Hi, I am Belinda Fettke.
I am a wife and mother of 3 grown children.
I was a registered nurse in a past life.
After 13 years as a stay at home Mum, I ventured back into the workforce as the PR Marketing photographer for Scotch Oakburn College for 8½ years. This involved covering every aspect of school life, in which I immersed myself and loved that I could capture kids being kids in a state of the art educational facility. I could celebrate their achievements, their friendships and their growth to mature young adults. It was a very precious time and I learned so much about photography and ventured into Social Media.
I began my own photography business BPhotography over 7 years now.
I consider myself a storyteller and am drawn to passionate, creative people … hence my bi-line “the Art of Storytelling”. I want to capture memories and share stories through the visual medium of photography. I especially love photographing people and consider myself lucky to do something I love as ‘work’.
I find inspiration in the simple things around me, in love, in family and in amazing literature. To convey an emotion and feel something real from an image or written words is incredible to me.
I look for light to see where it falls and the shadows it creates. I find textures intriguing.
I love to laugh and I sing whenever I feel like singing. I sing to my steering wheel regularly on long drives – it makes me happy!
I am humbled by the wonderful people I have met through my work, my photography, my association with the Australian Institute of Professional Photography (AIPP) and allied resources. Humbled that I have permission to capture the deep essence of true emotions and precious moments in time. Often these moments can’t be repeated. I am honoured to capture people’s stories and thankful that I can share them.
While I specialize in wedding photography, family and children’s portraiture I also photograph pregnancies, newborns and pets. I am happy to go to special places for my client portraiture, somewhere that has true meaning for them.
I take time to perfect my craft, to know what I love and to be inspired and inspire others.
I am proud of the work I produce.
I am an Artisan.
Dog on a balcony in Venice
Extended Family Photoshoot at Green’s Beach.
Extended family photo shoots are such a lot of fun. Especially when you combine sun, surf and sand with kids ranging in age from babies just months old to adults into their 30’s. Thank you to Carol and Mike for asking me and to their gorgeous family for making my afternoon’s ‘work’ so easy. It is a special time getting everyone together for Christmas which makes it a perfect opportunity for me. Loved it!! xx
What Colour is Love? – Love comes in every colour in this beautiful extended family photoshoot.
Extended family photoshoots are always very special. It is often hard to get everyone together, especially when you have 16 children and most have partners and children of their own. I love the connection between families; siblings; grandchildren with their grandparents and cousins. Thank you for asking me to photograph the family that could be there Pat. I loved it as usual!! 
Pat and Bert Howard, are described by Linda McKenzie (author of the book ‘What Colour is Love?’) as the pioneers of inter-country adoption, paving the way for many other Australian families to realise their dreams of parenthood. They have 1 biological son, 3 locally adopted children and 12 children from overseas nations including Korea, Taiwan, Vietnam, Thailand, Mauritius, Fiji and Vanuatu. Repeatedly, Pat faced battles with government bureaucracy intent on discouraging such adoptions.
Beautiful family … Thank you for asking me xx
An Engagement Shoot Filled with Love & Laughter
I feel ‘love’ when I am surrounded by it. It tugs at my heartstrings and gives me wings to fly. Suddenly my ‘work’ is so easy, the creativity, the subtle direction and then letting the shoot unfold. Each tender and beautiful moment flows to the next.
I believe if a couple truly love each other their touch is honest. The kiss, though sometimes awkward the very first time in front of me, is everything; spontaneous, tender, cheeky and filled with passion. I know that I smile just as much as any young woman I photograph; whether it is her engagement photoshoot, her wedding, her pregnancy or with her family. That is why I love what I do and never want to stop.
Sometimes I smile so much my jaw aches and this was very much the case when I photographed Ellie and George for their engagement session recently in Relbia, Launceston. From the moment we started discussing their thoughts and ideas for their upcoming wedding at Josef Chromy Wines in April I became immersed in their sense of fun, their deep love and desire for their wedding to be a celebration with their family and friends and their very cherished commitment to each other.
I have known Ellie since she was 8 years old. Our families have grown up together and I have watched her become a confident, successful young woman, committed to educating her young students. I have only met George a couple of times as he and Ellie live in Canberra. After thinking about the possibility of a wedding in Canberra, Ellie decided she just wanted to come ‘home’ to Launceston to be married. We talked about places to photograph them for their engagement shoot and decided the grasses just below my house couldn’t be more perfect so, after chatting to them about their wedding plans, I just knew that the light was stunning on the paddocks below, the wind had dropped and we set off to take photos.
Thank you for trusting me to capture your love for each other Ellie and George and to tell ‘your story’ as you begin the next phase of your lives.
It is a very beautiful story xx
Quamby Estate came alive with a Vintage ‘Carnival Themed’ Wedding recently.
I was so excited to photograph Emilie and Chris Carr’s wedding at Quamby Estate in Northern Tasmania last Saturday, with the wonderful assistance of my dear sister Bron Matthews. Despite the threat of rain and cold winds, the sun shone at 4pm and the afternoon was a wonderful celebration of young love.
The girls got ready in the beautiful rooms of the Quamby Homestead with Priscilla Hume from Newstead Hair attending to their hair styling and Brianna Schipper doing their makeup. The Bride wore an Anna Campbell dress with a simple bouquet of mauve, yellow and pale pink roses with Gypsophila which the bridesmaids carried and the groom and groomsmen wore on their lapels.
The ‘aisle’ from the Quamby homestead to the stunning tree under which they were married, was decorated with handmade pinwheels by Karen Moir, Emilie’s Mum. Barb Youd (marriage celebrant) was professional and warm as she always is and making the occasion intimate and personal.
The Carnival theme extended to a Mr Whippy van handing out icecreams to the guests and the gardens were filled with outdoor games for them to play. 
After family and bridal party photos were taken Emilie and Chris were introduced to their guests as Mr and Mrs Carr and the party started. The BBQ buffet was a real treat as was the dessert buffet with delicacies hand made by family and friends. The Baker Boys provided the music and everyone was up dancing. 
Thank you for asking me to capture and share in your special day Emilie and Chris. I wish you both every happiness for your lives together. xx
Engagement Photoshoot at Kingston Farm in the foothills of Ben Lomond National Park
I couldn’t think of anywhere more significant and special to Anna and Marc than to do their engagement photoshoot at ‘Kingston’, her family’s farm, among the foothills of Ben Lomond National Park in the Northern Midlands of Tasmania. Kingston is approximately 2600 ha of ‘rough terrain’ property amongst low rolling hills covered in native vegetation. The farm has been in Anna’s family for over 100 years and was originally owned by John Batman; the pioneer and founder of Melbourne. His stone cottage still stands on the property and we used it as one of the many amazing backdrops for the photos.
So excited for their upcoming wedding in March!
Bert Howard and his Elfin 400 Racing Car
Sometimes I get asked to shoot commercial projects, and this one was close to my heart. I have known Bert Howard and his family for a few years now and have photographed many special occasions the family have celebrated during that time. When Bert’s son Jamie asked me if I would be interested in photographing the Elfin 400 racing car that Bert drove in the Adelaide Grande Prix in the 60’s for a website he is creating, I jumped at the opportunity. 
From what I can gather, Bert had been a real character on the automobile racing scene in Tasmania in the 60’s. After his beloved Monza Holden (Batmobile) was badly damaged in a trailer accident going home from a race in Longford in 1967, Bert purchased and raced the Lola at Longford in 1968 before buying the Elfin 400.
Bert told me about the memorabilia in the Longford Pub that was en route of the 7.2km Longford circuit where cars reached speeds of up to 180km/hour on the most famous stretch, named the ‘Flying Mile’.
What I loved about this photoshoot was the closeness of his grown up children and how fond they are of their father. How proud they are of his racing history and the teamwork required to get the car to Longford, unassemble it to get it off the trailor and reassemble it for the photoshoot. I took some photos of Bert with the car and also with his prized helmet, one of the first to have airholes to assist breathing in case of fire.
As we were all packing up Jamie asked if I could photograph his father tying the car onto the trailer. His fathers’ skill at knot tying is something he passed down to his children and I love the images I took of his strong hands tying knots with patience and precision.
Thank you for such a lovely opportunity Jamie, Heath, JP, Kushila and Bert. I loved sharing it with you x
For more information and to read about the 60 year anniversary car racing events held in Longford in 2010 please click on the link; http://www.brandtasmania.com/newsletter.php?ACT=story&issue=111&story=5
Congratulations Anita & Dan, Your Wedding in the Rain was Awesome!
It is meant to be Good Luck if it ‘Rains on your Wedding Day’…
Well it certainly rained on Anita and Dan’s Wedding Day, though it kindly stopped for an hour so the Bride and Groom could have a sneak peak before the wedding. The Girls got ready at Wrest Point Casino, Hobart and there was lots of fun and laughter; especially when the Flower Girl, Charlie, joined them. It didn’t take long for her shyness to disappear and jumping on the bed turned out to be great fun.
The guys got ready at the Old Woolstore, Hobart. Special thanks to Bron (the other half of BPhotography) for photographing them. 
The couple had decided to meet and see each other before the wedding with their Bridal Party in attendance. The place we chose was The Cascade Female Factory as somewhere the couple could be close but not actually see each other straight away. They stood either side of the rockwork and held hands while slowly inching forward facing away from each other. When finally they ‘looked’ there were tears and smiles and a big kiss in store.
The rain stayed away for the Ceremony in the gardens at the Cascade Visitors Centre with the Cascade Brewery behind them making a perfect backdrop. Unfortunately we needed to retreat indoors to have them sign their Marriage Certificates so they weren’t damaged from the rain and the temperatures dropped.
I asked Anita and Dan if they would be up to a late night shoot on a pier in the rain after their reception. We all got rather wet, especially my gorgeous and ever smiling assistant; my dear sister Bron Matthews and I. At least my couple had an umbrella. I had Bron stand behind the couple to backlight them and I stood on another pier to photograph them with the lights of Hobart in the background. I wanted the rain to show up as a halo around them. Just love this photo and can’t thank my couple enough for heading out in the wind, sleet and freezing temperatures to capture something so very special.
It certainly ‘Rained on their Wedding Day’ – may it always bring them Good Luck, Love and Happiness xx
Gary Fettke NoFructose Public Talk in Launceston, a Huge Success!
Over 300 people attended Gary Fettke’s public talk at the Tailrace Centre, Launceston on Friday the 6th December 2013. The 2 hour talk was pushed out to 3 hours with many people staying back for the question and answer session at the end. Everyone I spoke to just had such positive comments to make. I was so proud of him. 
Gary believes “the consumption of Sugar and Polyunsaturated Seed Oils combine in our diet to create inflammation in every blood vessel wall and in every tissue in every organ of the body. The addition of refined carbohydrates including bread, rice and pasta only aggravates the damage process.
Fructose (50% of Sugar), Polyunsaturated Oils and Refined Carbohydrates look to be the major contributors to most of our modern conditions including obesity, diabetes, heart disease, dementia, cancer and a raft of other condition.
This is the problem for us all and our children – right now!
It just finally makes sense!”
NoFructose aims to put a complex topic into basic ideas and practical advice. It is a sustainable concept. It is not a diet. For more information please go to Gary’s website http://www.nofructose.com/
It was great that Lib Archer was able to set up a table to promote Wholefood Cereals. 
Special thanks must go to Joan McManus, Helene Woods, Briohny Kerrison, Megan Fettke and Bron Matthews for all their help in both the leadup and on the door on the night. 
Thank you to Rob Fairs (LAFM) for being the No Fructose ‘Poster Boy’ losing a massive 19kg following the recommendations of the No Fructose Diet in just 12 weeks despite a nasty broken ankle and no exercise! These photos below are from the Coles Kings Meadows Tour they did together to read labels and find ‘good foods’. 
Thanks must also go to Gavin Nation (Nation Technology) for videoing the talk which will soon be up on YouTube.
Congratulations Emma & Allan Pickrill. Such a beautiful Wedding!
After all the cold weather and rain we have had in Tasmania over the last few months, Saturday dawned bright, sunny and warm. The perfect summer day for a outdoor wedding. Emma and Allan were married on Emma’s grandfather’s farm at Georgetown on Saturday 30th November at 3.30pm and it couldn’t have been more personal surrounded by family and friends in a place that meant so much to them. The Bridesmaids had decorated the Salon where Emma works with photos, bunting, balloons and messages and the whole place had such a festive and happy feel to it as friends did hair and makeup on each other in the morning. The bride got ready at her parents home and the guys got ready next door at Emma and Allan’s... 
They had cleared an area on the farm for the ceremony, overlooking the ocean and guests watched as the bride and her father were driven across the paddocks sitting on haybales on the back of a tractor followed by the bridesmaids and flower girl on another tractor. bunting and grasses moved softly in the breeze and a giant cowbell rung in celebration at the announcement and introduction of the bride and groom as Mr and Mrs Pickrill.
The reception was held in and around an exquisitely decorated marquee on the grounds of the farm. Emma and her Mum, Diane along with family and friends had created the most incredible space within the marquee with small groupings of antique chairs and tables, haybales covered with sacks, bunting, dream catchers and flowers everywhere. Allan’s Mum Peggy had glued 1000 handmade origami cranes to a fallen branch which took pride of place in the room. I couldn’t possibly describe all the beautiful inclusions. It had to be seen 🙂
Most of the bridal party had gone to school together in Georgetown and friendships have endured ‘forever’. It was such a fun group to work with. I loved Emma’s dad’s suggestion to put the bridal couple up on the front of the tractor and the simple images of them in the grasses in the paddocks.
Congratulations Emma and Allan and thank you for asking me to be a part of your wedding day. Bron and I loved it so very much xxx
40% Chance of Rain didn’t stop our Family Shoot in Campbelltown.
But the weather man certainly underestimated the force of Mother Nature and not only did it rain, but I stood out in freezing winds and sleet, with snow falling on the Western Tiers behind me, while I photographed an extended family portrait shoot in Campbelltown recently. Luckily we changed venues and the photoshoot was held at the family sawmill just out of town. It couldn’t have been more perfect! Not only did it provide some shelter for the family including Great Grandmother Dot, Grandparents; Barry and Judy and their 4 children, spouses, partners and grandchildren including Aydon at 4 months of age, but it was such a meaningful place to them. The sawmill had been in the family for generations and it has just been sold. This meant extra special memories for all concerned.
Thankyou to Michelle for organising the shoot and an extra special thank you to Josie for lending me her extra jacket. I was so cold and wet by the end of the 2 hour shoot that i couldn’t even change lenses or turn the key in the ignition to drive home! But the photos are so worth it.
