2016 feels like a lifetime ago.
Not because everything was easier then. Or smaller. Or quieter.
But because we were in motion in a way that only happens when you’re building something you don’t yet fully understand.
We were on the move constantly. Vietnam x 3. Iceland. Venice. Kyoto. San Francisco. Bali x 2. Brisbane. Hokkaido. Weddings and work stitched together by airport carpets and adrenaline, with the kind of optimism that only exists when you’re building something and don’t yet know where it will take you.
We weren’t chasing trends. Or recognition.
We were chasing feeling.
We were shaping a direction.
And that year changed everything.
Why We’re Talking About 2016
There’s an Instagram trend circulating at the moment where people are looking back at their lives ten years ago. We’re not usually ones to follow trends. But this one made us pause.
It made us stop long enough to really look back at 2016 – a year that, like many formative years, had quietly blurred into the background as everything else rushed forward. And when we actually sat with it, we realised just how full it was. How transformative. How much of what we do now was already being shaped then.
The photos might feel dated now. That’s okay. They weren’t at the time. And that’s kind of the point.
Style moves. Taste evolves. Perspective deepens. The work keeps changing – and it should. The lesson isn’t to stay where you were. It’s to keep becoming.
So this is us sharing a few frames from ten years ago. Not out of nostalgia. But as a reminder that growth is often only visible when you look back.
A Year That Sharpened Us
In 2016, we photographed two weddings for the Prime Minister of Vietnam’s family. And an incredible pre-wedding on the remote island of Namdu.
It was a moment of deep responsibility. Not just creatively, but professionally. One that refined us in ways that don’t show up on Instagram grids or award lists.
It taught us how to read rooms. How to lead without being visible. How to move with calm, clarity, and intention in high-stakes environments.
Those experiences didn’t just shape our work. They shaped how we work.
Learning to Speak About What We Do
That same year, we found ourselves on stages across the world.
Las Vegas. Chengdu. Singapore.
We were still discovering how to articulate what we believed, but the foundation was already there. The language was forming. The philosophy was settling into place.
Story first.
Location as character.
Images that feel like being there, not just looking at it.
That year helped us find our voice – not perfectly, but honestly.
The Booth That Reflected Who We Were
Back in Australia, we showed up at Queensland Brides with a 37 Frames booth that said everything without needing explanation.
Big energy.
Big vision.
No half measures.
If you want to understand who we were in 2016, it lives there. In the confidence to show up fully. In the belief that what we were building mattered.
Choosing Growth, Again and Again
2016 was also the year we judged WPPI awards.
Being surrounded by that level of work was energising. It reminded us that excellence isn’t static. It’s something you commit to continually as your eye develops, your taste evolves, and your expectations of yourself rise.
That year raised our internal bar.
And we’ve been lifting it ever since.
Style Evolves. Vision Deepens.
Looking back now, the aesthetic is unmistakably of its time.
We were deep in our colour-saturated era. Heavily influenced by Velvia film. Bold tones. Rich contrast. Visual confidence.
These days, our work leans more Portra. Softer. Quieter. More restraint. More space for emotion to breathe.
But the intention hasn’t changed.
Storytelling. Moments. A deep sense of place. The quiet details at the edges of the bigger picture.
Style evolves. Vision deepens.
What Endures
When we look back at 2016, what stays with us most isn’t the destinations or the milestones.
It’s the people.
The couples who trusted us while we were still refining our voice.
The teams who shared those long, exhilarating days.
The friendships formed in motion that are still part of our lives now.
Ten years should change you. But growth doesn’t mean abandoning who you were. It means refining what mattered and letting the rest fall away.
Transformation doesn’t happen overnight. It happens in years like that one – when you’re learning, stretching, and committing to who you’re becoming.
Still Becoming
These images are from ten years ago.
We’re still becoming now. The business has evolved and expanded its services. We’re registered now in multiple countries. But it feels like 2016 was a pivotal year in making all that happen.
We’re still refining. Still evolving. Still chasing the same thing we were then – honest stories, a strong sense of place, and work that feels like life as it was lived.
Some things change.
2016 was loud in the best way.
The places mattered. The people made it permanent.
