annie kennedy

#2

2012-02-08T14:54:00.002+10:00

Well, we did it! Number 2 is crossed off my list! :)

(As Christina danced, there was a cloud dancing with her :))

(Our theme for the trip... "Embrace it." We embraced "road-trip-with-no-airconditioning-so-the-windows-have-to-be-down hair" :))

Our adventure started at 9.30am on Wednesday last week when I picked up my friend Christina (who is in the photo at the bottom of the list) from the airport. From there, we hit the highway. We decided to take the inland route north, through the Glasshouse Mountains, to a waterfall/swimming hole a friend had told us about. We jumped off cliffs and swung of rope swings! So much fun! :) After that we went shopping in a small country town called Maleny, then headed to our first hostel of the trip in Tin Can Bay. We fed the dolphins at the beach in the morning, then headed to Rainbow Beach, stopping at a freezing cold creek for a swim first. We explored a sandblow at Rainbow Beach, before driving to Hervey Bay, stopping once to play at one of the pine plantations and then dinner in Maryborough, before our next hostel. The following day we had little success making pancakes on the barbecue, and even less success finding something to do in Hervey Bay, so we decided to head south and see what Noosa had to offer: two nights, two hostels, hiking to a lake we never found, a koala, sunset and sunrise on the beach, Hillsong Noosa. Then we headed home, stopping at one beach on the way for a swim. Back in Brisbane we watched Napoleon Dynamite, got an early night and made a quick dash to Southbank for a swim before I took Christina back to the airport in the morning.

((If you're not from Queensland, you won't understand much of where we went, but I just wanted to write it down so I didn't forget :)))

We had a GREAT time. I've haven't laughed that hard in so long, and each day we purposed to do something that scared us, whether it was jumping off a high swing into a waterfall, or sharing a hostel room with six LOUD Brazilian backpackers! :)

(PS: There aren't many pictures here because halfway through the trip my camera decided to stop working altogether :( It's working again now, but I think number 14 on my list will have to happen soon!)

Next time I see Christina will be in America! Praying for either mid this year or 2013! :)

24 BEFORE 24

2012-01-21T22:10:00.002+10:00

These are 24 things I want to do before I turn 24.

***

1. Learn to do a back handspring.

Oh this has been on my list for far too long, and every time I have the opportunity to learn, I make up some excuse which really means I just can't be bothered or I'm too embarrassed to take a gymnastics class. No more. I. AM. GOING. TO. DO. THIS. I learned a few years ago on a trampoline and never mastered it on the ground without landing on my head, so it's my goal to not land on my head anymore.

2. Take a holiday.
This is a cheat one because I know I get to cross it off in two weeks! It also crosses off my life-long goal of being a backpacker because I am going to stay in a hostel! :)

3. Do a green overhang at work.
My next step up in climbing.

4. Do a red climb at work.
The next level up in climbing.

5. Learn to lead climb.

6. Go outdoor climbing.

7. Ride a motorbike/quadbike/jet ski.

8. Go cable-skiing.

9. Go surfing.

10. Go camping.

11. Ride a horse.
I miss having horses around. I miss the country!

12. Decide where I'm going to live.
In May I find out if I get a green card or not. If I do, I get to move to America in 2013. If not, I'll go somewhere else. :)

13. Go to Wet n Wild or White Water World.
I love water theme parks. I don't like other theme parks because I don't like rollercoasters or anything like that, but I love water slides!

14. Buy a new camera.
Mine is slowly dying. :(

15. Make "thank you" gifts for clients.
That's right! If you hire me to take your photos, I will make you a present! I also want to make my packaging prettier, more personal, and more professional, get some business cards, work on a brand, etc.

16. Make beignets.
I just looked up a recipe. I've been wanting to try them since watching The Princess and the Frog.

17. Go swimming in the Mt Glorious waterfalls.
Soon! :)

18. Shoot a gun.
Haven't done this in 3 years!

19. Donate blood.

20. Go see a drive-in movie.

21. Go on a picnic.

22. See a musical.

23. Go to a different state.

24. Photographically document these things as they happen on my blog.

I need to blog more.

***

Let me know in the comments if you decide to do a list too! I'd love to hear it! :)

***Click on the crossed out links to see my goals completed!***

NORTHWEST COMMUNITY CHURCH

2012-01-19T22:13:00.000+10:00

Northwest Community Church meets at a school tuckshop on my street. My parents have been going there for a while, and towards the end of last year I was asked to come along and take some promotional photos for them. I love observing with photography; being a fly-on-the-wall, pretending like I'm not there.

I like seeing church happening outside of four walls. There are no pews, there is no pulpit. This might be a subject for another blog post, but, for me, church is more than a Sunday service, more than a building, more than a denomination. It doesn't need to have structure. It was nice to spend the morning seeing a type of church some people aren't used to seeing.

THE KENNEDY'S

2012-01-01T21:28:00.005+10:00

Meet my family :) My dad's brother and his family.

HAPPY NEW YEAR

2011-12-31T23:20:00.000+10:00

What is your 2012 New Year's resolution? Pretty easy question.

Now imagine me saying it like it's a dare. Does it change your answer?

Sure, we all have the usual: lose weight, don't gain weight, save money, etc. But what would you do if someone DARED you to make a resolution, instead of simply asking what it was?

I ask myself, "So Annie, what are you going to do with 2012?" But I ask it like a dare. Like I want me to prove something to myself. Dream big. Go on. I dare you. Prove you can do it.

I see dares everywhere. Look around.

A limitless sky? Go on, touch it. Find it's limits. You can't fly? Do something about it. A measureless ocean? Innumerable worlds under the waves? Go visit them. You can't breathe underwater? Do something about it.

Why would God have created this space - the sky - and made it so vast, so infinite, and filled it with more mysteries than we can fathom, more stars than we can count, planets of every colour of the rainbow, if he didn't want us to see it? To explore it. To be as limitless.

Why would he make coral gardens more vibrant than flowers, underwater species more unique than land animals, and the whole world under the waves so fascinating, if he didn't want us to be fascinated by it?

The sea and the sky are so inviting, I think that's the point. We are invited. We are dared. There are no limits, so be limitless. He didn't create us to breathe underwater or to fly, but he gave us the creativity to make those impossible things possible. In that, we are limitless.

So, imagine 2012 is the sky. Or the sea. Spread your wings, or dive straight in. Imagine the countless colours in the coral gardens you'll see, or what is around the corner of that one, particularly sparkly star.

Imagine YOU are the sky. Or the sea.

PS: I love my iPhone camera :) It's perfect for when I don't want to carry around a big, heavy SLR with me.

The last two collages my friend Laura made on her iPhone from some underwater shots we took at the beach a few weeks back. I love them!

O NIGHT, DIVINE

2011-12-23T21:16:00.000+10:00

Merry Christmas. X

DANDELION & DRIFTWOOD

2011-12-22T17:06:00.001+10:00

I've heard this name mentioned several times in several different circles, but since I am not a coffee or tea drinker, I hadn't yet made the trip to check it out. I'm glad I did today. Such a sweet little coffee house! Dandelions, birds, vintage keys? Yes please! :) I had a vintage soft drink - a Peachee - and it was amazing! I took a few snaps from where we sat outside, next time I will hopefully take some shots inside.

IT'S NOT GROUND I'M STANDING ON

2011-12-15T09:02:00.000+10:00

Murmuration from Sophie Windsor Clive on Vimeo.

This video reminded a friend of me.

On the new Alice in Wonderland movie, Alice stares at some birds and says, "I was wondering what it would be like to fly." This reminds my mum of me.

Birds remind people of me. Or I remind people of birds. Flying birds, it seems. I don't know why. I don't mind, actually, I quite like it. But I still don't know why. I know why I think I should remind people of birds, but I also know that my wings are hidden and I am, for the moment, grounded.

I journaled the other day the questions: "Why do I remind people of of birds?" and "What can a bird learn from being grounded?"

Yesterday at work, I had finished the mopping and went back upstairs to put back down the chairs I had stacked on top of the tables. But when I got there, a little baby bird greeted me from the floor with a cry. He had one wing out, and couldn't fly. I picked him with gentle hands and took him downstairs. He fought against my hands a little, but I kept him safe. I waited for my boss, who eventually took him outside and put him in a tree.

A little while later, the bird was carried back inside, having fallen out of the tree and been unable to get back up. My boss got a very tall ladder, and, with the baby bird perched on my open palm, I climbed up into the tree and gave the bird back to his swooping parents.

Too much of a coincidence to have been just a coincidence... right?

When I feel like my wings are hidden, and, though I try, I am unable to fly, could it be that I am being kept safe in gentle hands, by Someone who knows that I can't fly just yet, and would only get hurt if I tried? And, when I'm not fighting, maybe it's not ground I'm standing on. Maybe I'm being carried to the heights I want to fly to on a scarred, open palm.

3 WEEKS EARLY

2011-12-04T20:59:00.001+10:00

Daniel Eli Wotherspoon, 3rd of December, 10:14pm, 2.840kg. And Auntie Annie ;)

I ♥ PANCAKES

2011-11-28T14:16:00.000+10:00

Last month I had a pancake party for my birthday. I made a base batter and had people bring along their favourite toppings and fillings. I gathered together all my treasures - keys, books, cameras, fairy lights, etc. and my Oma's pottery, Laura bought me some bunches of flowers, and we ate pancakes out on the deck, surrounded by trees, in the humidity of a day that would end in a hailstorm. It was a good day :) Thank you Sarah for your beautiful detail shots, and Laura for your iPhone art :)

BIRTHDAY

2011-11-22T16:09:00.001+10:00

Last weekend was my sister's 24th birthday, and while we were at her house I took some photos of the little things around the house that are waiting for my nephew :)

BABY SHOWER

2011-11-22T15:54:00.001+10:00

Yep, I'm going to be Auntie Annie in about a month :) Best Christmas present ever that will be! Sometimes it doesn't seem to have sunk in yet, other times I have a mini freak-out (in a good way) that soon there will be a little baby here. It's the first baby on both sides of the family, and first great-grandchild on our side, so it's pretty exciting :) These pictures are from the baby shower we had at the beach a little while ago.

LACEY

2011-11-13T20:31:00.001+10:00

I was going through some older files on my computer and found these from my trip to Calliope. She's so pretty!
(PS: Happy late birthday Bug! :))

WORK

2011-11-11T22:15:00.001+10:00

Just a peek at my new job :)

Oh, yeah. I got an iPhone. And Twitter. And Instagram. I'm conforming. It's kind of scary.

BORJAS

2011-11-10T14:25:00.000+10:00

Meet the Borjas :) They are a very tight knit family, and it was so much fun to photograph them together at Sirromet Winery.

LONG TIME, NO POST

2011-11-06T12:17:00.002+10:00

Sorry I haven't posted anything in a while. I've been a bit crazed lately. I moved back home, didn't have a desk for a while, started a new job, and have a few shoots to edit and blog eventually, but I thought I'd just say hi and post a photo :) This butterfly was just hanging out on our Christmas tree, looking like an ornament, so I prayed it would stay while I ran to get my camera, and when I got back, it was still there :) I love the red on it's wings. So pretty.

CARNIVAL OF FLOWERS

2011-10-15T20:02:00.001+10:00

A couple of weeks ago, as part of my birthday present, my Mum took me to Toowoomba for the annual flower festival. It was such a pretty day, I love flowers a LOT, so these pictures make me smile :) I also love Toowoomba and it's beautiful tree-lined streets. On the way home we drove past so many fields of these yellow weeds. Wildflowers are my favourite, so I had to stop and take some photos of them.

BURLEIGH

2011-10-12T18:12:00.000+10:00

If you read my blog, you know who Sarah is. Anytime we get together with our cameras, magical things happen. Our trip to Burleigh was no different. We read books and lay in the sand, soaking up the sun, were flocked by seagulls as we ate yummy greasy food, I GOT MY NOSE PIERCED!!!!, went for a beautiful hike, played with giant dandelions, and saw a whale! (Well, all we saw was a little water spurt off on the horizon... but still! A whale! :))

Sarah has oodles of talent. She took a few pictures of me, and everyone knows I really am uncomfortable in front of the camera, but I do like these :)

PYNAKKERS

2011-10-11T19:27:00.000+10:00

I'm so behind on blogging! I've had some internet connectivity issues but they seem to have settled now :) You might remember these people from my very first wedding I ever photographed back in the day. These siblings got together to get some photos taken for their dad for Father's Day. THey are a pretty cool bunch of people, as you can see :)

I AM..

2011-10-07T22:31:00.000+10:00

LAUREN AND JOSH

2011-10-01T16:29:00.000+10:00

Love is in the air. Or there is something in the water at our church because so many people are falling in love and getting married. It's beautiful! I love when friends get married :)

Lauren and Josh were so fun in front of the camera, and so stylish, they made it so easy to get good shots :)

SPRING CLEANING

2011-09-14T13:47:00.000+10:00

So things are looking a little different around here! :) Don't judge me yet - it's not finished!!!

It will probably keep on changing for the rest of the year as I try to get it just right. I don't know if I will ever get it there, but I have to at least start.

So here it is - a clean slate. It's like spring cleaning. Getting rid of absolutely everything before going shopping for new stuff. It's not exactly what I want yet, but I was so comfortable with my other design that if I didn't just do it, I'd never be motivated to work on it.

I'm finding it really hard to "package" myself into one particular design. I really don't know how to brand myself. I like too many things, and none of those things fit into the same category, therefore, I don't fit into any particular box.

I'm a little bit country, a little bit hippie, a little bit vintage, a little bit urban. I am an outdoors girl - wildflowers, trees, leaves, feathers, mountains, beaches, forests, etc. are my favourite places to be. But I am also addicted to historical downtown buildings, apartments, houses, etc. and have an unhealthy obsession with looking at home decor magazines and websites. I also love a good derelict urban scene. Bricks, stairs, windows, doors. And I don't have a favourite colour.

I am a designer's worst nightmare. I once read that the worst thing for designers is to be hired by someone who doesn't know who they are. I don't think that's my problem- I think that I know who I am, but I just can't fit into one palette, into one theme, into one box.

So I'm deciding to keep the blog clean and let my pictures and words do the talking. I don't want this to be a place where I can only post my photography work. I want to post whenever and whatever I feel like, so I think the bare design leaves the door open to whatever I choose.

Let me know what you think and if you have any ideas or tips for me! :) I'm Googling a lot of html help as I speak so I need all the advice I can get!

(One specific question I do have is - do you think I should keep signing my photos?)

SPRING HAS SPRUNG!

2011-09-07T06:20:00.000+10:00

With the change of season, expect to see some changes on the blog soon too...

RODWELL

2011-08-25T14:21:00.000+10:00

Recently I took some pictures of my good friend Rod to send to his mother back in Zimbabwe. He is very fun and funny, and it was a cool change to photograph a guy for once!

Usher!

Since we were sending these to his mama, I wanted to get Rod's brother Ralph in the pictures too :)

THE HAIR PRAYER

2011-08-19T10:04:00.000+10:00

My hair is a big deal to me. Far too big of a deal actually. When people used to compliment me, most of the time it was "Wow your hair is so long!" Maybe it's not an ACTUAL compliment, but to me it was. I took pride in the length of my hair, but not the condition. I could pinch the ends and pull them right off. They were so broken, so dead, they weren't going to get any longer. I also had a half-n-half head. Since I hadn't been able to afford much, I stopped dyeing my hair. I like my natural colour, and I like not having to worry about regrowth. But, the bottom half of my hair was a yucky combination colour of every colour I've ever used. And It wasn't going anywhere fast. I NEEDED to get it cut. Sad as it made me, short(er) healthy hair was much nicer than long dead hair.

So a while ago I wanted it chopped off. I did have a little bit of money, but I had other priorities and it wasn't really a necessity to spend it on my hair. Nevertheless, I wanted it done and I wanted it now!

So I prayed. "God please give me a sign whether or not it is okay to spend this money on a hair cut." I immediately scoffed at that. As if God cares whether or not I cut my hair! It's a silly, girly, vanity issue that I cared far too much about for God to give it any more thought that I already had.

(Side note: A friend of mine had gone to Thailand a few weeks before then, and had brought me a little present, but for whatever reason, we just hadn't gotten around to giving/receiving it.)

The day I prayed the "hair prayer" was a Sunday. I got to church late (but still on time - I'm normally early to set up) because my car decided to break and I had to wait for a tow truck and my parents who were so good to me they came and got me and my car and drove me to church. My friend came and found me and handed me a shopping bag. In it was a cute Guess wallet from Thailand and a card. Inside the card was some money and a beautiful letter instructing me that the money was to spent on my hair.

I cried. I told her the story. She cried. It was beautiful! :)

Later that night, another friend handed me an envelope and told me not to open it until I got home. In it was two times the amount in the other card.

Who am I to say that God doesn't care when he knows the exact NUMBER OF HAIRS ON MY HEAD (Matthew 10:30). He cares about every detail of my life (Psalm 37:23), and he did more than I dared to ask, more than just a sign to get my hair cut (Ephesians 3:20). Who am I to ever say that God doesn't care? Who am I to ever worry about anything? I hadn't had a regular income in over a year and a half, and yet my closet is BURSTING with clothes given to me from friends and family (Matthew 6:25-34).

Prayer works. I'm just saying... :)

PS: I really don't like having my picture taken, so this is the only semi-decent one I could find of my new hair. I love my friends babies! :)

LISA AND TIM

2011-08-16T10:17:00.000+10:00

I love it when friends get engaged. I also love it when I get to photograph them! :) Because I seriously have some of the most good looking friends ever. Check these two out! :)

THE TWOMEYS

2011-08-10T11:37:00.001+10:00

When I was in Calliope a little while ago I got to meet and photograph my friend Courtney's boyfriend's family. It was such a fun shoot as you can see from all the laughing!

SUNSETS

2011-08-05T22:34:00.000+10:00

This is my view when I make dinner at my new job. It's a bit hard to take ;)

I could never get tired of sunsets. They're never the same twice.

LEAVES

2011-08-01T13:45:00.000+10:00

This post is just some random thoughts I've been having lately and has been sitting in my drafts for a while now, so I thought I may as well go ahead and post it :) Hope it makes some kind of sense.

***

I photograph a lot of leaves. A leaf on a rock, a leaf on the ground, a leaf on a tree, holding a leaf, etc. I love leaves. One particular photo recently caught my eye and a thought popped into my head. "God made that leaf."

It's so simple, and most people already know that, but what struck me was that God made THAT leaf. That particular leaf, that chose to fall from a particular tree that was planted by a particular seed in a particular season by a particular gardener. And that seed came from another tree, and so the history goes on and on.

So when I saw that particular leaf and thought about the life journey that led to it falling on that rock on the exact day I would walk past - God knows my appreciation for leaves... did he orchestrate all the events so that leaf would fall on that rock so I would enjoy it?

It sounds so silly, but maybe.

I want my life to glorify my God. So when I photograph the works of his hands, calling attention to it, that's what I hope to be doing. When I notice, appreciate and enjoy all the wonderful things he made, down to the smallest details, I think he notices, appreciates and enjoys my joy.

If you know the story of Mary and Martha, you know that Martha was the one who was in the kitchen, working very hard cooking and cleaning because Jesus was in her house and she wanted things to be just right. This is completely understandable. But Mary sat at Jesus' feet and listened to him speak. Jesus told Martha she was worried about too many things, while Mary had chosen the one thing that was good for her (or something along those lines).

In Donald Miller's book A Million Miles in a Thousand Years he wrote, "Nearly every day in the summer, I take my dog to Westmoreland Park, where she plays in the creek. She runs up and down through the creek bed, diving headlong into the water, chasing ducks. Sometimes when I watch her I think about how good life can be, if we only lose ourselves in the stories. Lucy doesn't read self-help books about how to be a dog; she just is a dog. All she wants to do is chase ducks and sticks and do other things that make both her and me happy. It makes me wonder if that was the intention for man, to chase sticks and ducks, to name animals, to create families, and to keep looking back at God to feed off his pleasure."

Sometimes life and even happiness is too simple we can't accept it, and by trying to make ourselves understand, we over-complicate things and wonder why life is so hard. Maybe Lucy's "one thing" is to chase sticks and ducks. And maybe my "one thing" is taking photos.

MY NEW 'HOOD

2011-07-25T11:05:00.000+10:00

Since I have moved I've been walking quite a bit, exploring the new streets and shops around and taking photos of all the things I like. What I like most about this neighbourhood are the contrasting houses. Old and new. Falling apart and freshly renovated. Wood and glass. There is a lot of colour and a lot of character.

My new favourite blog of all time, The Happy Family Movement, is doing a little challenge for summer - to make and complete a bucket list. Even though I'm currently in winter (and over it! Yes, I said it, as much as I love winter, I am tired of feeling frumpy every morning when I put on jeans over leggings and a jacket over a jumper over a shirt over a singlet!) I decided to make a few little goals myself to cross off while I wait for the swimming weather to come.

So this was my goal - walk the neighbourhood, get some exercise, and take photos :) Here they are:

This lemon tree is growing on a vacant block, overgrown with weeds and surrounded by a fence with barbed wire on top. I am so keen to find a way in and pick some lemons :)

LIFE ON THE FARM IS KINDA LAID BACK

2011-07-20T09:38:00.000+10:00

While I was away I stayed with some of my most favourite people. I was in a black and white mood when I edited these - hope you like 'em! :)

Elijah:

Macaulie:

J'tia:

Grier:

Pretty freckles :)

Boston:

Lacey:

Zibby:

Havi:

And brand new baby Xekiel:

I am in love with this photo:

Just sitting on Daddy's feet :)

Checkin' out Mum :)

Rings and wrinkles:

And hanging round the house:

He'll get used to it ;)

ZOE

2011-07-18T19:37:00.000+10:00

A little while ago I went for a visit to my old home town of Calliope and did a mini photo shoot with a friend from high school. Zoe and I went to the Botanic Gardens, and let me tell you, if I had to shoot at that location for the rest of my life I would be very happy :)

It was gorgeous! The light, the trees, the water... and Zoe! Isn't she beautiful!?

Favourite!

Little bro Zac jumped in for a photo - I think it's my favourite too :)

Love this one! I very ungracefully climbed a tree to get this shot, so I'm so glad it worked out well :)

Look at the light!

I'M STILL ALIVE! :)

2011-07-15T10:12:00.000+10:00

Hi y'all! Thought I'd drop by and say that I am still here! Sorry I haven't posted in a while, life has been pretty busy, and I've moved out of home and started work as a live-in nanny! I also have had a couple of very fun photo shoots (and some more coming up) that I can't wait to share, AND a few things waiting to be posted which I will get around to soon!

And I can't post without a photo, so here is one of my new little housemates: Peanut Butter.

WOLFIK FAMILY

2011-07-06T16:48:00.000+10:00

Anita was the April winner on facebook, so a little while ago I headed out to her property to spend some time with her, husband Dan, and kids Zachary, Ezra and Ava. I brought along two bottles of bubbles - I think I'm going to do that for every family shoot I do from now on! :) Here are just a few of the MANY photos that were taken that day!

STANTHORPE IN WINTER

2011-06-25T11:53:00.000+10:00

I only took a few shots on a recent road trip to Stanthorpe for my Oma's 75th, and just of the sights. Strangely enough the one photo of people that was taken had me in it! :)

Cousins!

Off into the sunset.

FRIENDS - pt2

2011-06-23T14:05:00.000+10:00

Here are the rest of the images from the day. I have too many favourites, so I won't mention which ones they are! :)

The girls worked the wind:

Stylish shoes :)

The girls stopped for some ice-cream. I asked for a taste of the Superfruit Sorbet (All natural sorbet, combining the zest of pomegranate with tangy blackcurrant, exotic goji berry and tropical passionfruit. These fruits are renowned for their antioxidant properties.) Unfortunately, I had a cold and couldn't taste a thing! :( I'll have to go back...

Then we looked around the markets:

The girls each bought a bracelet, and one for me too! :)

Final stop before headed to the train station to go home :)

Thanks for the afternoon and the bracelet girls! I had fun! :)

FRIENDS - pt1

2011-06-21T11:22:00.000+10:00

A couple of weeks ago I headed out to Southbank with a group of five friends from my church - Jess, Michelle, Stella, Danielle and Alaina. They wanted some memories of their friendship while they've been living in Australia. I thought I'd share these ones first: towards the end of the shoot, I kept my distance and just watched as the girls decided (on this cold evening) to run through the water fountains. I loved documenting this fun, candid moment.

COURTNEY [AGAIN] :)

2011-06-16T13:15:00.001+10:00

The day after we took Brad and Tiffany to the airport, I went back to pick up my friend Courtney (a familiar face on this blog). She went shopping (of course! :)) and I took pictures (of course!!! :))

Everyone needs a friend like Courtney. She is one of the most generous people I know. I would say 80% of the clothes in my closet used to belong to her. Every time she visits she packs me a bag of clothes, bags, accessories, etc. It's like Christmas every time :) She also recently went to Europe and bought me back a few presents. Oh the notebooks! They're so beautiful! (One BIGGER vintage French print is missing from this picture.)

When I didn't have the money, she paid for my camera to be cleaned. (It has made all the difference, I am so thankful!) She ALWAYS lets me take photos of her. When she was here we made avocado and honey face masks and scrubbed our hands with sugar. We watched many movies - 17 Again, He's Just Not That Into You, The Prince of Egypt...

When we used to live in the same town we had a tradition of Disney and/or Hugh Grant movie nights. We disagree on which version (old or new) of Pride and Prejudice is the best (NEW!!!). She would always come to markets with me on weekends where I would sell my jewellery, and then we'd go to the beach. I miss those weekends. She is a good egg :)

Anyway! :)

Here are her photos!

Probably one of my favourite images EVER.

Check out this hairstyle! She wanted her hair up for some photos, so I whipped this together in a matter of seconds! I was quite proud of it :) Now if only I could do the same with my hair in a matter of seconds every morning, I'd be a happy camper!

WINTER IS [WELL AND TRULY] HERE!

2011-06-13T21:28:00.000+10:00

It's that time of year again. Hats, boots, scarves, jackets. Oh I love it! :) It's been especially cold here in Brisbane, colder than it normally gets - which is FINE BY ME! :)

Some people don't love it though. And I don't get it! :) If you're cold, you can always put on more clothes, or snuggle under a blanket, or give someone a bear hug. In summer, if you're hot, you can't very well keep taking off your clothes to get cooler, and, let's face it, when you are hot and sweaty, it's not overly pleasant to give or receive a hug.

But anyway, winter is, for some people, the time to hibernate, the time to stay indoors.

But it's my favourite season and I want to celebrate it!

So, shake off the winter blues, grab your brightest accessories, snuggle up with a loved one and/or a cup of hot chocolate, because I am offering mini-sessions!

A mini session is a 40 min shoot for a maximum of 2 people, and includes 10 high-resolution digital images. They are taken at a location of your choice, and I encourage you to bring some FUN winter gear! Mini-shoots are available for the months of June and July ONLY.

Here is an example of a fun mini winter shoot. (Thank you Sarah and Caleb, my ever-faithful, ever-gorgeous models!)

So please spread the word (and the joy that is winter!) by sharing this link with your friends :) Thanks heaps!

Brad, Tiffany, and The Akubra

2011-06-10T11:27:00.000+10:00

Finally, here is the post I've been waiting for! :) It was Brad and Tiff's last day in Oz, tomorrow morning they would fly away home.

My only instruction to them on this shoot was to "get cuddly", which they did, a little too much! :) These two make me laugh more than most people can. It was such a fun shoot :)

Hope you like these!

The two loves of Brad's life: Tiffany and The Akubra!

Brad and Tiffany visit Australia - Day 9

2011-06-08T20:58:00.000+10:00

I'm still here I promise! Well, I wasn't. :) Sorry for the lack of posts and leaving y'all hanging for the final days of Brad and Tiffany's Australia visit. I had a mini-holiday and spent some time with friends in my old hometown. Will post pictures from the trip if I EVER get caught up! I have so much editing to do, so many posts to finish... it's never ending!

Anyway, we are almost at the end of the Australian adventure. For those who have read along I hope you've enjoyed a little glimpse into Brisbane and what you can expect if you ever want to come visit me! :)

Day 9 was Anzac Day, but Brad and Tiff hadn't bought any souvenirs yet, so we took a risk and went into the city. Most stores were closed, but the tourist-y shops were open! They loaded up on some pretty nice gifts, making sure to look for the "Made in Australia" logo ;) Because it was Anzac Day and the parade had just finished, there were lots of diggers around the city, and we stopped to talk to a group of them at the train station. I don't know if it's all war veterans or just these guys, but they LOVE telling stories. They're always interesting, and I always like to shake their hands and listen to them.

We went to a couple of music stores:

Self-portrait in a Louis Vuitton window :)

Then we headed home:

...where Brad and Tiffany quickly got ready and we headed out to catch the final hours of daylight for a photo shoot! Coming soon! :)

Currumbin

2011-05-25T11:49:00.000+10:00

A little while ago I mentioned I'd spent the day picnicing beside waterfalls. The day was filled with so many little treasures to photograph - special leaves, beautiful moss - I love nature! I edited them a little differently than usual as more of an art project. I hope you like them :)

I went with Sarah, we both brought our cameras :)

This rooster crossed the road and nearly got hit by a car! He's pretty :)

Sarah went swimming! It was SO cold!

Before we went home we stopped at the beach.

As a photographer, it helps having pretty friends :)

It p-o-u-r-e-d on the way home. Then the sunset broke through the clouds and lit everything up so beautifully.

Brad and Tiffany visit Australia - Day 8

2011-05-23T16:25:00.000+10:00

Day 8 we woke up far too early to head to the bayside to catch the ferry across to Stradbroke Island.

We'd never been before, so we had to drive around for a bit to find our way, rent some snorkelling equipment, find out where we could snorkel, and buy some (overpriced) lunch. But I think it's worth it when this is the view from your picnic table.

We stopped at one beach to try and snorkel but the current was so strong and the waves so rough we just swam around for a bit. The second beach we went to didn't have any reef or rocks to snorkel on, so we went up one end of the beach and floated with the current down to the other end with our faces in the water. It was so good, we did it 3 times.

And here are our underwater pictures!!!

As we waited for the ferry to take us back to the mainland we saw another crazy beautiful sunset.

This guy wandered up and sat down with us as we watched the sun go down. He knew tricks :)

Going home...

Posers! :)

Brad and Tiffany visit Australia - Day 7

2011-05-21T21:32:00.001+10:00

Apologies for the delay between posts. I was wanting to wait until I had printed a roll of underwater film we took on day 8 but it's taking a very long time to get done, so I will just go ahead and post day 7 on it's own.

We decided to take a chill day after all the running around we'd been doing, so that's what we did.

I haven't posted a photo of Storm since she was a puppy. Well, she's big now.

Mum put a plate together of Easter eggs, lollies, a big marshmallow bunny (they've always freaked me out, they feel too real).

Those fluffy chickens amused us for A WHILE...

Lunch...

And then we decided it was too nice a day to spend inside, so we took a soccer ball and a basketball down to the park to play. I didn't take any photos, just video, but here are a couple from Brad and Tiff's camera. Video to come soon.

That night we went out to Hog's Breath for dinner:

We had borrowed a friend's van for the weekend so we could all fit in the one car. I thought it was funny that I'm so short I could stretch out my legs and not touch the seats in front of me, but Brad is so tall he had to bend his knees. I think I was the only one who found that funny :)

After dinner we went to Southbank and walked around for a little bit. If we would have thought about it, we would have brought a change of clothes and gone for a swim. One of the pools has been fixed since the floods, and it looked GOOD.

Hopefully I'll get the film back soon so I can post it with day 8! I'm so excited to see what we got!