My poor children must be so sick of the camera by now as i am constantly asking them to come into the studio for photoshoots. I am sorry to admit it, but I even resort to bribery at times and promise a toy or a sweet if they let me take a few photos of them in studio. It’s even got to the point where they negotiate the exact number of photographs that I am allowed to take on that day in exchange for the sweet or toy (or whatever else we have negotiated…)

I guess I am a sucker for punishment, but I love taking photographs, especially of my kids as they really are the most beautiful children in the world – (not that I am biased or anything!!)

I did a photoshoot for Stimorol at their RAU promotion the other day and it was great fun (reminded me of my student days!!) I love photographing events because you always get such a fun mix of people.

They had a huge10m inflatable slide (which I absolutely loved!!) as well as an inflatable boxing ring, chocolate fountain, lots of gum and good music – mix that with a bunch of fun students and you’re in for a good time!

To top it all, we had really good weather (which always helps when photographing events and promotions – actually antyhing for that matter….)

Thought I’d post a few photos of the students – good to be young hey???

I am the first to admit that I really don’t like flash – but at a wedding, your flash will become your best friend and if used correctly, will give you beautiful images. If you are going to be photographing weddings often, I would recommend that you buy the most expensive, most advanced and most powerful flash that you can afford. It will save you so much time in the end and as a professional photographer, time is money. It is also advisable to have a diffuser cap on your flash.

Flash is good for several reasons:

(1) flash can freeze action – this is ideal when the bride and groom walk out of the chapel and you want to capture the confetti shots

(2) perfect for the first dance as it has a known light strength so it is controlled and constant

(3) it can be used to correct colour – so it can be very useful for those sunset shots (if you expose for the bride’s face without overexposing the sunset, you won’t have any colour casts on th ebride’s face, but will still have the beautiful sunset in the background)

(4) it is important to understand that flash will expose for a specific distance so when doing those group table photos that everyone wants at a wedding, you need to ask everyone to move and get close together or your lighting will not be even

(5) Bouncing flash can be very useful if you have a white ceiling – this allows you to spread the light more evenly and gives a nice soft light. Watch out though for bouncing on thatch as this will give a colour cast and that is the last thing you want when photographing a wedding – especially the bride!!!

All in all, weddings can be tricky to photograph, but with a bit of experience and a good flash you will be a professional wedding photographer in no time!!!

I can’t believe that Jamie is actually 6 years old! Time just flies when we’re having fun (okay having 3 kids and running 2 businesses is not always fun – but for the most part it is) We had such a wonderful party for Jamie – we had a pirate and princess party at a venue called Pita Pan and fun was had by all.

It is the first birthday party that I have had at a venue (we have always had all the birthday parties at home – and having just done Mikey’s party at home 6 weeks earlier, we decided to do something different) and it was such a pleasure that I can’t imagine ever having a party at home again. The venue supplied everything – food, drinks, entertainment – even the birthday cake – pirates and all!! The best part was that I had time to just enjoy and take photographs….. Usually, I am so busy orgainising everything at the party that I don’t get time to take any photographs – so this was perfect for me.

So, if I can give you any advice, it would be to have your birthday parties at a venue which organises everything for you (they even did the party packs) or alternatively, get a friend or a professional photographer (if your budget allows) to capture those moments for you. After all, you put a lot of time and effort into oprganising your child a birthday party to remember and at the end of it all, the only thing you have left are memories and hopefully beautiful photographs!!!

Every now and then I feel so privileged to do what I do. Photographing Marisa and Jorge was one of those times… and the photos show it!

In fact, it wasn’t even Marisa’s idea to do a maternity photo shoot – it was Jorge’s idea. He convinced her to come for the preggie shoot and you could just see how proud he was of her and their baby-to-be…..

He made her feel so beautiful when I was photographing her and was completely at ease behind the camera himself.

You could see he was in love and loving this part of his life. You could feel the love between them and their unborn baby and it was an absolute pleasure to photograph!

That’s what I love about my job – I have always loved maternity photoshoots but to photograph a couple that is so in love is just a cherry on the top!

 I love it when I get the chance to meet the babies that I photographed while still in mom’s tummy. I feel a real connection with them (I guess it’s because I love pregnancy and newborns so much..) but I almost feel honoured to meet these precious little beings that not so long ago were hiding in the womb.

I went to photograph baby Juliette (as well as her parents..) in their beautiful home last week and we had such fun. Juliette is only 7 weeks but acted like a perfect little model – she was happy and content and posed like a real little princess!

She loved it that her dad came home to take some photographs with her and mom – and like most newborn little girls, she has just melted her dad’s heart – reminds me of our baby girl….

Can you believe I have reached the point where I need someone to help me with my photography? I am getting busier and busier (which btw I absolutely love and am very grateful for…) and so we are looking for a photographer / designer to join our business.

As fate would have it, I decided that I need some help and within a week, we were approached by a professional photographer who is currently working at another studio and is looking to move on and grow now. This remarkable young woman has tons of experience as well as all the qualifications.

So it looks like we are about to take the next step in this exciting journey of ours – just goes to show that when you are inspired and you love what you do and you do what you love, synchronous events occur and powerful visions manifest… I am so excited!!!

Watch this space!!!