When I graduated with a Bachelor of Business degree at UTS in 2000 I never thought I would be running my own business in Wedding Photography 7 years later. I knew I would always be doing something people-related. It was firstly human resources and then public relations/marketing. I worked many years in not-for-profit marketing/PR at the RSPCA, MS Society and Girl Guides. As they could not afford professional photographers, I was doing a lot of the photography for media campaigns from 2003. I love helping others and making them happy.

In 2007 my sister asked me to photograph her wedding and there was no turning back – I was hooked. Providing people with memories of the happiest day of their lives – what a rewarding experience! As I got more and more experience in wedding photography I realised that my personalised style was what people were recognising and demanding – my ability to connect, to understand, to make people feel comfortable and also to be cheeky to get the laughs!

I call myself an ‘emotional photographer’ (as opposed to a technical photographer) – I love capturing and anticipating moments – it is these types of photos that I find my clients cherish the most. I spend time getting to know my couples and how they have planned their big day so I can look out for unique details and moments that represent what is important to them.

This year I will be photographing my 100th wedding (including my 10th Internationally) and I would like to celebrate by offering free wedding photography worth $3500 for one lucky couple.

Each wedding is different; it is personal and unique to who you and your fiancé are and what you want on your day. This competition is about finding the couples who want to show how their wedding is unique. Please refer to the rules below for how to enter.

Examples of some personalised weddings I have photographed recently:
Jane and Aaron’s Wedding on a property in the Blue Mountains
Hannah and Cam’s Vintage Road trip/1950s Country Fair Wedding
Erin and Nathan’s VW, Parramatta Eels, Etsy Vintage inspired Vineyard Wedding

What you WIN:
1. Eight hours of coverage on your wedding day.
2. Edited full-sized high resolution wedding images on disk.
3. Portrait session before the wedding day so you can be comfortable in front of the camera and also so we can get to know each other.
4. Online gallery for you and your guests to view and enjoy.
5. A meet-up before the wedding day so we can get to know each other and discuss details.

The RULES:
1. Couples must be getting married in 2011* and have not already booked Gemma Clarke to photograph their wedding in 2011. You can be anywhere in the world to enter – please read the other conditions.
2. Weddings must be within a 2 hour drive of Sydney however weddings outside of this area will be considered if you are willing to pay travel costs including weddings in other states and overseas.
3. How to Enter: Please send details about you and your wedding including the following – how you got together, the proposal and 3 quirky/unique/unusual things you love about your fiancé (please include answers from both bride and groom). Details about your planned wedding locations, how is your wedding personalised e.g ceremony, invitations, your theme, special guests, music items, clothing etc. You can include pictures of your inspiration if you like. Please include a recent photo of you and your fiancé. All these items must be addressed to be eligible to enter. There is no word limit. Selection of the finalists will be based on the information you provide.
4. Email the above information and photo to info@gemma-clarke.com. This must arrive by 11:59pm Sydney NSW time on Tuesday April 5, 2011 to be eligible.
5. Finalists will be selected by Gemma Clarke and then featured (your photo and some details) on Gemma Clarke Photography’s Facebook page by Tuesday April 12, 2011 (http://www.facebook.com/sydney.wedding.photographer ) People who are fans/likers of the GCP FB page will be able to vote for their favourite couple. The couple with the most votes at 9:30pm Sydney NSW time on Monday April 18, 2011 will be the winner. An additional Gemma Clarke Photography blog post will direct people to the Facebook page to vote.
6. Finalists (those that do not win) and other entrants may be offered discounts and special deals by Gemma for their wedding photography.
7. Please note that by entering this competition you are allowing Gemma Clarke Photography to use your photo and some information about your wedding for purposes of the competition including uploading to Facebook and use on the GCP blog.

*Subject to Gemma Clarke’s availability. In addition to weddings, renewal of vows and special anniversary celebrations are included.

Anna and I were required to cover the Bride’s getting ready photos and formal portraits for this wedding in Kouvola before we headed back to Helsinki to photograph Paivi and Jukka’s Wedding at the Lutheran Cathedral. What I loved about Kouvola were all the rich yellow crop fields – just a shame we couldn’t get close enough to one so they could ‘frolic’ through the over abundance of colour! They were able to secure a 1948 Mercedes-Benz 170V for their wedding car. Satu’s dress is from Ladylike Wedding Gown Boutique and the medallion attached to her bouquet with the photo of her father was made at Milla Noora – Website is only in Finnish.

Satu has the cutest smile I have seen on a bride and you can see Tero is absolutely bowled over by his bride. The feeling to this wedding day was relaxed and everyone was having a lot of fun. Satu and Tero were happy to play in front of the camera which brought out their devotion to each other.

The Finnish will understand the sign on the right

Seeing each other for the first time. Satu starting shedding tears and it made me do the same too!  Lucky I could hide behind my camera