Brendan Maunder Photography – Page 3 – Event and Portrait Photographer

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I Will Sleep Well Tonight Because I Have a Blanket!

Every year St Vincent de Paul helped thousands of people within Canberra and around Australia. This requires thousands of dollars in funds to keep this going, the motorcycle community both here in Canberra and around Australia pitching a few times a year to go along and help with donations and support. Tomorrow is one of their major ways in which they can help the unfortunate.

Tomorrow is the St Vincent DePaul blanket on the ground in Canberra were motorcyclists bring donations of blankets and other warm clothing which St Vincent de Paul handout or sell to assist people that are in need.

Myself and my daughter will be there to support what is a fantastic motorcycle community and to help less fortunate in any way we can. I will be there as an event photographer to capture the moments and give them back to the people which have given up their time and money and blankets to help other people in need.

If you are motorcyclists living in Canberra I urge you to come a all long to the blanket run which starts at 8:30 AM at old Parliament.

Here are just some of the photos which I took last year!

The Salvation Army ‎ Blanket ride 2015 held at the old parliment house in Canberra. It raised around $4000 from the Canberra Motorcyle community

What Does The Smell Of New Studio Lights Smell Like?

Bloody awesome I would say. 🙂

Last year one of the schools I teach Photoshop, Lightroom and photography at asked for my advice on what they should get in the way of new studio lighting as their existing equipment was aging and needed replacement.

I gave them a shopping list that included 3 x Elinchrom 500, with some light modifiers that included med softboxes, umbrellas, and grids. With stands and remote triggers I also recommend Canon 600 speedites with remote controllers, collour correction and theatrical gels.

When all the gear arrived the other week they asked me out to help them set it up and give them a quick run down of what was what and I would hate to leave them in the lurch, so I jumped at the chance. hahahahahaha

It didnt take too long to get the stuff out and put it all together giving them some tips along the way.. I did learn one tip

Where you are setting these types of lights up dont look directly into one when it is on full power from only 30cm away and make it pop…

If you are interested in lighting, Photoshop, Lightroom and photography shoot me a message as I know we can work something out. 🙂

New Elinchrom Lights With Modifiers

Tell Your Mum You Love Her!

Last night one of my Facebook friends suffered a major motorbike accident where are a car pulled on in front of him at 80 kph. He is now in hospital with bleeding on the brain, busted pelvis, spinal injuries and multiple hand fractures, if he does pull through I would think he has a very long road of recovery in front of him.

This accident reminds me how fragile life is and how, what we have today, can be taken away in a heart beat.

Today is mothers day, take some time to be with or talk to your mother. Give back some of the love attention that she showed you over the years as she too needs love and attention.

There are so many people out there, where their mothers have been taken too early and I am sure some of them would give up anything to be with their mothers on mothers day. <3

Sunset Over The River

The Night before the Dawn!

101 years ago on this ANZAC day eve there was thousands of Australian and New Zealand men ordered to board ships and take hold of what was Gallipoli but in reality it was one of the ANZAC’s major defeats.

I look at this photo some time ago and it shows the peacefulness of the sunset also the hectic and fire of nature

The ANZAC’s must have been going through a similar thing. The orders were to take Turkish land must of been a standard order until they hit ground where they were fired upon by multiple machine-gun posts that they were unaware of. The battle turned into what was a prolonged and devastating offensive on both sides it became our pinnacle of hope through ANZAC Day.

Without the sacrifices of these men in this battle and every battle before and every battle after we would not have our way of life. The ANZAC spirit is built into the Australian culture, they are us and they always will be, for we are a nation that is not afraid to fight, we are not afraid to die for what we believe is right and that is true today as it ever was.

Tomorrow attend ANZAC Day memorials, respect and love our country and respect and love your family but remember and pay back to the ones that gave up everything and the ones that continue to do so even today.

Spend some money on 2-up and have fun, if you see anyone with metals be it theirs or the relatives show them the respect which they deserve, have a conversation, ask them about their history as am sure you will find some amazing stories.

RIP our ANZAC’s and Let’s We Forget!

A sunset to remind us of the sacrifices of the Anzac’s

Behind the Computer Once Again

In my business people have an idea that we spend all our time photographing but the reality is that we spend most of our time sitting in front of a computer screen. 🙁

Today was one of those days but I must say I learnt a lot, made a heap progress with some ideas I have bashing around my head and I got to capture a fantastic sunset.

How was your day?

What a Way to End a Mentally Draining Day

Want to see how I post process photos?

Have a look at my latest post here:

Models, Firepits and Bush

Happy Easter From My Australian/Bilby Family To Yours!

Oh thank God it is Easter once again!!

I don’t know about you but I like the Easter holidays even though they only four days long, it’s a great time of the year to get out about spent time with the family. It’s not too hot and is not too cold is so the risk of being burnt to a crisp in the Australian sun is somewhat on our side.

I would like to take this opportunity to wish you and your family happy Easter and I hope you spend today relaxing with family, eating a shit ton of eggs and chocolate and if you can do one thing today. Put down the phone, turn off the Internet and spend some quality time with the people that you love!

Be safe and I’ll see you on the other side! 🙂

Easter Bunny versus the Australian Bilby

Nice…. A Day and Night Off to Sit Back and Relax!

With a shoot that was postponed as the client had to go away I had the day to myself to relax and catch up with house duties… yay for a day off!!!!!

With half of the day cleaning and shampooing carpets and the other half watching “Highway Thu Hell” on Netflix which I think I am addicted to (thank god there is only 23 episodes) I grabed a wine and watched the sun set from my back door. 🙂

And That Ends Another Day!

I feel so relaxed that I think I am ready what another week…. Except tomorrow is a public holiday in Canberra, oh well what ever will I do with my time…… 😉

I know how about I organize a 5 hour shoot with a model, makeup artist and agent on a private farm, where we can capture natural and free spirit images.

If you have to work tomorrow have fun but those of us in Canberra will be enjoying the day and thinking of you…. ok ok ok maybe not..

Eat When You Can!

In my line of work as an event and portrait photographer I get to cover a lot of events but as with every event, one thing is key…. and that is time!!!!!

You are always running around getting shots here and there, with generally little or no time to rest, drink or eat, so as I race home tonight and ready for tonight’s event I get to:

charge my batteries,
download cards,
swap lens
get changed
whip up Veal mignon with mushroom butter, wrapped in bacon served with veg and baked capsicum, washed down with a chocolate milkshake. yum yum yum

What wonderful things have you whipped up for tonight’s midweek meal?

Veal Migono with mushroom butter wrapped in bacon

Veal Mignon with mushroom butter wrapped in bacon

I WONDER What the Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Will Be like

Tonight is the gay and lesbian Mardi Gras in Sydney. It is an event like no other and captures the fascination and excitement of many while drawing in hundreds of thousands of people to line the streets of central Sydney.

Some people attend and participate in the atmosphere and some attend and participate because it is a hell of a lot of fun.

Tonight will be something different…… among the hundreds of floats there will be a float covered Wonder Women… Yep if you ever had something for Wonder Woman then this is a must see…

Wonder Woman

This float like many others is there to have fun and enjoy the night but it also has a very serious purpose. They are raising valuable money for the National breast Cancer foundation (http://nbcf.org.au/)

I am sure we can all agree Brest Cancer takes the lives of way to many women… It takes out mothers, wife’s, girl friends sisters and friends. It does not discriminate and it not only effects the people that a diagnosed with it but all the family and friends.

Wonder Woman

So if you’re watching or participating in the Mardi Gras this year keep an eye out for the Wonder Woman float and throw a bit of love and money their way as they really out to bring awareness to what is a worldwide killer of women.

Wonder Woman

Oh by the way if you are interested the shield was a custom made by my mate Allan at Type 40 (http://www.type40.com.au/) and I can not say enough about the quality of his products.

I had the very special opportunity of visiting his workshop when I was down in Melbourne last Aug and to say its a cosplay heaven is an understatement. yay!!!! So go share some love with my mate Allan.

Has This Ever Happened To You?

Have you ever woken up on a Saturday morning and thought to yourself –

I really need to stop photographing so much so I can clean the house and tidy the yard so it doesn’t look like hillbilly central!!!

Nah me neither….. 🙂

Has This Ever Happened to You?

If you want to see the before and after images side my side and a video how it was edited pop over to my sister site

Quick Portrait Edit For A Saturday.

What a Colourful Day!

After a late night was up the crack of dawn to attend this years colour run here in Canberra. Last few years I’ve popped out there as a photographer however this she was different. This year I was a participant!

The fun and the joy that is the colour run is always something that brings a smile to my face and every other person that attends. The music and the vibe is upbeat and with volunteers along the way giving everyone words of encouragement it truly is an event for people of all fitness levels and in fact I think they should rename it to – The Colour Walk and Fun!

I’m not sure on the numbers that were there today but I would have a guess it would have been in excess of 20,000 people but it is hard to tell as the run is split over a period of time people get released in blocks to avoid a mad rush at the beginning.

After getting completely covered in coloured cornflower and bubbles I knew that I couldn’t let this opportunity pass me by so what better reason to take some more photos.

This I friends is what the colour run looks like at the end!

OMG – That Was Awesome

As part of the the mandatory photography took Kit you need to GoPro and a Seflie stick.. 😉

Mandatory Tools for Colour Run

Why do you need such mandatory tools??????

well it’s so you can capture some really crazy shots from a high of taking in large amounts of your environment because of the ultra wide lens.

This was just one of the stations along the way without a snow/foam making machine that pumped out tons of the stuff….. Now if I could only get one of these for a photo shoot that would be awesome!!!!

What’s a Bit of Snow between Friends

Now that you have run your ass off on what is the happiest 5 km of your life, you get to have a party and what a party it is….

Disclaimer: ok ok ok no one actually does run the colour run which is why I think they need to re-name it to the colour fun.

If you have some photos of your colour run I would love to see the as I cannot get enough of colour, glitter and the fun that is the colour run!

All that’s it for another year and I can’t wait to photograph all the action next year!

The Mad Party at the End

How to Find the Dodgy Night!

I was doing a corporate shoot and I noticed that a couple of my studio lights were not firing all the time so I swapped them out on the day with the spares I take on these types of shoot but the problem was I didn’t mark which ones where the dodgy ones.

So today while I had a bit of time between shoots I thought I would crack out the lights and find the ones that need replacing and what better to find them than to take some self portraits.

This is just a couple of the ones I ended out with as I’m a bit rushed for time.

I Am the Star Lord

Nothing like a little black and white action when you have a over head light setup. 🙂

Rarrrrrrr

After all that I did find the bulbs which need replacing and I had a bit of fun.

Now is time to get ready for a 21st birthday party that I’m covering tonight and like every party and event a cover I’m sure it is going to be a hoot.

Have a great night and keep safe!

Hey Look It’s Friday!

Oh boy what a week. Covering events and portraits through the week was fantastic but I must say it is nice to have a night off so I can get to bed before 2am and sleep into at least 6:05 am. lol

Once again the sunset tonight was spectacular and something I will never get sick of I dont think. 🙂

I will be posting a how to on this image tomorrow on my sister site http://www.photographicworkshop.com.au/ so if you are interested in how to take and post process this type of photo have a look see tomorrow.

Until then I hope you have a fantastic night. <3

Thank God It’s Friday

As the Postprocessing Continues the Sunsets

With a full on afternoon of post processing photos from last night’s event and corporate portrait at photos of the Canberra Raiders cheer squad The Emeralds, I have a break in the weather to run outside and get a quick snap while I export 300 images.

Sunsetting while I post process images.

Ever Wanted to be an Event Photographer!

Here is your chance.

I am running a one off one-on-one event photography workshop where you become my real world second shooter.

Want more information pop over to my Photographic Workshop page and blog at.

One-On-One Event Photography Workshop

One-On-One Event Photography and Real Event!

Guns Guns and More Guns!!!

Heading north I drove through Lithgow and the people that are unaware Lithgow holds a very special place in our Australian history. It is where we built our small arms supporting our war efforts in the first and Second World War. It is also a place where we now build our current and future small arms for our defence forces.

At the Lithgow smallarms factory they have a museum dedicated to this past and have a room dedicated to pistols and revolvers. For anyone fascinated in our military history and firearms in general this is a must see as the collection here is amazing!!!!!

While the museum itself is relatively small the collection they have is vast and extensive. It takes in our Australian history and history of other countries around the world.

Welcome to Australia’s history

Downstairs is where they have the long arms while upstairs they have a room that has the most extensive pistol and revolver collection I have ever seen. This room has over 1000 pieces all of which belong to one individual that donated these to the museum and boy oh boy there are some real gems in there.

Take for example this little palm pistol. I’ve only ever seen these and books and never actually thought I would see one in real life, so goes without saying that I was blown away.

palm pistol

I think I must have spent a good few hours just looking at the multitude of firearms in this building, while trying to imagine the history behind each and everyone of the pieces.

Here is just some of the collection to wet your whistle.

Two More Pictures before I Go!

I was looking through the other photos I took of this area and I have to share these two photos before I moved on and showed you the photos of the glowworms in the area up and around Lithgow.

These two photos were taken from the Kanangra wall lookout.

The first was a couple of hours after the sun had set while the second photo was maybe an hour after the sun had gone over the horizon and after the New Year’s Eve fireworks I could see in Sydney.

Kanangra Walls – at night with the stars showing

The glow from the photo above is from the lights at of Sydney which were 80 km away and in the direction of the fireworks I saw only minutes before taking this shot.

Kanangra Walls – after the sun had gone

The Walls Where You Can See for Miles

At the top of the stairs there is a fantastic lookout that looks over the magnificent Kanangra Walls. These walls form the southernmost and of what is a spectacular valley and gorge that goes on for miles and miles from this location and believe it or not I had the opportunity to watch the new years eve fireworks from there.

Now for anyone that knows where the Kanangra-Boyd National Park is, they would know it is miles and miles and miles and miles away from Sydney so imagine my surprise when some of the other people there who have been regulars for years asked if I was hanging round to watch the fireworks. Now considering only had to wait another 40 minutes hell yes I was going to wait.

And to my surprise i could in fact see the fireworks from there!!!!! WOW

Before it got dark and the fireworks started I snapped this picture below and you can see why they call it the Blue Mountains!!

Kanangra Walls

There are varying stories as to why the mountains seemed blue however one smart little cookie scientist put it down to the fracturing of light and the fact that only the blue light is disbursed due to atmospheric conditions within the gorges. This is not a unique to the Blue Mountains in New South Wales it can be seen in other places around the world which share similar characteristics.

No matter what the reason the view is spectacular and one I will definitely go back and see.

It was kind of a shame to leave this place but my journey and travels were taking me north up to the Jenolan Caves.

Waterfalls and steps

After dropping my gear off at the Boyd River camping ground I did a quick run down to the Kanangra Walls which also holds a fantastic waterfall at the bottom of a rough bush track that is made up of slate and what only seemed like around 400 steps on the way down.

It’s a scientific fact that if you count the amount of steps going down to a place any account the amount of steps coming up from the exact same place on the exact same path, there are always four times as many steps going up. It’s really weird like that, and this place was no exception.

It’s return walk of about an hour but I think you can actually do it in about half an hour if you reasonably fit. You do have to be really careful however as there are no fences and the ground is made up of shale and can be very slippery in places with no chance of forgiveness for a slip could see you fall off the edge of the cliff. 🙂

It is however worth the walk because at the bottom you come to a fantastic little waterfall that has a fairly deep hole at the bottom of which makes for a very refreshing place for a swim on a hot day.

Kanangra Walls Waterfall

Given that this was peak season I had this waterfall all to myself which I thought was kind of amazing.

After all who wouldn’t want to be here!

I sat down there for around 45 minutes or so admiring the waterfall and testing out the cool freshwater, especially as it was really hot.

Kanangra Walls Waterfall

It was started to get dark down there so it was time to head off back up the 8 million steps so I could reach the top just in time before the sunset and giving me a fantastic opportunity to photograph Blue Mountains and the Kanangra Walls in all its glory while I enjoy the last few hours of 2015.

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