I said in that entry that the image of big sister Grace when she was a newborn that I use on a lot of my marketing material is probably my favourite newborn image to date. Well, I think it now has some competition in this image right here. (I kind of knew it could happen when Melissa pulled out yet another stunning vintage bedspread…)

The Gowers sure make them purrrdy.  But don’t be fooled by that peaceful slumbering… Emerson spent most of our session wide awake learning all about her new life; her beautiful home, loving parents and proud big sister. She doesn’t want to miss a thing! She’s feisty and cheeky and oh so adorable, with some of the cutest chub I’ve ever seen. Oh, and she likes pulling faces.

Thanks M & M, for another beautiful morning with your family. I’ll be in touch with your gallery soon. xo

She was asleep for the first fifteen minutes of our session yesterday morning, and I don’t think Sarah and Michael noticed, but I was moved to tears only a few minutes after I started shooting. Witnessing the intense love that new parents have for their first child is an incredible thing.

Then she woke up. And she was amazing.

Not only do I love her name (Freya is my favourite girl’s name ever, and I once had a cat called Freya who I adored) but she gave me an extraordinary gift: I experienced something I’ve never experienced before, and it was unforgettable. You know how they say that babies don’t smile ‘properly’ until they’re about 6 weeks old? So. Not. True. Not only did she smile over and over again, but she made her presence felt in a way that I’ve never seen a newborn baby do. I was totally in awe of her.

I’m pretty sure her parents already know how special their daughter is, and I now have the privilege of sharing the proof with the world (albeit the small world which reads my blog).

Meet Freya, at three weeks old. Something tells me she’s going to leave a mark.

Thank you Sarah and Michael, for inviting me to capture this amazing time in your lives. Our session was like no other, and I can’t wait to share the rest of your gallery with you. xo

… a big congratulations to MariE! You have won a family portrait session and a matted 8×12″ print! I will be in touch with you very soon to talk through the details. Now go and share the great news with your family!

I was so overwhelmed by the beautiful entries in the competition; the memories you shared were from the heart and touched me deeply. And because of that, I decided to draw two more names as Runners Up (or is it Runner Ups?!).

The Runners Up each receive $50 off a family portrait session and two 5×7.5″ prints. Congratulations to Dan Gray and Danielle M!

Now let me share a few of my favourite entries…

One of my fond memories of my father from childhood is about his creativity. He’d play guitar and I’d listen or sing along as if the music was gold dust falling from the strings he played so skillfully. I also loved to watch him draw. The pencil lines would eventually take on a picture that almost came to life. Early this year, he suffered a massive stroke. He has been working hard in rehabilitation. I am so blessed my dad is still alive even though our lives have greatly changed.

My father worked long hours at channel 9 when I started primary school, so didn’t get to see me get into my school dress for the first time (we obviously took photos on the film camera) and didn’t get to greet me when I came home. But when I did get home, there were a beautiful bunch of roses & other flowers with a hand written card, which he’d had delivered to the house. so he was “there” when I got home. I STILL have the card, which is very tattered, but I still smile everytime I see it in my keepsake box.

I have several precious memories of my father – working in the garden with him and stuffing hessian bags full of leaves in Autumn (he made it fun by saying we were feeding the elephants as I held the sack wide open), hours spent in the backyard while he helped me to throw and catch a ball, firecracker nights when he built a big bonfire and let off the fireworks and then showed me how to roast potatoes in the glowing embers, riding together on the Octopus at Luna Park and swinging right out over Sydney Harbour, receiving a silver necklace that he bought for his future daughter when he was posted to Borneo in WW2. Then when I had daughters of my own, watching him as he played with and loved his granddaughters. He was a quintessential grandad and had only a short few years with my first daughter; he died when my second daughter was three months old. I wish often that he could have seen them grow up; he would have been a great influence in their lives. Now I watch my husband and see what a great dad he is. He is patient, kind and loving and does everything he can for our daughters, even when the going is tough.

A father is one who will bring out the best in his child, treat them with love and respect. Play with them, encourage them, let them shine in their unique way. He would show them his love in a million different ways – from reading them books, to playing ‘tea party’ or ‘monsters’, to giving up his career to stay at home and look after them. He takes them to parks – and searches out the best ones and names each one like ‘The Dinosaur Park’ and ‘The Climbing Park’. He loves their mother unconditionally and shows them what it is to be a man – whether he has daughters or sons. My father was none of those things and did none of those things … but my children’s father does. Every single day.

There are so many memories I have of great times with my Dad from my childhood. The ones that stick in my mind are all about my Dad teaching me things – passing down his skills and wisdom – and doing it as a single father in an era when they didn’t always get much time with their kids. I never really appreciated how important this connection was until recently when I found myself in the same position – a single father passing on my skills and wisdom to my beautiful daughters.

And here’s a recent fave of Toby and his Daddy.

1. Across the Universe | Beatles
   The older I get the more I think this is hands down my favourite song of all time. The melody is beautiful, but the words lift me up and empower me every time I hear them. If it’s been a while, it’s worth a listen.
   
2. River | Joni Mitchell
   This song somehow manages to make me cry every single time I listen to it. Haunting, poetic, nostalgic… it’s just beautiful.
3. Rain Song | Led Zeppelin
   I went through a crazy Led Zepp phase in my late teens and I love so much of their music for so many reasons, but this is my favourite, and I never get sick of it. As soon as I hear those first couple of chords, I go to my happy place.
4. Walk on the Wild Side | Lou Reed
   This song is too cool for school. And how can anyone resist singing along? Do de do de do do do do do de do de do….
5. Son of a Preacher Man | Dusty Springfield
   I think I got into this song after Pulp Fiction – one of the best movie soundtracks of all time. Love that breathy voice. Love the story.
6. Big Yellow Taxi | Joni Mitchell
   Who doesn’t love this song? Makes me want to dance around the room with a stupid grin on my face.
7. Never Tear Us Apart | INXS
   This is my favourite singstar/karaoke number, baaahahahahaaa! Love it. Love the raw emotion.
8. Love Rears Up It’s Ugly Head | Living Colour
   Takes me back to the 90s. Love his voice, love the funk, love the story. It’s just one of those songs that you never forget.
9. Wish You Were Here | Pink Floyd
   Another band I fell in love with in my late teens, and to me this song is so full of life and love and history that it will always be up there. PF have some amazing music, but I will always come back to this one song, and the sound of that crackly radio.
10. Pacifier | Shihad
    One of my favourite bands of this decade (although I’m pretty sure they were around in the late 90s too) and one of only two songs from this decade on my entire list! (Oh god, does that make me old?!)
11. Bohemian Rapsody | Queen
    What can I say? Did this song just win the JJJ Hottest 100 of all time? I think it did.
12. Suck my Kiss | Red Hot Chili Peppers
    These guys are a defining band for X-geners and it took me a little while to decide which one of theirs is my fave, but it has to be this. Makes me want to jump around like a crazy 16 year old.
13. Fields of Gold | Sting
    One of the most beautiful love songs ever.
14. Fake Plastic Trees | Radiohead
    I tossed up putting Creep on the list instead of this one, since that was more of a defining song for me. But I like this better. Tom Yorke’s voice gives me chills… I’ve never liked Radiohead quite as much as I did when they released this.
15. Mad World | Tears for Fears
    Haunting and disturbing, but gosh it makes me feel.
16. Brass in Pocket | Pretenders
    Makes me want to sing! Karaoke!!!
17. Angie | Rolling Stones
    Another epic love song.
18. Summertime | Gershwin
    I’ve known and loved this song since I was a little girl. And I never get sick of hearing covers of it either.
19. Breathe me | Sia
    Her voice and that piano gets me every time. I could seriously listen to this song on repeat all day long.
20. Your song | Elton John
    I just can’t resist a classic soppy love song!
21. Porcelina | Smashing Pumpkins
    There had to be a Pumpkins song in here somewhere, and it had to be this one. A little obscure perhaps, but their best, in my opinion. Love the epicness of it. The instrumentals blow my mind. It’s just a beautiful, beautiful song, even though I have no fricking idea what it’s about because I’ve never been able to understand Billy Corgan’s singing.
22. Sitting on the Dock of the Bay | Otis Redding
    I’m pretty sure it’s the whistling.
23. Try a Little Tenderness | Andrew Strong cover
    The Commitments would be on my ‘Best movies ever’ list, and it seems fitting that since it’s a movie about awesome music that at least one of the tunes from it would get into this list.
24. Under the Milky Way | The Church
    I also love the George cover of this and the Bobby Flynn cover too. It’s just a beautiful song.
25. Please forgive me | David Grey
    This is a pretty special song for hubby and I: it featured at our wedding right after our first dance.

There are many more I want to add, but if I keep going it would take away from the power of these 25. But I have to say, it was really hard to not honour some of my favourite bands and singers of all time:  Coldplay, George, Regina Spektor, Ani di Franco, Powderfinger, Eskimo Joe and Kings of Leon.

I’d love to hear what you think! Are some of your favourite songs ever on my list? What song have I shamefully forgotten?!

This market contains an absolute feast of gorgeous and unique products for babies and kids (and some stuff for mums and dads too!) made by talented artists & designers from near and far. I shopped there for the first time in June and LOVED IT. There is nowhere else in Canberra where you can get access to such a stunning range of (mostly) handmade things – clothing, accessories, homewares & toys. Plus, it’s a great way to support all those small businesses out there, who like me, put their heart and soul into what they do. A lot of stallholders have special ‘markets only’ prices too, so even though many have websites and etsy stores, you can’t beat those special deals, and shopping is so much more fun when you can touch it before you buy it!

I can’t wait to set up our stall! I have a beautiful array of new sample books and albums and other products, including my stunning handmade fine art albums which will be making their public debut! I will also have a special offer for Mathilda’s shoppers – so you’ll have to come along, or miss out! But wait, there’s more! I will also be launching my 2010 Christmas packages at Mathilda’s. So please come and say hi!

Ok, you’ve sold me, now where do I find this amazing market that will solve all my Christmas problems?

The Hyatt Hotel Canberra, Commonwealth Ave, Yarralumla. The market is held in the Ballroom, and there is easy pram access at rear.

What date and time do I need to immediately put in my iphone/calendar/diary so I don’t miss out?

Sunday 12^th September, 9am to 1pm.

What other exciting details do I need to know?

Entry and parking is free.

There are nearly 60 stall holders in total, including yummy food and kids’ entertainment, so you don’t need to bring anything.

It is probably a good idea to have some cash on hand, as there are no ATM facilities, however many stallholders will have EFTPOS or credit facilities.

For a sneak preview of what’s in store, head to mathildasmarket.com.au or check out their blog at mathildasmarket.blogspot.com.

I don’t live in Canberra, BOOO!

Well then, you will be pleased to hear that Mathilda’s Markets are held regularly in seven cities around Australia! More info at: mathildasmarket.com.au.

So I’ll see you all there, next Sunday, riiiiight?!

P.S. Only two more days to enter my Fathers Day competition. Details here: http://heartstoryphotography.com.au/blog/special-offers/winasessionfathersday/

50 things I love in the world

1. The smell of freshly ground coffee. (I like drinking it too, but I’m picky and sometimes it can be a big disappointment. Whereas the smell is never disappointing and always beeeooootiful.)
2. Kisses and cuddles from my gorgeous little boy.
3. Summer nights.
4. Scarves.
5. Sunflowers.
6. Home-grown vegetables.
7. Great conversation.
8. Vintage, retro anything. Just old things; their character and history.
9. John Fluevog shoes.
10. Paper.
11. Floaty dresses.
12. Dutch pastries.
13. French accents.
14. Pasta.
15. Arriving in a place I’ve never been.
16. Big chunky boots.
17. People’s stories.
18. Chocolate covered licorice.
19. Authenticity.
20. Books.
21. Kitty-cats.
22. Frozen blueberries.
23. Singing.
24. Hot showers.
25. Slipping into bed in the middle of winter when my electric blanket is on 9.
26. Gelato.
27. The colour red.
28. ‘Distressed’ furniture
29. Hysterical laughter. The kind that almost makes you throw up.
30. Passion.
31. 8 month old babies.
32. Beige. Although I prefer to call it ‘sand’ or ‘wheat’.
33. Shades of grey. In life and in a colour palette.
34. Live music.
35. Bruschetta. (But please pronounce it correctly – it’s a hard c.)
36. Courage.
37. Men wearing colourful socks underneath ordinary pants.
38. Jarmies.
39. Toddler mispronunciations.
40. Sticky wine.
41. Openness.
42. Handmade clothes on little kids.
43. Enid Blyton and the gift she gave to my childhood.
44. When people follow their dreams.
45. Red hair.
46. Pregnant women, especially when they’re beloved friends.
47. The beach at sunset.
48. Watching or listening to my son and my husband playing together and enjoying each other’s company.
49. Love. And the fact that it really is the most important thing in the world.
50. Lists.

It was ridiculously freezing. My hands were so cold I had trouble changing lenses, but Mich assured me that her baby girl was keeping her warm.

I can’t tell you how happy it made me to see that she had brought a red dress and red shoes to wear for our session! If I wasn’t halfway to becoming a human iceblock, I definitely would have squealed and jumped up and down on the spot. Red is absolutely and positively my favourite colour in the world, my signature colour even. And Mich seriously rocked that red dress, dontcha think?

Something tells me her hubby is going to love these pictures.

I posted several weeks back that I was off to Cooma one fine Saturday to judge a photography competition. Well, judge I did. Wow, what an interesting and enjoyable experience! Huge thanks to Ian Pfeffer, the owner of Polo Red Gallery in Cooma, who invited me to come and select the finalists for the 2010 Photographic Prize. I was flattered and honoured to play such an important role, and I took my job very seriously. Big thanks also to my lovely friend Bec who I asked along to help me out.

Here is a photo Bec took of me pondering one of the images.

I have always thought I had well developed skills in critical analysis, (thanks to a childhood spent immersed in the world of fine art, followed by years of study in creative fields where ‘critique’ is a normal part of every day life) and it was very satisfying to put them to valuable use. I spent the better part of the day at the gallery, sorting and resorting entries and putting my brain and heart to work. I chose forty finalists from the entry pool and they are now hanging in the gallery awaiting your verdict. That’s right – the winner of the $1250 grand prize is decided via visitor vote, and will be announced at the end of this week. Voters also go in the running for a bottle of Grange – niiiice! I have several bigtime favourites (but my lips are sealed) and I can’t wait to see if one of them is the lucky winner!!!

In other news, I was excited to see one of my images in print again this month. LittleONE is a gorgeous new magazine for mums with style and taste. It has some fantastic articles about parenting, especially for the early days, and in my opinion is one of the best mags out there for this demographic. However, I can quite honestly say that much as I love it, I’m kinda glad it wasn’t around when Toby was a baby, because I would have been a lot poorer – it is full of so many inspiring and beautiful products for little ones, and the latest issue is completely focused on design & style. Here are some snaps of my work published in their last two issues. (Please note: the cover images not mine – I just wanted to show what the mag looks like in case you want to buy it!)

My competition to win a free session for Fathers Day is still open, so don’t forget to enter! Entries close on September 3rd. Enter here!

Ok, enough of the gushing… Fathers Day is coming, and I have an exciting announcement…

…IT’S MY FIRST COMPETITION!

It has taken me a stupidly long time to work out how to do this (who  knew coming up with a competition would be such a challenge?!), but I finally have it sorted, yipee!

The prize:

One Heartstory photo session, and one matted 8×12″ print.

How to enter:

• Leave a comment on this blog post, sharing your favourite memory of your Dad from your childhood. Please be absolutely sure to include a valid email address in your comment (don’t worry, it won’t appear publicly) so I know how to contact you if you’re the lucky winner! If you live in another country, you can still enter for fun! (Just tell me in your comment, so I know not to include your name in the draw.)
• For extra chances to win, do any of the following (you get one extra entry per action) and don’t forget to tell me in a comment so I know to pop in the extra entry/ies for you.
  • Go to the Heartstory website, check out my galleries, choose your favourite image, and then come back here and post a comment on this entry telling me why it’s your fave. (It can be from any gallery, or from the opening slideshow on the homepage).
  • Head over to my facebook page, and become a fan by clicking ‘like’.
  • Share this competition with your friends (you can do this however you like – one entry per method).

Terms & conditions:

• The winner will receive one free Heartstory photo session (worth $150), plus one matted 8×12″ print of your choice (worth $110).
• The winner can choose from a Life Story session {family}, a Love Story session {couples}, a New Story session {newborn} or a Short Story session {children & babies over 3 months}. If you book a Short Story session, you will also receive $50 of print credit.
• All normal Heartstory session terms apply, including minimum spend. If you’re unsure, please refer to your portrait agreement, or request a copy prior to entering.
• The winner must be prepared to sign a model release allowing images from their session to be blogged and used in Heartstory marketing material, galleries etc.
• The prize is not transferrable to another individual or family.
• You must be over the age of 18 to enter.
• Competition closes at midnight, on Friday September 3rd. Winner will be announced on my blog, first thing in the morning (EST) on Fathers Day, Sunday September 5th.
• The session must be booked within one week of notification (ie, September 12th), and must take place in Canberra (no destination bookings) by December 18, 2010.

And because I couldn’t possibly have a blog post without pictures, let me share a few of my favourite, favourite images featuring Daddies.

My child makes my world complete. To my child, I am the world.

I recently found a new supplier of stunning fine art canvases. I had never really been excited about canvases until I saw these. The quality is superb, the colours are rich and luscious and the clarity is outstanding. I am so happy to be able to provide such a wonderful product to my clients, and I just think one of these babies would be such an awesome Fathers Day gift!

So, here’s the deal…

On the afternoon of Tuesday August 10 (that’s next Tuesday!), I will be holding a limited number of mini sessions (around 30 minutes per session) in a beautiful outdoor location in Belconnen. These sessions are designed for Mum and the kids, or just the kids by themselves, and the aim is to pick one image to be made into a stunning fine art wall canvas (measuring 16×24″), which will arrive in time to give to Dad on Fathers Day. You also get a beautiful custom designed Fathers Day card with an image from your session and your own message inside. You will choose your images from a private online gallery a few days after your session. The package cost is $500. Additional prints and products are also available to purchase as per my regular pricing, however I am offering your digital collection as an add-on for the amazing price of $550, which includes a set of 5×7.5″ prints.

Please call or email immediately to book your session! | katie@heartstoryphotography.com.au | 0402 091 949.

Terms & Conditions:

• Package must be paid for in full within three days of booking.
• Your order (canvas and card) must be placed within three days of receiving your gallery, however your gallery will be available until September 12 for any additional prints and products you may wish to order.
• Canvas measures 16×24″, and comes wrapped around a 32mm profile timber frame, ready to hang straight on the wall.
• Sessions will last approximately 30 minutes and will yield a collection of 10-15 images.
• If it rains on the designated afternoon, sessions will be shifted to either Wednesday 11 or Thursday 12 August.
• Normal Heartstory portrait terms & conditions apply (please see portrait agreement when booking your session).