Blog

Our Saturday mornings are so quiet and peaceful. We leisurely enjoy breakfast, read the newspapers, and start our weekend at a snail’s pace. Yes, we do this once in a blue moon. Ha! Seriously, our Saturday mornings are nothing like this. We have swimming lessons, and there is a quick breakfast, a frantic search for goggles, and swimmers. We run out the door, and I hope there is no traffic so we can make it on time. This is the reality, and I tell you this as admirers of my images state that their life is busy, and not as peaceful as mine. My images are calm, and serene. My home must be a tranquil place. I always remind them I have 5 children. Our house is crazy on an ordinary day. I love to document the moments when my family are enjoying time together. I love to tell the story of what they do on a Saturday morning. The moments when they paint a paper mache volcano and braid hair around the kitchen table. They look calm and serene. What you can’t see or hear is the music playing from the iPod. The television blaring in the background, and the messy kitchen. This is why I do photography, and not videos. I work around the mess, and the noise. The squabbles, and the fights. They are left on the cutting room floor so the true story, the one about sibling connection, can shine.

When my children were younger, I loved to dress them in overalls. In summer, they were perfect without a t-shirt. In winter, they were perfect with a body suit. Until they reached the toilet training stage, when overalls and buckles could lead to an accident, this is how I loved to dress my babies. They are long past this stage, and I have this nostalgic feeling when I see a baby in overalls. Oh mummy moment!

I am not sure if my daughter knows of my secret clothing passion.  While were out shopping recently, she saw a pair of denim overalls, and oohed and awed.  I  didn’t take too much convincing, and the overalls were added to the shopping basket with a pair for her sister.

The next day she wore them, and I loved how they looked like childhood on her. As fate would have it, her older sister asked if she could braid her hair. Usually her answer is no, but on this day she agreed. I could not miss this opportunity to capture this chapter of her childhood. I asked my other daughter to join us to take photos on an old bridge that I had recently discovered. She didn’t want to get changed, and I will admit to bribery in the form of ice-cream if she would change into her overalls, and brush her hair. Of course she agreed, and when we arrived at the old bridge both of my girls wondered how I find these secret locations. I smiled, and said that sometimes I take the long way home. Sometimes, I make time to see what is down the path. They smiled and said they where ready for that promised ice-cream. Oh, yes they never let me forget. Quickly, I returned to the real world and captured them exploring the bridge. It was a lovely winter’s afternoon, and that promised ice-cream was worth the price to tell this story.

Sometimes with my 30 minutes in the life sessions I have a plan. Sometimes it happens before me and I go with it. Sometimes it is a combination; I have a plan but it changes, and I go with it. This is what happened early in June. We went in to the city for the Vivid Light Show. It is a beautiful way to showcase Sydney and the Opera House at night-time. I had visions of my 30 minutes including the lights, and my family exploring the city.

We rugged up in jackets, and loaded everyone in the car. We arrived a little before sunset, and decided to walk around the harbour until it was dark. We walked down to Dawes Point. I love this spot. I have captured a 30 minutes session here before. I love the Opera House, the Harbour Bridge, and the water. I love the boats, the skyline, and the fact that I am a tourist. As we sat looking at the view, the kids noticed the food vans. They decided they were hungry for dinner, even though it was early. We decided it was a great idea, and ran with it. They ordered noodles, and we sat down on a brick wall. Then my plan for my 30 minutes changed. I could not resist capturing this moment. This is the best view in the world. The sun was setting, and the colours in the sky were brilliant. As we finished our noodles, we continued our walk. The sky was vivid, and I realized that though I had planned on capturing a light show, natures version was way better.

Karen of Karen Hunt Photography is next in the blog circle. Click on the link to see her 30 minutes in the life

Welcome to Flothemes Demos. This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start blogging!

Welcome to Flothemes Demos. This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start blogging!

Last year, we moved into a new home. Our children jumped with joy. Not only did they love the house, but in their eyes this meant a puppy. Yes, we had promised the kids a puppy when we found our new home. It is strange what we promise in moments of change, but they never let us forget this promise. It was a constant conversation around the dinner table. Now, the emotional Mum in me wanted to fulfill this promise, but the practical Mum said, “Are we crazy?” A new home and a new puppy don’t go together.

And, we are definitely crazy. This is not the first time that crazy has won, while practical Mum shakes her head in the background. I wish I could say our puppy was the best in the world. I wish practical Mum didn’t complain about the shoes that he has chewed, and the garden hoses that are no more. I wish I could say house training was a breeze, and that he doesn’t jump up on the table to eat the left over breakfast cereal. I wish I could say the kids play and walk  him everyday, as they promised around the dinner table. I can’t. It is as bad as practical Mum thought it would be, and emotional Mum can do nothing but clean up the trail of mess.

Then I see moments of this. This beautiful friendship that is blossoming. They spend time together every day. They sit together and she talks.  She plays with him, and he listens to her. We call on her to calm him down. We call on her to feed him, and bath him. She always responds with a  “yes”. Their friendship is important to her. And so while practical Mum may complain and whine, emotional Mum smiles, and knows that our crazy decision was right.

At the beginning of the year, I won the lifestyle category of the “Black and White Child Photo Competition.” You can see all the winners by clicking on this link.  My prize was a subscription to Animoto Pro, which is an online video maker. I made my first video, and my first impressions are “WOW!” Unbelievably easy. I have used other video making software, and the end product was never worth the effort. I used the images from the recently published gallery, “she took the long way home“, and created a video about what inspires me. Eek!

At the beginning of the year, I won the lifestyle category of the “Black and White Child Photo Competition.” You can see all the winners by clicking on this link.  My prize was a years subscription to Animoto Pro, which is an online video maker. I made my first video, and my first impressions are “WOW!” Unbelievably easy. I have used other video making software, and the end product was never worth the effort. I used the images from the recently published gallery, “she took the long way home“, and created a video about what inspires me. Eek!

There are times, only occasionally, when I become a tad obsessed with photography. I think about the project that I am working on, a blog post that I need to write, an email that I need to answer for a price quote, an idea for a series of images in the Australian bush that I would love to start. Sometimes, the thoughts bubble up, over, round, and round. I get lost in these thoughts, and feel overwhelmed with this noise.

My best work is never captured when I am this frantic. It is captured spontaneously, and in the moment. These thoughts, and the over thinking of  ideas, are not a healthy sign. I know I need to pull back. I know I need to put the camera away for a little while, and refocus my thoughts. I know I need a distraction or two to keep the creativity for my photography fresh and new. If I don’t step back, well eventually I will look at my work with an overly critical eye and want to delete all the images from my memory card.

I think as artists we are completely drawn to being creative, but we need to create balance. An élite athlete does not only train in one way. They cross train, and have a varied fitness program. As artists, we don’t have the luxury of a coach or team to suggest a break in our routine. To change the scenery, and leave the camera behind.  We need to look for these signals ourselves, and know when the time is right for a variation in our photography program.

Recently, I sat enjoying my first cup of  coffee on an early Sunday morning. Next to me, sat my daughter who was colouring. She has a wooden box of  “Faber Castell” coloured pencils that she received for her birthday a few years ago. She loves to colour, and it is her way to be creative. As I sat watching her, I thought about how it is a joy we share. I loved it as a child as well. I spent many hours colouring, and then I pondered why I had stopped. At what point did I push the pencils aside. I can’t remember why or when but realized I should start again. I asked my daughter if I could use one of the pages in her colouring books, and she agreed. I sat in the morning light,  selected the picture,  and picked up a yellow pencil.  I coloured until the picture was complete, until there was no white left on the page.  I chatted with my daughter but mostly the only sound was of the pencil on the page.  It was peaceful.

As we happily coloured, my family woke and sleepily wandered into the kitchen. They were amused to see me colouring and not editing on the computer. They smiled, and said my drawing was pretty. In that moment, I knew I had rekindled a love that was once important to me. I knew I had a variation for my photography program, one that allowed me to be creative but was a complete escape from my camera. One that rejuvenate the  creativity for my photography, and one I look forward to each Sunday morning.

Last week, we went to the Curry Festival in Castle Hill. My husband’s mother was visiting, and we thought we would get some yummy food, and experience a little culture. The whole family piled into the car and of course I took my camera. I thought I could capture some beautiful images with the colours of traditional Indian dress, and the food on a street in Sydney. I was going to do my best at capturing some street photography.

We were not the only ones to have this idea. The street was packed, and not just a bit busy. It was overflowing. We walked our way through the crowd, and by the time we got to the end of the stalls, our mouths were drooling. How could we conquer the crowd and keep all 8 of us together? We found a place to sit, on the sidewalk. We took it in turns to join the lines, and try this delicious food. The wait was worth it. My butter chicken and Naan bread were delicious.

Once my belly was satisfied, I remembered my camera. But walking through the crowd with a camera was near impossible. All I could capture was the back of someone’s head. Plus pausing to capture any of the details was an impossibility. The crowd was patient but not willing to wait while this photographer captured the colour of the spices, or the pretty Sari for sale.

So I stayed with my family, knowing that  every trip out doesn’t need to be a photo session. While we waited for the boys, my girls talked their Nanny in to buying a bubble gun. They know a visiting Nanny is a soft touch for buying a toy when Mum will say, “No”. They played with the bubble gun on the street. They laughed at the huge number of bubbles that sprayed out of the gun. Finally, it got the better of me, and I pulled my camera out of its bag. Their laughter, and silly antics was too much for this Mum to resist. So, while I came with my camera to capture Sari and colour, I ended up with bubbles and laughter.