Winter Sun...{engagement sneak peek}

It was well worth postponing this engagement session for a day - the light was truly magical.  More to come...

Jose Villa... {inspiration}

Yippee!! I'm ecstatic! Just had Jose Villa's beautiful book delivered today. Its just such a delight to look at - stunning! Not sure why I took so long to order it?!

To say I am a fan of Jose Villa's work is a little bit of an understatement - I think STALKER is a better description.  He's often said to be the man behind the term "fine art wedding photography" which are more stylised and constructed images than wedding photojournalism - just like the pages of a glossy wedding or lifestyle magazine. (You really should follow his blog if you don't already.)

I plan on heading to bed early tonight and reading the whole book from beginning to end and let it all soak in. (Now, I just have to resist the urge to circle and highlight all the good bits! Its far too pretty to be tampered with!)

The Crosby Bump... {maternity}

I just can't wait to hear if Nicky + Bryce's baby is a girl or a boy! 

Bryce comes from a blokey-family;  he has brothers only, no sisters.  Plus Bryce's brothers have all produced sons so far. Will this Crosby-Baby break the girl-drought?

One thing is for certain  - this baby won't be named "Imogen" (one of my favourite names).  That's because its the name of Bryce + Nicky's beloved dog.  This discussion reminded me of the difficulties Dave and I had deciding on a name for our daughter.  We were very very close to changing our dog's name by depol so that we could name our baby "Ruby".  Lucky for Ruby, Isobel took her Great-Grandmother's name.  I digress...

Wishing you all the best Nicky + Bryce. 

x

You can view their slideshow here:

Turning him around... {engagement}

I can read body language as well as the next bloke... and the message from Bevan was loud and clear! He didn't really want to be there.  And he didn't want his photo taken.

Well, I totally get that.  I also dread the lens being pointed in my direction. For me, its on par with a visit to the dentist (apologies Bruce & Barry).  So we were on the same wave length from the very beginning. 

And, as you can see, it didn't take long to crack that tough exterior - Rikki turned him to marshmallow. I even got a "well, that wasn't really too bad after all" or something along those lines, when it was all done and dusted.

This is the main reason why I offer engagement sessions as part of every wedding collection (the photos are just a bonus).  It allows you, as a couple, to get comfortable with being in front of the camera before your big day.  It also shows those of us who are "camera-shy" that it doesn't hurt one little bit - it is actually fun!  So see it as a treat  for you both as a couple - a treasured little moment in time when you get to think about nothing but your partner, and the reasons you are together.  

There is no doubt that a wedding is a HUGE event to organise, and as the chaos unfolds around you, it can be easy to forget the reason you are doing it in the first place.  Let me remind you....

Winter woolies... {commercial}

This is Phoebe.  Doesn't she have the most stunning big beautiful fish-bowl eyes?   I was mesmerized by them during this photo shoot for another of the Ella Rae knitting book series.

Sparkling new weddings website... {weddings}

Pop on over and see my new weddings website... just click here.

I feel like I should be popping the champagne and celebrating but sadly the flu has taken hold so the party will have to wait.

Still LOADS I want to do on the new website.  Hope you like it!

Dreamy home... {commercial}

Nice?  Its a creation from Warren Bennett Homes who are ALSO busy building a new website.  I wonder if they think its harder to build a website site or a luxury mansion?

Can't wait to get inside to take the interiors!

Wine. Food Art. {corporate}

Albanians LOVE a winery cafe - and now we have a new one very close to home - perfect for an escape from the City for a few hours amongst the wines and bush!

Already renown for awesome wines and for their Gallery featuring the paintings of the very talented  Bronwen Newbury,  Phillips Brook have just opened the doors to  The Brook Cafe and you can check out the menu here.   I can highly recommend the coffee!! I had MORE than a few!

Check out some photos I took recently for the new website. (Special thanks to my gorgeous models!)

My hero... {editorial}

Last week, I was asked to photography 5 year-old Jarman, who is going to be receiving a bravery award after his traumatic dog attack earlier this year.

As a mum, it cut me to the core hearing Jarman's mum, Sheryl, recount seeing her baby go through such an horrific nightmare. You can read about it on page 6 in today's Sunday Times or here .

I am in complete awe of Sheryl who managed to hold it together until her son was safely in the hands of the doctors, before she collapsed from the shock.

What a brave boy!  And what a brave mum!

A brand new identity... {personal}

While my blog has been very quiet these last two months, I've been busily re-working my brand.  These last two years have passed in a flash - in truth, I didn't expect the business to have taken off at quite the pace it did.  I left me gasping for breath just focusing on my clients, let alone keeping up with marketing (which I LOVE) as well as boring things like bookwork!  So, my brand management has been less than ideal.

Before my blind-leap into the photography business, my working life was all about branding! Over my twenty years in tourism marketing, I was there for the birth of a number of brands including Brand WA in the late 90's and amazing albany about 5 years ago.  

In the case of Brand WA, it was drilled into me by the "Brand Manager" (AKA "Brand Nazi") the importance of a brand management... and I am not kidding when I say it was drilled! Leisa took her job very seriously!    But with the amazing albany brand, it was ME who was the Brand Nazi.  This brand was my "baby" and I was an overly protective mum!

So, there's not excuse for me to have dropped the ball when it came to my own brand, other than the usual -  not enough hours in the day!  

As a small business owner, I am, in many ways, the brand! My brand is a reflection of what I do, say and how my traits come through in every aspect of my photography. So, its  the way I've built and maintained relationships in this very small City, the way I do business and treat other people that has laid the foundations for my brand re-fresh.

Yes, I did have a logo.  And yes, it was a match to where I was when I first started out - it was fun and frivolous - I was very fond of it. However, I had outgrown it - my clients now valued my services for different reasons (although I hope there's still SOME fun!).

With help from some of my fabulous clients and very loyal followers, I was able to shortlist two of the strongest characteristics of my business that has made my word-of-mouth marketing so strong;
                1. my genuine authentic personalised customer care - nothing but the best will do
                2. my LOVE of what I do and the flow-through effect that my enjoyment has

One very clever friend summed it up ;
             "...you have an interest in people and their situations and you are able to  
             capture what is important and real. Your pictures, therefore, do not look 
             posed or over styled.    Ultimately it is your pleasure at taking photos that 
             shines through. It is not just another job for you - it is a joy and delight - 
             and that is reflected in the pictures you take. They are full of joy and delight! 
            Simple, without fuss or too much trickery..."

So, based on these two core elements, I embarked on a new brand.  I worked with a fellow photographer,  Leah, who actually lives near Seattle and who helped me come up with the logo (based on my core business values) and some basic templates I needed for my business. And because Leah uses the temples in her own business, it truly was so easy to come up with a complete new look.  I am sooooo very grateful for all of Leah's help - and especially for her late nights - she was often up at 2.30AM just so that we could chat across the time-zones! And this is what we came up with...

I hope you like it!  Its just the beginning - I have soooo many things planned for this brand, including a WHOLE NEW WEBSITE dedicated solely to my brides and grooms!  So, watch this space!

And, I promise the next posts will be back to LOTS and LOTS of photos from recent fun jobs - my blog looks unrecognisable without photos!  But I just couldn't wait to share this!