This weekend, you will have the opportunity to bend the ear of a brilliant Sunshine Coast wedding photographer we simply adore. Luke Going Photography will be exhibiting at A Darling Affair Wedding & Events Fair. It's going to be a fantastic day with lots of handmade and vintage-style inspiration, a fashion parade, beauty parlour and $1000s in prizes to be won. It's on from 10am at The Big Pineapple Plantation Room.
So we figured, you might need some talking points to bring up with Luke when you pop in to visit him and see more of his amazing work. To that end, we grilled the guy and as usual, Luke's responses to our tough questions were intelligent, considered, honest and quite captivating. Much like the man himself!
What's your favourite book?
LG: I always find it impossible to decide on a favourite book, movie, band etc. I do have my all-time favourites for sure, but to decide on one as the ultimate favourite is a gruelling task. So, I decided my favourite book that I have read in the last 12 months would have to be "The Grapes Of Wrath" by John Steinbeck. This book absolutely floored me. Steinbeck's ideas we're way beyond his time, reflecting the humanitarian attitudes of social justice and equality that we are so privileged to live with today, and this was written in 1939! The heartbreaking story of Tom Joad and his stoic family, is one I will never forget.
Where do you do your best thinking?
LG: Going walking with my partner, is when all the magic happens for me. Leaving the house, the office, the domestic distractions behind, I find my mind can be totally free to dream, to envision the vision and think big. I love this ritual, although I wish I could do it more often. But when we do go walking together we usually arrive back home inspired with plans for the next few months. It's a great space for a board meeting.
Tell us about something special in your life.
LG: Well, this has to be my daughter Pearl Magnolia. She is 11 days old and seems to have taken the top spot for "most important thing/person in the world" for me right now. She has captured my entire heart and soul!
Black & White or Colour?
LG: This is a BIG question for a photographer. Most people have a soft-spot for Black & White, but I was fanatically obsessed with it for MANY years. So much so, that I set my digital camera setting to shoot only B&W, which is a big no-no as I can never turn those images to colour. Not that I'd want to. I love the dramatic intensity of B&W. The contrast of light and shadow, the intriguing textures and patterns it can magically manifest. When ever an image is made B&W it is instantly transformed. I love how it draws focus on the subject, while subduing the distracting nuances of a colourful background. A big contributor to my love of B&W was the inspiration of early 20th century photographers. The early pioneers like Ansel Adams, Edward Weston, Minor White, Cartier-Bresson, Werner Bischoff and Andre Kertesz all played a hugh part in opening my eyes to the emotional impact of photography. Their vision was an artistic vision. They saw that photography was much more then mere documentation, but was a medium (as worthy as any) for the heart and imagination to express itself in the exploration of light and composition. They were the innovators that have made photography what it is today.
What's your favourite thing about photographing weddings?
LG: Weddings are the modern day fairytale. They can be as extravagant or as personal as the bride and groom desires. They are the one event in a person's life that allows them to feel magnificent and exceptional, like they are the princess that they dreamed of when they were a little girl. This atmosphere is electric and phenomenal to photograph. But the element that always inspires me the most is the love story that is at the centre of it all. The energy that sparks between the couple is magnetic to my lens. It is the formula that creates spellbinding images, and fulfils the musings of the bride's childhood dreams of love and the feeling of being adored.
Where on the Sunshine Coast would you like to most photograph a wedding?
LG: The two places that I would love to photograph that I haven't yet are Yandina Station and Annabella, The Wedding Chapel. Both of these places have a unique difference that really captivates me. I look forward to the day when I have the privilege of being invited to shoot at one of these places.
What is your best advice for brides?
LG: I can't stress the importance of being 'in love' with your photographers work. To see the artistic value in their work helps give a photographer the confidence to follow their own artistic vision to create a unique portrayal of your day. The photographer provides more then just the service of documenting your day. They also provide the invaluable commodity of your images. Images that will become priceless as the generations roll by. With this perspective, it is likely that brides will start to appreciate the value of their investment. It may seem a lot of money now, but what is that money worth in a few years time? More than the immeasurable relief that you will feel knowing that you invested in a creative professional to be the visual narrator of the most significant chapter of your love story? I hope not : )
