She was due in April but arrived on Australia Day instead, about ten weeks early. Today she is a happy, healthy, beautiful little girl with impossibly tiny fingers and toes that barely peek out from the ends of her enormous clothes.
Don’t I just have the best job ever?
One of the images from the wedding I shot last month. The bride, putting a crown of flowers on her daughter’s head.
Keeping the Flower Girl occupied, happy and quiet during the Vows is never simple…
I was chuffed to be asked to photograph a wedding a couple of weeks ago. I have finished whittling down all the photographs to my favourites, and this one made the cut. I love, love, love fresh flowers.
This is Ella and Ari, on their hammock, down at the coast this weekend.
Shot on the iPhone. Post-production in SnapSeed.
PJ took this picture on Monday night during a Jumping Event at her horse-riding school. Her horse shyed (shied?) at a couple of jumps but it was otherwise a clear run. But we couldn’t stick around for the ribbon ceremony so we’re not actually sure how she placed.
She’s jumping 60cm jumps now but my fear of her coming off is outweighed by my faith in her ability to hold on tight so I’ve started watching without having to put my hands over my eyes. But I still need a stiff drink when we get home.
Wanna see something really cute?
This is Madeleine in 2005. She tells me that this is ‘Cinnamon’ and that when she stands next to Cinnamon now, the saddle is about level with her chest.
My friend Kathy was looking for these pictures on my blog. They’re not there anymore, because I got rid of them all in a big clean-up.
You know how sometimes you feel like you should just delete your whole stupid blog and start from scratch?
Dont. It’s not all stupid.
(Thanks, Kathy!)
In 2010 I went to Sweden and spent a couple of hours hunting for mushrooms in a forest with long-time family friends, Agneta and James. It was truly magical. I wish my girls could have seen this place. Maybe they will, one day.
This little poppet is the younger daughter of some friends of ours. They’ve just moved back to Canberra after several years living, working and making beautiful babies in Brisbane. I’m so excited that they’re back, and that I get to take pictures of their girls.
So many of my friends have beautiful children! It’s ridiculous.
She didn’t much want her picture taken, so I just sat and waited for her to decide she was ready and when she looked over at me I clicked. A moment later she decided she would like to have her picture taken, but none of the shots I got after this one were as lovely.
Harriet is my friend Sophie’s daughter, and recently became a Big Sister. I think that extra maturity is reflected in her eyes.
Just before Christmas I was asked, at the very last minute, to go along to a 60th Wedding Anniversary celebration, to take some photos of the family who were all gathered together for the first time in a long while.
They were having dinner at a restaurant in a beautiful garden setting, so I suggested we take some photographs outside before they all disappeared inside before dinner. So at about 6.30pm, just as the light was getting good, I took group shots of everyone and recorded the event for family albums.
When they were done, the bride and groom set a blistering pace across the lawn towards the restaurant and I managed to fire off a couple of shots as they scurried away.
This is my favourite. PJ made it a black and white image, which I think is perfect.
I love that they’re still holding hands, after all these years.
Electrical Storm in Canberra 29 Nov 2011
I’ve never uploaded a video to my blog before so I have no idea if this is going to work or not. I held my iPhone up to the window and just hit ‘record’, hoping to get a few good, bright flashes. Yeah, I got a few. It wasn’t hard.
Here’s the radar image from 10.40pm last night; the storm lasted until about 2am. I know, because I was wide awake, writing my First Crappy Draft. 1500 words to go! Whoot!
POTUS was in Canberra two weeks ago. I picked Madi up from school (Ella went to a friend’s house) and we rushed down to Parkes Way to see the motorcade go past.
I had the 70-200m lens on, but still couldn’t get very close.
There he is! In the back seat! Waving! (or does he just have his hand up like that all the time, so it looks like he’s waving in every single one of the 1000s of photos that get taken of him at times like these?
There was a woman standing next to me who thought that THIS guy was Obama. No, he’s Secret Service. This car was behind the two ‘Beasts’. I’m not sure why the window is open. I didn’t see an enormous gun sticking out of it or anything.
And then… he was gone.
This is Darcy, by the way (Ella’s puppy). I was shooting in f4.0 at 1/40 and just happened to get her when she was sitting very still. Every single other picture I took during this little session is blurred on account of the slow shutter speed (I was shooting in Aperture Priority and wanted the depth of field).
Photo by me. Not by PJ. Just wanted to make that distinction clear.
PJ took these today. The puppies have started doing this thing where they come and lie under the table where we’re sitting and they just fall asleep. Even if they’ve just had a big nap. I’ve had them lying at my feet while I’ve been typing my NaNo Novel in my study. They’re so cute.
So, just to be clear, photos and post-processing by PJ. Click on each image to enlarge.
All images by our in-house photographer, PJ. Click on each thumbnail to see ALL the cuteness.
PJ took the girls and Katherine to Jervis Bay for the weekend to go whale watching. They were very lucky to see a humpback whale and her baby frolicking in the water near Point Perpendicular. The captain of the boat said it was likely the baby had just had a big feed because he (she?) was leaping about in the water like a toddler on a sugar rush. For PJ, it was a photographer’s dream come true.
Just confirming – PJ took all these shots, not me. But I’ll be going along next year!
Our local butcher takes lamb bones and splits them lengthways down the middle, so small puppies with tiny teeth can get stuck into the marrow.
Sucking the marrow out of life… who said that? Robin Williams in ‘Dead Poets Society’, I think.
This was the puppies’ first introduction to marrow bones. They went a little nuts. Five seconds after Darcy had claimed her half, she growled at anyone who came too close.
They’re so cute when they get all territorial and primal. This is Darcy, getting in touch with her Inner Wolf. Grrr….
*UPDATE Our Vet does not recommend splitting bones for puppies, as they can easily break their teeth on them. And the marrow is basically just fat which, at this young age, is not good for puppies at all. So, no more split bones for them. Sorry puppies! Instead we give them raw chicken necks and raw chicken carcasses, which they love. They just chew the bones up and swallow them – though you should keep an eye on them as they’re eating, in case they start to choke on bits.
Sometimes, you see a shot, and you cross your fingers and aim your camera and you hope that you get it. Then you do.Maybe in some ways photography is a lot like fishing.
This is Sophie, one of the riders in Madeleine’s group jumping class, riding as the sun set slowly in the west. I’ve taken some crackers of Sophie during their lessons but this one is my favourite so far. Her parents have asked me to get a print done for her. I’m chuffed, I really am.
Photo by PJ.
Over to you…