Domestic Violence Crisis Service ACT Candlelight Ceremony

Last night I was the official event photographer for what was a sombre and reflective candle ceremony domestic violence crisis services of the ACT.

This ceremony was to remember the lives lost to domestic violence to which 64 women, 11 men and two children were linked to family violence in the ACT since 1998.

While the night was quite chilly and cold it attracted hundreds of Canberrans that have either been affected directly or indirectly. It was really nice to see him very touching and with the ACT Women’s Minister Yvette Berry on hand to do a speech it was good to see political backing for what is a very serious subject.

ACT firefighters showing their solidarity and support
ACT firefighters showing their solidarity and support

 

Some of the people that attended looking on at the candles situated on stage 88
Some of the people that attended looking on at the candles situated on stage 88

 

The speakers for the night which included ACT Women's Minister Yvette Berry
The speakers for the night which included ACT Women’s Minister Yvette Berry

 

The lighting of the main candles by ACT Women's Minister Yvette Berry
The lighting of the main candles by ACT Women’s Minister Yvette Berry

 

One of the speakers addressing the audience
One of the speakers addressing the audience

 

One of the speakers addressing the audience
One of the speakers addressing the audience

 

One of the speakers addressing the audience
One of the speakers addressing the audience

 

ACT Women's Minister Yvette Berry giving a speech
ACT Women’s Minister Yvette Berry giving a speech

 

ACT Women's Minister Yvette Berry giving a speech
ACT Women’s Minister Yvette Berry giving a speech

 

Reading a poem
Reading a poem
ACT police there to support an important cause
ACT police there to support an important cause

 

The different colours of the candles represent the different lives that have been lost
The different colours of the candles represent the different lives that have been lost

 

One of the many males that attended such an important event
One of the many males that attended such an important event

 

Sombre crowd looking on as the speakers address the audience
Sombre crowd looking on as the speakers address the audience

 

The bagpiper with the speakers standing for a minute's silence
The bagpiper with the speakers standing for a minute’s silence
ACT police bagpiper
ACT police bagpiper

 

The main candles
The main candles

 

The main candles
The main candles

 

One of the attendees capturing the main candles at the end of the ceremony
One of the attendees capturing the main candles at the end of the ceremony

Ronald McDonald house charity – Gala Ball

What a fantastic evening the Ronald McDonald house charity gala ball was!

The people were fantastic, the entertainment was awesome and the money raised was outstanding!!

Photos of now been all processed up my website to be viewed and purchased. Simply click online shop link from the menu on the left.

If you volunteered for this event feel free to contact me and I’ll give you a complimentary copy of the group photo below.

Volunteers at the Ronald McDonald house charity gala ball with Ronald McDonald himself
Volunteers at the Ronald McDonald house charity gala ball with Ronald McDonald himself

Being an event photographer does have its perks as you get to meet a wide range of people and people which you would not normally have contact with. And in this case it was Erin Molan from the footy show as she was the MC for the evening.

Ronald McDonald house charity with Melissa Gelonese, Erin Molan and Brendan Maunder (aka me)
Ronald McDonald house charity with Melissa Gelonese, Erin Molan and Brendan Maunder (aka me)
Erin Molan as the MC
Erin Molan as the MC

The event was of course sponsored by many people and in this case the major sponsor was Lexus of Canberra so while people were getting their seats men Ronald took the opportunity to get some photos in and around the Lexus vehicles that were in the main foyer.

Ronald McDonald standing alongside a Lexus
Ronald McDonald standing alongside a Lexus

With any gala ball there is always performance to entertain the guests while they eat dinner and this gala ball was no exception.

The have wonderful performance from The Emeralds which are the official cheerleaders for the Canberra Raiders.

The Emeralds - the official cheer squad for the Canberra Raiders performing at the Ronald McDonald house gala ball
The Emeralds – the official cheer squad for the Canberra Raiders performing at the Ronald McDonald house gala ball
Me catching up some of the ladies from The Emeralds
Me catching up some of the ladies from The Emeralds

And this was followed on by some official speeches and a gentlemen that can only be referred to as a speed painter. He would put up a blank canvas and within a couple of minutes would paint some really amazing pictures at the best part is he would do it while the canvas was upside down.

Official speeches
Official speeches
Speed painter doing his thing
Speed painter doing his thing
Up upside down Miss Jane
Up upside down Miss Jane
Lexus of Canberra claiming this speed paining
Lexus of Canberra claiming this speed paining

With some additional fundraising the evening cracked on with the Michael Jackson tribute band which really got the party going as the dance floor filled up quicker than a green pint on St Patrick’s Day. 🙂

Michael Jackson tribute group
Michael Jackson tribute group
One of the Thriller dances
One of the Thriller dances
Doing your thang Michael
Doing your thang Michael
One of the backup dancers
One of the backup dancers

To which the evening’s entertainment ended with a cover band from Melbourne.

Belting out one of her fantastic tunes
Belting out one of her fantastic tunes
The crowd was going off like a frog in a sock
The crowd was going off like a frog in a sock
The view from one of the tables
The view from one of the tables
The freedom of a performer
The freedom of a performer

All in all everyone had a fantastic night and there raised something like $400,000 for the evening which is fantastic.

The night ended with Lexus of Canberra giving away a car in a raffle to which Anthony Minichiello drew the winning ticket.

One of Australia's rugby league greats, Anthony Minichiello picking the winning ticket for the Lexus Canberra car raffle
One of Australia’s rugby league greats, Anthony Minichiello picking the winning ticket for the Lexus Canberra car raffle

Bloody Ronald McDonald!!!!

What is that saying about working with kids and animals?????  I think you need to add Ronald McDonald to the list… ha ha ha ha

Working through my photos from last nights Ronald McDonald House Charities Lexus of Canberra Gala Ball held here in Canberra at The National Convention Center I came across this photos and couldnt help but share!!!!

I can now tick off “Get Photobombed by Ronald McDonald while shooting one of rugby leagues top cheerleading squads, The Emeralds” from my Top 10 things I need to do as a professional event photographer list…. bwhahahahaha

Here I was just clicking away and Ronald McDonald comes out of nowhere!!!!!!  BAM!!!!!!!

I love Ronald McDonald….  😉

Ronald McDonald Photobombing a shoot with The Emeralds cheerleader squad for the Canberra Raiders at the Ronald McDonald House Charities Lexus of Canberra Gala Ball held here in Canberra at The National Convention Center
Ronald McDonald Photobombing a shoot with The Emeralds cheerleader squad for the Canberra Raiders at the Ronald McDonald House Charities Lexus of Canberra Gala Ball held here in Canberra at The National Convention Center

 

Its a Gala Event!!! A Ronald McDonald Gala Event!!!!

Prepping for an event is a double edged sword…  On one side you are getting excited and butterflies for the the excitement of it all  and on the other side you are going through your check list to ensure you have all the equipment to take on the event that you are going to cover.

With today’s event being the Ronald McDonald House Charities Lexus of Canberra Gala Ball held here in Canberra at The National Convention Center. It kicks off at 5 pm and will go until 2 am…….

What this means for me is given the size of the event, the use of flash as it will be dark, performances that need to be captured it will take a bit of equipment and more importantly a whole lot of flash units and batteries.

YAY for a party… I do love a good party and this one should be a cracker…

So what does an Event Photographer take on such and assignment?   Well this is a very personal thing as each photographer has their own style but this is roughly what I will be taking.

  • 1 x Canon 5D mkII
  • 1 x Canon 5D mkII
  • 1 x 70-200mm F2.8 Canon L lens
  • 1 x 24-70mm f2.8 Canon L lens
  • 3 x Speedlites
  • 3 x external battery packs for the speedlites
  • Colour correcting gels for the speedlites to balance the colour of the lights against the colour of the rooms.
  • 3 x defusing caps for the speedlites
  • 1 x remote trigger for the speedlites
  • 3 x Elinchrom Rangers Quadra packs
  • 6 x Elinchrom Rangers Quadra heads
  • 6 x Elinchrom Rangers Quadra battery packs
  • Colour correcting and theatrical gels for the Elinchrom Rangers Quadra, where I can create some unique images.
  • 2 x Remote triggers for the Elinchrom Rangers Quadra
  • 4 x light stands of different sizes
  • 6 x sandbags
  • 1 x GoPro in protective water proof case – ha ha ha….  You never do know what might happen…  😉
  • 28,321,988 x AA rechargeable batteries
  • Lens Cleaners
  • Some clips, straps, a few bags, tape, claps, etc
  • A external charging unit to keep my iphone charged so I can get Behind The Lens shots…. ha ha ha

mmmmmm  Am I missing something….  I know I wont need to pack fun as I will find it at the event…. Oh yeah my pack horse…  Now where did I put him…. ha ha ha ha

For all you Canberra Raiders fans out there I will once again be running into the best cheer squad in the League if not the country The Emeralds so stay tuned for some great photos of these fantastic bunch of ladies as they will be putting on a performance.

If you want more info on the event or just want to know more about what RMHC does, have a look on the link below.

https://www.rmhc.org.au/our-programs/houses/canberra

Ronald McDonald Gala
Ronald McDonald Gala

#RedMyLips #9

I am a father and I’m not ashamed or scared to express my love for my daughter!

I spent seven years volunteering with Barnardos here in Canberra and I spent many years understanding and studying psychology behind why people do things.

One thing I know out of all this, is that sexual violence and intimidation is not only a cultural thing but it is something that is in most cases factor of the environment in which we grew up in, the environment in which we felt comfortable in the environment in which the foundations were set.

To transform our culture I believe we need to start at the grassroots and that for me is the family unit. It is within this family unit and the people associated with it that set the foundations for the children that will eventually have complete control over their own destiny.

Make a positive change today and help transform our culture by educating our children that sexual violence, intimidation and domestic violence is not okay!

It is not the victims fault as they didn’t choose to be a victim, so let’s change the culture away from victim blaming and put a spotlight where it belongs, back onto the perpetrators.

 

 

#RedMyLips #9
#RedMyLips #9