You guys, how sweet is this family? I find that as children get older, families tend not to organise family photo sessions as often, if at all. So I thought it was so great that this family got in touch for an autumn session at a beautiful park near them. I loved their big smiles and playfulness, and I hope that in years to come these photos will remind them of the time when their kids were little :)
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"A blessingway is a special ceremony designed to acknowledge, honour, and celebrate a woman's journey into motherhood. Different from a baby shower, a blessingway's main goal is to provide a loving place where an expectant mum can explore the challenges and joys that lie before her as she approaches childbirth and motherhood." - Mother Rising
This past weekend I had the honour of guiding my dear friend's blessingway. Min is expecting her third baby, and when she told me that she had always wanted a blessingway but never had anyone who could plan it for her, I knew that we had to make it happen! Back when I was expecting my first daughter, my friends threw me a beautiful blessingway and it was one of the highlights of my whole pregnancy. I was very hopeful that it would be the same for Min.
I really do believe that when women gather together, magic happens. Not one person present had ever attended a blessingway, and yet everyone was so open hearted and happy to be a part of it. At the end everyone was talking about how amazing it was to slow down, to focus, to make something with their hands, to celebrate their friend and her journey.
I used the book Mother Rising to plan the ceremony, as well as the Mama Blessing Pack from Sisters and the Sea. I would highly recommend both to anyone planning a blessingway! My favourite part of the day: the blush pink string we tied around our wrists in our closing ceremony string ritual, that each of us will leave on our wrist until we hear that Min's baby has arrived.
As a photographer, of course I couldn't let the day go by without snapping some photos. Here are some of my faves...
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This little girl totally stole my heart at her mum's maternity session. She was so bubbly and joyful, not to mention very excited to become a big sister soon. I have no doubt that she will make the best big sister, and I'm very excited to see her in action when I go to photograph a newborn session for this family very soon!
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One thing I'm really starting to appreciate about Christmas with children is that it is so much more about the journey than the destination. All month long we were preparing and celebrating in different ways. It started on December 1st when I hung our advent calendar and we pulled the first card which said, 'Decorate for Christmas!' Our advent calendar has pockets and I fill them with a mix of small gifts (hair clips, nail polish, chocolates etc) as well as activities (help someone, bake cookies, watch a Christmas movie etc). Just like last year, we got a real tree and this year the process was a lot smoother!
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This sweet family was so much fun to work with! They are a fellow North American/Australian family so we had lots in common. We were chatting about how in the US/Canada it's common to send out Christmas cards with your family photo on the front, while here in Australia that isn't really a thing. We kept joking that these could be their Christmas card photos and they could start the trend, but I really think they should! It's a lovely tradition and a good kick in the pants to organise family photos.
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This newborn session is extra special to me as this family are dear friends of ours. We were anxiously awaiting the birth of their little girl, and a few days after she arrived I headed to their place for a newborn session. I love doing newborn sessions at the family's home because it's more laid back, which allows us to follow the baby's lead. With a brand new baby, life can be pretty unpredictable so I always leave plenty of time for nappy changes, nursing etc. I try to keep things completely relaxed and stress free!
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After a glorious 6 weeks in Vancouver, it's time for us to head back to Sydney. This trip has been so full in the best of ways. We got to attend two incredibly fun weddings, including a Greek Orthodox wedding where I had the privilege of being the maid of honour. We also spent time on Gabriola Island, my favourite Gulf Island and a place I have been visiting my whole life. Because this was my first visit home in 5 years where I haven't been breastfeeding a baby, I had a lot more freedom to get out and explore. I decided before we left that I wanted to be super intentional in how I spent my time in Vancouver. I didn't want to get to the end of our visit and realise that I hadn't seen the people I wanted to see, or done the things I wanted to do. Before we left, I started a list in Wunderlist called 'Vancouver Bucket List'. I had another list simply called 'Vancouver things', where I documented all of our adventures, from the hikes we did to the cafes we visited. I'm so glad I did this! It kept me inspired and motivated to keep exploring and make the most of our time. And now it's fun to look back and see everything we were able to do.
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As a mum to two small children, I know how stressful it can be to organise a family photo session. From finding the right photographer, to nailing down a date that works for everyone, to choosing coordinating outfits, and then hoping that your kids will actually cooperate on the day. The thing is, I also know that it is SO worth it! We've had family photos taken many times since my first daughter was born, and despite the stress that comes with the process, I am always in awe when we get our photos back. Even my husband, who will be the first to admit that he doesn't love having his photo taken, flips through our photo albums now and thanks me for taking the time to organise these sessions. Children grow and change so much in their first few years and these photos are a priceless treasure and an amazing part of our legacy.
That said, today I thought I'd share a few simple tips to prepare for your next family session.
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Just a few weeks after we took Liv's maternity photos, baby Faye entered the world on a Sunday morning (just like my eldest daughter!). Five days after that, I went over to Liv and Dave's cute Eastern Suburbs apartment to photograph the new family. I was reminded that there is nothing like the newborn bubble - those beautiful, magical, sleepless and fleeting first few days of parenthood. What a ride it is to be a parent, and what a blessing it is to photograph such precious memories for other families!
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I was just having a look through my blog and realised that the last time I wrote about my girls was this time last year, whoah! It's safe to say that they have changed a lot in this last year. Clementine turned 4 earlier this month and Hazel is now 19 months old. We are officially out of the baby bubble! Although we still call Hazel "the baby" and she's tiny, so I can get away with pretending she's still a baby for a while longer...
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My mom arrived from Vancouver on Thursday morning, just in time for a four-day Easter long weekend. It was perfect. After weeks of rain, we're finally being treated to some glorious autumn weather. Bright, sunny days warm enough to wear dresses and sandals, and early, crisp nights, cool enough for an extra layer on the bed.
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The end of pregnancy is such a special time. You're on the cusp of a huge change, and it's this balancing act between excitement for the future and enjoyment of the present. My friend Liv is in that place now, due to have her first baby very soon. You can just feel how ready and how excited Liv and Dave are to become parents, and also how much they're relishing this time beforehand. And one day very soon, I'll get the call and I'll make my way over to their place to meet their daughter and take newborn photos. Can't wait!
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I am super excited about today's post! If you read my post on organising your personal photos, you'll know that I'm passionate about memory keeping. I joke that our house is like a shrine to ourselves because we have so many of our family photos displayed. I love being surrounded by memories of the most special milestones in our life, from getting married eight (!) years ago to bringing our eldest to the hospital to meet her new sister. I really don't think you can have too many photos on your walls, and some experts even say that family photos boost your child's self esteem and enhance their feeling of belonging.
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I'm a big believer in family photos, for my clients and for myself. I take tons of photos and I also make it a priority to have family photos done once or twice a year.
I treasure these photos more than I can say, and because of that, I'm determined to fully enjoy them. This means figuring out a system for organising our photos and memory keeping projects, and actually sticking with it! I'll be publishing a separate post about memory keeping, and for now will stick with an explanation of how I deal with photos. I know that many of us are overwhelmed by our digital photos, and it might even be one of your New Year's resolutions to get on top of it. I hope that a peek into my process might help you find a system that works for you!
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Meet Vanessa: she's one of my oldest friends and the person I originally travelled to Australia with. When she told me that she was pregnant, I was so excited for her. And then when she had her first scan and found out she was expecting twins, I was shocked and even more excited for her! Having twins isn't easy, but Vanessa and her husband are doing so well dealing with the sleep deprivation and curveballs that are being thrown their way (says the girl who could barely cope with the sleep deprivation of having 1 baby at a time, ahem). I love you Nessa and I'm so proud of you!
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I've known this lovely mum since she was pregnant with her little boy and started coming to my prenatal yoga classes. Both of our pregnancies overlapped and I always loved chatting with her about all things pregnancy, birth, and babies.
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On Monday, our baby girl turned one. Everyone told me that the first year with a second child would go by quick, and everyone was right! I'm still in shock that Hazel is officially a toddler now.
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