Fremantle Perth Bridal Designer Jaime Lee Major

Jul 18, 2020

Jaime Lee Major is one of Australia’s brightest design stars. Her bridal collection has grown over the last 10 years making her one of the most sought after dressmakers to come out of Australia. Jaime Lee Major wedding gowns are meticulously crafted pieces of art.

A while back I photographed the Perth wedding of Sarah and Dave, which started in a majestic ceremony and ended in a (actual) rave. Throughout all that, this incredible Jaime Lee Major creation weathered all the wild glory.

Jaime Lee Major wedding gown
Jaime Lee Major wedding gown

We wanted to do a piece on her because we are inspired by her wild design talent and outer-space way of approaching bridal gowns for folks wanting something a little more on the edge (see also, Kyha Studios). Her designs are for the fashion-forward bride (the exact words that came out of David’s lips all day at their wedding).

Jaime Lee Major background

Born and raised in Fremantle (Perth), Jamie Lee Major rose to fame after she designed a gown for Kimbra at the Grammys in 2013. Her blue tulle and Swarovski encrusted dress was seen by 40 million people and she gained quite a mighty whack of international fame, and said in an interview for VOGUE that she hadn’t really thought about bridal couture but had so many enquiries that it ‘just sort of happened’.

Jaime Lee Major wedding gown bridal party gold and black dresses


Jaime Lee Major won WA Designer of the year, has been featured in VOGUE, dressed Katy Perry, Lady Gaga and Rita Ora (to name a few). Major has since left the red carpet behind her now to focus her creative genius on wedding dress designs.

Luxury wedding dresses like you’ve never seen before

Jaime Lee Major wedding gowns are priced from $5000 to $24,000, and like all things thoughtfully crafted, worth every cent. They are pieces of art that she carefully wraps around a human body, and have endless hours of labour put into every last little detail. There are hundreds of thousands of beads, crystals, pearls and stitches in her creations.

Jaime Lee Major wedding gown

The bridal collection features a lot of tulle and exposed flesh, lavishly covered with luxurious embellishments. They’re a Pinterest board dream. You can forget the classic silhouette or cathedral length train.

Jaime Lee Major wedding gown

Jaime Lee is talking frills, cuffs, ruffles, sparkles and bespoke demi-couture tailoring. The materials tend to stray away from classic whites and ivories and delve into lux golds and silvers. Something I’m excited to see more of in contemporary weddings.

Jaime Lee Major wedding gown

If you’re a bride who wants to do things differently then Jaime Lee Major’s collection is awe-inspiring. See-through trouser suits and everything covered in Swarovski will certainly turn some heads and take your Grandmothers idea of the traditional wedding dress for a glorious golden ride. The way the light catches the sparkles and the overstated glamour is perfect for any bridal shoot. 

Jaime Lee Major wedding gowns: also a photographers dream

There is no end to this gifted woman’s creativity. She is such an exciting element in Australian wedding scene. One of her recent catwalk gowns used the most insane floristry to bring her ideas to life.

Jaime Lee Major wedding gown

I love capturing everything that makes the day special, the bride’s dress is at the top of my list. Be over indulgent, be bountiful, be sumptuous. It’s a wedding, nothing can be too amplified! Your dress should make you feel like you’ve never felt before and there is no way in hell you can’t feel $1million dollars in a Jaime Lee Major wedding gown.

Jaime Lee Major wedding gown bridal party gold and black dresses
Jaime Lee Major wedding gown
Jaime Lee Major wedding gown
Jaime Lee Major wedding gown
Jaime Lee Major wedding gown
Jaime Lee Major wedding gown

Find Jaime Lee Major wedding gowns online

Jaime Lee Major on instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jaimeleemajor

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International wedding photographer of the year

Jul 16, 2020

We all go into this strange old gig for different reasons, but never on that list is “to win xx award” (i’m pretty sure my couples don’t really give a shit about that stuff and nor should they). Regardless, it’s nice to be recognised by your peers as international wedding photographer of the year, and winning awards does help for visibility and for sharing of educational content that I enjoy putting a tonne of energy into.

So at the risk of compromising my desire to be a recluse artiste gnawing on my own fermenting dreadlocks (it turns out that celebrating the wins and actually talking about them is a necessary part of the capitalist empire we all find ourselves in), I thought i’d share some images judged at the International wedding photographer of the year (IWPOTY) competition last year, the same competition that i’m also totally rapt to be judging this year. It’s a ripper competition and has been doing tonnes to rebrand an industry that thanks to being associated with cheese and all that jazz, is generally the first thing folks think of when they muse “I wonder where all photographers go to die”.

For me it’s meant the most stupidly wild quests all over the planet, making stuff that matters for real humans.

Winning the analogue category is particularly special to me as i’ve got a huge love for being a film wedding photographer, and as far as IWPOTY, have a tonne of respect for their judging panel and founder Luke, so it means a lot to be selected.

With this win I thought i’d share a selection of my entries across all the other categories, and I was fortunate to place as a finalist in nearly all categories.

Grandstand, grandstand, look at me me me, here we go.

Actually though, a special shoutout to all my bloody awesome couples who make this happen and (pre covid 19 anyhow) make me well aware i’ve stumbled onto one of the most bloody wonderful jobs on the planet.

I also love that I can look at all of these images and say they were made for them, and not for me, and that’s where it all starts and ends.

international wedding photographer of the year awards
international wedding photographer of the year awards
international wedding photographer of the year awards
international wedding photographer of the year awards
international wedding photographer of the year
international wedding photographer of the year
international wedding photographer of the year
international wedding photographer of the year
international wedding photographer of the year
international wedding photographer of the year
international wedding photographer of the year
international wedding photographer of the year
international wedding photographer of the year
international wedding photographer of the year
international wedding photographer of the year
international wedding photographer of the year
international wedding photographer of the year
international wedding photographer of the year
international wedding photographer of the year
international wedding photographer of the year
international wedding photographer of the year
international wedding photographer of the year
international wedding photographer of the year
international wedding photographer of the year
international wedding photographer of the year
international wedding photographer of the year
international wedding photographer of the year
international wedding photographer of the year
international wedding photographer of the year
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Blue Mountains Wedding photographer – Zoe and Adam
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Thanks again to all the judges, and the IWPOTY founder Luke Simon who puts so much time and personal energy into making this happen, and sifting through the thousands of entries submitted from over 50 countries around the world.

Hire me for your wedding here.

Black and White wedding photos

Jul 10, 2020

A set of black and white favourites over the years from here, there everywhere.

New Zealand Blizzard
See this location in Best Melbourne Wedding photo locations.
Melbourne wedding photographer reviews
Analog wedding photographer
Zoe and Adam – Blue Mountains Wedding and Elopement Photographer
35mm film wedding photography
Black and white wedding photos
Steph and Zac – Quarry Farm wedding – more Fremantle weddings.
Black and white wedding photos
Steph and Aleks – I Do Drive Thru
Rupert on Rupert
Alix and Tim – Rupert on Rupert wedding
One Day Bridal wedding dress
Alex Perry Wedding dress
Suzanne Harward gown for Melbourne Registry office wedding portraits
Best modern wedding gowns - Brooke Tyson Ritual
Best modern wedding dresses - Brooke Tyson Ritual
Black and white wedding photos
Fran in Brooke Tyson
Melbourne wedding photographer reviews
Humdrum Films Cost
Hannah in Paolo Sebastian
analogue film wedding photographer
Wedding on a Family Property
Dancefloor - Rupert on Rupert
Alix and Tim – Rupert on Rupert wedding
Black and white wedding photos
Black and white wedding photos
Wes anderson style wedding photography
Black and white wedding photos
Yashica Rolleiflex TLR film wedding photography
Black and white wedding photos
Check out more like this at the deck circa.
Rupert on Rupert
35mm film wedding photography
Yashica Rolleiflex TLR film wedding photography
Jenelle on Parker – film wedding photography
family property wedding
Black and white wedding photos
Analog film wedding photographer melbourne
Kids at weddings
Wes anderson style wedding photography
Destination wedding photographer
Black and white wedding photos
Black and white wedding photos
Black and white wedding photos
35mm film wedding photography tri x kodak
35mm film wedding photography
Black and white wedding photos
Black and white wedding photos
Suzanne Harward Bluebird Gala Gown
Tash and Laura in Suzanne Harward
Dogs at Warehouse Wedding
Suzanne Harward bridal gown
Melbourne wedding photographer reviews
Black and white wedding photos
New Zealand Blizzard

Shot on Kodak Tri-X

To see how I edit black and white images, head over to Melbourne wedding photography workshop.

Elopement Photographer Melbourne

Mar 16, 2020

Melbourne Elopement Photography: what do less stress, more money left in the account, and rampant good times have in common?

They’re just three of the (many) glorious benefits to either having an elopement or small wedding. At Briars Atlas Elopement Photography Melbourne Services Pty Ltd (let’s run with that name for now) i’ve photographed so many beautiful small weddings and elopements in Melbourne and in greater Victoria including the Mornington Peninsula (check out these wedding venues on the Mornington Peninsula) and Yarra Valley.

I’m a Melbourne elopement and small weddings photographer, and one of the great joys of this job is working with smaller intimate weddings, with just you two, and maybe a tiny crew. It’s a chance to enjoy the meaningful part of the whole wedding thing (the marriage bit) with so much more calm and clarity.

The other great thing about a small wedding or elopement in Melbourne or greater Victoria is that there is usually more flexibility to have it all happen any day of the week. Generally though, they happen on a Wednesday through Saturday, but it can of course be any day you like.

Elopement photographer Victoria

If you’re considering a small wedding or eloping in Melbourne, you can see a list of my favourite wedding photo locations in Melbourne that i’ve put together, all with examples of couples i’ve worked with at each of them.

Pair one of our brilliant locations with one of Melbournes best wedding celebrants, and you’re off to a flying start. In my experience, elopements can be anywhere between 1 and 10 hours long, however the average length of elopement photography is probably somewhere around the 2-4 hour mark: enough to capture your beautiful ceremony, and then some portraits and gentle anarchy afterwards.

Take a look at the beautiful couples below, and if you feel like the way I see things could be the right fit for your small wedding or elopement, i’d love to have a chinwag (/shiraz, etc).

Elopement photographer melbourne
Elopement photography melbourne
Elopement photography melbourne
Elopement photography melbourne
Elopement photographer melbourne
Elopement photographer melbourne
Elopement photographer melbourne
Elopement photographer melbourne
Elopement photographer Victoria
Elopement photographer Victoria
Elopement photographer Victoria
Elopement photographer Victoria
Elopement photographer Victoria
Elopement photographer Victoria
Elopement photographer Victoria
View Maria and Ingos gorgeous Pumphouse Point tasmanian Elopement.
Elopement photographer Victoria
Wedding photographer
Elopement photographer Victoria
Elopement photographer Victoria
Melbourne Elopement photography
See Kate and Toms incredible Palm Springs Elopement.
Melbourne Elopement photography
Melbourne Elopement photography
Melbourne Elopement photography
Melbourne Elopement photography
Small wedding photographer melbourne
Small wedding photographer melbourne
Small wedding photographer melbourne
Small wedding photographer melbourne
Small wedding photographer melbourne
Hello mate. Love you too.
Small wedding photographer melbourne
Melbourne Elopement photography
Melbourne Elopement photography
I shot this image on beautiful old film with a half century old camera. See why i’m a film wedding photographer.

Looking for small wedding and elopement photography in Melbourne?

I’ve photographed nearly 200 beautiful weddings of all sizes across Melbourne, the Yarra Valley, Geelong, greater country Victoria, and beyond. I’ve got plenty of advice i’m happy to share.

If you’d like to make an enquiry to me, you can reach me here:

https://briarsatlas.com/enquire

Destination wedding photographer

Jul 10, 2019

Wedding portaits: you’re getting married, you’re organising your vendors, and you’re at the point where you’re facing the classic conundrum that is working out whether you do or don’t want your day turned into a Hollywood film-set, and whether you are or aren’t going to be dragged away from your guests for 3 hours for a portrait session.

Originally published on Polka Dot Bride

There’s no right or wrong way of going about your wedding portraits: the main thing is to look at a lot of images from a variety of photographers, and build up a vocabulary of photos that you connect with (Pinterest being one of the great ways of storing that vocabulary), and understand how and when the portrait session (or sessions) fit into your wedding day.

Here’s a few helpful little home truths and things to keep in mind about your wedding portraits that I’ve found useful in navigating all this:

Melbourne wedding photography portrait at desk wes anderson

1: Ask yourself how important portraits are to you

First up, someones gotta say it: while being totally necessary, your wedding portraits are still, simply not the most important part of your day. Not by a long, long stretch! I say this as a photographer who adores that part of the day and invests a hell of a lot of personal energy into them, both on the day and at 1am in my editing cave in the weeks after. Your photographer should be able to advise on the ideal amount of time for them to get images up to the standard that you’ve fallen in love with on their website.

At the same time, they should be able to confidently make you great images, in a small window of available time. I’ve been in situations where 45 minutes have been allocated, and then rain has erupted, and that reduced to just 5 minutes because they wanted to get into the warmth of their packed barn and on to the beers.

I think that’s fair enough.

And a photographer should be able to confidently deliver you some glorious wondrous images, in that 5 minutes. While I personally recommend 30-50 minutes total to my couples, split across two parts of the day, I was able to work out what was important to do in that 5 minutes, work like a crazy-person and get them a beautiful set in just 5 minutes.

So, step back and ask your wedding photographer how long they recommend for the wedding portraits. Work out how long you’re prepared to spend and have a mutual understanding that on one hand its a beautiful window of calm where you get to be with just each other and on the other hand, it’s also precious time away from your guests.

2. From the USA, with love: the first look, and what it means

The first-look is still a little bit of an unknown out here in Australia. It doesn’t help that it’s name has this kind of scary grandeur attached to it. Let’s dispel a few myths, and look at a few of the positives.

The first look is, simply, a moment where you get to meet each other before the ceremony, and inhale a little bit of calm together. It doesn’t take off the magic of seeing each other in the aisle (if anything, it amplifies it).

Melbourne dark and moody wedding portrait on film
Funny melbourne wedding portrait

It does give you the chance to make some portraits immediately after and reduce how much time is spent away from guests later on. Most folks often miss out on the canapés hour, of course there’s no right or wrong approach here, but personally, I’d want to be hanging around my crew for canapés! Remember you can still head out at sunset together, and get the best of all worlds.

3: Whatever the weather: wedding portraits and rain/apocalypse

This is about having an all-in attitude. This is the test. How far are you willing to go for your portraits, in the moment? This is worth thinking about briefly ahead of time, as it can help you slip into the right state of mind on the day if the weather goes south.

There’s no right or wrong answer: but from a photographic point of view, the more risks you’re prepared to take (within reason), the more wild the photographs you’ll receive will be, and fitting to that particular moment.

Rainbow sun shower wedding portrait
Rainbow sun shower wedding portrait

Maria and Ingo leapt out into rain and rainbows for their wedding in Tuscany, and I think it was worth every second of that 1-2 minute sprint. Us photographers are a weird bunch, and you can probably always consider us up for running out in a hail storm to get the best shot, so this is really just for yourselves to consider.

The worst thing that can often happen is a bit of dirt on your dress and water in your hair. So get out into the rain, make some wild photos, then load up on some whiskey. That’ll get you warm again.

4: How to see and use available light

It’s taking every ounce of strength for me to say this, but, when it comes down to it, there’s no such thing as bad light, only bad photography. Us photographers – we might moan and groan about overhead sunlight (I certainly do!), or about harsh green fluorescent light, and there’s some truth in there being something extra special about sunset, twilight, and all that jazz.

Dark and moody melbourne wedding portrait

But, this is really important: your photographer should be, first and foremost, a problem solver.

There’s no such thing as bad light – only light that might make them uncomfortable. And if they’re good at their job, they’ll be able to work through that discomfort, solve the challenge of whatever the lighting situation is, and still be able to deliver you magnificent images, and be comfortable in solving problems caused by un-ideal lighting.

Melbourne arts centre wedding portrait
The photo of Anna above, is against a harsh fluorescent LED light in the venue entry-way. After the sunset shoot, this ended up being the perfect light!

A lot of what makes this image work was about carefully bringing it to life in post-production, but a photographer should be able to see great opportunity and know what to do with it. Mix up the indoors, with the outdoors.

Melbourne black and white wedding portrait
This photo of Ryan & Alan above, was shot in the middle of the day in the harshest light. By finding a nearby canopy, we bounced beautiful full light from a lake in front of them, onto them.

Mt Sturgeon royal mail hotel melbourne wedding portrait
Hannah & Ben, captured at the majestic Mt Sturgeon Homestead, in a similiar setting to Ryan & Alan.

With all of that said, I’m still a big believer in crafting the optimum scenario where possible: your photographer will be able to work with you on your timeline and styling to offer any advice to make things that little bit more magic for both your guests and your images.

I’m no stranger to being asked about festoon arrangements, or timings for portraits. Put your faith in your photographer and ask if they have any suggestions. Chances are, we’ve got a brain full of ideas that we’re willing to share, all in the name of getting you the best wedding photography.

Try and prioritise at least some of your portrait shoot later in the day, around sunset and into twilight. This is when the dance of light does some especially magic things.

Sydney sunset wedding portrait
Sunset in Sydney with Jane & Michael.

Moody blue mountains wedding portrait
Twilight in the Blue Mountains with Sarah & Simon.

5: Do the planning and hard work on the back-end, not on the front end.

Like every area of your wedding, you want to do the hard work on the back end, not the front end. What this means is connecting with caterers, stylists, and photographers you feel you can trust, so that on the day you’re not having to intervene. This is especially important with photography and specifically, wedding portraits. A shot list can hinder your photographer, and take them away from doing what we do best: which is being responsive to unfolding moments.

Don’t meet a million vendors for each category, meet a few and spend time with them. Make sure you get those little bells of trust ringing that tell you they’re the one. And then let them do what they do.

Because the best wedding portraits – the ones you’ll print and find yourself sending to everyone – fundamentally come out of ignoring nearly everything I’ve written above, and enjoying a couple of carefree windows with a photographer you feel entirely comfortable with, wherever they end up being taken.

One Day Bridal wedding portrait Chosen by One Day
Laugh wedding portrait

These are a fun couple of portraits to close this article up – because this should all be, well, fun!