heartstory contemporary portrait photography « Heartstory: Canberra baby & child photography by Katie Kolenberg

Posts Tagged ‘heartstory contemporary portrait photography’

Unforgettable | Canberra newborn photographer

September 7, 2010

I met Sarah and Michael back in July for their maternity session. It was a pretty special afternoon, and I was very much looking forward to meeting their baby because I had a feeling he/she was going to be pretty special too. Special things are always worth the wait, and she really made her mummy and daddy wait by arriving seventeen days past her due date!

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.

New Stories {Heartstory newborn photography}

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

Tags: canberra maternity photographer, canberra newborn photographer, canberra newborn photography, canberra portrait photographer, heartstory contemporary portrait photography, multi award winning canberra photographer
Posted in newborn photography | 11 Comments »

Lately | Canberra portrait photographer

August 23, 2010

I must apologise for things being a bit quiet on the Blogfront lately, but I’m pleased to tell you that I have a few fun little projects in the pipeline… so don’t go away!

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!)

LittleONE magazine

Heartstory in print! {Canberra baby photographer}

Heartstory in print! {Canberra child photographer}

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!

Tags: award winning canberra photographer, canberra baby photographer, canberra children's photographer, canberra portrait photographer, heartstory contemporary portrait photography, LittleONE baby magazine, LittleONE design & style, photography competition, Polo Red Gallery Cooma, polo red photographic prize 2010
Posted in news | 5 Comments »

Win a Heartstory photo session for Fathers Day! | Canberra portrait photographer

August 17, 2010

I meet a lot of fathers in this business. And it makes me happy to see how hands-on they all are with their little ones. It makes me happy because it wasn’t that long ago when life was very different, and little kiddies didn’t have anywhere near as much contact with their Daddies on a daily basis as they do now. I even met one Daddy earlier this year who stays at home while Mummy goes off to work every day (if you have the May issue of LittleONE Baby mag, you can read their wonderful story – and see some beautiful pics taken by yours truly!). I’ve written about this before, but it moves me deeply to see how connected my son is with his Daddy, to see the bond they share in love and play, and the important role he plays in teaching Toby about life and love. I also watched a little video on facebook the other day which turned me into a blubbering mess – it was all about parents (mostly Dads) returning from service and taking their children (and partners) by surprise. To see the absolute joy on their little faces when they caught sight of one of the most important people in their lives was absolutely exquisite. That’s what life is all about right there. Love and family. And that’s why I treasure being a family photographer so very much.

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.

Heartstory {Canberra family photographer}

Heartstory {Canberra newborn photographer}

Heartstory {Canberra family photographer}

Heartstory {Canberra newborn photographer}

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

Tags: award winning canberra photographer, canberra portrait photographer, fathers day competition, heartstory contemporary portrait photography, win a free session, win a Heartstory photo session
Posted in special offers | 28 Comments »

Number two is nearly here! | Canberra maternity & newborn photographer

July 21, 2010

Melissa & Michael had their first baby, the adorable Grace, in August of 2008. I had only just started building my portfolio and they were my second ever official maternity/newborn clients. This image of Grace remains one of my favourite newborn images, and I use it on a lot of my marketing material.

Heartstory newborn photography {new story}

So late last week I received an email from Melissa telling me that they were only a couple of weeks off the birth of their second child and could I please squeeze them in for a maternity/newborn session! Could I ever! It’s such a great feeling to have clients come back to me, and a real warm and fuzzy thrill to see a child whose face you know so well from when they were only one week old.

Heartstory family photography {growing story}

Heartstory maternity photography {growing story}

Heartstory family photography {growing story}

Heartstory maternity photography {growing story}

Heartstory child photography {growing story}

Heartstory maternity photography {growing story}

Heartstory family photography {growing story}

Melissa & Michael, it was so lovely to see you both yesterday and you were an absolute pleasure to photograph again. Grace, you stole my heart two years ago and you still have it! I am really looking forward to meeting your little brother or sister in a few weeks. xxx

Tags: canberra award winning portrait photographer, canberra maternity & newborn photography, canberra maternity photographer, canberra newborn photographer, heartstory contemporary portrait photography
Posted in maternity photography | 6 Comments »

Shine | Canberra portrait photographer

July 17, 2010

In August I will be making a little trip to Cooma to select 40 finalists in the Polo Red 2010 Photographic Prize. This a fantastic new prize open to residents of the ACT and the Cooma-Monaro, Snowy River, Bombala, Eurobodalla and Bega Valley Shires. Ready to hang entries in any photography genre will be accepted during the week of Monday 2 until Friday 6 August 11am – 5.30pm, at the Polo Red Gallery in Cooma. You can enter up to three images and there is a $1250 grand prize up to grabs! Full details can be found on the Polo Red website.

Heartstory

To be a star,
you must shine your own light,
follow your own path,
and don’t worry about the darkness,
for that is when the stars shine brightest.

Tags: award winning canberra portrait photographer, heartstory contemporary portrait photography, photographic prize, photography competition, Polo Red 2010 Photographic Prize, Polo Red Gallery Cooma
Posted in family photography, fine art photography, news | 5 Comments »

Joy | Canberra maternity photographer

July 8, 2010

If you’re a long time reader, you already know how much I love maternity sessions. If you’re expecting a baby, there are two particular circumstances under which I really would like to convince you to go ahead and book a maternity session.

One: it’s your last baby. Did you ever have professional photos taken for any of your previous pregnancies? If the answer is no, then do it now! You should have already had it on your bucket list! A session could be the perfect time-out for you – indulge in a new outfit and let me show you how amazing you look. Or if you fancy a belly shoot with your brood in tow, I have a head full of fun ideas for that too!

Two: it’s your first baby. Therefore, this is the perfect opportunity to celebrate you, your pregnancy, and your relationship with your partner. Because where you are right now, the two of you, will never be repeated in your lives again, and you should savour it and have your story captured before life changes forever.

Sarah and Michael chose this spot for their maternity session because it’s exactly where they became husband and wife, four and a half years ago. The journey they’ve been on between then and now is theirs, but you can see it in the images I captured of them together. Their joy is evident. Their connection is heartwarming. They’re going to make wonderful parents, and I can’t wait to meet their little one in a few weeks.

Heartstory {maternity photography}

Tags: canberra award winning portrait photographer, canberra maternity photographer, canberra maternity photography, canberra newborn photography, canberra portrait photography, heartstory contemporary portrait photography
Posted in maternity photography | 5 Comments »

Josephine | Canberra newborn photography

July 6, 2010

Becoming a parent for the first time is one of the most terrifying, exhilarating, intense, joyful, exhausting, amazing and life-changing experiences a person can have. When I think of it – not just my own experience, but the experiences of everyone I know – I am filled with emotion. My heart beats faster, tears spring to my eyes and I feel a surge of love and empathy that I can’t put into words.

That is why I take newborn sessions so seriously. Why I love them so much. Why I feel blessed for hours afterwards.

These moments are more precious and more fleeting than any other moments in life that I can think of. I am so honoured to be there to capture them.

Meet sweet little Josephine, whose amazing mother loved and wanted her before she was even old enough to be one herself…

Heartstory {newborn photography}

Tags: canberra award winning photographer, canberra baby photographer, canberra baby photography, canberra maternity photography, canberra newborn photographer, canberra newborn photography, heartstory contemporary portrait photography
Posted in newborn photography | 9 Comments »

One more sleep | Canberra portrait photographer

June 30, 2010

It was 8.40am, and I found him sitting and drawing in a perfect little patch of light shining through from the kitchen window.

Heartstory {lifestyle photography}

Dear Toby,

Tomorrow you will be three years old, and for some reason it seems like a much bigger milestone than when you turned two. Probably because there is no doubting now you have left babyhood behind and become a little boy.

I can’t really explain the feelings I have over this birthday. On one hand, I am so excited for you, especially since this is the first birthday you truly understand and perhaps the first one that you’ll remember when you’re grown up. But on the other hand, I am really sad. Sad that you’ll no longer be two, or two-and-a-half, or two-and-three-quarters (which was the first age that you learnt to say when people asked how old you were). Sad that the last three years are over, and that when I think about how quickly they went, I can’t help but imagine how quickly the next three years will go. And the next three, and soon you’ll be reading these letters for real, the day I write them. And that’s a scary thought! Because while I relish thinking about the kind of young man you’ll grow into, I don’t want to let go of these days we’re living right now. I don’t want to let go who you are right now because I love every single little thing about you in your just-about-to-turn-three-year-old glory.

I love the way you reach out and cup my cheek in your palm and look at me with such adoration. I love the way you snuggle in bed with me every morning and will stay there for as long as I want, even though you wriggle incessantly and sometimes poke me in the eye. I love the way you always notice when someone’s hurt or upset or just a little bit stressed and you come and ask what’s wrong. I love the way you make up words when you don’t know how to say something, and deliver them with the utmost confidence. I love that you have such a love and appreciation for music. I love that you come and sit on my lap while I’m editing photos and ask to see the babies and bellies. I love that you don’t care about gender yet, and you’re just as happy to play with a hot pink car as you are with a blue one. I love that you’re so tidy when you eat and you never get food all over your face. I love that you notice beautiful things like sunsets and flowers and cute little girls and always comment with such admiration and respect. I love that you get upset when I tie my hair back and tell me that I need to get my curls out. I love the way you say ’sowwy’, ’sumpin’, ’boutside’ instead of outside, ‘zume’ instead of ‘zoom’, and that you still can’t say an L at the start of a word, but you’re trying. I love the way you still call our car the ‘new car’ even though we bought it a year ago. I love that your favourite song is a recording of ‘Shot by both sides’ that your Dad and his band made, and that you sing all the words and the guitar solo. I love that your other favourite song is by Sia, and after that comes ‘Let’s go driving in my car, car’. I love the way you say ‘Yes!’ so precisely. I love how when you draw, you don’t decide what it is that you’re drawing until after you’ve finished. I love how determined and strong willed you are. I love the way you boss us about. I love that you love people so much. I love that everything you feel comes out in such an intensely vocal way. I love that you get over your anger so quickly. I love that singsong squealy thing you do when you’re enjoying yourself. I love how excited you get when you see us after a day at daycare, or when you see someone else you love who you haven’t seen for a while. I love watching you try and imitate the silly faces I pull at you. I love the hilarious names you come up with for your toys. I love listening to you play by yourself. I love that you pick out your own shoes and hats and pretty much always seem to get them perfectly co-ordinated with your outfit. I love that you get scared by certain things in movies and TV shows, but you keep asking to watch them anyway. I love that you still don’t get out of bed by yourself ever, but you simply sit there and shout at the top of your lungs for one of us to come and get you. I love the way you try to think of stuff to make us come back up to your room after we’ve said goodnight, and when you really can’t think of anything you look at us sheepishly and just say ‘cuddle?’. I love your gorgeously messy blonde curls, your blue eyes, your little rosebud lips, your flawless complexion, your pudgy little fingers and your pokie outie belly with your pokie outie belly button. I love that you’re still a little shorty and your pants are always too long. I love that you still get mistaken for a girl from time to time. I love that you still suck those two fingers just like you did when you were 6 months old. I love that peculiar obsession you have with ears and how kissing our ears at bedtime has become part of your routine. I love the bold and earnest way you correct us so when we sing the wrong words to a song or do something, anything, in the wrong order. I love that you notice the tiniest little bruise or scratch on your Dad’s or my skin, look all concerned and say something like ‘Owie Mummy, you hurt your finger’ and then you try and kiss it better. I love the way you sometimes call us by our names rather than Mummy and Daddy just because you think it’s funny, and you know we do too. I love that you are such a little chatterbox. I love your crazy laugh, and how much joy the sound of it brings me. I love that you laugh so much. I love that I get to see you and cuddle you and kiss you and hang out with you every single day.

I love being your Mum and I love you, more than these words, more than any words, could ever express.

Love always,
Mummy.

Tags: canberra award winning photography, canberra child photography, canberra children's photographer, canberra lifestyle photographer, canberra portrait photographer, heartstory contemporary portrait photography
Posted in child photography, my life | 10 Comments »

Phone home | Canberra lifestyle photography

June 29, 2010

I’m not done with the beach series yet, no siree. I took something like 1500 frames while we were at Jervis Bay in April, and haven’t even made it through processing half of them yet. I hope you’re enjoying them.

Today I thought I’d post a little set of hilarious shots of Toby running after us down the beach with his funny hooded towel on. At the time I took them, I was mesmerised by his shadow dancing about on the sand with the golden late afternoon light behind him, but when I saw them on screen, I immediately thought of ET and other cute little sci-fi characters, and so they took on this other dimension.

Without getting too technical, I wanted to share a little bit about my take on post-processing. For those who don’t know much about photography, post-processing (also referred to as ‘processing’, ‘editing’ and ‘photoshopping’) is what you do with your images after downloading them from your camera. There are about a gazillion ways to process images, and usually the approach to processing is a hugely important part of a photographer’s ’style’.

When digital photography was first beginning to take over from film (which amazingly was less than ten years ago!), I engaged in many a heated discussion about how much Photoshop work a photographer ’should’ be doing before their images were no longer ‘photographs’. It always struck me as crazy, because while all professional photographers should know their craft well enough to get photos ‘right’ straight out of camera (and by ‘right’ I mean correctly exposed and with a good white balance), there is just so much more to photography and image-making than pressing a few buttons on a camera. If you break down even just the basic steps, it’s a lot: first there is sensitivity and vision, then there is understanding light, then there is camera craft, and finally there is knowing how to process and enhance your images to bring out their best. I think people forget that images shot on film can be processed and manipulated to a similar degree to digital – first there is the processing of the film which can alter the contrast and colour of the images quite dramatically, and then there is the printing which has a whole other set of possibilities for adjustment and enhancement. Photographers have been post-processing since photography was invented. Digital photography and photoshop just makes it easier, more accessible and a lot less messy!

As you would know from my blog and website galleries, I am not hugely experimental with my post-processing. I like strong colour, clarity and detail, and a rich, full tonal range. I like my images to look real; the way I saw, engaged with and ‘felt’ the moment before I captured it. Mostly I use basic, traditional adjustments (saturation, contrast and tone) to achieve the right look. However, there are always images that call for something a little bit more. For me, these images mostly come from a standout moment – whether it was particularly dramatic lighting, an unusual location or intense emotion.

I have deliberately processed these images in three different ways, however they are all quite close to the original captures that came out of the camera, and very much the way I saw that moment when I lifted the camera and started shooting. I have even included my ’straight out of camera’ images for you to compare!

In the first two images I have reduced the intensity of the light, and made the overall colour tone slightly softer. I have cropped the images to focus attention right in on Toby. I have also lightened the skin tones, increased the clarity and boosted the shadows. I chose this look because I think it enhances the quirkiness of the images and makes them look slightly more surreal.

Heartstory {child photography}

Heartstory

My portrait clients would know that I rarely offer images in both colour and black and white. For me there are just certain images that call for black and white, and that is just the way they should be. This is one of them. I am not a fan of very high contrast black and white images. I love to see a million shades of grey so very, very much, and so I always do my best to work on that very carefully with my black and white conversions.

Heartstory {child photography}

Heartstory

Almost the complete opposite of the first two images, with these I wanted to preserve and enhance the original dramatic lighting by making the images darker, warmer and more intense. These are definitely mood images. The expression and detail is less important than the overall feeling; the sense of movement, space and time.

Heartstory {child photography}

Heartstory

There is an incredible amount of work that goes into processing images – most photographers spend many, many more hours at the computer with Lightroom and Photoshop than they spend shooting. I think most professional photographers have at some point been asked ‘how can you charge $x for a 5×7″ print when I can get it from Big W for 30 cents’? Well, this is one part of the answer.

I think this is the first time ever that I’ve posted anything even vaguely technical on my blog! I would love if you could give me some feedback, so I know whether I should go down this path more or stick with what I’ve been doing.

Tags: canberra award winning photographer, canberra child photographer, canberra childrens photography, canberra lifestyle photographer, heartstory contemporary portrait photography, post-processing digital photography
Posted in about photography, child photography, my life | 6 Comments »

Love Autumn Mini Sessions: bookings now open! | Canberra baby, child & couple photographer

March 16, 2010

Guess what my favourite season is? Autumn of course, silly!

heartstory {love autumn}

Sure, it might be starting to get a little chilly here in Canberra at that time of year, but it’s nothing a new jacket, a pair of boots and a pretty scarf or hat won’t fix. And that goes for littlies as well as adults!

heartstory {canberra baby photography}

Autumn is the best time of year for outdoors photography. The colours are stunning, the light is beautiful, the weather is predictable, and the littlies are happy and full of beans! Everyone loves being outdoors in autumn! What child doesn’t love playing in leaves or running around like crazy without getting too hot? If you’ve been wondering when to get that photo session done, then let me tell you now is the right time!

And here’s another great reason why: to celebrate my love of autumn and this beautiful city we live in which has such distinct and stunning seasonal changes, I am offering two full days of mini sessions for babies, children & couples for the first time ever. Woot!

Why mini sessions? Because it allows you to get a selection of beautiful, professional photos at a really great price. It’s a perfect opportunity to get updated photos of your baby or child, without a minimum spend, but with options to upgrade and great discounts should you wish to do so.

Love Autumn Mini Sessions $300 {for babies, children & couples}

30 minute photo session with me, in one of two carefully chosen outdoors locations in beautiful, autumnal Canberra
10-15 fully edited images in a private online gallery
2 5×7.5″ fine art gift prints of your choice
2 8×12″ fine art wall prints of your choice
complete hi res digital collection available for an extra $450 (regular price is $1000!)
10% off regular Heartstory a la carte pricing

The dates and locations are as follows…

Saturday April 24: A secret location in the Belconnen area (I will let you know over the phone when you make your booking!)
Saturday May 8: Commonwealth Park, Lake Burley Griffin

Spots are limited and on these dates only (unless we get rained out, in which case all sessions will be transferred to the next available date), so please book early to avoid missing out.

To making a booking, please email katie@heartstoryphotography.com.au or call me on 0402 091 949.

Please note:

a $100 non-refundable (but fully transferrable) desposit is required to secure your booking, and the remaining balance is due one week before the session.
this deal is designed specifically for capturing babies, children and couples, but if you would like a couple of family shots as well, I am more than happy to do that!
If you have more than two children in your family, you are best off booking a regular session, because 30 minutes wouldn’t allow enough time for larger families.

Here are some more of my favourite autumn images…

heartstory {canberra child photography}