I met Jennifer and Lucas over a year ago now, as they were approaching the due date of their gorgeous girl. I also had the pleasure of photographing Ava as a newborn: you can see those shoots here and here. They’re getting married in February 2012, so my lucky last session of 2011 was their engagement shoot, complete with this adorable little ball of sass and giggles (who is going to make the cutest flower girl ever, don’t you think?!).

And that’s it for 2011!

I’ll be back to start 30 Days of Summer later in the week, but a quick reminder that the office will be closed from Thursday December 22 until Thursday January 19th, inclusive.

P.S If you haven’t already seen it, here is my 2011 Christmas message.

Lots of love,
Katie x

Here are some of my favourite images. Promise to tell me if they give you a lump in your throat…

HOLIDAY SHUTDOWN

My office will be closed from December 22 – January 21, while I spend some much-needed time with my family. I will still reply to email during this time, but I may be a little slower than usual.

NEW PRODUCTS FOR 2012

Over the last couple of months I’ve been investigating some new products. I am very passionate about offering my families real pieces of art, which become treasured family heirlooms. Yes, we’re living in a digital age, but there has been so much talk lately about the dubious lifespan of digital media, and I find this really scary. Print is not dead, there are so many amazing ways to do it now, and images of precious, unrepeatable moments and the people you love most in the world are worth so more than hard-drive storage space. So many of my families from the last few months have been on my wavelength in regards to this, and have wanted more… something unique, something worthy of the value of the images I captured for them, and I am grateful for the opportunity to look beyond the ordinary to bring you this new range of products. So, I am super excited to be adding luxury metal prints, rustic art blocks, stitched fine art paper books, framed and block-mounted fine art canvas prints, and fine art paper prints to my product line up. My current clients are already going crazy for these amazing new products, and I will be showcasing them on my blog after the holiday break.

SESSION AVAILABILITY FOR 2012

I’m currently taking bookings for the first few months of 2012, so now is the time to get organised if you want family portraits during summer. Despite the heat, it is a great time of year for a photo session. Just think of the fun I can capture, even in your own backyard, in the gorgeous late afternoon/evening light! It could be a family BBQ, backyard cricket, icypoles on the deck, playing in the sprinkler, walking the dog at sunset… Aussie summers are usually big on family time, so make the most of it and have it captured.

In 2012, sessions will be available on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, and as always, Saturdays can book out up to two months ahead, during peak seasons.

OTHER NEWS: HEARTKIDS ACT/NSW

Each year in the ACT, around 50 babies are born with Childhood Heart Disease (CHD). I have photographed a few ‘heartkids’ this year, and having had personal experience with the stress of baby/child health problems, I feel very strongly about the work of non-profit organisations like Heartkids, which supports families affected by CHD. Some very generous people (one whose family I photographed earlier this year) organised a fund-raising ball in Canberra in November, and I was thrilled to donate a Heartstory Portrait Package for a live auction on the night. The package raised $1000 for Heartkids ACT/NSW, which will go towards better supporting Canberran families affected by CHD. There were also a number of Heartstory vouchers given out on the night, and a portion of each session fee booked with those vouchers will go back to Heartkids. I am so proud to be supporting Heartkids, and if you’re looking to donate to a local organisation, please visit their website: http://heartkidsnsw.org.au, there are so many ways to get involved.

I’ll sign off with a handful of frames I shot last weekend, during a trip out to Gundaroo to buy a Christmas Tree from Santa’s Shaped Christmas Tree Farm. I haven’t had a real tree in my house since I was a little kid, and it smells so good!!!

And of course, time went far too quickly, as it does! Toby is already begging to go back; he had an amazing time, and grew up just a little bit more for the experience, which is both sad and wonderful.

Over the last few days, I’ve been busy editing the many images I made while we were there, and I can’t tell you how hard it was to decide how best to show my favourites; chronologically or grouped in themes, and if it was themes, what themes would I choose?! I decided to start with a small selection of simple landscape images, mostly of the divine skies we enjoyed there. Dusk was my favourite time of day, and since hubby and I took turns supervising Toby at the kids’ buffet dinner which took place on the deck of the central entertainment area of the resort, there was always time to steal a few frames: that big, beautiful sky and flat, endless sea was hard to avoid.

For the photographers: many of these images were shot on my Fuji x100, and the rest on my trusty old 5Dmk2. To be honest, I wouldn’t have been able to tell which was which when I was editing, unless I checked the original file name, or zoomed in to look at detail on 100% (obviously the full frame sensor of the 5Dmk2 is much better able to capture tiny details from a long way away). The Fuji x100 is an awesome little camera to travel with, and even hubby put it to good use!

Amanda is one of the owners of Baby Steps Photography, a Sydney studio portrait business. Her adorable daughter Bailey had me wrapped around her little finger from the moment I met her; such an expressive little personality and the most amazing hair! Our afternoon was an beautiful indulgence of their love for each other and their tight little family unit; it was giggles, cuddles, treats and quality time. Just the way a Saturday afternoon should be, except with the addition of me by their side to document this unique time in their lives. Loved it!

I do travel to Sydney regularly throughout the year, so if you’re a Sydney-sider and you want a session with me, please get in touch! katie@heartstoryphotography.com.au

And then I captured some beautiful moments between mum-to-be and dad-to-be after the festivities, right at the end of the day, when the light was at it’s yummiest.

These guys are going to make the most awesome parents. You can just tell.

Here is just a taste of a gorgeous afternoon…

Guys, I wish you all the best of everything for the weeks and months ahead. “Gertie” is going to be one very lucky little girl. I can’t wait to meet her, and capture many, many more incredible moments for you. I’ll be in touch soon. xo