toddhuntermcgaw.com.au

leah & gerard.. (with a twist of organic lime)..

thm — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 23:17:58 +0000

Leah & Gerard really care about each other, their families, & the environment.. I’m sure they care about other things as well, but you can physically see the way they feel about each other, & their actions speak very loudly for how they feel towards their families & the environment.. L&G went to every length to ensure their wedding left a very very shallow footprint on Mother Nature’s face.. These guys are not crazy hippies, they really just care about the impact they have on this planet & are actually living a low-impact life.. respec..

Their very relaxed outdoor ceremony at Half Moon Hide-Away in Maleny was absolutely perfect with their closest family & friends around them.. They even educated their caterers to provide an entirely organic menu while sourcing Australian organic wine for their own reception..

I will remember this wedding for a long time.. Being there, observing these two families officially join forces was monumental.. An amazing experience – there was so much love in the atmosphere I could seriously feel it.. So I was running around harvesting the love & stuffing it into my pockets.. I’m going to sell it on Ebay.. Well Leah & Gerard seemed to have a surplus, so……

Leah & Gerard, and families.. I think I love you..

yep, that's definitely an ironing board..

*insert high fives here*

it was Alyda, in the cabin, with the camera..

Alyda (from the grassy knoll)

"here Alyda, take this camera, wait til they get to the bottom & take a shot while I run up the hill to get the car".. BAMM!

image credit (on the right) Alyda McGaw

posted by : SpongeTodd SquarePants

fridays on foot.. [ i heart canberra ]

thm — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 02:09:35 +0000

Alyda & I took a week off & went to Canberra recently to prepare ourselves for the rest of our insanely busy year.. We mostly went to get far away from our house/studio & visit some friends that moved there 3 years ago & to catch up with some other photographer buddies as well..

y’know some people (at least from Queensland) are known to comment that Canberra is an undesirable holiday destination.. “it’s boring, there’s nothing to do, it’s cold, it’s boring, it’s hot..” Well I’m saying NO.. I didn’t go to see the War Memorial, or Parliament House, or the Canberra Raiders, or the *insert other famous Canberrian landmarks here*.. I went to see the REAL Canberra. I wanted to know Canberra – feel her – connect with her.. So I did.. I felt the bitter cold of Canberra’s winter, but I embraced the pain through my 19 layers of Queensland clothing..

“How to Get to Know a City”, by todd hunter mcgaw… It’s very simple, Hang out with as many locals as you can.. first make sure said locals know other locals in the city.. Meet these other locals.. Be observant.. watch the locals – what do they do? how do they speak?.. Try to be awesome so the locals accept you.. Then, if you’re lucky, & very quiet, the real city will be revealed to you..

So… we basically spent time with local Canberrians & they thus revealed the true Canberra.. and I was well pleased.. we drank a lot of coffee, went to art galleries, met some more locals, drank more coffee, went to a garage sale, & also went to see a very special AFL match.. The Div 4 open mens AFL match for the Gungahlin JETS! … Doesn’t sound special?.. Well on this day, for a very special & passionate player – let’s call him ‘Arch’ – it was the 200th match he’d played for his club.. A man like Arch eats loyalty & passion for breakfast.. a solid performer.. Seeing a handful of locals gathering together with enthusiasm at 6ºC, getting fired up for their local team, and for Arch’s milestone effort gave me such inspiration, I actually got a little emotional (& the cold wind was making my eyes water).. It made me stop, & I consciously remember thinking.. “I love Canberra…. I love Australian culture, & I love humans – we are such amazing creatures”..

fridays on foot… re-lighting the fires..

this is 'Arch'.. leading his team onto the field for his 200th match.. right before he busted through a huge banner to celebrate his triumphant milestone.. the passion, the determination, the cheerleaders.. I just love this pic.. GO THE JETS!!

This is Arch's girlfriend.. Let's call her "Elo", we can't show you her face on television because she works for the H.I.G.H.F.I.V.E. (a secret government agency that Julia or Tony don't even know about!)

this leaves nothing to the imagination really does it.. *insert dad joke groans*

The winter landscape around Canberra is stunning.. surreal even, beautiful trees, open hills.. we just loved it.. We also love the people that we spent time with & met in Canberra.. So, a MEGA thank you to the Jason Carter, Eva Carter, & to our photographer friends in the Canberra.. Dan O’day (Dan’s RAD Adventure Tours – D.R.A.T.), Christine Pobke, Kelly Tunney, Katie Kolenberg, & to Tina & Jodie for popping in.. You guys are better than a double rainbow! & we fully love you!

posted by : Toddpire Weekend

justine & tim.. ooooooh lovers..

thm — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 02:28:09 +0000

Let me just start by saying that this is not a vintage themed/styled wedding.. It is very much a Justine and Tim themed wedding.. & that’s what I love about it.. This is simply who they are.. example – Tim loves to play tennis & word on the street is (seriously), that he is a very tidy unit on the court.. Thing is.. he prefers to play on clay, and his footwear of choice is the Dunlop Volley.. I know..

I walked in to Justine’s parents’ house where she was getting ready.. music of choice = Leonard Cohen.. I LOVE Leonard Cohen.. Justine likes to drink tea & she really really likes Tim. Just a lovely, relaxed day with Justine, Tim, Leonard Cohen & the Beatles.. I really appreciate J&T’s taste.. They know who they are & they knew the kind of wedding they wanted..

Topiaries at Beaumont in Samford Valley = ideal backdrop for these guys.. Awesome views, nice atmosphere.. seriously, all the ingredients for this day would make the best cake in the galaxy! (not sure about out past our galaxy, I hear they do pretty good cakes out there)..

Royal Doulton by Alyda

Alyda's capture as Tim eyes his ladyfriend.

as a wedding gift, this guy tattooed 'justine & tim forever' on his chest.. or did he have a baby? can't remember.. ;)

Alyda McGaw super frame action..

BIG shoutout & thanks also to Polkadot Bride who featured this wedding recently.. If you are getting married & you haven’t seen this site, do it now before it’s too late.. Click here for more info & images..

posted by : Toddre Agassi

BULA ! shaan & chris on Fantasy Island…

thm — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 07:28:06 +0000

S&C : “Hello Todd.. We are Shaan & Chris.. We are awesome & we love what you do so will you come to Fiji to photograph our mega excellento wedding.. pretty please?”.. Todd : “yes please.. I’ll be the one with bells on! although it might take me a while to get through security. “..

“How to Plan a Kickass Party & Get Married at the Same Time” by Shaan & Chris.. We flew to Fiji, checked in to the Sheraton, scoped a few locations, watched the sunset over the beach with drinks in hand.. all before we’d ever met these two really really really awesome people.. In our room that evening, a knock at the door revealed that split second moment with all of us thinking (and saying), “Are you who we think you are?.. yes? yes ! WOOHOO!”.. & yes, Shaan & Chris, myself & Alyda all cheered – and I’m pretty sure there was a little bit of dancing (I’ve been working on my moonwalk).. They then handed us our Shaan & Chris’ wedding showbag! (sunnies, membership badge, hat, sunscreen, & wedding info all in a lovely calico carry bag)… It’s one of those moments when you stop & realize.. “woh.. this wedding is going to be RAD!”..

95 of the hottest guests I’ve ever seen (& I’m talking hot! like 37.7ºC hot!).. all descend onto the Sheraton Hotel on Denarou Island for a party weekend.. It’s such an awesome idea.. a mega party weekend with the wedding day in the middle.. Peeps flew in seriously from all over the Earth world to party with these guys.. I’ll tell you one thing, it was a completely amazing experience to be part of…

Alyda's pic.. SNAP !

product placement by Alyda..

image by Alyda McGaw

Alyda's timing = fully knarly..

killer pic Alyda McGaw

posted by : Todd Marley & the Wailers

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

thm — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 01:45:28 +0000

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 .. "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

mIGHTYbOOTh.. ashleigh & nathan

thm — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 22:31:11 +0000

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

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

thm — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 23:56:03 +0000

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

fridays on foot.. (heavy heart)..

thm — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 23:01:15 +0000

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

marissa & jorge.. fully married..

thm — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 23:12:02 +0000

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

fridays on foot.. (version 3.0)..

thm — Sun, 13 Jun 2010 23:09:49 +0000

yesyes.. Fridays on Foot returns.. back for more sultanas as they say.. (although I’m not sure who ‘they’ are – but they certainly seem to know a thing or two about a thing or two!).

Alyda & I were recently in Melbourne for the Australian Professional Photography Awards (APPA) – [scroll down to previous post for more detail].. BUT.. while we were in Melbourne, away from the studio, F.O.F. action was definitely on my mind.. Those of you who follow F.O.F. know that it’s very much a ‘I work alone’ thing.. time for me to take photos for me & quiet the mind in a samurai kind of way.. Only thing was, due to the partying networking for all of the day & all of the night, I was never alone & couldn’t get up early enough to be alone..

So.. people, I give you the first ever fridays on foot accompanied by other humans.. every one of these pics were taken while in the company of another.. This was definitely a different shooting experience to the usual F.O.F, but kinda cool.. It also provides handy talent for when you need models :)

beam me up scotty..

these are our friends Chris & Sonia.. they are also kickass photographers.. 3 frames snapped by Alyda McGaw.. SNAP!

This post is brought to you by the letter ‘S’ & the number 4.. Also dedicated to JR, with whom I had an awesome & inspiring chat about business & photography in the Crown Casino @ 2:30am .. John, your advice = priceless.. love your work mate!

posted by : TODZILLA