Wedding season, here I come... {personal post}

Wedding season officially kicked off for me this weekend.

After a decedent off-season break of three amazing months full of travel and good food and friends and family time, I'm back into it! 

I've been to the Kimberley and Pilbara Regions, to Sydney and Melbourne and Bali and Bremer Bay.  Also squeezed in my first ever 12km fun-run and my first time surfing at a mother-daughter surf camp.

So, I was all refreshed and pumped up for Sean and Cassey's wedding yesterday - sneak peek coming soon.

Here's to a fabulous wedding season with fabulous brides and grooms!

 

 

Cute in canola... {family portrait}

Can't wait to edit today's two family portrait sessions taken on farms near Broomehill and Katanning.  Here's a sneak peek...

Furry Family Members... {family portraits}

As you know, I LOVE it when families involve their four-legged family members in photo-shoots. 

Dogs have a magical talent for making the rest of the family relax and be themselves.  I'm sure its because our furry friends are so uninhibited - the attention of the camera lens doesn't frighten them the way it does us humans (me included). 

Take this funny little creature for example...

So Proud... {wedding}

Oh!

I loved this moment when Edward's Grandmother arrived at the farm on the bus with all the other guests.

Teenagers... {family portrait}

So, believe it or not, I remember being a teenager.   And I remember that having a formal photo taken was on-par to a trip to the doctor for immunisations. 

So, we tried a different approach with the Augustson Boys because, clearly, they felt the same I did about the prospect of posing for a photo.

And meanwhile, back on the beach...

Families... {wedding}

It was a pretty unique experience for me on the weekend...

Firstly, the bridemaids were all sisters of the bride . (Aren't they beautiful - especially the one in white!)

To add to that, the groomsmen were all brothers of the groom. (Can you guess which two are twins?)

On top of that, my brother  shot the wedding with me. ( I made him stand there like that to test the light).

And my parents were guests at the wedding!

Plus mum & her friends helped to decorate the marquee with floral creations!

And one last special connection.  Their Minister, Ed, married Dave and I, and christened our daughter at the Tenterden Church.

Special day.

'Nough said.

Jess + Mark, 4 November, 2011 {wedding}

The day before Jess & Mark were due to tie the know, we had torrential rain - flooding!  And the morning of their big day was also iffy with frequent showers passing through.

But something changed - one minute we wondering about cover from the rain. The next minute the sun shone & the I even wondered if I should have brought along the sunscreen!

Jess & Mark wanted a low-key wedding surrounded by an intimate group of family & friends (which included loads of kids!) so Eyre Park was the perfect setting for this beautiful wedding.  The kids ran wild in the sunshine! Such a a happy day.

 

 

Enjoy the slideshow... 

Birth announcements {newborn}

Isn't he adorable?   His big sister thinks so!

Bella Bambino... {child portrait}

I am always ready to chase little ones around to capture their little personalities.   And with a combination of 2-year-old independence & fiery European-blood, this beautiful little princess was on the go - chase I did! 

Perspective.... {personal}

Yesterday, I attended a funeral. 

At the front of the church was a slideshow which followed through a life from beginning to end. 

I was transfixed. Everybody was transfixed. 

No eulogy could tell a story as intricately as that.

A few months ago, I received an email from a client. Bec was married in March this year when her unwell Father-In-Law was able to be part of their wedding day.  Her email broke the news that her Father-In-Law had since passed away and how precious the photos from the wedding day have now become. 

It is an honour and a privilege to be a photographer.  It reminded me how important it is to photograph someone as if it’s their last day. It’s also a reminder that this business is much more than just making money.

Hello winter... {personal post}

Well, this is a rude shock!   

We have returned from paradise to winter at its fiercest.  That late-afternoon-beach-warmth is but a distant memory.  Thank goodness for photos... this photo warms my bones.

Dedication {wedding}

I have to say, I have the most diligent, hard-working and dedicated assistants that I call on during the wedding season to work with me during a wedding day. 

You might me recall me talking about Claire's spectacular knicker-flashing which was required to get a smile from two very tired kids in a bridal party in Bremer Bay.

Claire must have set a precedent.   Ann took it a step further - literally - walking into doggy-poop in order to get these three cool characters to crack up. All in a day's work for a second-shooter! 

Well done Ann!  I LOVE it!

It's simple {personal post}

I follow many blogs. 

I can't remember where I read this little pearler but at some stage it caught my eye so I did a cut'n paste to my clipboard for later.  It wasn't until this last week that I remembered it was there & scrolled back through all the other pearlers I've collected over the months... the years...

I am kicking myself for not keeping the source of this.  One million apologies to the author of the blog I stole this from.  (It you recognise its origins, please let me know!)  But here's the gist of it...

"A single word can be a powerful thing. It can be the ripple in the pond that changes everything. 

It can be sharp and biting or rich and soft and slow.   

In 2006, I began a tradition of choosing one word for myself each January — 

a word that I can focus on, mediate on, and reflect upon as I go about my daily life. 

My previous words had included; light, play, peace, vitality, nurture, and story. 

They've helped me to breathe deeper, to see clearer, and to grow.  "

This week, while enjoying some down-time with the family at my parent's holiday house at Busselton, my "word" popped into my brain.

Simplicity.

I let it percolate a bit.

Maybe this was a word I've been needing to hear but until now, I haven't been ready. 

Maybe it was the surroundings that made the word surface.  The Busselton house was built by my father when I was ten, and very little has been altered since.  It's basic which is what makes it  what it is. Except perhaps for the outdoor shower that my brother and his mate, Nicko, built a few years ago, it is exactly the same house I have holidayed in every summer for most of the last 30 years, & that I lived in in my early 20's. Its the same house where many of my friends also came to create happy memories.

Maybe its because I'm nearing the end of my first full-booked wedding season, and this escape with my family was a chance to draw breath. Phew.

Or maybe its just because I have my health, my family & my friends.

Either way, the word fits, for now.

What's your word?

Connected {family portrait}

Like me, Stacey knows her days with her beautiful pooch are numbered.  That's why this one stood out for me from a family shoot on Monday afternoon.

Mummy + Me Mini-Session...

Do your photos albums look like mine?  Is it as though you were never even on that family holiday, or at that family gathering?

Here's a mother's day treat idea for mums like me!   Time to end the "always-behind-the-camera-never-in-front-of-the-camera" blues & have some pics with your babies (because, lets face it, they are your babies no matter how old they are!) 

Time to drop some hints to the kids... or hubby!

The mini-sessions are suitable for one adult with kids.  Vouchers are also available for regular family portrait sessions as Mothers Day gifts if you'd prefer some with the whole family. 

Sweet Baby James...

 "Never work with kids and dogs"  WC Fields

Apparently W.C. Fields hated working with kids and animals in movies because they always upstaged him.  Well, I can see exactly how that happened if the kids & animals he worked with were  even half as adorable as James & his two fur-brothers.

I was blown away by how good-natured James was after travelling from Frankland (dogs in the back) for this shoot that morning but he was up for anything.  And such a cute cute age!

The two farm dogs (one of whom was worth more than my car after several serious life-saving operations) were hilarious - set free in "the big smoke", albeit tucked away in the bush!  This shoot was a lot of laughs!