Soccer Boy

I spent some time on Sunday afternoon with this lovely extended family to get some family shots for the mum (and Nannas) 70th birthday. I got some gorgeous pictures of these guys having some fun, and of course some more smiling composed shots. The kids were so so good and all very cute :) Hope you like guys!

A few images from the last week. This is what I so love about photographing kids - it's the little things in life :)

Half a twin!

Well half of a set anyways, lol. His brother was a bit tired and sad, so I took Mr. Smiley here for a 'lil shoot. Isn't he such a doll? And his eyes are just so bright in person, they amaze me everytime- no pp on them in these shots at all!

Time Flies.....

When school holidays are here.....well, sort of ;)

Unfortunately with sickness and school hols I am a bit behind in my blogging, so here are a few random pics from the last week or so.

Enjoy!

Although I have been a bit sick lately, I have been working on broadening some of my skills and the other day practised shooting in low light - Lets all agree Melbourne sure hasn't been too bright lately!! So here is one of my fav shots incorporating some grain and moody black and white, enjoy!!

Another lovely family :)

Another family booked to have some individual portraits of their 2 lovely kids and to get some family shots too. The best thing is that the weather held out for us and we got to get some shots at the beach and at some of the pretty walkways nearby.

The poor baby was very brave despite the blustery wind and lets just say that I hope their 2 year old slept well that night because he ran amuck and had a ball on our outing :)

Thanks for coming out with me mum and dad and I hope you like your previews!

Just because...

He is so adorable.



A few more of the lovely little man.

Beautiful Baby.

Here he is, after much waiting and anticipation, baby Caeden, isn't he just so precious?
















Well I hope that's what is coming across and I won't talk about the poo or the wee or even the long process of getting to sleep!















So will I just say that he was so tiny and cute and that he made the funniest little baby noises and that I loved photographing him instead? Indeed.

Rockstar!!

That's right, this little man was a rockstar. Not only was he the cutest little thing about but he also loooved the camera - every photographers dream! Even when he had had enough he was gorgeous doing it, I tell you this kids is gonna be a heartbreaker, with not just his looks but also charm!

So here is a peek at some of the great shots taken for mum and dad, it was such a fun shoot, your little boy is a pleasure.xx

Here is an image to demonstarate my style of simplicity and how less is sometimes more.

I have nothing in my wardrobe!!

Ok, so it's 'Something or other Wednesday' again (I'm still working on that title!) and so I am once again letting you in on some tips for getting your child or family's portrait. I can't believe I didn't put this one first actually - what to wear!! It's every girls dilemma!

Theres actually a funny acronym that springs to mind here: KISS.

Keep
It
Simple
Stupid

Well I'm not actually sure if the last word is exactly accurate but it's how I remember it! With small children, babies and newborns my style is simplicity.

This doesn't mean plain white only, it means clothes that aren't so busy that they take your eye away from your littles ones beautiful face! I do love cute props like little hats for example but ones that complement, perhaps not ones with a double pompom, fringe and bells. In fact, for those under 1 year there is nothing better than bare skin! Just a pretty nappy cover or pair of denim shorts.

And for adults? Well actually my advice is kind of the same. Minus the nudity of course. Earthy tones or simple outfits are best -I once read someone who said dress to match your home decor, lol. Honestly it's not such bad advice! The added bonus with this is that you really don't need to worry about co-ordinating multiple people because nobody will clash horribly if you already have it toned down.

There's also no need to dress up so much that you look uncomfortable either, I love to take family portraits that are fun and natural so it often involves sitting on the ground or lying on a bed. About here I should make sure that I mention not to go too casual either, thongs and stubby shorts are really a no-go :) Smart-casual would be a good choice.

Again tomorrow I will return in an attempt to post a few examples to illustrate my tips! Thanks for reading <3

Family PhotoShoot :)

The weekend provided one of the nicest days in Melbourne for a long time! I had a photo session with a lovely family, it had been a while since I took some of my first newborn photos of the little one and I couldn't believe how much he had grown! We had a pretty good session - background singing/noise effects and all!

Book Worm

Some more shots of my little girl, again here is something that she loves (reading books) that also kept her still and happy for a few minutes :)

Something or Other Wednesday examples!

Okay here are some examples of how incorporating something that your child particularly likes or that amuses them can make the photographers chances of getting some great shots better, and how they can also enhance a shot by bringing personality and being more natural.








With a favourite friend.








Something they think is exciting. (Spotting aeroplanes here!)

Favourite sport.









Something they love to play with.













Playing favourite game (peek-a-boo)











Something fun they are just learning to do.

Something they just enjoy. Picking flowers and smelling them. (She also liked putting them in a bucket :)

I could put up a hundred more but I think u get it! What is something you could suggest??

Something or Other Wednesday.

So I have been thinking of putting up some tips and tricks for people interested in getting their child or families portraits taken, so that if you are reading this blog you can get something back :) So I thought I would pop something up every Tuesday and call it 'Tips on Tuesday'. The problem being that I didn't quite get around to it yesterday......so then I thought I would do it on Thursday and call it 'Think about it on Thursday'. Which sounds a lot more lame, but still. Well of course I have right this very moment decided to do it NOW and of course today is Wednesday. I got nothing. So any title suggestions are welcome, really, just take a minute to join blogspot and help me out with this one!



So here we go!



Tip #1. Help your photographer to help you. What is your child/children interested in?



If they are very little it could be the noise a toy makes that always makes them smile or watch (my last little client liked a toy horse that neighed). If they are only just starting to move about, what makes them stop to look/play? It might be little cars, or bubbles or picking flowers or putting things into a little bucket. If they are more preschool age it might be a guitar, drawing with chalk on the pavement or like my little girl in a previous post learning how to wink. Older kids might particlarly like a pet or maybe a soccer ball.



The point is if you let the photographer know it can be incorporated into some of the photoshoot for a number of results, like: Getting a distracted child to look in the cameras direction, getting children to relax and have a more natural face, to get busy toddlers to slow down for 30 seconds! And most importantly it will reflect your childs personality at that time in their life and bring this to the resulting images....and that's what it's all about right?

Need some examples? Pop back tomorrow and I shall post a whole heap!! But for now....a big bubbly bath is calling :)

First Birthday Photography

When I first met little Clodagh she was getting her 6 month old portraits taken and I was struck by her sweet personality and her BIG blue eyes. Well, although she has been busy growing and getting mobile, when I saw her on the weekend to take shots of her on her First Birthday, I was once again taken by her friendly and sweet nature and of course by those gorgeous eyes!! Aren't they amazing?

I also went to take some family shots and although we took the standard family poses Mum and Dad were happy to jump on the bed to get some more fun and casual shots.... of course (in my opinion) it's these shots that just shine :)

I should also at least mention the help and support given happily by the one other family member. When I needed Clodagh to at least face my direction, Max happily came and sat with me to get her attention - she absolutely loves him, so he was very helpful and very eager to assist. As long as he got a treat. Lol, so I made sure I grabbed a couple of shots shots of him, he's pretty cute too!

Considering it was such a beautiul day which we were lucky to get considering Melbourne weather lately, we went out to the local park to grab the last shots of the day. Despite the wind turning the balloons into dangerous weapons we had a pretty good time, with Clodagh making sure she smiled and waved at every dog she saw! Thanks for such a fun session guys, I got so many great shots I couldn't help but share a heap!! Can't wait to see you for the next time xxx