2014 in Review

In the television industry we call this a sizzle reel!

Here is a touching look back at some of the beautiful families I had the pleasure of photographing in 2014.  I wish you all the best for the New Year and look forward to seeing familiar faces and meeting new ones in 2015. Happy New Year!! 

Pure Joy

I think if this little man gets any happier we all might explode! I have photographed this wonderful family many times now and it is always such a joyful time.  That tradition continued at our session yesterday when we photographed his new little brother - look out for that share coming soon! 

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The Wind is our Friend!

This beautiful family are not far from welcoming their newest little member! Mum was a little worried about the wind this day but I assured her it would be great.  It ended up a beautiful afternoon at Newfarm Park, a new location I am in LOVE with!  We had lots of fun, especially when Miss 2 helped to throw the chiffon in the air for this awesome photo!  

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www.nmarchphotography.com.au

Christmas Voucher Special

*** SAVE $50 ***  

Christmas gift voucher special: 8 images for just $119!! 

Offer valid until Friday 19 December 2014. Voucher must be paid in full by Friday 19 December 2014. Session to be held between 01/02/15 and 01/07/15. No further discounts apply.

Full package details at www.nmarchphotography.com.au

DIY Christmas Photo

Here is a simple way to take a special christmas photo of your kids this year. 

It looks almost like a studio photo, but here is the secret, its just wrapping paper! 

TIPS:

- Choose a matt paper. Shiny, reflective paper doesnt photograph well 

- You may need 2 strips of paper on the wall to make a big enough backdrop

- Try to have your main light source (i.e. large window) behind you

- Turn your flash off

- Sit your child around a metre in front of the backdrop so it will be a bit blurry

- If you have a DLSR set your f stop to about 2.8 to get a nice out-of-focus background

- Get down low, on your tummy even, to take the photo at their level

- For babies, you can give them a christmas bauble to hold (just be sure it's not glass) or for toddlers a seat will help keep them in place for a few seconds while you take the photo

Book your family session now 

www.nmarchphotography.com.au

Sibling Trickery

Here is one of the sibling photos from a recent newborn session. The little boy is just 15 months old, so getting him to sit still for more than a few seconds was tricky. This is a great safe way to pose younger siblings together. 

However... I do not always have my wooden backdrop in the studio setting for newborn sessions. Its heavy and if I think it will only be in use for one shot, I photoshop it in later.  Also, in the interest of safety, I always have a parent in arms reach of a newborn in a prop like this basket, and in this instance, the other parent was helping to keep Mr 15 months from running off. 

So here is how the photo looked straight out of the camera

Click image for full frame view

My philosophy is always safety first. Yes a beautiful photo will last a lifetime, but an injury can too, and it is never worth the risk in my opinion. 

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Lesson: Be More Specific

So I had a session with teenage boys this weekend.  After doing the standard "standing-together" pose and the "arm-around-each-other" pose I said,  "Hey, why don't you punch him in the ribs... you know like this?" 

Im gesturing how I imagine it will go. Im thinking "Pretend, gentle, brothers smiling and leaning in towards the camera" kind of a photo. In my head it looks great!

Next thing a full power fist goes flying to his brothers ribs!!  

An audible  "UGH" comes from Older Brother.

"WHOAH WHOAH STOP!!" comes from me and their Mum! 

"I meant a pretend one!! Don't hurt each other!!" Im horrified!

Younger Brother is stoked. Older Brother is not impressed. 

Oh. My. Gosh.  

Lesson learned - Be More Specific. Next time say "Hey, do a PRETEND, GENTLE, PLAY punch in the ribs." 

You can see it all play out here:

www.nmarchphotography.com.au

Behind the scenes - Park Edition

When you see a beautiful photo, you often think it must be taken in a beautiful location. Sometimes it is. Sometimes, its just the side of the road. Here is my daughter dancing in a sun-drenched field in a pretty dress, blowing dandelions....

So of course we are out in a meadow, there are birds tweeting, butterflies fluttering, the warm summer breeze rustling the grass. Or we are here ... 

My neighbours overgrown grass verge. The sweet sounds of delivery vans driving by, dogs barking and roadworks clanking in our ears. 

Sometimes what makes a photo lovely is what you don't show. Sometimes the most lovely locations can photograph poorly due to the light or other circumstances, and seemingly blah locations can photograph amazingly because it all just looks right in camera. 

You might have amazing backdrops in your own overgrown back yard after all! 

Book your session now

www.nmarchphotography.com.au

The Sweetest Siblings

Oh the sweetness that filled my home studio last week!!  This little cherub and her 15 month old brother were just too cute to handle! I had the joy of photographing him when he was born last year, and now with his little sister too.  Obviously at 15 months it is hard to sit still, so I will share a behind-the-scenes edit of one of these sibling photos in an upcoming post. 

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www.nmarchphotography.com.au

Flash, not so Flash

If you have signed up for the monthly newsletter (which you should because it is LOADED with freebies, discounts, first choice of upcoming sessions and photography tips) you would have seen this wee tip in last months edition. All about the flash. 

Your camera is probably pre-set to have auto flash on, which is handy, but doesnt always take the best photo for portraits. Its right on the top of the camera and will leave funny shadows and take away ones that are meant to be there. You will notice professionals only use "off camera flash" because this makes for much more natural photos. 

Here is an example of the pop-up flash on top of your camera, vs no flash:

So remember, for more natural looking photos of people, have it turned off unless you really need it, like at night.  And if you haven't yet signed up for the newsletter - do it now! You will find the link at the bottom of every page on my website: 

www.nmarchphotography.com.au 

More Jacaranda Love

I just love the beautiful purple jacaranda trees all in boom here in Brisbane at the moment.  This was my first session with a 3 month old outdoors (usually I photograph babies under 1 year old in the studio setting) but his photos in the park are just so beautiful I will definitely be offering more outdoor sessions for younger babies, especially in summer while it is so lovely and warm.  What great photos this family have just in time for framing and gifting for Christmas!

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Happy Birthday

This gorgeous family decided to celebrate their Mum's 80th birthday with a photography session. I could just stare all day at the photo of "Mum and Dad" looking at each other - so much love! 

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www.nmarchphotography.com.au

Christmas Gifts with Your Photos

Christmas Cards 
Everyone from Harvey Norman to Kmart have flat and folded pre-designed options for personalised Christmas cards. Its really easy to make your own online or in-store, usually from around $1 each.

Calendars and Albums 
Depending on where you go, there is a massive range of styles to choose from in the calendar and album world. If you prefer high quality rigid page albums, let me design one for you!

For the Wall
Canvas is still a very poplar choice for printing to display, but be sure to check out what else is around. You can have prints on aluminium, glass, tiles, or even a classically framed large print is often overlooked. 

Other Cool Stuff
You can personalise just about anything - mousepads, cell phone covers, coffee mugs, tshirts, hoodies, hats, bags, magnets, key-rings and more. Check out www.vistaprint.com.au for all sorts of stuff you create.

Something a bit different
Check out www.tagxedo.com for awesome free online software to create words into art. Its not photography related but its very cool and a great gift for kids - especially those with unique names!

Trop Belles!

This beautiful family speak 2 languages and have double the sweetness. Actually, make that double the cheekiness too! 

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Jacaranda Sweetheart

This little sweetheart was born just as the jacaranda trees are blooming, and doesn't that shade of purple suit her? She brought along a home-crocheted blanket which I was so excited to photograph. A gorgeous little girl, born just weeks after her cousin, and I have a sneaky feeling they are going to be best friends! Nanna also came along to the session and got a little cameo in some black and white photos. (I will write a post about how this image is created safely in coming weeks)

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Just 8 days new

I had such a lovely morning with this new family.  Little one was so excited to meet her new parents she arrived a couple of weeks early. Here she is just 8 days new, and absolutely gorgeous too!

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www.nmarchphotography.com.au