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!!
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!!
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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 :) There are thousands of ridiculously cute 2 year olds in this world. That is a fact. But today I have a favourite, and I'm not afraid to admit it. My snuggly, cheeky, hilarious, intelligent little niece is sneaking into the delightful two's today!! I asked her how old she was turning, and she told me "TWO MUCH!" So I am just sending out the BIGGEST, SQUISHIEST HAPPY BIRTHDAY cuddle with too much love, to my best little 2 year old friend! I know you all have your own reasons for thinking the little 2 year old in your life is the best one in the world. But until my other cutie pie niece turns two as well (they only have 8 days of being equal favourites in each age group!)... I'm afraid Penelope wins. Sarah and Nick put on an AWESOME wee jungle party for her and her wee buddies! They have poured their heart and soul into Penelope over the last two years - they are the most amazing parents a girl could wish for. They have taught her so much in her short wee life so far... things that just amaze me. Like that 'W' for "Wow, Daddy!!", turns around to make an 'M' for "Mummy"! Who knew?! They all made 'binoculars', complete with scribbles and overlapping animal stickers, and went on an animal hunt in the backyard!! Cutest thing in the world! Um, watch out P... there's a rhino climbing up your arm... I'm quite good at teaching bad habits like pulling silly faces for photos... I'm glad she's only two and won't be worried about how many chins she has in this photo.... What is not to love about Jessie's incredible hair?!?! I grabbed Sarah (who has a sweet wee 6 month baby bump!! Eeeep... excitement!) to come out into the scrummy light... I just love these. Somehow Nick managed to stay clear of the photos on this day... but don't worry, you will be seeing more of these guys within in the next few months... we have a bump to play with! 'Uncle Leeeeeeeee' got in on the action! And I nabbed her too... I just love everything about her. Everything. Happy birthday 'Dub Dub'!! Thanks for inviting us to your party!! 'Uncle Leeee' and 'Un Ma' love you to bits! In fact, next time we might steal you to keep. Don't tell Mummy and Daddy.
A kiss for your lips, a kiss for your cheek... and one kiss for my cheek too please XOXOXOXOXO Massive thanks to the lovely people at Edinburgh Realty who asked to feature little old me and Liam in the latest edition of their magazine, 'Exclusive'! This isn't just any old property magazine. Uh uh. It is an awesome showcase of NZ businesses, cuisine & delicious recipes from local restaurants, news and events from around Otago and Central... and of course plenty of amazing properties to ogle over as well! Flick through the online magazine below, or find yourself a beautiful reeeeal magazine around town to actually feel and hold... it is much better that way! Thanks also to the stars of the article - Amy & James, Sean & Elizabeth, Emma & Abner, Pip & Pete, Catherine & Greg & the Bloomfield family - just some our lovely clients who make our job awesome! :) Just click on the magazine below and flick through the pages! You will find us on pages 6-7, but don't stop there, the whole mag is worth a look xx Life is full of awesome. I blogged a while back about some of the awesome things in my life right then. Actually, ah, that was nearly 2 years ago... opps. I promise I HAVE had plenty of days filled with awesomeness since then. But it is about time I blogged again about some new things. I am in the middle of a crazy busy graduation December and wedding season... and so I thought this morning I would indulge in just somewhat pointless photography and fun things, to keep me sane. Sometimes it is the small quirky little things that make your day awesome.
Ok ok... that will do for now! I've had my fix of random personal happiness for the day. Off to shoot some more graduations now... in the rain! That can be awesome too... just saying.
Hope you all have wonderful days full of lots of love and awesomeness! xoxox PS - Actually, the fact that you are even reading this is pretty awesome. THANK YOU for being such loyal blog readers (even if it is just random musings from my mind!) and for being cool clients. Love you all! xx Ain't no party like the Mad Hatter's tea party! Crazy. Quirky. Bonkers. Whatever word you want to use, there is no denying that it sums us up. The Mad Hatter's Tea Party is one of the most loveable cinematic scenes of all time - of course it's been done before, but it just HAD to be done again! We needed a fix. A fix of creative insanity, a fix of fun and laugher, a fix of achievement, and a fix of jellybeans. One simple idea evolved into two photographer friends (and our husbands) teaming up - sharing ideas, making props and costumes on a humble little budget, turning other friends into cartoon characters, and converting a little forest in the middle of Arrowtown into a colourful, visual feast of a set... ringing with the joyful sounds of singing and laughter!! And seventeen months after the idea was formed... Heather (from Heather Ellis Photography) and I finally get to present to you our finished product.... a cinematic photo story book - our take on the Mad Hatter's scene!!! Of course I would love for you to sit on my couch, touch the hard cover, and flip the pages with your very own fingers to get lost in this wonderland story. But alas, there isn't enough room on my couch for all of you in cyberspace... so here is the next best thing!! Go on, go flip through the pages with your mouse at least.... click on this link to expand the book to full screen! {The book can be shared but not sold, most written content was obtained from the Disney Movie, Alice in Wonderland} And to Miss Heather - this making book was definitely a journey and I am soooooo glad it was a journey with YOU!!!! The number of times we got uncontrollable giggles throughout the shooting, editing, designing and publishing of this book... annnnd the amount of chocolate and RJ's we went through, just makes it all the more memorable, fun and awesome. Here's to you my friend! XOXOXO
I honestly don't remember the last time I felt that heart-pounding-out-of-my-chest feeling like I felt at the NZIPP Iris Awards this past week! The Iris Awards are NZ's most recognisable photography awards, and we sat for three days watching prints in different categories being judged live by a panel of national and international judges. The judging rooms were buzzing with adrenalin and nerves, as everyone tried to put on their best poker face, pretending it wasn't their print being currently debated in a room full of extremely talented photographers! It was fascinating and addictive - we would only sneak out quickly for the occasional sugar fix... and nervous pee! My stomach twisted as I waited for my prints to roll around in the spotlight for scrutiny. Gulp. Entering Iris Awards has always been a big personal goal of mine - one I wasn't sure I would pluck up the courage for very quickly! But this year I held my breath, and sent off a few prints... purely for the experience and to dip my feet in the waters of the whole Iris world. I was completely stoked to receive four Bronze Awards - three in the 'Wedding Classic' category, and one in the 'Wedding Creative' category!! Definitely an incredible experience, and one I am soooooo happy I was part of. A massive thank you to my wonderful couples who were the stars of my award winning images, and who make my job completely and utterly awesome - Jen and Blair, Kelly and Mark, Crystal and Luke, and Becky and Omid... you guys are awesome! xoxo You should definitely head to the NZIPP website and check out the full gallery of amazing award winners! This country is full of talent! Find the Wedding Creative category here, and the Wedding Classic category here!
Not only did we sit through 3 days of print judging, we also had the most amazing time at the big annual NZIPP conference - Infocus!! My head is full and I learnt soooooooo much - so inspired by awesome international and national speakers.... and I just feel so blessed to be part of such an amazing industry!! NZIPP (New Zealand Institute of Professional Photography) do a fantastic job of educating, growing, inspiring, and resourcing photographers to push boundaries and do the best job possible for our clients. It was incredibly amazing to meet sooooo many more TALENTED and LOVELY photographers, and to actually talk photography non-stop for 5 days!!! *Geeks*. Ah-mazing week. Bring on the 2013 Iris Awards and Infocus... and bring on this wedding season!!! This past week has given me more and more goals to work towards, and I am soooo looking forward to implementing the things I have learnt! Can't wait to create many magical images with all of our upcoming wedding and portrait clients! xoxoxo When you are 16 months old, a teeeeny tiny puddle seems GIGANTIC! It is perfect for stomping in. And what better thing to do than stomp in a giant puddle while you look like a ladybird?!? Ladybirds are just loveable. Colourful, beautiful, friendly, cute. And that is exactly what my wee niece is too. Actually, apparently the more black spots a ladybug has on their red shell, the more respectable and intelligent they are too. I'm pretty sure even the most respectable ladybird would be jealous of the number of spots Penelope has! She LOVES adventuring outside. You can tell that, because this is her 'excited' face! Ohhhhhh I just want to bottle up her cuteness and save it for another rainy day. And this is her 'I'm STOMPING and it's FUN' face! See, I told you she was very intelligent and respectable. This is her 'my sleeves are too long, but I'm all snuggled up in my bright red cuteness' stance. And this is just her on an adventure. I love the mind of a child. Don't let the winter blues get the better of you... go and stomp in a few puddles and life will feel better in an instant. Please dress up as a ladybird while you do it though... that would just make my day.
And on that note.... on Tuesday we are escaping this chilly winter and heading to 40 degree heat in New York and Canada... and then down to Costa Rica, Peru and Chile (where it will be winter too, so don't get too jealous)!! So this blog, and my facebook page, may be a bit quiet for a while... (did I just hear a sigh of relief??). But never fear, I shall be back in full force in September for plenty more shoots, the beginning of wedding season, and probably a travel photo or two! Until then, adiós my friends!! Kim (and Liam) xoxo Warning: I've got my mushy, nostalgic, personal hat on today. Don't read this blog if you aren't prepared to hear from my gushy little love heart! No truly... *back away quietly* now if you're not into that... :) ... You're still here... ok then, don't say I didn't warn you... A year ago today... I was a bride. It was something I had dreamed of forever. Even long before I met Liam, marriage had fascinated me and I wanted it so much. It wasn't necessarily the dress, the shoes, the jewellery and the flowers... yep, those things were fun and important, but I was never one to frantically rip out pictures from magazines and glue them in countless wedding scrapbooks. But marriage is something I have always valued hugely, and a lifetime with my best friend... what could be sweeter?! I desired to be cherished and loved forever by one man. When I fell in love with Liam, I knew it was him who I wanted to treasure... 'till forever and back. I have always been quite intrigued by the reality of marriage too. It is fun and exciting, and you can achieve more with two than you can with one (this is definitely true for me... this business wouldn't exist to the same capacity without Liam!). And I think one of things I love the most about being married, is that you have to keep working on your love. It's an adventure, a challenge, a daily choice... and while this can be a bit scary, this actually excites me so much. I know, I know.... I am only one year down, and life has all been pretty darn sweet so far... so it's all very easy for me to say now! We are hugely blessed to have so many great friends, incredibly loving and supportive families, and to be doing something so rewarding and special as a job. And I loooooooove being a wife! But I am also aware that it's most definitely not always going to be a easy peasy ride, and I want to have the will to love always. If you haven't heard 'May Waltz' by Brooke Fraser before, have a listen below... I love it so much, and it was one of our wedding songs. The lyrics capture my heart and I think there is so much truth in it. Marriage is a beautiful thing. And honestly it just fills my heart to the brim knowing that I get to be a small part of it for other people too. If I can help to give others the feelings that I get when I look at my wedding photos... I am overwhelmed by what a privilege that is. I have shared this before on my facebook page, and it isn't the best quality for the website sorry, but there is something about this that makes me grin from ear to ear every single time I watch it. And let's be honest, sometimes I watch it quite a few times over! I'm not sure if you can tell or not, but my poor little heart doesn't know how to cope with how happy I am right at this moment... Liam said to me the other night, "I wonder when the 'paper anniversary' will become the 'electronic anniversary'. So here is an electronic reminder that marriage can be truly awesome. This year has been the happiest, most content year of my life... and I've had a lot of very happy years, so that really says something! Liam treats me so beautifully and he cherishes me totally. Well that, and he teases me constantly!! My heart is full and I feel hugely blessed to be married to the best husband in the world. Happy 1 year anniversary to my gorgeous hubster - I love you heapsies XOXO
(The two wedding photos on here are thanks to Callander Girl Photography!) "'Yes'm, old friends are always best, 'less you can catch a new one that's fit to make an old one out of" - Sarah Orne Jewett My friends are a massive blessing to my life and I am so, so grateful for each and every one of them! Some I have known for many years... we have a rich history together and memories galore! We know each other deeply and nothing could ever change that friendship. My old friends are always there, and I love them to absolute pieces! Old friends are incredibly wonderful to have in your life. Then occasionally you meet someone new, who you just click with instantly. They understand you, you understand them. You have far too much in common for it to be normal, and you could talk for hours on end with them, about lots or nothing in particular, and it's all good. You laugh lots, do crazy things, and inspire each other to be better. Heather is one of those friends for me. I can't believe we have only known each other for just over a year. She definitely slots into the 'fit to make an old friend out of' category, and is one of my closest friends. Heather is an AMAZING photographer in Christchurch (I am addicted to her work!). Our friendship has grown from an online, photography based friendship, to an awesome, deep, crazy friendship that goes well beyond our work. I love her to bits! We both enjoy being a little random and sporadic, which is why this is a 'part one' blog. This was very spontaneous trip to find a yellow field to do flaunt the dress photos in... which was a BIG EPIC FAIL. Turned out the yellow field near Palmerston that Heather travelled from Christchurch to, and I travelled from Dunedin to, wasn't in bloom this year. Typical! So we found another location out near Karitane, and made stop motions for each other instead. Or attempted to, as the case may be for me! Mine is still to come (I'm just learning, ok?!)... so I thought I would share just a few photos from our one-location wonder in the mean time! I loooove this green blossom!!! And when you add Heather in amongst it, there is natural beauty all around. Heather is absolutely gorgeous, inside and out. I can't get too gushy on her, or she will resort to calling me names to compensate. But trust me, she is a good friend to have! And she reeeeally knows how to work the camera, both in front of it and behind it! You will be seeing more of the fabulous Heather in the next few weeks on my blog... because we are plotting wondorous things! Mwahaha... But thank you Heather for being crazy with me, communicating constantly with me through our days of sitting editing at a computer, jumping with me, hating potatoes with me, giving me colourful M&M tattoos, and taking a real interest in my life. I can't wait to see you next week!!! XOXO If you want to see some of Heather's incredible stop motion work, have a look at 'Flaunt that Dress' one of me! She is super creative, full of ideas, and came very prepared with a whole story board for this video. What a talented chick she is! (And she makes me look ok in a fast moving film, so I like her for that!). All credit to Miss Heather Ellis Photography for this stop motion (go check out her other ones here): The best bit of that, was eating hundreds of M&M's off the grass afterwards... I mean, ah, just kidding... :S
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