Ain't no party like the Mad Hatter's tea party!
Crazy. Quirky. Bonkers. Whatever word you want to use, there is no denying that it sums us up. The Mad Hatter's Tea Party is one of the most loveable cinematic scenes of all time - of course it's been done before, but it just HAD to be done again! We needed a fix. A fix of creative insanity, a fix of fun and laugher, a fix of achievement, and a fix of jellybeans. One simple idea evolved into two photographer friends (and our husbands) teaming up - sharing ideas, making props and costumes on a humble little budget, turning other friends into cartoon characters, and converting a little forest in the middle of Arrowtown into a colourful, visual feast of a set... ringing with the joyful sounds of singing and laughter!! And seventeen months after the idea was formed... Heather (from Heather Ellis Photography) and I finally get to present to you our finished product.... a cinematic photo story book - our take on the Mad Hatter's scene!!! Of course I would love for you to sit on my couch, touch the hard cover, and flip the pages with your very own fingers to get lost in this wonderland story. But alas, there isn't enough room on my couch for all of you in cyberspace... so here is the next best thing!! Go on, go flip through the pages with your mouse at least.... click on this link to expand the book to full screen! {The book can be shared but not sold, most written content was obtained from the Disney Movie, Alice in Wonderland}
And to Miss Heather - this making book was definitely a journey and I am soooooo glad it was a journey with YOU!!!! The number of times we got uncontrollable giggles throughout the shooting, editing, designing and publishing of this book... annnnd the amount of chocolate and RJ's we went through, just makes it all the more memorable, fun and awesome. Here's to you my friend! XOXOXO
What an honour and a pleasure it was to photograph Dunedin's latest and greatest acoustic duo... Ruby Two Shoes!! Exceptional musicians, exceptional people. And an exceptionally hilarious and unique shoot. Kristy and Reuben - not lovers, not siblings... just friends. Putting that out there straight away. Doing their thing, and doing it very well. These guys are very good friends of mine, and I am preeeeetty sure they are going to be very famous one day... so just remember that you saw them here first. I stole their album name from their facebook page for the title of this blog... because a) I was too lazy to think of my own witty title, and b) it sums these two up perfectly. You will find them gigging at bars, weddings and private functions... playing and singing sweet, sweet melodies and covers that you will LOVE... and definitely having a good time while they are at it. Introducing RUBY TWO SHOES.... We were after something vintagey, something indie, something quirky. I think we got it. Good old fashioned fun!
My beautiful friends... just horsing around. Ha. This photo makes me giggle. It's ridiculous... just like them.
Kristy's beautiful voice is quite mesmerizing - it is so easy to listen to and get lost in. I have always wanted to sing like she can. After twenty years of awesomely close friendship with her, I'm just starting to come to terms with the fact that I will just never be able to... she has something incredibly unique... and unfortunately it hasn't rubbed off on me yet. Sigh. I do get to listen to her sing though! And that makes my heart very happy. Come to think of it, Reuben's incredible guitar skills are yet to rub off on me too... not giving up hope that that still might happen... Go to one of their gigs, and you may even be privy to some sweet dance moves... Not only are they talented musicians, they make pretty good trees too. Rocking the 'moss-stach' - one of my fav photos from the shoot! Seriously, get behind these guys - they are awesomely talented, and I am so proud of them! Hurry along now - go like them on facebook, hire them for your next function, or check out their next gig in town! You most certainly won't regret it. In fact, you might just find yourself LOVING it. Love from Ruby Two Shoes biggest fan xoxoxo
4 best friends + cupcakes, nibbles and champagne + pretty dresses + a make-up artist + a photographer = a perfect girls day out! Catherine, Bex, Amber and Lizzie (& pseudo Sam - but more on that later!) all celebrated their 25th birthdays this year, so as a treat to themselves, they booked a 'Sweet Little Somethings' afternoon, to get some beautiful photos together... They all met at high school - about 12 years ago! A couple of them were in the same form classes all through school, and they have all continued to remain really close friends since 3rd form! They were all awesome girls to hang out with and photograph - friends who know each other so well that they are real with each other, they can joke around with each other, laugh at each others quirks, and never be too serious with each other! For us, the day started with drinks, cheese, crackers, and cupcakes, while Christal Allpress Make-Up Artist did a fab job of all the girls' make-up. They all made a full day of it, so they began getting dressed and doing hair before we arrived, and then they were heading out to birthday drinks for Lizzie later that evening... all looking hot!! They DID present me with a bit of a challenge for making the cupcakes for them tho - Lizzie is allergic to nuts, and Catherine is allergic to both dairy AND gluten!! Phew. So on the menu was chocolate mud cupcakes, and dairy/gluten free mixed berry cupcakes...
There was a couple hours of pampering and hanging out together - doing make-up, hair, nails and choosing which dresses they should each wear!
And then we headed out to a few locations the girls had thought through! See... I told you they were fun!
Otago Girls' High School... a place full of good (and some bad!) memories. This is where they spent the bulk of their time together... so we hit it up for photo locations! They were amazed at how much had (and how much hadn't) changed in 8 years!!
This was their "spot" during their school years... I'm sure these chairs know a lot of secrets about which boys they liked and which teachers they didn't like...
I photographed Catherine's wedding back in March this year, so when they decided they wanted to book a shoot, I jumped at the chance!
There is a 5th girl, Sam, who is part of this tight-knit crew... Sam lives in Queenstown and unfortunately she couldn't make the shoot at the last minute. And she copped some serious flack over that one! The girls took great pleasure in cutting her off the edge of the paper dolls and including her in the photo shoot!! I better put a disclaimer in here and say this was definitely a JOKE ;). It would have been great to have Sam there! The rain was threatening all day... and spots came here and there. Only just enough to give us a bit of a Mary Poppins moment tho!
"Sam" did get her own wee minature umbrella too, so she could still feel part of the shoot...
Four absolutely stunning girls! Christal did a great job of their make-up, and they all looked simply beautiful in their pretty dresses.
They actually booked this shoot quite a few months ago, but decided to wait until November to do it, so that it would be warmer! Huh... hmmmm. Never trust Dunedin weather!
So out came the matching puffa jackets and the gummies... and we headed to Signal Hill lookout - another place they used to hang out at together during high school!
Catherine, Bex, Amber and Lizzie... you were all SUCH troopers getting out there, thinking warm thoughts, and having a heap of fun! And Sam, thanks for joining us in spirit! We won't hold it against you that you couldn't make it ;). You were all awesome to work with... I have sooo many photos for you! Hope you like this blog selection! It was such a pleasure for Christal and me to hang out with you for an afternoon!
XOXO
"'Yes'm, old friends are always best,
'less you can catch a new one that's fit to make an old one out of"
- Sarah Orne Jewett My friends are a massive blessing to my life and I am so, so grateful for each and every one of them! Some I have known for many years... we have a rich history together and memories galore! We know each other deeply and nothing could ever change that friendship. My old friends are always there, and I love them to absolute pieces! Old friends are incredibly wonderful to have in your life. Then occasionally you meet someone new, who you just click with instantly. They understand you, you understand them. You have far too much in common for it to be normal, and you could talk for hours on end with them, about lots or nothing in particular, and it's all good. You laugh lots, do crazy things, and inspire each other to be better. Heather is one of those friends for me. I can't believe we have only known each other for just over a year. She definitely slots into the 'fit to make an old friend out of' category, and is one of my closest friends. Heather is an AMAZING photographer in Christchurch (I am addicted to her work!). Our friendship has grown from an online, photography based friendship, to an awesome, deep, crazy friendship that goes well beyond our work. I love her to bits! We both enjoy being a little random and sporadic, which is why this is a 'part one' blog. This was very spontaneous trip to find a yellow field to do flaunt the dress photos in... which was a BIG EPIC FAIL. Turned out the yellow field near Palmerston that Heather travelled from Christchurch to, and I travelled from Dunedin to, wasn't in bloom this year. Typical!
So we found another location out near Karitane, and made stop motions for each other instead. Or attempted to, as the case may be for me! Mine is still to come (I'm just learning, ok?!)... so I thought I would share just a few photos from our one-location wonder in the mean time! I loooove this green blossom!!! And when you add Heather in amongst it, there is natural beauty all around.
Heather is absolutely gorgeous, inside and out. I can't get too gushy on her, or she will resort to calling me names to compensate. But trust me, she is a good friend to have!
And she reeeeally knows how to work the camera, both in front of it and behind it!
You will be seeing more of the fabulous Heather in the next few weeks on my blog... because we are plotting wondorous things! Mwahaha...
But thank you Heather for being crazy with me, communicating constantly with me through our days of sitting editing at a computer, jumping with me, hating potatoes with me, giving me colourful M&M tattoos, and taking a real interest in my life. I can't wait to see you next week!!! XOXO If you want to see some of Heather's incredible stop motion work, have a look at 'Flaunt that Dress' one of me! She is super creative, full of ideas, and came very prepared with a whole story board for this video. What a talented chick she is! (And she makes me look ok in a fast moving film, so I like her for that!). All credit to Miss Heather Ellis Photography for this stop motion (go check out her other ones here): The best bit of that, was eating hundreds of M&M's off the grass afterwards... I mean, ah, just kidding... :S
Sweet Little Somethings!
Every girl deserves to be pampered and treated, and to have permission to feel beautiful! You probably all remember the competition I ran in conjunction with Christal Allpress Make-up Artist in August, to launch our new make-up, cupcakes and shoot concept - 'Sweet Little Somethings'! These shoots enable you to get together with your besties, your mother, grandmothers, sisters... your brother's friend's cat's great-aunt... anyone!! You get an afternoon of pampering, make-up by the wonderful Christal, cupcakes, drinks, and other treats to eat! When you have all been made-up, you get to head out on a photo shoot with me, at locations of your choice! Be a model for a day, have some fun with your favourite girls, and get some beautiful images to keep! This shoot is open to absolutely anyone - any ages, any combinations! We are also keen to try a lot of different styles - picnics, boudoir/glamour, high teas, casual shoots, beachy themes, wedding dress shoots, small hen's parties or birthdays, ANYTHING! The world is your oyster, and you can also ask us for ideas! We have a super cheap introductory price of $130 each person, based on 4-5 girls... for the first 5 bookings only! If you would like to chat about what Christal and I can do for you, please call me on 0276658177, or email photography@kimberleycheyne.co.nz! Girls' Pamper Afternoon - Competition Winners!
Phew! What a day!! Christal and I ran around like mad things organising things for the girls' day out, and when it finally rolled around, we couldn't have been more excited! Kathryn Lock was the very lucky winner of the facebook tagging competition! She chose three close friends - Laura, Rachael, and Judy - and we were stoked to hear how deserving these girls were! Three of them are new Mums, with boys about 7 months old, and all of them were very keen for an excuse to get out of the house, feel like a pretty lady, and enjoy some time out with their friends! There was a whooooole lot of estrogen in one room, and it was hilariously awesome. Let's just say breast-feeding, babies, birth, bras and boobs were common topics of conversation. And there was no shortage of laughter. I want to share a whole range of montage images, to document the day as it happened! There are a lot, I admit it. On the treats menu was Lemon/Lime Coconut Meringue Cupcakes, and Strawberry Chocolate Mudcakes... and the best bit was, I didn't even have any major baking fails! Plus cheese and crackers, grapes, dried fruit, chocolate (essential at any girls event!), breads and dips, etc! A little smattering of pampering...
Part of the competition was a goodie bag for each girl! Christal and I owe a HUGE thank you to the following businesses who supported us by donating vouchers, products and services for these!! We are extremely grateful for their generosity, and the girls loved their packs! Meet Christal! I didn't know her before I stalked her website in search of a make-up artist. But I think we were made for each other... she is awesome and was totally on board with everything as soon as we started planning these shoots! Annnnd she really knows how to apply make-up. Like, really knows. The girls looked AMAZING when they stepped off the bar stool after being made-over!
And she has a LOT of incredible make-up!! Just quietly quite jealous...
Christal's make-up application for the girls was natural, but very striking and feminine. This is beautiful Kathryn after Christal had done her thing! Sooo pretty!
After they had all eaten enough cupcakes to make them feel sufficiently sick, changed into pretty dresses, and got their faces on... we set out for the photo shoot! We are very grateful to Grandview Gardens, for letting us frolick around their beautiful grounds for the shoot! If you are planning a wedding in Dunedin, definitely go and check them out! And also thanks to my family who let us kick them out of their house so we could do the pampering there! The gorgeous girls! Judy...
Laura...
Rachael...
...and Kathryn!
There were a lot of giggles through the day...
After a whole lot of faffing about trying not to get Laura's pretty white dress dirty... she ended up with her head in the wrong place...!
Judy and her husband are very close family friends with Kathryn's family!
Rachael, Laura and Kathryn all got to know each other really well after going through anti-natal classes together! And now they have three wee boys the same age... totally awesome to have the support of each other.
Thank you SO much girls for being so fun and so great to work with! We couldn't have asked for a better bunch of friends to do our first 'Sweet Little Somethings' shoot with! We hope you enjoyed being pampered and spoilt for the day!
Huge thanks to Christal for all her hard work, and again for all the businesses that supported us!
If this looks like something you would like to do with your favourite girls, please get in touch to discuss ideas! We can't wait to do more! xoxo
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