A Mother is a Blessing from Above

On a glorious Saturday afternoon, I met with Sandra and her adorably spunky little boy at the park in Richmond for a very special Mother's Day shoot. We were blessed with Sunshine to warm this chilly afternoon and it was a nice accompaniment for the warm loving bond that is held between a mother and a child. Surely, the definition of a child, amongst many things, is to warm a mother's heart and bring a little ray of sunshine to your sometimes dismal day. What sweeter way to end this day than with an afternoon of cuddles, giggles, tickles and a milkshake and memories which warm the heart.

Baby Jake, you are a sweetie!

In the midst of all the chaos that often overwhelms and sometimes overcomes the working mother there is often something that makes you stop in your tracks, think, breathe and take stock. Today, for me, it was baby Jake. So, dear little one, welcome to this crazy world of ours. After meeting your mummy this morning I just know you are in safe, loving hands. Thank you for bringing me peace today, a little dose of sweet serenity that was very much needed!

Catching up in our own sweet time...

If I had a dollar for every time I have heard the phrase "A change is good as a holiday" I would have enough money to actually go on a holiday! Sometimes, though, change isn't as wonderful as that age old cliche' may claim. It can stop you dead in your tracks, make you rethink everything you thought you knew and force you to make tough decisions. Kirrily and I have both experienced significant changes in our lives since embarking on this business adventure together. Despite our eagerness and excitement, much of what we planned to achieve is still in the planning stage or on the "To do list". And you know what? We are both totally fine with that, because we agreed in the beginning that our families come first. We believe that if we continue to do what we love to do when we can manage to do it then our business will grow and develop in its own sweet time.

And so it has.

Which brings me to the point of this post. As time poor mums of three children each, our focus is on our photography and not so much on our blogging. I do, however, often manage to share some of our recent work on Facebook from time to time. But I got to thinking... what if some of you are not on Facebook? (Note from Carley: you know that needs to change right? Everybody is on Facebook!) And then I checked the blog and realised it has been a very long time since we posted here. Oops! Time to remedy that! So, here we go. Its time to catch up, time to share some of our favourites from recent shoots with you. Some people might say "Better late than never!". We just say, all in our own sweet time ;)

Miss Cailee + One Pink Parasol = Sweet!

When I look at these images it makes me want to buy a parasol and walk around town all day just twirling it on my shoulder. It's just so... girly!

Baby Jake's Baptism

There is something really special about shooting family events, experiencing and capturing the joy, love and excitement of a family's traditions and most precious moments. Jake's baptism was no exception! From the moment I arrived at St Monica's I felt it. Love. Spirit. Belonging. To be able to capture the moment a child is welcomed into a community is truly a part of this job that I cherish. So, to John and Jo, thank you for making me feel so welcome... I hope these images will bring back sweet memories for you both as baby Jake grows and grows!!

Zeus and Nugget Steal Carley's Heart

They say 'never work with children or animals'... but I don't know why. Frankly, I love them both! So, when Kathryn and Nathan asked me to shoot their 'family' portraits I jumped at the chance... knowing that I would be spending an afternoon with their adorable and heartbreakingly sweet boys, Zeus and Nugget. I was instantly impressed and amazed by their obedience, and so it came as no surprise to learn that Nathan is in fact a real life 'Dog Whisperer'. Yes, he is a professional dog trainer! I must admit, though, that spending an afternoon with these guys made me feel a little embarrassed... our very own Little Miss Muffet needs some serious 'whispering'! So Nathan, expect a call from us soon! Then, hopefully, the Bugeja Family can finally have some photographs taken just like these ones, to show the world how much we love each other - and our Miss Muffet too!

Carley shoots for Megan and Michael... FINALLY!

A looonnng time ago, before Peppermint Creek was even a twinkle in our eye, Megan's lovely mum purchased a gift voucher from me as a Christmas present to her daughter and grandchildren. Of course, Megan's lovely mum knew that once the shoot had taken place, well... the voucher would be the gift that keeps on giving! However, the timing just wasn't right for Megan. Little Marcus had some health problems and, as so often happens, the gift voucher was put in "a safe place" and there it stayed for quite some time.

Thankfully, Megan's lovely mum never gave up on that voucher... Every nanny knows that the most precious gift of all are our children and the memories we create each and every day. Our little ones grow and change sooo fast, and without our treasured photographs that time just seems to go by even faster.

So, it is with great pleasure that I post a sneak peek of Megan and Michael's family session this week. I dedicate it to Megan's lovely mum... a woman who knows what matters most!