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Sunny morning in the mountains – Family Photographer – Sydney

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| March 25, 2013 by Kim | Family

It was a gorgeous misty morning up in the Blue Mountains of Sydney when I headed up to photograph this gorgeous family. I hoped the mist would hang around for a while and give us some lovely soft light, but it cleared quickly into the most glorious day for the start of autumn.

The older two boys were a little unsure about the whole thing at first, but quickly got into it and we got some lovely photos of the boys and the family. While the grass was soaked from morning mist, there were some beautiful big old trees in the park which were just perfect for setting up some shots of the family sitting together.

Towards the end, the boys got a little tired of “standing in the right spot and looking at the camera”, I grabbed some photos of mum and dad together. I absolutely adore these shots, after three kids and nearly nine years of marriage, they are still so obviously in love.

Then it was the baby’s turn and he put on a wonderful show of grins and giggles, with a few serious faces thrown in for good measure. He was most obliging, and lay down, sat, munched on his toes AND looked at the camera – a perfect model, and a perfect way to finish off the shoot!

6 months old already! – child photography, northern Sydney

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| March 8, 2013 by Kim | Family

Well, this little chap is certainly growing up fast! He was a touch over six months old for these photos and is a deliciously chubby little boy who looks older than he is, possibly due to the loads of gorgeous hair he already has. For this shoot we started at a local park near where the family live. It had been raining all week though, so the ground was soggy and options became limited, so we grabbed a few shots and moved on.We went back to their home to get the main lot of photos done inside and wow what a perfect set up they had in the living area. There were beautiful polished floor boards, against recently painted skirting boards and walls, with huge windows letting in loads of natural light from both sides. Master Lachie is still perfecting the art of sitting up, not that you would know if from the photo below! I love the series of images with Dad reading to him – he looks so thoughtful, as though he’s really taking it all in. And when they pulled out the jack-in-the-box, he became so focused. He’s such a cute little boy and with such a sunny disposition, it was an absolute pleasure to photograph him with his mum and dad and catch up on how he was going. Lachie_6 months reading

An afternoon in the park – Family Photography Sydney

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| March 1, 2013 by Kim | Family

This family was always going to introduce a little bit of chaos to things with 3 boys under 7 and a 6 month old girl in the mix. The mum described it to me as herding cats when the three boys are all together and she wasn’t far wrong! I had met them all previously as the little girl is born on the same day as my daughter, but never all of them at the same time. Having said that, the boys are fantastic – friendly, energetic, cheeky – and all with gorgeous blond hair.

We had already had to postpone this shoot twice – once due to all the rain we have been having in Sydney lately, and once due to a couple of the kids being sick. So third time was the charm and while it looked a bit touch and go in the morning, the afternoon was prefect and turned on some gorgeous late afternoon light for us

While the boys complained a couple of times about having photos taken, they still managed to find bridges to run across, trees to climb and water to play in. These boys don’t do anything by halves and were all soaked by the end. I seem to be getting into the habit of finding some water to be splashed around in at the end of a shoot!

Letter to Emily – February

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| February 23, 2013 by Kim | Letters to my daughter, Personal Projects

You passed the half year mark earlier this month. When you were born, we wondered how we would make it, but the time is passing faster and faster… So what have you been up to this month?

The day after the last letter to you, you decided that you had worked out how to sit up. After a week of this you were a pro at it and were already moving on to the next thing! Rolling started, slowly but surely, back to front over your left hip. Another week or so of that and you are now flipping yourself over and back like an expert and loving the different perspectives it is giving you on your world. We were a bit worried the first time you did this in your cot, but you soon realised it wasn’t the end of the world and you don’t scream the place down now when it happens. Another first – just a couple of days ago your first tooth came through!

I could swear you gave me a kiss the other morning. We have a little routine whenever we get you out of the cot or after a nappy change where we stand in front of the mirror as you love looking at yourself and mummy or daddy in the mirror. I usually give you a kiss on the cheek and have been getting snuggles back from you. Then one morning you turned to me and pressed your (open) mouth to my cheek. You then licked my cheek, but I’m sure that was you giving me a kiss.

You’ve also migrated out of having your arms swaddled. You started with one arm out – that took a lot of getting used to as you kept pulling your dummy out and losing it! After a few weeks of that we tried you with both arms out – after just one go settling you this way you were happy with it and now take your dummy out and put it back in again like an expert.

We had some fun with the camera this month to capture the 6 month mark and even managed to capture a couple of those cheeky grins this time.

Check out the next blog in the circle by Nicole to see her letter to her daughter.

In my backyard – Family Photos Sydney

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| February 15, 2013 by Kim | Family

Well, not my backyard personally… This beautiful family were catching up with friends later in the day who just happened to live on this lovely property with a gorgeously landscaped yard.

I love doing shoots like this – we wandered around, letting the kids do their own thing, getting them back in for some whole family shots, then letting them go again and capturing the natural groupings as they occurred. Finding great little locations in the yard, getting the family in the general area and seeing what happens, give a few directions, but basically letting them interact in their own way and coming away with some beautiful photos.

The kids were fantastic! The boys were so well behaved and into the whole thing while the little girl toddled around after her big brothers and her parents. This is a family that obviously love each other to bits. That photo below of the two boys – I just asked them to sit next to each other on the steps and this is what they did, such a special photo.

It was a pleasure meeting this family and taking their photos.

Family photos – Mosman, Sydney

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| February 1, 2013 by Kim | Family

With these first few blog posts I will be mixing in a few of my favourite previous shoots along with posts for new shoots. I’ll also try and give you a bit of a “look” at what you can expect while on a shoot with me.

I absolutely LOVED doing the photos for this family! The mum is an old school friend and their two boys are so energetic and full of life. We met down at Sirius Cove on a beautiful spring afternoon and started off with some simple family portraits away from the water before moving down to the beach. This is such a great location and for a small park has such a variety of settings – grassy areas, stone walls, rocky outcrops, bush and of course, the beach itself.

The further through the shoot we got, the closer we got to the water until everyone (except for me!) was IN the water to some degree. The boys still had energy to spare, even after jumping off the stone wall onto the beach for again and again and again, so I suggested some action shots in the shallow water. The below photos show them finally starting to get a bit tired (and just a bit damp) after splashing around.

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The best part about the whole thing? Not too long afterwards, I caught up with the family at their home to be proudly shown several of their photos from this session printed on canvas and hung up around the house. The two boys had a collage canvas made up with three of the images each to hang in their own room as well – love it!

Letter to Emily – January

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| January 26, 2013 by Kim | Letters to my daughter, Personal Projects

Dear Emily,

This month has been filled with changes and growth for you. It seems that almost every day you are doing something new, different or better than you were the day before.

You’re feeding has gone through the roof for the past couple of weeks – one hell of a growth spurt – and you have put on loads of weight. A visit to the doctor earlier this week had you weighing in at 7kg – that’s over a kilo gained in the last month and it looks like you will easily hit the 50th percentile at your six month check up. This makes us happy as you were 75th percentile when born, then dropped back to 25th percentile with your feeding issues, it’s so lovely to see you catching back up again.

Lots of firsts this month – you rolled for the first time last weekend! Back to front and then to prove it wasn’t a fluke you did it again. That was over the left hip, then just to show off you rolled over the other side too. You’ve continued to roll a couple of times a day since, but luckily for us not while you’re asleep.

You have also started chuckling. While you would very occasionally laugh before when I blew raspberries on your belly, I can now tickle you or just laugh and you laugh back with me which is absolutely delightful. You also kick your legs when excited or happy and are doing this a lot! This is especially fun when you’re having a bath – you love the splashing noises. The leg kicking and rolling have also made you semi-mobile and while you love your play mat, you don’t last long in the same position or even on it any more.

Your ability to grab things has also improved out of sight. You can reach for and grab anything you put your mind to now. On the down side, this means I have come in for a lot of hair pulling! You love exploring faces too and if Daddy or I lay down beside you, you will spend ages reaching out and grabbing our nose, lips… whatever you can get a handle on.

While you still spend most of your time with me since I’m home during the week, you are getting to spend more time interacting with Daddy in the evenings and weekends now as you are more playful when awake. It’s awesome seeing the bond between the two of you getting stronger and I’m sure it will continue as you get older.

It’s been such a big month for you and I can only imagine what you will get up to in the next month.

Love you lots and lots and lots. xoxo

This letter is part of a “Letters to our sons and daughters” blog circle that I am a part of with a wonderful group of photographer mums. Check out the next blog in the circle by Nicole Herda.

Letter to Emily – 5 months

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| January 13, 2013 by Kim | Letters to my daughter, Personal Projects

Wow, 5 months already! Since this is my first letter to you, I’ll back up a bit… Your daddy and I were so looking forward to meeting you and once you arrived we had 5 days in the hospital just to spend getting to know you and trying to understand how to look after you. You seemed so small and fragile and we had no idea what we were in for, but just gazing into your eyes as you stared back at us made it all worthwhile.

Emily – two weeks

The first couple of months of your life were hard! To be honest, it’s all a bit of a blur now but we had a lot of problems with your feeding which affected me as well and in the end we had to give up breastfeeding after only 3 weeks. I was devastated, but it was also a blessing and a relief to have the decision made. I got to spend a lot more time with you then, just holding you and helping you and getting to know you. Feeding continued to be a bit of a struggle and we tried lots of different things and saw different people about it until we finally got it all sorted out – your little tummy didn’t like lactose and also had reflux issues. So the combination of lactose free formula and some reflux medication which we got sorted out around 2 months saw you start to increase your feeds and really start thriving!

The next couple of months were ones of constant improvement. You kept putting on weight well after your slow start and all your responses and reactions were spot on for your age. You always had really strong neck muscles which is just as well since your head is on the larger side. You started smiling at us regularly and your whole face would light up when you saw me first thing in the morning. Wonderfully, you slept through most nights from 2 months onwards – anywhere from 6-9pm start until 5-7am in the morning. I started getting my sanity back.

This month has been amazing. We started offering you solids but you weren’t real interested, so we left it for a week then offered again. This time – oh boy! You LOVED the flavours and sit in your new high chair with your mouth open like a baby bird waiting for the next spoonful making happy little sounds. We had a catch up with some other mums and bubs the same age as you and you spent the entire time watching them all. As soon as we got home, you started “talking”, adorable little burbles and you haven’t stopped since. You’ve started smiling all the time. Great, big, eye crinkling, shoulder lifting smiles! We’ve even had a few chuckles when we blow raspberries on your belly.

Over Christmas we took you up to see Grandpa and then Granny. You took the car trips in your stride and only cried when you were getting hungry or had a dirty nappy. At Grandpa’s you got to spend some time with big cousin Ben (he’s nearly 6!) and you were both smitten with each other and you couldn’t take your eyes off him. Then it was on to Granny’s and she has a puppy dog who was also very interested in you and whenever you whimpered or cried, the puppy wanted to go to you and make it all better. It was very hot up there, but again, you handled it all amazingly, although we think you were pretty happy to get home again – you slept a lot!

Emily – nearly five months and admiring Granny’s roses

Yes, you were born with a gorgeous, full head of hair, which has started thinning on top in the last month or so – looking forward to seeing if it’s a different colour when it grows back in!

Can’t wait to see what the next month will bring.

Love you lots and lots. xoxoxoxo

Self Portrait

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| January 7, 2013 by Kim | Personal Projects, Project 52

Nothing like putting yourself out there on your first post! I took this photo (well, ok, 2 photos…) sitting on my daggy old sofa bed that I’ve had for over ten years – the first “serious” furniture purchase I ever made. I still love it and thought I should feature it in a photo before I get rid of it in the next year or so – doesn’t hurt that it is next to a huge window for some gorgeous natural light!

This photo was taken for a Project 52 that I’m taking part in with a fabulous group of ladies and was our first week assignment – talk about stretching yourself. It has been a great way to get to “meet” them all, as we only know each other online and as most of us are Mum’s we are usually behind the camera, not in front of it.

I had skimmed through an ebook on self portrait photography over christmas and loved some of the photos in there. The one of a woman jumping on her bed and only showing her legs looked all kinds of fun, so I wanted to do that, but with my own twist. Since we are only doing the one self portrait, I thought I should actually include myself in it as well and liked the idea of one of “me” sitting on the lounge watching the other “me” jumping and this was the result.