Traveling has been a passion of mine since I got my first passport at 6 months old (no joke!) I sat on my moms lap and made gaga sounds at the photographer. I started traveling alone at age 6 to visit my Aunt in Missouri every Summer. I haven't stopped since. Where I go, my camera follows. I love experiencing new places and capturing each one in my own way.
This is the post that most people have been asking me about! I have many excited readers, not to mention Brenda, waiting for this!
My good friend and travel companion, Brenda Swann, lugged her wedding dress all the way Down Under for a trash the dress shoot! We decided to stay close to our hotel, and explore Hyde Park in downtown Sydney, Australia!
We had about 30 minutes of sunlight left when we began the shoot. Day 1 of Sydney brought us to these rows of trees and I just knew I would want to stick a bride right there!
Hyde Park has some cool Aboriginal Art in it:
And of course, I was in awe of the gorgeous St Mary’s Cathedral
This is a neat fountain just outside Hyde Park, there is actually a swimming pool underneath this!
After the sun went down completely, we decided to keep exploring and using available light where we could find it! I brought a flash with me on the trip, but it did not leave my bag once! Every single photo in this post was taken with light that was available in that particular area!
Rad gate!
Again, the row of trees like the first photo above, but this was after the lights were turned on!
Modeling in the subway! I love how not one person thought we were strange shooting here! Nobody even paid attention to us!
Probably my favorite shot of the night!
I hope you have enjoyed my 4 installments of the epic Australia trip! I had such an amazing time, I can’t wait to go back. Next time I will get to the Great Barrier Reef!
xoxo, M
Beautiful work Melissa! I love the use of the lights and their reflections to make her look all the more glamorous and ‘far and away’, very pretty and dreamy. And the colors are drool-some!
The rad gate shot is awesome! I also love the second shot from the bottom. I want to go to Australia! Waaaaa!
I’m sooo glad you talked me out of not doing the trash the dress! I can’t wait for it now! These are breathtaking!
LOVE the pics – they are beautiful! I would love to check out Aus one day! Let’s get together sometime when you are back!
oh my god I didn’t know you guys were going to do these.. she looks amazing!!! Great job Mel, thanks for sharing!
Great pics Mel! Brenda looked so beautiful! I love that they are so unique!
AMAZING! I love them all but I’m partial to the black and white one where she’s leaning close to the gate. Beautiful work!
What a fabulous photo shoot! Brenda makes a mighty nice model, too! 🙂
Wow!! These are amazing. I love how you used the light even after the sun went down. B looks like a supermodel!
How beautiful! That’s pretty amazing that you never used a flash. I would have sworn you would have needed it for a few of them. So great. Mad skillz. 🙂
Brenda looked awesome. I loved the feather in her hair! So elegant and classic. My fav was the one on the tree-lined street with the lights on. What a great TTD session to be in Australia!
Glad you guys had fun!
They are all so beautiful! When I saw the windows in your fav next to last, I thought, wait, she wouldn’t miss those windows and sure enough, that perfect last shot. Brenda is a lovely model.
These shots are amazing. You are such a talented photographer! I love the 5th shot of Brenda.
Those are SO awesome! How fun! I love the night shots! Just gorgeous! ? Makes me want to go back – and this time stay long enough to shoot something worthy of posting!
these are gorgeous melissa! brenda looks stunning!!!!
i think the gate is my absolute fave. 🙂
great work Melissa, i like them all!!
Obviously I am gonna love your masterpieces… I don’t have a fave, do you count as a fave? I mean you aren’t technically IN the pics, but whatever. HOW AWESOME was that gate??!!
Never seize to amaze I tell ya!
SWEET! Love the pictures- people didn’t stop or act as if anything was strange ’cause B looks like a freakin’ Model! the night time shots are really cool.
Homerun, Mel! You knocked these outta the park. And Brenda, you are hot hot hot! Love the headpiece and your sassyness.
Oh my gosh Melissa!!!! I think this is my favorite shoot of yours yet! Awesome, amazing, incredible…you rocked it! I love the creativity…I couldn’t even tell you a favorite. Great work lady! 🙂
These are so awesome!!! I looove the night ones:)
Seriously, these are some of the best trash the dress images. Ever! I love x100,000,000 the first 3. Great work, Mel!
These are so GORGEOUS!!! I love every single one of them, but that first is definitely my fave. You really rocked the night lights! 🙂
these are gorgeous…
Awesome, awesome, AWESOME! You guys totally ROCKED this shoot. Great work Mel!
Ooh, the light! Ooh, the model! Ooh, my headband down under! Seriously. Gorgeous.
The night shots are fantistic! I love the first night shot and the second-to-last one!
holy COW. I am in love with these photos!! and how COOL is her head piece?! Seriously, so modern and FRESH!!!! You rock! 🙂
beautious maximus! i love the trees…love the gate…love the bridge over the pool…of course, your model’s pretty hot too! 🙂
your fave is my fave! looked like fun!!!
Wow. just wow… amazing stuff Melissa! not just that it was international with a beautiful bride, but you totally rocked it.. Love the use of lights – foreal – my fave stuff… Me = inspired.
2 thumbs up my dear. Love the one by the gate with the shadows.
numero uno is numero uno!! love it mel!!
Hyde Park looks amazing, you have some incredible images here, awesome work!
suuuuper great! I hope these inspire brides everywhere to lug their dresses and a photographer on every trip! 😉
Like Jayse said, totally glamorous and spectacular use of light! My favorites are 1, 9, and 13. LOVE them! 🙂
These images are stunning, I had to pick my jaw up off the floor. Beautiful work. You rock!!
I love these! That night shot of the first one (you know what I mean) is awesome! How fabulous… nice work!!
Oh Melissa these are sensational! I actually saw that rad gate last Saturday and thought I’d love to use it some day, now after seeing your photo I don’t think I could do any better than that! You see Sydney in such a beautiful way, I love it! And Brenda looks gorgeous!
I forgot to mention that I’m really bummed now that I couldn’t do the shoot with you, damn that Groomzilla! *stomp stomp stomp*!!!
Great Job M! Best ever!
So worth the wait!!!!
LOVE these shots………sooooo amazing
all these shots are absoluting amazing!!!
it makes me want to do my trash the dress more and more!
Love them all, but my favorite would have to be for the row of trees with the lights on. Super nice work (as always)!! =)