Samm Blake Photographer - Blog - Fine Art Documentary Wedding Potraiture Photographer, Perth, Western Australia

Update RSS feeds!

Samm Blake — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 00:29:55 +0000

Ive changed my blog a bit.. this means you will need to update your RSS feed!

new feed: http://www.sammblakeblog.com/?feed=rss2

dani + jez {wedding}

Samm Blake — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 00:26:42 +0000

A few of my favourites from Dani and Jez’s beautiful wedding. I absolutely adored Dani’s dress :)

These set of hands belong to Dani’s grandparents. They held hands for such a long time. It was the sweetest thing.

{favorites}

Samm Blake — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 01:34:07 +0000

Recently I was invited to be part of the the Artistic Wedding Photography Society, I had to put a collection of images together from my portfolio to go up on their site. Thought I would post them here too, to give my blog some much needed love. These are a few of my favorites taken over the last 6 months or so.

jaisalmer {india}

Samm Blake — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 12:22:37 +0000

The above photos were taken in Jaisalmer, which is a town near the Pakistan border in Rajasthan, in the north west of India. I absolutely loved this place. I think it was my favorite place in all of my travels around India.

I’ve started to go through my old travel photos. Its been interesting going through all my old film and seeing it all again with new eyes. Images I completely dismissed when I got the films back from the lab and never bothered scanning in. All my old travel photos are shot on my beautiful Mamiya 6 with medium format film. When I went traveling, I packed 200 rolls of medium format film. An entire backpack of film. These rolls of film went everywhere, up the great wall of china, through the sweltering heat of the Rajasthan desert, midnight treks through Harlem and through a billion xray machines. They did not fair well. Of all the dangerous situations my precious rolls of film were put through, it was the airport xray machines I think did the most damage. This was at the time when all the bombings were going on and security was at a all time high. After one too many arguments with security about hand checking my film, I eventually gave up and hoped for the best.. Now a few years on and my photoshop skills have improved ten fold, I am able to give some of these photos a new life.

my best friends wedding {rianna + michael}

Samm Blake — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 14:42:43 +0000

My best friends got married in January. a little sneak peek of their beautiful day ;)

WPPI 2009 + USA

Samm Blake — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 13:16:03 +0000

Ok, this blog post is long overdue! So much has happened in the past 4 weeks I do not even know where to start. Its a bit surreal to be home again, it all feels like a dream now, a nice dream :) Well pictures say a 1000 words so I will start with some photos :)

Joe Buissink and Me + Jerry Ghionis, Kirsty Aksentiew, Bambi Cantrell + Samm and Joe Buissink. Las Vegas. Nevada

WPPI has lots of different classes you can attend, I signed up for a plus class with Joe Buissink. Joe had a big influence on me when I began photographing weddings many moons ago. It was great to finally meet Joe, he is the nicest person and I learnt a lot from him in his two day workshop :) Part of Joe’s workshop involved photographing some models, these are two of my favorites;

Kirsty Aksentiew, Jesh de Rox, Amy Seeley, Samm and Mick. Las Vegas. Nevada

My friend Jesh had a swanky party in an awesome loft on the top floor of the MGM Grand. The lovely Amy Seeley was also there, it was so good to see her again! It was also great to see Manus and Emily again, we meet last year when I was in San Francisco. A favorite moment of the whole trip was sitting on the floor and looking out of a huge window of the Vegas skyline hearing Amy sing. It was one of those beautiful moments i’ll cherish always :)

I thought these two images went perfectly together. Jesh is about to bust out some dance moves ;)

Neon Boneyard. Las Vegas. Nevada

We visited the Neon Boneyard in Vegas (once again thanks Kirsty for getting us in!!). Basically this place is where all the old neon signs of Vegas live.

Neon Boneyard. Las Vegas. Nevada + Salton Sea. California

I meet up with my friend Susan Yee, a fellow photographer who lives in San Deigo. We became friends via our blogs many many years ago and have been friends since. Well I finally made it to San Diego and we got to meet! Susan showed us around her city and also went on a mini roadtrip to the Salton Sea. We got there just an hour before sunset, so only had a short time to shoot in, but the light was amazing.

Susan Yee and the Salton Sea. California

Salton Sea. California

I like how Susan has also made a ghostly appearance into the photo on the left ;) Salton Sea. California

We stayed at the Salton Sea until way after the sun went down. Very spooky place to be after dark, but very serene and beautiful at the same time. The stars in the sky were amazing.

Salton Sea. California

Solvang. California

After we left San Diego we headed north to Solvang to catch up with my friends Jose Villa and Joel Serrato. Solvang and the surrounding area is so lovely. Seeing this part of the world makes me want to move out of innercity living and move into the hills with lots of trees.

Mick and our convertible ;) Highway One + Solvang. California

Yes we hired a convertible. I can tick off number 26 on my 101 list – “Drive across America in a convertible”. Well we didnt technically drive across, but we drove up and down ;)

Highway One. California

After leaving Solvang we drove up Highway 1 to Carmel-by-the-Sea. This part of California is oh so beautiful. I highly recommend going to this part of the world.

Self portrait. Highway One. California

Highway One. California

Mick. Highway One. California

When driving a convertible we soon found out you needed a hat. Thus my lovely driving hat. hehe. Highway One. California

Venice Beach. California

We spent our last day hanging out at Venice Beach in LA. This is a funny place.

Venice Beach. California

I met so many wonderful people on this trip, I am so glad I get to do this all again next year, and the following year and the year after that and get to catch up with you all at least once a year :) Now back in the real world, I have a lot of blogging to catch up on. so many weddings to blog!

and to all the people who are wondering, no we did not get married in Vegas ;P

{currently overseas} heading to the us of a!

Samm Blake — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 14:19:34 +0000

Tomorrow I am heading to the US for a month.. yippie doodah! Today I photographed an amazing wedding and now just downloading and backing up their images but I am already in holiday mode! It’s not really a holiday though, its all a business trip.. honest!! Have I ever mentioned I have the best job in the entire universe?? I am the luckiest person… when I was little, I wanted a job that I could have complete creativity, self employed, incorporate my love of interior and graphic design and oh get to travel the world! I have all of this and a whole lot more :) This is my second trip to the USA in 6 months. I spent last August in San Francisco being part of an amazing photography workshop and shot a wedding with Jose Villa. Tomorrow I head back to the USA, spending the next 4 weeks in LA, Vegas, San Diego and Santa Barbara. The main purpose of the trip is to attend the WPPI conference. Which is basically a huge photography expo with many workshops and all things related to pro photography. I have many friends from around the world attending and we all get to hang out for over a week to learn and be inspired from each other. If your going to WPPI, leave me a comment so we can meet up, always love meeting new people, especially lovely blog stalker types ;)

While I am away, I will be posting about my trip on here, but if you are on facebook or on twitter, add me and you can hear about all my adventures and see more photos! What is twitter you ask? Its like a micro form of blogging, like blogs, its totally addicting. You can find all random things about me there ;) You can find my twitter page here and you can find me on facebook here.

So while I am away, I will not be reachable by my mobile. I even have to turn my voicemail off because it gets rather expensive paying international fees for each time somebody leaves me a message. With the amount of phone calls I get each day, I would be surely broke before I return. When I got back from the US last year, I was greeted with a $2500 bill. not fun! So if you would like to schedule a meeting with me, book a wedding or just have a enquiry, the best way to get in contact with me is via email. I will be checking my email most days. If the matter is really of urgent importance, please text message me and I will get in contact with you as soon as I can.

Oh I highly recommend watching this. no matter what anybody may ever say, always remember you are amazing :)

alaina + geoff . margaret river {wedding}

Samm Blake — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 07:14:07 +0000

Alaina and Geoff were married in Margaret River at Flutes Winery. I love traveling down south for weddings. A few favorites from the day..

I photographed Catie’s wedding in December 2007, she is a close friend of Alainas. Ive also been to a few weddings now were she has played her harp, so lovely.

{recently published}

Samm Blake — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 01:49:25 +0000

I’ve had a bunch of images published in Modern Weddings Magazine and Perth Woman Magazine recently :)

two strangers I saw at a wedding.

Samm Blake — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 13:53:08 +0000

Lauren and Paul . Wedding

Samm Blake — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 06:36:50 +0000

Lara and Mark. Wedding

Samm Blake — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 06:53:17 +0000

Jess and Sean . Portrait Session

Samm Blake — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 12:55:10 +0000

My 2008.

Samm Blake — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 04:48:13 +0000

This best sums up my 2008, creating art for my beautiful clients. I have the best job in the universe and I have the best clients that has trusted me to document their lives., each one of you are beautiful, I am so grateful I get to spend my days doing what I love.

This year was absolutely amazing. What I have done and achieved this year, blows my mind just thinking about it. There is no way I would have thought 365 days ago, what the following year had lined up for me. Just makes me giddy thinking about what 2009 has in store for me.. I am in the process of writing a blog post about this.. so more to come in the new year! ;) Im off to drink a martini to celebrate..

jayda, ebbonie + max {portraiture}

Samm Blake — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 05:56:41 +0000

These three beautiful souls are my nieces and nephew (well they are Michaels, but I have the official title of Aunty Samm,, lol) Over the past five years I have been photographing these guys, however this shoot was our first proper portrait session with all three of them, trying to get a photo of them all together, proved to be near impossible..there is always one who does not want to be photographed! If my kids turn out half as cute as these three, i will be very happy indeed ;) I spent christmas day with these guys, this was my first Christmas in Perth and my first with Michaels side of the family. I loved Christmas morning watching these kids unwrap their presents.. It took me back to 1989, christmas at my grandparents… the mound of presents oh so high.. the sheer excitement of it all, I would love to be a kid again :)

Carrie + Nathan . Wedding

Samm Blake — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 09:46:16 +0000

Carrie and Nathan were married in late October. I loved everything about their wedding. It was such a beautiful day :) The ceremony and reception was held at Sandalford Winery in the Swan Valley.

Recently Published {Scoop Magazine}

Samm Blake — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 23:54:50 +0000

Recently I had a bunch of images published in Scoop Functions & Venues Magazine. There is even some ‘expert tips’ of mine through the magazine ;) It is really a great magazine if you are planning a wedding or function here in Western Australia.

This week.

Samm Blake — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 14:06:10 +0000

I have been finishing up editing Nathalie and Andrews amazing wedding the last few days. These are a few of my favourites from their wedding :)

Jesh de Rox is in Perth this week (he is the beautiful soul I went to visit in San Francisco a few months back). We are hosting his workshop at our office and I get to spend the rest of the week hanging out with Jesh and a bunch of amazing photographers. My San Francisco trip completely changed my life, so I can only begin to imagine what this week has in store for me :)

Photo Booth

Samm Blake — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 03:38:46 +0000

We hired our photobooth out at a corporate event at the Old Swan Brewery this week. We jumped into the booth at the end of the night ;)

Kylie + Justin – Wedding

Samm Blake — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 09:18:57 +0000

A few weeks back, I headed down to Pemberton to photograph Kylie and Justin’s wedding. They had their ceremony and reception on their own farm, which I must say, is one of the most beautiful places on earth! The farm is absolutely gorgeous and the light in this part of Australia, is magical. Michael and I had such a great time down there, we decided at one point in our lives, we should live down there :)

Kylie wore cowgirl boots :) Ive always wanted to photograph a bride in boots, I was excited when I saw them!

Kylie and Justin had their ceremony among these tall trees :)

This is their driveway to their farm. lovely. lovely.

Thank you Kylie and Justin for inviting us down to photograph your wedding, it was a fabulous day :)

Sarah and Simon . Sneek Peek!

Samm Blake — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 13:26:26 +0000

Melanie and Justin – Wedding

Samm Blake — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 04:07:18 +0000

Print order Cut-off | November 21st

Samm Blake — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 08:56:35 +0000

Just a quick reminder that the 21st November is our print order cut-off date. If you would like to receive your prints prior to Christmas, then your order must be placed on or before the 21st November.

Sneek Peek – Melanie and Justin

Samm Blake — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 08:06:33 +0000

Ive almost finished editing Melanie and Justins wedding, thought I would share a little sneek peek for a blog entry soon to come :)

I hope you enjoy your weekend :)

Email Issues

Samm Blake — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 07:57:37 +0000

Ive been having email issues the past few days and have just worked out nobody is getting my emails. If you have sent me an email or form from my website and are still waiting for my reply – could you please send it again? :)

A new blog post will be up by the end of the week! :)

Nerida and Chris – Wedding

Samm Blake — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 08:57:04 +0000

Nerida and Chris were my first couple for the season! I absolutely loved shooting their wedding, we got so many great shots of them and their family and friends :) Their ceremony and reception took place at the Quarry Amphitheatre – such a great spot!

From a recent wedding..

Samm Blake — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 07:08:47 +0000

Today I have been editing Leanne and Nick’s wedding and just found this one my second shooter, Teneil, got… thought it deserved a post of its own. hehe :)

Nerida + Chris

Samm Blake — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 06:53:20 +0000

Nerida and Chris were married on the 13th September. As we were taking photos on City Beach it started to rain so we ran into the surf life saving club house and we found some very cool places to shoot. Rain can sometimes be a good thing on a wedding day.. it can bring happy surprises :)

Recently Featured:

Samm Blake — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 02:30:06 +0000

Snippet & Ink is a fantastic website for wedding inspiration. They recently featured one of my photos in a inspiration board!

Top row from left: front lawn ceremony from The Knot, dress from Posh Girl Vintage, place setting from Martha Stewart Weddings, carnation centerpiece from Mi Mi Design. Row 2: tea sandwiches from Callahan Catering, playing card seating cards photo by Jennifer Causey, tea bag favors from Martha Stewart Weddings, croquet set from Oh How Charming! Row 3: petits fours from Parisian Events, locket from Vintage Rehab, bunting from Country Living, carnation bouquet photo by Samm Blake. Row 4: RSVP slip from Stitch Rip Repeat, carnation boutonnieres photo from Jupiter Images, champagne photo from Martha Stewart Weddings, bubbles photo by Lisa Lefkowitz

…

Ritzy Bee, another wedding inspiration blog, featured my photography on her blog recently:

“We recently discovered an ultra-talented photographer from Perth, Australia and had to share her wedding and engagement session work with all of you! Samm Blake of Samm Blake Photography is the phenomenal talent behind the camera and we hope you enjoy this small sampling of her work..”

…

Polka Dot Bride blog featured me too!

“I’ve been following the blog of Perth wedding photographer Samm Blake for a little while now (note: if you have a blog do let me know, I’m a bit addicted!) I love Samm’s fresh take on photography and fantastic use of light and textures.

So recently, I was very excited to see Samm win first place in the Kid’s category of the Wedding Photojournalist Association awards! Congratulations Samm!

…

Another inspritation board featuring one of my photos:

(samm blake, brides, paul johnson, wedding style guide, the knot, unknown, the knot, the knot, laura novak)

Melanie + Justin

Samm Blake — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 02:04:37 +0000

Looking forward to photographing these two tying the knot next weekend!