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.

2010 was a huge year for me as I solidly promoted my love of photographing weddings internationally. My goal is to shoot weddings in places around the world where I would like to visit and/or where I have friends. This makes it more affordable for my clients to hire me if they choose locations that are on my ‘To Go’ list. So if you have a wedding planned in Antarctica or Iceland then I definitely want to be there. There are many places I would like to see and experience in my lifetime and not just limited to the two I just mentioned. I love to feel a part of wedding day so I try to find accomodation with the family or friends of the bride or groom – this also helps me to get to know them better before the wedding and can therefore produce more meaningful photos.

I am very grateful to my fellow photographers, Anna Jarske and Derek Latham and Emilie Gerard of AmyPunky Photography who invited me to shoot alongside with them at weddings in France and Finland. And a big thanks to Charlie and Jenni for recommending me to their Finnish friends Nina and Timo for their gorgeous wedding in Hameenlinna. In total I photographed 6 brides (3 in Finland and 3 in France) and 3 portrait sessions. What I am most excited about is that my clients, Emilie and Ville have since gotten engaged and have asked me to come back in July 2011 to photograph their vintage carnival inspired wedding in countryside Finland.

I will also be photographing another wedding in Helsinki and a wedding, a bridal session and a few family portrait sessions in Northern Norway on the Lofoten Islands. Very exciting times!

Charlotte and Thomas’ Wedding in Normandy. See more images here.

I second-shot this wedding with Emilie Gerard. We asked the groom to take the shot on the right – not bad!

My friends, Emilie and Ville in Helsinki – Pasila Train Yard – Vintage theme – see more of their photos here.

I photographed this gorgeous wedding with Emilie Gerard near Angers, France. One of my absolute favourite weddings of the year for the attention to detail. You can see more images here and here.

Laetitia and Cedric couldn’t book Emilie for their wedding day as she was already booked but they decided to get dressed up again a few days later and I was lucky enough to be here with Emilie to take some shots. This was taken just outside of Paris at a gorgeous chalet! You can see more images here.

After a portrait session on a Finnish Island I noticed this gorgeous couple on the boat back and they were being so smoochy. Deniz was visiting from Turkey and Maiju lives in Helsinki. We have stayed in contact after I snapped a few sneaky shots and hope to catch up again in Helsinki next year.

We were lucky to get these family photos as there were lots and lots of big mosquitoes around as it had rained overnight.The family is related to my very good friend Anna and I spent 5 days with them all and enjoyed fishing, picking strawberries, shopping for Marimekko bags and also at the thrift shops!

Charlie and Jenni recommended me to their friends in Tampere Finland after they visited Australia for a wedding I photographed in November 2009. As a thank you I suggested to take pics of their new addition to their family, Eliel. You can see more pics here.

I love getting a photo with the bride and groom and this was a surprise shot when I heard something whispered behind my back in Finnish and suddenly Nina and Timo gave me a smooch! Loved it And thanks to John Shiels of Ireland who captured this moment! Please enjoy more of the pics from the wedding here.

Päivi and Jukka’s Portrait Session was on the island of Pihlajasaari Island just a short boat ride from Helsinki. More shots here.

A spectacular wedding at the Lutheran Cathedral in Helsinki. Päivi and Jukka are truly one of the most romantic couples I have ever photographed. Totally fell in love with them myself More of their gorgeousness here.

Satu and Tero were married near Kouvola in south east Finland where there are many yellow fields. It was so beautiful seeing the colours. Satu ‘carried’ her dad down in the aisle with her bouquet. You can see more pictures from their wedding here.

I was lucky enough to photograph the wedding of Erin and Jake from Channel Nine’s The Block and also Marc Fennell’s (Triple J and Channel 10) wedding. Both wedding ceremonies and receptions were held at the QVB Tearooms and the majority of their photos taken at the QVB. Both couples were so much fun and did not disappoint, oozing personality in each shot. Erin and Jake’s ESession was at a secret location in western Sydney and Marc and Madeleine suggested Cockatoo Island.

Emilia and Ville are very passionate people and I knew that when I met them in Finland two years ago that their portraits would rock!  I was not disappointed. This is one of my all-time favourite sessions. I love vintage styling and I know that Emilia lives and breathes it so the photos are a great representation of who they really are (which is one of my goals in every session/wedding I photograph!).

The Pasila Train Yards in Helsinki, Finland were a perfect backdrop for Emilia and Ville’s vintage portrait session. Emilia loves the classic pinup style of the 40s and 50s and therefore the session was very much inspired by that style. When we were just finishing the session a Pontiac was spotted down a side street – how lucky were we!! Enjoy the glamour of my gorgeous friends, Emilia and Ville