White Forge Photography

Scott Kelby World Wide Photo Walk 2011

2011-10-03T13:25:00.001+11:00

I had such a great time on Saturday taking part in this year’s photo walk. Met some great friends and shared a lot of fun stories. The city was eerily quiet, with few people not watching the AFL Grand Final.

We were worried we would be rained out, but the weather cleared up real well. (This is Simon, our walk leader, keeping warm.)

Even the kids appreciated the peace and quiet of the city.

Night-time the city came alive with people celebrating (and mourning!)

Thanks to all who took part and to Simon, our walk leader for organising everything!

For more photos, click here.

Tesselaars Tulip Festival 2011

2011-09-30T09:23:00.001+10:00

This year the festival started earlier than usual. The warmer weather had caused all the flowers to bloom sooner than normal. The display was definitely worth visiting!

We spent the day with wonderful friends, the kids having a ball running between the brilliant rows of flowers.

The different days of the festival are themed. We went on a Turkish day (the foods were really fabulous!). The marching band was quite the experience to see.

Definitely going to visit again next year!

Practice

2011-09-29T16:04:00.001+10:00

The last couple of months have been a little chaotic. My son came back from camp with a bit of a cold. By the Saturday, he couldn’t keep his eyes open, kept on falling asleep. At first we thought he just picked up a bit of the flu. But by Tuesday I rushed him to emergency because of the rash he developed. They were really quick in seeing him, though we ended visiting quite a few different specialists. Turns out he had zoster ophthalmicus, a rare form of shingles that attacks the eye nerve. Recovery took quite a few weeks. So far he has passed all his eye check-ups. The final one is only in January, but so far all is looking good.

So we got through those weeks, then my younger one went on camp. He came back with a serious case of the flu. Doctor says two weeks for him to recover, which covers the whole of the school holidays. We are watching lots of dvds and eating lots of ice cream … and I am playing around, trying to learn a few new things. The “planet” above I created following the tutorial on this page: http://www.fxencore.de/tutorial_detail/photoshop-tutorials/bildmanipulation/realistischer-planet/

Maybe I will do some housework over this time… or maybe not!

The thing about ducklings

2011-08-25T07:58:00.001+10:00

Kids (mostly) love baby animals. At kinder, the kids have baby ducklings to learn about nature. I have been photographing the gorgeous little ones with the ducklings.

The kids have been queuing to hold them, though a few are really hesitant. One wanted to know if the duckling was going to eat him! Just too cute for words!

And for the record: getting both duckling and toddler looking at the camera at the same time is slightly tricky!

Boys at play

2011-07-25T21:30:00.001+10:00

With all the little girls I’ve been photographing, I had to do something for my boys too! I printed these big (20”x30”) on metallic paper. It looks amazing! Can’t wait to get them framed for the boys’ rooms.

I really learned a lot about Photoshop doing these. Both are studio shots, then enhanced to create the images above. Hopefully this will add to my “cool factor” with them!

Here is my nose…

2011-07-13T22:28:00.001+10:00

This little cutie pie, who recently turned 2, was just so much fun to work with! His mom sang the song and he pointed… Here is my eyes…

Here is my nose…

Then he missed… and we laughed… and it was all over!

Though he still pointed out his ear!

Yay! The session was a success!

Sleeping innocence

2011-06-15T14:15:00.001+10:00

There is something so amazing and wondrous about watching a little newborn sleep. There is always just a little bit of the face visible, and sometimes they wiggle out their fingers as well.

She was the most amazingly well-behaved little one! Her very calm and relaxed (though a little tired) parents had already managed to get her into a routine. (More photos on Facebook)

Angels and Fairies

2011-06-09T11:45:00.001+10:00

For this semester’s portfolio, I took more than 4000 photos of 12 little girls. The kids were just so much fun to work with! These are two more photos I love, but didn’t make it into the folio.

We are running around a bit still. Looking forward to next Thursday when I hand in and classes are finished for a while. Will be great to go to bed at a more respectable time (I think I am getting old fast!). The house-hunting is going well I think. We should be able to find a new place before the current landlord needs to move back into this house. (At least this time my hand isn’t broken, so I can help carry things!) The kids have been great. They already started packing up their rooms themselves. I better get back to work!

Choosing portfolio pieces

2011-06-07T11:49:00.001+10:00

Our final portfolios are due for the semester. Choosing and processing and test printing is taking up a tremendous amount of time this year. Part of choosing images for a portfolio is making sure the series works. So often, favourites don’t make it into the series because they don’t fit with the other images. This is a sneak peek of some of the images I took. (I just had to share some of these cute girls!)

I will post the final images when the parents have seen them after they have been marked.

A wedding in a rose garden

2011-06-04T13:43:00.001+10:00

A beautiful day with blue skies after a week of rain was granted Zacc and Kim on their wedding day. Everything on the day went absolutely perfectly. The hardest part is choosing the photos to post! We started with a small session with Kim getting ready at home.

The ceremony was held at the beautifully serene Daly Waters Rose Farm. The little white chapel was gorgeous, with roses blooming everywhere on the grounds.

The reception at Barmah Park Winery was fabulous. Zacc’s brother-in-law did a fantastic job as the master of ceremonies. The groom also surprised his new wife with a song!

More photos on the Facebook page

Kids at play

2011-06-02T12:21:00.001+10:00

The last couple of months have been unusually busy. I was working on my final portfolio for this semester and also got some commercial bookings. Between learning new skills and working, the poor blog got sadly neglected! Well, the portfolio is almost ready for printing, I have almost caught up with all my sessions and classes are nearly finished, so I figured I better start blogging again! I missed sharing all my images!

My portfolio for this semester is about little girls’ dreams. I got some studio lights and started practicing using a blank background. Then I lined up some willing little models and we had a ton of fun! I will share the final photos when the parents have seen them.

I have so many more photos to share from weddings to newborns! I will post them in the coming days.

Love

2011-04-12T09:26:00.001+10:00

Sunday after church we stayed to socialise and have some coffee in the church foyer. A young boy quietly walked up to my younger son and whispered to him: “Tag, you’re it!”. The two of them then proceeded to walk really calmly to the hall. As their feet left the floor of the foyer, the chase was on, with them laughing and calling out to each other. It is amazing how seeing your child happy, can make your heart feel like it will burst with joy!

My daughter and I got the flu so we just sat quietly. She went to fetch a biscuit, then broke it in half to share with me.

These photos are taken with my new studio lights. It is so much fun to practice what we learn in class! And my kids don’t seem to mind posing for me…

I will hopefully be updating a bit more regularly. The flu seems to be slowly going away.

After boys…

2011-03-24T10:38:00.001+11:00

Life sure is different being home with the kids. Maybe I am just around to notice the things they do more. This morning I went to check on my youngest to see if she was ok (she was sleeping much longer than usual). I found her sitting on the bed, putting clips in (on?) her dinosaur.

“Look Mom! They fit!”

When you have to say goodbye

2011-03-08T17:04:00.001+11:00

The last two weeks have been a little chaotic. The flu seemed to hit everyone in the house and on top of a lot of processing and photography work, the blog got a little neglected. Then I got the sad news that my father’s brother had passed away.

He was a wonderful man with an immense love of nature. I remember the stories my father told about his younger brother (a townie) being able to track better than the farm boys. The adventures those two got up to as boys! We learnt so much love and respect for nature from him. He would take us out to parks and swamps, anywhere he could, and show us discoveries a child can only marvel at. In spite of hard times, I remember the joy in his face when he would find animal tracks to show us, a new plant we haven’t seen before or a little creature we never noticed.

We will miss him a lot.

Rust

2011-02-17T14:38:00.001+11:00

Studio sessions are exciting, mostly because I can’t practice artificial light every day. It is great fun though. This week’s brief was to photograph rust. The gorgeous lantern I found in an antique store.

A Special Couple

2011-02-16T10:40:00.001+11:00

Kosheila and Shashi are such a beautiful, young couple. He can’t help grinning widely, every time he feels her eyes on him, often moving her hair to look into her eyes. She still manages a serious face, until she catches his eyes, then the laughter just bubbles up!

I can’t wait to share in your wedding day!

Stuff on the street

2011-02-11T09:35:00.001+11:00

It is hard rubbish week. Everyone puts out the big stuff they want to get rid of and sometime in the week, it gets removed. I am always fascinated by the things put out. There is a beauty to so much of it

There is something so sad about a broken guitar

A Flooded Friday

2011-02-08T17:02:00.001+11:00

We are having REALLY unusual weather in Melbourne. Friday night we wanted to go shopping (hubby needs new shoes), so we took a drive after he came home from work. We didn’t go far before we couldn’t see a thing through the windscreen. Thankfully we didn’t try to wait it out, we just went home. That night we got record rainfall in the area.

My youngest wanted to take a look at the rain, grabbing an umbrella and her gumboots for the adventure. She was really excited to see the stream flowing next to our house (which isn’t there normally….) I decided to check on the garage. So glad I did! The whole place was under water. Some of the unpacked boxes had already collapsed onto the car. Thankfully they were all filled with clothes, so no damage. Hubby moved the car outside and we spent the evening moving wet, collapsing boxes into the house. Well… it forced us to finish the unpacking we didn’t do during the move! This was taken about 30 minutes later. All the water had drained away again. Check the black water line on the garage door in the back.

The next morning I took some photos around Narre Warren. Lots of roads are closed still. I suspect it will be a while before the sports field is usable again.

Click on the image to see a landscape photo of the whole sports area.

Even the Yarra river is very full!

I better get back to my washing. A lot of those clothes got wet!

A Gift of Roses

2011-02-03T08:59:00.001+11:00

My husband brought me flowers! I found the perfect spot for them, where the late afternoon sun falls on them to create beautiful shadows.

I heard a beautiful quote today:

“Whatever you are, be a good one” – Abraham Lincoln

Birthdays

2011-02-01T19:03:00.001+11:00

My son is getting so big so fast! For his birthday, he had some friends over to see a movie and they made their own ice cream sundaes. I found some soda spoons at a specialist store and put out things like grated chocolate, M&M’s, Smarties, sprinkles, nuts and ice cream sauces. This year I was so badly organised, I nearly forgot the cake! We were about to go to bed after decorating when I remembered. It was a close call!

ps my pansies nearly didn’t survive the heat, but he has been watering the plants like crazy, so they are at least showing some signs of life!

Gesiggies

2011-01-28T20:18:00.001+11:00

One of my favourite flowers is a pansy, in Afrikaans they are called ‘gesiggies’ (little faces). I remember as a child out walking the dog with my mother, we found a small little pansy growing in the gravel of the local church’s car park. We wanted to save it, so we took it home. By the next summer, the garden was covered in pansies. This week, I found some pansies at the local store. My younger son immediately claimed them for himself and planted them in the garden.

I am very proud of him. He gets paid $2 a week to water all the plants with the watering can. He has been really conscientious about it, so it looks like these little flowers will do well in the garden. All my sweet pea seeds have sprouted as well because of his hard work.

Baby Soft

2011-01-27T16:01:00.001+11:00

A friend is having her baby soon. I love making something for the babies, but my skills with needle and thread are quite limited, so I stick to little blankets. Thank goodness for Google! When I get stuck, the answer is usually easy to find!

This time I learned how to do the corners on bias binding to add some colour to the blankets (http://www.isew.co.uk/sewing_techniques/bias_binding-c-00027.htm)

Misty forest

2011-01-26T11:11:00.001+11:00

When family came to visit, we took a drive through the Dandenongs. It had been raining for days and the sky still dripped periodically. It made for beautiful scenery and, ironically, it wasn’t cold at all.

It was amazing to see how green and lush everything had gotten with the unexpected amount of rain we have been getting.

Even the birds were wet!

The Fun of Being Family

2011-01-25T09:54:00.001+11:00

I got the wonderful opportunity to photograph a friend’s family when the grandparents came to visit. We had a beautiful, bright sunny day to capture the love they have for each other. Everything was just perfect!

Innocent Wonder

2011-01-24T18:15:00.001+11:00

My kids aren’t really what you would call main stream I suspect. My oldest is permanently hiding his nose in a book, taking every opportunity to read. My middle child is maths-obsessed, to the point where he takes maths exercise books with on car trip to practice. My three-year-old loves anything creative: sticking, drawing and painting. I finally found some water paints (she doesn’t seem to like the finger paints too much). She had a great time painting rainbows! It was wonderful watching her furiously concentrate on the colours.

Since it fits with this week’s challenge over at iHeartFaces, I decided to enter the photo this week.

Water and prayer

2011-01-14T07:52:00.001+11:00

Our thoughts and prayers are with all those affected by the floodwaters in Queensland and Victoria.

We have family visiting. Drove up to Sky High in Mt Dandenong to watch the rain fall over the city. It is extremely humid and hot in Melbourne, in spite of all the rain.

If you want to help out in the Queensland Flood Appeal: http://www.qld.gov.au/floods/donate.html
Please note that at the moment they are asking that only money be donated. As wonderful as physical donations of furniture, clothes, etc. are, they have nowhere to put them.

Basketball

2011-01-05T15:07:00.001+11:00

Our move has brought us a lot closer to the local basketball court. I found a ball on sale, which encouraged the kids to go play a bit. We are trying to go more often, even though the allure of computer games and books and lazing on the couch is still strong!

My younger son is in his element though, being active outside.

Resolutions

2011-01-02T17:29:00.001+11:00

For the coming year, I figured I will try and iron more of the clothes… and get down to the beach more often. Don’t know if I will keep to either, but every time we go to the beach, we come home with great memories! (Taken in Frankston)

Late afternoon is such a great time to go to the beach. The weather is perfect and the beach is calm. Watching the sunset is an added bonus!

Happy New Year!

2011-01-01T11:37:00.001+11:00

Wishing everyone a wonderful, peaceful and joy-filled new year!

Our night at the Family Festival in Melbourne

We spent the evening in Melbourne, watching the family fireworks. The kids had a ball and so did we! (The photos were all hand-held – carrying a tripod when chaperoning three kids is not an option in the crowds!)

What is better on New Year’s Eve than a picnic in the park with live music (Guy Sebastian was playing), fireworks and kids laughing?

Frankston Sand Sculptures

2010-12-30T11:17:00.001+11:00

We made a visit to the sand sculptures in Frankston again. This year’s theme is Creepy Crawlies. The detail was just phenomenal! The kids spent quite a while doing the crafts that were set up. Then we had a bit of a wander around the displays.

Just had to adore the flea circus…

There was a strong Tim Burton influence to the display.

My husband’s favourite was the Beatles!

My youngest just adores the fairies

Imagination is such a wonderful thing… Click on the images to see larger versions

Check out the other photos on Facebook

Summer bees

2010-12-20T20:14:00.001+11:00

Walking to the store last week, we saw quite a few bees laden with pollen. I was only carrying my small lens, so catching these fast little critters was a bit of a challenge.

The car has been fixed just in time for the holidays, so I am looking forward to taking the kids out a bit to look at Christmas lights, the beach and the city this week.

The city in the morning

2010-12-19T20:55:00.001+11:00

For the first time in quite a while, hubby and I went out without the kids (Christmas function!). By the time we went home, it was 1am in the morning in Melbourne, definitely past my bedtime. Walking the streets to the station, it didn’t feel like 1am, there was just so much energy and life! These are just some images I captured on our walk.

PS Don’t try to hail a cab that time of night. The queues are really long and all the cabs are full!

Feeding the ducks

2010-12-13T09:44:00.001+11:00

When you have car trouble so close to Christmas, it takes a while for the mechanic to get to your car. We have been doing quite a bit of walking lately! Going to the store is a bit of a trip, so I try to include some other activities. Last time we took some old bread with to feed the ducks along the way.

My youngest found a feather and spent ages playing with it. (She didn’t fall in, but her game quickly reminded me how easily little ones can fall into the water)

The sun is shining, so I am going to try to catch up on the washing. I am going to have to find some time to bake cookies for tomorrow’s picnic at school. Hope you all have a great day!

Finding the rainbow

2010-12-12T14:50:00.001+11:00

My daughter came running in, really excited. We all had to go look, she insisted. Out the back door, we could see the brightest rainbow I have seen in a long time. With the sunset behind us, the sky was filled with glorious colour!

Sometimes the world around is is just magical, we just have to look. (Walking everywhere at the moment, I need anything to keep my mind off my sore feet!)

Teachers’ gifts

2010-12-08T17:42:00.001+11:00

This year I thought the boys might want to try to make their teachers something for Christmas, instead of us running to the store again. Both boys were really excited about it! I had some glass baubles that were designed to be filled and decorated, which worked out great. Each had their own style when making the gifts.

Next year I am going to be more prepared and try to make these:

http://pinkletoesblogstalker.com/2010/12/more-sparkly-things.html

Positive thoughts

2010-12-07T17:40:00.001+11:00

We think the car might have blown a gasket, so working hard to keep positive thoughts. Christmas-things always put me in a good mood! I just love the bokeh that Christmas lights make.

The lights create a really interesting reflection on the blinds. I am thinking really hard about how I can make a portrait with it.

Last year on the sales, I managed to get a cute little nativity scene. My younger son set it up. We are reading a bit of the Christmas story to the kids every night. They are loving it!

Gardening

2010-12-06T12:54:00.001+11:00

To be honest, gardening is not my forte. But with the weather over the last few weeks being warm during the day and rainy at night, the garden grew like crazy! So we all pitched in over the weekend and did some weeding and pruning. These gorgeous little flowers grow on long stems that started overgrowing our path. And they seem to attract spider webs! So they had to be cut back.

I am also trying to grow some lavender from cuttings. No idea if that is possible (my first attempt at this!), but so far most of them are surviving. You can see with the wonky sticks that it was touch and go for a while!

I moved them to the edge of the veranda so they can get a bit of sun and rain. Now I don’t have to worry when I forget to water them!

FixItFriday - iHeartFaces

2010-12-04T14:32:00.001+11:00

This week’s photo was taken by Dana

Original:

First I removed the little pathway, added curves for contrast and sharpened the image.

Then I tried a few crops

Big Ants!

2010-12-03T11:31:00.001+11:00

Earlier the week I had to walk to school to fetch my son from sport. (Clutch on the car broke, so I got a workout!) My youngest has developed a immense fascination with anything that remotely resembles a bug, including spiders, ants and snails (eeeuuuwww!!) We spent about 10 minutes watching this huge ant walking along the path. The little black speck in the foreground is a normal ant.

You will probably be seeing more bugs on this page in the followings weeks. She makes me take a picture of every one that she likes…. which is most of them. I think we are finally convincing her not to pick up spiders at least!

‘Tis the season!

2010-12-02T09:56:00.001+11:00

The last few weeks have been really hectic! Between moving house, photographing a wedding (and processing in record time!), finishing my portfolio and all the rest of the end-of-year stuff, we have been running around something silly! Tonight is my last class for the semester, so, finally, I can start relaxing and attempting to unpack the last of the boxes. I managed to get our tree up yesterday. Some decorations didn’t survive the move and I will have to glue the wings back on some of the angels, but mostly, everything is ok… I just haven’t been brave enough to try to untangle the lights yet.

Somewhere in the last few days my Photoshop crashed and I lost all my actions that I set up to create the watermarks. Now I have to try to remember how I did it! So please excuse me if the next few aren’t consistent!

The kids got the train up and running, but then only got half way with moving it under the tree. Guess that is another job they left me with this morning. (along with packing the dishwasher!)

I had better go finish the washing. My son had camp and everything came back muddy and wet. He had an absolute ball though! The weather has been accommodating me, with warm, windy days and rainy nights. Perfect for the garden and the washing.

Wishing you a Christmas season full of happiness and peace! (I will post a photo of the giant ant we found tomorrow)

A beautiful bride

2010-11-14T19:43:00.001+11:00

Just wanted to share some more photos from the wonderful wedding. Rasika had such adorable shoes!

She was SO gorgeous!

Weddings…

2010-11-14T19:30:00.001+11:00

I have been scarce lately. Lots of deadlines all seemed to come at the same time. We have moved all our things from our previous house to the new one, but everything is still in boxes. (I am desperately seeking my dustbin!) Cleaning the old place has eaten into all our spare time. Another few days and my portfolio needs to be finished and printed. After all this rush, it will be weird having some free time!

In the midst of my chaos, I got the opportunity to photograph a gorgeous couple on their wedding day. It was a beautiful, bright day, with not a drop of rain after days of pouring skies. Rasika was absolutely breathtaking in her traditional dress for the ceremony, after which she changed into a different gown for the reception (which was just as gorgeous!).

At the ceremony, they lit a traditional Sri Lankan lantern. This moment was captured so beautifully by my colleague James (from Ligero Photography).

Reece and Rasika are a beautiful, spontaneous couple that complement each other wonderfully. It was such a pleasure to photography them!

These two are going to have such a fabulous future!

Swooping Magpies

2010-10-28T08:11:00.001+11:00

My daughter loves riding her little bike to the park. The purple helmet (thankfully) stayed on when she went to play. The next minute we hear a “swoosh”!

The magpie started swooping her!

She thought it was extremely funny! “You missed me, you missed me!”

Breast Cancer Awareness Week – Pink Challenge

2010-10-25T22:00:00.001+11:00

This week has a pink challenge in honour of Breast Cancer Awareness over at iHeartFaces. I think everyone has someone close who has been affected by breast cancer, so it is a great cause to support.

I know I posted this one over the weekend, but you don’t get much more pink than a little girl and confetti!

Be sure to click on the link below to see more!

Lighting a little girl

2010-10-24T16:29:00.001+11:00

I got a few boxes of confetti on sale at the store recently and had an idea of how I wanted to use them. The wind has been blowing quite strongly lately, so I thought it would make a fun image of the wind blowing my youngest’s hair along with the confetti. So one afternoon late, when the sun was just beautiful and the wind blowing like crazy, I put her in her favourite dress and got the whole family to help.

So first a few practice photos, to make sure the light was set up right.

Then the boys started throwing confetti. She started twirling all on her own, with the wind billowing her hair and the dress…

With the last of the light fading quickly, the confetti running out, we finally timed it perfectly. She became a little princess, being blown by the wind…

I need to find some more confetti! It makes for really special memories! (and the wind can definitely stay too! It is an awesome assistant!)

-this was lit with a flash, a reflector and sunset

Experiments

2010-10-18T11:53:00.001+11:00

I am entering this year’s Canon EOS Photo5 competition. One of the briefs is to create a close up image with an eye dropper. I manages to get hold of a gorgeous glass one to add to the effect of the image. The image is from a little science experiment you can do at home. Add some milk to a saucer, then place some drops of food colouring to the milk.

Next add some dishwashing liquid and watch the colours swirl! I just love how the drop looks like a piece of glass, with the reflection below.

I will add some more photos from my entries tomorrow, but there is a pile of washing calling! Taking photos all weekend means I left a bit of housework for the week.

Fix It Friday @ iHeartFaces

2010-10-15T21:46:00.001+11:00

In time for Halloween, this week’s challenge is pumpkin-themed!

The original photo

There is some beautiful backlighting creating a bit of a halo around her hair, but her face is a little dark and the shadows are really blue. So with Curves in Photoshop and some dodging, I brightened up the foreground a bit.

I then played around with the crop. We have been learning how to change backgrounds, so I decided to move the pumpkins in a bit closer.

Then just a bit closer crop and the pumpkins moved in a bit.

To see more edits of this photo, be sure to click on the link below!

Blowing smoke

2010-10-15T15:32:00.001+11:00

One of the categories for the Canon EOS Photo 5 competition is to create an image using incense. I have been playing around a bit, just to see how it photographs. It sure is a lot of fun! Something totally different.

There isn’t a lot of time left, but hopefully I can put something together in time.

I think have a great idea, will post it when it is done.

Butterflies and dragons

2010-10-14T10:26:00.001+11:00

What would a kids’ festival be without face painters? Well, the kids thought it so important, they were prepared to wait a whole hour in the line to get their faces painted by the artists from Elena Lieu Body Art. And they were absolutely magnificent!

My three year-old didn’t move the entire time! She couldn’t make up her mind, then finally settled on a rainbow butterfly. So many colours in just one stroke…

My son didn’t have any doubts. He wanted to be a black dragon!

Have you ever seen a three year-old sit so still? She didn’t move the entire time. I was amazed at Elena’s skill.

The skill of these artists is amazing! Each child’s face was a work of art.

Fairies at the festival

2010-10-13T09:17:00.001+11:00

There is always a little fairy section at the tulip festival. Being a “kids day”, some real-life ones turned up to read the kids some stories. (I was really impressed that she got up that tree!)

My kids got into the fantasy world… My son turned into a black dragon for the day!

Wedding at Puffing Billy

2010-10-12T17:51:00.001+11:00

What can be more romantic than taking a train ride on a heritage steam train on your wedding day! I have partnered with a friend and great photographer to cover an intimate wedding in the Dandenongs.

It was a great day with beautiful weather. Margaret Collier personalised the ceremony beautifully, with lots of laughter and remembrance.

I am really looking forward to a great partnership with James from Ligero Photography. We make an awesome team!

Tesselaar Tulip Festival

2010-10-12T11:26:00.001+11:00

We spent a great day at the Tesselaar Tulip Festival during the school holidays. It worked out really well, going on one of the days they had special activities for the kids. The flowers were gorgeous! The kids had a ball running in the mud between the colourful blooms.

I’ll post some more tomorrow. I always take too many photos at the festival. There are just so many gorgeous things!

Numnuts

2010-10-06T22:01:00.001+11:00

Our assignment is to take photos in unusual light. We then have to edit the image so the colours go back to normal. I figured my son’s lava lamp should work well.

The blue screen of the tv when in DVD mode also created a cool effect.

What smartypants forgot is that blue and green are primary colours. They don’t have any other colour info!!! I just get various shades of blue and green. So back to the drawing board. Late night tonight

Bubbles

2010-10-05T08:02:00.001+11:00

I love using bubbles in photography sessions, so I usually have a supply in the house. To keep the kids entertained over the weekend, I took an easy way out and gave them some to play with. I am definitely going to experiment again!

Clear skies

2010-10-04T14:10:00.001+11:00

The weather this weekend was gorgeous! Bright blues skies and warm weather heralded the start of summer. I went to my favourite spot to get a few sunset photos.

The colours are just amazing after such a clear day.

I’m off to go do my finger exercises. I can nearly lift my finger off the table now!

Spring in the Forest

2010-10-02T14:53:00.001+10:00

The wire came out of my hand Friday, so I have some mobility back. About the experience, well, lets just say that watching a doctor try to yank out a wire from your hand with a pair of pliers isn’t a great sight (or feeling). Lots of exercises over the following weeks should get my hand back to full strength soon I hope! My opinion about this whole business? Breaking your hand is not to be recommended!

Even with a cast on, I have been getting around a bit. With hubby on leave during his mom’s visit, we have been visiting all the cool places we could think of when it didn’t rain. Sherbrooke Forest is one of my favourite spots! Signs of spring are everywhere.

There were lots of crimson rosellas and Australian king parrots around, eager to be fed.

We came home extremely muddy, but happy!

The Look

2010-09-29T09:03:00.001+10:00

When I take photos of my husband, I often get this look. You’d think I was torturing him!

But now and then he forgets about the camera and I get some fun family photos.

If you are ever in Melbourne with kids, make sure you pop in at Hays Paddock. It is a great playground!

Phillip Island

2010-09-28T10:25:00.001+10:00

The great thing about having visitors is that we get to be tourists! We finally had a chance to go see Phillip Island, on a gloriously sunny day with the blues skies we have had in months!

The views and nature are just gorgeous! Beautiful walkways allow you to see parts of nature you normally would not be able to get close to. (Though the gulls were not happy if you got too close to their chicks!)

More adventures to come!

One day they will allowed to drive

2010-09-25T07:51:00.001+10:00

Some intermittent posting on my part… Grandma is visiting from overseas, so we are having a ball being tourists! One of our stops has been the Melbourne show. The queue for the crazy coaster was just too long, so the kids settled for the bumper cars. Oh boy, were they glad that they did!

Even the youngest got her chance go on some rides, with her dad as chaperone. (With my broken hand, we figured it would be safer for him to take the risks!)

End of the day we were tired, but quite happy after a lot of fun.

One more week until my cast comes off and they pull out the wire, then I get my independence back.

New life, new hope

2010-09-15T20:28:00.001+10:00

Even though the weather doesn’t always make us feel like we have entered Spring, the plants have decided it is time to bloom. I took a walk up to my son’s high school (can’t believe my oldest is nearly in high school!) to hand in his enrolment forms. Everywhere there are flowers and buds. The walk took a while with me stopping regularly to take new images.

We even had some beautiful sunlight (though the wind was a little cold). When the sunlight hit the bright colours, the flowers just glowed.

I lowe all the tiny flowers that come out in Spring.

Dandelions are always around. A little bit ethereal….

For those interested in updating the family albums or brightening your home’s walls with new images, I have a new special! Check my website for the details (link below).

Broken Hand Special

Experiment

2010-09-13T10:50:00.001+10:00

There is a processing technique a lot of photographers use when processing their photos. I thought to play around with it a bit, using photos from a wedding I did. It brings out the details in the images and makes it feel a little like a drawing.

As you can see, it really brings out details like embroidery on a wedding dress.

Do you think this kind of processing works? Is it something you would like?

Haircut

2010-09-12T15:51:00.001+10:00

My younger son came to ask for a haircut, so we took him to the hairdresser today. He loves having spiky hair!

Fix It Friday

2010-09-11T07:52:00.001+10:00

Isn’t she just too adorable for words?

My edits

In Studio

2010-09-06T09:39:00.001+10:00

One of my wonderful friends kindly agreed to be my model for our portrait lesson in studio. Don’t you think she looked awesome?

I will post some more of her images later. On my way to hospital to see the hand therapist again for a new cast.

Glass

2010-08-30T12:01:00.001+10:00

Learning to “manually” light objects is quite a challenge. It has been a steep learning curve so far, but it has been exhilarating when we get it right! (We do get it wrong more often though!)

The latest lesson was about lighting glass. Its curves and physical properties made this the hardest challenge so far. Lots to learn, but we made a start.

Fix It Friday

2010-08-28T10:06:00.001+10:00

Little sore after the doctor’s visit so just a short note. (New cast and I have to exercise my fingers)

Original

As you can see, I did quite a bit. My son stood in for my left hand

Beach challenge

2010-08-24T09:13:00.001+10:00

It is a while still before we have beach weather again. I remembered this photo of my daughter that I love from last summer. It was the end of a glorious day, bright skies promised a night full of stars.

Be sure to check out other entries.

Phenominality

2010-08-22T19:39:00.001+10:00

It is such an enormous feeling I experience when new parents ask me to share in the first precious days when the have been blessed with a new little one to love. The morning spent with this little princess was no exception. She was just too adorable! And so calm and relaxed, giving her parents much deserved rest.

I know she will bring joy and delight into every aspect of her parent’s lives!

Thank you for letting me share in your joy! It was so special to be in a home so filled with love.

*I am going to be short on words the next few weeks. One-handed typing is a bit too frustrating. The operation went well though and I am still taking photos, as you can see!

Satisfying a chocolate craving

2010-08-17T10:31:00.001+10:00

I got my son to help me make chocolate blocks last night while his brother was at soccer. (Well, I directed and he did the manual work!)

These two had so much fun smashing the biscuits.

He cut some butter to melt

and then came the messy part where they sifted the icing sugar…

After adding some eggs and microwaving it all for a bit, the chocolate mix got poured into a dish to set.

And thee got to lick out the bowl (which is what the did all this for!)

I’ll type out the recipe when Ican use both hands again. Everything is slow-going at the moment

A Picture I didn’t take

2010-08-15T13:16:00.001+10:00

Last night I had a little bit of an accident. I ran up the stairs, tripped and hit the wall with my fingers outstretched…. Heard a snap… Tried to immediately take my rings off, but it was already too late. And then the pain hit. (Curled up in a little ball and wailed like a baby I’m afraid!)

Quite a few hours between emergency rooms and x-rays showed a gorgeous little break inside my hand on the ring finger. Spent the whole morning back in emergency for a new cast (They had to cut off my rings!). And now I am already bored… All my projects I started this weekend are staring at me. I can’t finish any of them one-handed!

Well, for the next few weeks I guess I will have to practice the Joe McNally camera hold: bracing the camera on one shoulder. And my house is going to be absolute chaos!

Fix It Friday at iHeartFaces

2010-08-13T22:20:00.001+10:00

This week’s photo is of the cutest little boy! He has a twin. Just as well the photo is just of one of them, those eyes are mesmerising! This is the original photo.

I first did a basic edit with some sharpening and a blur to soften noise and smooth his skin. I also cloned out the blue shirt and blond hair. I added a screen capture of the layers I used, including a photo filter to warm up his skin tone. The Hue/Saturation layer just made his red shirt and lips a bit warmer and brighter.

I then added a crop. The photo is great on its own, I think, but I do like the crop as well. His eyes are just such a big part of the image, I wanted less distraction.

Playing around with a black and white version, I came up with something I really like.

These are just some experiments with Pioneer Woman’s actions.

Old West	Soft & Faded
Sunshine	Vintage

Amazing what we can do with technology!

To see more edits of this image, be sure to visit the website by clicking on the link above.

When routine goes out the window

2010-08-13T10:29:00.001+10:00

Lately we have had quite a busy schedule going, with my classes starting, hubby’s work pressure increasing a little and a lot of other small things. Last night it was especially hard to motivate myself to go to class. Being tired seems to make me gloomy! Well, looks like I was meant to take a break. After waiting for the train, which came into the station really slow, everyone jumped on board for a (VERY) slow trip to the next station. A three minute trip took forty minutes. Then the dreaded announcement: Power lines got tangled at Dandenong station, so no trains are available into the city. The train was going back. A three minute trip and I was back where I started. (At least I wasn’t in the city when this happened! Imagine trying to get home!)

Well, since there was quite a stunning sunset, I decided to use the evening to relax and take some photos for no reason other than I liked what I saw.

Today’s routine is also out of the window. My younger son has developed a fever, so I am being forced to relax at home. Hope you find a natural way to relax this weekend and don’t need to be forced, kicking and screaming like me!

Swinging

2010-08-12T12:33:00.001+10:00

My nice little to do list got lost yesterday. I started well, sweeping and cleaning up, then I got a call from the school that my son had forgotten his lunch money. Rather than drive, my youngest and I walked to the school. On the way back, we made use of the rare bit of winter sunshine to play in the park a bit. She just loves swinging!

She is growing up so fast. It is hard to keep up!

Twenty

2010-08-10T20:52:00.001+10:00

Watching the girls train is amazing. They are so strong and supple! No complaints or slacking, just determination.

Could you do twenty leg lifts like this? She did!

Thank you so much to this little one’s mom for inviting me to spend time with the girls during their training. It is a phenomenal experience. (To say I love what I do, would be an understatement!)

The colour of early morning

2010-08-09T11:35:00.001+10:00

Our latest assignment was to try to capture the colour and feeling of early morning. So everyone had sheets of cellophane hanging on c-stands to create coloured light. My props were quite heavy to carry through the city, but I think it was worth it in the end. I had a lot of fun and definitely learnt a few new techniques.

The first one is with blue and yellow light, the blue adding to the shadows and the yellow to the highlights.

Then we tried some red and blue

I couldn’t resist trying some gold and magenta light on this little girl set up.

Have you noticed some of the colours the light creates early in the morning? It is amazing how the light’s colour can affect our mood.

My little soccer star

2010-08-06T10:42:00.001+10:00

My son absolutely loves playing soccer. He had been begging for ages to play, but with my evening classes, we just couldn’t find a place that fit in with our schedule. Thankfully things worked out and with my new schedule, we found somewhere for him to play. Those long legs of his really help!

I think his footwork is quite impressive, though he sometimes gets a bit carried away and steals the ball from his own teammates (he is only 8!)

By the end of the game he is usually quite exhausted. But the fitness will come I think. We are just glad he found something he loves doing.

(PS these were shot at night indoors, so at super high ISO, which explains the graininess. Flash doesn’t help over long distances)

The little gymnast

2010-08-04T10:23:00.001+10:00

This semester we have to hand in two portfolios. For the first one, I am trying something that takes me completely out of my comfort zone (I guess I have been reading Seth’s Blog too often). One of my friends kindly organised that I can photograph her daughter at gymnastics practice.

Last night was my first try at capturing the action. I had so much fun with all the girls, but I think I am going to have to learn a lot about gymnastics!

(These images are all straight out of the camera, no editing)

Capturing really fast moving kids in low light is going to be an amazing challenge! So hopefully this monster will just be shadow and no substance…

Star Trek Fan

2010-08-03T10:12:00.001+10:00

My son and I walked past the op shop recently and saw a box of videos outside marked $10 for the lot. Well, for the whole series, I figured it a good deal (recently been introducing the kids to Star Trek Next Generation). So we bought the huge box and brought it home. But the video machine hasn’t been used in quite a while, so I had to get that up and running again. Lost cause… Seems it couldn’t survive being filled with coins, raisins, crayons and other sundry bits! (I blame the toddler years) Frantic search for a new VCR, but thankfully everyone seems to be getting rid of theirs! I managed to pick up a second-hand one last night.

So my kids can now watch the whole series of Voyager, from 1.1 to 7.13!

Quiet Sundays?

2010-08-01T22:32:00.001+10:00

At this stage, this is how our Sundays go: Early morning (between 8am and 9am) we rush out the door to church. During the sermon, I am downstairs teaching the little ones (younger than preschool) Bible stories. Then, after church, I jump on the tram into the city while (poor ever-suffering) hubby takes our three kids home. I then spend the afternoon in class learning studio lighting.

When you have to travel on public transport with your props, you have to be economical, so I wear them!

Fix It Friday – iHeartFaces

2010-07-31T16:36:00.001+10:00

This beautiful young girl is this week’s Fix It Friday challenge.

I played around a little to make the image a little warmer and to get her hair colour to pop a little.

I thought she really had a fairy-like quality to her, so I added some textures

and changed her dress to pink, just to see what it would look like!

Carlton and buskers

2010-07-29T09:16:00.001+10:00

A couple of buskers were singing at the museum. She really had a gorgeous voice.

With the grey skies, she really stood out with her bright scarf and hat (isn’t the scarf awesome?)

The ducks in the pond were really precocious. As soon as we came close, they charged at us, hoping for some snacks I think!

Walking back I kept on being astounded by the variety of architectural styles.

I am really looking forward to doing this again next year!

Walking Around Carlton (Scott Kelby World Wide Photowalk)

2010-07-27T12:48:00.001+10:00

I got a chance to take part in this year’s Scott Kelby World Wide Photowalk. We walked around Carlton, past the Melbourne Museum and through some alleyways. It was so much fun just walking around with other photographers, seeing the world through different eyes. I am still working on the photos, but here are a few of the first ones.

Lots of old buildings with interesting designs on the doors

Fabulous trees with the most interesting branches against the sky (ok, I cheated and turned the grey sky blue for a bit of an abstract)

Fabulous colours everywhere. I seem to get attracted to the blues most of all.

I haven’t walked around the back of Melbourne Museum before. The park is gorgeous, especially with all the fallen leaves everywhere.

The skies turned dark and gloomy every now and then, but that works when you take pictures of the sky! (ps this is a colour picture. I didn’t make it black and white. The sky made everything grey for a while)

Here and there were a few colourful roses in gardens. Spring is not too far away any more.

The abstract shapes the museum forms, make a fascinating contrast to all the nature and historical images around.

More soon, time to put my little one down for her nap.

Fix It Friday – iHeartFaces

2010-07-24T09:41:00.001+10:00

This week’s photo is by Angie. Two gorgeous little girls, aren’t they!

These are just two quick fixes. Lots to do today: a birthday party to go to and the Scott Kelby Worldwide Photowalk this afternoon.

My basic fix just moved the pole and added some blur. Pushed the levels and brightness a bit too. A slightly closer crop was the final bit.

Then I ran Pioneer Woman’s Heartland action at 89%.

I better run. To see more versions of this image, click the logo above!

Flashy kids

2010-07-22T15:30:00.001+10:00

Just some quick photos of my kids from that first flash session. My daughter is quick to pose and so is my younger son.

Capturing the oldest is a bit tricky though. Non of the normal lighting setups worked, so I broke the rules and lit him from below and voila! My son as I know him!

I am rushing off to my first photography class for year 2. Can’t believe I have made it so far. Hopefully I will be able to get a few nice shots tonight of the city.

Rembrandt

2010-07-21T17:47:00.001+10:00

These two cousins were just too adorable as flower girls. Jumping full of energy still at the end of the day. I love the portraits I captured of them.

Rembrandt lighting (notice the little light triangle under the eye on the shady side of the face)

Side lighting from the window

And they kept smiling all day!

Over Her Head – iHeartFaces Challenge

2010-07-20T22:39:00.001+10:00

I took this image not long after my youngest had her operation to have the lump removed. She was as chirpy as ever and really keen to pose while I practiced using my new flash. She allowed her brothers to pose for one or two, then she would go through her whole repertoire for me again! She doesn’t always want to model for me, but when she does, she is brilliant.

More entries on the iheartfaces website.

Fierceness

2010-07-19T12:47:00.001+10:00

When I was at school, the word to use was ‘cool’. Apparently the word these days is ‘fierce’. Well, I don’t quite get it yet (my age is showing I guess!), but I think Shiann really rocked the photo shoot because she really looks fierce!

I think ‘fierce’ works here, don’t you?

This is a busy week since classes are starting again, a week early. I have Sunday School lessons to prepare for the next few weeks too.

Flower girls

2010-07-17T11:06:00.001+10:00

We started the formal photos with the flower girls. They had been so good all day, we wanted to give them a chance to go play. And they just posed beautifully! I love these moments between 'formal’ poses, catching a look between a couple in love, little girls dreaming of their future…

Fix It Friday - iHeartFaces

2010-07-17T07:46:00.001+10:00

This week’s image is of the sweetest little girl. Isn’t she adorable? With such a smile I just want to give her tons of hugs.

First I made the image a bit warmer. The shadows on her face were a little distracting, so I lightened it a bit (with kids you have to grab the moments where you get them!)

I am a photographer, I HAVE to do a black and white version!

And I tried a little crop with a vignette to darken the edges. (You will often find there is more than one image to grab in a moment.)

To see more edits, click on the logo above.

Sunset on Stormy Evenings

2010-07-16T09:50:00.001+10:00

We have had a few stormy, rainy nights recently. The clouds at sunset look absolutely awesome because of it!

I love clouds! Makes me feel a little bit like an artist

Saying ‘I Do’

2010-07-15T16:25:00.001+10:00

The intimate ceremony was held in the gorgeous little chapel at Bram Leigh. Shiann’s lovely mother walked her down the aisle. The relationship between the two of them is extremely special.

The celebrant, Paul Cochran , led the ceremony with lots of humour and tender moments remembered.

It was a day filled with so much happiness!

More images on Facebook, I will share the formal portraits tomorrow

My First Time…

2010-07-14T16:13:00.001+10:00

It was early on a cool, misty morning, before the sun had even peeked over the horizon, that I left home to document a beautiful couple make a promise that will form the rest of their lives.

So, 7am the morning I arrived at a busy house full of bridesmaids, aunts, cousins, sisters and flower girls. It was wonderful to be in the presence of people so happy and excited about the day! The little ones had their hair all done up in rags the night before. They were bright little bundles of giggles, running around everywhere, glorying in the excitement. The bridesmaids got first turn having their hair and make-up done.

Then came beautiful Shiann’s turn. She must be the most relaxed and calm bride you have ever seen!

In a back room the little flower girls practiced walking down the aisle. The sun had started to break through the clouds a little, bathing the whole room with wonderful light. So I got one of my favourite photos of the day.

Another favourite was the moment after Shiann was finished dressing, her cousin had just put on their grandmother’s pearls. (ok, I have LOTS of favourites of the day!)

Matt and Shian, it was a fabulous day! Thank you SO much for trusting me to spend it with you and to keep your memories safe. It was truly an honour.

I will post more images over the next few days. I just had so much fun, I have to share!

Montrose, Melbourne

2010-07-13T13:41:00.001+10:00

I recently did my first wedding session. I did not know the area very well, so I dragged the kids with to do some location scouting. We found some beautiful parks and a fabulous playground in the area. The kids had an absolute ball.

The one park is called Richard’s Reserve. It has green spaces, tall trees and fairytale-style toadstools. I just love the romantic feel about it.

The children’s favourite place was the Montrose Community Playground. The detail and effort that had gone into developing and building this playground is really obvious. It is wonderful being in an area that feels children deserve to be treated as special

I found the swings to be quite something different. Apart from the normal swings, you get these big ones, that two of the kids can fit on. My oldest (without complaint) proceeded to push his siblings so I could take some photos. It was lots of fun, until….

STTTOOOOPPPP!

Oh well, all good things come to an end I guess. It was time to go home and let the kids relax after a long morning driving around.

Fix It Friday – iHeartFaces

2010-07-10T09:13:00.001+10:00

This week’s image is really gorgeous. Old train and train tracks just seem to have something so romantic about them!

The original

I duplicated the image, then set it on multiply. I used a photo filter layer to warm it up and played around with the levels a bit.

I played around with a few different styles.

Black and white with the greens darkened and the oranges brightened

Pioneer Woman’s Lovely and Ethereal

Pioneer Woman’s Old West

Be sure to check out other fixes by clicking the logo below

Young love, strong love

2010-07-06T15:08:00.001+10:00

Matt and Melanie are so amazingly comfortable with each other. The two just fit together perfectly.

She is so calm, collected and sophisticated. He makes her laugh, often. (And I can understand why, look at those fabulous dimples!)

They have travelled the world, living an adventurous life. The next one they embark on will be the grandest yet I think.

It is so special to meet a couple who are each other’s best friends. The day they say ‘I Do” will just be a formality, because I think already, they are a part of each other, perfectly balanced and wonderfully blessed. Thank you for such a great time, I loved being able to get to know you both!

More photos on Facebook as I process them

With this ring…

2010-07-05T08:26:00.001+10:00

I got the wonderful chance to share in a beautiful couple’s wedding yesterday. It was so special to spend the day with two people who totally adore each other and are obviously very much loved by all their family and friends.

Matt and Shiann, I know you are going to have a wonderful future together!

PS the bouquet above was made by the bride! She is a very talented woman.

What would you do if you heard screaming?

2010-07-01T19:08:00.001+10:00

You run to take pictures of course!

The dancers from ‘So You Think You Can Dance’ show were performing at the local mall. I think my husband actually regretted not going shopping with me for once!

Dance steps

2010-06-30T18:40:00.001+10:00

Can you think of a better location for an engagement session than at the place you started dating your beloved? Long-time friends who realised there was more to each other. I know these two will have such a fabulous future together.

I am SO blessed to be able to spend time with people who radiate so much love! From new love, to old love, to growing love, it is magnificent.

To see more of Lucian and Shuli’s engagement session, be sure to visit their album on Facebook.

Finding love at the end of the rainbow

2010-06-29T15:15:00.001+10:00

So what do you do if you have an engagement session on a rainy day? You look for the rainbows!

Shuli and Lucian are such a gorgeous couple! And Shuli definitely has an eye for the perfect spots to capture their love together. She spotted this gorgeous rainbow and we just HAD to take some photos beneath it.

These two met a long time ago, but only started dating at university. Both of them intelligent and beautiful, they made photographing them easy. Their love for each other is so touching, it was really special to spend time with them both.

I just had to share these first images we took at the beginning of the session. I will post some more as soon as I have processed them.

Joy shared

2010-06-28T17:07:00.001+10:00

It is so special to share happy moments with couples and families. I always try to get a few images of just mom and dad together when doing a family session. It is so important to have these special moments between parents captured. And these two could so work it for the camera!

They laugh so much together! A perfect match.

By the end of the session I was shaking from laughter too. To get the “hot” shot took good reflexes, because these two are so happy, a second later

you get this!

Thanks for a wonderful afternoon! Sharing in your happiness kept me bubbling for days