Evocative, timeless, romantic photography. I am Anastasia, a Sydney-based wedding, engagement, children, family, portrait photographer. Available for destination weddings.

Jun 30 2012

Through the Old Viewfinder

“That is will never come again, is what makes life so sweet.”

– Emily Dickinson

I bought an old camera in June. We were wandering the aisles of an antique store in Mittagong in Southern Highlands, aimlessly and absent-mindedly, until I was asked if I had seen the little display with all those old cameras. I jumped. I wanted to buy a vintage camera for a long time, but the thought was buried in my head under the pile of more urgent things to do, so I did not even connect that desire to own a piece of old photographic equipment and the fact that you can get it at an antique shop, right here, right now. But there I was, surrounded by large glass cabinets filled with hundreds of cameras aiming their lenses at my amused face. Kodak Brownies, Canons, Zenits, Leicas, Nikons…

I picked an old Praktica IV. The reason I chose it from the crowd of other similarly-priced vintage pieces was that I felt a strange tug when I looked at it. I wondered who owned it for the last fifty years, how it made it here to Australia, what kind of snapshots were taken with it, how many smiley faces were captured on film, what memories were saved in family albums. Or was it a camera that travelled somewhere far with its owner, documenting the new adventures?

I will never know.

I love looking through the viewfinder. It’s as if I stepped back in time, as if the world around me is one vintage photograph from the sixties, scratches, muted colours, vignette and all.

Somewhere far, far away from here, there is a cabinet full of old cameras that captured my childhood. I do not think I will ever be able to hold them again. But this Praktica that I picked from hundreds of others somehow builds a little bridge between now and the past. Between the girl who had a broken lens as a toy (I still remember how it felt in my eight-year-old hands) and the girl who has a cabinet full of digital Canons and shiny new lenses.

I will buy some film one day.

Self-Portrait, Praktica Camera

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Jay Down Under - July 2, 2012 - 2:11 pm

I love this photo of you. Everything seems so peaceful and the colors are amazing.
Keep up the good work !

Cindy Habel - July 10, 2012 - 9:25 pm

Great post, very thought provoking!…and great image too…LOVE the winter colours!

Jun 21 2012

Boots, Hats, Fireplace, and Vintage Cameras

“The little things? The little moments? They aren’t little.”

~Jon Kabat-Zinn

Another month flew by, another season changed. So many moments happenned, but some of them I managed to etch into my iPhone’s memory for me to cherish forever. Everything is exactly as it should be, and yes, those little things – they aren’t little.

So, in the last month I:

– said goodbye to autumn. But I still manage to find flame-coloured trees around Sydney (and admire the view of my boots framed by the fallen leaves).

– got my hands on a vintage Praktica IV camera. At first I thought I would just keep it on my desk so I can gaze at it and wonder what kind of pictures were taken with it during the half-century since it was made, but now I am contemplating buying some film and figuring out how to actually use this thing. Need to buy a light meter too!

– spent a beautiful weekend in Southern Highlands surrounded by my dear friends with whom we shared delicious food, red wine, walks to antique shops and bookstores, and talks around the fireplace.

– tried on hats at Myer (but didn’t buy any as I watched “You’ve Got Mail” too many times, and according to Meg Ryan buying a hat ‘will turn out to be a mistake, as almost all hats are’).

– saw rainbows, funnily shaped clouds, and plenty of rain. I was also lucky enough to wake up right before sunrise and photograph grass and leaves covered in sparkly frost while the sun was rising. My 100mm macro lens was happy to be of service.

– got inspired by photographs hanging among the trees in Centennial Park. Was rather surprised to walk into that little exhibition space, but what an wonderful idea it was.

– finally made it to Donna Hay General Store in Woollhara! That place is like a toy shop for grown-ups, or people obsessed with anything Donna Hay (which I totally am). Plus there was a cat sitting in a flower pot on the terrace next to the store. The cat did not make it onto Instagram though. Oh but I did take a picture, so the cat might still appear in the July installment.

I wonder what July will bring. Something tells me it is going to be veeeery exciting!

@AnastasiART

Jun 17 2012

Light

“Wherever there is light, one can photograph. “

– Alfred Stieglitz

It’s all about the light. Light is what makes photography. Without light there are no images to record. Light can be different. It can be soft, it can be dramatic, it can be golden, it can be crisp and cold, it can be low, it can be harsh, artificial, natural, etc, etc. There are generally accepted rules what the best light is to take a picture. for example you should not take portraits in midday sun. Or that low light at sunset is the best. Or that dappled light is to avoid. I do agree (generally). But what I look for in light is harmony. If I can see that the emotion of the moment is perfectly complemented by the light around my subject, I feel deep in my heart that the picture will work. And you know, sometimes it works against the generally accepted rules. And that what is all about – know the rules but know how to break them to record the maximum impact of the light.

I saw an ad for Canon 7D (one of my old and trusty travel companions) that said “When I play with light it plays back”. It does! But first you need to learn the rules of that game.

Baby Photography Sydney

Jun 12 2012

Walk Trough a Wedding Workshop with Justin & Mary

A few weeks ago, I spent two most unusually warm May days learning the secrets of wedding photography from Justin & Mary at their Sydney Walk Through a Wedding workshop. If you haven’t been to their website yet you must go and see it now: http://justinmarantz.com. These guys are the most open-hearted, warm, experienced, willing to share their wealth of knowledge and help others to grow, wedding photography teams I have ever met. Things they do for the industry are generous and game-changing. Their passion and dedication to what they do, how they live their lives (and you can read all about it on their blog), their professionalism and their photographic vision are my inspiration every single day. Mary blogs daily, and one of my most favourite things during my mornings is to make a cup of coffee and immerse myself in her witty and cozy writing.

Learning from this team was one of my dreams (and goals for 2012) that came true. Those two autumn days were so full-on and action-filled that my head and my notebook were both exploding with all the priceless information that Justin and Mary shared with us.

But my favourite moment of the workshop? It was when all us were sitting in a circle crying our eyes out while sharing the stories about what the most cherished picture in our possession was. Why? Because great photography is exactly that – capturing precious, full of emotion moments that might never ever come back, never be repeated, that are a part of our life and our present that are very soon to be our past.

And I am forever grateful for meeting a group of beautiful Aussie photographers who attended the workshop. We shared laughter and tears and plenty of pizza with over those days. Ladies, you are amazing, and I am looking forward to connecting with all of you again. And our gorgeous models (and real life newlyweds), Kellie and Nicholas, you guys rocked.

Justin and Mary (and Julia!), I would like to express my deepest respect to you for every single thing you do and how you do it. Thank you.

And a couple of photos from behind the scenes:

Jun 03 2012

Oregonian Sunset and Preserving Feelings in Print

We drove along Highway 101 on a chilly and grey September afternoon. The day started quite late in Newport, Oregon, and we were not sure where it would end, as it normally happens during our road trips – we make an approximate plan and see if we can make it. I did have a particular spot in mind – Bandon, Oregon, but was aware that we might drive much further than that spot or get excited about some small and secluded little beach town short distance from where we left from in the morning. I just wasn’t that excited about that particular grey high cloud cover that wasn’t too promising to move somewhere and give way to a golden sunset like that gorgeous hazy one at Newport the day before. It was the second half of our dreams-came-true road trip around California and Pacific Northwest, we were already a little bit tired and sometimes too overwhelmed by non-stop moving but still always hungry to see more and more and more of the monumental scenery that corner of the world if so famous for.

I can’t remember much of what was happening during our drive that day. I remember it was just mostly metallic grey colour of Pacific Ocean, huge sand dunes, some stops along the highway for coffee and petrol, a couple of turnoffs to check out the sights marked in our travel guide book. But I perfectly remember the rollercoaster feeling of rising hope that we might still witness and capture another gorgeous sunset as the high clouds started to disappear, and then the disappointment when the clouds got thicker as we drove further down south. General tiredness and emotional ups and downs (see, I am a photographer and I am emotionally affected by the light A LOT) were not helping, and I finally gave up inside – ok, sunset or no sunset, Mother Nature is the one who makes decision here, yes we are on holidays but every day cannot be perfect (however, all the previous days pretty much were simply amazing weather-wise).

When we arrived to Bandon the clouds dissipated, and it was finally clear that the show would definitely be on that night. Excitement drew by the minute despite hunger and exhaustion. We checked into Sunset motel that was right on the beach (the best view of our trip), dropped the bags, and the camera was out. While my other half stoically went back on the road to hunt for some food and some beer, I ran down the steps to the beach, towards the water, clicking the shutter button non-stop (I kind of didn’t stop for the next few hours). The light was absolutely gorgeous, soft and golden, those magical sandstone formations sculptured by wind, water and time were rising right from the sand. I was pretty much by myself on the whole beach, surrounded by that light. One seagull kept me company. Life was beautiful. And then I turned my head to the left and saw them – horses on the beach, a lot of horses, quietly and slowly carrying their tourist riders along the water. And then I lost it and started crying. Because it ended up being a perfect day.

Many months later I finished putting together all of our images from that trip in a coffee table book. Last Friday, across the world from Bandon, Oregon, I filled my glass with red wine, lit the candles and sat on the couch with that book. And mix of feelings from that day in Oregon poured over me again, as if I was right back there, among sandstone cliffs at sunset, crying happy tears. Not the events of the day came back to me first, but the feelings. And I believe one of the greatest reasons why digital pictures have to be transferred to paper is because it preserves the feelings, the little moments. I don’t think many of us would curl up on a rainy day in front of your computer with a glass of wine, lit candles, and the one your shared that adventure with so you could go back to those happy moments again. The couch is much more comfortable!

Please print your favourite pictures, display the memories around your home and be constantly reminded how beautiful life is.