fridays on foot.. the deconstruct [d?k?n?str?kt]

Friday, July 30, 2010 at 11:45am Posted in fridays on foot ..

yes, Brisbane is a nice place to live.. so nice that a kazillion peoples have moved here in recent years to share in the nicey nice place..  Only thing is, now we (Brisbane Town) must  build heaps of apartment blocks & lots of things to help everyone get to work – so at the moment my city is one MEGA construction sight.. It’s OK, I’m not angry or anything because things will be better when it’s all done, & I have an awesome job so I don’t have to sit in a peak-hour traffic nightmare every day to get to work..

So F.O.F. today takes place in the thick of the construction madness..  a 300m stretch of road where tunnels, bridges, roads, bus-ways etc are being built..  Big chunks of this city are being demolished in the name of progress, so I thought I’d represent the process and the progress using some in-camera de-focusing..  So.. to deconstruct the construct(ion) – Look not at the subject, look not at the mess, but at the beauty of colour, tone, contrast and space…  There is no spoon..

While I’m getting all abstract on yo ass..   some helpful viewing tips – optimal viewing distance for these images is approx 1 metre/3 feet.. don’t sit too close, might hurt your eyeballs..  Also, due to the high arty-farty-party nature of this post, I feel compelled to include at least one incredibly arty word..  ‘juxtapose’..

Put your 3D glasses on NOW!

Mr Streetlight McBored.. "Oooooh, look at me everybody.. I'm a big crane picking up heavy things all day like a tough guy!"

ps..  The last 2 pics here aren’t technically part of the ‘deconstruct’ series.. I just really like them..

posted by : Optimus Todd

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July 30, 2010 - 4:33 pm Deneesy - No. 3 please to hang on my wall... Love your work brother

July 30, 2010 - 4:01 pm mysweetmuse - I really respect the respect of Dan and I hope you take the time to respect it. P.S I also saw these cranes the other day when I was on my way to your place, and thought it would make an awesome shoot for you....seems our brains are both SUPERRAD!

July 30, 2010 - 12:25 pm Jono - Third pic from the top, captioned h17, makes me think of growing plants. Hmmm, I sense an analogy using nature to describe construction coming on...

July 30, 2010 - 12:16 pm Dan O'Day - i love that you took the time to not only shoot this, but post it... great stuff mate, thanks for keeping it real... werd x

July 30, 2010 - 12:02 pm Juanita - ima lovin that shit up!

mIGHTYbOOTh.. ashleigh & nathan

Thursday, July 22, 2010 at 8:31am Posted in mIGHTYbOOTH

I seriously love the randomness of weddings..

We can never predict what the mIGHTYbOOTh will yield.. Every wedding is different, & all couples (and their guests) embrace the samurai powers of mIGHTYbOOTh in different ways..

#1 most frequently heard comment from guests when they see the bOOTh pics from the wedding.. “HAHAHAHAHAHA!!”..

#2 most frequently heard comment from guests when they see the bOOTh pics from the wedding.. “Did I do that?”..

Ashleigh & Nathan, and their guests took to the bOOTh like…  well..  LIKE A TIGER! (grrrrrrr..)

It’s very simple really..  mIGHTYbOOTh = better than a double rainbow!!

these two dudes are hence forth awarded the "mIGHTYbOOTh Medal of Honour" for bravery.. RESPEC.

posted by :   Toddy Stardust

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July 28, 2010 - 11:51 am Michelle Hicks - Oh and thats not the first time simon has done this, almost every party we go to thats the normal thing to do but only now he has a friend to do it with. (strange but funny). :-) Love you guys

July 28, 2010 - 11:47 am Michelle Hicks - HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!! Great night had by all, and a little tooooooooo much by my Hubby Simon and his best mate Ben and my poor dresses I will never wear them again. Great pic's Ash and Nath there just FANTASTIC.

July 27, 2010 - 3:40 pm Ashleigh Burchell - hehe... I laugh every time I see these! Perfect memories :D You guys are awesome! And yes, our friends from Canberra were certainly a hit!

July 27, 2010 - 11:20 am Nathan Burchell - Hey Todd I swear I thought one of our guest where going to fall through the french windows or into your camera! Just so everyone knows those two in the dresses are from Canberra. (not that we hold that against them.. it just makes us more understanding) :p

July 24, 2010 - 12:06 pm Melody G - AHAHAHAHA! That is gold! Pure gold. Love it!

July 22, 2010 - 5:29 pm Roz Niven - That chick like totally has facial hair! Awe-sum!

July 22, 2010 - 3:52 pm Christine - McGaw rulez. Hardcore. :)

ashleigh & nathan sitting in a tree.. k.i.s.s.i.n.g!

Monday, July 19, 2010 at 9:56am Posted in weddings

Ashleigh & Nathan are too cool for school..  & I mean that quite literally.. for serious, they totally had to leave school because they were too cool..  & you know what they say – cool people have cool weddings..  A&N are are ULTRA laid back.. On their wedding day we arrived at Sanctuary Cove on the sunny Gold Coast & bumped into Ashleigh & her Mum with a handful of dresses..  Todd:  “Hey Ash, Welcome to your wedding day!  Umm, what’s with the dresses?” Ash: “Helllooooo Todd & Alyda, We just had to run down the shops & buy new matching bridesmaids dresses for everyone.. Everything’s cool, better get my hair & makeup done hey?”   Todd: *big smile* “umm.. yep, that would be excellento – you’re getting married soon, yes?”  Ash: *radiant smile* “you better believe it!”

A reasonable person beyond any doubt may expect that a little situation like, needing all new bridesmaid’s dresses 4 hours before “GO” time, might increase the stress levels of any bride…  but not our Ashleigh..

Ashleigh & Nathan didn’t plan for their wedding to be awesome, it was simply always going to be..  It’s who they are..  I could feel their awesomeness in my waters when I met them.. I’m sure if you tested their DNA, you would find what medical experts refer to as, the elusive ‘A’ chromosome.. (aka.. the Awesome chromosome)..

image by Alyda

"Ashleigh" by Alyda McGaw

pic by Alyda McGaw

ps..    click here to see some video footage from Ashleigh & Nathan’s wedding, captured by our good friends at Net Productions..

pps.. Ashleigh & Nathan took the mIGHTYbOOTh to new heights of crazytown..  don’t touch that dial!

posted by : Darth Todd

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July 28, 2010 - 12:38 pm Katie Kolenberg - Super DUPER awesome. Love your work.

July 27, 2010 - 11:17 am Nathan Burchell - Todd and Alyda you guys where excelent. Having you guys shoot the wedding was one of the best choices we (ashleigh) could have made!

July 22, 2010 - 1:39 am Jason Lloyd - Top job Darth :o) Love the reflections shot, all of Australia is upside down from the UK so now I'm confused.com...

July 21, 2010 - 6:32 pm Gedas Girdvainis - wooow sweet. well done.

July 20, 2010 - 9:52 am Kristen - Lovely, I like the shot of the party spread out through the trees, just great.

July 20, 2010 - 9:08 am Jono - These photos are so 'A-chrome' I think I put my back out... No seriously, I think I need some help here.

July 19, 2010 - 5:09 pm Nicole - Beautiful light!!!!!!! Love the tree shot too! Fantastic.

July 19, 2010 - 4:28 pm Ashleigh Burchell - You guys are pretty awesome too! It was the best day of our lives and you both helped to make it just that =D THANK YOU BOTH!!

July 19, 2010 - 2:55 pm John Reyment - fab work again Todd!

July 19, 2010 - 1:24 pm Sam Fletcher - WOW!!! so UNREAL!

July 19, 2010 - 12:53 pm Lauren - Wow, Awesome... looks like the whole day was beautiful, and I love those field images!

July 19, 2010 - 11:16 am Matt and Katie | Photographers - Todd and Alyda have the even more exclusive 'AAA' chromosome. Top shelf!

July 19, 2010 - 11:13 am Jonas Peterson - Nice one, TOdDMeiSTer

July 19, 2010 - 10:45 am Tenielle - N-A-I-L-E-D it with a titanium, diamond encrusted nail...nail...nail....nailed!!!!

July 19, 2010 - 10:37 am Jodi M - WOW as always - reckon you guys are too cool for school as well....

fridays on foot.. (heavy heart)..

Wednesday, July 7, 2010 at 9:01am Posted in fridays on foot ..

today my heart weighs heavy.. I think it’s safe to say that there aren’t many people in this world that are happy ALL the time..  everyone feels sadness.. everyone trips, falls, & fails, just ask Humpty Dumpty.. My point is, everyone experiences what they might call.. ‘a tough time’, a ‘rough patch’, the ‘mayor of struggletown’..  it’s part of growth & it’s part of being human..  what doesn’t kill us only makes us stronger etc etc etc..

I love my life.. it is awesome in so many ways it’s not even funny, but one thing I am not awesome at, is switching my brain from creative (native) mode, to analytical/business/grown-ups mode & back again at will.. my brain does not like this.. It took me years to master the brain/heart relationship too..  I just need to tell myself that no-one is awesome at everything (except maybe for Wolverine), & if you want to get better at something, you need to practice.. & practice always involves hard work..

So, back to the heavy heart thing..  To further develop my skills in changing brain modes (creative-analytical-creative-analytical), I decided to analytically & statistically weigh just how heavy my heavy heart was..  *grabs digital bathroom scales*.. I weighed myself..  standard issue = 68.4kg (yes, I am slight in build, but my kung fu is strong)..  I weighed myself again, but this time I really put my heart into it – I brought my worries & my Struggletown greatest hits to the scales – weighing my physical self + emotional burden.. heavy weight issue = 68.4kg..   So I weighed myself again but this time I tried a light-hearted approach – whistled a happy tune, breathed what I imagined the clean fresh alpine mountain air to be, I even smiled..  light weight issue = 68.4kg…

Upon analysing the data, I can only conclude 2 things…  (1) Wolverine needs to work on his manners..  and..  (2) I need some scales that go to at least 2 decimal places..

fridays on foot..  keep on truckin’

posted by : Todd Bon Jovi

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July 14, 2010 - 11:08 pm thm - hehehe... Tenille, you're funny :D

July 14, 2010 - 2:48 pm Tina - i'm a big fan..HUGE

July 14, 2010 - 2:28 pm Tenielle (Feather + Stone) - Tongue Tied and an idiot.....I meant to say Im NOT immune to the heavy heart syndrome.....Im also not immune to the blonde hair that permeates ma brain! ;)

July 13, 2010 - 12:26 pm Tenielle - I really admire your foot....i mean fridays....i mean heart.... *sigh* tongue tied I am.....and all too immune to the heavy heart syndrome also :( sad to hear it's bitten you, but happy to see your amazing photos and be reminded once again that you are a Kung-Fu Panda....i mean....Master!! Chin up soldier! ;)

July 9, 2010 - 5:59 pm Juanita - oh Toddlet, sorry to hear you are heavy of heart. When I am feeling a little sad I usually pop across to your blog and I get cheered up immediately... not sure if it will work as well for you, but you could give it a go :-) Nice work Ninja

July 9, 2010 - 5:42 pm Paolo - There is a theory that data on a drive in fact has weight. Hard to beleive seeing the basis of data storage is purely a sequence of O and I. though it has been proven that it does. Basen on that you must conclude that thoughts and feeling have weight as well. i am positive if you had scales with 2 decimal points you would have found the variance that you were looking for... As always fantastic foto's...

July 8, 2010 - 12:18 pm thm - jason - i'll keep an eye out for a "___________________________" comment.. thanks :)

July 8, 2010 - 12:16 pm thm - luke - hahahahahahaha... thank you (i think) :D

July 8, 2010 - 7:28 am Luke - Todd I am not going to lie- I am an engineer and you are an artist. We are natural born enemies. However I love your attitude and your sense of humour! You are hilarious and you take some damn good photos (is that even a compliment from an engineer???)

July 7, 2010 - 6:33 pm Jason Lloyd - You do make me laugh Todd - and I'm not the lightest male on SWPB. Ha! Do you have a magic camera?

July 7, 2010 - 11:39 am Nicole - There is something very crunchy looking about that tree, makes me want to take a bite. I don't know why.

July 7, 2010 - 11:03 am Christine Pobke - toodles. you, my kind sir, are not only a gifted photographer, but you are witty as all hell. wolverine ain't got nothing on you!! sorry to hear about the heavy heart, but when you're that talented, there's bound to be some stresses. go get some snuggletime with your hot wifey, and feel better soon. :( xoxo ps my fave line has got to be: "yes, I am slight in build, but my kung fu is strong." BAHHHAHAHA!

July 7, 2010 - 10:52 am Dan O'Day - i likey allot, words and pictures... much love and respect (from San Fran) my friend :)

July 7, 2010 - 9:59 am Jono - Are the two modes dichotomous? Shouldn't the two work within a single reality, rather than separate/opposing realities. Maybe it's about finding elements that exist in both and working on those to unite the two seemingly opposing realms. Plus, Todd, you're totally awesome sauce. You know you've made it in life when you no longer have to hold the video light =P

July 7, 2010 - 9:39 am hailey - Aww Todd!! Sending you some hugs and yes we are all not good at everything but this makes life far more interesting! From here it looks like you are good at everything!!!

marissa & jorge.. fully married..

Thursday, June 17, 2010 at 9:12am Posted in weddings

Reason #697 for why I love my job..  Marissa & Jorge..

Normally it would be me posting a testimonial written by Marissa & Jorge on my website so all potential clients can read it & think “wow this guy is fully sik AZ!  we need to book him like yesterday!”  Don’t get me wrong – we are pretty awesome.. But no ..  it is I that write a testimonial for Marissa & Jorge due to their utmost high level of excellentness..  so..

To whom it may concern,

It is with the greatest of pleasure that I can report that Marissa & Jorge are the loveliest people you’ll ever meet.  Their wedding day was completely excellent in every way. The day ran on time, their families are really nice, they chose great venues (St Andrews South Brisbane + ERA Bistro), the weather was kind, the light was great, they LOVE photography, they like like each other, & they’re great friends.  Like that’s not enough?..  Their photography brief to me was “We love what you do, so just do that.”  Weddings simply do not get any better than this!

M&J are just great people to be around & without hesitation, I would highly recommend photographing their wedding.. Oh wait..  We already did..   BOOM !!!

Regards..  Todd & Alyda

the heels of destiny

yo Alyda McGaw in da house..

image by Alyda McGaw

M&J are big in Japan (Marissa & Jorge in reflection)..

Alyda's capture - all killers no fillers

posted by : mr T

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July 7, 2010 - 6:31 pm Jason Lloyd - Speechless... well, obviously I'm not or I would have left a blank comment. Maybe I'll do that next time!!

July 7, 2010 - 10:01 am John Reyment - smokin chilli hot work Todd!

July 3, 2010 - 3:36 pm Cliff Marck - The bridge shot! How!?!

June 20, 2010 - 4:33 am chavvon smith - Awesome job! Love the angles and composition!

June 19, 2010 - 9:15 pm Adam Cavanagh - Awesome!!!!!! Loving your work!

June 19, 2010 - 4:22 pm Amanda Hoffman - She is gorgeous and her style is killer! I love the architectural elements. Incredible work!

June 19, 2010 - 9:02 am Shari - Todd, I'm such a fan of your use of space and environment... Beautiful work... Very very hot. Oh and her dress... LOVE IT!

June 19, 2010 - 7:52 am Rebecca - Love the images and I also have to say I love the bride's shoes!

June 19, 2010 - 3:25 am brooke - Just wow. These are stunning! I especially love the one of the groom in the doorway, and the one where he's carrying her shoes. Awesome work!

June 19, 2010 - 1:28 am Liz - Awesome, awesome, awesome! Radness indeed. What a cool couple, cool wedding, and cool captures. Well done!

June 18, 2010 - 5:28 pm Kyle - At first I thought that the shot of the groom jumping and the dress shot were one and the same -- my head almost exploded. Then I got down to the shots with the blue wall thingy with lines and my head really did explode. You take such unique compositions. Love.

June 18, 2010 - 2:36 pm thm - wow.. thanks for all the lovelies.. ^_^

June 18, 2010 - 2:08 pm kristi wright - So happy to have discovered your work via SWPB. Amazing use of lines. Love your style.

June 18, 2010 - 1:43 pm Ben Godkin - Wow! Amazing compositions! You managed to capture a wedding in a way I have never seen before...

June 18, 2010 - 11:16 am Jennifer - Fantastic! Love your mix of moody BWs and mod architectural shots. Gorgeous bride!

June 18, 2010 - 8:54 am Kat Braman - damn! these are hot. love the architectural shots

June 18, 2010 - 6:38 am Phill - Sold! I'm hiring Marissa and Jorge immediately. Oh, and hiring you too.

June 18, 2010 - 5:28 am Becca - Fantastic work!! There are wayyyy to many I love for me to pick a favorite. I'm happy that y'all got to shoot a couple who really values photography :) You did a kick ass job.

June 18, 2010 - 5:21 am Amber Hughes - Great set... love the tone and mood to them :)

June 18, 2010 - 3:17 am Laurie Peacock - You really kicked it with this wedding. Stunning!

June 18, 2010 - 1:31 am Jessica Horton - Wonderful compositions!! I love all your wide angle stuff!

June 18, 2010 - 1:24 am gabe aceves - im going to start calling you todd hunter mcawesome.

June 18, 2010 - 1:07 am Ryan Brenizer - Extremely bad-ass, through and through. You rocked some non-traditional compositions for the formals while keeping the focus on them throughout. Great stuff.

June 17, 2010 - 11:34 pm Dan O'Day - Step Back! I wanna kiss myself !! Heeeeaayyy!!! x56

June 17, 2010 - 8:20 pm M & J - Awesome day, awesome family and friends, awesome photographers who take even awesomer photos. What more can you ask for? Nothing, that's what!

June 17, 2010 - 6:28 pm Caroline Anne - pure greatness. just plain lovely.

June 17, 2010 - 5:15 pm Mark Kalkwarf - Todd, I love the way you work with your environment and how you use the elements available to you to frame your subjects. Every shot is beautifully composed and lit. The shot of the couple against the green wall and the one under the bridge stand out for me, the way you have used the shadows is brilliant. Well done.

June 17, 2010 - 4:43 pm Albert Palmer - Some lovely work there, you have a real talent. I really like the tones in your work, and your composition goes against the grain in terms of wedding photography. Keep it up!

June 17, 2010 - 4:30 pm Avelaine Scyrup - Nice composition on these. Great set!

June 17, 2010 - 11:53 am Christine Pobke - LOVE IT, MCGAWS!!!!!!!!! :) it's fully SICK AS, bro! (and gal!) love love love. and alyda, that killer no filler shot? frigggin rocks. :)

June 17, 2010 - 11:50 am Eva - LOOOOOVE these!!! Especially the bridge shots with the umbrella...ella...ella. And the sunflare....I love me some sunflare!!!

June 17, 2010 - 11:45 am trish - HOT HOT HOT!! Love :)

June 17, 2010 - 11:29 am Jono - I pity the fool! (who doesn't book yoooou)