Peter Karp Photography

Sunday, May 6, 2012

Beautiful Berrima

Autumn in the Southern Highlands is so beautiful. I had the pleasure of photographing a stunning new accommodation venue opening in Berrima called the Post Office Residence. Built in 1886, as the name implies, one of the front rooms is the present post office. The property stands on the site of the old tollhouse, where tolls were collected to cross the bridge. The property is typically Georgian, complete with Georgian antiques and portraits in the lounge room, Ralph Lauren bedding, Jim Thompson furnishings and other luxury inclusions.

The day I visited, the snow pear tree out the front put on a majestic autumn display. There is also a huge maple tree out in the street next door. I love watching leaves drift in the air when they fall from trees. I was lucky enough to witness a magical moment when I just happened to step outside. It was so beautiful. A big dust of wind picked up and this is what I saw… I imagined I was in a scene from Harry Potter!

Tags: Autumn in the Southern Highlands., Berrima, Berrima photographers, Berrima Post Office, Photographers in Berrima, Photographers in the Southern Highlands

3 comments

Cathy Crawley - 07/05/2012 - 12:40 am

Oh Peter this is gorgeous! I can see myself living there full time. Just my kind of pretty

Peter - 07/05/2012 - 1:21 am

Thanks Cathy. I could imagine living there too! It is gorgeous indeed!

Annie Gelhaat - 07/05/2012 - 9:56 pm

You have captured this beautiful paradise so perfectly … I would love a weekend there with Luke … So beautiful

Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Marina and Michael… an Assyrian Affair

I had a wonderful cultural wedding to shoot last weekend. It was my very first Assyrian wedding in 26 years of photographing weddings. It was so lovely to watch and capture on camera. They have some lovely traditions that I was able to witness on the day. I have included some images below. I did some research in Wikipedia to try and explain some of these traditions as best as I can.

M’Pulata d’Chalo…
A tradition symbolic of the bride leaving the home of her parents. Usually the bride is in her home taking pictures with family and the groom’s family visits to take her out of the home and to the church. While in the house, the women sing tradition lilyaneh and dola and zurna is played as they dance. Before the bride leaves the house, a member of the bride’s family usually a cousin, niece/nephew,uncle/aunty etc… stands at the door and receives an amount of money from a member of the grooms family usually a Father, or brother, the amount is decided by who’s holding the door.

Burakha…
The wedding tradition where the bride and groom are blessed by a priest in a church. The burakha traditionally lasted about four hours, but more recently the event goes for about one hour. Pins in the shape of two crosses are usually placed on the groom’s back.

Now the photo of the bride’s foot on top of the groom’s foot was implying that she has the dominating strength in their life together now! I don’t think this was an Assyrian tradition somehow. I think it was something more worldly! I always thought the man was the head of the house. In the case of my own wedding, the minister said I was the head but my wife was the neck that turns my head!

Well I hope that helps give you a bit of background to some of the images. Oh, and they sure know how to dance! I have never seen so much dancing!

It was certainly a beautiful day. The ceremony was held at St. Hurmizd Cathedral, Greenfield Park and the reception was at Le Montage, Lilyfield. Enjoy the photos!

Tags: Assyrian wedding photographer, Assyrian weddings, Le Montage, Le Montage weddings, St Hurmizd Cathedral, Sydney wedding photographer, Sydney weddings

no comments

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Scottish Dew

Don’t you just love Scottish Dew…well I do!… especially up here in The Blue Mountains. The light is so soft with the dark heavy clouds hanging around. I love working in these conditions. Don’t ever be dismayed by rainy days on your wedding. There are so many amazing possibilities for great photographs like a reflection in a puddle for example…well this was a huge one! Or wonderful ethereal images!

Tags: Scottish Dew

3 comments

Brock Johnston - 09/04/2012 - 11:20 pm

That looks amazing Peter – beautiful image!

Adam Cavanagh - 10/04/2012 - 5:59 am

Epic photos Peter!

Ciaran and Amanda Gogarty - 11/04/2012 - 10:47 am

Such an amazing photo, you are so talented, we had such a great day, cant wait for our album.

Friday, March 16, 2012

The Eternity Ring

Well finally after 20 wonderful years of marriage I took the urge to buy my beautiful wife an eternity ring. Yes, I know it is about time! I have never seen such a happy wife!…well she is always happy but now she is completely overjoyed! I really didn’t know how much a woman treasured an eternity ring! She said to me that it is not so much having more diamonds on her finger but what it symbolizes. She wanted to have one of her favourite Bible verses engraved inside of it which is Ecclesiastes 4:12 which says…

‘Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken’.

Just like the eternity ring completes the engagement ring and wedding ring, The rope-makers of the ancient world discovered that a rope made of a single or a double strand of thread could be broken so easily; however, a rope made of three strands was not so easily broken.

The author, Solomon does not want to teach us about ropes; rather, he wants to teach us about marriage. A person by him or herself, without companionship, support, and love, is like a cord of one strand – they are not very strong. Two people who support and love each other, like a rope of two strands, is stronger. A three-stranded cord, however, is even stronger. In marriage and the family, a three-strand cord is husband and wife and God. This sort of marriage is not easily broken. This sort of marriage can endure the trials of life’s journey.

Isn’t that a wonderful verse!

BTW, all you lovebirds out there whom are getting engaged, if you are looking for a jeweler for that perfect engagement ring, check out Nauthe’s Jewellers in Springwood, The Blue Mountains. They are amazing and great customer service too!

1 comment