makeup: kaori
video: dan @ i make films
london part i // london part ii // campaign // paris // poland
we were still in london while waiting for a bus in the city. i had butterflies in my stomach telling dan i was so excited and nervous at the same time to go to poland. i didn't know what to expect. we got on the bus and traveled through the country-side of england until we reached standsted airport. we took off in the plane while i filmed outside the window and as quickly as we got to paris, we landed in poland.
dan's family were waiting for us at the airport, and as we walked out of customs, we all hugged hello even though we've never met before and i couldn't understand polish - my butterflies instantly disappeared with how warmly they introduced themselves. as soon as we walked outside the cold air stung my skin and painted my arms with goosebumps. i was too distracted by the first thing i noticed which was the sun in the distance about to set, differently to how i've ever seen it shine before to care about the cold though. we hopped in the car and were taken to their home in the country where we had dinner, looked at photos and fell asleep.
we were in poland for three days, and i couldn't thank dan's family enough for making it the most memorable three days ever. they took us somewhere new every day, explaining to dan the history of the places we were visiting and dan translating for me. i learnt a few polish words and his family were very patient with me when i was trying to talk, i could say hello, good, thank you, beer, cold, water, yes and no. we made do with those little words i knew, and somehow language was hardly a barrier while i was there.
dan and i are longing to go to poland again soon, it would be so lovely to be able to spend a longer amount of time with his wonderful family exploring, hanging out and taking pictures. im so happy we got to do this though, coming to poland was definitely a highlight of our trip.
i was obsessed with the beautiful forests we constantly passed while driving.
the city was filled with blossoming trees.
on the first day we were there, they took us to walk through the city of gdansk.
there were lots of people dressed up so they could busk on the streets.
gdansk is beautiful, i love all the buildings and how they're all decorated with different colours.
the oldest church in the city. we were about to walk to the very top.
halfway through walking to the top of the curch.
we then went to an old army barracks were you could also see the entire city from.
driving back home.
some photos from dan's uncle's backyard.
we went for a walk around the empty lots close to dan's family's home.
it felt like the sunsets in poland last forever.
dan and his cousin, karol.
that night we had a big bbq where i put away my camera and just enjoyed the company.
we woke up on the second day, and they wanted to take us to a real european forest which was just a short walk away from their home.
dan and his cousins.
beautiful backyards.
half and half.
i have always wanted to see a pile of logs in a forest!
walking back home. the air out here was so fresh, it made dan and i sleepy.
when we got back from the forest, we got in the car again and drove 20 minutes to the next city.
walking through the city of sopot.
the baltic sea.
here we walked to very end of the longest pier off the baltic sea.
the last minutes of light at the baltic sea.
sun setting in the next city; gdynia.
driving back home at the end of a long day.
this was the morning of our last day in poland.
we drove into the country to see an upside down house, i still couldn't get enough of the scenery.
and the forests..
i would love to live in one of these houses!
on our way back from the upside down house, we made a stop at a gorgeous lake. a natural lake like this is something else i have always wanted to see.
dan & i.
we stopped at a lookout to see the lake and trees from up high.
that afternoon we went back to dan's uncle's house and more of dan's family came over to say hello and goodbye. we all sat around and talked (dan translating for me!) and drank coffee. before we knew it we were hugging and waving goodbye at the airport before jumping on a long flight back home. we'll definitely be back soon.
last but not least, dan and i were filming throughout our entire adventure overseas, and dan put a little video together from the hundreds of clips of silly faces, beautiful landscapes and busy streets. our memories from london, paris and poland:
london part i // london part ii // campaign // paris // poland
campaign for paul edmonds
models terri @ storm
amy @ select
veronika @ select
makeup emily jane
stylist rachel holland
set stylist casey williams
film dan @ i make films
london part i // london part ii // campaign // paris // poland
we spent an afternoon being taunted by heavy rain clouds as we shot with pretty swimsuits on the edge of a cliff overlooking the ocean. the wind whipped megan's hair around and her skin crawled with goosebumps but she was absolutely amazing regardless of anything. keep an eye on my
for some behind the scenes from today!
model: megan emmett
hair + makeup: lisa fahey @ tussta hair
swimsuits: molly and polly
film: dan @ i make films
last week we got up to something a little crazy. it's moments like these, when i step outside my comfort zone, when im scared and unsure about what's going to happen, that i feel most alive. on friday, i skated on an pretty outdoor ice rink with my camera feebly grasped by one hand while laughing and trying not to fall over while taking pictures of madeline. we were surrounded by a sea of people; little kids holding on for dear life to the edge of the ice rink, parents skating slowly behind them trying not to fall over themselves and groups of teenagers out at night while we took pictures. lights were flashing brightly and we shot and skated and sang along to the bad music until all the lights were turned off.
dan and i got home that night and it might seem silly, but i felt like for the first time in a long time i was really breathing. days later and i still felt the same excitement when i thought about this shoot as to when we were shooting it. it makes me giddy to be able to share with you all soon the things that i have planned for the future. a little silliness, a little prettiness and a little bit of shoots on a larger scale.
model: madeline rae mason
makeup: chereine waddell
stylist: jessie mcnaught
film: dan podbierezki @ i make films
london part i // london part ii // campaign // paris // poland
we woke up one morning before the sun rose and made our way in the freezing cold to the train station in london. we bought two coffees and two amazing blueberry danishes and waited to board our train to the city of love. still sleepy-eyed but filled with excitement we crossed beautiful oceans of land on the eurostar, saw countless fields of flowers and little houses sitting quaintly in the middle of nowhere.
we arrived in paris just a few hours later - i love how you can just hop on a train in europe and a few hours later you are in a completely different city. we had one day to see everything we could. it was beautiful and sunny and my camera clicked endlessly at everything i saw.
ears popping as we ride above ground and under the sea on the eurostar.
taking photos of all the beautiful buildings with balconies covered in flowers.
the streets were still quiet in the morning.
scaffolding.
so many people in red coats!
an ordinary starbucks decorated in a fancy building.
making our way past the louvre.
so many people on the streets had bicycles.
painters painting.
we took a cruise down the seine river.
we watched and people waved at us as i was taking pictures of them. we almost saw a girl fall into the river as she started sliding down the stone ramp.
green trees, green boats, green water.
i finally got to see the carousel i have wanted to see since i was sixteen years old.
saying i was a little excited to see the carousel is a bit of an understatement!
we spent the rest of the day walking around the city.
dan taking pictures of people selling key chains on the street.
map reading.
one last look at the eiffel tower.
a big messy round-a-bout and a pack of cyclists.
the gorgeous gardens close to the louvre.
taking a little break after walking around all day.
exploring the outside of the louvre.
taking pictures of strangers on the way back to the train station.
balcony conversations.
the last picture i took before falling asleep on the train ride home with my camera still sitting soundly around my neck.
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london part i // london part ii // campaign // paris // poland
jewellery: alexandra redmond
model: tanya @ the agency
makeup: emmily banks
behind the scenes film: dan @ chase studios
these are some outtakes from a recent lookbook shoot i did for the amazing jewellery designer, alexandra redmond. you can see the official photos i took for her on her
!