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I can not remember how I found Barn Uil from Jinky Art photography, but I do remember loving her work instantly. Her work is romantic and whimsical, and this is what caught my attention. That and the fact that she is Australian, in a world where I seem to hear mostly about photographers based in the USA. I have followed her work online and admired her imagination from afar.

I have learnt all my photography online and I felt the need be in front of a teacher. I needed to hear, watch and soak up the information in person. I was secretly thrilled when I saw online that Barb was scheduling workshops in the USA. Yes, I know that Brazil is not next door to the USA, but when you have a husband who travels for work, your world gets smaller. After much discussing and organizing with my sweet husband, I reserved my seat at the workshop and jumped for joy at such an opportunity.

Fast forward six months, and I am packing to leave for the workshop. I am a bundle of nerves about leaving my family and travelling solo for the first time in 14 years. While every cell is screaming to return home, I force myself to walk on the plane. I drink a glass of red wine, watch a movie, read my book while the butterflies danced a happy dance in my belly.

The 3 days of the workshop were everything that I needed, and the welcome hug from Barb and her accent had a calming influence on my dancing butterflies. I listened to sound advice, laughed and cringed at the craziness of the photography industry, and felt Mr Self-Doubt pop up his ugly head from time to time. I met lovely ladies who all shared the same passion for photography, enjoyed fabulous food and good company over the three days. And photos! Of course, I took lots of photos.

The sessions that Barb and Lori created were whimsical and sweet, every thing that is the Jinky Art experience. Watching and shooting these sessions reignited my passion for capturing the every day. When I started my photography journey, it was to catch and keep those moments that pass us by. The moments we look back with “saudades”. I realised I had moved away from this over the last 6 months, and now I have returned to what I love.

I am truly grateful for the experience, and it is a pleasure to share the images that I captured during the workshop with you. Enjoy!

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Gosh! I am not sure where to start this post or what to write, but I thought it was appropriate to share a little about myself. I am always writing about other people and their families, and I thought it was only fair to share some light on the girl behind the camera.
So I thought I would start with 5 adjectives that I think best describes Cindy Cavanagh.

Passionate: A friend sent this message to me and I just loved it!

“the word of the day made me think of you:
Portuguese word: apaixonado
English translation: passionate
Part of speech: adjective
Example sentence
Portuguese: Sou apaixonado por fotografia.
English: I am passionate about photography.” 

Grateful: My husband and I have worked hard to be where we are today.  I am grateful for all that we have. We do not have the biggest house, car,  or the newest camera equipment, but we have a house filled with love and laughter.

Adventurous: When I was growing up, I always thought of myself as reserved. I was the quiet person in the group. I still feel like this but less. It has been replaced with a sense of adventure. I realised this when I agreed to bring 5 children to Brazil. It has been quiet the adventure and I have loved every minute. It has changed how I look at the world, and I am a stronger person that I ever thought.  I love sharing this experience with my family. We have visited the most interesting places and learned a second language. Living another culture is so different than just visiting it.

Patient: This is the word that I hear most about myself from my friends and family. I do not always feel patient but I think I know when to fight and when to wait. During a photo session,  I know when to wait and when to create a distraction. My children have taught me that a distraction is the best way to redirect them when they are tired or bored. That and praise!

Creative: Like my Mum, I have tried a number of arts and crafts. Baking, cake decorating, mosaics, folk art, and now photography. Even as a young girl, I would spend a large amount of time on creating the title page for my school project. I like to see beauty and what people can create. It makes the hairs on my arms stand up. Photography has taught me to look at the world differently, and how the small details are often the most important.

That is me! The photos in the blog were captured by my sweet friend Leticia. I love the “feira” or street markets. It is my favorite thing to do in Brazil. I have wanted to do a session at the feira, and then decided that I wanted to capture this moment in my life. When I asked Leticia if she would capture the images for me, she agreed immediately. Muito obrigada minha amiga!

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Braxton is 1! Hip, Hip Hooray! And what a better way to capture this precious moment than with a cake smash. It is messy and so much fun!

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Mayra and Leonardo were fortunate to receive their maternity photo session as a gift from their family. It is such a sweet idea! At 35 weeks, Mayra was eager to capture her session without any delay. We met on a Thursday afternoon, and decided to capture some of the images in their apartment and some of the images at Parque de Cidade.

Juliana is a photographer‘s dream client. Not only is she pretty and a charming person, she knew exactly what she wanted for her maternity session. During the consultation, she showed images that she liked and had brilliant ideas about what she wanted to capture. She wanted an outdoor session, and we agreed that Parque Vincentina would be the best location.
Raphael is quiet, but  very proud “Dad -to -be”, and totally relaxed once the session started. We walked through this historical park on a lovely Saturday afternoon with the sun starting to set. They were both naturals in front of the camera and their sweet relationship shines in every image. With the arrival of their first child fast approaching, they are so excited. It was such a pleasure to capture their special moment.

After seeing the final images, Juliana remarked that she was glad that she found me, and she would love for me to capture all her future pregnancies. Yep, she is a photographer‘s dream client.

It is a pleasure to share these images with you. Enjoy!