Brenmakasih

Just before old mate came earth side, I got to capture Thuy and Twain’s wedding at and just to make things a little more enjoyable heaven opened up and made sure we all left a little wetter than when we first arrived.

For years I’ve been reluctant to share family photos online. I don’t know why, perhaps I felt like it would “tarnish” the wedding vibes, but when I think about it it make sense when you share people’s stories. For Frank and Rach, I captured their wedding back in 2009! But our friendship began more than 20 years ago at school. The game plan for the family session was simple, keep shooting until the kids cracked it! Haha jokes, but seriously the game plan was to just focus on enjoying life as a family and grab some piccies here n’ there. As we were wrapping up I suggested we just go for a walk and and see if we could get something a bit landscapey. The the sun decided to say hi!

- Bren

www.Brenmakasih.com

Phil + Georgia.

I’ve known Phil for a few years. We had the pleasure of playing in our church bands over the years (yep, I’m a muso & play the recorder) when he rang me and asked if I could photograph his wedding I was honoured. It’s scary photographing friends weddings. You don’t want to do a bad job and you want to capture their story in the most beautiful and honest way possible. A few FB messages later and here we are. I think Georgia is the perfect match for Phil. They both live a sergeant hearted life and it oozes out of their bodies in such a warm and loving way.

Love you guys,
Bren

This day was created by and to raise awareness of pregnancy, infant and child loss and raise much-needed funds to support bereaved families.
It is an important and special day for loss parents around the world, to hear and see their babies names acknowledged in a world where there is so much silence surrounding baby loss.
It also highlights just how far we have to go as a society to overcome the discomfort when discussing or acknowledging the loss of a pregnancy, baby and/or child.
The discomfort you may feel pales in comparison to the gaping hole that is left in a loss parents heart each and every time their loss or baby is not acknowledged.

Let's do better to push past our own discomfort and potentially brighten the day of someone who so desperately just wants their baby to be remembered and loved by others.
A spot on my feed today for a special girl whose name will never be forgotten, or silenced, as long as I have anything to do with it.
I love you, Nariah.
We Love you.
God loves you.

I got to catch-up with Chelsi and Brian on Sunday. I’ve photographed a few of their friends weddings so when it was time to catch up, I honestly felt like we had been friends for years.
When we got to the Lincoln’s Rock it was pretty packed and I even bumped into a few familiar faces which is always a delight. As the sun started to set, the crowds took off too.

As I was looking through their prewedding session, I was reminded of a song that’s quite dear to me. A song that when I think about my most favourite photo I’ve ever photographed. (2nd photo)

The song is called Hard to Find, by the National.
And the story goes…

I can see the glowing lights
I can see them every night
Really not that far away
I could be there in a day
I wonder if you live there still
I kinda think you always will
If I tried, you'd probably be
Hard to find
What I feel now about you then
I'm just glad I can explain
You were beautiful and close and young
In those ways, we were the same
There's a lot I've not forgotten
When I let go of other things
If I tried, they'd probably be
Hard to find
They can all
Just kiss off into the air
They can all
Just kiss off into the air
I don't know why we had to lose
The ones who took so little space
We're still waiting for the ease
To cover what we can't erase
I'm not holding out for you
I'm still watching for the signs
If I tried, you'd probably be
Hard to find
They can all
Just kiss off into the air
They can all
Just kiss off into the air

- Bren

I've known Jordan for just under 10 years. We went to Church together, and served in music and he's always been just one of those dudes that can relate to anyone at any level. He proposed to Sarah last year and there wedding was in Brisbane in October. I wasn't able to make the wedding, but I had two of the best in the wedding industry cover me in my absence and as I upload the gallery I'm smiling from ear to ear. Josh and Josh absolutely smashed it.
There were candids, there were moments and then there were beatifult portraits. For now here's a lil' silhouette (and I've probably spelt that wrong) but meh.

- Bren

Last night, we prayed harder than we’ve ever prayed, our clothes drenched in tears as we realised the reality of our situation. We prayed asking God to hold her tight, thanking him for the privilege of having Nariah for the last 21 weeks. We said if heaven is her home to continue taking care of her for us.

This morning we were told some tough news. Nariah’s body has moved further into the birth canal. It’s not just her toes, but her legs too. The Doctors said that it’s unfortunate and it could just a matter of time before she’s born. We’ve had a beautiful Mid-wife, Mithra comfort us, hug and hold Irene’s hand as she shared what is going to be like to give birth to Nariah, told us what will happen during the pregnancy and after. She brought out some premature clothes for us to hold and said that we’d be able to be with Nariah for as long as possible. The Doctors surrounded Irene and reminded her that there are somethings out of our control. They heard us cry and comforted us. Looked us directly in the eyes and made sure we felt valued and cared for. They didn’t leave the room until we were all laughing and talking about food.

We’re still holding on, hopeful but I think we understand what’s going to happen. We aren’t questioning God’s plans, just saddened. We’re hopeful that we’ll meet Nariah in eternity. That doesn’t mean we’ve given up, we’re still praying every day, each hour. Thank you to each of you who have reached out, prayed and comforted us.

🙏

Earlier in the week Irene went for a 20-week scan, before heading off to work she was singing the song “OHHHH we’re HALF WAY THERE” and I replied “Living on a prayer” as she went for her scan, they realised something wasn’t right. Immediately we were admitted to the birthing suite where a Doctor would inform us that Irene’s cervix had started to open up and that effective immediately she’d be on bed rest for as long as possible.

The first goal was for you to make it past 8 weeks, then 12 weeks. Because your sisters didn’t get to make it this far. Your rollercoaster was similar and each week we’d be down in the E.D department hoping you’d be okay, and no matter how long the wait or how quickly we got to go home we were just happy to know that you were okay. Each week before we’d watch a video & learn more about you our little Embrio & you’d continually grow, from the shapes & size of a sweet pea, to a raspberry, a strawberry, cucumber, avocado & each week you’d grow a bit more. From the beginning, we named you Embie. Mummy&Daddy would giggle as we thought of you. Each day we’d message each other just saying your precious name Emby with a little smiley face. One night we were eating dinner and I said how about we call Emby, Nariah. We want you to honour your two sisters, mummy smiled & when she read the meaning she discovered that it meant Lamp of God and from that night on, we called you Nariah. But for the last few nights we’ve been crying, praying that God will keep you safe. We feel hopeless but are incredibly hopeful.

I don’t really know what words to write, but I guess I’m reaching out for help. Would you pray for us? In the last few days, we’ve experienced some pretty big highs & lows.

The Bible says that Faith as small as a mustard seed can move mountains. We’re climbing one at the moment. I see God answering prayers in the little things;
We’ve gone from approaching each day, day by day. To this morning, let’s monitor the next 48 hours, to determine the next 7 days.
Last night, I couldn’t fall asleep without hearing the song Highs and Lows. Something we sang as we found out about Nariah.
Please continue to pray for us.
Love,
Nariah + Mummy + Daddy

I’ve known the Luong’s for about 18 months. We first met when our local church and their local church started discussing ideas for an arvo kids ministry. Over time, they would pop around and drop some food off to our place, just because they loved cooking. I tried to return the favour but realised I can’t compete with Mumma Luong. She’s a killer cook, so I just embraced being a recipient 😊These days we catch-up about once a week-ish and one of the unique things that I cherish about this friendship is the ability to naturally connect with each member of this wonderful family.

- Bren

Yesterday was Mother’s day.
A day created by Christians. A day that honours those wonderful motherly figures who have helped us in life. We made Irene breakky in bed, went for a bush walk and honoured our two babies who we didn’t get to meet. We teared up as we sang songs being reminded that we have a God who is in control through the highs and lows.

Life has a funny way of revealing things to us. When I was younger I didn’t really grasp the idea of “struggling to start a family” when I heard others talk of the struggle, in my mind I was like “just try again” but the weight of those words is often harder than you think. As the years went on, and the topic of kids for us became a discussion, we hit that part of the book. The chapter called “Struggle” the one thing I’m incredibly thankful for is the assurance knowing
our journey is more common than we came to realise. The last few years have come with heartache, uncertainty and doubt. Feeling like “why bother” or “no one cares” but as we shared with those around us both Irene and I came to learn that we were showered with love. Unconditional love, the love that’s not written on a card, but is both practical and emotional.

Today we’re sitting in Westmead hospital getting ready for an IVF procedure. Scared, lonely, and uncertain, more feelings than I probably wanna write. When we were driving here we asked each other how we were feeling, knowing there’s no guarantees with this, knowing there’ll be grief, wanting to be hopeful but guarded just to ensure the fall from disappointment isn’t any higher than it needs to be. We remain assured that God has plans bigger than we could ever imagine. Regardless of what happens from here, we know we aren’t alone.

- Bren

I Choo Choo choose you.

I graciously squatted between the drummer and his foot drum just to bring you this shot. (And if you know how much space there is in that spot you’ll realise grace was not part of this shot) 😐✌️

I’ve always believed that each and every wedding is an opportunity to try something different, create, fun and unique. There’s a photographer who’s work I’m constantly drawn too and always makes me giggle when ever I watch him on YouTube. Fer Juaristi / Photographer] is a talented dude based out of Mexico and I love his philosophy. He’d rather create a few distinctly unique photos for you than go down the cookie cutter approach. I’ve slowly tried to adapt that in some of my workflow and as a creative it’s refreshing. Especially when you’re shooting several weddings a week, you can quickly find yourself thinking “did it shoot that already, or was that last wedding? Oh crap have I shot the safe stuff yet?” But approaching each and every opportunity as a unique story, watching and waiting leaves me feeling excited each and every time I pick up my camera.

Gracias Fer Juaristi / Photographer] 🙏

{Angela + Freddie}

Saturday, the weather forecast in Sydney was for showers all day & if you saw what was happening on Friday night you'd be fooled for thinking that Saturday was bright blue skies, 40 degrees, and a tone of humidity. But when we were hanging out in the Botanical Gardens Freddie said that he had prayed for a beautiful day. I'm convinced God answered his prayers in more than one way.

- Bren

I feel like I haven't shot on this side of town in ages.
When we got to Bradley's head there were quite a few other shoots happening all at the same spot, all shooting the same thing. I said to Dan and Vince that I wanted them to know that I don't do cookie-cutter but rather want to capture photos that best represent them in the most natural way possible.

45minutes earlier I was saying hello to them for the first time and a few hours later I felt like we had been friends for years. This is the experience that I long for as a photographer, but I know that you will find so much more memorable too.

- Bren

In the middle of the night, I may watch you go
There'll be no value in the strength of walls that I have grown
There'll be no comfort in the shade of the shadows thrown
But I'd be yours if you'd be mine
Stretch out my life and pick the seams out
Take what you like, but close my ears and eyes
Watch me stumble over and over
I have done wrong, you build your tower
But call me home and I will build a throne
And wash my eyes out never again
But love the one you hold
And I'll be your goal
To have and to hold
A lover of the light
Skin too tight and eyes like marbles
You spin me high, so watch me as I glide
Before I tumble homeward, homeward
I know I tried, I was not stable
Flawed by pride, I miss my sanguine eyes
So hold my hands up, breathe in and breathe out
So love the one you hold
And I'll be your goal
To have and to hold
A lover of the light
And in the middle of the night, I may watch you go
There'll be no value in the strength of walls that I have grown
There'll be no comfort in the shade of the shadows thrown
You may not trust the promises of the change I'll show
But I'd be yours if you'd be mine
So love the one you hold
And I will be your goal
To have and to hold
A lover of the light
So love the one you hold
And I will be your goal
To have and to hold
A lover of the light

bride

"We pick up in New York City"

- Bren

www.brenmakasih.com

If you were to capture your story in a few photos, what would it look like?

- Bren

www.brenmakasih.com

부모를 사랑한다는 것은 부모에게 중요한 것을 공경하는 것입니다.

- Bren





www.brenmakasih.com

마지막 터치

- Bren


www.brenmakasih.com

Raymondo - one of the loveliest guys you could ever meet. He can also dance, almost as well as me, just almost. 😛

- Bren

www.brenmakasih.com

I've spent ages trying to come up with a quote for this photo. I've written a bunch of paragraphs and then re-read it aloud and then pressed backspace through fear of people laughing. I googled phrases about Mum's and then felt even more disingenuous, so I'm sharing this image of John holding Mum's hand whilst Dad was sharing stories of life watching his boy grow up into a Man. I love this image because what you can't see was the tears of love, assurance, and happiness that John made his Mum and Dad proud.

- Bren

www.brenmakasih.com

Anthony & Olwen, two of the most genuine souls you could have the joy of knowing.

I met Anthony through a friend of mine, Sylvia from the amazingly talented brand ( ) with the plan to photograph Anthony’s proposal last year, unfortunately, this didn’t happen for a few reasons, but then he rang me and said that he and Olwen had planned a lovely little wedding in Sydney. As we got chatting it became evident that family was really important for both of them and in our meeting I said that you need to speak with Chris at Savy Entertainment about live streaming this for your family.

Yesterday, we had people from Israel, America, France and Bondi tuning in to watch these two become official.
Anthony + Olwen, thank you for allowing me to spend a wet and wonderful afternoon with you both. It was worth getting drenched in the rain just to hang out with the two of you.

☺️✌️

- Bren.

www.brenmakasih.com

I spose' the back deck is alright for ceremonies.

- Bren

www.brenmakasih.com

"I love them all equally".

Occasionally at weddings, I might jokingly ask Parents and Grandparents which Child or Grandchild is their favourite and I love hearing the same response.

Seeing Will's Grandma at their wedding really was something special. She graciously showered that gorgeous smile as she witnessed the day unfold.

- Bren

www.brenmakasih.com

If you know the span of distance between these two locations, you'll be proud to know that I successfully managed to exceed my 10,000 steps when shooting Will + May's wedding.



- Bren

www.brenmakasih.com

You know that feeling on January 19th when you've successfully made it 19 days without eating something and then on the 20th January you think to yourself I've been good, I've gone to the gym, I've eaten my spinach shakes, stuff it, I'll pop in via Drive-through and grab myself a 20 pack of nuggies and Triple cheeseburger. You eat and you are satisfied, you arrive into food coma land and feel great? I too experienced my food coma when hanging out with Will and May on Saturday night, you see it had been a little more than 19 days since my last CBD wedding & it was good.

Bren
www.brenmakasih.com

Please tell me that I'm not the only one dreaming of a Cadbury Dairy Milk Marble Chocolate Block when looking at this photo?

Sincerely,
Craving Chocolate Photographer
www.brenmakasih.com