My First Display Album

A large heavy box was jammed at the back of the wardrobe, the light film of dust on top of it revealing it had not been moved in many years.  Wiggling it free from its resting place, I wondered what was hidden inside.  As I lifted the lid carefully, I found what I had deposited in it all those years ago... my first wedding display album I used to showcase my work way back in the mid 1990's.

Moments shared with couples came flooding back as I flicked through the pages.  A smile lit my face when I saw an image of my sister-in-law on her wedding day in the album.  Julie was a beautiful bride, her wedding was memorable, I remember taking the photo in front of me.  The album was made from material totaly different to what we use today, one option  people were able to select back then was a gold foil embossing around each image.  Styles are different today.

Finding this album made me all sentimental, I remembered the pride I had showing it to prospective clients, I had started on my journey as a wedding photographer.

Do you have a photo album in a cupboard that you have not looked at in many years?  Go and find it, turn the pages carefully and remember the moments, if possible, ring the person in the photo and tell them what you have found.  Photos take us back to those times in a second.  Touching an old album is wonderful; there are no obsolete technology problems to navigate, just images to enjoy.

Reyment Photographics Celebrates 15 Years in 2010!

Help us celebrate through 2010 as we celebrate our 15th birthday.  

Reyment Photographics began all those years ago with a dream and a passion to photograph special moments in life.  From humble beginnings in our home studio in our front enclosed verandah to today operating from our Old Cleveland Road Coorparoo Studio, we continue to strive to provide our clients with stunning wedding photos and an amazing photography experience.

So what has changed in the last 15 years, especially with wedding photography?  We will be taking a retrospective look at where it all began for us, what the styles of photography were and technology (or lack of!) used.  What equipment were we using, what were we giving our clients, how much has changed?  

Make sure you subscribe to our blog to keep up to date and join in our 15th birthday celebrations.

John Reyment is Back from Europe

"JR" is back!

2009 saw John Reyment, Master Photographer and owner of Reyment Photographics live in Europe with his wife Karen and son Alex.  Travel destinations included France, Italy, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg.

In the course of their travels, John, Karen and Alex met so many amazing people, many now true friends.  John and Karen; a food and travel writer formed the perfect team as they interviewed and photographed so many artisans in the food industry, all willing to share their passion.  From cheesemakers to Michelin star chefs, they found people and businesses willing to share their story.  Keep an eye on the Australian press for upcoming articles by Karen accompanied by John's magnificent images.

Now that 2010 has arrived, John has returned to the studio at Reyment Photographics with new inspiration, lots of travel stories and of course heaps of wonderful photos.  Be sure to keep an eye on our blog and galleries to see some of our latest images.  Below are just a few.

Welcome back JR!

The Arc de Triomphe, Parc du Cinquantenaire, Brussels

View from Sacré-Cœur, Paris

Castiglione della Pescaia, Tuscany Italy

photos by John Reyment

Have you visited The Somme?

Have you ever been to the Somme? 

I had always known that many Australians fought at the Somme in France in World War 1 where over 1,300,000 soldiers lost their lives.  As a patriotic Australian, I imagined visiting the Somme would be very special, right up there on the list of things you must do when near northern France.  What I was not prepared for was how moving an experience it would be to visit places like Pozières, and Villers-Bretonneaux with my family.  

We travelled just under three hours by car from Brussels to get to the Somme one December morning.  It was chilly but the skies were clear, at least for the morning.  Our first stop was at Pozières.

We found the Australian 1st Division Memorial at Pozières which stands over the main German line at Pozières.  There is a platform you can climb to see the ridge which the Australians captuted at a cost of 23,000 casualties.  Quiet moments of reflection were not enough to keep my tears at bay, my thoughts of the hell on earth it must have been in July 1916 were totally opposed to the tranquil setting I found with silence unbroken save for the birds chirping.

Memorial to the Australian 1st Division at Pozières

Photo by John Reyment, Reyment Photographics

SBS Food Article

Hi guys!

Want to know what Master Photographer John Reyment and Brisbane Food and Travel Writer Karen Reyment have been up to while living in Europe throughout 2009? 

They have been working hard on researching food stories, things like this photoessay featured on SBS Food.

Check out this photoessay on Bellotta-Bellotta.  Words are by Karen Reyment, photography by John Reyment of "A Day in the Life" Images.

We hope you enjoy the story and photos about this most yummy of hams!

What is the AIPP? And why is it important?

How many acronyms and buzz words are flying through your head while you are looking for a photographer? PMA, AIPP, PPAQ, MKII, CF, SD, PSCS...!

One particularly important acronym in that list is AIPP. It is the Australian Institute of Professional Photography, and it is the National professional photography industry body.

What does this mean? Well, when you are looking for a professional photographer, one of the first things you should look at is if they are a member of the AIPP. Photography is a completely unregulated industry. Your builder needs to be certified under law, your teacher needs to be certified under law, even your local restaurant needs to adhere to strict laws and regulations. But just about anyone can call themselves a photographer!

The trouble here is that you place a lot of trust in your photographer, particularly for a wedding day that cannot be repeated. Choosing an Accredited AIPP member ensures that you have selected a photographer who has agreed to uphold certain ethics within their business, and that their work has been assessed by other photographers in the Institute. Basically, this means that your AIPP photographer will be moral, and is actually a good photographer with a firm grasp of the basic concepts of photography, including light, colour and professional camera operation.

The chances are that your AIPP photographer will also have a high-level of service quality, meaning that they should look after you through the process, right from the moment you book them for your occasion. A bit of peace of mind for you!

The PPAQ (or Professional Photographers Association of Queensland) is another professional organisation for photographers. The PPAQ are Queensland-centric, and also have stringent guidelines for their members to adhere to.

John Reyment is a Master of the AIPP, and a Certified Professional Photographer (CPP) with the PPAQ.
Melinda Comerford is an Associate of the AIPP, and Queensland AIPP Divisional President.

Rememberence Day 2009 in Luxembourg

Luxembourg American Cemetery and Memorial

photo by John Reyment, Reyment Photographics

11th November 2009, a very special day in Luxembourg for me and my family.  Being Rememberence Day, we went to the service at the Luxembourg American Cemetery and Memorial.  Totalling 50.5 acres, the cemetery is located in a beautiful wooded area.

We were greeted by a foggy atmosphere which stubbornly refused to lift.  Inspecting the headstones revealed just how young and courageous these soldiers who gave their all were.  Row after row, lives cut short.  How different would our world be if these people had lived a full life? 

A wreath laying ceremony was followed by a ceremony at the grave site of General George S. Patton of the U.S. Third Army.  The cemetery was created on December 29, 1944 by the 609th Quartermaster Company of the U.S. Third Army while Allied Forces were stemming the enemy's desperate Ardennes Offensive, one of the critical battles of World War II. The city of Luxembourg served as headquarters for General Patton.

We must have looked like foreigners as we were approached by a reporter from France and asked in French why we were at the service today.  We explained (in our best French!) that as Australians, we like to pay our respects to the fallen and attending a service like this on this day is important.  Conversation soon progressed to the rest of our travels and the next day, we found an article in the paper about our story.

Nicole & Tim 7th November 2009

Nicole & Tim planned their entire wedding from all the way in NSW, but held the event in Brisbane! And they couldn't have done a better job.

Nicole's Wendy Makin dress was stunning! The boys were dressed by Spurling Formalware, and arrived looking spiffy and on time for the ceremony at Sirromet Winery's Laguna.

The day began with the clouds threatening to break open above us, but the rains stayed away for Nicole and Tim! We went off and had a beautiful photo shoot, and the colours of the vineyard from the recent rain were mindblowing!

Thank you, Nicole & Tim, for allowing us to be there with you on your special day, and capture all of your precious moments together as husband and wife!

K&A Maternity Portrait

K&A are growing bub #2, and we were lucky enough to be invited to capture this special process for them! We also did K&A's wedding photos, as well as photos of bub #1 in belly and as a newborn, so we have a very special relationship with them.
Thank you for allowing us the opportunity to document this time in your lives together!

Rogasch Family Portrait

The Rogasch girls got dressed to the nines for their photos around their newly renovated backyard... until they decided to jump in the pool!

We all had such a great time!