Family Fun at the Gardens - Brisbane Family Photographer

When I met this family in the carpark I had to double take - did this family have twin boys that I forgot about? 

Nope. Just a very tall 3 year old! Almost the same height as his five year old big brother! 

It was a cool, calm summers morning as we headed into the gardens, a big relief from the heat and storms we have been having lately. The ground was still damp from last nights rain but it didnt bother anyone. 

As dad pushed the pram with little Charlotte, mum and the boys wandered with me, checking out the baby ducklings that were feeding with their parents in the Mt Coot-tha Botanic Gardens lake. 

A quick check that nobody was afraid of birds or lizards and we were off - the first family photo snapped right off the bat and then sibling and portraits of the kids.  Charlotte got pride of place on the little stool between her brothers and gosh they were so cute all sat there in the island on the middle of the lake. 

Next we headed to the jetty where the kids looked for the resident eel and turtles - and you know what, a turtle did pop up to say hello!  

Charlotte had  a snack break while the boys had fun climbing all over the railing - always within arms reach of mum and dad of course! 

Next we headed into a shady part of the gardens for a the last set of photos. There was a lady doing some meditation on one of the lawns so we tried to keep some space for her and took our rowdy family photo in the shade of the trees. 

One of the constant threats in the gardens is the Ibis getting into your bags looking for food or tissues - many a time I have run after these birds chasing down my stuff they have stolen - and today was no different! In fact this particular bird was very sneaky, coming back time and again so that eventually I had to bring the bags closer to us to keep him out of them! 

It was such a  beautiful morning with this gorgeous family, a welcome relief from the heat and a fun time meeting all of the animals that reside in the gardens. 

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www.familyphotographybynatarshamarch.com.au 

Brisbane Family Photographer    |    Brisbane Newborn Photographer 

Sandcastles - Brisbane Family Photographer

I have photographed this family many, many times over the past five years and I think it has rained on us. Every. Single. Time. 

So when I pulled into the carpark for the session and the dark skies started to drop on us, I figured it is not their family session without some rain around. Lucky I had brought umbrellas. 

The boys have grown so much since the last session! Owen has just finished his first year of school and Paddy is growing so independent keeping up with his big brother. He wanted to run a lot at this session, and since my general rule with kids is to (mostly)  let them do whatever keeps them happy, we let Paddy run. 

While he toddled off with a sneaky grin back over his shoulder his big brother Owen was spotting turtles in the river with his dad. Of course Paddy quickly noticed that he was missing out on some fun so came back to see what was going on. The boys and their parents sat on some riverside rocks spotting loads of wild turtles popping up for air from the murky waters of the slow running river. 

We made a move further up the trail and found a beautiful wooden boardwalk, I love photographing boardwalks! The boys had some cuddles with mum and dad and then since Paddy loves to run, I sent them all off for a walk together before the boys broke away into a run back towards me. 

Things slowed down again when we spotted a beautiful lizard on a tree right beside the boardwalk, the boys fascinated again by the wildlife in the area. 

Another change of scenery and we went to the waters edge. It is such a beautiful spot and dog friendly too. Which sounds like a good thing until you realise that some dog owners are not responsible for their dogs at all. The boys were building "sandcastles" in the river sand at the waters edge and their parents looked on, until they realised that the boys had built their castles using doggy do!  

It was straight to the water to clean up their hands, and boys being boys they were in up to their armpits within seconds. Luckily despite the overcast sky it was still a balmy summers afternoon and the water was warm.  

So between spotting wildlife, playing with mum and dad and an impromptu swim in their clothes, these boys had an amazing afternoon out! 

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www.familyphotographybynatarshamarch.com.au

Brisbane Family Photographer    |    Brisbane Newborn Photographer

Going Urban - Brisbane Family Photographer

When the request for an "urban graffiti type family session" came through, I thought "Yes! I know just the place!" 

There was a spot under a local bridge that I had been a few years ago and it would be perfect. Except that as happens over time, the creek had overgrown and it was now inaccessible. So the hunt for a new location for this shoot began. 

As it happened, I had another shoot in the city the week prior and drove past this amazing brightly graffiti covered wall, so I sent it through and our location was found! 

These kids are such characters, their mum says Freya has a rubber face, which I have to agree with! There were so many extra photos from this session because she is just so expressive in her curly haired, cheeky way. 

Declan on the other hand is very considered. No crazy goofing for him, although if you want a great smile from him, get him to say "onomatopoeia" over and over until he is in hysterics. 

Mum and Dad tried to sneak off for a quiet couple photo but Freya was copying Declan jumping off the wall (ps awesome action shot below!) and she didnt quite nail the landing like her big brother so for the duration of their "couple in love" photos their 4 year old was at their feet with a panic-face holding her knee "in agony" because of the tiny dot of blood that had somehow been squeezed to the surface. Got to love parental romance right? 

These guys are so active with the kids, there were lots of climbing over mum and dad, lots of swinging in circles and being thrown in the air - I can tell you these parents are fit! They must have lifted the kids into the air at least 10 times each, not once with any shaky lifts either. 

It was so refreshing to do something a little outside of my comfort zone but I am so glad we did, it was such a fun session and I just love how bright and funky these family photos are! 

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www.familyphotographybynatarshamarch.com.au

Brisbane Family Photographer   |    Brisbane Newborn Photographer 

A Gift - Brisbane Family Photographer

When I first received the call from a guy named Cris asking to book a family session, I thought it was for himself. 

Soon it was clear that he had just found out one of his school friends had been diagnosed with cancer and things weren't looking good. He wanted to do something for this lovely family and what came to mind was to gift them a photography session. 

This was how it came to be that I spent a beautiful summers morning photographing Hayley and her wonderful family. 

I was on the back foot when they first arrived and her sister took her cell phone from her saying "those things will give you cancer" but as soon as everyone was laughing at the joke, I knew it was going to be one of those great mornings out with family ribbing each other constantly. 

Hayley's dad had an ear piece in and when I asked him to remove it, the running gag of the day about it being his hearing aid was started.  And it never grew old.

With a big family photo ticked off we went towards the jetty at the Mount Coot-tha Botanics lake, a stunning sunlit backdrop for some more family groupings. 

Hayley's boys were so different - young Blair was not too comfortable in front of the camera but he managed a few photos for us without getting too upset. 

Older brother Lachlan was fully at ease being the centre of attention and made the most of his time in the spotlight. 

When the boys teamed up with their mum I nearly got teary myself. There is so much emotion when they look at each other. 

Lots of giggles, a few tears and of course more joking from everyone meant the morning flew by and before we knew it all combinations had been captured. 

After saying my goodbyes I headed for the car with the sounds of giggles, laughter and warm love resonating behind me.  

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www.familyphotographybynatarshamarch.com.au

Brisbane Family Photographer    |     Brisbane Newborn Photographer

Gabriella - Brisbane Newborn Photographer

Gabriella snuck into the studio in her mums arms, blissfully unaware of the fuss going on around her for most of the morning. 

Her mum, dad and grandmother were with her and they were so relaxed and at ease with her, it was no surprise she was also so peaceful. 

Her grandmother doesnt speak much english, so a lot of our conversation was translated to spanish, which is such an interesting thing for me to listen to - I love hearing language and picking up a word here or there. 

We breezed through her beautiful family photos,  a generation photo with mum and grandma, snuggles with dad who had a soft, gentle smile that was not-quite-but-a-little-bit-of-a-smile, but gosh you can see the love there for his little girl. 

Since she was still sound asleep we snuggled her into a flowery basket setup and before you knew it we were nearly finished with the session. 

So it was about this point that Gabriella decided that she was done with co-operating with me. Every time I went to set her down on her belly for some sleeping-on-beanbag photos she would unsettle. We fed her, snuggled her, tried to get some sticky burps out, waited till she was (supposed to be) in a deep settled sleep but still she would awake each time she was placed down. 

Plan B was to do the bean bag in reverse workflow. So I started with her on her back, snuggled soundly in a soft wrap, then brought her to the side, then the front, then to the tummy photo that I usually start with. It was a slow and steady procedure but in the end we were able to capture all of the special photos that mum and dad particularly love. 

Let me tel you though - she's a startler! At one time, as she was drifting off to sleep, she was twitching and flinching so much I had to check twice with her mum and dad that she always did that - and yes, they said, just like her dad! 

By the time we were all done with the session, the last photo clicked, she was sound asleep once more, snuggled into a donut and peacefully dreaming of the sweet, blissful things that newborns do. 

Snuggles on dads chest and the sound of mums voice would be right up there you'd have to think. 

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www.brisbanenewbornphotography.com.au

Brisbane Family Photographer    |    Brisbane Newborn Photographer  

Melina - Brisbane Newborn Photographer

As they burst through the door in a flurry of welcomes, baby Melina dressed in one of her brothers 0000 jumpsuits and 2 year old Rafaelle hiding behind dads legs trying not to make eye contact, I had a good feeling about this shoot. 

After 5 years of photographing newborn babies I have come to notice that things come in waves.  Waves of sleepy babies. Waves of early-arrival babies. Waves of restless toddlers, and I had just had a wave of unsettled babies through the studio so I was glad to have returned to normal again with Melina.   

As happens sometimes we started off the session with photos of Rafaelle while little Malina was in  hair and makeup*.  He was so cute sitting down on my little stool with such a plomp that a couple of times he over-shot the target and ended up on his bottom with his feet in the air above the stool. Not that it bothered him, he just got back up and had another go until he got it right. Then we asked him to say undies and you would not believe how funny that word is to a toddler! The smiles we got, just adorable! 

Soon enough, Melina was ready for her closeups so she snuggled into mums arms and fell asleep soundly. Then I adjusted where her arms were and so she put them back to where she wanted them. 

Then I adjusted her arms again and then she put them back where she wanted them. 

Then I adjusted her arms again... Ok you get the picture. Melina did not like having her arms touched. Eventually we came to a compromise and mums photos were done, then it was Dads turn. 

Melina settled almost instantly onto her dads chest, I think being so close to the sound of his heart beat and snuggled so safely in his hands is one of the best places any little girl could be. 

Before you knew it we had clicked our way through the family photos and it was time for the sibling photos!

Except that Rafaelle was not in the mood for a sibling cuddle today. 

Luckily Melina was, so we settled her in for a basket photo and Rafaelle came and sat with her and even gave her a kiss on her head. You can see how much he loves her already, he would go so gentle and sweet when we was close to her, he couldn't take his eyes off her sweet little face turned up to his. 

Rafaelle then headed off to kindy while Melina stayed for a few more photos just by herself, some simple, classic and sweet photos all about her. 

And I barely touched her arms for those ones at all. 

*AKA feeding and settling back to sleep

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www.brisbanenewbornphotography.com.au

Brisbane Newborn Photographer    |    Brisbane Family Photographer

GOLD!! The QLD Professional Photography Awards 2017

This past weekend was such an intense rollercoaster of a time for my photography. 

Sitting alone in a cold, dark room, surrounded by strangers, I had the single most incredible and surreal achievement of my working life. 

I entered the Queensland Professional Photography Print Awards run by the AIPP, the Australian Institute of Professional Photography. 

ABOUT THE AWARDS

This is a massive event held annually in each state, and if you do well enough in your state awards you can go on to enter the national awards held later in the year. 

It is judged a bit like gymnastics, there are points awarded for technical ability (colour, focus, exposure, composition, quality of printing etc) and further points for creativity and communication via your imagery. 

In case you are interested, the grading levels are:

0  -  49 Below acceptable ‘Professional’ quality in any area

50 - 59 Very poor but with evidence of some potential

60 – 65 The beginnings of understanding required technique

66 – 69 The absolute basics of technique are understood but largely ignored

70 – 75 Competent in the expectations of professional quality

76 – 79 Well crafted and of ‘Merchantable Quality’ - High professional practice

80 – 85 Images of particular distinction

86 – 90 Images of outstanding quality

91 – 100 An image of exceptional quality

Generally prints are entered in groups of 4 and can be entered into any category, but if you want to try and win a category then you need to enter at least 4 prints into one category. 

So, as a family and newborn photographer, I was torn with which category to enter. I had 3 Family category entries and one newborn image, but as the newborn image still fit the Family category rules, I decided to go all in for the Family category on the off-chance I scored well enough to be a category finalist. 

JUDGEMENT DAY

In the judging room there are 5 judges sitting in front of a large grey wall with bright lights and a 3 sided swivelling block that the prints are put on for judging.  The print sizes are fairly small, around an 8"x12" size, so the judges stand up to come look closely at the image before going back to their chairs and putting in their scores. There is a large screen in the room for those of us sitting behind the judges to see both a digital version of the print and the judges scores as they go in.  The scores are then averaged out for the final grade. If one judge thinks the image needs a higher score then they all discuss the print, sometimes in great depth, the highest score will be locked in with the other 4 judges re-scoring and often the final score will come up a little. 

As my first print came up my heart was racing. I loved this entry. It told a story, so I thought I had the communication part of the image in the bag. It was beautifully printed, the girl and her mother both so emotive, I was holding my breath. It scored 77. High professional practice, just short of award level. 

I breathed out. Thats a good score, a great score for my first ever print award entry. To be honest, thats what I had expected, although hoped for that elusive 80 to tip into award level. 

The awards are streamed live online for people who can't be in the room on the day, so my husband was watching from home while I was sitting in the room. 

My next entry came up. 

I had high expectations for this one. 80 for sure... or maybe if I was really lucky.

The judges stood up and looked at the print. 

And they looked. 

And they swapped sides and kept looking. 

And they looked even longer. 

The longer the looked the more I was thinking, this is a good thing. Im sure this is a good thing.

Eventually the first judge came back and scored 81. 

YES!! 

Then I couldn't believe what I was seeing - another judge had scored 91!!?? 

After all the scores were in, my print was sitting on 86, a Silver Distinction!! I was in shock. What was going on here? 

The 91 judge challenged, they all discussed the image. My heart was banging so loud I was sure the people beside me could hear it. Blood was rushing in my ears and I could barely hear what they were saying. 

I had a Silver distinction, which I was stunned at, but they were talking about Gold. One judge said they didn't care for the sun flare in the image. Another judge suggested if you have a 360 degree photo that you will get sunflare somewhere because the sun does exist. The judge on 81 said they had scored way too low. 

I was shaking uncontrollably. 

The room went silent again while the judges rescored.

I felt like I was going to be sick. I felt like I was going to faint. I couldn't feel my hands and my face was tingling. 

The new scores came on the screen and the announcer spoke into the microphone:

"Yep, did it! 91 - Gold!" 

Here is the video of how it all went down including all of the judges comments

I gasped and silently cried. Suddenly people around me were looking wide eyed and whispering "Was that yours? Wow! Well done!" 

Here is a screenshot of my text conversation with my husband from this moment. You know you're in a state of shock when you send indecipherable letters instead of words:

I had two more entries still to come and I was in such shock that my hands were actually going numb. 

Soon after, my next image to come up was baby Zoe in the leaves. I wondered if this image would be scored down for being a newborn in the family category instead of newborn category. 

But guess what - she scored 80, a silver!  

Still in shock from the gold I barely remember this moment from the day at all, but I do remember looking around thinking "Is this happening? I dont understand whats happening?".  

My last image to come up was the second last of the day and another one I had high hopes for. An earthy, elegant maternity image. It scored 77 and while a little sad to just miss that award level again I was so pleased to have another good score. 

Just one image after this one and the spinning block came around blank, signalling all images had now been scored. With the Family category all wound up I stood up, still shaking and tingly and in disbelief of what had happened. 

The winning prints were on walls out in the hall for everyone to view and discuss, my Gold was one of only 3 in the Family category from over 50 entrants. By the end of all judging of all categories there was only one image in Gold Distinction, the grade above Gold. 

I am still very much in shock at what I achieved. These wins have given me a fresh level of confidence in myself and my work and invigorated my creative side to capture more extraordinary images for the families who choose me as their photographer.  My head is already buzzing with new ideas of what to shoot and create next because - oh did I forget to mention? I have qualified to enter the AIPP National Print Awards in August! Wish me luck! 

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www.brisbanenewbornphotography.com.au

Brisbane Family Photographer    |    Brisbane Newborn Photographer

Boys at the Park - Brisbane Family Photographer

When I checked the radar before this shoot it was not looking good. Rain and photoshoots rarely work well together. 

But after an hour of watching we decided to go ahead with the shoot as the rain was keeping away from our location. So everyone was trundled into the car and headed for the photo shoot after all! 

It still felt touch and go throughout the session but in actual fact there was only a sprinkle or two and it certainly didn't bother the boys at all! 

This was a special session for the family as it included the boys' Nan. She was so lovely, looking for turtles and eels in the lake with the boys. They couldn't believe their luck to spot the creatures in the water and spent quite some time spying more and more things beneath the surface. 

During some photos of 6 year old Tyler and his Mum, I was trying to get some natural giggles out, so I was saying "copy what I say - fluff bums!" and he would copy without giggling. So I said "Say a silly word you're not usually allowed to say!" and without skipping a beat he said a real life swear word and cackled like you never heard! His Mum on the other hand was taken very much by surprise (as was I) and giggled with him for a moment before we all suggested that really naughty words are best kept inside our heads!   #photographerfail 

With some dancing on the jetty and snuggles with their Mum, everyone was having a great time. 

However, it wasnt long before poor little Hudson started getting hangry. We managed to tie him over with a lollypop giving us just long enough to capture a beautiful sibling photo of the boys together. Just the single one mind you, most of this part of the session was more like this: 

Their Mums partner stepped in with some games, throwing Hudson high in the air and tickling his tummy which made him giggle and relax again. 

We had change of location and went down to the water to look at more ducks and play with bubbles. Hudson tipped all the bubble solution out. 

So we started heading back towards the car and the boys found some sticks to play drums on the concrete, point for wizard spells and, of course, it should go without saying, sword fights. But how cool was this shot where Hudson was literally airborne! Must be those hover shoes he has on. 

With the kids winding down and the weather constantly threatening to pack in on us we ended the session there, wandering back to the carpark where the boys morning tea was packed and waiting to combat the hangry attack. 

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www.familyphotographybynatarshamarch.com.au 

Brisbane Family Photographer    |    Brisbane Newborn Photographer 

Madelyn - Brisbane Newborn Photographer

When I first met these expectant parents at their maternity session I could tell it was going to be a beautiful afternoon out. We were so lucky with the weather, it was perfect that day - but also that the gardens were not too busy. You never know on a weekend, sometimes its crazy busy! 

I love how this maternity session was very natural. With the quiet surrounds and soft diffused light, we were able to capture some simply gorgeous images. 

They hadn't found out if they were having a boy or a girl so the excitement about meeting their little one was growing each day. 

While walking around together I could really sense how much love these parents already had for their baby and how excited they were waiting for their little one to arrive. 

Fast forward a few weeks and they had a little girl!  A beautiful little baby named Madelyn weighing 6lb 11oz! 

They warned me first thing that the previous day had been a "feeding/cuddling/not much sleeping" day but that Madelyn was usually pretty settled. Well. Madelyn was not done feeding and cuddling quite yet. 

She loved her snuggles for the family photos, but once we started putting together some wrapped setups she was not having a bar of it. She fought sleep to the bitter end. 

Not that it really mattered, it meant we were able to capture some gorgeous candid faces with open eyes, sometimes these are the most interesting photos because you can see some of their personality starting to come through already. 

It took hours - 3.5 hours in fact - but eventually Madelyn lost the battle with her heavy eyelids and we were able to photograph some sleepy photos in a couple of setups for her parents. 

By this stage, I hadnt expected her to fall asleep to be honest.  I had all but given up on getting those photos of her!  

As expected, it was not long before she woke again and we drew the session to an end, but you would never know from looking at her photos all the hours and hard work that went in to capture it. There are even plenty of serene little smiles! 

  

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www.brisbanenewbornphotography.com.au

Brisbane Family Photographer    |    Brisbane Newborn Photographer