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On a cold winter’s day in Sydney, there is nothing better than cuddling up with your sister and watching a movie. That is how I found my two girls, and I could not help but  pause what I was doing to grab my camera, and capture a few natural lifestyle portraits of them. They were a bit reluctant, and I understood as I was interrupting their movie. They covered their faces, and hid from me. I pretended to not notice and stood up on edge of the lounge. This made them laugh, and look at what I was doing. They pulled faces, and laughed some more. I just kept shooting, and loving the natural light that was pouring in through the window. These are simple portraits that show their relationship beautifully. They are comfortable being with each other, and this is how I often find them. Of course, they have days where they fight and argue. That is expected, but they enjoy being with each other. They are lost when the other one has a play date. So when I find them enjoying a quiet moment, I want to pause these moments. These moments I will cherish forever.

Winter is not yet gone – but now

The birds are carolling from the bough.

And the mist has rolled away

Leaving more beautiful the day.

The sun is out – O come with me

To look upon the wattle tree!

The wattle tree is part of my childhood. It is part of my adulthood. It is part of my winters. To see this bright yellow fluff of flower is a treat for the eye and the soul. It is a light on the cold days. It is sprinkled in  front yards. It is by the side of the road. It is part of the bush. When we travel, we see the beauty of the world. When we return home, we see the beauty that is before us. The wattle tree is one of the many things I see clearly now that I have returned home. It says ‘Welcome home!. We are glad you are back”

Now follow the on to see the amazing work of Hayley Hay | Lausanne, Switzerland family and child photographer

{my favourite things}

When Angie told me the theme this week, I felt a little anxious. Somehow during our theme of {shades of ombre} I had gathered my favourite things and documented. How could I do it again? But like most of my photography, when I pause and a thought develops, and before I know it, I have an idea. I love strawberries. I love chocolate. I love red doors. I love photos. I love bright coloured bowls. I love spring blooms. I decided to wrap these in the colours of pink and red because I love colour.

Angie Marie Photographer

It has been cold this winter. We have had little rain, and many mornings it has been hard to get out of the warm bed. However, spring is saying hello. The blossoms are blooming. The leaves are returning to the deciduous trees. The days are getting warmer, and we are wearing less layers of clothes. So we played this week. With the pink blossoms on the tree by the side of the road. I am hoping to get to an orchard but until then we love pink.

{citrus: sweet and sour}

We have old orange crates that I collected in Brazil from the street markets. When I took those boxes home, my family thought I was crazy. Why would I like an old box? I love the texture, and the story of being from the markets at Brazil. I miss those markets more than I ever would have imagined. So when I pulled these boxes out of the garage, all of my memories of the markets come flooding back to me. My mind wandered, and I was feeling very nostalgic. What started out as a still life of oranges, limes, and lemons turned into a trip down memory lane.

Angie Marie Photographer

{shades of ombre}

When Angie first suggested this theme, I was initially worried. I had no idea what to capture for this theme. I pondered, and knew at some point I would see it. I thought about a rusty old garage that I drive past each day on the way to school. It has many shades of ombre, but it is on private property. I thought about the bark of the eucalyptus tree but I captured gum leaves last week and thought I should look for an alternative.

So I went about my week, and as I walking out the side of my house, I saw the orchid that is blooming. It has two stems, and the flowers are stunning. Instantly, I knew the orchids would be the center piece  in my images this week. I thought about what else I could find around the house, and slowly I began to build on the items for the theme. Somehow, I created a collection of my favourite things: flowers, a cookbook that I love, my first camera with a handmade camera strap, a latte.

I love how this project makes me look at my every day just a little closer. It makes me appreciate the small, and the mundane. To see the wonder of the oddments.

Angie Marie Photographer

{we live here}

The theme this week is {we live here}. I picked this theme because while I  live in Sydney, well Angie lives in Florida. It is a world away, yet we celebrate the beauty of still life photography together.  I wanted to capture where we live in still life. I picked wattle and gum leaves as my subject. Wattle is a winter flower, and it is blooming at the moment. These puffs of yellow fill the trees on every street. The gum leaves I missed when we lived in Brazil. They are home to me.

Angie Marie Photographer

{Three of a kind}.

This week, the theme is three of a kind. I picked pears for no other reason than they are in season. Winter fruits of apples, oranges, mandarins, and pears fill our fruit bowl. Pears have a lovely texture, and a variety of colours.

Angie Marie Photographer 

This month, we enjoyed a short vacation to the Blue Mountains. The Blue Mountains are located 90 minutes outside of the city. They are dotted with village townships filled with antique shops, and tea rooms serving scones and cream. It is a quick escape from the city. The scenery is spectacular. The mountains have a blue hue that seems endless. The eucalyptus trees are thick and dense. The sandstone plateau is a contrast of yellow and browns.

On this day, my husband took our three older children and went walking in the bush. The trails are a steep decent, and we thought the return walk would be a little hard for our youngest. We decided to have our own adventure. We went into a little town called Leura, and enjoyed a lunch of flower-pot scones, and hot chocolate. We then wandered around the little village, and looked at the shops.

We decided to make our way back to our holiday cottage via the tourist drive. We stumbled upon a sign that read; ” The best view in Katoomba”. We stopped the car and went to investigate the truth of this sign. We were adventurers as went to explore the view, and walk on the edge of the plateau. The weather was changing, and the wind was blowing. We only stayed 30 minutes because it was cold. But we didn’t need more than that to decide that the sign was true. It was the best view in Katoomba, and we enjoyed it all to ourselves.

{Something Blue}

To stretch myself creatively, I have been looking around for a project that inspired me to capture less humans and more pretty. Not that humans aren’t pretty, but I wanted to capture the beauty of still life. I love markets, and walks down lanes filled with colour and beauty. I love seeing old doors, and vintage gates. I love the glow of coloured glass  when light shines through the window, and the dust floats by like sparkles. This every day beauty inspires me.

I thought it would be great to have a project that capture this beauty. I thought a lot, and did nothing. I thought some more, and then decided to do something about it. I put my big girl pants on, and reached out to a photographer who I admire greatly. She is the wonderful Angie of Angie Marie Photography. Her still life work is amazing. I asked her if she would be interested in shooting a theme each week, and sharing. She was thrilled that I asked her, and here is our first installment. I think most weeks, I will just share the image. This week I wanted to let you know the reason behind the project “wonder of the oddments”.

Angie Marie Photography