Just this week I received the latest addition to my collection which is a Portfolio Box. An adorable 7×7″ box housing 10 select images in thick, luxurious matting. I had a Rachel Zoe moment as I put it all together and quietly exclaimed, “Ba-nanas” just to myself.

I can see these boxes being perfect as a keepsake from an engagement or portrait session or even as a special gift for a parent or grandparent. They are just so perfect for understated display and even comes with a small easel to display the images. Perfect!

I have started collecting some coffee table books for inspiration from photographers like these. For me, rather than looking at solely at other wedding photography as inspiration, instead I find most inspiration for both weddings and portraits through fashion magazines and these sorts of coffee table books. These are just a few of my favourites I thought I would share.

I came across Milton’s Marilyn while on the internet late one night. I immediately purchased it and it has been close to my heart ever since, some 10 years later. This book compiled by Joshua Greene is a manifesto of his father, Milton Green and Marilyn Monroe’s business and personal relationship and the images Greene captured along the way – it was a match made in photographic heaven. It is some of my favourite imagery ever and I think some of my favourite images of all time are from the Black Sitting. Unfortunately Lulu didn’t realise how much I loved it before she used it as a teething toy.

Another Monroe book from a different perspective, Eve Arnold almost picked up where Milton Greene left off by capturing many images of Monroe in the final years of her life on set. Eve Arnold’s book of photographs and her time with Monroe on set is candid and endearing. Her black and white images in particular are captivating. So many images just make me pause and it seems as though the world stops revolving for just a moment when I look through this book.

Lastly, Annie Liebovitz At Work and Vanity Fair Portraits. Both are holding such amazing pieces of popular culture and the Vanity Fair Portraits in particular is such a great example of how photographs are these little time capsules to be pulled out for insight into the past and sometimes into the future.

Polka Dot Bride is an amazing source of inspiration and I have been stalking it religiously as a bride and a photographer. So many weddings are featured from Western Australia, Australia and even some overseas ones not to mention the gorgeous wedding fashion showcased weekly. Head on over and check out Von and Conrad’s wedding here and here. They both took some time to share information on their planning and those moments that they included in their day that made it uniquely theirs.

I am honoured and humbled to be included in this company.

Be sure to check out The Knot for inspiration while you are planning your wedding and they have some awesome tools too to make things easier for brides out there.

I came across Jasmine’s work early on in my photography career and she has been more than a subtle influence in my own emerging style. I instantly fell in love with her work, her spirit and her candour as I read her blog from start to finish and then found her previous blog which I devoured much too quickly. Her work as always been a source of inspiration for me and to know that I would not only meet Jasmine but be able to get insights into her thoughts and then to watch her shoot was almost too much for me to bare. The workshop has come and gone far too quickly and as I begin to process what I have learnt and how I am going to implement these tools into not only my business but my life, I feel incredible blessed.

Here are some of my favourites from our shoot that are only possible because of the incredible work Cathy put into organising it. She sourced the best vendors in Sydney for the outstanding couture gowns, incredible bouquets and boutonnieres and the most beautiful hair and makeup.

Models – Lacy and Evan, Kristie Jane
Flowers – Daisy Chain Florist
Dresses – Catherine Colubriale
Hair and Makeup – Elle Vierboom

A huge thank you to Cathy Crawley and to Jasmine and JD. Your incredible hard work and effort was above and beyond my expectations and I thank you from the bottom of my heart for the opportunity you have given me.

xoxo

I’ve been experimenting with film a little more lately. I love that it pushes me to think about a shot before I click the shutter and that the results are not instantaneous. Digital while wonderful, can make me feel a little complacent sometimes. There is something intangible about waiting a few weeks for your film to be developed before knowing if your shot turned out.

I’m looking forward to trying out a new film camera of mine while in Queensland this week. We are off to Brisbane today and then onto Noosa to support Grant who is competing in the Noosa Triathlon this weekend. Its his first triathlon in a few years and has been training so hard, its going to be great to see him cross the finish line.

In the meantime, I will be accessing emails and phone messages periodically while we are away and I will be back on deck Thursday week.

It had been far too long since I had seen that vibrant red dirt and its contrasting blue skies. I have spent more than half of my life in the north-west of Western Australia and even thought this was my first time to Broome, it kind of felt like coming home when I saw that familiar sparse landscape and felt the heat when getting off the plane onto the tarmac. I couldn’t help but smile to myself as we landed.

One morning, I packed up my gear and hit the road to explore a little and scout some potential shoot locations. This is what I saw.

Lifestyle photography is about being less posed, less stiff and having more natural expressions and movement.  Your kids will be asked to play without worrying about hitting a certain pose or getting their clothes dirty. We all interact and the result are natural responses and genuine reactions. I use natural light and work on location exclusively which is also a large part of lifestyle portraiture. The images are rich and vibrant in colour and black and whites are deep and usually colour tinted slightly.

Ultimately lifestyle photography is about anticipating the coming moments and capturing genuine emotion. I am always letting my clients know that I aim to capture them and their personalities rather than simply what they look like.

The other component of this style of photography is in the displaying of it. Lifestyle portraiture is about storytelling and when you have just one single image it doesn’t tell the story as well as a series of images does. Sure there are times when one single image is a great impact but I am always so pleased when my clients order a book, a series of images to display or as of lately, a storyboard portrait as it helps to tell their story and better document their relationships and connections from the session.

I thought I would share a couple of storyboards created (note the web address is simply for copyright here and is not on the actual storyboards).

One of my favourites from Olivia and Mark’s session (you’ll notice I said “one of”, there were so many)

A small storyboard I created for our own wall display from Phoebe’s conceptual session last year.

A sequence series from a recent family session

Lastly, a favourite from Rodney’s collection. Rodney’s mum actually ordered this recently and I can’t wait to see it in print.

Ultimately

In fact I can’t remember exactly what was said here On this particular afternoon we laughed and cried so it was fraught with emotion. I love the naturalness of these.