love does not grow old.

It just grows.

Congratulations Robert and Mary on your 50th wedding anniversary.

We see things through their eyes, we feel things through their hearts.  We experience things through them that otherwise we would never experience in our own lives. We carry around little pieces of their hearts in ours.  In the hope that during times of unbearable sadness or stress, we can lighten that load even a little by sharing the burden.  And in the knowledge that during times of joy, excitement, happiness we multiply that love and those feelings exponentially by feeling them too.

And all those in between times.  The boring, everyday, mundane times.  Just to have them there, as part of you, even if they are far away.

Erene and Mark are on just about the most amazing journey you can go on with another human being.  They are celebrating their engagement and preparing to welcome a new little person into the world.  The love and joy and excitement they are feeling couldn’t be more deserved.

You are perfect for each other and your love will be the greatest gift your little one will ever receive.

Your happiness is shared by so many, because your friendship is treasured by so many.

And even when there are doubts and worries and fears, you are always in my heart.

Wishing you both all the happiness in the world.  Xoxox

Does it get any more picture perfect than this?  The stunningly beautiful wife, the handsome husband, and their three beautiful kiddies.  All together on a glorious Summer afternoon at the beach.  Capturing moments like these is proof enough that this is the best job in the world.

More gorgeous little people.

And these ones were such a pleasure.

Bethany is hands down the funniest little girl I know, but no matter how hard she makes you laugh, you can never quite equal the joy that she radiates with that cheeky grin and those twinkly eyes.  Xavier is a quiet, gentle little soul who loves his sisters to bits.  Along with their brand new baby sister Charlotte bringing all the hope, joy and excitement of a whole new personality to get to know.

To Dear Caitlin and Nick:

I imagine that three kids under three would be a challenge at times, but I know these three are worth every minute, and with such dedicated parents these beautiful little ones are going to grow up to be beautiful big people too.

Otherwise entitled ‘My Little Sister Graduates High School: A Photo Essay’.

This was me almost exactly ten years ago.  She did it in much more style than me though.  The vintage 1950′s cocktail dress and that long, blonde, boho hair…

She is the spitting image of Mum at a similar age.  Mum in her wedding photos with the short, blonde, pixie haircut in the early 70′s.  When she looked like Julie Andrews only prettier.

Anyway, I’m getting sidetracked.  The thing I am most happy about is that she graduated with a really great bunch of friends.  The genuine ones that you keep for life.  Even though you move away to different places to study or work.  Even though you all choose different careers and paths.  Even when you travel to the other side of the world.  Even when some of you settle down and have families, and some of you are still single and fancy free.  Even when you don’t see each other as much as you would like.

I know because I still have those friends.

And for Bridgie, a Julia Stone moment:

“I can hear your music from a million miles away,
The angels got it right when they made you the way they made you.
Sometimes I wonder if you’re made from bones and skin
Or are you something for me to begin again”

Julia Stone, This Love.

“There’s a little place where the lines don’t reach
Road is dirt and the air is sweet”

The Turbine, Laneway.

Every now and then you come across a band that you just get. Music you can float on. I was introduced to the music of Laneway by a dear friend of mine and as soon as I heard them I knew they were on my wavelength. Soulful folky music, with hauntingly poetic melodies. Timeless.

This song was recorded during the wet, wet summer of 2011 in the midst of the Brisbane floods and it takes me back there instantly each time I hear it. The feeling of disspossesion, of leaving what we had and hoping for the best. The melancholy of loss and luck. The hope of a community banding together. And the awe at the sheer power of nature.

Please take the time to listen to their work and visit them online at lanewaymusic.com or on facebook at facebook.com/Laneway. They have a couple of gigs coming up in December, so keep an eye out for details.

My little birdy with the inside info tells me that the band has been doing some more recording recently and that there is a new album in the works. I’m waiting with bated breath…

Some little fans…

This beautiful woman is effortlessly human. By that I mean she carries herself with such warmth and peaceful energy, that she personifies to me the qualities of the people who belong in this world. I first met her through a mutual friend and immediately knew she was a keeper. Simone is starting out on a creative journey of her own, and I am drawing so much inspiration from her. I took these portraits of Simone to grace her new blog which you will find here.  She is an amazingly talented designer and I am looking forward to watching her blog and her new career develop.

We had such a great time on this shoot. It was a glorious winters day in Brisbane and the the soft, warm  sunshine was perfect for capturing Simone’s beautifully sunny personality and her stunning smile. She looked so at home in the gardens and it was a perfect setting for her glowing bohemian style.

Please check out her work at simoneleelong.com.au.

My first post, and my first tentative steps on a new adventure.

In a way it almost feels as if I’ve already run a marathon to get to this point, but the feelings of anticipation and trepidation are giving me the energy to keep on.

I love taking photos. Simple as that.

In light of this and with the mantra “live what you love, love what you do” repeating obsessively through my mind (fighting fiercely for airspace alongside “I think I can, I think I can”), I’m setting out on a journey. If the greatest journeys do indeed start with the smallest steps, so it is with all the uncertainty, determination, wobblyness and bravery of a toddler taking those magical first few steps, that I’m setting off and launching myself into life.

Hoping like mad I can take the inevitable bumps and bruises with the triumphs and smiles.