Last night at the Ivy

I had the opportunity last night to be working for a corporate customer at a supplier awards night at the classy Ivy in Sydney city where they had a few hundred guests among whom were the effervescent trainers from the biggest loser the gorgeous Best selling Author and fitness Guru Michelle Bridges, the very motivated Shannan Ponton who posed with a 10kg block of cadbury chocolate which he said would keep him in business with people consuming it, then needing to lose weight!

There was also famed designer Peter Morrissey, and internationally renowned landscape designer and all round nice guy Jamie Durie. I was also able to take a picture of singer Stan Walker which he liked and so did the great people from Sony Music.

Whilst those guests were certainly famous and really nice people to meet and mingle with, one of the greatest guests I was honoured to meet with whom I do not have a picture with was a working Cardio thoracic surgeon who said that 80% of his day is standing in the one spot performing heart surgery. I was stupefied at the complexities he referred to and the miracles that have occurred in the last few years at his and the hands of so many people who dedicate their lives to changing other peoples lives. He also referred to the importance that funding plays in getting equipment that could very well save each of our lives.

Last night they raised in excess of $161,920 from raffles, auction items and donations. Amazing. Some of the auction items were fantastic.

I raise this because whilst you see me with many celebrities here on my blog and FB pages, these celbrities are not the most important people to me but they are fun to be around.

One of the key things I do love about mixing with many celebrities is that often times these are people who achieve their dreams, live the lives they have hoped and wished for and particularly with their thinking there is always the possibility of why not!

An aspect of life that sadly many people do not live with or share. There is a seam of negativity that exists in the world that I see in people, a seam that appears to prevent people from ever achieving their hopes and dreams, almost as though they feel unworthy of being truly happy and then in an act of self flagellation or personal sabotage actually prevent themselves from living well. I know it is a complex issue for many people and a couple of lines in this blog post does little to examine the causes and many varied aspects to what I see as a problem.

It saddens me greatly when people live their fears into reality.

I see so many talents and abilities in people who just dont see it themselves and think that that happiness and a life of possibility has in a twisted act of fate passed them by. I raised this with a dear friend yesterday, who i do not include in this blog post examination particularly, it is just an aspect I see in so many people overall.

I also am truly fortunate to do what I do and it is often at the kindness and relationships I form with clients who become friends. This event I inherited as a result of a lady whose wedding I photographed some years ago and she was so pleased with the results and the warm friendship that developed as a result that I became her recommended photographer.

Whilst I have certainly had a couple of weddings where the friendship part was challenged or not as strong, though I have truly never worked with someone I never liked.

I look sincerely upon every customer / client with gratitude and friendship. Because it is these very people who help me develop and grow as I master my craft and afford me the opportunity to see and experience so much of what becomes my own exciting life.

I am so honoured to meet each and every person i work with and that I get to have images that become part of these peoples life long memories, pleases me greatly.

It is like a small part of me lives on in the lives of so many...perhaps long after I am gone.

When i left the venue in the Angel Place area of George Street I took some pictures of Sydney near the bird cages. These were taken without flash at nearly midnight. They are empty cages that have the sounds of birds recorded in speakers it is strangely surreal, beautiful and tragic all at the same time. I also just took some images of the Angel place area. I love the way the city looks through the lens at night.