Hi friends! My name’s Carley and I’m a full day wedding photographer based in Melbourne’s Yarra Valley. I’m 22 years old and absolutely love my work and my life, I wouldn’t have it any other way. I have a strong belief that you need to make your life count and do what makes you happy. A lot of people either work to live or live to work. I do both.
Monday – Friday I operate my own website and graphic design business, Payneless Media. On weekends I grab my camera gear and document the best day of people’s lives – their wedding. Some would say I’m a workaholic, but to me a lot of the time it doesn’t feel like work because I just have so much fun!
Photography became a big part of my life in high school, when I bought my first DSLR for a school assignment (well, that’s how I justified buying it at the time). I began taking landscape photos and the more I took, the more I fell in love with the hobby. As my skills developed, I began photographing events, in particular, 21st birthdays. Soon enough, I developed my skills further and took the plunge and began photographing weddings.
I absolutely love photographing weddings – which is definitely reflected in my work, both in the images I produce and the way in which I interact with my couples. I have a very unobtrusive approach to wedding photography, and I try to keep the photos as natural as possible. I believe that you can pose someone in the most amazing way, but at the end of the day, it won’t beat a candid photo of them smiling at their partner or laughing at a joke.
I call myself a full day wedding photographer which means I am one of the rare few that start the day with you getting ready and finish up when you do - at the end of the reception.
One of my favourite weddings was in Autumn this year, on a private property in Mt Macedon. Every time I look back at the photos from this wedding I feel all warm and fuzzy inside. I think this is because of two reasons – I take pride in the photos I deliver and you can see just how in love Renee and James are.
Their ceremony was one of the most beautiful I have had the pleasure of photographing, not just for the scenery, but because of the intimacy and personalization. God was at the centre of their ceremony as I know He is in their marriage. You can see in multiple photos the grin on James’ face from ear-to-ear as he looked at his bride. That's the stuff that can't be posed, it’s just pure love!
That’s what I love to capture - photos that my couples enjoy looking back on. I capture real moments and real emotions and have a lot of fun along the way.
If you would like to have a chat about your wedding, please get in touch. I look forward to meeting you and getting to know you.
www.carleypayne.com.au | Facebook | Instagram: @carleypayne_photography