Furry family members - time to include them :-)

Before I start this blog entry, make sure you visit my website - I have an end of summer special offer for the months of March and April (sessions can happen at a later stage) so be sure to visit my site to see what sort of photo sessions I am able to offer :-).

Click on this image for details of my end of summer special offer

I've always loved animals.  In fact one of my biggest hidings (back in the days when it was still what happened to kids who didn't listen) was when at the age of around 3 I ran into the road to "rescue" a dog I was worried would be run over.  As my mum dragged me back to the house, giving me a hiding I told her I was worried the cars would run over the puppy.  While she was proud of me for my wonderfully caring and unselfish nature, she was soooo not impressed with me :-).

 I am one of those "I want one" kind of people and if I could have a farm I would definitely have one.  At one stage I wanted alpacas and knew everything there was to know about them.  And when I watched Rio with the kids, by the end of it I was busy researching exotic birds and how to keep and breed them (what???!!!).  Yeah, I had to remind myself that I wasn't going to have birds :-).  Not with a cat around.

All of my life I have always had animals.  Sometimes dogs, sometimes cats and once we had budgies. At the moment we have a beautiful cat Oscar.  We adopted him from the SPCA when he was about 6 months old.  Initially his name was Harlan, but we named him Oscar (as in Oscar Wilde - seeing as him and his mum and siblings were found living it rough behind a restaurant).

So I will now be looking at starting to offer pet photography as part of my photo options.  So many people simply love their pets.  Their pets are their family and I think I can really add value by including these specially furry family members and creating some special memories. And especially when some of these animals are getting older, wouldn't it be neat to actually have some beautiful portraits you could treasure forever? So if you are interested let me know and for a limited time I can make a special offer for you.

Our beautiful fluffy cat Oscar.

A while back at work they asked me to take some photos at a dog graduation (as in drug dogs and other type of police dogs).  It was so cool and I was in my element (especially when I got to meet a baby police dog :-) ).

The graduate

One day when I am big, I am going to catch those baddies...

... you just wait and see...  But in the meantime can I have a treat?

Music can change it all

Sometimes putting music with photos can completely change the emotion that goes along with it...  Here is my daughter 1 year after diagnosis for her leukemia.  I took so many photos during her treatment - just little snapshots and certainly not with the same quality I can today, but every picture tells her story.  Yes, there are some photos that are hard to look at but at the end of the day even those images are special because they are a testament to who she is and what she has been through.

A little revamp

I have recently spent some time updating my website (feel free to click here to visit my website).  I wanted to make it a bit more obvious and clearer about what I am able to offer.  I took the opportunity to revise my photo packages so if there is a particular photo shoot you are interested in, be sure to contact me and discuss your requirements. A little more on my photo packages further on in this post :-).

It was quite hard choosing images to put on my website as I didn't want to put too many images to look through as I know it can get quite daunting.  I created a collage with a selection for each type of photo shoot and added it to the relevant pages.  As I looked through the different images from the different shoots I have been doing, I am totally amazed at the wonderful opportunities I have received.  I have done so much.  Of course I don't share photos from all sessions.  Only where people give me written permission.  And I respect that.

Wow, I have been quite busy, but I loved it :-)

Sometime soon I will introduce some special offers and specific themed photo shoots - be sure to like my Facebook page where I will be sharing these offers and themes and who knows maybe there might be something that would be perfect for you (or somebody you know :-) ). So make sure you don't miss out :-).

What immediately comes to mind is maybe a furry friends shoot where I could look at people and their pets (I just love animals and if I could would have a farm :-) ).  Or maybe a generation shoot with grandparents and their grandchildren or maybe 3 generations in one setting or something like that.  I think something like that would be very special.

With my revamped site, I have also decided it was time to update my photo packages.  Up to now if you purchased my images you would receive 2 of the same digital image for every image in the package that you purchased.  You would receive the full sized image suitable for print and then a resized image suitable for Facebook or email, but with my logo on it.  And so the request was that if you used my image on Facebook to please use the one with the logo and I would prefer it not to be edited over and above my edit.  It has become increasingly clear that people actually wanted more flexibility.  They did not necessarily wanted to print images and they want to have the freedom to edit their images over and above my usual editing and some people really would prefer a print rather than digital.  So what I am doing now is to make a variety of packages available (to suit different budgets) and a choice of resized digital, full sized digital and print.  With the digital neither would contain my logo and you, the client will receive full printing and editing (over and above my editing) rights.

There will also be packages for weddings, birthdays and other celebrations, events and corporate images (including profile photos i.e. for LinkedIn).

Which type of shoot do I prefer?  I honestly could not say.  Each type of shoot is exciting in its own way and each one presents its own challenge, but what I can say is that I love helping people make memories.

Just look at her now

I first met Macey when she was about 4 months old.  Her mum was keen to get some family shots - especially at the beach.  Unfortunately for us, the weather didn't really want to play ball.  So we did most of her photos at their house with a few attempts at the beach.  Macey has the most gorgeous smile.  She is such a friendly baby. Although not all that keen to lie on her tummy.

Her mum, Nicole, contacted me again asking if we could please try another beach shoot.  And so we booked it in.  Nicole wanted to wait until Macey could sit by herself and finally the day arrived and... the weather was absolutely horrible.  And so week after week after week we tried, and it was just too windy for the beach.  Christmas came, we all got busy.  The day the wind died down, would be the day that either of us could not make it.  But finally we decided to go for it even if it might not be at the beach.  And the gorgeous Macey (10 months old now) was as smiley as ever :-).

A very special 8th birthday party

Recently my daughter turned 8.  She has been planning her birthday for - I don't know - almost a year.  She knew it was going to be a princess tea party.  We went to the op shop and chose some proper tea cups and saucers to go with it.  She knew she wanted these cute treasure boxes made as part of one of the activities and what's more she wanted that to be the little party boxes to take home. And so the planning started.  Except as always a lot of it I left till the last minute and had very little sleep that night.  Why do I never learn?  But the girls loved it.  It was just the right size party - 8 kids in total.

Here are some images from the day:

Have to say I loved taking photos during the party and will be looking to put some birthday party packages together I think.

Are you in it?

Recently I read an article somebody wrote about mums who are never part of the photos with their kids.  It is not that they are not part of their kids' lives, it is just that they are often the ones behind the camera recording it all.  But then when you start looking back, that's not what it will look like.  "Where was mum in this one when little Suzie turned 1?"  "And this one where little Johnny started school?" And I realised that I have been that kind of mum.

I'm usually the one behind the camera.  The one who would take the camera along and take loads of photos (even though my kids are getting to the age now where it is just not cool having their photos taken :-).

So that needs to change.  I need to at least some of the time set it all up with self timer and jump on the other side of the lens.  Or ask somebody if they could please do the honours and take our photo together.

There is one particular mum I really admire and she is constantly and often insisting to also have photos where she is part of it.  That needs to become my goal.

Not so long ago I did a photo shoot for Plunket and there were a few mums and dads who didn't really want to jump into the photo ("oh gosh, no, I don't look good enough...") so I know I'm not on my own here.

But, now is the time.  We have today.  We don't know if we have tomorrow.  Make that effort and jump in front of the camera so that when your kids look back in years to come they will have some photographic record that you were also part of it.

Beautiful little Skylar

I met Skylar earlier this year when she was just 12 days old.

I arrived early in the morning at her mummy and daddy's house with all my gear and oh what fun!

She wasn't all that interested in sleeping and after a few sleepy photos she decided that it was far more interesting to look around - so awake photos we had to go for :-).  But that's fine.  Sometimes those awake lifestyle ones can be really pretty too!

I just love the natural light coming from the window and with the room nice and warm, little Skylar was nice and comfortable.

Love this angelic sleepy shot!

Just look at those eyes!! Gosh she looks so much like her brother