Edited to add: Although my camera was on my shoulder throughout the entire rescue, I couldn’t even contemplate putting it to my face; I was far too worried and actually kind of frozen there. (Clearly I could never be a photo-journalist!).This image was taken up on the headland, after the guy was finally carried up to the ambulance (probably 45 minutes, or maybe even an hour after the first wave for help) and we’d left the beach. There were still a lot of police & lifesavers running around at this point, a photographer and reporter, and heaps of people just standing about. This moment I captured shows my lot looking across at all the activity.

- Kahlil Gibran

Once upon a time in a country on the other side of the world, the lives of two baby boys came together via the strong friendship of their respective fathers. A few years later, one family migrated to Australia. Ten years after that, those two boys were thrown back together again for a short period of time, whereupon they discovered they had a lot in common, and they’ve been close friends ever since. The one with the beard is my Dad. The other is Rob. They’re both artists. They still live on opposite sides of the globe; they write real letters (yes, with pens and paper, really and truly!) and see each other every few years. They are connected by many things: their shared passion for art, the Dutch language and culture, the history and knowledge of each others’ families, their character and spirit. I think their friendship is pretty extraordinary and Rob has always had a special place in my heart because he has always been there in Dad’s.

So I jumped at the chance to photograph them together during a fly-by visit to Canberra a few weeks back.

Do grown men have besties? I’m not sure. If they do, I’m sure this is how it would look.

She is a dear, dear friend of mine. We’ve known each other for many years, and I feel blessed to have witnessed the most beautiful change in her since she found and married the love of her life.

They call each other honey. They giggle like newlyweds. They are profoundly connected through buddhism, and their unique, shared experiences. I couldn’t imagine anyone more perfect for her than him, yet I never could have imagined him before I knew he existed.

They come from two completely different worlds, and it is amazing to me that they even met. She is Australian, he is Tibetan. They met in a tiny village in India, while she taught English in a monastery and he ran a bakery. He could barely speak English, yet a randomly baked loaf of brown bread sparked a friendship, which quickly turned to love, and they were married in a traditional Tibetan ceremony in India several months later. They went through a long and difficult time living apart, waiting for him to be granted permission to leave India and come and join her in Australia so they could start their new life together.

This session started at their home, where they revisited their past; looking through letters they sent to each other from halfway around the world, and the huge pile of documents about their lives and history that they’d had to put together for immigration. Then we went for a walk to a beautiful location that holds special meaning to them. They wore traditional Tibetan dress for part of the session.

These images are a perfect reflection of what their story is to me, how I see them, and what they give to the world around them. That story and the images we created together move me deeply. I hope they move you too.

Thank you, both of you, for your amazing trust and openness. You are an inspiration and my life is richer and more beautiful for you being in it.

Beloved sessions are about celebrating you and the unique relationship you share with your beloved. It doesn’t have to be a romantic relationship, it could be a family member or your dearest friend. Images like these are a window back to what’s truly important in your life, and their power lasts forever.

Water pistol!

I will never understand how it is that little boys get so obsessed with ‘guns’ even if they’ve never been exposed to them. It started on boxing day when Toby ‘rediscovered’ a bag of water pistols hanging behind the laundry door, and I suspect it will continue until we decide to stash them again! I am not a fan of guns, and I admit I find it disturbing that he is running around the house with an empty water pistol shouting ‘bang, bang!’, but it’s pretty hard to resist this face. I let him dangerously close to me and my camera, and he did try and squirt it, and me, in the face, several times. But for now, I’m still faster than him, so it’s all ok.

~ insight, inspiration, tips and other ideas for your photo-a-day project ~

When you can’t be bothered

There are going to be days when you just can’t be bothered. You’re tired, uninspired, not feeling well, in a bad mood… it’ll happen. But sometimes, all it takes is 10 minutes to get your shot, and who doesn’t have 10 minutes in them? If you’re photographing your kids, let them grab something they really love (maybe something they’re not normally allowed to have that often), go outside and let them go wild for 10 minutes. These shots of Toby were just that: I was completely knackered from Christmas festivities, I’d had a long shoot in the morning, and all I really wanted to do was pass out on the couch, but Toby was insistent that I come outside with him, and I had to get my photo. It totally perked up my mood, made him super happy and I got some gorgeous shots of him. If your project means that your motivation and inspiration has to come from within, not from someone else, I suggest setting yourself a 10 minute time limit to express how you’re feeling through a photo of something around your house and yard. And if all else fails, just skip a day. No-one’s going to shake their head at you and go tsk, tsk. It’s your project, and you’ll skip a day if you want to!

Christmas Day

This Christmas Day was my favourite one so far as a parent. Seeing Toby’s excitement, and the passionate way he threw himself into every experience of the day lightened my heart. I took photos galore and shot a lot of video too, so it was pretty hard to choose the four images below, let alone the one above. The tree had to feature because it’s been a daily thrill for him since early December, and he literally couldn’t believe his eyes when presents started appearing below it, knowing that he would soon get to open them. We knew he was going to love that part of it, but we were moved to see how much he enjoyed handing presents out to the rest of us, and watching us open them. I imagine most of his loot will feature in one way or another throughout this project, but you can see one below – a bug barn, which for a few minutes contained a cabbage moth, skilfully captured by his Dad. There were just the four of us together on the day – our family of three, plus Toby’s beloved Gran – and I hope it’s a Christmas that Toby remembers when he’s all grown up.

~ insight, inspiration, tips and other ideas for your photo-a-day project ~

Live the moment, or capture it?

Some people would say that photographers miss out on things because they’ve always got a camera in front of their faces. Could be true. But one of the things I’ve learnt in recent years is that when you’re photographing something that you are truly passionate about, when you’re moved by what you’re seeing, there is no way that you’re missing out. Not only that, but you take far better photographs when you’re feeling something while you’re doing it (and that’s part of the reason why this project is such a powerful one). I am moved to pick up the camera and document because I don’t want to let those moments go, because they seem so significant, so perfect, so worthy, that I simply have to capture them. A big part of life is observation anyway, right? How often do we sit there with our children, watching them and listening to them? Why not shoot at the same time? You don’t even have to look through the viewfinder; you can get your focus and exposure right (or shoot on auto if you prefer), then take the camera away from your face and shoot away while you’re fully engaged in the moment. And if you’re finding the camera really is interfering with your enjoyment of what’s happening around you, then by all means, put it down and don’t pick it up again until it feels right to do so. Only you can be the judge of that. I totally missed capturing my husband leaping around the backyard catching cabbage moths for Toby because I was in fits of hysterical laughter, and I don’t mind. I got plenty of moments afterwards when he put the cabbage moth in the bug barn and Toby stood by squealing with excitement, and those images will ensure I never forget the unabashed effort he went to for his son.

Earlier this year, on the advice from a good friend and very talented photographer, I prepared to enter a competition run by the ACMP (Australian Commercial and Media Photographers) who do a lot to help emerging photographers find their feet in the industry. The competition is called Projections and it is specifically for photographers who have been in the industry for less than three years. To enter, I had to compile a themed series of photographs, in one of three categories; fine art, commercial and editorial. There were to be fifteen finalists chosen, and their work would be screened at several events around Australia in a cinematic format (hence it being called ‘Projections’).

A few months after I entered, at the end of a particularly stressful week, I received an email telling me I was a finalist in the Commercial category. I was in the car at the time, checking email on my iphone, and I remember involuntarily exclaiming ‘Oh my god!’ to my husband, who was driving. ‘What?’ he answered, with a concerned tone, but it was several more minutes before I could even get the words out. I had to reread the email about four times over, just in case I’d made a mistake! I’d been pouring over the Projections website for months and months, and had looked at the slideshows of most of the previous three years worth of finalists and winners. I couldn’t believe that my work was good enough to be there, with all of them!

But it gets better.

I went to Melbourne for the opening night. I was peeing-my-pants nervous and over-the-top excited to see my work set to music and projected on a cinema screen. It was an amazing experience and I was so honoured to share it with 14 other up-and-coming photographers.

And then they were announcing winners, and I heard my name and thought it was a dream, but it wasn’t. I won the commercial category! And I had to get up and talk into a microphone to a theatre full of people and nearly peed my pants again!

I’m not going to share my work just yet. It will be published on the Projections site in due course, with the music and words, just as it was screened in Melbourne, Sydney, Canberra and Brisbane. I promise to let you know when it’s available.

A few weeks later, I found out I won 5 bronze awards at the International Aperture Awards. I entered 3 images into the ‘abstract & illustrative’ category and 2 into ‘people & portraits’. It was my first time entering, and I’m so pleased with the result. It really has been a bumper year and I am very proud of myself and grateful for the opportunities I’ve been given.

It hasn’t come without a cost though. It’s a busy, competitive industry and my first year of 100% self employment has been a massive amount of work with some very steep learning curves. And much as I love, love, LOVE it (I really do!), I am also well over due for some quality time with my own family, so Heartstory will be closed for the holidays from December 19 – January 16 inclusive (except for pre-booked newborn sessions).

Let me leave you with a recent image of my beloved boy, my muse, and the reason I work so hard. (Oh, and I’ll definitely be squeezing in a couple more blog posts between now and December 18!).

It’s both funny and amazing, the way such a tiny human being can alter two people’s lives so radically. Jennifer and Lucas are no longer in charge; Ava is. And it probably won’t be long until she’s bossing all the household pets around either!

I can’t get enough of sessions like these… documenting the early days of parenthood when everything is new and unfamiliar, the real life moments of the deepest love that we are capable of experiencing. Welcome to the world Ava Rose; you are incredible.

1. There’s a nut in my sock. MUMMY! THERE’S A NUT IN MY SOCK! (There wasn’t a nut in his sock.)
2. After I got cross at him for hitting me in the nose with his metal drink bottle, he said ‘It wasn’t a drink bottle mummy, it was a rocket.’
3. Mummy, I’ll give you a lollypop if you do a poo. And a wee. (And no, we have never told him we will give him a lollypop if he does a poo. Or a wee.)
4. Mummy, I need three teddybear bicksets RIGHT NOW.
5. He’s not a super penguin, he’s a banging and flying penguin! He banged the farmer! He banged the farmer in the tractor!
6. Mummy, I did a poo and it looks like a rocket! Look Mummy, a rocket poo!
7. When his food is too hot and he wants you to blow on it to cool it down: Mummy, blow it up! Blow it up Mummy!
8. I’m not a silly billy, I’m a beautiful boy.
9. When I tell him to stop doing something: Why? Don’t you like me, mummy?
10. Upon discovering my cupcake cookbook: What’s this? Wow, that looks pretty cool. CAKE STORY! Cake story! CAKE! Wow, I like cake!

He’s turning into quite a little boy now, which is both terrifying and delightful. He is finally toilet trained, and recently underwent surgery to have grommets inserted, so we can hopefully say goodbye to his middle ear problems for good now. Since the operation he is much more energetic and sure of himself physically. He has also developed this amazing skill of ignoring me completely, no matter what tactics I use to get his attention, which makes him extremely difficult to get photos of. Apparently this is quite common and referred to as ‘Photographer’s Child Syndrome’. But every now and then, I manage to get one like this…

Usually, it’s because I have bribed him with something in return, such as ‘If you let me take a photo of you, I’ll let you take one of me’. And then we get this:

A bribe like that always works a few times in a row. As you can see, he will even throw in a little ‘pose’ for me.

So then it was his turn again. You can see I am holding the camera for him in the first frame. I was scared; it’s expensive and bigger than his head.

I had a VERY proud mummy moment when I downloaded my card later on: awww, my three year old can take in focus and nicely composed shots on f/2.2. So next time I hear the derogatory phrase ‘my three year old could have done that’, I will remember this.

1. The blossom laden fruit trees in my backyard that make me smile every morning when I open the kitchen blinds.

2. A much loved friend who listens and understands and talks sense into me when I’m having a crazy. And also makes awesome hot chocolate.

3. My son, who always makes me laugh, even when I’m cranky at him for taking 45 minutes to eat his dinner.

4. True Blood Season 3, for being unique and breaking all the rules, and for thoroughly entertaining me when I need downtime.

5. My growing business and a huge rush of bookings which will keep me very busy over the  next few months.

6. That I had time to catch my breathe this week, and my goodness it felt good.

7. I am doing something I love. Every day. And it makes me feel so happy.

8. Happy clients.

9. Respect from my peers. It means so much.

10. Last night’s evening meal, which despite being a humble tomato pasta, was thoroughly enjoyed from the comfort of the couch, just me and hubs, after Toby had gone to bed. And that even though we were both exhausted, we still managed to see the funny side when 2 seconds after sitting down to eat, Adrian threw grated parmesan cheese all over himself and the couch.

I couldn’t resist sharing this snap of Toby from this afternoon. It looks like he’s sitting in a big field of watercress or snowpea sprouts, but it’s just very, very happy clover. That, my friends, is our badly-in-need-of-a-mow backyard.  I can tell you with absolute certainty that I will be cursing every step of the way as I mow it on Sunday, but in keeping with today’s list theme, I am very grateful for this beautiful lush, overgrown grass because it looks so pretty in photographs and it made Toby happy to jump around in it this afternoon and it means our yard is healthy and happy. Have a lovely weekend, friends!