I’m an avid blogger and always try my best to keep up to date but it seems I have failed dismally these past few weeks *cough* months. I do have a good excuse I promise. See, this time of year is normally busy to say the least, but add on to that, lots and lots of newborn babes arriving left right and centre and it becomes chaotic. Which, is case in point here.

That’s ok, it just means I have so much more to share soon and I will – lots of newborns and beautiful families. In the meantime, enjoy a Beloved session I had the pleasure of experiencing back in September. How lucky am I to have captured this family for the second time…the first when little Will was just 9 months old. He’s now a beautiful, energetic toddler.

Another beautiful family I saw dance on the stage of life. A witness, through the eyes of my camera.

Enjoy their beautiful song.

Her name is Leisa and we’ve been friends for 20 years.

She makes me laugh, now more than ever. We can talk for hours, but unfortunately as time and life would have it, we don’t do that enough. I fondly remember her wedding and the birth of her first-born and all the others that have followed; five beautiful babies. She is an amazing mother. One I can only aspire to be like. Her family is beautiful. Full of laughter, a great deal of love,  and so much more. They are truly together.

Meet my friend and her beautiful family.

You’ve got to laugh a little.
Cry a little.
Until the clouds roll by a little.
That’s the story of; that’s the glory of love.

As long as there’s the four of us,
We’ve got the world and all it’s charms.
And when the world is through with us.
We have got each others arms.

You’ve got to win a little.
Loose a little.
Yes and always have the blues a little.
That’s the story of; that’s the glory of love.

It was very exciting to spend an afternoon with them once again. See, it’s exciting because they live all the way in London…you couldn’t really get further away from little ol’ me if you tried. So, I’m rather fortunate to have had the opportunity to capture them not once, but twice.

Now they’re back in old London town, and I bet they’re missing our beautiful sunny Queensland weather already…how could you not?!

Essentially, I am shifting focus a little with my ‘family’ portrait sessions – in essence they’ll have a beloved theme, with the crux being love of course. Love is in all of us, as a couple, as parents, as siblings and sometimes, for what ever reason we loose sight of it. It is my hope that instead of taking images of people and trying to make them look happy or in love (which I’ve always tried not to do), I will focus on inviting them to a place where they are feeling incredible joy and love, and being acutely aware of their connection with one another, and then capturing those powerful, genuine expressions. It is a celebration of love and genuine communication.

Everyone is beautiful; I truly believe this with all my heart. It is not about what one looks like or how they’re dressed. It’s the little things, like the crinkle nose when they smile, or the sound of their laughter. It’s the way they say ‘mumma’ instead of ‘mummy’, how they curl your hair when they’re tired. It’s about the way he touches your cheek tenderly just because or the instant abounding cackle of your toddler when you say ‘boo’.

My goal has always been to make honest images that move people; that document these small moments for you to cherish that may otherwise get lost in a compound of daily living. From now on, I will be inviting families, to share a piece of themselves that I’ll then capture through the art of photography. You will also notice a new focus in my family portraiture and that will be towards the ‘parents’ because I came to realise that my focus has always been on the children as the centre of the family and that made me sad. Sad for all the mums and dads out there who never make time for them or their relationship; who haven’t had a photo together since their wedding 9 years earlier. I want couples to remember they are unique to their children and a unique part of a family.

So, in essence, what I hope for my Beloved family sessions is that instead of reflecting the surface, I want to be an invitation to the families I have the opportunity to meet, to experience the richness that each of their members has within them. It is about remembering what is important – a celebration of love.

Of course, what’s a blog post without some photos. How beautiful is the family below? I smiled and smiled and smiled editing the snippets of their life that day. So blessed was I to share it with them.