Blog

A visit from our Grandparents is always special in our house. Our families are spread out across the map of Australia. There are days when I wish we lived closer. I have wished and wished. But mostly I  accept that this is just the way it is. We are grateful for every visit. We make sure to  catch up on all the hugs, and kisses we miss during the year. Last weekend, there was much excitement in our house as my parents and my husband’s Mum visited at the same time. It wasn’t planned; it just worked out that way. We never say no to a visit, and so our house was full and over flowing. It was lovely.

We decided to visit Bobbin Head, which is located in Ku-Ring-Gai National Park. Bobbin Head is our one of favourite places to visit. It is close to our home, and we find something new to visit each time. It is a jewel in the city of Sydney. The weather was chilly, but we wanted to get out of the house for a while and explore together. We went for a simple walk.

As we walked, I realized my children are growing up. I know, they are growing all the time. We buy new clothes, and shoes as they grow out of the old ones. Sometimes, we just unpack the shopping bags with new shoes, and they say the shoes no longer fit. We see our children every day.  But then we really see.  It kind of knocks you off your feet, and you feel winded. It is not a bad feeling, more like “HOLY GUACAMOLE BATMAN!”  We see that they are as tall as their grandparents. We see that they no longer need to reach up to hold their hand. We see that when they hug each other, my children’s arms are wrapped around my parents, rather than the other way round.

As we walked, the memories of our adventures when my children were much smaller came flooding back. I realized the dynamics in my family have changed. It is a natural evolution, and one that is beautiful. My children stand shoulder to shoulder with my parents. Even the little ones are no longer babies. We are past the baby/toddler stage. We are in tween/teenage stage. I know many of us are scared about this stage, we face it with fear and foreboding. But I truly love it. I love the conversations we have. I love the laughter and jokes we share. Of course, we have our days of squabbles, and fighting. But on this day, we walked. I breathed in this moment. This moment that was just a walk with our grandparents, but meant so much more to me. I know the images that I take the next time we walk together will be different. I know the stories we share will be different, but for now I breathed in this moment and enjoyed 30 minutes in the life with a walk.

Now follow the link to see what happen in the world of  Sharleen N. Stuart Photography / South Florida Photographer this month.

We woke up on Saturday morning. We were unsure what to do. We didn’t have any plans but it was the last weekend before school went back after the Easter vacation. The weather was sunny, and cloudy, and windy. Yep, it wasn’t making up its mind either. It made us realize that Summer was over, and Autumn was here. We decided to make one last dash to the beach. We picked a beach we had planned to visit all Summer but never made it. It is Bondi. The iconic beach in Sydney. The beach were all the tourists visit for a day and say “I went to Bondi. The place were all the famous Australians like to live. The beach were backpackers live for 3 months, and work in the city restaurants.

At the top of my bucket list is to walk along the coastal walk between Bondi and Bronte. It is one of the most famous walks in Sydney. I have wanted to do this since returning to Australia. I love these little adventures that we can go on as a family. They are the way we connect as a family. We have a busy life, and spending time together on an adventure, walking and exploring is the way we share our time as a family. It is our connection. We enjoy each more when we are exploring. They don’t always want to go when we suggest it. Most of the time we need to push them to do it. But they always love it. And this day was no exception. This is 30 minutes in Bondi. It is 30 minutes of my bucket list. It is 30 minutes of time together as a family.

Now follow the link to see the 30 minutes in the life of Sonia Epple Fotografie | Augsburg/Bavaria/Germany.Her work is amazing.

My daughter approached me with that look. The look that you know will be soon followed by  a request. Whether it is a lift to a friend’s house, money to go to the movies or a trip to the shops to get something for school that was needed yesterday. Honestly, I paused and braced myself. The request that followed was not at all what I anticipated. She asked me to take her and her best friend to the beach to watch the sunrise. I looked at her, and I was unsure of where this request was coming from. She then went on to tell me about the bucket list her friend had created. Her sweet friend had made this list to celebrate the life of a  family friend who had recently passed away. She died unexpectedly, and all too early. In her sadness, she realized this lady was an adventurous person, and she was inspired to step out of her comfort zone.  She wrote a list of things she would like to do to honour this woman. At the top was watch a sunrise.

My family and I had watched the sun rise this summer and I blogged about it for my 30 minutes in the life in January. My daughter knew I would be open to this adventure and she volunteered my services. I didn’t pause to answer my daughter and  said “yes” straight away. I could not think of a better way to help heal her friend’s sadness, and to celebrate life.

Now follow along to Kelly  of 4fishesphotos who made a trip to the city just recently. This is her 30 minutes in the life

The “beauty of  motherhood project” has filled my heart with joy over the last few months. I have captured gorgeous Mums and their sweet children. They have let me into their homes. They have shared their favourite places to play. They have shown love and connection in front of a camera. They have played, tickled, danced, and cajoled to be involved in this project. I have learnt so much along the way about myself, and about the beauty of projects. It is a great way to be inspired and create. Here are a few things that I have learnt:

1) Set a measurable goal

You have this idea that is bouncing around in your head. It flips and flops but keeps popping up. To help you pin it down, write down the idea. Visualize what the project will look like, and create a vision for the project. This can be as simple as writing it down on a piece of paper and brainstorming all the ideas that you have. Dream big, and include everything. Brainstorm until you can brainstorm no more. Then set yourself measurable goals. When you measure your progress, you stay on track, and reach your target dates. To determine if your goal is measurable, ask questions such as  How much? How many? When? Where? There are many blog posts and articles that discuss SMART goals, so jump on google and have a quick read. This will help you create a strong foundation for your project. The time for lofty ideas has past.

2) Create a standard 

Whether you are a professional or an amateur, you should set a standard for your project. By that I mean all the details of the project, and what you hope to achieve with the project. Knowing how to present your project, and ultimately your photography, will help you deliver the same level to each participant in the project. Decide at the beginning the what, why, when, and hows. Be very specific about the details and take the time to set this up in the planning stage. You will thank yourself later when your project gathers momentum.

For me, I am new to Sydney and my network is very small. I wanted to start mouths talking about my photography, and my creativity. I decided not to charge  the participants for being involved in the project, and that each participant would receive digital images. I decided on a list of questions that I would ask each participant so I could create a portrait session that reflects their family. I created a pdf which outlines all the details of the project, and sent it to each Mother. Of course, I have tweaked these details along the way, but mostly all  were sorted out in the beginning.

3) Dare Greatly. 

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”

You are the best person to represent your project. You will love it the most. There will be people who like it, even love it, but you will love it the most. So you are the best person to sell your project, and you will need to “dare greatly” to make your project a reality. I have “dared greatly” for my project, and I have grown from this experience. I am a natural introvert, and I have had to step outside my comfort zone. I needed participants for my project, and like I said, I am new to Sydney. I know no-one, and  I have had to reach out to people who I have never met. I first approached the Mums in my daughter’s class, and a few agreed.  I then joined a FB group of local Mums, and after watching the site for a while to learn the rules, I approached the admins of the group and asked if I could post a Model Call. The response was great. Each step was hard work for me, and it would have been much easier for me to not take that step. But each time I felt the need to hide under my rock, I would read this quote. I am still daring greatly as I approach magazines, and photography sites to publish my project. Yes, I have had knock backs, and “Thank you but not at this time”  but I am daring greatly and I keep holding on to that.

4) Share a little bit about yourself

As photographers, we are very comfortable behind the camera. Maybe we are too comfortable, and  stepping out from behind the lens may not come natural to you but it will help your project. Sharing the real you  with the participants helps to reduce any stress they feel about being in front of the camera. I don’t mean your “about me” page either. You need to be vulnerable, and share the real you.

I have just read ” Daring Greatly: How the Courage to be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead” by Brene Brown. It is an awesome read, and I highly recommend it.  I took her sage advice, and shared a very personal post at the beginning of my project. I pressed publish on this blog post, and knew I could drop it afterwards. But the response was amazing, and now I share this post with every participant before we meet for our session together. I have found that each Mum is just a little less stressed about our session when we meet, and we quickly feel comfortable with each other.

5) Keep moving forward

Lastly, do something every day towards your project. It may just be 5 minutes on some days, but by working constantly and consistently on your project you will keep moving forward. In the beginning, you can create an information pdf or create a gallery  from your current images. You can search online for images that inspire you. You can create a contact list and ask for volunteers. You can join local FB groups. Create a to-do list, and “just keep swimming”. Once you have volunteers you can respond to emails, edit images, and most importantly create beautiful images. I have no idea about the number of hours that I have put into this project. I know each family is between 4-6  hours of communication, session, editing, and blogging. And I have loved every minute.

This week,  I have struggled. Big time. There have been no disasters, and in the scheme of life, my woes are small. I have a happy marriage, healthy children, a beautiful home, and food on the table. I am grateful for all that I have but I felt like a failure this week. There have been tears, anger, and a feeling like I am treading water or barely staying afloat.

It started when I stood on the scales to weigh myself. Gah! I am participating in the Michelle Bridges 12 week challenge, and I have followed it to the letter. I have worked out every morning, and enjoyed the healthy menu. However, over the last 3 weeks I have only lost 600 grams in total, and last week I didn’t lose any weight. Not even a point of something. I was devastated. The tears flowed, and I stood almost paralyzed looking at the same ugly number on the scales.  Then I sighed, jumped off the scales, and went to do my workout for the day. I didn’t enjoy it. I just did it. I cried on and off all day.  I fluctuated between rational thought, and very emotional thoughts. It was a long day. The next day, my emotions were a little more stable. The workout was ticked off my to-do list. Again, I didn’t enjoy it. In fact, I swore at the video out of frustration with my lack of coördination. But I did it, and I realized I didn’t need to enjoy it. I just had to do it.

On top of this, my photography business is stagnant. I really want to run a profitable business, and it was a personal goal when we moved to Sydney.  I have been busy with the beauty of motherhood project . It is filling my heart with joy, and  I have met beautiful Mothers and their children. But the business is not bringing in money. I work hard at my photography. I have won awards, and receive lots of beautiful comments.  I have advertised, and marketed, and still my page sits at the bottom of google. I am not achieving this goal that I set myself. I feel like a failure.

As luck would have it,  I had a brunch date with my husband on Friday. Over poached eggs and fruit salad, he asked me how I was doing after my bumpy week. We talked my feelings of failure. He gave me lots of encouragement with my weight goals, and said my body shape was changing. He said that it might not be reflected on the scales, but I look healthier in my skin and face. He then  said something that made me pause. He reminded me that I was looking at the end goal, and I had not reached this point yet. He said I am working hard to reach my goals, and eventually I will get there. I can give up now, and let these feelings of failure overwhelm me or I can keep trying. He also reminded me that  I have moved the goal posts with my photography journey. When I started I wanted to capture emotion filled, graceful,  and colourful images. My goal was to see the beauty in the ordinary, and create images that show  connection and love. All of which I am achieving, with awards and features on many photography blogs. Somewhere along the way, I have started to measure my success as a photographer by dollars. My frustration about the business side was impacting my creativity, and creating these feelings of failure. Yep, he is  a smart man.

In her book “Daring Greatly”, Brene Brown discusses hope. She says that hope isn’t an emotion but a way of thinking. It is a cognitive process  that is a “combination of setting goals, having the tenacity and perseverance to pursue them, and believing in our own abilities. Hope is Plan B”. I read this line at my children’s swimming lessons yesterday and I nearly cried all over again. I was missing hope, and focusing on “failure”. Clearly, I need to change my focus to hope and  a “Plan B”, and let these feelings of failure wash away. I have my goals, and I have the tenacity and perseverance to pursue them, now all I need is to believe in my own abilities. I am half way up the mountain, and I need to pause to enjoy the view. I have not reached the top yet, but I believe in my ability to be a healthier version of me, and as a successful photographer. I need to be patient, and keep working hard.  Something inside tells me to keep going, to keep moving forward. I am not giving up yet. And I hope that if you are dealing with feelings of failure that you create your plan of hope, and keep moving forward.

This month, we went to a local Eco garden. It was a simple garden to walk and explore with my girls. Really, it was just to get out of the house for a while on Saturday as the rest of the family were busy with sport and friends. But as we walked around, I really noticed the closeness of my two youngest. They are physically, and emotionally close. They are almost 4 years apart in age, but we treat them almost like twins. I buy similar clothes, and they share a bedroom. They spend a lot of time together, and thankfully they want to. They have similar friends, and even play together as school. They fight, and they are most upset when one offends the other. They suffer through the hurt of  their other siblings, but it is when they hurt each other that I see a real sadness. It is a very unique, and beautiful relationship.

As we explored, I was also working on a challenge. I am involved in a group called Click Clique Project. Once a fortnight, we partner with a photographer from around the world. We get to know them a little better, and  we participate in challenges to spark our creativity. This challenge was to use your least favourite lens. For me, it is my 105mm. I love this lens, but it is slow to focus, and usually when I have a moving target, I prefer my 50mm. My partner was the lovely Anita of My Three Sons Images whose freelensing work I just adore. She inspired me to free lens with my 50mm as well.

Afterward as I went through the images, the different lenses and shooting style helped me to capture their story. To show the connection, and relationship  they share. They are sisters, friends, and  I am grateful to watch this relationship grow and blossom. This is 30 minutes in an Eco garden.

Now follow the link to see Karen of Karen Hunt Photography l Remington, Virginia Photographer and her 30 minutes in the life this month.

My colour of life project is on hold this week. I am sharing with you another project which is my black and white project. I have called this one {together} and these are images of my family together. These are not portraits, but ordinary moments in our chaotic day. They are moments that the light or the shadows fall beautifully. They are moments when you stumble upon your daughters enjoying a cuddle. They are moments when they are together, just being, and enjoying each other’s company.

Last year for Christmas I printed images of my family for my parents. When I went through all the images that I took last year, it was the unposed and natural images with my children {together} that I loved. This Mama’s heart skipped a beat when I saw the connection that is growing and developing right before my eyes but I don’t always see. Sometimes, the noise of sibling rivalry and the “he said…she said” can be louder then the love share. Focusing on these moments together has made it easier to see the relationships they share {together}

This is also a project that I edit in Black and white. I love colour, but I also love a moody black and white. I just couldn’t imagine a year without a black and white, so that is how my {together} project evolved.

Now visit Indira Klotzer Photography to see her world this week.

This month, I have focused on the colours of blue, orange and yellow. These are colours that I associate with summer. In the back of my mind, I kept asking the question, “Why? Why do these colours remind me of summer?” I went searching and found that blue is the most liked colour. Orange is either loved or loathed. Yellow is the first colour our eyes see. Blue and orange/yellow are complementary colours. They are opposite colours on the wheel and create the strongest contrast when placed next to each other.  These facts didn’t really answer my question. I kept looking and found that Van Gogh used these colours in his painting  “Café Terrace on the Place du Forum, Arles, 1888”. They also played a big part in his sunflower series.

However, it wasn’t until we went to the beach at sunrise that my question was answered. As the sun rose over the ocean, the three colours that jumped out at me were blue, yellow and orange. This was natures canvas, and I watched these colours dance before me. Blue! The colour of the sky, and the water. Yellow! The colour of the sand and the sun. Orange! The colour of sun, and the haze in the sky. The colours of my summer.

These colours have popped into my vision all month. I am a little sad, and a little scared to move on.  But move on I must. For the month of February, I am capturing the colours red, pink and white….the colours of love.

Now follow the link to see amazing images by Through My Lens by Jenny

This month I asked the question, ” Do you want to wake up at 4.30am, drive to the beach, and watch the sunrise?”. And yes, there was a looong pause before they tentatively answered “Sure!”. I asked them individually, not as a collective. I knew I had to divide and conquer, or they would say “no” to Mum’s crazy idea. My girls and I had enjoyed a similar experience here, and I wanted to share a Sydney sunrise with my whole family.

With my tentative “yes'”, I ran with the idea, and before they knew what was happening, the family was waking up at 4.30am.  We drove to the Northern beaches to arrive just as the sun was kissing the horizon. We watched as the sun grew, and the light  danced on  the water. We climbed the rock plateau and got as close to the horizon as possible. It was worth the early alarm to see this stunning light. The kids jumped around with an excitement only a beautiful sunrise can create.

After watching the sunrise, we ran on the beach. We enjoyed a breakfast picnic, and then went for a swim. We walked on the rocks, and we built sand castles.  As our  morning came to an end, the rest of Sydney was  just arriving to start their  day at the beach. And we left tired, sun-kissed, and filled with gratitude for a beautiful morning. This is 30 minutes at sunrise.

Now follow the link to see 30 minutes in the life of Meagan Dwyer / Meagan Dwyer Photography, Westchester County NY. Meagan is new to the 30 minutes blog circle and I can’t wait to see what she capture. Her work is amazing.

I was a little unsure about starting another 365 project as the year ended. My children, who have been  patient while I have followed my passion, have started grumbling when I pull the camera out. It is one thing for me to want to capture our daily life, but another to be the one in the pictures. I don’t want them to feel like I am always behind a camera. But I have learnt so much by shooting daily, and I have grown as a person by following what I love. I needed a different approach.

In December, I started a red and green project. It helped me stay creative while we moved house. I received a lot of positive comments and some even said they loved seeing what I see. I am truly grateful for every message that I receive.  This idea of capturing more than just my children started to bubble, and “The colour of life” project was born.

Truly, I am still taking this one day at a time. I am making this up as I go along. One thing that I do believe is this quote:

“he who seeks beauty will find  it ” ~ Bill Cummingham

When I started the red and green project, I was seeing those two colours all over the place….of course it helped that it was Christmas. I wasn’t sure if the same thing would happen when I picked the colours “blue, orange and yellow…the colours of summer”. As January started, I was nervous. I mean what if I didn’t see these colours? What would I do? I think I was ready to give up on the whole idea by day 3.  I just told myself to have faith, and  if blue, orange and yellow suddenly took a summer holiday well the world would forgive me. However, the eye is marvelous and when we “seek beauty”, it puts up it’s hand and waves “hello”. The colour of my life has been blue, orange and yellow and I will continue with these colours until the end of January.

Now follow this link to Erica of Erica E Photography and see the colour of her life.