In conjunction with the West Australian branch of the Australian Institute of Professional Photography we will be presenting a personal insight into our photography, our business, our development, our philosophy and our albums. We want to inspire, provoke and encourage other photographers to best themselves.

This is a unique opportunity for us to speak in tandem. We never do this. Its easy as photographers to become self centered so having the two of us creates a balance of 'selves'. We want this to be interactive and informative. Its two days on growing, surviving, nurturing, and why coffee is important.

We have nothing to sell but so much to give. We have won too many awards to worry about, we have shot in many amazing places, but when it comes down to the everyday truth of being a photographer for the people, we are singly most motivated by striving to give our best to the ones who gave us the trust to be their photographer.

We look forward to seeing you in Perth

Johannes Jo and Ida

This town, Lyttelton, is inhabited by artists, port workers, librarians, vegans, fast-food workers, teachers, authors, poets, real-estate agents, carnivores, designers, musicians, coffee addicts, and several photographers.

It is very real and surreal in the same moment.

I have never been to war, and have lead as normal a life as most, suffering only at the hands of love, fate and opportunity. I did once find a dying man, and have often wondered if I could have saved him had I not been only 11 and naive to the ways of people.

I have nothing to say that hasn't been said before.

In a short time I am making a tour of the UK to talk about my photography.

What can I say?

I thought about musicians ... not the rock stars, but the ones who are musicians because they need to tell a story to those who will listen.

I thought about the musicians that write a great song or three, and want to share it with the world, not because they want to travel the world in limousines, but because they have stories to tell. Their stories are made up or based on their experiences. Sometimes they tell other people's stories. This is me, I am telling other people's stories, but as I see them. I photograph who they are, and the things and people they Cherish. I create a story for them, in a moment, or over time. This is the luck I have created for myself, it is the privilege of telling the stories of others.

So again I ask what can I say?

I want to tell a story about love. I want to tell another story about death, and then one about life. These are my stories. The stories themselves will probably change very little for you if you are a photographer coming to hear me speak, but if you can understand 'why' I am telling you these stories, and how that is important for you, then I will have done what I set out to do. I could teach photoshop, I could teach business ideas , I could talk about album design (and I probably will)

I guess that what I want to do is not to talk you into becoming more like me, but better at being you.

If I was a musician this tour would be acoustic, honest, and personal. I hope that if I end up somewhere near you that you will come and see me.

cheers

Johannes

If you are looking at an album now is the best time to get it made.

The thing about photographing weddings is that the photography is just the beginning of the creation of the story.

This is where we get to flex our creative muscles and finish telling the stories.

I love it!

I started on the 1st of January with a beach wedding ... not your tropical paradise style of wedding, more down to Earth than that ... more like a black sand, murky water, incoming tide type of wedding.

It was great to see two people so incredibly happy about getting married.

Ann is a photographer.  I have a rule about photographing photographer's weddings .... I don't do it.

I don't do it because most photographers have an opinion about how things are done, Ann promised that she would leave it up to me.  She did okay!

Bridal Shows

We hate them and secretly love them.

Every year there are two shows in Christchurch  within weeks of each other. That is something that we can never understand! So twice in a month we give up our weekend to stand cheerfully greeting every bride to be, mother of bride, friend of bride, sister of the bride, wedding stalker, and occasional groom to be, we meet, hoping that they will like us and choose us over the other options. Every year we say NEVER AGAIN! and then the next year we do it again. Is that an addiction! some sort of sociological weakness. Why do we do this to ourselves?

Is it the secret stash of sugary drinks to get us through the day? Is it the cool stuff people say about what you do? Is it the connection with other people in the industry?

Is it the previous brides that come by just to say Hi. Or is it some perverse affliction that only a trained psychologist or another photographer could understand?

If you see us at a Bridal show in Christchurch .... or anywhere, actually, say something nice and make it all worthwhile.

Staying in business

In what has come to be affectionately known as 'these difficult times' (but will historically be referenced with some oppressive phrase like "the financial collapse of the first decade of the new Millenium") it is important for us to look ahead.

We know that in many places things are hard.

We are working to a positive future. We are not cutting back but building up.

We do this because we love what we do ... actually in this moment I can feel a Winston Churchill speech coming on !!!!

Maybe a good time to stop!