12/1/2010 Roger's post...
Capel, WA

Some days (we have all had these) you just can't take it anymore...you have to get away...maybe talk to someone, clear your head...get a fresh perspective on life...

How do I do this, you might ask? Well it normally involves jumping on Black Betty (that's my Harley by the way - not some creature I keep locked up in the garden shed) and going for a good long ride...You know, the wind in my face, the tarmac whizzing past my feet...just me and the road (ever wondered what a dog feels like when he sticks his head out the car window?)

So today I decided to visit some old friends in a little country town not too far from where I live. They are mostly a friendly bunch but most importantly they never give me a reason to leave without a smile on my face. Here then is a little tribute to my friends in Gnomesville...

Dodge

Click the image below to view the slideshow!

If I had my child to raise over again
Diana Loomans

This poem sits right next to my computer screen and I look at it every day.

When life gets chaotic, when there aren't enough hours in the day, when my work/kids balance gets out of whack - I read this poem, take a deep breath, and try to get my priorities straight again.

Enjoy!
K x

If I had my child to raise over again,

I'd finger paint more, and point the finger less.

I'd do less correcting, and more connecting.

I'd take my eyes off my watch, and watch with my eyes.

I would care to know less, and know to care more.

I'd take more hikes and fly more kites.

I'd stop playing serious, and seriously play.

I'd run through more fields, and gaze at more stars.

I'd do more hugging, and less tugging.

I would be firm less often, and affirm much more.

I'd build self-esteem first, and the house later.

I'd teach less about the love of power,

And more about the power of love.

17/12/2009 Kirsty + Roger
Capel, WA

Nine years today...
Happy Anniversary Dodge

K x

20/11/2009
Capel, WA

36 Years today - Thanks for having me Mum & Dad!

K x

Singapore

Roger is back from Singapore with lots of gorgeous kids portraits - I will get some up on the blog very soon!

Below are a few of his "day off" photos.

Enjoy!

K x

Zebras

I know they're zebras.
They know they're zebras.
But to everyone else they're just some weird-looking donkeycowdog.

Don't you just love dress up days at school?

These are my little ones on their way to school today...

K x

International Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day

Have you noticed the icon at the side of this blog page for Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep? It's an international organisation which provides free photography for families who have suffered the loss of their baby. Gentle heirloom photographs of these beautiful babies are an important part of the healing process. They allow families to honour and cherish their babies, and share the spirits of their lives.

Roger and I are proud to be volunteer photographers for NILMDTS. On this special day of remembrance we would like to thank all of the families we've met over the past few years through NILMDTS for allowing us to create images of their precious babies. It is an honour to share in your children's lives and we are grateful to have had the privilege of knowing them.

With love,
K x

Photographers vs Fauxtographers

Our local newspaper recently featured an article which I found very interesting, and a little sad. It was titled "Wedding photos not up to scratch" and the aim of the article was to warn couples that "WA Consumer Protection has had four complaints about wedding photographers in the South West in the last six months, primarily about the quality of the photos".

This is not news to us.

Roger and I often receive frantic calls from brides whose wedding photographers have handed over images or files which are poorly exposed, out of focus, or just plain awful, and they want to know if there's any way we can "fix" them.

It's always hard to tell them - No.

It doesn't matter how much photoshop you throw at a bad image, you can never turn it into a good one.

The article goes on to give tips on choosing a wedding photographer - get recommendations, get a written quote, ask to see a portfolio... all good ideas. Here are a few of my own tips on how to tell a photographer from a fauxtographer (I'm going to use the term he to make it easier, but I mean he or she!):

1. "He has a website and a big camera - he must be a good photographer"

Not necessarily! Type "photographers website templates" into Google and you'll see how easy it is to make yourself look like a great photographer on the web. What you really want to see is that he is able to take consistently good photos at a wedding from start to finish. The only way to do that is to look at complete wedding albums. It's easy to fake it with a handful of OK images from a wedding...but if a photographer isn't willing to display entire wedding albums, something's not right.

2. Experience vs Work experience

Make sure that your photographer is experienced! You will spend so much time, effort and expense planning your wedding - don't let a fauxtographer use you for "work experience"! One of the most important things a photographer needs to know is how to deal with different lighting situations. Outdoor Southwest weddings require particular skill as the lighting can vary from harsh sunlight, to dappled light, to low light. If he doesn't understand light, and doesn't have the experience under his belt to deal with it appropriately, it will show in his images.

3. Membership of the Austrailian Institute of Professional Photography.

Perhaps I should have put this as number one because it's fairly important. These days, cameras are so good that alot of the "skill" has gone out of photography - just take a thousand photos and you're sure to end up with at least one good one! Anyone can buy themselves an expensive camera, make a groovy website, hang up a sign and call themselves a photographer. It's easy...and scary. For a photographer to become a member of the Australian Institute of Professional Photography they must meet a set of criteria - have been working full time as a photographer for at least two years, have their images and finished albums appraised and approved by two accredited members of the AIPP, and they must agree to adhere to a professional code of conduct. It is possible to be a brilliant photographer and not be a member of the AIPP - I'm just advising that couples do their homework. If your photographer isn't an AIPP member, ask him why.

4. Awards. Everyone's got em!

Almost every photographer advertises themselves as an "award winning photographer" so these days awards don't really mean much...unless you educate yourself on how the awards are judged and by whom...and really, who has the time to do that?

Here's my explanation of the Australian Institute of Professional Photography Awards system (but if you really want to understand it fully take a look here):

Each state holds an annual print competition with various categories (wedding, portrait, commercial, landscape, illustrative) to which entrants can submit a portfoilio. Winners of each category earn a title such as "2009 WA Wedding Photographer of the Year" (hey, that's me!). State competitions do not award silvers or golds (although some photographers misleadingly promote themselves as having won silvers at state awards) - images are judged as they would be at national level, giving the photographer an indication of how their image may have scored nationally.

At the national level photographers submit just four images per year to win points (silvers and golds) which accumulate to earn honours (Associate [that's me], Master of Photography [that's Roger, with 3 gold bars, which means he has earned Master of Photography status 4 times], Grand Master). Some photographers earn one silver and call themselves "award winning photographers"...which is true...BUT...the real skill is to achieve consistently high standards every year - not just let one silver award be your claim to fame.

AIPP awards are not easy to win.

If your photographer is an "award winning" photographer ask him - what awards have you won?

5. Lastly, a piece of advice from my Dad...

Never trust a man with dirty shoes.

Hopefully that helps someone out there to stay away from those Southwest photographers that people are complaining about.

K x

P.S. Just to reward you for reading this far, a photo of our 6 year olds enjoying their new swing

Enjoy!

K x

10/9/2009 Back to work

I've had a grin on my face for almost a week now. It was such a thrill to have my name read out as the 2009 WA Wedding Photographer of the Year. Here's my 3 second grammy award speech:

Thankyou Roger for being my teacher, critic, husband and for printing my images so beautifully. Any photographic skills I have are because of you...and even though I now have a huge ego I will still carry your bags.

Thankyou also to the gorgeous brides who appear in the winning portfolio .

OK...back to work.

Click on the pics below to see what we've been up to lately - I'm not sure which is more cute - the babies or the puppies!

Enjoy!

K x

The Love Boat...or The eat-until-you-explode Boat?

A few weeks back Roger and I braved the threat of swine flu and joined our friends, fellow-photographers Warren and Maureen Bellette, on a cruise aboard The Sun Princess.

We've never really been excited about the idea of cruising but thought it would be the perfect way to force ourselves to relax and put our feet up for a change - which we did...


The food was fantastic - the amount of it was obscene. You could eat all day, every day if you really wanted to. I found myself feeling like Mr Creosote in the Monty Python sketch - "Come on Madame...just one more mouthful...it's only waffer-thin" KaBOOM!

The best part of the trip was (shopping in Singapore and) having our friends there for company. Here we are on board before we all ate too much!



K x

24/7/2009 Great moments in history

Everyone has days that they will hold in their heart forever...days that will always be remembered fondly with a lump in your throat and a tear in your eye.

Roger and I would like to share some of our special days with you.



It's so good to be back in the land of technology.

Andrew, the amazingly gifted computer nerd (and I mean that in a good way) from Platinum Computer Services came in today and hooked up all TEN of our computers to the internet and sorted out our PHONE!!

So now, after many months and multiple fights with the big company that starts with Tel and ends with stra, you can email and call us and we will actually answer...unbelievable, but true!

Thanks to all of our clients who have been so patient while we've been in limbo. Roger and I will be working extra hard over the next few weeks to catch up on all of your orders and emails.

Thanks also to one of our beautiful brides, Kell, who offered to help us get the phones sorted out - luckily the threat of taking our story to Channel Nine worked!

Get ready for lots of posts...

Kx

Technology + moving = one huge headache

So, we're in our new studio a few days ago and it's quiet...spooky quiet...and then I realise - the phone's not ringing.

I ring the studio from my mobile and hear "The number you have called has been disconnected". Great - the phone number redirection hasn't worked.

I call telstra and sort it out.

Then I'm told that the new phone and internet line which we've been waiting to have activated at our new studio will take another month to connect because there are no more available lines in our street. Joy!

So if you've been emailing us and wondering why we haven't contacted you, now you know.

We are in technological purgatory.

All I have to communicate with is this god-awful wireless connection on my laptop which keeps shutting down on me for no particular reason, and my mobile which has almost non-existent reception inside the studio.

So for the next little while you can expect your emails to remain unanswered for longer than usual. It's probably best if you contact me by phone - 0412 298 841. I'll end up speaking to you from a field outside the studio but at least you wont be waiting for a reply email for the next four weeks!

Ahhh telstra...I love you guys.

K x

3/4/2009 We have a new house...and a new studio!

Finally, after a long, LONG time building, our new home/studio is complete.

Get your paint brush out Dodgee, I've got a little job for you to do...

K x

!! New ENVY Website!!

Whenever I hear people tell me they've seen our website I cringe - it's old, tired and impossible to update.

NOT ANY MORE BABY!!

I've made a new one. It almost killed me, but it's done. And it's cool.

Take a look

http://www.envywebsite.com/

Then email me to tell me how awesome I am. Go on...you know you want to...

Enjoy!

K x

P.S. We really would love to hear your thoughts - send me a quickie to let me know whats great or what sucks about it and I'll be your friend - thanks! K x

Front page news...

You may have heard a strange sound on Monday morning - it was me screaming "WOO HOOOOO! THE HOLIDAYS ARE OVER!!"

It's interesting to see that the local community newspaper is just as excited as I am about our twins going back to school!

K x


image courtesy of The Busselton-Dunsborough Mail - Photographer/Reporter Meredith Dixon

Roger's new baby - Harley Fat Bob!

Roger must have been a very good boy last year - look what he got from Santa...



Coming soon to a wedding near you... (maybe not - but it sure would raise a few eyebrows!)





Photographs taken in beautiful Augusta - is this place sweet or what!!

Special thanks to Paul from Southwest Harley-Davidson for secretly delivering the bike before Xmas to give Roger the best surprise ever. The reaction when he opened the garage door was priceless...

So, why a Harley-Davidson? Because they're the best.
The unmistakable sound
The legendary looks
The timeless style...

Just like our clients, we want the best.

K x

29/12/2000 Kirsty + Roger
Central Otago, New Zealand

For our second eighth wedding anniversary (yes, you read it right!) our 12 year old daughter shot these portraits of us. It's really unusual for Roger and I to both be in a photo together and she did a great job - I love them! Thanks Brookie-babe!

K x

17/12/2000 Kirsty + Roger
Perth, WA & Central Otago, NZ

Yes, it's our wedding anniversary!

Roger and I met 12 years ago in his studio when he shot my portraits, which is really cool...it means that I have photos of myself from the first day we saw each other. No wonder he liked me - I looked HOT!



Once I had Roger well and truly hooked, I proposed to him - in the middle of a fancy restaurant on one knee so that he was too embarrassed to say "no"!

So he agreed to marry me (just to get me up off the floor) and then we had not one, but TWO weddings. The first on this day in Perth with our friends and my family and the second on the 29th December in New Zealand with Roger's family.

Even though white wedding dresses are beautiful I see an awful lot of them...so my dress was grey and black. I still love it, and put it on every now and then just to dance around the house.


Our baby Brookie was the little flower girl

Happy Anniversary Dodge!

Kx

The Clark Family Holiday

OK. So these aren't going to be our next award-winning images (although some of Roger's landscapes are pretty nice) but just indulge me for a minute.

I've always wanted to go to Disneyland since I was a little girl so Roger and I decided to inflict my childhood dreams on our kids and made them come to Hong Kong Disneyland with us.

They liked it almost as much as we did!

Enjoy!

Alexi and I loved the flight...








Georgie's idea of sight seeing...


Alexi on the Disney train with Aunty Ali










The highlight of Alexi's trip


Me and Brooklyn and Dumbo






We went on a cruise from Hong Kong to Vietnam


ENVY photography - the next generation




Recovering from our trip in Singapore with the cuzzies


If you find looking at other people's holiday snaps are boring as I do then thanks for your time - hope it wasn't too painful.