Things Don't Always Go To Plan!

There are times when my photo sessions don't always go as planned especially when we are talking about babies and toddlers lol. It is to be expected. We all have our grumpy days don't we?  So what do we do? We plan another session and hope for success! I want my clients to come away from my studio and to be happy with what we have created together. It is my policy that if we are not successful the first time then we will do a reshoot at no charge. Afterall it is not always in our control as to what is going to happen on the day and I want you to love your images!

So, a couple of months ago little Miss. I. came into the studio, with her parents,  for her photo session. This couple are so lovely. I first met them when they were pregnant with this energetic little bundle and I also photographed her when she was a baby. I really really love being their family photographer. To capture their little family growing at various milestones is very special. The advantages of finding a photographer for life is evident in this story as you will soon find out :)

On the day of the session Miss I. was a little unsure of this adventure. She started off shy and guarded and VERY attached to her precious Wrappy. Wrappy used to be a knitted bunny but with the stuffing all gone and no sign of any eyes, nose, mouth or even ears for that matter!... he now resembled a well loved piece of cloth which is barely holding itself together LOL AND we couldn't separate the two of them! (he's 'hiding' in this photo) She was also a little unwell that day too which didn't help. Once she settled in to the studio we alternated between periods of being unhappy to being VERY busy. It was a challenge :)

So, it was decided that we didn't really capture Miss I. in her true happy, cheeky self and rescheduled another session for a few weeks time. We chose a beach location in the hope that we could get some really lovely candid images as Miss I. always knows when the camera is coming her way and likes to do ANYTHING else except look in your direction hahaha.


This time she was happier to see me and I think it was helpful that she had already met me a few weeks previously. She busied herself amongst the flowers, bushes and gardens and danced and ran to her hearts delight. A lot happier this time. Her beloved Wrappy had also been weaned to night time but he was there in spirit :D


By the time they came back into the studio for their viewing Miss I. was happy to see me and chatting away. A now familiar place for her.  This is my favourite image from their follow-up photo shoot. What a cheeky girl!


Thank you J & J! I'm so glad you love your images. I will be looking forward to next time!!

A Shout out to Triathlon Pink!

Cancer touches all of us at some point in our lives. We either know someone who has had it or perhaps have battled the disease ourselves. There are so many fundraising activities and events that raise money for cures and one of them I have come across and been involved in is the Ramsay Health Care Triathlon Pink.


Around the middle of last year I was working one of my random shifts in the maternity ward when a colleague asked me if I was going to do the Pinkie Triathlon? A group of them had done it the previous year and it looked like a lot of fun....AND I could be part of a team! YAY!! :D I am not a swimmer ( I look like a...well I can't say. I just look embarrassing!)  and I don't have a bike (woot!)  so I decided that the 3km run was a good challenge! I got my team together within the hour and trained over the next few months. By September I was running 3km in 18minutes but on the day of the triathlon I amazed myself by shaving 4 minutes off my training time! It was so much fun and the buzz on the day was electric.


In the past two years Triathlon Pink has raised over $180,000 for the National Breast Cancer Foundation. These fund go directly into funding research into finding a cure and the prevention of breast cancer and I am so proud to have been part of it. If you feel like you want to give it a go just do it!! It's so much fun and they have short courses and fun runs too. :)

http://www.triathlonpink.com.au/

A Father's Day Tribute

Father's Day almost here and I would love to share this little tribute I put together. I have had the pleasure of photographing so many beautiful families over the years so here is a collection of some of the gorgeous babies I have met and their Daddies :)

The Journey Begins

I mentioned in an earlier post about my love of chocolate and the fact that I overindulged on Uncle Toby's wraps when I was house sharing during my uni days. I loved them!! I ate them every day and not just one. 


So I freaked out one day when I weighed myself and looked down and saw 69kg! I immediately started on a 'starvation diet' and got down to 55kg. I didn't see it at the time but I was verging on skeletal when my mum brought it to my attention that I looked anorexic. I think I scared myself and started eating again but there started a pattern of weight gain and loss and sporadic exercise regimes. 


I used to say that I would always know when I was putting on weight and that I would never let myself get fat. I just wouldn't.... so I was shocked last February when I discovered I was 73.5kg! It happens before you even realise. There were always excuses and bigger tops to buy. I was in such a negative mind space and had no balance in my life. It was just work, work, work and when I wasn't working I was looking after the kids. Exercise equipment became clothes horses and I just didn't have any motivation at that time. I often skipped meals because I was so busy and didn't make the time for ME.


Everything started to change when  some friends at work were getting involved with a walk for breast cancer and I decided to get involved. The walk was to be 20km and I started training for it. I walked every couple of days and eventually worked up to 10km when our team fell apart and it was deemed that if we wanted to do it we would enter as individuals I love being part of a team so I felt disheartened and decided not to do it. I did feel better for walking though and made a conscious effort from that day to change my lifestyle. To lose the weight I had gained and to lead a healthy life in mind, body and soul....... for ME.


I love reading the Body and Soul liftout in Sunday's paper. It is so full of interesting fact, tips and information. I have included a link to their website.... check it out :)     http://www.bodyandsoul.com.au/

A Twinkling in my Heart....

"I love my father as the stars - he's a bright shining example and a happy twinkling in my heart." ~Terri Guillemets

As Father's Day approaches I find myself thinking a lot about my beautiful Dad. When I was a child he always worked a lot but I have heaps of fond memories of fun we had and some funny things he used to do. He would drive us all crazy whenever we had to be somewhere. Whether it was to go and visit friends or go out for dinner he was always running late. We would be all ready and waiting for him and he would race in, straight past us, and 10 minutes later come flying back past us and say, "Come on. Are you ready?" as if he was waiting for us! He always liked visiting friends and I loved going too. Mainly because I knew we would be going past the takeaway shop and he would pull in and ask, "Who wants an icecream?". I would almost will him to stop on the way past ;-)

Dad has always been really supportive of everything I have done even if he hasn't agreed. He is always there. When I was younger I was involved in Little Athletics and he would always come and watch me. Then when it was time to go home I would jump in the back of his little tip truck and stand up all the way home with the wind blowing in my hair. It's mind boggling really cos there's NO WAY I would let my kids do that LOL.

When I was let out of boarding school for weekend leave Dad would always make the 2 hour drive on Sunday night to take me back to school. Like me, he loves to sing out loud and we would belt it out to Mary Schneider and her yodelling!! Now THAT makes me laugh!!!

So Dad, thanks for being here in my life. For EVERYTHING you do for me. Even now at 73 yrs old you do the most amazing things....like moving heavy furniture for example. Nothing is too much trouble. I love you very very much xxx

Life is like a box of chocolates.....

Yep, I'm still thinking about chocolate. hehe no I've actually been thinking a lot about life.....and there's a LOT to think about!!

When I was young I had so many dreams and aspirations about what I wanted to do and how I wanted my life to be. We all do but as you get older your experiences change, not only who you are but, how you view the world. It is not always how you thought it would be. At forty I thought I was so knowledgeable about life and about myself. I was happy with where I was in life and who I was as a person. I thought I had it all figured out. I felt strong, centred and I loved being forty. I knew everything!! I knew why I had made the decisions I did and I could pinpoint how I had gotten to be where I was in life. However life can be a long hard road sometimes with many potholes along the way and I hit a pothole just last week. Well it was actually more like a crater. So.... nearly two years on I am still learning and will continue to learn for as long as I am breathing. I have been doing some soul searching, digging deep and trying to think positively. Today I came across this little gem which I wanted to share. Enjoy x

"This is your life. Do what you love, and do it often. If you don't like something, change it. If you don't like your job, quit. If you don't have enough time, stop watching tv. If you are looking for the love of your life, stop; they will be waiting for you when you start doing things you love. Stop overanalysing. All emotions are beautiful. When you eat, appreciate every last bite. Life is simple. Open your mind, arms and heart to new things and people. We are united in our differences. Ask the next person you see what their passion is and share your inspiring dream with them. Travel often. Getting lost will help you find yourself. Some opportunites only come once, seize them. Life is about the people you meet and the things you create with them. So go out and start creating. Live your dream and share your passion. Life is short."

Hi....My name is Willow and I'm a chocoholic

I have a confession to make......I am a chocoholic. There you go. It's out now. Ok, well my friends actually already knew and now so do you!

I have a reputation that precedes me. When the word Maltesers comes up it seems to usually have my name attached to it. I suppose it doesn't help that I have been known to announce on Facebook when there is a special on at Woolies :)

I blame my mother and grandmother for my addiction because they both love their chocolate. Lollies. Biscuits. Cake. Dessert. Sigh.... it's all their fault!! I can eat a whole family block of chocolate.... well there's no point keeping two rows for tomorrow is there? I can down a packet of M&Ms no worries and I'm not talking about the fun size! Oh and don't get me started on icecream! Mmmm cookies and cream, raw cookie dough.... Baskin Robbins!!!

Years ago, when I was at uni, one of the guys I lived with worked for Uncle Tobys and he would always bring home the 'rejects'. They had these awesome muesli bars called Wraps and they were covered in chocolate. I ate them all the time! I felt guilty but I couldn't stop. Luckily I only lived there for a year because I put on so much weight it was awful.

Anyway, I gotta go raid the cupboard. All this talk about chocolate is making me hungry ;-)