Out of over a thousand photos in the "Passion Portraits: Giving Back" Category, Emily’s photos placed 12th and 15th. This category is reserved for photos taken to give back to our communities. It's about using our gifts within photography to share with and bless others. These two photos are really special to me, and I'm glad they touched the hearts of photographers around the world who voted.
It's taken me since the beginning of this year to work out whether or not to share these images from the 2017 Shoot and Share Contest with you. These first two images are particularly special and poignant, and I don't share them because of the 'awards'. I share them because I want to share the hope in these images. This is beautiful little Emily, who I photographed in NICU at about 26 weeks old. This absolutely tiny little girl really touched me, and I am just so pleased to let you know that she is now 20 months old, and is doing so well! NICU is an amazing place. It's a place filled with so many mixed emotions and roller-coaster rides for so many parents - in reality, it's a place sometimes crippled by sadness and fear, and other times filled with hope and strength. But no matter what, it's always a place filled with love and care. I know not all these beautiful, tiny little babies are as fortunate as Emily, but I wanted to share the power of the hope, love, strength, and the fighting spirit of this wee girl!
Out of over a thousand photos in the "Passion Portraits: Giving Back" Category, Emily’s photos placed 12th and 15th. This category is reserved for photos taken to give back to our communities. It's about using our gifts within photography to share with and bless others. These two photos are really special to me, and I'm glad they touched the hearts of photographers around the world who voted.
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It's time for another mash-up blog of a handful of portrait shoots from over the past 9 months or so! Whilst juggling working and having Eli full-time too, my time for blogging has become pretty sparse! So in order to actually share some work, I have to make a compromise somewhere... and that means not able to blog every shoot and write as I used to! But when it's ok with my wonderful clients, I do love to share some of the gorgeous families, toddlers, couples, & baby bumps that I've had the privilege of photographing!
This first gorgeous little face belongs to Miss Tilly! She came into the studio to help me model a little tutu which I needed to photograph for a client... and I couldn't help taking more gorgeous photos of her exploring the studio too... When I was asked to photograph Chrissy's bridal shower, I had no idea about the extent of the celebration, the traditions, and the colour and joy that would burst out of this day! Chrissy and David were preparing to get married back home in Tanzania, Africa in August... and I had the privilege of capturing Chrissy's pre-wedding celebration here!! They did ask us to photograph their actual wedding in Tanzania too... which we obviously would have been a dream come true, but unfortunately we couldn't work it around other bookings... gutted!!!! It looks like they had an incredible big day over there though :) I left this bridal shower just feeling totally filled with joy - us kiwis have a thing or two to learn from these beautiful African people about celebrating!! They sure know how to party! There are no limits, no inhibitions. There is freedom to dance and sing and laugh and talk to your heart's content! There is colour galore, bright happy smiles... and more dancing. There is music and drumming and good food... and more dancing! There are speeches and gifts, words of wisdom from mighty women... and more dancing! It was an absolute, total privilege to see such passionate culture, and to celebrate with these incredibly beautiful women xo Chrissy was veiled for her entrance... and after some time, David and his crew of men were danced in to unveil her. They went away after this to leave the women there to give Chrissy useful marriage advice and plenty of gifts, and to perform for her! Chrissy and David, I am so happy for you! You are a beautiful, humble couple and it really has been so lovely getting to know you through this!! We were so disappointed to miss your wedding day - but we know the celebrations must have been even bigger and brighter! Thank you for allowing me to see your amazing culture and inviting me to capture this awesome time for you. Love and blessings! xx
We took a beautiful ballerina out of the studio... beyond the tight hair buns, barres, mirrors and etiquette, and into the soft sand and the bright city lights, where there are no rules. Freedom to just dance with passion.
I love collaborating with other photographers and playing with gorgeous models!! Stunning Zoe is an incredibly talented dancer from Balclutha - she was so super amazing... despite having to stand out in the freezing night air in little tutus! We joined forces with Shelley and Bailey from Shelley Povey Photography to play around with some different lighting techniques and let our creative juices flow. Thanks soooo much for sharing your talent with us Zoe! You are so incredibly beautiful and graceful, and we really appreciated you completely numbing your toes on pointe just for us!! Meet Dunedin's hottest Salsa troup! Where are the men, you may ask?! They don't need 'em! Little did I know, salsa is no longer just a partner dance... these Dunedin gals are rocking the NZ stage in performance troups! Last year they took out the NZ Salsa Solo Competitions, and this year they rocked in at second place! So impressive! We had an awesome afternoon getting strange looks around the gardens from all the people passing by... but it was full of laughs and good times... and I got a sneaky peek into their costumes and dance routine for the big competitions the next weekend. Congrats girls, you are an incredibly talented team, and it was so awesome to work with you to get these shots! All the best xx Stunning! And something a little cheeky to end with :P
Three months ago today, my life was touched so deeply. And I want to share a bit of the story with you. It's a personal story, and it's taken me a while to put any sort of words together. I write, and I discard... and I write, and I discard. I think constantly about it, and form the perfect words in my head. But then I come to write again... and I'm somewhat blank. But I want to honour a little wee life that has had a powerful influence. A perfect baby girl who unfortunately never made it to see the light of day. Sadly my darling niece, Victoria Kate, was stillborn at 38 weeks, to my beautiful sister and her husband Nick, for no known reason. I want to honour the strength, faith, and incredible love and positivity that Sarah and Nick have. They have so graciously accepted this new and unexpected journey. While this has been a hugely sad time, they are filled with God's peace, and continue to trust in His goodness, which has been proven over and over again during the past three months. They are so thankful for the opportunity to have carried this precious little girl for nearly nine months, and continue to be the most amazing and adoring parents to two year old Penelope. Above all, we honour God for his peace beyond all understanding, for giving Sarah and Nick another beautiful daughter, and for giving them the strength needed to carry on without her on earth. Many of you have seen a couple of maternity photos that I posted along the journey of Sarah's pregnancy... but because we did small maternity shoots over a few months as her belly grew, I never had the chance to blog the finished product before the unimaginable happened. I am aware this is a sensitive topic. But I do really want to share the love that was poured into this 'bump', the beauty that is my sister, the cuteness that is Penelope, and the wonderfulness that is this family. I want to celebrate the joy Victoria brought to our lives over those months, and the blessing she has been to so many people... not hide it away as if it never happened. I want you to look and smile! The hope and anticipation of a second little baby in the house was definitely obvious - we all couldn't wait to meet the new little button in our family. We are a very close family, and I'm an extremely proud aunty... so I jumped at the opportunity to go down to Invercargill for the month of June. I was going firstly as a sister and an aunty - to be there to help around the house and look after Penelope (who you have seen on here many times before!) when Sarah went into labour and was in hospital. And secondly as a photographer - to capture the first moments at the birth, and to do newborn photos as soon as possible afterwards. Sarah makes pregnancy look easy - full of energy, incredibly healthy, and totally radiant, with a perfect bump. She is absolutely gorgeous inside and out. (And Penelope? Well she is clearly a model in the making...!!) But after I'd been in Invercargill only a day, Sarah realised that she hadn't felt the baby move for a while. Some tests and checks later that afternoon sadly revealed no heartbeat. All of a sudden, the day turned from the excitement of a new baby arriving at any moment, to coming to understand that their precious little baby had passed away, for no apparent reason. This was obviously a huge shock after a very healthy pregnancy... especially being at full-term. We were all heart-broken. Sarah was induced later that evening, and perfect little Victoria was born at 5:50am on the 4th of June, without breath. I am now so incredibly grateful that I was able to do maternity shots for Sarah as her bump grew, and that they have photographs to remind them of the joy and happiness their daughter has brought them, for the rest of their lives. I am also incredibly thankful that I was down in Invercargill and able to photograph beautiful Victoria just after she was born, so they have a record of everything - her little ears, little hands, little feet, little nose. They have memories of their short time with her they can look back on as they work through their grief. Arguably the most important shoot of my life. Unfortunately stillbirth is not as uncommon as I had thought, and so often there are no clear causes. Apparently six in every thousand babies born in NZ every year are stillborn. And Sarah and Nick join the approximately 300 families each year in Australia and NZ who lose a baby close to term with no known cause. I want to acknowledge those parents who have lost loved little babies through miscarriage, stillbirth, and health issues. It's heartbreaking. I cannot even imagine what that must be like for a parent. As an aunty, I've only experienced a touch of the devastation. And I also acknowledge that everyone is going to have very different experiences too. We have been blown away by how strong and positive Sarah and Nick are, but of course it is so difficult, and there won't be a day go by where they don't think of their beautiful daughter. Sarah and Nick had prepared Penelope so well for having a little sister or brother, and what that would mean for her. She knew Mummy and Daddy would be very busy, that the baby would cry lots, and that sometimes the baby would need lots of cuddles. She loved to listen to the heartbeat and cuddle Mummy's tummy, and was excited about having a baby at home. It has been so incredible to see the mind of a two year old processing the fact that Mummy and Daddy's baby had to go and live with Jesus, instead of living at home. She has understood far more than we could have ever imagined. The day Victoria was born, I lay silently listening to Penelope praying, unprompted, to God in the middle of the night... "Dear Dog, Mummy Daddy bit sad. Mummy no baby". "Dear Dog, Mummy tummy get better. Baby Toria in hop-dop... live Jesus now." I will never forget that tiny, sweet little voice speaking in the dark, as tears trickled down my cheeks. So incredibly precious. Victoria Kate means 'Victorious' and 'Pure'... and she is definitely nothing short of that. Her little life has taught me so much. Love you forever little button. Sarah, Nick, and Penelope - you are beyond amazing. We are truly blessed to be your family, and to journey alongside you. Love and hugs always xoxoxox This is something I feel very passionate about, after truly experiencing the importance of those photographs. Without knowing I was writing this at the time, Sarah said to me this morning, "If I could give one piece of advice to anybody in this situation… it would totally be to have some nice photographs taken". I would really like to bless other families that I hear about who sadly have the same outcome, and really want to be able to offer sensitive and private photographs of the baby as a gift to other families who lose children due to stillbirth or sickness. Please get in touch with me as soon as possible if you hear of this happening to anyone you know around Dunedin - if I can help to be part of the grief and healing process through offering photos shortly after the birth, then I will do my best xx
I also hope this opens up some discussion - I think it's so healthy to talk about these things which affect so many families, yet are rarely discussed. Please feel free to discuss, comment, share, think... it's good for all of us :) Jennifer just oozes grace and beauty as a pregnant lady - she is an absolute natural... born to be a mother. She wrote to me wanting maternity photos in her own home, for their third child. She had never had maternity photos before, but wanted some that were 'homely and loving, just like when you bring home a baby'. I walked into their house and my eyes just lit up. Their beautiful big white villa home was just perfect for such a shoot - clean, stylish and so incredibly 'homely'... and I couldn't have asked for a more beautiful subject to photograph! Jennifer and Jon already have two absolutely adorable boys - Sam and Will - and they can't wait to have a new baby to love and adore! They all have such awesome Canadian accents... the whole family are in Dunedin for a few years, but heading back to Canada soon! Having maternity photos taken was a way to share this incredibly special and exciting time with their families and friends still on the other side of the world. Enjoy the calm, pure, serene beauty of Jennifer and her gorgeous family. Oh, apparently the whole shoot wasn't calm and serene... ;) Jennifer runs a maternity/Mum's health and fitness website called 'Mama Lion Strong'. I suggest that if you are a Mum (Or 'Mom' as Jennifer would say!), or soon to be... or you just enjoy reading personal, funny, inspiring, honest blogs about the quirks, struggles, charms and joys of parenthood... you should check it out!! Happy sigh... so, so beautiful. Jennifer directed me to check out 'A Beautiful Body Project' - an incredible project aiming to 'celebrate the irreplaceable beauty of women through unaltered photographs and inspiring stories'. I urge you to take a look at this. It so so inspiring and such an awesome shift in the mindset of women. I often have pregnant Mum's asking me to remove stretch-marks, and to 'tuck in' those extra few kilos they have put on throughout their pregnancy. I understand on a personal level. I do. Unfortunately, we all have things we dislike about ourselves. But this is such a contested aspect of the photography industry... and in reality, it's very sad. Software makes these things possible. But really, SHOULD it be?! I want people to love themselves, love their photos, and be proud of who they are. I want them to show their friends, hang them proudly on their walls and feel great about themselves in them. But I don't want to change people into things they aren't, all because we buy into the rubbish we hear in the media about what is 'beautiful'. I absolutely LOVED that Jennifer was so proud of her body, her stretch marks, her scars... the things which make her a woman and a Mum that need to be celebrated. The proof of what she has been through for her children and her family. Would love to hear other thoughts on this topic! It's a big one, I know... but an important one. Jennifer, thank you so much for inviting me into your gorgeous home to photograph this time of your life. You really are so incredibly beautiful inside and out. It was soooo lovely to hang out with your family for the morning... thanks for lunch too! I wish you all the very best for the days, months and years ahead with this new wee button who is about to enter your family (or if I read between the lines... who may have already arrived yesterday perhaps?!). You are a wonderful family xoxo
I'm playing catch up! Woop woop! Here I have for you just a wee taster of just a few awesome portrait shoots that I want to share from over the past few months... in no particular order! (In fact, all out of order... ohhh look at me going out of my comfort zone!!) Heather & Doug - Just 'Cos We Can!Time with our very close friends, Heather and Doug from Heather Ellis Photography and DpointR Photography, is ALWAYS awesome! They stayed with us for a few days last week and we went on heaps of photo adventures... but the first up was a night of off-camera flash above the city! Mmmm Mmmm I loooove lights and bokeh... and this gorgeous couple!! They are both incredibly awesome photographers, AND look so good in front of the camera. How do they do it?! Doug is also a lighting genius, so this was just playing around, learning lots, and having fun! :) 'Deep Grey' Workshop - ChristchurchWay back quite a while ago, I left Dunedin at some ridiculous hour of the morning and drove all the way to Christchurch for less than 24hrs, all in the name of learning more and more about my craft. I sung my heart out to keep myself awake, and arrived to find an awesome bunch of photographers chilling out in the sun... about to start an awesomely inspiring workshop taken by Brisbane-based Adam, from Deep Grey. We spent the day learning how rock our businesses and to make things more and more awesome for our clients in the wedding and portrait photography world. And just as the gorgeous sun went down over the gorgeous farm land, we went out and photographed this gorgeous couple... in some veeery pretty light! What better way to spend a day?! Play and work in one! The Family Connection...A gorgeous surprise for Christina and Maggie's father... precious family photographs for his birthday! Aashna is one!I photographed Abhishek and Puja's maternity shoot, and then their newborn shoot for little baby Aashna... and now she is ONE!! And completely and utterly gorgeous! Anna, Richard and Charlotte!Precious time to capturing gorgeous wee Charlotte - with her beautiful, mischievous streak, and her awesome parents! Thanks for looking! xoxoxo
Sometimes as photographers, we need to just get out and play. Play to learn, play to grow, play to perfect skills, play to have fun, play to recharge. This shoot was a 'play to learn, and play to have fun' shoot! We teamed up with the lovely Shelley from Shelley Povey Photography one evening to try out some new gear, and to begin learning some new skills to add to our bag of tricks! So thankful to our awesome models, Marina & Pete, and Melissa & Trevor for bearing the freezing winds and hanging out for ages while we sussed out different lighting things! Firstly, meet Marina and Pete! Just a bit of last minute natural light loving before it disappeared and we got into using off-camera flash and our awesome 'Ice Lights' (which, just quietly, sounds a lot like 'Arse-Lights' when you are South African...eh Shelley?!) I have known both Pete and Marina for years, and they are one awesome couple! They also have the most gorgeous one year old girl called Marissa... I get the feeling she is pretty much the best thing that has ever happened to these guys. They are natural parents, and they just ooze with love for Marissa, and each other. Marina is the kind of girl who just makes you feel happy every time you see her, because she is so lovely and bubbly and gorgeous inside and out! And she is one smokin' hot mummy too! I can't get over these people who can look so amazing after having a baby! We brought out their inner movie star - something a little different from their typical Tuesday night! I hope you can see how drop dead gorgeous you are, Marina. Totally gorgeous and so in love. The perfect couple to photograph! And then after date # 1, we carried on to date #2... with Melissa and Trevor! Another awesome couple, who were in NZ holidaying and had had en engagement shoot earlier in the day with Shelley!! They are super in love as well, and laugh together a lot! We only had a few minutes with these guys really, but they rocked the night shoot! Seriously, you guys were all amazing! Shelley and I were on such a high after figuring out some new things and having such easy going and beautiful couples to practice on! Thank you!!! xoxo
Negative temperatures in the middle of a Dunedin winter are pretty typical. But even that didn't stop Kylie and David from getting outside for a wee night-time date! When you are with the one you love, the cold becomes an opportunity for snuggling close. Kylie and David are a beautiful and awesome couple - lots of fun and super lovely! Knowing they had babysitters taking care of their beautiful daughter back home, they relaxed in front of a fire... with giant marshmallows and giant amounts of love for each other. A perfect combination. They are both so natural and wonderful together... (and in front of the camera!) Pretty lights at night are always romantic... Thank you soooooo much for getting out in the freezing cold so that we could have a play with some different lighting! You are both perfect models, and it was so nice to hang with you for the night!!! Hope you had fun too! xoxoxo
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