New Website

I am super happy and proud to announce that we finally have a website up and running!
It's taken a while to get everything perfect, well perfect enough that I feel comfortable sharing it around.
It's still got the default URL that came with building the website for free, and until I can justify the costs of purchasing one of their upgrades its going to have to stick.
You can check it out by clicking here
Let me know your thoughts and if you have any recommendations on how to improve it I would love to hear it :D

Also, I will be a part of another exhibition soon so I will keep you all posted for when that comes up. This November is going to be a super busy month for me with the exhibition and various shoots that I have been booked for, so I hope to keep this a little bit more updated as I will admit I haven't been all that great of a job lately. My apologies.

So here's a random image I have been working on as of late to make up for it :) Its from one of my maternity sessions and I used a double exposure technique to add the leaves. I'm trying to come up with a way I could incorporate this style in my business, to which one lovely lady suggested that I provide it as part of a book. Not a bad idea at all. I'm contemplating providing a book package for my loyalty clients (bundle deal of maternity + newborn photography sessions), but at the moment I'm just working out costs ect. 

First Maternity Photoshoot

Last Tuesday I photographed my first Maternity photoshoot.
Prior to the shoot I decided to get creative and sew up my own maternity gown to use during the shoot. I figured why not, I have a history with textiles and they certainly didn't look that hard, plus buying one was way out of my price range.
Easier said than done.
I found some beautiful fabric at a local fabric shop, and it was on sale! I got 2 and a half meters of two different colours (a soft dusty pink and a lovely dark navy blue). All set with my sketches, fabric and sewing machine I was bursting with confidence and inspiration. I designed it to be two separate pieces (skirt part (two separate layers) that ties up above the belly and drapes down, and the top part that ties around the chest) so it would fit a variety of clients rather than being tailored to one. Super easier I stupidly thought.
It took 3 whole days to just sew the seams. The fabric was so sheer I found myself going back to unpick it all and start again. Every couple of minutes my machine (being well used over the many years) decided to chuck a tantrum, and having broken the bobbin filler thing years ago, I was having to start and stop again to hand reel more thread onto the bobbin. But I got there in the end.
The final product was a huge success, and so was the photo shoot.
My model was just four weeks away from meeting her little man, and she looked gorgeous!
Images are available for viewing on my Facebook page, which you can access by clicking here.

Also, we are currently in the process of building a website. Hopefully I will have it up and running very soon but I'm just trying to make sure that everything is perfect before it goes live.

Photo Manipulation

I've been a bit inactive lately, but all for a good reason. Last year I decided to extend my studies and push myself even further, and I am so glad that I did. I am currently studying the Diploma of Photo Imaging, and have learnt so much since the start of this year.
Recently, I was given an assessment to use water within my photography in a creative and innovative way. After getting inspired by other photographers, I decided to have a go at creating some surreal photo manipulations. I absolutely loved it! It brought photography back to being a creative outlet for me, as working on family portraiture lately has dulled that down for me. It also inspired me to FINALLY purchase a graphic tablet, which I had talked myself out of doing many times in the past.
This one is my favourite from my 10 image series, and so happens to be the first one I created. I have titled it "Waiting".

Cake Smashing Time!

I'll be honest, I was a tad bit nervous heading into this cake smash. Children, especially babies are extremely unpredictable, so I had no idea how little Madison would reaction to having a whole cake to herself to destroy.
Turns out I had absolutely no reason to be nervous. She loved it!
I spent a considerable amount of time researching how to create these tissue paper pom poms, from Pinterest tutorials to YouTube. I walked into Kmart, grabbed the tissue paper and headed to the party section to find a cake stand. Instead of finding a cake stand I actually found some ready-to-make tissue paper pompoms, all I need to do was pull out each section. Super easy, and saved me so much time.
I made the banner with her name myself. Some cheap colour paper and in about 10 minutes a banner in bright pink and purple was accomplished.
Madison's mother provided the cake, which was a huge bonus. I absolutely love the oversize cupcake look, it adds a sense of childhood and wonder to the photo shoot.
The photo shoot went much quicker than anticipated. It took no more than 20 minutes for the cake to be demolished, walls and floor covered in purple icing, and for little Madison to exhaust herself.
This photo shoot is also the first photo shoot I have used my external flash in a session. Although there was a large window close by, the light wasn't strong as the day was overcast. It all worked out in the end though. 
Overall, I believe the day to be a huge success. A huge, messy, busy success, and I can not wait for the opportunity to photograph another little cutie as they completely demolish a cake.To see more images, click here

A First for Everything.

Recently I was the second shooter for a local photographer at a very beautiful, elegant outdoor wedding. After stressing over what to wear, then going out and buying a completely new outfit just to be sure, I bottled away my fears and promised to myself I would enjoy the experience, it was after all the first wedding that I had photographed, and also the first time capturing with another photographer in a professional setting. Being the second shooter allowed me to focus on the little details, such as flower arrangement, wedding rings, the food and decorations, minus all the stress and pressure of insuring that every moment of the bride and groom were captured on their big day. I was able to be creative, which made a full day of capturing so much more enjoyable.
For the couples intimate location shoot, I was not so much needed for capturing but rather assisting with lighting, posing and ensuring everyone looked as beautiful as ever, keeping close attention to hair and the fall of the dress. It felt so wonderful being able to put the knowledge I had gained over the year to good use. Armed with my trusty reflector, I was there every shot perfectly balancing the light across the bride and grooms faces.
Overall, it was a huge success. I came home at the end of the day with a collection of images that I am extremely proud of, and a new set of skills, both photography and conversation wise. My legs didn't hurt half as much as what a newborn shoot leaves me with, and despite my initial concerns I actually thoroughly enjoyed every second of it.
Photographing a wedding is extremely different to photographing newborns. You have less control at a wedding then what you do with a newborn, which can be frightening, but also exciting and enjoyable. Although my passion is still with newborn photography, I can see myself venturing into the field of wedding photography in the future.

Nightscapes

As mentioned in a previous post, I sent off some images to be printed. These images include my painting with light nightscapes. I am rather proud of these images, not just because they actually turned out like I had wanted them to, but because of the amount of effort and commitment it took to actually achieve the final results.
I'm not saying that I am afraid of the dark, but there is certainly something unnatural about walking through the local park very late at night, in the complete dark. Every sound made me instantly think there was someone after me, even though every sound made was probably from myself. Even the camera shutter sound was making me jump.
But I pushed myself through it, and adventured out every night to ensure I had a collection I was proud of.
I used a medium sized torch to expose the tree out of the darkness, with my camera's shutter speed set on 20 seconds.
As soon as the shutter button was pressed I was off, making sure I was lighting even the smallest details within the images. I admit, it took about 10 tries before I perfected the method, but I got there in the end, and that's all that matters.

Printing Images

For an upcoming exhibition, I got some prints done of my best work this year. This included some 'Painting with Light' night images that I wanted to be printed at a reasonably largish size. I had never realized the effort it takes to send away prints, well more to the point, choosing your prints, what size you want them, and then choosing a company to print with that offers the quality your images deserve.
With a two week deadline I was understandably worried that my prints wouldn't arrive on time. It was certainly a massive shock to have these prints waiting for me at home within 2 days! Ordered on Monday afternoon, and they arrived Wednesday morning.
I had a nagging voice in the back of my mind, saying "it got here so quick, perhaps the quality isn't great". After cleaning, wiping and ensuring no dust was around, I bravely opened up my parcel with my fingers firmly crossed.
I have rarely seen my images in print. In this day and age, with technology being such a huge influence in practically everything we do, it was rare to see my images off the computer screen. These prints that I ordered turned out absolutely breathtaking. The prints were simply beautiful, encouraging me to print my work off more frequently.  
The company I ordered through was RGB Digital Pro Photo Lab. Their prices were also extremely reasonable as well, and I definitely will be ordering through them again.