july! woops – i better get blogging more often lol. ok – this was such a fun session to shoot. it was the dad’s birthday, and his gorgeous wife decided to treat him to a surprise: a full-on stunt plane flight down at ardmore aerodrome! so i headed down early in the morning to shoot the before and after – and then we stayed for fun family photos with their two children. the light was AH-MAY-ZING (sorry about that, won’t do it again) and it really was just a joy to shoot. right – photos!

here’s one of my faves, which was also the sneak peek…

now – a little storytelling, before the portraits:

waiting (and waiting) for the flight – very patiently

resident of the aero club

nervously getting in the plane with parachute on

takeoff! with mixed reactions… mason really wanted to go

dad’s back! safe and sound (and relieved)

and now for some faves from the shoot… just look at this stunningly photogenic family

just one quick photo for now – this one makes me laugh! what great personalities

back in june i metup with the Quinlans at One Tree Hill domain – who says you can’t have a family session on a wintery day?

their wee boy was a smart kid, and he had decided prior to arriving that he wasn’t going to co-operate. everything he was asked to do, he simply said “no” and turned away. so, i decided to get to know him a little better. turned out we both have an interest in nature; and within a few minutes we were discussing the types of trees that were good for climbing… and then we were friends. by the end of the session, he was posing on various things and asking me to photograph him!

2 photos previously shared as sneak peeks…

and some more faves…

i like the peaceful mood of this one

running to dad

the weather back in May was much like the weather has been this week… sunny warm days followed by windy ones and scattered quick showers – clouds chasing eachother across the sky, light changing constantly… fun times for young children: puddles to splash in, leaves to toss, sparrows to chase!

here’s the sneak peek from back then – followed by the rest of the gorgeous kelly family’s shots…

let’s let her have the last word, since she had the first one:

ok – just one pic to share from monday: the dad in this photo was given an awesome birthday present by his lovely wife – a stunt flight in a little 2-seater racing plane! the weather was ABSOLUTELY perfect too more later…

couple of months back, i met up for an evening at the beach with the sweetest wee girl and her dog, oh – and their mum and dad too! max & marie love the beach, and marie wanted to create lasting keepsakes from their regular family walks. i love her reasoning: no need to wait, just do it right now, because life is always changing and these simple everyday memories will become more precious than you can imagine

i have a lot of faves – so, enough chat, here’s the pics

family walk

gorgeous duke looks so vicious in the second photo – but in fact he was just trying to spit all the sand out of his mouth & nose!

sweet baby jodie

jodie is doing her starfish impression

two-stage sand experiment

a dog and his girl

jodie’s first sand-castle

beautiful duke

paddling!

extreme paddling

i love this one

ok another last-summer blog post coming up

i met this family at long bay (sneak peek) for an epic shoot complete with FOUR teenagers. and wow, when i met them all i was just struck by how incredibly stylish and individual this family is… and i wondered whether they were possibly “too cool” for my camera! but the shoot had been arranged to celebrate mum’s birthday, and so everyone joined in with creative suggestions; cooperative and enjoying the occasion – which made my job really fun and easy.

here’s a few of my top faves – was so hard to choose!

introducing… everyone!

we hiked around to this fanastic tree

took some headshots of everyone

challenge accepted! (haha, this makes me laugh)

quiet moment for mum & dad

erika’s idea: spelling L O V E

ok, seriously – can these kids GET any cuter???

parent & child combos

i love these trees…

…a lot

compulsory long bay cheesy photo – which they rocked

never too big for a playground

more iconic long bay scenery

at the end i was given such a wonderful compliment by the birthday girl: titania thanked me for working so well with their kids and putting everyone at ease so that they could all relax and enjoy it – and she feels confident that she can book me again for another session; with the addition of a very important but camera-shy family member.

i feel so happy when i hear feedback like this, because it means i have done what i set out to do when i starting photographing for other people: i have given them something they can value and enjoy, something that celebrates who they are; without making the process difficult or awkward for them. if i can do that for all my customers, i will consider myself a success as a photographer.

yes, i know it’s not summer anymore! that’s how far behind i am on blogging shoots. so i thought i’d catch up & start with this lovely family – here’s my faves…

oooooooohhh i am so in love with this session! this family were just absolute stars: so creative, super-photogenic, ALL different, and really awesome fun to work with. i was a little nervous about shooting FOUR teenagers at once (specially on their mum’s birthday – no pressure!), but within minutes of meeting them i knew it was going to be ok. i can’t wait to share more pics with you, but for now i must restrain myself to just one preview…

ok i know i just blogged a few minutes ago, but i HAD to share this sneak peek…

love the light!